Well, you could have told me you'd finished this!
I didn't even see it here until just now, but am I glad I did. Every time I read something by you, it seems your writing has got better. I'm in awe here. This is such a very moving story. You convey Clark's grief without ever having to
tell us that he's grieving. Your descriptions of his body language - and especially his eyes - give it all away. We all know that Jonathan's dead before he actually tells Lois.
And your Lois is both so very perceptive and so very blind. I really like the way you have her not knowing how to react, how to behave - just as we all would - getting it a bit wrong, but in the end just following her instincts and hugging him. So beautiful.
And of course Clark slips, and he realises it, and in the end he decides there's no point trying to cover it up. That 'he liked you too' is a perfect way for him to acknowledge the truth, or hint her further towards it if she needs it. Beautiful.
Unlike Ann, in this story I saw Clark throughout. Yes, he was in the Suit, but he had good reasons for that, I believed - as you said, how could he be back so quickly as Clark? Also, maybe the Suit was to force him to keep some distance between himself and his emotions. Maybe he thought if he was dressed as Superman he wouldn't need to cry. He could just spend a few minutes with Lois, enjoy her company as he always does, and leave having had a 'fix' of her to keep him going in his grief for another while. I got the impression that he never actually intended to tell her about Jonathan.
Throughout this scene, I saw Clark - in every word, every gesture, every movement. Lois saw it too; it just took her a while.
Truly beautiful, and going on my Kerth list.
Wendy
