Belated bonus points go to James [and Elisabeth for helping him], who got all of the answers almost all right - more below.
*sigh * I really did try to edit some of that stuff out of the original post almost immediately, but it was literally 4 or 5 hours before I could start a new thread and edit the old one enough to be a 'please delete'. So, I'm not going to comment on all of the comments about the different scenarios that ran through Clark's head. I will probably add a couple back in there when I submit to the archive and I may stick one or two in here and there. I don't doubt that those kinds of thoughts may have run through Clark's mind as he laid there for 7 or 8 hours mostly awake, but putting them all there at once was too much.
Anyway...
.
Andreia - thank you. I *loved* writing that scene. It just flowed. I did go back and add in the questions about *those* things because it made sense that Mayson would have thought about them so Lois probably should have at least pretended to.
James - wow. Thank you. Kerth? Well, I would absolutely be thrilled to be nominated, but we'll see. I could still make you mad enough to hate me or something.
Ann - Thank you. I hope I made it clear that Clark absolutely would not actually do any of those things. Even when he actually saw Paul nearly raping Lois all he did was tackle him - he unconscious because he hit the filing cabinet. I don't think Clark would have kept it from her at all, but I do think it as a good thing that she was there. And she does love him - just not that way yet - at least not that she's willing to acknowledge. Hmm... Mayson and Lois friends... that might be stretching it a bit. It will be a while [after the next part] before we see her again, though we do hear about her from time to time.
Rona - I write stories in my head too, but they rarely translate to screen as well as they are in my head. Yes, it would have made a good cliffhanger but that part would have been exceedingly short. I don't think that Lois apologized just because of the potential witness aspect but because it was the right thing to do. They'll talk about her motivations etc. later and Mayson isn't an evil person at heart, I don't think, just misled about their relationship. I truly believe that if she thought Lois and Clark were solid, she never would have said anything. Evil at the end? Uh... no don't think so - between now and then? Maybe
.
Carolyn - Did Lois convince herself? We'll see. This isn't the last attack their marriage will have to survive. Before the last chapter? Uh... we'll see...
Elisabeth - sorry about the confusion
. I promise the 'is Clark alright' will be addressed soon[ish]. One of the things I did mention in the original version was that he'd read Foxe's which would certainly help with the imagination. Why doesn't anyone trust Mayson
? I actually put in the part about getting something to eat at the last minute - before it just said 'do something' and Beth's Spidey-sense was tingling and all she really wanted to do was get some comfort food because I'm sure whatever she had planned [and I really don't know beyond the wine] didn't include a tub of Rocky Road or whatever. The original picture was taken by Linda King, as mentioned in that chapter, though it would have been easy to miss. I'm assuming that we just don't hear them give her directions, because, let's face it, I have no idea how to get from UNT Met to Clinton Ave
. She really is just going to get something to eat. Honest.
Anon - I'm not a big Mayson fan - though I like her better than Dan [sorry Anna!!!] and Lana [*shudder*]. I agree with your assessment of her, however, and she'll prove that in the weeks to come and, possibly, later as well. I don't think they'll be shopping together anytime soon though.
cp33 - see James' answers above. Lois knew all of the answers except the ones about what Clark likes in a woman in bed, etc. As for three years being long enough... For some people, maybe. For others, maybe not. It depends on the person, the issue and what else is going on in their lives. For two of those three years, Lois honestly believed that Clark was no better than Sam and she's just now starting to believe differently. I love Lucy and Jimmy together, but so often they're background characters and I don't really get to write them. That's one thing I'm *loving* about writing Lucy's Story is the two of them. We'll find out more about them and their relationship in coming chapters.
Framework - I love what you've got Mayson doing there
. Did they have SVUs in the mid-80s? I was thinking it was a more recent development. You'll see her reaction to what happened in the next post.
JD - okay - I skipped over your other posts for this one
. Lois never planned on marrying, but if she did, it was for life, period and she knows the need to defend that. At this point in her life at least, if Clark were to have left her after they graduated, I don't think she ever would have considered another serious relationship - not for a very long time anyway. Lois is married to a hunk? Really
? She *has* had dreams about him from time to time after all. Though not in the last few days and probably not again for a while.
Sonia - Can't you just see Clark as a fairy prince?
Actually, Lois tells Lucy one of the stories in Lucy's Story so you'll get to see one of them then. Salvaged? We'll see.
James - go you! The only thing that wasn't quite right was that he just couldn't dissect the frog - he never set them free he just didn't make up the assignment. Otherwise - right on. Bonus points!
Lovesuper - thanks!
Carolyn - does no one trust Mayson?!?!
Michael - thank you! Umm... Paul isn't going to get strung up next go round. May be a while but he will get his.
Thanks again everyone! Look for the next part in a bit.
Carol
The poor guy was holding his shaken wife and had nothing else to do. 
to Paul while the prison gates close behind him.