Okay, so this is the monster that's been keeping me from posting lately. It's taken on a life of its own and will be a series. How many stories in the series, you ask? Probably 3. I'm working on the second one as we speak...

ETA: Despite the bleak title, this is not a depressing fic.

Yay! You posted it!

Poor Clark!

I couldn't wait anymore. My muse demanded its release! And as you know, you must always do what the muse says!


Poor Clark indeed! (That seems to be a common reaction to things I write...)

Martha and Jonathan are gone? Honestly, I didn't see that coming. Clark is an orphan twice? Are you sure this isn't a depressing fic?

OK. I will fasten my seat belt and prepare myself for what happens next. She says this as she starts biting her nails in worried anticipation.

Ha! Well, there is SOME bleak stuff but, um, some (I hope) interesting twists and turns. Buckling up might be a good idea.

Wow. All I can is how sad and depressing. All I want to do is give Clark a big ole hug. Hope things get better.

I attempted to read this yesterday, but when I clicked on the story I quickly realized that it wasn't going to be possible. I was just too sick to concentrate. So I ended up just skimming over the comments instead.

I was feeling a little better today so I took another attempt at reading it. It still took a lot of energy out of me but I was able to finish it. Since I had glanced through the comments yesterday I already had an idea of where things were headed.

Hopefully I'll be feeling better when the next part comes out and I'll be able to read the story before looking at the comments.

I was kinda wondering where you were, DC I'm excited to see this, and where it will go. I loved the imagery about Jonathan's hands, it was beautiful. I have similar memories of hanging out with my dad, working on projects and just talking and growing up.

I don't mind stories that get bleak. One of the powerful things about stories is that we can explore our own fears and weaknesses and watch the characters grow through them to become stronger. I love your story Broken for this reason. Seeing characters overcome hardships gives me hope and ideas for overcoming mine.

Thanks, and I'm greatly looking forward to the rest!

Hi Carrie! I'm kind of known for making people go "poor Clark!" But I promise it will end on a happier, more hopeful note! Thanks for reading!

No worries! My kids got sick on Friday and oh so lovingly shared it with me, so I've been sick all week. I nearly didn't post the other day but figured it couldn't hurt to get the story up on the boards.

I hope you feel better soon! I will likely post Monday or Tuesday.

Hi! Yeah, I'm been mostly lurking lately. At first, it was the Kerths that sucked me away from here, since we had to start from scratch and learn as we went along. (It took a LOT of LONG nights to get it up and running in such a short time frame.) And then this beast manifested in my mind, basically eating up whatever free time I had. And I'm not even done. Since it's a series, I'm writing the second story now and already thinking about the third!

I'm with you on the bleak stuff. I don't mind it so long as it has a point. And it is fun to explore the characters and ourselves in the process. I'm glad you liked Broken. While it's not borne from personal experience, it was certainly interesting to take a dark turn and spin it, so that it wasn't the "typical" female victim story, and, in fact, was an experience that brought the most powerful man in the world to his knees.

Glad you are enjoying this one and I promise to update soon! (Monday or Tuesday.)

Oh my, the first chapter was heartbreaking. Poor Clark. You described all of this perfectly.

Thanks, Jackie! Glad you like it, despite how mean I was to poor Clark here.

Thanks for making me cry. This is such a good and powerful start. The way you describe the setting, the accident, Clark's fear and the sadness... You ripped my heart out along with his.

I have just started reading and I am glad that I don't have to wait for part two.