David, you already know my opinion of this story - and I absolutely love the way you finished it. I think it's perfect. You've given us hope, but without getting into schmaltz. We know Clark will deal with Nightfall; we know he'll get back to Lois; we know they'll be together. Excellent work!
This is on my Kerth list in several places.
The whole smashing the asteroid instead of just shunting it off-course... that's been discussed a lot over the years. I believe that Phil Atcliffe was the first to point out that merely moving it would be a better solution, and I used that myself in one story - Faux Pas, if I remember correctly. I'm sure I'm not the only one who did it. Of course, the simple push makes for a much less angsty story...
Ann and one or two others mention Lois's refusal of Clark's proposal. I think it would have been wrong if she had said yes immediately. This is still only Season 1; they're friends but haven't been that close. Of course, in this story they became close and confessed their love to each other. But Lois is nothing if not honest when it comes to her deepest feelings and intentions, when she needs to be. She
knows that she's not ready to commit to marriage to Clark, and she knows that he's not ready too. For all they know, the intensity of their feelings could have been brought on by the situation: the end of the world approaching, Clark's amnesia, spending so much time in close proximity knowing that they don't have long to live. Feelings growing under those circumstances might not be real.
So she can't say yes, because if he succeeds she might end up having to say no when she actually means not yet. I think her response was perfect. She didn't actually say no. She tried instead to work out why he was asking. What did he really want? He wanted security. To know that there was something to come home to - someone who would be waiting for him. He wanted his dream to be reality. Well, she gave him all that. Made sure that he understood that she would be waiting for him. That she believed he'd come back. That she loved him and wanted him to come back. And that one day, when they're both ready, she might say yes to his proposal.
That's the honest response. It's not patronising, it's not offering false hope, it's not agreeing to something she knows in her heart she's not ready to agree to. She's being honest and mature and at the same time giving Clark what he needs to know, to hear, to feel. I think it's just right. I think she's absolutely good enough for him because she loves him enough to give him what he needs instead of what he thinks he wants. So I have to disgree completely with Ann on that point.
Okay, Dave, so what's next from your keyboard?
Wendy
