I finally get some time to comment on this fantastic story.
I loved it all the way through; you gave some very fascinating insights into Lois's life as Lex's wife, how she feels like a bird in a golden cage even though he doesn't mistreats her or anything. But Lex is so used to governing people and having it his own way that it's probably tough even for Lois to fight that trait of her husband's character. Your story made me think a lot about Lois's relationship to Lex and the way he would deal with her as his wife. Manipulation is very subtle, and I truly believe that Lex would give her what he thinks she wants in the first few months of marriage (words of love, affection, maybe even some understanding). I agree, too, that she would see through the lies of her own feelings pretty quickly.
And this brings me to the current debate. Lois married Lex for the wrong reasons, there's no denying that. But imho she was just as likely to make that mistake if Clark wasn't around as if he were. Clark scared her off when he declared his love to her, but imho her first reason for marrying Lex was her fear to end up lonely.
We live in a society where marriage seems to be the ultimate sign of social success. Everywhere you go, every form you need to fill reminds you that you're supposed to be married and have kids.
And yes, in many countries things have largely improved since the middle ages and the not-so-old times when people got married for purely social reasons - thank goodness I'm a woman who won't have to marry a man she doesn't know just to fit social standards. But even though there's no obligation to get married, society makes it hard to stay single after the age of 30.
Not just society, though. Nowadays, most people marry for love. We all want to meet that special someone who will make us forget that we're very lonely people who are on earth for a rather short period of time, all things considered. And so we thrive on finding that special person. We want to find them, as soon as possible, and make the most of our time together.
Do I sound mindlessly romantic and naive? Maybe. But then I believe Lois, just like many people (and note I didn't say "many women", but "many people"), wants to find that special someone. She won't admit it in public, but we're talking of a woman who was secretly reading romance novels and even writing one, and watching soap operas. She wanted to be swept off her feet, so badly that she fell for men's tricks several times - Claude, and then Lex.
And yes, Claude's betrayal was very quick to come, but Lex is a lot more intelligent and subtle. Lois wanted unlimited romance. She wanted to feel her heart beat every time her man came into view. She wanted to believe that real love could exist, and as a result, she got bitten several times along the way.
No, I don't believe she loved Lex, but I think several interpretations are possible here. Either she really *wanted* to love him, or else she thought their mutual respect was enough to carry them through life and make her feel less lonely and empty.
She doesn't rush in to get a divorce. She's been married two months and has been struggling with her feeling of loneliness since. She expected marriage to make her feel good; it didn't. She misses her former life and doesn't find real understanding and support in her husband. Sure, he encourages her to write a novel and tells her he loves her every day - it's not that meaningful, though. Actions speak louder than words. Clark has offered her in 4 or 5 days than Lex in two months, because he listened to her, didn't judge her, just offered his comfort if she wanted it - only if she wanted it. The contrast with her husband was what it took for her to see that she can't stick to her current life as it is now. And I don't believe she considers divorce for Clark's sake - she's not sure at all that any relationship with him would work, nor would she be foolish enough to throw her entire life away for the sake of love (when she's been betrayed by her feelings so many times before). But she wants to split away from her life with Lex for her own sake. She's not happy, and she realises she can never be happy with Lex. Sure, she should have realised that way sooner, before she married him. And maybe, considering she doesn't know that Lex is a criminal, she should give her marriage a chance and work at it. But this is Lois we're talking about. She's never been patient, and she can be very impulsive. This is the woman who admitted that she usually jumps in without checking the water level. And sure, she does grow up and improve as time goes by, but some of that sneaks into her behaviour now and then.
Anyway, I hope this post made sense. Just my 2 cents' worth.
Kaethel
