Wonderful comments! I'll try to respond to some of them.
John, you certainly picked out a bunch of stuff!
Telepathic venting: I don't think it would be as emotionally satisfying as blowing spit on Clark's shirt.
Cat doesn't know about Lois' family? Hmm. Maybe Cat thinks Carlin doesn't care, or maybe Lois thinks that her family situation is so bizarre that it would drive Cat away from her. I leave that to each reader's interpretation.
No bomb on the plane, just a real accident. I'm not sure how much benefit Carlin would reap from knocking down random airliners.
Yeah, Ellen complained about drunks in cabs. Ironic, no? Somebody email Alanis Morrisette!
Will Lucy meet Jimmy? Yes, but it's off-camera. I was trying to keep this story from sprouting extra plot bunnies from the get-go, and a Jimmy-Lucy romance just didn't fit.
Iolanthe, thanks for the clip! One of my favorite comedies.
AmyPrime, we'll see a bit more of Sam in the next chapter. Not too much, though. I wouldn't let him take over and he's a little miffed about it.
Corrina, thanks for the kudos about the reveal. I tried to show that Lucy had grown up a bit from Lois' rather bitter description of her at the end of "The Road Taken" as being a flighty slut. I think Lois exaggerated a bit back then due to her own emotional stresses.
Morgana, we'll see what happens between Clark and Rebecca before the end of the story. I advise laying in a supply of tissues. (My betas know what I mean.)
Lara, thanks for endorsing Morgana's suggestion that Lex and Rebecca get together. We'll see if that actually happens before the end of the story.
Next chapter coming up soon! Thanks for reading, y'all.
