Just finished reading as I couldn't stop until I had finished.
Excellent story and writing. I really liked how you handled Clark's emotions and letting go process. It was very powerful and tear jerking. I'm also really glad he found someone unique and not a carbon copy of Lois.
I definitely agree with your statement of being able to find more than just one person who you can love and can love you. Too often, people are on the look out for 'the one' and miss out on getting to know the people right in front of them. It's sad really.
Anyway, thanks for sharing.
What a beautiful story of learning to love again. I have to admit that while I agree in principle that there isn’t only one person out there for each of us, when it comes to Lois & Clark, I have a hard time seeing them with anyone else. After your warning, I wasn’t sure if I should continue reading or not. I’m glad I did and enjoyed the story. Well done!
Blueowl and jackiek,
Thanks so much for reading my story. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I'm also pleased that you liked Erica, I worked very hard to make her different from Lois but also a strong woman in her own right. I also want to thank you for taking time to comment on it. As you know feedback is the lifeblood of authors in our fandom so I really appreciate the time you took to comment.
Thanks again,
Ray
This is interesting, Ray. The concept of Intergang taking revenge on Lois after she's backed away from dangerous investigations is ironic but also somehow fitting. I'm not sure I liked how Clark got the assassin's confession, although I understand his angry determination. I'm not sure that confession would hold up in court, but it might never be mentioned. An American defense attorney would certainly bring it up, hoping to discredit the defendant's accusers to the jury. Might be very different in the Nicaraguan legal system.
Dream Lois was surprisingly articulate for someone who was not only dead but whose visits Clark didn't recall clearly. I never have dreams (that I remember, anyway) where someone speaks to me in such a clear and direct manner. But I rarely remember my dreams past waking. I'm probably on the low end of that Bell curve.
You showed Clark's anguish about being attracted to Erica quite well, along with his fear that he was somehow being unfaithful to Lois. That's a very understandable reaction, very reasonable, and his process through those feelings to loving Erica was shown quite well. I did, however, feel that Erica was a bit too clinical when telling Clark about the death of her husband. We also didn't get to see her surprise and concern about being attracted to another man, especially since she'd been a widow for two years as opposed to Clark who'd been a widower for five when they met. We didn't get to see her working through those same feelings. Maybe she should have had some late-night calls to and from Nancy, complete with tears and pain and fears similar to the things Clark was experiencing.
Overall, though, this is a good story. I know you aren't Lois Lane's biggest fan, but this never felt like a "beat up Lois" story. You showed her as a loving wife, a dedicated mother, a mature and thoughtful woman who just got caught in a horrible revenge plot. It's not often we see dead characters with that much screen time. (And yes, I've used the device a few times myself!) Despite your denials in the past, you are a writer. I hope to see more from you before too long.
Hi Terry,
Thanks so much for your comments. I agree with every one of them. I did assume the Nicaraguan legal system would be a bit different than ours, especially when dealing with a presidential assassin. I too never have people talk to me in my dreams but since Clark IS out of this world maybe he dreams differently,(LOL). I never thought much about Erica's feelings outside of what I needed them to be for my plot. I agree it would have made her a more fleshed-out character. I, for some reason, like to experiment with how Clark would deal with not having Lois, for whatever reason. In this case, she was violently taken from him and having him deal with grief as well as his feelings for another woman was something that intrigued me. Thanks so much for your comments and suggestions. If I write another I'll try to take them into account.
Ray