Well, that was unexpected.
Pretty graphic, too, although not outside the limits of the board. You placed Tempus' action in exactly the right place, too, where his shooting Lois' double and Arianna would do no real harm to the timeline. Way to frustrate him beyond belief.
And yeah, trying to murder the past without doing your homework is a very good way to do something else altogether. I don't doubt that this incident brought Lois and Clark closer together sooner than in canon.
I have to admit it, you had me worried for a bit. I didn't think about Lois' double being the actual victim, nor did I think that Arianna Carlin was the second, almost incidental, target. Thought it might be Ellen Lane for a half-paragraph. But for Tempus it's Karma, in a way. She can be a naughty lady. And strengthening Utopia instead of eliminating it is an excellent rebound on our favorite villain flake.
Tempus is to Lois and Clark as the Killer Bunny is to the Quest for the Grail? Interesting parallel. And my compliments to your muse for the idea, and to you for listening. First deathfic I've ever read that wasn't really a deathfic.
Well done, DC. Well done indeed.
Thank you, Terry!
It's almost too easy to mess with Tempus and frustrate him, isn't it? But also way too much fun not to! I would imagine you're right. Lois and Clark did bounce back to their friendship fairly quickly as it was, but this would only serve to hasten it more. Lois has always sought comfort in Clark when things get weird/distressing. What's more distressing than seeing someone who looks just like you be murdered?
You know something? I didn't even think of this as a deathfic when I was writing it. But you're right, of course. It IS a deathfic, albeit a very non-traditional one.