Finally, finally, *finally*!
Yes!
/me packs away his Physiology notes.I *finally* have time to read this chapter. Take that, God-of-exam-related-stress!
Okay... can you tell I'm a little excited?
I got a little peak of this chapter earlier and *could* *not* *wait* to read it... and then had to wait and... why am I stalling? On with the show!
She trembled in the shower. Fumbled with her buttons and fastenings. Her hands shook as she tried to apply her make-up. She was a mess. A quivering wreck.
Worth the wait. Definately! I love that. Perfect introduction - perfect balance of atmosphere and setting. We know where we are and how we're supposed to feel. Perfect. <g>
Well, no-one other than Clark, and he didn’t count.
I know I mentioned this before, but I *love* that Clark doesn't count. He's on her team and it's okay to fall apart amoungst friends as long as you put on a united front in the end, right? Yep. It's him and Lois against the world. Love that, especially since this is pre-relationship.
Yeah... okay. Moving on. <g>
But then, she’d heard him castigate them.
Am I the only one who wants to know what they said? <g>
Okay, there was no time to waste, but he was her partner. And her friend. And she needed him today. With her. She didn’t want to go to the Planet without him.
*sighs... and then grunts for good measure*
*Really* excellent, Wendy. I adore the sentiment. And it comes through so clearly in your writing. Really, *really* excellent.
Now that Lois wasn’t here to need it, the assurance he’d been preaching all that time, that everything would be okay, vanished. As if it had never been there.
I *love* that, Wendy. It's like that huge cathargic sigh when nobody is looking. The moment you let your shoulders slump and your chin drop... just for that moment... as long as nobody is looking... because it's so hard and you need that break... just for a moment. I'm getting carried away. <g> But yeah, I really love that. My shoulders slumped with him.
And then he took a deep, shuddering breath and forced himself to stand upright.
And then the moment is over and he's ready to be strong again. Everything from the last quote to this quote... wow, Wendy. That was... so beyond good I don't have words for it.
I don't have a specific quote for it, but I love Clark's little moment of panic too. <g>
On the other hand... would he regret not telling her?
Yes. Yes you would, Clark. But it's okay. Wendy is nice... she wouldn't let Lois die without giving you time to get all sappy. <g>
If, by the time Dr Sutton confirmed that it was too late to save Lois, they hadn’t found the cure, he’d tell her everything. At least then that would be one regret he wouldn’t have.
All right, even *I'm* shocked by my response to this, but... coward. I'll explain that, if you want, Wendy. But... yeah. For now I'll leave it as 'Clark, you coward!' :p
She pulled out a chair from the kitchen table and sat, only to jump to her feet seconds later and start pacing. Moments later, she noticed that she was alternately twisting her hands together and tugging at the neckline of her blouse. Fidgeting. She hated fidgets!
Wham! We're jerked into the present again. Out of the wallowing and into the jumpy-would-be-dead woman. Nice way to bring us back out of Clark's slump. <g>
He curled his fingers around hers and squeezed gently. Well, even if she didn’t understand, it seemed he did.
Awww.
His expression softened, and she saw deep sympathy in his eyes. Sympathy she’d reject from anyone else - but from Clark, somehow, it was what she wanted. Needed. Just as she’d needed him when Barbara Trevino had tried to kill her. She’d protested then, of course, that she could look after herself... but she’d craved Clark’s protection all the same.
Would it be bad to slip in two 'Awww's in a row?
Probably. So... *ahem*...
That's really fantastic. <g>
We're back to the softer emotions, and it's... heart wrenching.
She hadn’t been planning what to do. He knew that as well as he knew how scared she was. If she’d been strategising, she’d have done it aloud. They’d have done it together.
*Love* that. I'm not sure why, exactly, but I absolutely love that.
Okay, Wendy... it's been a week, right?
Definately... what? 3 Days? Damn it. It *felt* like a week having to wait to read this... can we... I mean... you've been writing lots, right? Time for another post? <g>
Dave
