Okay, so CJ and Lois have dinner and talk.

This is one part that will make more sense if you have read / can remember what happened in EMI. (Sorry about that! )

Chris

That went WAY too quickly. Was this is a shorter section, or simply a very smooth read?

I think most people would not be inclined to accuse me of having an automatically dirty mind but Chris, I have to say that Lois' introspection after the kiss -- especially the references to their respective positions -- sounded a lot more like, uh, the afterglow from something a little more than a kiss. If that's deliberate, fine. If not, you might want to look that bit over.

I am *so* impressed with these two for having the courage to clear the air. Elyse's ghost, we can hope, will finally be put to rest.

Interesting to have Toni come up again. I really want to see what happens next. I wan't kidding when I said that you do a great A-plot. And hey, the B-plot is pretty darn interesting, too!

This continues to be an interesting read, Chris. Give us MORE!

Hazel

/me does a victory dance

They kissed!!!

Great job.

Jen
(who really *is* interested in the A plot too )

"With Lois, if she would have him."

But she decides to take a trip to the Congo and is never seen again... the end.

No?

Actually, this was a good instalment even if it did border on getting a bit heavy on that yucky stuff. Apparently this Lois hasn't had too many federal disasters if she's willing to admit to her attraction to Clark. Of course, there is no man in tights for competition and she knows about the powers, so maybe not so hard to believe.

Things are going good... too good, time for the nasty whams to manifest themselves.

Tank (who thinks that CJ's Lois needs to come across the picture of Clark's Lois so she can see how great she'd look with short hair )

Hey, Chris,

Sorry I haven't been commenting consistently, but I am still reading! And I loved this part -- I was having some major jealousy after that kiss.

I'm so glad you're having these two help each other get over their guilt. Now let's go out and kick some bad guy butt! Semi-within the bounds of the law, of course.

Bethy

Hi,

Great part.

More soon, please.

MAF

Another great part!!

Don't take me wrong, I love the A plot, but I was more that just fine with a whole section of "B" (did I mention the smoochies???)

Keep up the great work!!

S (who can't wait to see where this story is going now..... and is not above begging for more soon!?! )

great part, chris.

love lois and take-out. was hoping you'd go that route. didn't seem likely that CJ would have thought to go for it himself, or even that he'd be too familiar with international take-out joints, given his limited powers.

great conversation about elyse, too... sharing the guilt, moving past it together, realizing how much better l&c go together than e&c... well done, and very nice to see.

and yay, they kissed! and they kissed again! and it looks like they're ready to make this a more regular thing...

nice rescue, too. cj's getting pretty well accustomed to this hero thing, isn't he? and look, it got him interested in toni! wonder if anything will come of that.

have to say, i was almost expecting a folc cameo during that rescue... been reading too many in the challenge folder.

oh... while i'm writing...

thanks. random (semi-) useless trivia is a specialty of mine.

oh, and if you're only going to read one comic, DD is definitely a good choice.

as for parking brakes, most US parking brakes are pedal-operated. in fact, i think i've only seen hand lever parking brakes on cars with manual transmission.

i did go to double-check, since i've only driven a ford explorer, not a jeep (though i have seen interior pictures of jeeps). i found this site, which sells used jeep parts. under jeep grand cherokee, they have various parking brake parts, including "parking brake pedal," but nothing about levers. i took a quick look around for owner's manuals, but came up mostly with people trying to sell jeeps with owner's manuals or sell copies of old owner's manuals.

anyway, looking forward, as always, to seeing more of this. keep it up.

Paul

Chris

A fantastic part!
Wonderful smoochies! So WAFFy!

The conversation about Elyse is superbly written.

You have me completely hooked and I look forward to reading the next part.

Tricia

Chris,
I just wanted to say that I agree with everyone's comments (except Tank's suggestions ).

I'm looking forward to the next section!

Avia

SMOOCHIES!!

~Liz

OK, I've gotten behind in reading and commenting yet again...sigh...but I'm all caught up now.

Tank complained that it was "a bit heavy on the yucky stuff", but not for me. I loved it. The kiss was awesome, and I really liked how they got the whole Elyse issue out in the open and dealt with it. So now it can all be smooth sailing, right? You're not really going to listen to Tank and bring on any of those nasty whams to mess them up, are you?

KathyM

Thanks guys! I'm delighted to see that you approve!

Hazel: no, this wasn't a short section!

Afterglow, huh? Believe me, that certainly isn't the impression you're supposed to have at this stage! (Hey, there has to be the potential for their relationship to deepen over the course of this story; at this point, they should still be paddling around the shallow end.)

I imagined them sitting on the sofa, then kissing, then CJ reclining against the cushions and Lois reclining against him. They haven't rumpled their clothes or anything at this stage; they've only just worked out that they might actually enjoy kissing each other... Lois's reaction is supposed to be based more on her emotions than on the intensity of their encounter. Does that make sense?

If that isn't how it comes across, then I really need to change things. Could anyone else tell me if they thought 'afterglow' here?

I'm delighted to see that I've got general approval for way the Elyse story has been (mostly) dealt with.

As for Toni... Ah, so people have noticed her second mention. Yes, she will get mentioned again later. But then, so will quite a few other people.

Tank: no, Lois won't be going to the Congo. In fact, she spends most of this fic in Metropolis. CJ, however, gets to travel a little further afield. And, yes, there are a couple of whams coming, but you'll have to wait a while longer for them.

Oh, and there will be more yucky stuff, too. You have been warned.

Paul: no folc cameos anywhere in this fic! It is a cameo free zone.

Thanks for the link; I'll be off to explore as soon as I'm done here.

Kathy: it depends what you mean by smooth sailing, doesn't it? I can't guarantee they they won't argue, and I've already said that there are some whams to come. All I will promise is that Lois and CJ won't stop talking to each other.

Liz, Avia, Tricia, RetroRose, Maria, Bethy and Jen; thanks for your comments, too.

Chris (desperately seeking clarification on the afterglow thing... please?)

Nice beginning to a closer relationship. It also seems to me that if CJ is going to do many more rescues like that, he *needs* a costume. If he doesn't have some kind of a disguise, he's going to be on the front page of the National Whisper.

Nan

Chris, I personally didn't get an 'afterglow' vibe, but just what you said, that Lois was definitely affected by the kisses. I admit that I did think it was possible that clothing might have been rumpled - loosened tie and collar button, something minor like that, but that's all. I think CJ looks really good that way, but I can try to banish that image from my mind, if you want me to... :p

I was kind of joking about the smooth sailing stuff. After all, it wouldn't be L&C without problems along the way, would it? Thanks for the wham-warning! At least if they keep talking to each other, that's a big plus!

And I definitely agree with Nan about needing a costume. But just because he had decided against being Superman doesn't mean he can't change his mind...can this Lois sew?

KathyM

Wonderful segment, Chris!

Well, after waiting for the dinner I hit this line first and was almost on my way out of the door forming a lynch mob as I thought you were welching out on us there. Whew. Glad I was wrong. <G>

I still haven't found the time to read EMI (Bad reader ) , but this simply made me more determined to.

Wooohooo! Seriously, <g> this was a very sweet and tender moment.

<snuffle>



Still a little surprised Lois hasn't got to discussing any expectations CJ has based on seeing the other Lois and Clark together - she seems to be getting in pretty deep now and it seems strange to me that it hasn't yet occurred to her. Still, perhaps with Elyse out of the way... And maybe it's just because I'm eager to see that particular conversation that has me focused on it out of proportion.

I have to admit that the first line of the following scene, with her lying against his chest, made me think they'd just slept together and I did think, "Woah, that was quick!" <G>. But the next couple of paragraphs corrected my impression pretty quickly and I did realise my mistake within a few lines, so I don't think it was that big a problem. If you want input with intent to tweak it though, it was definitely the lying snuggled on his chest that prompted me to think of 'afterglow'.

Rat pretty much explained it, Chris. The first line or two had me blink, but subsequent lines made it more clear. All you have to do is make the first few lines mesh more neatly with the rest, and you're home free.

Hazel

Chris
smoochies waffy
I enjoyed this
good job
more soon please
merry

Thanks Nan, LabRat, Kathy, Hazel and Merry for comments and clarification!

Nan: I think CJ is beginning to come round to your way of thinking, but it is a very gradual process, as you will see.

I've done some tweaking, and this is what I came up with. (I've changed by 'master' but I haven't changed the version posted here.)

Chris

Works for me, Chris - very waffy.

LabRat