Sorry for the delay, folks. I was recently in charge of an important visit from Washington, ergo...no time to write or post. First of all, thanks for all of your comments. And thanks for your patience with me.

BJ, glad to hear you were apparently as pleased with this section as Lois was. wink

Thanks for your very thoughtful feedback, Ann. I'm happy to hear you liked what Clark had to say about obligation - even though I agree with Lois that Clark is biologically incapable of breaking a vow, that's not why he's there. He's not dutifully doing what he's supposed to, ignoring his own feelings in order to be the man he's expected to be. He does and he always will love this woman with every fiber of his being, and I'm glad he made that clear.

Thanks, DW. I know Sam and Ellen were awful. But that's pretty much what I expect of them, and unsurprisingly, that's the way they behave when I think of them. wink

Thanks, SJH.

Glad you enjoyed this part, Amber.

Thanks, Michael. I know the Lanes can be unpleasant, but if Lois didn't cut them out of her life after twenty some odd years of this kind of behavior, it isn't really my place to do so. And I agree, the Lanes' fighting might have only served to galvanize LnC.

Thanks, Artemis. More is on the way.

Glad to hear you're feeling better, Terry. Thank you for reading and commenting. I really like the way you described what these two have faced - yes, their problems are more...epic than ours, but the kernel of those problems is the same - concerns about work, family, a difficult pregnancy, disagreements with parents, etc. They just have super-sized versions of these issues. And they rise to the occasion in a way most of us wish we could...

More is on its way, Iolan. Thanks for reading and commenting!

Regards,

Rac