I really love this chapter. I just love the opening lines:
Sitting across from Clark an outdoor café, Mayson knew.
It was his eyes. That was what got her every time. The guileless compassion she saw in their brown depths.
Guileless compassion. I love that description of Clark. Isn't that what he is all about? He so honestly hurts when other people hurt, he wants to lessen the pain of others, and he has no ulterior motives. It's that simple and that breathtakingly beautiful, and you must love Clark for being so marvellously motivated by true, pure altruism.
And, reluctantly, I must - not love, because I can't - but
respect Mayson for seeing this amazing truth about Clark, and for being in love with him because of it.
(Oh, and being a Swede - or possibly just being me - I'm pretty incompatible with English prepositions. Even so, I think there should probably be an "at" in that first sentence.)
In my previous post, I wondered if Clark was perhaps not so guileless, so that he might actually be using Mayson rather cruelly. Well, there is definitely
no suggestion of that here! Instead, Clark is so honestly wrapped up in his love for and worry about Lois that he comes through as a poster boy for - oh, I can't come up with anything better than "true love"! (How original!) All of this is just so lovely:
" ... really appreciate you meeting me on such short notice - I'm sorry we couldn't do this sooner."
She smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Is - " Her voice faltered for a nanosecond. Ask. "Is Lois all right?"
Clark's shoulders visibly tensed and he studied his coffee cup for a long minute. When he looked up, Mayson almost recoiled at the pain she saw just behind his attempt at brevity.
"She's - she's fine. Thanks for asking."
But you don't seem so fine. Mayson bit her tongue to keep herself from voicing the thought. Not your concern - so not your concern. This is just business. Remember that.
You bring out Clark's concern for Lois so touchingly. But you also show us how Mayson aches for him, because of his pain, and at the same time, how she is unable to voice her compassion. Because she has no right to really talk to Clark about anything that concerns his relationship with Lois. And Clark, so wrapped up in his own pain, is completely oblivious to the fact that Mayson so wants to comfort him, and also to Mayson's own heartache and unrequited love.
I have to go on quoting:
Mayson cleared her throat. "So, I was hoping you could help me with this - well, it's more of a quasi-case, really ... " She trailed off, her mouth suddenly dry. "Oh, God - Clark, I'm suddenly afraid you're going to think I'm an idiot when I explain all of this."
Mayson suddenly feels she had no good reason to ask to see Clark like this. No business reason. Now he is going to see that she is just a pitiful, lonely woman who lied to him about having a lot of important information for him just so that she could get to see him. Now he will lose his respect for her, and the next time she asks to see on business him he will politely, and ever so slightly contemptuously, decline. All she can do is beg him to allow
her to say that she's an idiot, so that, out of the goodness of his heart, he will be obliged to protest and say that she's not, even though it will be so obvious that he really thinks she is....
He was watching her intently, oblivious to the outdoor café's other patrons and passersby on the sidewalk. "I'm sure I won't. You're far from an idiot, Mayson."
Clark, the knight of the pure heart. He is not being condescendingly courteous. He is not flattering her. He is not belittling her. He respects her. His faith in her professionalism and integrity is a matter of course for him. And therefore he is sure that her information is going to be important, even if there is not a lot of it.
So Clark and Mayson talk about the case, about Intergang, and they come back to the threat to Lois:
"It's nothing much," Clark hurriedly continued. It just came up last week, and we've been trying to look into it. Then this whole anonymous threat business came along and kind of derailed any mini-investigation - " He stopped, swallowing hard.
Don't pry. Don't involve yourself. It's easier that way.
Mayson nodded. "I - I understand," she said gently. "I know that you and Lois have become ... um, close - and with everything ... I know it's probably been difficult," she finished lamely.
Ugh. Note to self: Never speak again.
I so, so love this. Mayson's honest attempt at kindness and caring, and her horrible embarrassment at how it seemed to come out. I just adore her "note to self": Never speak again. Truly, people, haven't we all felt that way sometimes?
Of course, Clark doesn't think Mayson said anything embarrassing or inappropriate at all, and he looks at her notes:
"You're right," he said after a minute. "There's not much here, on the surface, anyway - but I'll see what I can do."
Mayson felt her heart lift - something she didn't think was possible these days. Thank you.
"Clark - seriously - thank you," she said quietly. "I don't normally do - this. I mean, meet with the press before anything has been substantiated or corroborated or ... " Mayson trailed off, struggling for the right words. "But I - I trust you, and somehow I just knew you could help."
Clark was so touched, he almost didn't know what to say.
This passage is just so, so lovely. Mayson is so incredibly grateful to Clark for respecting her, for believing in her - it's not just that she loves him because of it, since she loved him before, but she feels he has made it possible for her to respect herself, both as a woman and as a DA, when he believes in her. And Clark, on the other hand, is so endearingly, heartwarmingly happy that he has been given another chance to help, to make the world a better place, and to do it as Clark, to boot -
and to hear somebody express their complete faith in him as Clark, and to give him truly, truly heartfelt thanks for what he's offering to do, which is something he certainly isn't used to. So, brimming with joy and feel-good happiness, he offers her the best help he can give to Mayson:
"Mayson, thank you - this is going to be easier with your help," he said honestly. "I'm ... flattered." He paused. "You know, maybe I can get Superman to help with this, too."
Mayson inwardly winced. "Clark, I - don't take this the wrong way, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't."
This works so perfectly - the way Clark first offers to get Superman involved, out of the goodness of his heart, and how Mayson then asks him not to, because she doesn't trust the goodness of Superman's heart.
Why doesn't Mayson trust Superman? I think she distrusts him for pretty much the same reasons why she trusts Clark. Clark is kind, caring, low-key and unassuming. You can get very close to him, and you can look into his eyes and see the guileless compassion in them. But what about Superman? He is sort of macho, flamboyant, supercilious and condescending. You can't get close to him - certainly not normally, anyway. You normally don't get to look into his eyes, and if you do, he'll probably be so busy striking a heroic pose that his eyes won't give away what he is truly feeling.
So Mayson doesn't trust Superman. But Lois does. Because Lois understands what Mayson can't see - that it is only through donning this flashy and seemingly superior persona that Clark can do even a fraction of the lessening of the suffering of humanity that he wants to do. His guileless compassion demands that he dons the spandex and, if necessary, strikes a heroic pose, so that he can use his powers in public and utilize them to maximum effect and to the best of his ability. Superman is not less about selfless caring than Clark is, but possibly more so. Seen in this light, Superman may be a truer expression of Clark Kent than Clark Kent is himself.
Mayson doesn't understand this. And precisely because Clark truly likes her and respects her, her distrust of Superman hurts him more deeply than any other rejection of his superhero identity that he has come across before.
And that is one of the two reasons why Mayson and Clark could never be right for one another. The other reason is that, even if Mayson could get over her distrust of Superman - and who are we to say she couldn't? - she and Clark are still not, and will never be, soulmates.
All in all, this is an extremely beautiful and touching chapter. I love it.
Ann
)
Also, thanks for the continuity glitch! You're so right, and I hadn't even *thought* about that when I wrote it! Have since changed this chapter a teeny bit to reflect the pre-iPod timeframe. *dons silly hat for all to see*