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Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 289 |
Carol, I just came back from a weekend at my mom's and just managed to catch up with the last 3 chapters! Awesome! I am totally thrilled by how much ground you have covered lately! This is so much more than a silver lining.   I am so looking forward to seeing Lois and Clark in action, bringing down those slimeballs! And having them work together with Eduardo and Cat is a great idea. So they meet Henderson early on. Interesting! I still like Lucy a lot and Perry of course. I am ready for more, whenever you are. Natascha
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Kerth
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Kerth
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*happy sappy sigh* Beautifully written. Keep it coming!
The only known quantity that moves faster than
light is the office grapevine. (from Nan's fabulous Home series)
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
Joined: Jan 2004
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"Now, what's going on? Shouldn’t you two be in class?" I like how Perry slips into the surrogate parent role so easily. The Perry you've written is very different than the one we're used to. He doesn't hide behind a rough exterior, but instead easily adopts the young bucks and takes them under his wing (to mix a metaphor). Perry let out a long, low whistle. "Are you okay, Lois?"
She nodded. "Physically I am, but I'm mad as hell. It's not the first time he's done it and I'm sure it won't be the last, but he picked me for a reason." I appreciate it when people ask that, but I wish someone would ask the same of Clark. When you assault one party, you've hurt them both. So is Clark doing all right? It is interesting to ponder how many women that Paul is involved with. Usually they start to come out of the woodwork when allegations are made public. I have to giggle at the thought of Lois asking Linda, "So I was wondering if you were sleeping with Paul. He asked me, too." "Garlic chicken pasta sound good?" It sounds fantastic! Where did Clark learn to cook like that if Martha didn't teach him. You especially had my mouth watering when he added the parmesan. "I don't think a day's gone by that I haven't thought about it at least once."
"Wow." She thought for a minute. "Where were you going to take me?" It's nice that she recognizes the value of what he brought to her last night and knows what it cost him. It's refreshing to see them talk about the stuff of life, not just school, work, finances, parenting and business, but also dating, thank yous and sex. "I know, but someday, she's probably going to come to you for advice. Either because things aren't going as they'd hoped in that area or because it's finally about to happen or whatever." He's warning her that she can't be a good mother and keep her secrets forever. That's a good thing for all of us parents to remember. When Jimmy hung up that mistletoe... I was sure the next words out of your mouth would be something like 'not while you're under my roof, young lady'." Her tone deepened to mimic his. Shouldn't that be, "young man"? One last note. It was fun to watch Lois dance around telling Clark that she would have to be blind not to notice what a fantastic body he has developed. Elisabeth
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Hey Carol! I'm turning into a Feedback Slacker (FS), but I am still loving this story! "I bet it wasn't anything like the picture in her head," Lois said softly.
"No," he answered slowly. "But she also said that the location and the clothes didn't matter, but that I was marrying my best friend and that was the most important thing." He reached out with one hand and gently caressed her face. "And I did. You know that, right? I married my best friend and, despite the problems we've had and the struggles we've faced, there's nowhere - *nowhere* - else I'd rather be." A big sappy awwwww.  And I have to giggle at this from Elisabeth: One last note. It was fun to watch Lois dance around telling Clark that she would have to be blind not to notice what a fantastic body he has developed. Yep!  Couldn't have said it better myself. Great part! JD
"Meg...who let you back in the house?" -Family Guy
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
Joined: Apr 2003
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Originally posted by Elisabeth:
"Garlic chicken pasta sound good?"
Ragu Roasted Garlic Parmesan sauce  . Boil noodles, mix sauce with big can of evap milk [not the sweetened kind *shudder*, cut up grilled chicken, mix together in 9x13, sprinkle with cheese of choice [we use a three cheese mix from Walmart - Kraft maybe? but if we had *good* parmesan...]. Bake till bubbly . Tis delicious. Someone brought it to us after DS was born last summer and we have it a couple times a month now. Carol [who will respond more later]
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Columnist
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Columnist
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The receipe sounds like dinner for Thursday night!
I loved seeing Lois and Cat working together, nice to see Lois is relaxing with Clark and isn't so skittish with him.
I am waiting for that first kiss!
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Jul 2006
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Awww. It's nice to get that waff even in spite of what Lois and Clark have been through. Well done, Carol!
- Rona (who wanted to post at least some kind of feedback, even if she's too tired and frustrated to make it longer than a couple of sentences.)
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Aug 2005
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After the intensely emotional previous two parts, this part was a much-needed breather. It also described how Lois and Clark marshalled their attack - and, strangely enough, their defence! - against Paul Smith, Dr. Snodgrass and the Star. This is potentially a huge story – sexual misconduct by one of the most respected professors on campus and being protected by the Vice-President of Student Affairs *and* collusion with the Star? Perry is right, this is huge indeed! Perry was great in this part. He was perfect as Lois and Clark's surrogate father - immediately seeing Lois and Clark as soon as they came to see him, asking them how Lucy was doing, and wanting to know why they were not in class. And, of course, ready to fight by their side to bring Paul and Snodgrass down, and possibly take the Star down a notch or two. And he is giving them jobs at the Planet - on one condition: "However, I also realize that the two of you are skipping class to be here today aren't you?"
They nodded guiltily.
"Well, since you're already here, I won't give you a hard time about it today, but," he looked at them sternly. "There's only three weeks until the semester's over and if the two of you don't pass and graduate, then you'll both be out of jobs. No more skipping class, you hear me?" That's great! Perry is looking after his two surrogate kids. I was a little worried that Perry assigned Cat to work with them, because she has never struck me as a very serious reporter. But I would really like it if you gave her the chance to prove herself here, Carol. The last part of this chapter was my favorite. That is where Lois and Clark talked to each other. In the previous chapter, Clark said to Lois that they should never let a day go by without really talking to one another, even if it was only for a few minutes. This was great: "I never said thank you."
"For what?"
"Last night." She plucked at the long sleeve pajama shirt she was wearing. "I know how much spending money you have and I know how much all of this must have cost, so thank you." Lois is opening up to Clark and acknowledging what he has done for her. She trusts him now. Clark smiled at her. "It was my pleasure. It was the least I could do. I know you've needed some new pajamas and stuff and I thought you'd rather have some new stuff last night."
"You thought right." She stared at the floor for a minute. "I'm sorry I thought you had some ulterior motive."
"It's over, remember?"
"Yeah. But still, you must have been saving up for something to have this kind of cash."
"I was."
"Do you mind if I ask what?"
He smiled again. "Our first date."
"What?"
"Remember – after graduation, I was going to take you on our first official date."
She nodded. "I remember. I just didn't think you did."
"We talked about it last night, remember?"
She thought for a second and then nodded. "My brain isn't functioning at its full capacity right now, but you're right. We did."
"I don't think a day's gone by that I haven't thought about it at least once."
"Wow." She thought for a minute. Clark is happy that she thanked him, and he is glad to tell her what he wanted to do with the money: take Lois on their first real date. And not a day has gone by without him thinking about that first date. That is just lovely. And now that Lois has started thanking Clark, she needs to thank him for how he has looked after Lucy for her, too: Lois nodded. "That's something else I never thanked you for."
"What?"
"Talking to them about... you know." She made a vague gesture towards their room.
"You know about that?"
"Yeah. I asked her about it on her birthday a couple years ago and she said that you'd pulled both of them aside after they'd been dating a few months and talked to them."
"I meant to mention it to you but..." He shrugged. "We weren't exactly having deep conversations on a regular basis."
"I know," she said quietly. "That's my fault and I'm..."
He moved and held a finger to her lips. "No more, remember?"
She nodded. "I won't say it, but thank you anyway."
"Part of my job."
She played with the edge of the tablecloth. "It should have been my job. *I'm* her sister."
"We're both her guardians. Or we were anyway."
"Still..." She refused to look at him as she spoke again. "Do you think they have?"
Clark shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think so. When I talked to them, I strongly encouraged them to wait at least until after high school. I was afraid that they wouldn't last that long or that after Jimmy graduated and moved on to college, they'd grow apart. And I didn't want them to rush into something they might regret. But she turned 18 last summer... it's not really our place anymore."
"Not legally, but she's still my little sister."
"Mine too." I just loved how Clark said that Lucy was his little sister, too. And she is to him, because they are family. "I think Lucy expected us to camp out under that mistletoe," Lois said quietly.
Clark stared at the floor. "The thought's crossed my mind more than once – what she thinks about... us."
"It's none of her business what's going on between us."
"I know, but someday, she's probably going to come to you for advice. Either because things aren't going as they'd hoped in that area or because it's finally about to happen or whatever."
Lois sighed. "Probably. Can we move to Europe so she can't reach me?" This really made me wonder. The way you have written Lucy and Jimmy, I don't think they have had sex yet. When Lucy feels ready to do it for the first time and she comes to Lois for advice, what will Lois's relationship with Clark be like by then? Will she know anything about sex that Lucy doesn't? I hope she will! And Lois and Clark are going shopping. Good. But I think the sweetest part from this chapter was this: "My mom always thought I'd marry a brunette. Lana didn't have a chance."
Lois cocked an eyebrow at him.
"In the letter she left me for my first date, she said she couldn't think of any girl in Smallville that she wanted me to end up with and in the wedding letter she said that, in her mind's eye, she could picture me and my bride on our wedding day and she pictured a brunette."
"I bet it wasn't anything like the picture in her head," Lois said softly.
"No," he answered slowly. "But she also said that the location and the clothes didn't matter, but that I was marrying my best friend and that was the most important thing." He reached out with one hand and gently caressed her face. "And I did. You know that, right? I married my best friend and, despite the problems we've had and the struggles we've faced, there's nowhere - *nowhere* - else I'd rather be." That's just lovely! Ann
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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YAY! Lane and Kent in action!  I can't wait to see the downfall of Paul and Snodgrass!  I'm ready for next part! I wouldn't mind if you posted it now.  Andreia
"My wife's love is what unites Krypton and Earth in my heart. Without it, without her, I truly would be in hell."
~ Superman: Man of Tomorrow #15
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
Joined: Oct 2003
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Carol, I don't need to tell you that this is yet another awesome part. This little incident seems to have brought our favorite couple closer together. Clark held Lois' hand in his own as they stepped off the elevator and on to the newsroom floor. Though good friends with Perry, they were rarely here this time of day and didn't know many of the newsroom employees. In fact, they should have been in class even at this point, but today there were more important things going on. I'll bet Lois isn't even aware that Clark is holding her hand...for support and she is comforted by his presence. Lois nodded. "Something happened last night." She paused, unsure of how to continue.
"Is Lucy okay?"
"Oh, yeah, she's fine." She glanced at Clark who reached over and took her hand.
"Do you want me to?" he asked her softly.
She shook her head. "If I can't tell Perry, how can I ever tell anyone else?"
Clark nodded. Again, Clark holds Lois's hand for support. Somehow it has a calming effect on her. He even offers to tell her story, to take the burden of her pain to keep her from having to relive it, but with his support, Lois has the strength to do it herself. She took another breath, grateful for Clark's hand in her own. "He knew that Clark and I weren't as close as we should be and, I guess, there's a rumor flying around campus that Clark's been having an affair with a woman named Mayson Drake for two years. I knew about it, but Clark didn't and it's not true but that doesn't matter, and I've worked late alone with him on a fairly regular basis. Other students have worked late alone with him – including other girls – but I'm the only married one." In many ways, Lois and Clark are more close than a lot of others because they are bonded by something much deeper than just being in love. They have a connection that is almost supernatural and a friendship. The trust is coming and Lois doesn't yet realize it but she is already in love with Clark. Once she gets past her trust issues, she wont be afraid to let Clark know that she is in love with him, too. "And you two don't work for the Star anymore?"
Clark shook his head. "We're both unemployed at the moment."
"Not anymore. I'll take care of it – even if it's officially something like research for the next few weeks until my college kids leave."
"Thanks, Perry." Ahh, Perry...is just wonderful how you wrote him. He steps in and rescues Lois and Clark just when they think that they are running out of options. I love the way Cat is written in here and I just cannot say enough about Henderson and how underwritten he was in the series. A few minutes later, Lois joined him. She sat at the table and looked at him contemplatively.
"What? Do I have sauce on my shirt?"
She shook her head. "I never said thank you."
"For what?"
"Last night." She plucked at the long sleeve pajama shirt she was wearing. "I know how much spending money you have and I know how much all of this must have cost, so thank you."
Clark smiled at her. "It was my pleasure. It was the least I could do. I know you've needed some new pajamas and stuff and I thought you'd rather have some new stuff last night."
"You thought right." She stared at the floor for a minute. "I'm sorry I thought you had some ulterior motive."
"It's over, remember?"
"Yeah. But still, you must have been saving up for something to have this kind of cash."
"I was."
"Do you mind if I ask what?"
He smiled again. "Our first date."
"What?"
"Remember – after graduation, I was going to take you on our first official date."
She nodded. "I remember. I just didn't think you did." I think Lois is finally starting to see how much Clark really loves her and...only wants her to love him, too. "When was the last time you bought something *new*? And I don't mean a six-pack of socks at Cost Mart."
Lois shrugged. "It's been a while."
"Exactly. You still wear the same pajamas you wore on our honeymoon and, until last night, didn't have any new ones. And that's just a for instance. Your jeans are the same ones you had in high school. So are most of your shirts. The only things you've really bought in the three and a half years we've been married are some used business attire for the Star. I'm not saying let's buy out Rodeo Drive, but we could both use a new wardrobe – and so could Lucy." He eyed her. "And you know, a bunch of my clothes have disappeared over the years. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?" His eyes twinkled.
Lois blushed. "So maybe I 'borrowed' a few of your shirts." She saw his raised brow. "And maybe a pair of sweat shorts or two, but those shirts wouldn't fit you anymore anyway." It's always all about Lois and the last time she did something for herself in Clark's eyes. Again a symbol of his love for her. And I think Lois wearing Clark's shirts symbolizes a closeness that she wants...has with him that she doesn't even realize. "I may have been stupid the last three and a half years, Clark, but I'm not blind. I know you're bigger than you were when we got married." She didn't look at him as she spoke. "You have a very nice build – that's one of the reasons why it was so easy to believe there were other women after you. Heck, Lana and Rachel were after you in high school and you weren't built like you are now." Lois is letting Clark know that she has noticed his physical changes and she likes them. Yep, the walls are weakening. "No," he answered slowly. "But she also said that the location and the clothes didn't matter, but that I was marrying my best friend and that was the most important thing." He reached out with one hand and gently caressed her face. "And I did. You know that, right? I married my best friend and, despite the problems we've had and the struggles we've faced, there's nowhere - *nowhere* - else I'd rather be." This was just so moving, how Clark's touch just says so much to Lois about how he feels and what he is thinking. This was absolutely beautiful, Carol! Just beautiful. Now hurry back with part 22...and 23.  Yup, I'm not above begging. Fabulous! ~Sheila
I'm a firm believer in the fact that God doesn't put any more on us than we can bear. He does however make us come to Jesus every so often.
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Features Writer
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Features Writer
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Carol, I loved how well Clark and Lois worked together in this chapter - both on the story and as a couple. It was very sweet and definitely showed that their relationship is changing, even if just back to the close friendship they used to share but had lost by years of focusing on trying to be parents and students at the same time.
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Blogger
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Blogger
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I am so hooked!! I can't wait to see the outcome of the first Lane and Kent story.. even if they are working with Eduardo and Cat.
I am on the edge of my seat wide-eyed with anticipation...
Here…poke that.
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Thanks again everyone . Your comments are truly appreciated. Natascha - Thank you. Cat caught me by surprise but she's not 'our' Cat, per se. Much more of a professional reporter than 'mudslinging gossip monger'. James - Thanks . Lara - ditto! Elisabeth - I love this Perry. I mean I love Perry in general, but he's really been what all four of these 'kids' need. Him and Alice both - even when Lois especially was cutting them out. You bring up an interesting point about Clark and I've worked it in later. Thank you. And see above for the garlic chicken 'recipe' Clark used [though he doesn't have that variety of Ragu so he made his own]. I've always guessed he learned from Lana's mom since he lived there so long, but I guess I don't really know. He can read a cookbook? They are starting to talk more about lots of things and that is nice. That conversation with Lucy has been written for months but it'll be while before it happens. As for Jimmy and Lucy - that particular scene is in Lucy's Story in more detail. JD - you FS you!!! And Lois may be a lot of things, but unobservant isn't one of them. cp33 - let me know how dinner comes out! First kiss? What first kiss? *big innocent eyes* Rona - Thanks! Hope the boards load better for you - I'm still having problems from time to time too. Ann - As I said above, I love this Perry. And if they don't pass their classes and graduate, then he's going to have a much harder time getting them on as reporters, so it's really in his own best interests . Oh, and theirs. As for the end - I know all to well what it's like not to be able to buy new clothes and such for long periods and eventually everything starts to wear out. That's the point I think they're at - or getting to quickly. And thank you . Andreia - well, I would have posted then but I'd run out of buffer quickly. At the moment, I'm managing to stay caught up - post one part, write one part plus a little bit. Though I did get two parts finished in the last two days. I promise once I get it done, I'll post more often. Sheila - thank you. Things like this can bring a couple together or tear them apart. I hope this continues to bring them together. I think holding her hand etc are things that Clark would have always done but Lois wasn't ready for. I think in some ways she's still not, but needs his support more than she's not comfortable with hand holding etc. you know? I love Cat and Henderson. Friaz was the only other reporter I could think of who might have been there a while. And I so wasn't going to use Ralph. *shudder* has there ever been a story when Ralph was a good guy? Anon - thank you . They're going to have so much time on their hands soon they won't know what to do with themselves. Stay tuned to see what happens. ORG - Thank you! Look for the next post here in a bit. Thanks again everyone! Carol
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