Wow, Barbara! What a chapter! The way you wrote Lois and Clark in bed together, shy, but filled with love for each other, was so beautiful. Their kisses were passionate, but somehow almost even more wonderfully affectionate and tender. Considering how confused Clark is, it felt so right that they would take things exactly as far as you allowed them to take them. I wasn't going to quote, but this is very beautifully written:
It was as if someone had given her a push, making her cross the threshold she had fled so many times. Lois turned her head and felt the light caress of his hand in her face as she brought his palm to her mouth. Placing a light kiss in it, she glanced at the gorgeous man beside her. It seemed to Lois as if he belonged there, his chest under hers. All doubt she might have felt was replaced by a sudden jolt of incredible contentment. She tasted the faint saltiness of his skin and was amazed how soft it was. Had she ever felt male hands that were as smooth as Clark's? She couldn't think of anyone. He had to be a tender lover and she was tempted to find out.
Slowly, he traced the lines of her lips not missing a single spot on them. Lois shivered at his touch. Her lips tingled with anticipation as he gently drew her towards him. Briefly before their lips could meet they stilled. For a moment they drowned in each other's eyes, their faces barely an inch apart. Both were searching for any hint of disapproval. It didn't take more than a blink to convince them that their feelings were mutual. Then Clark closed the distance between them. His touch was soft, almost shy at first. His tongue grazed her mouth, lingering between her slightly open lips before he gently slid between them. Lois welcomed the silky intruder with a low moan that escaped from the depths of her throat. She felt his caresses and soon their tongues were moving in a slow seductive dance.
Jimmy calls to prevent them from going too far on their first morning together. But what he has to tell them is more than shocking:
“You… you've gotta see that…it's…it's…” his voice cracked as he was trying to say it. “Just turn on the news,” he then ordered, giving up on explaining something to her that he wasn't capable of putting into words.
“Okay, I'll do it, Jimmy. Which channel?” she wanted to know as she got up and walked over to Clark's living room.
“Doesn't matter,” Jimmy replied briefly and fell silent.
And what all the channels are reporting live is that...
Well, we know that he isn't dead since Clark is alive, and Clark is Superman. On the other hand, Clark admittedly seems to have misplaced his powers. During all my years as a reader of Superman comic books, I have certainly come across stories where Clark and Superman have been separated into two persons, superpowered Superman and non-superpowered Clark.
If you somehow managed to actually split Clark/superman into two persons - I have absolutely no idea how you could do that in a moderately serious and not too wildly comic book-y story - then yes, you
could kill Superman while keeping Clark alive. So I guess it is faintly possible that the dead guy that is being carried away is indeed Kal Superman El.
Hmmmm. Your fic is called Separate Lives, Barbara. Eh. Do I begin to guess what that title could refer to?
Ann
