Yay Kae! It was door number one after all. Claude's nowhere to be seen in Part 2 and Lois is now realizing she could very well fall in love with Clark. Thank you, Claude, for putting them together.
"Do you want me to leave?"
"No!" She looked up at him, her eyes bright with tears, and he felt his heart break at the sight. "No," she said more calmly. "Stay. Please."
It's sweet that Lois is comfortable enough with Clark to receive comfort from him. And she's willing to show her vulnerability to him.
"Do you still love him?" She looked up sharply, and he winced. "I'm sorry; it's none of my business - "
"I don't know."
" - forget I asked... what?"
"I don't know if I still love him."
Ouch. This must have been pretty hard for Clark to hear, but I suppose it's quite reasonable that her heart is still having trouble getting over what she thought was her great love. Even if she isn't really in love with Claude, it's hard to convince yourself sometimes.
"You're not. I'm just... well, I'll be frank. I'm furious."
This time her eyes flashed anger at him. "Well, I didn't ask you to judge me, Kent!"
"No! Lois, it's not you I'm furious with!"
Poor Lois. She's still sensitive to the charge that she did something wrong. And she assumes automatically that Clark is judging her and finding her lacking. She isn't used to having sympathy from men, but Clark goes out of his way to show her that she did nothing wrong, and that Claude was a skunk who didn't deserve her. Partly, he does this by admitting his own failed relationship. For Clark, who guards his privacy to extremes, this is a significant admission.
To her, Clark had always been single and available. It was one of the immutable truths of this world: just like the sun rose every morning, just like the night fell every evening, Clark Kent was and would always be a sexless friend
I'm glad Lois realizes that she's been taking Clark for granted and that he may not always be there for her if someone else snatches him up. I like these lines a lot.
"He was an idiot not to see how lucky he was to have you in his life, Lois. Don't let him make you doubt how attractive you are. You're beautiful, you're brilliant, and whoever you choose to share your life with will be the luckiest man on earth."
You sweet talker, Clark.
Nice.
No... please no. Don't let him ruin this moment with a declaration of undying love, she prayed fervently. She was unable to honestly return his feelings yet. She knew there was more than friendship between them - it would be tough to deny after that kiss - but she wasn't ready to acknowledge it yet. One step at a time. One tiny step at a time. She braced herself for the worst. "Yes, Clark?"
"Do you want me to tear him limb from limb?"
Surprising that Clark knows Lois so well at this point in time, since it hasn't been that long since they've known each other. He knows instinctively not to pressure her into something she isn't quite ready for.
"Would you kiss me again if I asked you to?"
Whoo hoo!!!
"I know you're not. And... I'm willing to wait until you are. Until then - I'll be your friend. If you'll let me. Until you can trust me the way I trust you."
He knows just what to do to put her at ease, at the same time telling her that he'll be there when she's ready to accept him.
Nice conclusion, even if their relationship is left hanging. In a way, it's more realistic since the time frame is still early in their acquaintance. One bit of curiosity I have is why you chose this particular time period midway through first season. It seems this story could work anywhere from GGGoH to mid-second season.
Now I'd like to see some more Near Wild Heaven. Nag, nag!
