Sorry its taken so long to write this feedback! First of all let me say this part was absolutely brilliant! So many things happening and emotions exploding to the surface. A sad but proper solution to the Lex and Lois question.
She stopped just out of his reach. “You’re still as charming as you ever were, Lex. And just as diplomatic. I know you’d rather cuddle an enraged rattlesnake than see me again, at least in a social gathering.” She indicated the table with her free hand. “Very nice setting. I’d imagine that your lovely young guest will be here shortly.”
The dialogue between these two is amazing. It really sets the tone of the scene, making it more menacing!
“Arianna – “ and he stopped. He couldn’t tell her about Lois’s secret. And he couldn’t let her discover it on her own. The first bullet that hit Lois would reveal Ultra Woman’s true identity to the world, and Lois would never again have a moment’s peace. They would have to isolate Arianna for the rest of her life or kill her, and he couldn’t risk letting Lois make that decision on her own. He had to deal with this situation by himself, and he had to do it before Lois walked out of the elevator.
Lex really is thinking of Lois here. He’s not the creepy character we knew in the series. He wants to keep her and her secret identity safe.
“Oh, please! Psychiatry was simply a means to an end. I used it to get to you and then to your mob contacts in the labor unions, and from them to the Mafia dons in the city. I did the rest of it myself, including the elimination of my competition. Did you know that I was the one who wiped out the leaders of the three major gangs two years ago?”
Aha! So Lex Luthor is not as squeaky clean as we thought he was! Arianna is one power hungry board…
She still didn’t know if her clothing sent the right signals. Asabi had been more than polite when he’d picked her up at her apartment and had spoken easily with her, discussing the weather and sports and Asabi’s recent escrima exhibition, but she wasn’t dressing for him. She’d modeled three dresses, five different blouse-skirt combinations, and four pantsuits before deciding on dark slacks with a spiffy pastel blouse and low heels. Yet she still wasn’t sure it was the appropriate outfit for the ordeal she knew she would undergo tonight.
The pantsuit outfit Lois decides to wear speaks volumes. Any woman who has a hint that the man she loves is going to pop the question, will break her neck to look absolutely smashing! Oh yeah… that’s right, she’s not in love with this man…
Even so, the prospect of marriage to Lex – becoming Lois Lane-Luthor – neither filled her with giggly anticipation nor gripped her heart with cold dread. While Lex was, and always had been, a pleasant companion, an excellent dancer, and an interesting conversationalist, he didn’t knock her shoes off when he kissed her. The thought of spending time with him didn’t fill her heart with fluttery joy the way the thought of spending time with Clark did.
Ouch! Sorry Lex. The better man or in this case, Superman, won.
Killing people was so satisfying, Arianna mused, that it was a shame she got to do it so seldom.
Needless to say, she’s crazy.
Then Lois lifted her tear-tracked face to Arianna and stared at her with malevolent intent. Arianna stepped back as Lois stood up and turned to face her.
Instead of answering, Lois reached out and grasped Arianna’s jacket in one hand and pulled her closer. “You killed Lex, Arianna. Now I’m going to kill you.”
Sooner or later we all run across someone who's just a tad better than we are. Arianna has met her match.
Well written! Expect my nomination for a Kerth!
