I really - really - should know better. But I was put off by the title of this story without even glancing at the author's name. I'm so sorry, Jenni. I've taken far too long to let you know how much I like this tale so far.
I've just caught up with Clark's struggle to reintegrate himself into the "normal" working world. It rings so true, especially the difficulty he's having in resuming his "daddy" role. That's a hard enough job without the trials he's been through. And his stop-and-start relationship with Lois seems right on the money, too. It stands to reason that she'd expect him to pick up where he left off and try to protect him from harm all at the same time.
Will Clark's powers return? My thought is that he'll be stronger and faster than the average man and will have better hearing and quicker healing, but I think Bernie's right about the powers not coming back all the way. But even if they do, I don't expect to see Superman back on the scene, not with the amount of time that's passed since his last appearance. And given Clark's missing finger - and it's a very nice touch to make pulling at the missing finger the focus of Clark's expression of tension - it would be extremely difficult to conceal the similarity of the injuries.
I promise to keep up from now on, Jenni. And I promise not to be put off by a mere title. This story transcends the struggle between Clark and Lois and how they're going to "normalize" their relationship. It's full of excellent characterizations and conflict and stress - and love.
And that makes it all worthwhile.
