OK, Wendy. I'm so sorry I'm coming so late to the party here. Just now catching up on this as I've been itching to do for days. /me grumbles about dang in-laws and extended visits.
Anyway...to echo almost everyone else...
<sigh>
First of all, thanks for giving us a non-angry spitting-fire Lois revelation. I love the sweetness of this - of Clark just simply and honestly telling her who he is and her acceptance of her own feelings about him. No protracted angst about "I can't love him because he lied to me" when really, she does love him.
Secondly, welcome to my club! The official badge is in the mail <g>.
He was by no means convinced that was true; right now he couldn’t imagine himself ever loving anyone but Lois, but he was also honest enough to acknowledge that it could happen. He couldn’t wait around for ever, hoping that she’d change her mind - and one of his dreams was, as he’d told his father months earlier, marriage and a family. He loved Lois now, but did love endure in the long term if it wasn’t returned? Of that he wasn’t sure.
As you know how I feel about the only-one-true-love scenario, I love this part where Clark is honest with himself about this feelings for her. That although he knows for certain that she's the one for him, that he's not a doormat that will waste his life pining after her endlessly should she decide NOT to risk it. This acknowledgment makes this story more satisfying because it's based on real feelings rather than fairytale fluff - Clark's love is real, therefore not perfect.
And of course, we have such a wonderful ending. Plenty of smoochies and a bright, hopeful future. What more could we ask for? OK, yes, naked Clark...but that's a whole other story <g>.
Annette really got a wonderful gift with this one. Thanks so much for sharing this!!
Lynn
