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Hi, This is a fairly long chapter. I hope you enjoy.  Yours Jenni
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Great! I love the way you wrote the Big Discovery and also the portraying of the feelings of Matt and "Letour"! He'd informed her, somewhat testily, that both Letour and Jor-El were as stubborn as each other and had refused to leave until Jor-El did another search of the area, just to be sure there was no one left who could be saved.... “Which, lassie, is a totally daft notion!” Mac had declared, stomping into the house and stripping off his outer clothes, leaving dirty puddles on her floor, which was already filthy due to all the traffic that had passed through during this dreadful night and day. “Can they no see that a'body who's still under that muck cann'ae still be breathing? It's been too long... much too long....” Mac's shoulders drooped and his voice ended on a gulping, tearing intake of breath. “Letour's goin' tae make himsel' ill, Marje, and he isn'ae a well man to begin with.... And I mightn'ae know all there is tae know about superheros, but I'm thinkin' Jor-El's no that invulnerable either. He's pushed himsel' tae his limits, if ye were tae ask me... not that anybody is askin' me.... Both their hearts are breakin'. Ye can see it in their eyes....” Letour and Jor-El are as stubborn as each other?  And at the end of this "Both their hearts are breakin'... My heart nearly broke, too! So Matt´s secret (and Clark´s secret as well) is out... What will they do with it? I can´t imagine them telling all the world about it! They are Clark´s friends! Very interesting... And when Matt returns home... first he will get a some trouble with his mother because of him leaving on a school day - and then... oh, I can´t wait for it! I love your writing! 
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Features Writer
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I will and always be a big fan of Lois and Clark forever and forever.
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Jenni, this is awesome. Take the revelation scene: Jor-El slid inside and, for the first time, saw the older man without a thick coating of dirt. Letour was wearing a robe, with a towel slung around his neck, as if he'd been drying his hair. His frame was wiry rather than thin, and fresh purple bruises could be seen on his skin where the robe parted, but it was Letour's face which attracted Matt's attention - a face lined with past suffering, yet somehow familiar.
Matt's heart raced unexpectedly.
"My God! It's impossible," he gasped, staring at the man before him, while his thoughts spun wildly out of control.
Letour's eyebrows rose in question and he glanced down at himself deprecatingly. "I know I've picked up a few cuts and bruises, but nothing serious." He rubbed at his chin. Mac had given him an electric razor, which he'd learned to use, but he hadn't shaved since... oh, Friday morning, and he knew he didn't look good with a twelve o'clock shadow. "I'm tired and achy, but apart from that, there's no need for you to worry." Letour finished off with a reassuring grin.
Anywhere in the world, Matt would recognize that grin. It didn't matter that the man's hair was now streaked with gray, that there were dark hollows beneath his eyes, not that he had lost some weight... Matt knew that smile. He had grown up in the sunshine of that smile, and basked in the love that had prompted it. This is completely wonderful. The fact that Matt would recognize his father's smile, when he wouldn't really recognize anything else about him. Because he had "grown up in the sunshine of that smile, and basked in the love that had prompted it". There was a short passage in your text that so clearly showed us Clark's natural thoughtfulness and caring, even when he didn't know that the young superhero was his son: Jor-El and Letour were the last of the original rescuers to leave. Indeed, the superhero had first ignored the order, decreeing that being invincible meant that he should stick around to assist the new squads. But, this time, Jor-El had been given an ultimatum by Letour, who'd stated he would only go if they left together.
It hadn't taken much insight on Letour's part to realize that the hero was dreading the thought of digging out the bodies. A young man, whether he was Kryptonian or not, shouldn't have to witness such horrifying scenes. As I said, I love Clark's caring and thoughtfulness here. It was a natural thing, perhaps, but can we really be so sure that everyone would have reasoned like this? And speaking about general caring and compassion, you made me love Marje in this chapter, Jenni. Like in this paragraph: Now she'd seen Jor-El up close, she knew, without a shadow of doubt, that he was just a teenager, and as she'd moved outside to sit and watch for their return, she wondered where Jor-El lived on Earth. Superman, his father might be gone, but did he have a mother somewhere who fretted about his wellbeing while he was off doing superthings? I love the wonderful maternal side of Marje here, Jenni. And you showed us a lot more of this aspect of Marje in the rest of this chapter, too! You write so painfully about Matt's sense of guilt at not being able to do enough to help: "You do what you can, Matt, and that's enough!"
He could hear his mother's voice inside his head, but somehow, right at this moment, he didn't believe her mantra to be true, though he had to admit that many of those who hadn't survived were probably dead by the time he reached China... had indeed died minutes after being swamped by the landslide. He had done as much as was possible... yet knowing that didn't help assuage his guilty hurt.
With the arrogance of youth he'd believed he could make a difference... now he'd learned that sometimes his efforts were little more than futile, and that knowledge threatened to overwhelm him. Jenni, I can totally sympathize with Matt's agonized guilt here, but at the same time, I want to shake him and cuddle him simultaneously, telling him that he did absolutely great, and that he was so unselfish and beautifully heroic in the very, very best sense of the word. No, Superman can't do everything, and the same goes for Superman's son. But he can do something, and that in itself is great!!! There are other things in this chapter that I love - the Oolong tea that Marje makes because it is one of Letour's favorites - and then, of course, Matt's shock and horror at seeing that his father doesn't recognize him, that he appears to be sick, and that somebody must have done something terrible to him. And the way Matt naturally suspects Marje and Mac of having harmed his father, though fortunately I think he realizes they are not the villains here. I loved this: "Superman did go missing in North Korea, which isn't so far from here I guess," Matt admitted and decided to take a quick sip of his tea. All he could taste was the clear tang of Oolong, and he didn't suddenly curl up in excruciating pain from a dose of kryptonite. It seemed his first instincts about the MacDonnells might be correct and they hadn't hurt Superman but had instead been taking care of him. And then, in his youthful distress, Matt gives away his, and Clark's, identity - which is probably a good thing, though, seeing that Marje and Mac are the ones who are in the know! It's really great that Matt is going back to the United States to get Lois. On the other hand, Clark isn't able to deal with the truth about his past, what with those terrible migraine attacks he suffers whenever he learns something significant about himself. I'm hopeful that you will put Adrienne to good use in the next chapter, Jenni. If anyone knows what has been done to Clark to cause these terrible headaches, it's her and Stephan. I hope you'll let them do something to undo, or at least counteract, whatever has been done to Clark's brain. Wonderful chapter, Jenni, I'm so looking forward to more!!! Ann
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Oh this is wonderful
More more more -- and SOON please.
Great job.
Allie
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Pulitzer
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Hi, Great part.  “Don't go,” Letour whispered. “Stay....”
“I will,” Jor promised. Wild horses wouldn't drag him away from this place without getting some account for his father's presence. In fact, he didn't plan on leaving without his father.
A peaceful smile tugged at the corners of Letour's mouth. He might be totally confused but, as he gave into sleep, this time he knew the boy of his dreams was real... and if the boy was a reality, perhaps the woman was also.... Finally! Clark hope to see Lois is real. Besides, Matt wasn't sure his father was strong enough to survive a flight to Metropolis.
No, he had to tell his mother face to face that he'd betrayed the family's secret... that he'd found his father... and bring her back to China immediately.  Flight him will he sleep. Did he got sick when Jor-El carry him back to the house? Get back here!
Maria D. Ferdez.
---
Don't like Luthor, unfinished, untitled and crossover story, and people that promises and don't deliver. I'm getting choosy with age.
MAF
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Wonderful, Jenni. I checked out the site before I took my morning walk and printed it out right away. As a good girl should, I did finish my walk before I read it. I was so impatient at the beginning; I apologize for that.
Being in on the Jor El realization that he was looking at his father reminded me of a few months ago when some "snowbird" friends arrived in town and did not recognize me because I'd lost 50 pounds. It took several minutes for their brains to work with the visual stimuli they were receiving.
Thank you.
Marge
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Pulitzer
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Jenni Another excellent part!  Tricia 
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Beat Reporter
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OMG - Jenni... *Powerful* stuff! So much to love here. You can see reflections of a young Clark in his son, here, and it's so so powerful (sorry for overuse of the word, but it's the only word for me that works)!!! A shudder coursed through him and his throat contracted. There were just too many of the latter, and it hurt like hell to acknowledge that fact. He might be able to clean the traces of the disaster from his body, but the memory of these last horrific hours would remain imprinted on his soul for a long time to come.
"You do what you can, Matt, and that's enough!"
He could hear his mother's voice inside his head, but somehow, right at this moment, he didn't believe her mantra to be true, though he had to admit that many of those who hadn't survived were probably dead by the time he reached China... had indeed died minutes after being swamped by the landslide. He had done as much as was possible... yet knowing that didn't help assuage his guilty hurt.
With the arrogance of youth he'd believed he could make a difference... Oh, how many times Clark dealt with those feelings (and Lois too at one point), and this poor young boy, having to accept that there's only so much he can do. It's heartbreaking and written just so, so well! And "the arrogrance of youth"... great!   That is amazing and brought tears to my eyes. Such a fantastic, perfect revelation for a young boy finding the father he didn't ever have enough time to really get to know. It shows what was important to this young boy, what he realizes he remembers most clearly and it's such a warm, safe feeling. Awesome, Jenni! And... yay! The clincher ending!... No, he had to tell his mother face to face that he'd betrayed the family's secret... that he'd found his father... and bring her back to China immediately. PLEASE let us see the much-awaited reunion soon! I can't wait! ~NICOLE
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
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 Excellent chapter! You had me apprehensive and sympathetic and ooh! it's just so good! So this had me terrified... Jor-El and Letour were the last of the original rescuers to leave. Indeed, the superhero had first ignored the order, decreeing that being invincible meant he should stick around to assist the new squads. That's the first time I even thought there might be a possibility of Matt leaving before figuring out that Letour is his father. You had me freaked for a minute! “Aye, ye could be right, but I'm no budgin'. Of course, if ye wanted tae leave, I wuidn'ae stop ye....” Mac held his breath, waiting for an answer. And this just reminded me of why I love Lois and Clark's story. There love feels like the ultimate love story on so many levels that to me elements of love in a general sense seem like elements of their story. So when I read this all I could think was, "That reminds me of Clark so much!" The way for a while there he was scared to think he could ask Lois to deal with his need to help others. Sigh. I love them. Since the people of Earth had lost their first hero, they'd been a little more appreciative of the man who had come to take his place... GOOD! Finally! The way the public would turn against Superman in the series sometimes just pissed me off! I'm glad that in your story they've realized that he has rights and helps out of a desire to do so, not some God given obligation that means they can just take advantage of his kindness! Like the crazy general that got them in this mess to begin with!  “Yes. We have similar customs on Krypton....” Actually Matthew had been named after a Kryptonian, though not a family member. Okay, color me confused. I clearly missed something, b/c I don't quote understand this part. At first, I thought you were referring to Matt's being adopted, but then no one's made that destinction before so what exactly do you mean? And can I just say I loved the reunion scene! I just had to laugh a little when I thought of Matt suddenly breaking with his superhero persona to be just an excited kid reunited with his dad. Reminds me of all the times we saw Superman with Lois post-revelation (like when he flew to her house in the middle of their phone convo with the phone still in his hand b/c she was freaking out about their wedding. That was hilarious!) It must be a little bewildering for Letour, but probably strangely familiar. So...I'm really excited! Adrienne still has to tell her story (Letour hasn't even seen the doctors yet!) And I can't wait for the Lois and Clark reunion!!! I'm even looking forward to the angst (though it looks like it's gonna be A LOT of angst - Matt's the oldest and in shock, but when Clark doesn't recognize the girls or Lois, they're gonna be so crushed! And his parents...oh, man!) Love it, love it, love it!!!
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What a fabulous chapter, Jenni. I think the following has to be one of the most beautiful lines ever written...
<<<He had grown up in the sunshine of that smile, and basked in the love that had prompted it.>>>
A powerful statement of parent/child love.
Kudos to Jenni!
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Hi MaraElaine,
Matthew is named after a Kryptonian physicain. Actually, it's his middle name, but you'd find that in the previous story in this series.
Everyone, thank you again for the great fdk.
Yours Jenni
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Jenni, I DO love it! “So if Jor-El is telling the truth, and this is his father, then Letour is both Superman and Clark Kent.” Marje is brilliant, isn't she?  No, he had to tell his mother face to face that he'd betrayed the family's secret... that he'd found his father... and bring her back to China immediately. Oh, he is really terrified of Lois's reaction. His first worry is having betrayed the familis's secret... :rolleyes: Maybe it be better to invert the order of the news, Jor. When you let Lois know you has found Clark, she won't be so upset with your lapse, boy. Oh, well... it'll be a looong week.  Andreia
"My wife's love is what unites Krypton and Earth in my heart. Without it, without her, I truly would be in hell."
~ Superman: Man of Tomorrow #15
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Oooooh! We finally get the discovery that Letour is really Clark/Superman/Matt's Dad I just love the way you've handled this! I love that you didn't have Letour just "snap out of it" right away, embrace his son and have a kodak moment. You've handled this with sensitivity, subtlety and powerful emotion. Brilliant! Keep it up!
Spike: "There's a hole in the world...feels like we ought to have known."
-Angel
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Top Banana
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Jenni, I just wanted to let you know that I am still following this, despite the lack of comment. I'm *so* happy that father and son are united at last. Yvonne
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Hi, I'm glad everyone was happy with my father and son reunion. I just hope I don't let you down with the next chapter which will be appearing soon. My real life is getting steadily more stressful now that my husband has somehow developed an infection in his wrist, but I hope to be able to stick to my scheduled posting. Yours Jenni
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Jenni,
I'm so sorry to hear about your husband's infection. Both of you have so much to deal with. I know you're a very strong person and will stand up to whatever comes.
Marge
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