This was a difficult chapter in which to strike a perfect balance, so I'm glad to hear it had mostly positive reactions.
Christina, I think Lois is pretty much worried about everything right now, and the others might not like her 'dragging it out,' except for the fact that they've really only let her come because they want Clark to get help from somewhere, and they'll let her stay as long as it looks like he IS being helped.
I'm sorry you don't like the direction this story is taking, There Is No Spoon. As stated earlier, we obviously have very different views on what forgiveness is and just how much strength it takes to offer it -- not to those who deserve it -- but to those who don't. Clark, canonically, takes the blame for most everything onto himself, and this time is no different. If the story makes you too angry, you are, of course, free to stop reading at any point. If you choose to keep reading, then I thank you for the additional views and feedback.
RJS, in life, it's always the good guys who get hated on the most, so that might be what he did 'to deserve this.'
Thanks, scifiJoan. That family hug was one of my high points, too, just because I really wanted to give Clark something good!
We will find out eventually what happened in Smallville, Lynn. Lois and Clark do have a history of seeing the same things very differently, don't they?
As always, love your play-by-plays, DC!
This story IS sad, but there is some hope, always there in the background.
Thanks for the support, Groobie! I really like how you put that about his forgiveness being an active decision rather than a passive one. Very true, and just what true forgiveness calls for. But you're very correct in assuming that there's a lot Clark isn't dealing with yet -- ignoring things and avoiding them are something of his specialty when it comes to emotional hurricanes!
HiddenMoon, I wish I could quote English and grammar rules to support my use of the verb tense in 'chases,' but alas, I'm much better at spotting what works and what doesn't than remembering what rule backs me up. However, I do believe, in non-professional terms, that the use of 'has' earlier int he sentence qualifies the tense used in 'chases.' Other than that, I only know that when I read it aloud, it sounds better with 'chases' than 'chased.' Sorry if it broke you out of the story, though!!!
Great thoughts, LMA! This story, essentially, is just following to the end what all Superman-detractors think would really happen if a guy were to try to pretend to be two different people via a pair of glasses in front of investigative reporters. Clark doesn't know that in universe after universe, Elseworld story after Elseworld story, that pair of glasses has worked out perfectly well for him. Newsworthy-Clark didn't keep the secret for long, and to him, that just meant it was a bad idea and he should never have tried it. When he first showed up as a separate persona, he was pretty much holding his breath and waiting to see if he'd have to accept the consequences of such a bold move. What Lois did was not laudable, but it was foreseeable, if we didn't have decades worth of stories to shadow our own perception of how the story should go. And you made an excellent point about Clark not wanting to live his whole life NOT forgiving Lois and being bitter about what happened. So glad that you're enjoying the story; I hope it continues to be a highlight!
Interesting insight, Virginia, that Clark isn't really imagining a future with Lois -- he's forgiven her, he's okay, and now he's ready to move on. What I liked was the turnaround that it's Lois, in this story, who doesn't want to move on, but is trying to hold on. I was gratified to hear that the suspense is working for you -- I always feel I'm much too blatant about my foreshadowing and hint-dropping, so I got a smile to read your comment.
Thank you, LWhite! Always look forward to seeing your comments! Characterization is the most important thing to me, so it was nice to hear you like the way the story's going!
It's interesting to have a story with such divisive but interesting views! I hope it doesn't disappoint you all, and that you can see it and enjoy it as an interesting and maybe thought-provoking what-if story!
