Very nice chapter. You show us Clark's aversion to human contact coupled with his grudging acceptance of Lois' ministrations - followed by his disappointment when she stops touching him - then you tell us about Diddi being Lois' almost-foster-adopted child, along with explaining her complicated marital status. Not only that, you let Lois tell Clark that there is love after heartbreak without having her shove the concept at him. She can't know all that he's been through, although she knows some things - plus she has some incorrect assumptions - so having her tell this tale now, under these circumstances, puts no pressure on Clark to make a decision now.
But I'd bet real interwebz that this comes up in his thought processes later.
It's nice to learn about Diddi's birth, even though it was a tragic time. And it appears from Lois' narrative that her marriage is one in name only, to provide a secure home for her son.
Yet still, even in all this gentle goodness, you tantalize us.
Lois lied? What a shock! Where is my faith in human nature going to be placed now?
I'm sure you're going to tease us with that information, just as Clark and Lois are going to tease each other with the deep, dark, intimate secrets of their lives. Lois is still hiding from the gun runners and she's still keeping one very important thing secret. Clark is hiding from Lana's betrayal and doesn't want to share it with Lois.
They're going to have to learn to trust each other. It will be a fairly long, drawn-out process that you're going to shoehorn into seven days of quarantine. They'll both have to learn to open their hearts to a new person.
Hmm, where have I read that theme before? Seems like it worked well then, too.
The tempo of the story will have to pick up soon, because there must be a resolution of the Lana/Tempus situation and of the Lois-hiding situation, but right now both the readers and the characters need to move slowly in order to experience all the wonder of trust slowly regained and the seeds of love being planted and nurtured. My only real complaint is that there are too many hours between postings. How's about you step on the gas pedal a little more? I doubt your readers would complain.
I know I wouldn't.
