Jessi!
I sadly missed this when it was first posted. When I found out that you had written a story that I hadn't read, I quickly scurried off to find it. And what a beautiful and emotional story it is. You really do have an amazing way with words and an ability to pack so much punch into just a sentence or two.
But he did love her – with all his heart, he loved her – and that was why he'd had to pretend to be sleeping. Though it killed him to remain silent while she lowered the barriers around herself – the ones he had been fighting so hard to break down - he understood that acting on it now would eventually destroy everything between them. If he allowed their romantic relationship to start under that pretext, she would never forgive him when he told her he was Superman. And he would never be able to forgive himself for letting that happen.
Oh man, I'm writhing with jealousy - that's absolutely the best rewrite of an ending that I've read. I will never again see the end of TOGOM without thinking that Clark is secretly awake and dying on the inside. You led us through his process of self-recrimination so well that we can't help but feel bad for him (and agree with him that he was a selfish jerk). I love that he loves her enough to wait for the next opportunity and a way to tell her the truth without taking advantage of her emotional vulnerability.
I hope this means that you'll be writing more in the future. I've missed you!
