Sorry for the long absence. I really do appreciate the feedback - it's just been a busy week.
robinson - I'm not sure Lois and Chad couldn't have worked it out if they really wanted to, but in the end, I agree that this was a better place for them. I feel like the only way they could have been together was to make compromises, and now they are in relationships that don't require that. Plus, of course, this way we get the somewhat requisite Lois and Clark ending.
Thanks, IontheAlias!
grinch - Thanks so much! I can't believe you reread the whole thing! I still can't get up the energy to get this ready for the archive.
I knew you were open to a Lois/Chad ending, but I think you were in the minority there. I appreciate your willingness for that, though, as I still feel like I could have gone that way and been true to the characters.
I hope Lois realizes this, and doesn't think of hers and Chad's love story as the perfect fairy tale. Otherwise, it could be in that in your universe, Lois may think Chad to be her soul-mate and Clark to be the guy who gets her through this lifetime when Chad couldn't.
I don't think she will. It is why I had this interchange with Lois and Martha:
"... I know what you had with Chad was amazing. I saw it when I first met the two of you.”
“But maybe Clark and I could be something even better,” I said softly.
I think Lois will always look back on her life with Chad with fondness, and she's certainly coming into a relationship with Clark very differently than canon-Lois. But I also think she sees that in the end, Clark may be a better fit for her than Chad.
Given this, what role will Clark play in her life? Also, since Chad's been a decent and straight up guy, will Lois constantly be comparing Clark with Chad? Given Clark's relative inexperience, I'm sure insecurities could develop based on this notion alone.
I think you are right - Clark could feel insecure. But I don't know that Lois will be comparing them. I think Clark's role here will be similar to what we saw in season 4 of LnC - Clark wasn't so much Lois' savior anymore, they were true partners and equals. I think in this 'verse, their relationship is starting off there rather than building there.
Chad says something to the effect of, in junior high, it singled you were over your ex if you kissed somebody else. I understand where he's coming from, but still, for a 28 year old guy to be saying that, just supports the idea that Lois has yet to be involved in a more adult, mature, type of relationship.
Personally, I saw this as more about Chad's inexperience than a sign of where their relationship had been. They hadn't dated anyone else, ever, so when Chad thinks of breaking up, it's a bit more like the break ups of his friends in high school than a divorce. He's never been through a break up before since he fell in love and married the first girl he ever dated.
it would have been nice when Martha mentioned Lois and Clark's last article, for you to stick in a "Lane and Kent" byline mention. The last we saw Lois, she had said she wasn't quite sure the difference between Lois Lane and Lois Andrews. I would hope that the Lois who admitted she loved Clark, would have been comfortable with the Lois Lane she had become again.
So, while I never thought of putting it here, I did want to include it when Clark told her he loved her for the first time, but I left out Lane for a reason. While Lois talked a lot about changing her name back to Lane, I had trouble being 100% sure she had done it before now. I could really see her dragging her heels on that, feeling like it was her last tie to Chad. So, I wasn't really sure if her name was Lois Lane here or Lois Andrews. I see her as being different here, but I can also see her being Lois Lane, but still wanting to think of herself as Lois Andrews.
Although, you can be sure if she hadn't changed her name yet, she was going to be doing so soon.
Tank -
Every time he tried to do something that was 'right' for him, he seemed to only be able to do it by apology. If he'd been more true to who he was he and Lois should have reached this point earlier. He loved Lois, yes, but he was too subserviant to her wants. All the compromise seemed to be on his part.
I definitely think this was true. While Lois was a softer version of herself here, she did seem to "drive" her relationship with Chad quite a bit. I feel like a pattern was set up between them a long time ago (some time we didn't see) where Chad did everything he could to make Lois happy and as he realized he needed more than that out of life, he felt guilty for that.
I actually feel like he finished this story in a much different place than he started even more than Lois. Lois is with someone who "fits" better than Chad since Clark isn't compromising on his desires to make her happy. Chad is also with someone who fits better, but additionally he knows who he is now.
I guess this is my reasoning for why he was always the one doing the compromising. While he always knew he wanted to be a doctor, he didn't realize he wanted to be a small town doctor until later. Lois always knew she wanted to be a reporter for the Planet, so those desires drove their decisions as a couple. Chad has just recently realized who he is as an individual.
Now, all four of the main characters are in relationships that fit the lives they chose for themselves individually and that should lead to more stable, happier relationships.
As I said, I didn't care for Chad, but I was still on board the whole way. That has to tell you something.
Thank you!!
If I haven't caught the deadly cold my husband has (which I think I might have), I plan to start posting the next story this weekend. It's a bit more Clark-focused as it's a first person Clark POV, but Lois plays a much more significant role in the story than Clark played in this one. (I should say, though, that it's also a very different Lois than the Lois in this story.)
