That's it. Done. Dusted.

All gone.

So, what did you think, eh?

Chris

Congratulations, Chris!!


This has really been a marathon for you, hasn't it? Well, you're finished now, and it's been well worth it, at least from this eager reader's perspective (I hope it's also been worth it from your perspective! ).

Your further explanation for CJ's powers is highly ingenious, and I really like the way you tied the end of this story to a number of aspects of EMI. And then a wonderfully WAFFy finish... awww!!

Okay, so what's the plan for EMIII? You did hint that there are some matters of unfinished business... but on the other hand, we're also very anxiously awaiting Learning Curves III, and at least one of your other unfinished stories. So you need to get writing again, and fast!!


Wendy

Yay, happy ending!

I think the explanation of CJ's limited powers is very believable -- he is telepathic, to a degree, so why not the rest of it? It's very consistent with what you've been doing all along, too, so it's not like it comes out of the blue.

Loved the whole "proposal" banter scene <g>

In fact, I've enjoyed the whole story. And I like the way it's left open to do more stories...

PJ

Hi,

Beautiful story!

Thank you Chris for a great story, a wonderful ending, a softer Lois, a developing CJ, a nastier Luthor, nicely tied-up explanations, and the return of many characters whom we see from a new vantage point (Mrs. Cox, for one). This was delightful.

Brava,

gerry

Interesting take on CJ's retained abilities. I believe in the comics, John Byrne also speculated that some of Superman's powers might have a psychic component to them. After all, as you pointed out. Solar power provides... power. How about the rest of it?

I have to say that I'm not surprized that most of the instalment was taken up with all that waffy, yucky stuff but I had hope.

Good job... What's next?

Tank (who wonders how fast Chris will get the first instalment of her next story up... a day? maybe two?)

Very enjoyable story. Thank you, and congratulations on finishing it.

I think one of the things I most enjoyed was the opportunity to see the Clark character in another profession. You stay true to the character, but it's always fun to mix it up a bit with different professional demands and goals as well as colleagues.

Now that CJ and Lois have partnered on the fall of Luthor, it would be fun to see how they could work together as attorney and journalist on other cases -- two very demanding and exciting professions.

Good luck on your next story.

Martha

An excellent story and an excellent end.

Thank you for writing it

Horay!!!

Chris

Congratulations on an excellent story!

Tricia

Good ending. So CJ has some of Superman's powers, but he'll have to be very judicious in their use. Not a bad compromise, after all.

I still would like to see an EMIII, to see how he starts his new avocation, and see what happens if Jimmy continues his hunt for the mystery man.

Nan

Wendy: Thank you! Not just for the comments and for the cyber-bouquet, but also for lots of moral support while this was on the go.

Yes, overall I think it has been worthwhile. I've had doubts from time to time, but... I still can't quite believe that I actually managed to finish this though!

EMIII: okay, so I confess, I have some ideas. However, I am making no promises as to when -- or even whether -- it'll get written. Given my past track record, I think that's very wise, don't you?

Ditto for the other things you mentioned. All I will say is that the way I feel at the moment, EMIII is likely to come before LCIII.

Pam: thank you, too. Your comments have meant a lot to me as I've been posting. Glad you approved of my final explanation re CJ's powers. I have to confess to have had some worries about people's reactions to that.

Maria: thank you! And again thank you for your consistent feedback throughout.

Gerry: I don't want to be repetitive but... thank you!

[I'm going to have to come up with some alternatives: gracias (Should have said that to Maria...), merci, spacibo, danke... Oh, heck. Look, I'm very grateful, okay?]

Tank: I confess, I have read the John Byrne 'Man of Steel' miniseries. I think I even have a copy somewhere. I do vaguely remember some comments about how Superman was able to lift things in that which might have hinted at telepathy, so I'm sure that I was influenced at least on some level by him. I hope, however, there is something of me in this, too, though.

As for my next project... Goodness knows, but don't expect anything for a while. For one thing, I'm off on holiday in a couple of days time and will be very incommunicado for a couple of weeks.

Martha, Iapetus: Two more people to say thanks to!

Ah, Jose: I can try out my 'gracias' on you, right? Good.

Tricia: Again, thanks for your continuing support.

Nan: Again, thanks. I'm delighted that you can live with my compromise re CJ's powers. I know that you wanted to see him keep them, so if you can live with the compromise then I'm very happy. I can only suppose that the idea worked.

It has made a huge difference, knowing that people were reading this as I posted. I know that I'd already got a complete draft done before I started posting this time around, but without the support and encouragement of some faithful diehards (you know how you are), I would have been tempted to give up anyway.

The story has been tweaked in places in light of comments made here, so the archive version will have benefited from your inputs. (It won't have changed much, so I won't be too concerned if you don't want to read it again!)

Chris

Chris,
What an absolutely enchanting story!!!!

I loved the whole story..... your excellent A plot, your superb B plot and yes, even your wonderful ending and how creatively you dealt with CJ's powers.

Congratulations on a magnificent job!! )

Chris - RL forced me to be essentially AWOL from the boards for the last month and I've only been able to pop back in this last week. Over the past couple of days, I've taken advantage of your TOC and gotten caught up with the past 1/3 of your story.

I *hate* that I got so far behind, although it was advantageous that I could zoom right past a couple of those nasty little cliffhangers you threw in there. I was appalled, although not terribly surprised, when Lex showed up at Lois' apartment, but my heart certainly leapt right into my throat when CJ was pulled out the window. Thank goodness I didn't have to wait days for the outcome of that!

But having read the first 2/3 of this story in parts, with several days in between sections to ruminate, I find that it worked better for me on this particular story. I liked having the time to think about the A-plot, to worry about all the dead ends that Lois and CJ were running into, to contemplate different scenarios. Reading the remainder all at once, although still most enjoyable, was a surprisingly different experience.

I'm very happy at the way everything worked out. Very imaginative way to keep some of CJ's powers - and I'm very glad that flying is one of them. Lex, of course, got what he deserved and in a nice whammy fashion. And, of course, wonderful waffy scenes between CJ and Lois.

I've really enjoyed reading this, and I'm thrilled that you're thinking about continuing this universe. If you do decide to write it one day, I'm ready to read it, and certainly anything else that you write.

Thanks again for this wonderful story.

KathyM

Just diving into the fray for a moment before I finish my packing for tomorrow.

S / RetroRose: Ah, your fulsome praise warms my heart... or at least my ego! Thank you for that, as well as the holiday wishes. I'm very excited about my 'adventure'; hope it's going to be fun! I also hope that the sea is going to be very calm...

Kathy: thank you for your comments, too. I was particularly fascinated by your comments about the reading experience. I'm not sure what it goes to prove, but it does suggest another reason for putting stories up on the boards, rather than straight onto the archive -- moreover, it's a reason I certainly hadn't thought of before.

And really, when you get down to it, that has to be one of the greatest compliments an author can get, doesn't it?

Thanks, guys.

Chris

great part Chris
wonderful story
happy ending
merry

Hi! I finally read this story from beginning to end, so I hadn't been commenting along the way. I just have to say I really enjoyed it even more than EM I. If there's an EM III, I'll look forward to reading that one, too.

Just great! I haven't been posting, but I've been enjoying the story. I even hooked up the laptop at LAFF when my Jornada ran out of juice to get the next installment and then finished it when I got home.
Thanks for a very enjoyable ride!
Artemis

Came back from holiday a few days ago to find lovely messages from Merry, Roger and Artemis. So, very belatedly, I just want to say "Thank you, guys!"



Chris (who thinks she probably ought to make the effort to send this off to the archive...)

I just finished reading this today, and I really have to say "Wow". How you dealt with feelings of guilt, inadequacy, futility... Honestly, I found it very helpful in my real life situation. One of the themes I love about Lois & Clark is "Work hard, do what you can, and it's enough." and this story really brought that home to me. Dealing with chronic illness in both myself and my husband is very difficult, and I always hate that I can't do more to take care of him and do things that need done. I've been struggling with coping emotionally, and this helped me find a very good place.

Besides all that, it's also just a ripping good story!

Wow! Thanks for reminding me Puffy Tiger. I had forgot about these two stories. I will reread them.
r/
Artemis