Corinna, you make a good point and I completely agree that Lois is being as neglectful as Clark is being a lunkhead.
At the same time, it's easier to have sympathy for her. For me, this is because the problem of getting caught up in work, letting things drift, and not noticing that they are drifting until almost too late, is one that is much more common and relatable than the problem of someone deciding to get a divorce for the good of his spouse (for whatever reason).
You've also made it clear that Lois was burying herself in work as her way of coping with pain, and you've shown us more of her insecurity and fear, with her realization that she's been making a mistake. She's trying to change, where Clark is mired in his own wrongheaded decision-making process and (to some extent) in denial about both the pain of their childlessness, and the pain of Lois' neglect and seeming indifference.
The other thing that irks me about Clark in this fic is that his decision to leave is (seemingly) both so high-handed and so self-absorbed. He's decided for both of them what the remedy for their childlessness should be (absenting himself from the picture) instead of getting her input about what they should do now. (For instance, why couldn't they take Dr. Klein or Sam into their confidence, and explore options with one of them?)
It also seems to me to be strange that he wouldn't realize how much divorce will hurt both of them. Any pain Lois felt about their lack of children would surely only be compounded by the pain of a divorce, of being left alone again and having to start over. Given her history with men, he should realize how devastating that would be, quite apart from the pain of losing him.
I don't think you need to make Lois less sympathetic here by emphasizing her neglect; you've emphasized it enough by having her realize it. One reason Clark is less sympathetic than Lois for me is that he seems to be in denial about the depth of his own pain, so we're not seeing it fully (and maybe later chapters will show this more). He's also causing Lois pain with full awareness that he is hurting her, and hurting them. I find that last part is a bit unlike Clark.
I should have combined my earlier observation with praise for this story, which is, like all your stories, very well written -- excruciatingly so. Or I should have saved my fdk until the story was complete and I saw where you are taking these characterizations. Sorry about that.
