First of all... wow.
I'm glad so many people enjoyed the story, and I'm very glad there were no stones tossed over the ending.
The epilogue has been submitted to the fundraiser DVD, which will be available sometime later this year. You'll have to speak to one of our committee members for more details.
A few quick comments...
Originally posted by Tank:
Tank (who wonders when David will catch the Wendy disease for looooong fics)
Long? With... A plots and character development? /me looks for a 'gulp' graemlin
Originally posted by ChriscyK:
IAll the emotions overflowing that I never would have considered, the realness of it all, the very charge of the entire story. It made me lose my breath - repeatedly. I'm glad I'm still sitting up in my seat!
Wow, Chriscy, thank you!
Originally posted by Terry Leatherwood:
I still wonder where the images of marital bliss came from, if they were really just remembered dreams or if there was some H. G. Wells-type stuff going on.
Not in this story, no. And, as I have little tolerance of the little man in the bowler hat, it's not likely to happen in any of my other stories, but, as I said earlier, I wouldn't mind reading a story that had a bit of manipulation in it.
Originally posted by mr_d8a:
Why didn't Superman just push Nightfall off course?
Yes, that did always bother me, especially since breaking up the asteriod had more probable side effects than pushing it into the sun would, but I realised that Clark probably has no clue. If an "expert" like the scientists at Eprad told him it had to be done a certain way, he'd probably be inclined to believe them.
Originally posted by SJH:
David, please add an appendix with your next story. Thank you.
I'm sorry, what?
Now... I'm also glad it sparked off a psuedo-debate. They're always fun to read.
Let me see if I grasped the issues correctly.
1) Lois being worthy of Clark; and
2) Why Lois said 'no' to Clark's proposal
I'll start with point two...
Originally posted by Terry Leatherwood:
I'm sure it's because I'm dense, but I don't understand why Lois would refuse his proposal like that.
I think Wendy and Nicole answered this perfectly, but I will try. I'm pretty dense myself, so there's no promises.
They nailed it when they said it was too soon. They nailed it when they said it wasn't in Lois's character for season one, and they nailed it when they said she had doubts and insecurities. I love how Wendy phrased it.
So she can't say yes, because if he succeeds she might end up having to say no when she actually means not yet.
And, despite knowing all that, for a time, I contemplated her saying yes. Because I couldn't fathom Lois sending Clark to face the asteriod after turning him down. She'd say yes if she had to, to give him the courage to go up there. I was torn for the longest time - one of the reasons this chapter took so long to come out. Dare I say I was agonising over Lois's answer as much as I would have if I'd asked someone to marry me.
In the end, I decided to write the scene from another angle. From Clark's POV once he was already up there, and I had him remember the conversation on the balcony with Lois. I realised, Lois doesn't need to say yes, because she doesn't need to give him enough courage to face his death. She honestly believes he will make it back. There's no doubt in her mind, and so, she can be true to her own feelings when she answers. And, as Nicole pointed out, it's only been a day. She's discovered so much in a day. She's confused and she has a lot to sort through. Yes, she admitted she loved him, but she only just realised. It's not that she doesn't want to marry Clark. Her answer isn't 'no', it's 'I can't', because she honestly can't. She can't make that kind of decision when she doesn't know how she feels. When her entire world has been turned upside down in the course of a few days and she hasn't had time to contemplate anything because she's been so busy trying to be strong.
Which brings me back to point one...
Is Lois worthy of Clark?
I believe so, yes. I don't believe Lois was acting out of cowardice or that her love of Clark was less than Clark's love of her. I think, throughout, she was just being honest, and being honest when the temptation to lie is so great says a great deal. If we put aside all the issues with continuity and just look at the context of the story, you'll see that Lois and Clark are approaching the same theme from different angles. Different backgrounds. For Clark, his love for Lois is an established fact. It's something he, as far as he can recall, has always known. He loves her enough to dream of a life with her. While for Lois, her love of Clark is new. It's something she's just discovered. I think it's completely natural that she'd be awkward with it. That she'd be less inclined to follow impulses, that her gut reaction may still be to back away instead of move forward. There's no instant change, no magical tranformation. She's only just learning how to love Clark. Her love isn't less, it's just different.
Again, to everyone who took the time to read and leave comments - thank you. Writing this story has been a real experience. Mostly, thanks to your comments, good.
Dave (who loves that his story has sparked a discussion)
