Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: Every Time We Say Goodbye (3/12)

My thanks to everyone who's been so supportive of this story. I'm on the edge of my seat here, hoping to hear from you again.

I'm constantly amazed, every time I read another draft of your stories, by how much you tinker and fine-tune each section. A changed word here, an added sentence there, and what I thought was already perfection is even better.

Lex is a creepy stalker! Suave and sophisticated, but creepy nonetheless! Very glad his odd appearances tingled Lois' Spidey sense...she is an investigative reporter, after all. I LOVE Lois and Clark's conversation. The teasing about everyone's bedtime attire makes me giddy. Hot and hilarious!

Edit: LOL...oh, wait, I got a little ahead of myself there, didn't I? Poor, lonely Lois doesn't know what Superman and Clark sleep in when they snuggle under the sheets. I bet she'd like to know, though. I bet all of you readers out there would like to know, too.

Susan, who absolutely loves being Sue's beta, because she has a very vivid idea of exactly what everyone does (or does not) wear to bed.

Dear, if you had wanted your Lex to be creepy, you definitely succeeded! Such an anxiety while I was reading... O__o
I thought you'd make Lois realize how much of a jerk Lex is later in the story (although I'm glad she's a bit smarter this time, don't get me wrong!), so now I'm really curious to see how the plot will develop
(By the way, how cute are those two on the telephone? Forget the bill! <3)

Hi, Sue!

I'm loving your story (I always do)! Sorry I haven't been leaving FDK, but time is a rare thing these days for me. I was going into withdrawal from your stories when you started posting this amazing fic and saved me!

Anyway, just a little curiosity of mine. I'm wondering why Lois's phone is not bugged (Clark would know if it were, wouldn't he?)... Lex took so many steps to keep Clark away from Lois and he's watching her every move, so I'm amazed that he is not interfering with their nightly calls (and I'm not complaining, their calls are the best part of every chapter). Clark told Lois that they took his mobile phone (I don't remember them having mobile phones in the first season, just beepers) but it shows that Lex wanted to avoid any contact between them. So it got me confused about his apparent slip. Or is there some obscure motivation that I'm not catching?

I'm hungry! I want more! Impatiently waiting here!

Andreia

Susan - Awww, thanks! You say the nicest things! I'm so grateful that you're willing to read these parts over and over again.
Indeed, you do! Lois, Clark, *and* Superman.

Hidden Moon - You came back! I was worried I'd lost you. Yes, I definitely want Lex to come across as creepy in this story (because, let's face it, he IS creepy).
Lois is supposed to be smart, so I wanted her to be smart. Any hesitation on her part in recognizing just how wrong Lex is comes from the basic human tendency not to believe we have poor judgment. Especially Lois, she has a harder time than most in recognizing her blind spots.
Thanks! They have lots more to say before it's over.

Andreia - Thank you! It's so good to see you here! I have precious little time myself these days, which is why it takes me so friggin' long to get anything done. I get up early and/or stay up late to write, so it really, really, REALLY means a lot to me to have you take a couple of minutes to let me know I'm not wasting my time.
How could Clark know the phone was tapped? A bug sends out a radio signal, but the tap could be on the line directly and impossible to detect. That is, if Lex is tapping her phone. Only Lex (and my beta) know for sure.

Thanks again, you guys, for the comments. They truly do mean a lot to me.

Delightful, looking forward to more.

I do hope her phone is tapped.

Thursdays are the best days of the week now! I love having a new part to look forward to each week! I read this right away on Thursday, because I couldn't wait. Didn't have time for the fdk, but now I get to go back and read it again!


Haha, such a terrific line. I can totally see Lois thinking this. Love the way that you worded this one.


And... shudder. Not loving the weird, stalker-y encounters with Lex... and just like him to suggest Lois was following him, when that was exactly what he was doing to her. When, exactly, does Lois get the best of him? Because I'm looking forward to it.


I had to pull this line out because you write such a brilliant Lex. And by brilliant, I mean, smug, smarmy, snobby, elegant, charming, manipulative, and seriously creepy. This line is so very *him*.

I loved Lois and Clark's phone conversation - they are so cute, in tune with each other, and your dialogue makes for a fun read. You've got just the right chemistry between them: deep friendship, lots of caring and missing, and subtle tension, like the sleeping in the nude part. As a reader, I'm anxious for them to be back together, but first, I want Lois to realize she needs him back with her like the air she breathes. She's getting there; I loved that neither would hang up, the story of the little girl in the moon and her realization that flying with Superman may not be as fabulous as she once thought it would. Baby steps, Lois.

Can't wait for the next part!

Tracey

So, he’s a business manager with a lawyer background?


LEX: CHIIIIP!
CHIP: But, sir, Ms. Lane made some very reasonable sounding points.

Ah, punishment.

Right. ‘Scheduling mistake’. Uh-huh.

Or maybe he’s just a sociopath with good acting skills.

LEX: It’s just a very modest home away from home. Two living rooms, a private spa, a cinema, one bedroom.

Not interested in rolling around in slime?

She does keep ‘can I get back to you on that’ up a lot for Lex’s proposals. Maybe she should mix it up a bit with a couple of ‘Don’t call me. I’ll call you’s.

At least he’s not having her stay in the staff quarters behind the house.

Look! Another conincidink.

LEX: Just the Mayor, the Commissioner, and a couple of NGO functionaries.

LEX: It’s not my fault she’s bad at negotiating.

/hears alarm bells/

Isn’t he cute?
CHIP: But Mr. Luthor gave me an assignment list and expressly told me to make sure Ms. Lane follows it precisely.

LEX: But being a wife is a fulltime job!

Wouldn’t it be awkward if a big truck came barreling down that road and smashed Lex to smithereens?
CLARK: Very. And I wasn’t even in Metropolis to save him. Oh well…easy come, easy go as they say.
LOIS: But…but…but…the *story*! What am I going to do with the remaining 8 parts when it’s just me and Clark and a tropical island no suddenly available?

Funny thought: There’s actually been a fic where Clark spent an extended amount of time in North Korea.

He will like Lex even less after he was educated on the dangers of capitalism.

Ceiling coming down around him?
CLARK: Umm…
Also, Lois keeps talking on the phone like she’s not even considering the possibility of a wiretap.

Well, I’m sure Lex has a couple of ideas.

Maybe he got a suit with printed on t-shirt and shorts?



It’s usually used as a blanket for his professional caregivers, though.

Ah, so she doesn’t just print out the employee roster and goes woman by woman?
CLARK: My Moma hasn’t set a stupid boy out into space.

She does have a point there.
CLARK:

She could try to cook, for instance.

She’s bossy. Aggressive. A bit vindictive. Mean to her coworkers. Sometimes she’s ruthless. Oh, and she’s a snob.

Or she could wait till he is married and then apply for the vacant ‘professional caregiver’ position in his household.

What’s the worst he could do? It’s not like he could cart her off into a secret fortress in the Swiss Alps, now could he?

BATMAN: I now have minions and it’d be bad for business if Superman’s girlfriend got wacked by a sociopath.

LEX: Like someone would dare!

I’m not sure that was the correct thing to do of our little super stalker.

Michael

To quote Lois: "This story keeps getting better and better!"

Good morning! I hope everyone (in the US) enjoyed their long weekend.

Framework - Thanks for dropping in! If her phone is tapped, then that means Lex heard them mocking him and his expensive wardrobe. He'd also have greater motivation to put Clark even further out of reach for Lois. Is that what you want?

Tracey - I'm starting to wonder if Thursday was a poor choice. It looks like a lot of people are reading at work or are pressed for time during the week. I'm probably going to switch to posting on the weekend instead.
I think gaslighting Lois is half the fun for Lex.
I can't really claim that she'll get the best of him, but she is starting to question his motivations.

Thank you! I find his dialogue is really fun to write, just because he uses the fancy words without even a trace of irony.
Thanks again! The only thing more fun to write than Lex is the banter between our heroes.
Yes, she's just about to that point. She definitely misses him. She's jealous of his mystery woman. She's more realistic about her Superman fantasy. And she's realizing that Lex is not the man she thought he was. Baby steps, indeed.

Michael - Ha! As always, you've made me giggle.
It could happen! He always has a good excuse!
He's going for the Oscar!
You think that's going to make a difference?
I wish I'd thought of that! It would have made this story A LOT shorter!
No kidding? LOL! I know LaraMoon wrote a great fic some years back where he was in China and met up with a young Bruce Wayne. The name escapes me, but I'll do a search when I'm not rushing to get to work. It really was an amazing story. If someone else remembers the name before I do, please feel free to give her a shout out in this thread.
They both do! Personally, I enjoy the idea that Lex is listening to them snicker about what he wears to bed. And then, to add to the indignity, he has to listen to Lois speculating about what Superman wears to sleep in, too. Heh.
I laughed SO hard at that. I wish I'd thought of that while I was writing this.
In her defense, she did once cook an entire Christmas meal without setting her apartment on fire. No, wait, this is the end of the first season, she hasn't cooked that turkey yet. Never mind. As you were…
LOL! Maybe, deep down, that's why she isn't including herself in the list of potential girlfriends?

Morgana - Thanks! I think it does start to pick up speed from here on out. The groundwork is all laid, so we can let it all spin out of control now.

Many thanks to everyone who's commented!

Is it Thursday yet?

In my time zone yes! C'mon Sue, bring out the new stuff!

But it's not Thursday *here*. Also, I'm hoping for a few more regular readers to leave a comment or two. If they find it in their hearts to treat me, I'll reciprocate.

You're cruel. Tomorrow morning I have to undergo a blood test: vials and vials of my precious blood drawn from my exhausted body, already weakened by the preparatory fast. I don't know if I'll survive.
You're warned: if I don't make it, my ghost will hunt you... *insert Freddy Krueger emoticon here*

Wonderful story!

So much is happening in this chapter. Wow! Big changes at The Daily Planet.


Interesting how Lois is being treated like the other reporters in this regard. Wondering if someone else is covering Lois's Excelsior story or if it's been dropped.

Lois's awakening to Lex's character is great. She's slow to realize she could have made a mistake about him. Nice to see she's opening her eyes. Lex's multiple coincidences in one day is so typical. He doesn't realize that he should limit them to be believable. Lex's smooth, sophisticated yet creepy words are perfect. His misdirection attempt by suggesting Lois might be stalking him is definitely Lex, and shows his true nature so well.

Love the phone banter between Lois and Clark! It's so nice to see this take on BatP and HoL, where they're still talking and friends. Looks like Lois is also slowly opening her heart to Clark.

Sending Clark to Hawaii and the phone conversation about where he'll end up next are priceless and funny. And I had to stop laughing before continuing after reading the descriptions of what Lex and Superman might wear to bed.

I haven't seen LaraMoon's fic about Clark in China. I did read Jenni Debbage's The Forgotten about Superman being captured in North Korea. There's a WHAM warning, and not all the toys are put back the same way they were found before the story.

It's FRIDAY here!!! LOL

Am SO enjoying your story Sue. Can't wait for more!

Am 'sposed to be working, so don't have time for further comment, sorry. Will try to post after I read the next part.

Thanks so much for treating us all to your stories, they are mint!

Cheers from NZ
Elizabeth

HiddenMoon - I hope your tests all come back with good news. Though, I admit, I'm curious what having a ghostly presence demanding I write would be like. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.

cuidadora - Thank you! I'm delighted that you're continuing to enjoy the story.

Someone else has definitely been assigned to cover that story. Like Clark suspected, Lex wants an expose published about his competition.

I think he was counting on Lois feeling flattered by all the attention, not realizing that he was going overboard. He always was one for the dramatic gesture. If it's worth doing, it's worth over-doing.

Banter between them is my absolute favorite thing to write. There's going to be a lot more before the story is over.

Thank you! I'm happy to have amused you.

I went searching through my old hard drive and found it. It's called "Kansas," but I don't believe she ever posted it on this site (it's a slash story). I'm guessing it could be found on fanfic.net.

Elizabeth - It's Friday here, now (finally!). I had Monday off, but this has been a really long week. Thank you so much for dropping in. I love long FDK (who doesn't? <g>), but I'm also encouraged just to hear that someone is reading the story.

Thanks to everyone who has left comments!

Come to think of it, that would be a great excuse for why someone got hit with a bullet. He happened to be in the place at the wrong time. Schedules got mixed up.

Why am I suddenly thinking Naked Gun 33 1/3?

Trying won’t hurt. Much?


LOIS: And I would have gotten to nookie much sooner!

Yup. The Forgotten by Jenni Debbage.



You’re welcome to add it to the Archive!



Yeah. Right. Deep down she’s a good, nice person.
CLARK: I happen to like nice girls.
LOIS: Hey! I’m a nice girl.
CLARK: No, you’re not. You’re…
LOIS:

On to part 4!

Michael

Can I qualify as being 'fashionably late' ... So sorry .

How 'bout I make my tardiness up with long-winded FDK ?

What I loved about this section, what really stood out to me the most, was how distinct of a feel you managed to create--two totally different emotions, but residing so closely together. Your ability to make us livid at a sociopathic business man, but also, ecstatically ride that road to love with two close friends.

Creepy--in such a smart-minded, methodically planned, pure evil sort of way--in all regards to Lex. 'Stalking' has taken on a whole new form--it's now pictured with limos and three piece suits! This, in so many ways, seems worse than bombing the Planet and blaming it all on Jack--and THAT is really saying something regarding Lex .

But at the very same time...the phone conversaton between Lois and Clark. How you could create such intimacy. Friendship--and it's that perfect type of friendship...where you can tease, joke, but be youself, be totally safe. I could almost feel the comfort--like a warm blanket draped over me (and maybe a hot cocoa, to boot, for Lois' sake ). You dream about that type of friendship. In life, and ideally, with your soulmate.


'Greeting from Hawaii'--that line...and while picturing 'the look' that I'm sure Clark has on his face. Said in 'that tone' that Clark has when he's not all too thrilled about something. . How easy to picture! How enjoyably funny . Love this. And then all of that quality banter. Clark's 'You're laughing? I'm serious.' totally is icing on the cake.


Sweet, sweet WAFF . He heard. Totally. Did her 'save' actually save her admission though? Hoping he didn't buy it .


Thank you, Lois, for perfectly summing up just why you shouldn't EVER entertain the idea of spending (ie--wasting) any more of your time with Lex. You aren't comfortable with him. And, just for kicks, think about who you are telling all of this to? None other than your adorable partner/best friend. Hmmm.


Poor Darlene. I love how Lois doesn't concern herself with the 'competition' enough to even know the blonde's name...but yet, ironically, sees her as competition concerning Clark. (And, it was totally fitting that Clark would know her name, spot on, not even question it).


Love. This is such a sweetly honest moment. That gut instinct, not wanting to loose the connection to Clark. And, I'm sure, Clark was on the other end, feeling exactly the same way.

What a treat, Sue.

Scurrying over to Part 4 . Gotta go. Bye!
Laura

Time to play catch-up.

Michael - Someday I'd really love to be able to hang out with you in RL. Though I fear it would end with me shooting my drink out my nose.

OMG! Bonus points for 'The Empire Strikes Back' reference! It's my absolute favorite of the SW movies. (And that's my favorite scene in it. ) This is why I set aside all drinks before I read your comments. FWIW, I can't picture either of them as a "scruffy nerfherder."

Laura - This is your fashionably late?!? Do you get invited to many parties?

Thank you!

Yay! That's exactly the atmosphere I was trying to establish. Infatuation/attraction is great, but it's friendship that holds a relationship together.

I deliberately left it vague so the reader can decide for themselves whether he heard her or not. <g>

She's getting there, slowly but surely. It's a scary thing for her to commit herself to that degree. With Lex, there was respect (note the past tense) and attraction, but her heart wasn't in danger. Lex couldn't hurt her emotionally, but Clark could. If she loses Clark, she loses her best friend. There's a lot more risk involved there.

Of course, he was!

Thanks to everyone for the comments!