BlueOwl, it WOULD have improved Lois' mood! But I decided to give her the opportunity to grow here, instead of following her usual impulses.

Thanks for stopping by to comment. I appreciate it.
Sara, thanks so much for letting me know about the anniversary! I'm glad I got to participate. And I hope your surgery went well, and that you're recovering quickly and painlessly!
SuperBek, Thank you SO much! The non-verbal bit felt really risky to write. And I'm definitely working on wrapping up endings a little more fully after Undercover Reporter.
Bakasi, I don't even think I made that exact connection in my head that she could connect to Clark this way, but not Lex - but it's so suspect that she can talk to Clark about Lex but not really talk to Lex about Clark. When we see Lois missing her friends in the series, Lex is already so in her head that all the interactions are sort of tainted by his mental games. Thanks for reading and commenting on this one!
Toomi8, awwwww, thank you! It definitely feels so much better when this pair is on the same page, right?