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Joined: Oct 2003
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Top Banana
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OP
Top Banana
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,363 |
 You posted! I am dying to know how Kryptonite dust got all over the place! I still say that John is not as squeaky clean as he leads us to believe. Jimmy laughed, “You wore a bullet proof vest and didn’t force Lois to as well?” he asked. “Sorry, but I don’t buy it. You never would have let Lois go in without one if you thought there was any chance she would get hurt.”
Everyone’s eyes went to the floor. They had forgotten how well Jimmy had known Clark. Strangers may buy the story, but in reality, it was not surprising Jimmy did not.
Clark took a deep breath and then shocking everyone in the room he said, “You’re right, Jim. I didn’t think it would be dangerous. The reason I didn’t die was because I’m Superman.”
There was gasps from everyone in the room but Jimmy who just laughed harder. “Right. And I’m Bugs Bunny. Come on, Clark. You look like you are about to fall over and you want me to believe that you’re the Man of Steel.”
Lois moved to sit next to Clark. She reached over, removed his glasses, and pushed his hair back into Superman’s hairstyle. “It’s true, Jimmy,” she said. “But he was exposed to kryptonite yesterday.” At least Lois is not the only "galactically stupid" one. LOL! “I know!” Lois nearly shouted, standing now. “I know they would have used me as leverage against Superman. But instead Clark and I were supposed to spend the last ten years miserable and alone?”
“You shouldn’t have been alone, Lois,” Clark said gently. “You should be married.”
Looking at him Lois felt herself weakening as she looked in Clark’s warm eyes. “How could I have married someone else when I was in love with you?” And the truth finally comes out and Lois finally admits that she has been in love with Clark all of this time. And that makes him feel even more miserable because of what he has put her through. Neither of them thinks it matters at all now anyway. Clark’s gasp caused Lois to consider the consequences of what she said, “Not that it matters now.”
Her words did not seem to matter to Clark and Lois realized in that instant that Clark understood that she would never forgive him enough for them to be together. It was realizing she loved him that had caused the gasp, not hope that they could be together. How he could not have figured out how she felt given how depressed she had been the past ten years, she did not know. ‘Lunkhead,’ she thought.
But somehow having the thought made her wonder – was it really true that she would never forgive him enough for them to be together? Somehow that thought made her sad. So, Lois did what she always did when there were confusing emotions to deal with. She deflected. I wouldn't be so sure. “So,” Jimmy summarized, “someone is making sure you are exposed to kryptonite by leaving it places where you are likely to be.”
“But just how are they getting it to these locations (aside from Lois’ apartment) so quickly?” Perry asked.
“Unless they are somehow orchestrating the natural disasters,” Lois said.
“And how do they have such easy access to enough kryptonite to cover an entire country?” Jonathan asked.
“And,” Martha joined in, “why is someone trying to expose Superman to kryptonite?”
“I think the question you mean to ask, Mom,” Clark corrected, “is who wants Superman dead.” This person would have to have lots of power and deep pockets. You've gotta hurry back and solve this for us! Very well done, but too short for my taste.  You cannot possibly think that you can tease us and then run off again! Hurry back! I am still thoroughly enjoying this! I'm just ready for Lois and Clark to get past all of this and be together. Everyone except them can see how much they love each other. ~Sheila
I'm a firm believer in the fact that God doesn't put any more on us than we can bear. He does however make us come to Jesus every so often.
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,797
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,797 |
Martha immediately knelt down to engulf Clark in a hug. It was awkward since Clark was lying down, but that did not prevent her from holding on until she felt her husband’s arm on her shoulder. And then she moved only in order to allow him the chance to do the same. Jimmy sank into the seat cushions. Then looking at Lois in surprise, he said, “You knew? But you were so… so broken up about Clark’s death.”
Clark’s eyes found the floor, the shame apparent in his frame.
“I just found out a few months ago,” she confirmed quietly. She was almost surprised to find herself giving Clark’s shoulder a squeeze Jimmy looked around and finally noticing Perry, stood to give him a hug. “So you found out yesterday just before you called me,” he said.
“Well, actually, no. I knew before he was shot,” Perry said, suddenly feeling embarrassed.
...
“But… why didn’t you say anything?” Jimmy asked him and Perry could see that Lois’ eyes were focused on him as well, surely wondering the same thing.
Perry sat down quietly, placing a hand on Clark’s shoulder in a show of support. “It was not my secret. And it was one worth keeping, I thought. Clark deserves as much of a private life as he can get. I guess I got used to not saying anything. I mean, Clark didn’t even know I knew. I thought one of you would say something if you knew.” Lois’ voice had the edge of anger to it when she asked Perry, “Why does everyone assume that that wouldn’t have been enough?” Her eyes took in Clark as she spoke. Perry’s speech had made her forget her earlier decision to make sure Clark wasn’t upset.
Surprisingly, it was Martha who answered her, “It shouldn’t have been enough, Lois. You know I think Clark should have told you the truth, but that’s not because I thought that would really enable the two of you to be together. You needed to have a life, and what kind of life could you really have had in a relationship that had to be kept completely secret? And it would have been dangerous. If anyone had gotten wind of your relationship, they would have…” “I know!” Lois nearly shouted, standing now. “I know they would have used me as leverage against Superman. But instead Clark and I were supposed to spend the last ten years miserable and alone?”
“You shouldn’t have been alone, Lois,” Clark said gently. “You should be married.” Everybody here supports Clark, protects Clark, hugs Clark, finds excuses for Clark, tries to make sure Clark isn't upset or uncomfortable. Nobody, on the other hand, supports Lois. She should have known that Clark was Superman. She shouldn't have asked for a relationship with Superman. She couldn't be trusted to know Clark's secret. She should have gotten married. Perry, who was described in the show as someone who loved Lois like a daughter, watched Lois sink into despair for ten years and never once had a serious talk with her about Clark. Martha, who told Clark almost as soon as she had met Lois that Lois was in love with him, did little to make Clark go to Lois and tell her truth about what had happened. And here, when Lois is angry, Martha immediately defends Clark, or at least suggests that Lois has no right to be angry. Lois has just had to buy a new couch, as well as some other furniture and equipment, for Clark's sake. Did Martha and Jonathan offer to help her pay for it? No, they just hugged their boy and defended him against all accusations from Lois. I have to tell you, anonpip - if Clark doesn't sit down with Lois and have a serious talk with her, and if he doesn't admit to her that what he did was inexcusable, and if he doesn't tell her that he has to apologize very deeply and seriously anyway, then I don't think Lois should stay with him. And if Martha doesn't apologize for not trying harder to make her boy go to Lois and tell her the truth, and if she doesn't apologize for jumping in and defending Clark's behaviour when Lois was angry, then I really, really don't think Lois should want her for her mother-in-law. And if Perry doesn't apologize to Lois for not talking to her about Clark for ten years, then I don't think she should go back to the Daily Planet. On the other hand, if Clark really, seriously apologizes, and admits that he really did choose his secret identity - or at least his secret - over her for all those years, but that he now bitterly regrets it, then I don't see why she couldn't forgive him. And if Martha apologizes, and explains to her that she couldn't force her boy to do anything he didn't want to do, and that she automatically jumped in as a mother and defended her boy when she shouldn't, but that she now regrets it, then I don't see why Lois couldn't forgive Martha, and why she couldn't have Martha as her mother-in-law. And if Perry really, seriously apologizes, and admits that what he allowed to happen to her without helping her was inexcusable, then I suppose she could forgive him too, and come back to the Daily Planet. But unless Clark, Martha and Perry admit to themselves that they seriously need to apologize to Lois, and offer Lois their support, then I really hope that Lois will go back to John. I was going to send you this as a private message, anonpip, but I couldn't find your address. Anyway, this is the last time I'm going to write a negative review of this story. If I don't like the upcoming parts of it, I won't be reviewing at all. I'm glad that Sheila wrote such a positive review of this part. If Sheila hadn't praised it, I wouldn't have posted this. Anyway, I'm sure that Sheila isn't the only one who likes this story. Good luck finishing in, because it is an original story with a really interesting A-plot. Ann
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,797
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,797 |
But I have to admit that Lois's timing was off when she started taking people to task for how they had treated her. This is not the time for serious talks about past mistakes or for heartfelt apologies. This is the time to concentrate on dealing with the horrible kryptonite threat to Clark's life. But I hope that Lois will not blithely just return to Clark, Martha and Perry after the threat has been dealt with. (And I'm really curious about how you will pull that one off - the dealing with the kryptonite threat, I mean!)  Ann
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,010 Likes: 4
Top Banana
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Top Banana
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,010 Likes: 4 |
Still enjoying reading. 
When Life Gives You Green Velvet Curtains, Make a Green Velvet Dress.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 921
Features Writer
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Features Writer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 921 |
Hi everyone! It’s so great to log on and see comments while I travel and am feeling short of energy! Sheila- This person would have to have lots of power and deep pockets. You've gotta hurry back and solve this for us! Definitely! Lois, Perry, Clark, Jimmy, Martha, and Jonathan are trying to figure out who it is right now and they’ve narrowed it down to just this list of criteria, but no names yet… Could it be John?  I am still thoroughly enjoying this! Thanks, Sheila! This is fun to write, so it’s always good to hear that it’s fun to read as well. Ann- I should have realized you would take issue with this chapter. It was a bit Clark-centric, wasn’t it? Everybody here supports Clark, protects Clark, hugs Clark, finds excuses for Clark, tries to make sure Clark isn't upset or uncomfortable. Nobody, on the other hand, supports Lois. Some of this is purely related to the fact that Clark is hurt and that naturally makes people who care for him want to make sure he’s okay. She should have known that Clark was Superman. She shouldn't have asked for a relationship with Superman. She couldn't be trusted to know Clark's secret. She should have gotten married. However, this wasn’t supposed to read like this. While, you are right, support was for Clark, it wasn’t an attack on Lois. When I wrote this, I wasn’t seeing everyone as weighing in on the Lois/Clark argument. It wasn’t that Perry thought Lois should have known Clark was Superman – it was that he didn’t tell her as he thought she did know. It wasn’t that she shouldn’t have asked for a relationship with Superman – it was that she deserved better than that. It wasn’t that she should have gotten married – it was that Clark had hoped she would (ie, he wanted her to go on and be happy without him). I’m not sure what was said that made you think someone thought she couldn’t be trusted with Clark’s secret, but that was definitely not the case. Case in point – Martha said, “I think Clark should have told you the truth,” Perry assumed she knew, Jimmy assumed she knew, etc. Perry, who was described in the show as someone who loved Lois like a daughter, watched Lois sink into despair for ten years and never once had a serious talk with her about Clark. It’s probably asking a lot that you remember this, but at the very beginning of the story Perry (or Jimmy, I can’t recall which) explained that Lois rebuffed all attempts to get together with them after Clark’s death. Add to this the fact that Perry was going through his own thing, he didn’t think he had anything to say that she didn’t already know, and he didn’t push as hard as he should have to talk to Lois. Martha, who told Clark almost as soon as she had met Lois that Lois was in love with him, did little to make Clark go to Lois and tell her truth about what had happened. Clark’s an adult and so I’m not sure what Martha should have done aside from try to convince him that he was wrong (which she did). Aside from this, it’s not really Martha’s role to go to Lois directly. And here, when Lois is angry, Martha immediately defends Clark, or at least suggests that Lois has no right to be angry. I don’t see Martha as defending Clark here and certainly not suggesting that Lois has no right to be angry. Just explaining that she did agree with Perry that it would be reasonable for Lois to be upset that Clark is dead even if she knew that Clark was Superman as a relationship with Superman may not be enough for her. Lois has just had to buy a new couch, as well as some other furniture and equipment, for Clark's sake. Did Martha and Jonathan offer to help her pay for it? They did actually – I just hadn’t mentioned it yet. I thought that perhaps the issue of money was something that wouldn’t have come up when everyone was focused on making sure Clark didn’t die. I have to tell you, anonpip - if Clark doesn't sit down with Lois and have a serious talk with her, and if he doesn't admit to her that what he did was inexcusable, and if he doesn't tell her that he has to apologize very deeply and seriously anyway, then I don't think Lois should stay with him. While there will definitely be some more apologizing, I should warn you that it may not be enough for you. I feel like Clark has already done this and since I don’t view the scene above as everyone ganging up on Lois, I don’t know that another serious discussion/apology makes sense. Lois is getting over it (slowly). And if Martha doesn't apologize for not trying harder to make her boy go to Lois and tell her the truth, and if she doesn't apologize for jumping in and defending Clark's behaviour when Lois was angry, then I really, really don't think Lois should want her for her mother-in-law. This, too, is unlikely to happen since I don’t see Martha as having defended Clark – I didn’t see this as a rehash of the argument. Just Lois getting upset, because her emotions were running high, because Clark was so sick. And if Perry doesn't apologize to Lois for not talking to her about Clark for ten years, then I don't think she should go back to the Daily Planet. Just as a reminder, Perry has retired. He’s not the editor of the Daily Planet anymore. Anyway, this is the last time I'm going to write a negative review of this story. If I don't like the upcoming parts of it, I won't be reviewing at all. Just so you know, I don’t mind your negative reviews. While clearly they don’t stroke my ego as much as positive ones, I really appreciate all the time you take to comment on the story and give your opinion even when you don’t agree. And a lot of what you’ve said in the past has had an impact on what happened after as I realize better where what I was thinking when I was writing isn’t coming through as much as I would like. Good luck finishing in, because it is an original story with a really interesting A-plot. Thank you! But I have to admit that Lois's timing was off when she started taking people to task for how they had treated her. This is not the time for serious talks about past mistakes or for heartfelt apologies. This is the time to concentrate on dealing with the horrible kryptonite threat to Clark's life. Precisely. This was the main thing going on. People were trying to diffuse Lois’ anger to get back to the matter at hand. Lois wanted to as well, it was just that she was feeling so emotional, she burst out. That was part of the reason why one minute she was trying to put aside her feelings to concentrate on Clark and the next she’s lashing out. (And I'm really curious about how you will pull that one off - the dealing with the kryptonite threat, I mean!) Well, hopefully the story won’t go in such a way that you feel the need to stop reading and you’ll find out. Gr8shadesofElvis- Still enjoying reading.
(yes, sadly that's all I have to say.) That’s great to hear even if you no more to say. It’s always good to hear that others are reading and enjoying my story!
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 700
Columnist
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Columnist
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 700 |
Yay, you brought back Jimmy! Although I know some people on these boards don't like him, I do and was glad to see him in this scene, and also show some of the holes in Perry's story. Yes, it would work for the population in general, but anyone knowing Clark would see the flaws. Although you could argue that Lois couldn't wear a bullet proof vest to a night club because everyone would see it under her dress. So Clark stepped in front of her to take the bullet because he was the one with protection.
Anyway, it was nice to see this up.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 921
Features Writer
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Features Writer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 921 |
Thanks, Beth!
I like Jimmy, too, and have never understood why some people don't like him. He'll be in the next part of the story, too, although to be fair, his role is pretty limited.
I managed to get a fair amount of writing done while I was gone, but it needs some serious editing, so I'm aiming for posting some more later today, but I'll have to see how bad it is first.
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