Thanks for the new part, Jenni. It was beautiful. My favorite part by far was Lois suddenly sensing the presence of Clark:
Yet for a moment, as the city room of the Daily Planet went about business in its normal chaotic fashion around her, Lois was transported to another world by the shade of her husband reaching out to her once more. In her heart, she sensed a shiver of his panic, followed by a strange sense of peace... a final coming home. Whatever was happening, and Lois couldn't be sure just what that was, Clark was finally at rest.
And then this paragraph, where you explain the bond between Lois and Clark so simply but so eloquently:
The interlude had passed, and again Clark's presence retreated into memory, into that special place in her heart where he would always remain, entwined forever in the very sinews of her being. He would never truly leave her - how could he when he was the other half of her soul?
I'm so glad you showed us how Lois sensed Clark once again, because it reminded me of that extremely poignant and beautiful part of your previous chapter, the part that I was momentarily distracted from by my horror at the amputation of Clark's finger. I'm talking about this lovely passage from the previous chapter, where Clark thought he was about to be killed, but where he suddenly managed to re-establish some connection with Lois:
Then 'she* was there, a wraith like figure in his fading consciousness, watching him with a gaze full of sadness and compassionate understanding, as if she shared his anguish. He almost cried out to her, yet her name remained beyond his memory, and it didn't matter anyway as he no longer had the power of speech. She smiled, and his terror ebbed away - death would not be so bad, if she were there with him.
So beautiful, Jenni. I love it. I'm so looking forward to the rest of your story.
Ann
