What's this? Another fic?

Yeah, so my muse apparently wants to insist on tormenting Clark this morning and this is the result. Clark's thoughts after he overhears Dan Scardino ask Lois out and she responds with "I don't know."

All comments are welcome. Yes, I know I'm torturing Clark but apparently, that's what my muse decided to do today.




Shattered

Way to leave it me hanging!! Hoping for a post movie conversation between them or a look at it from Lois’s perspective. This though is much better than the way Clark handled it in the series though

Thanks for commenting Crazy_Babe,

This was a ...heart-wrenching fic to write. Clark's back and forth as he deals with the emotions that come from overhearing Lois' conversation with Scardino weren't easy. Anger, fear, hopelessness...

I'm not sure on a sequel but I'm not ruling it out.

Given the title, I was afraid the story would go in the other direction. You really captured Clark's angst and indecision. I don't usually think of him as this insecure, but it's exactly these kinds of thoughts that led him to decide to run away and leave Metropolis when Lois told Superman that she had decided who she was going to date.

I always got the impression that Lois was a bit blindsided by Dan and his advances and didn't know what to do with him, but she really shouldn't have been stringing both Dan and Clark along like that.

Nicely done! I love how tortured Clark is in the beginning. He has EVERY right to be hurt that the woman he's been seeing/dating would even entertain the idea of going out with another man RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM. That always pisses me off every time I watch. That Scardino would be gutsy enough to try that and that Lois would stick the knife into Clark like that. We know, Lois, he's been flaky on you, but wow that was a low blow to him.

Anyway, I'm glad the lunkhead made the decision to meet up with her. If he hadn't...she never would have forgiven him. He would have lost his chance forever. And doomed Utopia in the process. All because he's acting petulant. But, he didn't, so we'll have to excuse his angry thoughts and near "throwing in the towel" moment.

Great story!

Thank you for commenting mrsMxyzptlk,

I have to admit I was tempted to make him make that mistake and shatter everything but thankfully I was talked out of it. Yes, I wanted to get in Clark's head at that moment when he realized how fragile things were between him and Lois. There's always the focus on Mayson's death in Resurrection fics, but I tried to make the focus on everything he and Lois had been through and let his insecurities bubble to the surface. As Clark puts it so eloquently in a later episode, "Superman is what I can do Clark is who I am," making it evident just how human he can be outside of the powers he's been gifted.

He's not perfect by any stretch of the word, and his insecurities have shown many times before so I thought this was a good place to really shine some light on the emotions he was feeling in that moment. With everything on the line the fact that Lois responded to Dan's request with "I don't know" had to be painful for him.

The more I'm thinking about it I'm tempted to shine some light on the other end of the spectrum and show Lois' side of things.


Thanks Vicki,

And thanks again for talking me down from making Clark walk away from everything. That would not have ended up being a short fic at all.

Yeah, I still don't understand the thought process going on there. He asked her out. She said yes. Then it took them two months to go out. They both admitted it was risky because of their friendship. That in itself should have warranted a more serious tone in their relationship on her part. The response to Dan that I'm sure Clark overheard had to cut deep.

Though I wouldn't have blamed Clark for walking away I'm glad I didn't make him do that either. He has to work through his emotions and you may end up with a sequel to this one or a spin-off I guess is more appropriate term for it.

Thanks for reading and commenting everyone.

Lois was in the center of a maelstrom with Dan and Clark on either side. The poor woman was confused! Throw in Clark’s disappearances and it is perfectly understandable why she answered with ‘I don’t know.’

Nice introspective. Poor Clark was truly shattered while sitting in the newsroom making his decision.

You all are just so inventive, it constantly amazes me. I'm a very pragmatic, linear thinker, and I love reading what you all come up with that I would never think of.

This fic reminds me greatly of NostalgiaKick's Missing, in that it pulls out something that I didn't really catch when I was watching the show, but makes total sense when you point it out. This was such a fragile time for both Lois and Clark, and I think you really capture that here. Thanks!

I fully enjoyed this piece. I was counting down the minutes with Clark it seems. For a second though I thought he wouldn't show up. I am so glad he did. Thank you for the wonderful piece.

Morgana,

Thanks so much for reading and commenting. Yes, I agree Lois was indeed confused at this point. Though I do feel she was being a bit callous toward Clark after Mayson's death. It's not easy to lose someone but it's even more traumatizing to watch them die. That's more a personal grudge I have with this part of the episode. It just didn't seem like she was being very sympathetic to him.

Though Clark wasn't helping things by closing himself off and not talking to her. Plus not ever setting things straight in regards to their relationship and letting her know where he stood.

I did do a companion piece to this one Fragments that shows Lois' POV on things.


Aw, thanks Puffy Tiger!

I'm so glad you enjoyed this one and I take it as a high compliment to be on the same level as NostalgiaKick's Missing fic. That was one of my favorite fics last year.

I love rewatching the series. There are little pieces that you don't catch the first time that stand out and turn into fics like this. I'm glad I was able to grab your attention with this one.


Hey Carrie,

Yes, the countdown of will he or won't he was meant to keep everyone on the edge of their seat. We see a lot of how Clark is constantly sacrificing for the better good and going out of his way because he loves Lois but not many fics focus on the insecurity that is there and evident both in the show, comics and even the movies. In the end he did show up but it was a choice on his part to try.

Thanks, everyone for the feedback. There is a companion piece to show Lois' POV as she's waiting for Clark to show. Fragments