I didn't want to write this story. I really didn't. I don't like deathfics. I don't even read them. But this story insisted on being written...It was haunting me and letting me know in no uncertain terms that if I didn't get it down "on paper," it wouldn't leave me alone. I'm hoping that now that it is posted, it will go away and make room in my mind for happier stories, which are much more to my liking.

Although I didn't like this scene that kept playing in my head, I did recognize that it was an incredibly powerful one. I only hope that I was successful in translating the image I kept seeing into words.

I again want to thank all of my BRs for their many suggestions which improved the story. Every single BR made it better in some way. I'm beginning to think that it takes a village to write a story! But I especially wish to thank:

- DocJill for providing me with much-needed medical information
- Corrina for the idea to compare Clark's pain at his marriage proposal being rejected to that which he was currently feeling.
- Sue S. for the ideas to include the roses and to make the story take place on their anniversary. I think that her suggestions made the story much more poignant.

As always, feedback welcomed.

cheers,
Lynn

You'd think that at some time over the years someone would notice that it really is X-rays in his X-ray vision. But I would have expected the heat vision to be infra-red and pretty harmless at low power. Microwaves instead?

The show leaves it pretty open-ended about whether his X-ray vision is truly in the frequency range of real X-rays, or whether it is called that only because it behaves similarly to X-ray machines in some respects. Therefore, I purposely tried to leave it vague as well. My own thought is that it isn't truly in the X-ray range. When Clark looks at people through walls, he sees them, skin and all. I would imagine that if his vision really did work like an X-ray machine does, he would see people as being more like skeletons with some suggestions of organs. I am guessing that the difference is due to his using a different frequency range; but I suppose it could be due to using the same range in a different manner. I think this is one of those aspects of the show (and, by extension, of fanfic) that is best just swallowed whole and not examined too closely; along with the myriad other suspensions of disbelief necessary to enjoy LnC.

One of my BRs had more or less the same comment as you did about the heat vision. My initial thought upon seeing the show was that it was microwave radiation rather than simply infra-red. I'm not sure why I thought that; perhaps from the rapidity with which his eyes were able to heat things up. But that can't be right, either, since I would imagine that a metallic gun exposed to microwave radiation wouldn't simply get hot. At least, metals put in a microwave oven tend to cause some pretty, but destructive, light shows. (The first time I ever saw a microwave oven in action was when a friend put a loaf of bread -- still in the wrapper with its metallic fastener in place -- into the oven. Since I had never seen such an oven used before, I hadn't been sure about whether the blue arcs that appeared when the oven was turned on were supposed to be there...) So my speculation would be that it would be somewhere else along the electromagnetic spectrum; somewhere with properties closer to microwave than to infrared.

Thanks for the comments.

cheers,
Lynn

I don't like deathfics either, but I just couldn't resist reading this one - very well written and good theory about the x-ray and heat vision having harmful effects.

Hi DW,

Thank you for reading my story, especially given that it isn't your usual type of reading fare. I'm glad you liked it. :-)

cheers,
Lynn

Am not going to speculate on the nature of the various vision gizmos. Their properties defy logic anyway.

So, about the story. Well, am not a deathfic reader either. Maybe a bit of a curious guy, you know, not being able to look away. But I keep my emotional distance because I don't want to bond with death

That said, this bit caused my thus fortified mind to come up with a humorous anecdote... (Hope you don't mind )
Had he known. Oh, had he only known earlier, he would have stuck to checking out his wife's backside like a regular guy instead of cheating and peeking at what lay hidden by those tight skirts.

Michael

Hi Michael,

Nope. Don't mind at all. The way I see it, if a reader thinks about my story long enough to come up a variant of it (even a joke variant), then my story has met with at least some success.

<chuckle> And only a guy could get away with posting something like that, in this day and age where people seem overly quick to take offense...

Thanks for the laugh and for the feedback.

cheers,
Lynn

Brava, Lynn. That is indeed a powerful scene. I think it's good to explore the things that could go very, very wrong every once in a while, but I don't like it in large doses. So this was just right.

Hi HappyGirl,

Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you liked this story. :-)

cheers,
Lynn

I loved this fic! Thank you for sharing! ^_^ I understand how you wouldn't have wanted to write this, but the story was from a new angle, and is quite plausible. I bet no one has ever thought of it before.

Hi Saori,

Thanks for your comments. :-) AFAIK, no one has done anything like this before, but I am still relatively new to the fandom, and there is still tons of fanfic out there that I haven't yet read.

The idea came to me the first time I saw Clark drying Lois after his proposal. Part of me registered that that was supposed to be a romantic scene, and that it was a significant development in their relationship -- the first time he used his powers openly around her as Clark. But another part immediately thought how dangerous that had to have been. I guess I've always imagined his heat vision being like microwave radiation, and seeing him "nuking" her without an extremely good reason (such as when he thawed her) just struck me as an unwise move. The story grew from there.

cheers,
Lynn

i understand. people assume that because clark is an organic, living individual his powers are harmless when he reins them in like for cooking eggs or drying people. but yeah, there's always that nagging possibility.