Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK - Adrift (2/9)

ok. I can deal with this. shocking and sad, but, I was getting nervous you'd kill off someone I love! loving it!

Even if it was the logical assumption that you wouldn't kill Lois in the second part of a nine-part story, there have been precedences.

So, Sam and Ellen. You really set this up with the date and the taking about her parents and the fact that she was never close and will probably feel like she missed out on a lot and how has no chance to reconnect.

The whole thing really did feel like stepping of a cliff.One moment you're happy and in love. The next, there is just this big hole you're falling into.

So, is this just one aspect or will their death be the main focus of this story?

Michael

PS: I did consider Sam driving with another woman or Baby Gunderson in the car

I can understand the need for Lois to grieve, and you write nicely, your supportive Clark was well done.

I second the question.

If this is the focus, I dislike your title. I can't see Lois being "adrift" due to the death of parents she did not see often and did not get along with.

To me adrift would imply that her parents provided an anchor in her life. I don't see them in that role. I see them as peripheral parts of her life.

No, I think if you want to really see Lois adrift you need to ramp it up a bit. Kill off Perry as well. Better, kill off Perry while blowing up the Daily Planet. Thus no way to throw herself into her work, no familiar surroundings and faces.

It would also allow Lois to feel guilty for feeling worse about Perry's death than her parents.

A little bloodthirsty, aren't we, Frame?

Just because a child (even an adult child) doesn't get along with or socialize with his or her parents doesn't mean that their deaths won't be a tremendous shock. While Lois' parents are not her emotional anchor as a young adult, they and Lucy are all she has as family. Family is a vital part of any person's emotional makeup, and the sudden sundering of that bond can shatter the strongest individual.

No matter what Lois says, a part of her still wanted her parents to get back together and love each other. Her distance from them (and from Lucy) was partly a protective space to keep them from hurting her again. But this tragedy has crushed that bubble and smacked her in the heart with the agonizing reality that they won't get together again, they won't ever love each other again, and Lois will never have that close family relationship which she has always yearned for with her parents and her sister. And Clark's relationship with his parents won't be a comfort to her all the time, which is something Clark has sensed already.

Even though her anchor isn't her family, she's always known that they were there. Oh, she knew they'd fight, they'd yell, they'd argue, and they wouldn't resolve the real conflicts, but they were there. She could talk to them, write letters and expect a reply, send birthday and Christmas cards, and know that there was a person on the other end of that tenuous tether.

That tether is gone now, ripped away violently. It's no wonder she's adrift. It's going to take some time for her to adjust to being alone in this brave new world. And Clark did exactly the right thing by not giving in to her request for him to distract her for a moment. If he had given in, her memory of their first night together would have always been inextricably wrapped up in the pain and shock of her parents' death, and their relationship could never have moved past the purely physical.

I'm waiting to see how Lois deals with this. I want to see how she and Lucy respond to each other and to this challenge, and how Clark helps both of them. I'm also curious to see how the new boyfriend behaves. Will he be a help or a hindrance to Lucy? Has he made the mistake that Clark avoided? And will Lucy blame Lois for all of this? (Unreasonable, yes, but people plunged into the depths of sudden grief are rarely reasonable.)

Next chapter, please? With angst on top?

Thanks for the FDK.

SarahG - It wasn't until after I read the FDK for Part 1, that I realised how much it looked like Lois was going to be hurt/killed by whoever was behind the door.

Clearly (now), it was never my intention to (physically) hurt Lois!

Glad you're enjoying it.


Michael - I love that you realised how the date prepared the way for what was to come.

Thanks for this - you've described exactly what I was trying to achieve.

As for your PS -


Framework - thanks for your comments. I hope the reasons for the title will become more obvious in later parts.

Sorry, I have no intention of blowing up Perry or the Planet - at least not in this fic!


Terry - you've explained the underlying foundations of this fic incredibly well.

I also like your acknowlegement that grieving people act unreasonably and sometimes do things they wouldn't do in other circumstances.

As for angst - we've still got seven parts to go - it can't all be smooth sailing!

Thanks for your FDK - I really appreciate the thought you put into it.


Part 3 - tomorrow (Sunday, for me.)

I did not see that coming.

But I thought Clark handled things really well.

I agree with Michael - feels like a cliff.

Great part (in the writing sense)...looking forward to more!

Amber

Poor Lois!
It is good that Clark was there with her, so she wouldn't have to cope alone.
When I read your warning I thought that it would be someone like Trask or Luthor with some evil plan.

Hi. Sorry to be so late with the FDK. I've been... (insert excuse here)

I love what you are doing with this. I almost didn't post for this part since when I logged in this morning I saw that Part 3 was up. However, when I read this part I just had to have my “Aargh!” say.

This was my 'Aargh” moment:

I just wanted to yell, “Clark! If you *must* leave, wake her up first. Don't let her wake up alone in these circumstances."

For me, it was startlingly similar to what just happened over in Carol's “Falling Slowly” and my reaction is just as as it was there. Very different circumstances but Clark should know that he should be there when Lois wakes up.

Anyway, when I was reviewing the other comments I noted the questioning of Lois being Adrift due to the loss of her parents. I believe yours is a very reasonable interpretation of a possible reaction. Sure, she wasn't overtly close to her parents but consider Lois's social life. She doesn't have a well-established network of friends other than her co-workers that are her substitute family. Since she wasn't overly close to her parents, she's probably never spent any time preparing herself for the emotional impact of their death. The way I interpret this is that their loss hit her harder than she expected and due to the circumstances she had absolutely no emotional defenses ready. Given that she was *totally* unprepared, I think her reaction is reasonable. (Just my 2 cents.)

Now, off to Part 3.

Bob

More feedback! Thank you.

Amber - Thanks for your comments. I wanted to find the balance between Clark handling the situation well - yet still feeling out of depth.

Kathryn - No bad guys here! Lois and Clark have enough to deal with as it is.

Thanks for leaving FDK.

Bob - Clark can't always be perfect! Waking up alone wasn't great for Lois, but Clark needed to become Superman so he could offer to get Lucy. Remember, he's still in the clothes he wore to their date, he's slept in suit pants and a shirt - so, hopefully, him leaving was understandable, if not ideal.

It's probably another example of Clark doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.

I like your other comments too. Lois was totally unprepared for this. Her parents were neither old nor sick - and losing both of them together was something she could never have imagined.

Thanks for the comments!

Just catching up with this series (since I saw the second part posted on the archive the other day). Great story! This one is starting off a little sad, obviously, but still--good storytelling, and definitely not predictable! I'll drop a few more bits of feedback along the way...