It seems clear to me that Clark is not a doormat - that he's making a choice to forgive Lois, because that's ultimately what he needs to do for himself. It's an active, not a passive decision. He did blame her, was angry with her, but feels that he needs to move past that in order to embrace all that he has left - Clark is gone and he needs Superman to exist or else he's nothing. He blames himself for what Lois did - or at least, he seems to, but that's a very human thing to do - to blame yourself for things that aren't your fault in order to justify actions that you just can't explain. That doesn't mean, deep down, that he really does blame himself. He's too eager to heal, to quick to accept that the disappearance of his shaking means that he is fully recovered. No, there's more hurt under his polite veneer just waiting to break free. There's a depth to this story that reaches beyond the surface. And I am enjoying it immensely.


You can find my stories as Groobie on the nfic archives and Susan Young on the gfic archives. In other words, you know me as Groobie. wink