Okay, here's a bit more feedback...
Though he hadn’t thought that possible, Clark had recognized one of the men from the other night in the victim. The man had been killed when he had been unconscious. And Clark hadn’t told Lois about this; he hadn’t told her that he knew the victim.
Clark isn't being honest with Lois.
Again. Groan. Don't expect me to ever like it.
However, could he really tell Lois something he didn’t even know for sure?
And he is a master at finding excuses for not telling her. Double-groan.
A jolt of electricity shot through his body as soft female hands touched his shoulders. He looked up, startled. Lois was leaning forward to look over his shoulder as he was sitting at his desk.
I love this, the amazing physical connection between Lois and Clark that makes him react to her touch so strongly.
“Did you find something?” Lois inquired. She had surely seen that he’d found something. She had a talent to detect such things. He had flipped through that folder almost slowly, aware that his co-workers were close.
“Yes,” he managed to say, still shocked both by the effect Lois’ touch had had on him and by the name he had found.
He showed her what he found, at least. Good, Clark.
The Lois and Clark part ended rather quickly and suddenly. Sigh. I like Becca and Clark, but I *really* want to read about
Lois and Clark, there is no doubt about that. Not that the Becca part wasn't very interesting.
This wasn’t her fault, but his. Clark mused that the incident with the policemen on the night of Lily’s death was one of the major reasons why the Child Services were watching him so closely.
Now you are really making me curious.
He tousled Becca’s hair as if this was going to change anything.
This is so sweet and sad. Clark's tousling of Becca's hair is such a loving gesture - but it doesn't change the fact that Clark can't let her have her friend come over on Saturday.
What had Lois said? She didn’t want to risk her truce with Becca. That sounded somewhat unlike Lois. Whatever Becca had done to turn Mad Dog Lane into Lap Dog Lane, maybe she should give Mrs. Edwards a taste of it.
Hmmm. Lois's main reason for not risking her truce with Becca must be that she doesn't want to risk her budding relationship with Clark. I doubt that Mrs. Edwards would be motivated by the same need.
“Why did I have to lie to her, Daddy? I already know the answer, it’s *No*, anyway.” Becca asked sadly as she strolled over to him after she had said good-bye to her friends.
“It’s not necessarily *No*, Pumpkin,” Clark objected. “You know very well it isn’t. And if it isn’t this weekend, then it will be another.”
“Another!” Becca grumbled. “That is *No*!
I like this conversation, and I can feel Becca's frustration.
Like every child she longed to be a grown up, thinking that this would make her life easier. It wouldn’t, or at least not in major proportions. She’d be able to have her own bank account, a driver’s license. She would be allowed to drink alcohol, or go out on her own, maybe even without telling him where she went. He’d appreciate it if she told him, but she wouldn’t have to. Children thought that everything they *had to* do vanished out of their lives as soon as they became adults. But in fact, it only meant that they had to tell themselves what they had to do, and that tended to be more than their parents had ever made them do.
I really, really sympathize with Becca's frustration at being a child and always having to acquiesce to the wishes of the adults - or at least it certainly seems so to her. I very much like how you describe Becca's, and other children's, feeling of helplessness in the world of grown-ups.
Becca, honey, I didn’t say that Anna can’t come. I’m just not so sure if it would be a good idea to let her meet with the lady from Child Services. Do you think that would be good?” Clark watched her closely, trying to make it obvious that he really wanted her to think about the problem.
Becca was silent for a while and Clark waited patiently for her to say something. She had her brows furrowed and seemed very concentrated. Now and again she looked at him intensely as if she was expecting him to just give her the answer, but he kept silent. Honestly, he enjoyed seeing her musing. She looked positively adorable when she did that.
This is very sweetly written. I love that Clark is explaining things to Becca and giving her a choice. I also love how he loves watching her her thinking.
“I don’t really want Anna to see the lady,” Becca said. “I didn’t like the way the last one looked at me when I told her that I sleep in your bed sometimes. She even asked me if you touch me and where you do that. It was kind of silly.”
I'm glad that Becca made the decision.
And as for the conversion regarding why the lady wanted to know where Clark touched Becca, I think you handled it very well.
“Do you like it when Grandma, Grandpa or I kiss you on the cheek?” he asked.
Becca nodded. “Of course, Daddy.”
“And what do you think if Mrs. Pritchard does that?”
Mrs. Pritchard was an old lady who had a tiny café, back in Smallville. She sold ice cream and she kissed most children she either met in her café or somewhere on the streets of the small town. Therefore Becca tried to avoid Mrs. Pritchard’s place, though she had the best ice cream in town.
“It’s disgusting,” Becca replied and rolled her eyes. “I don’t like it when people I hardly know are trying to kiss me.”
I think this is a very good example. Becca understands exactly what Clark means - or she understands enough, anyway.
“Becky, honey, there are people who wouldn’t just place kisses on your cheek. That’s one of the reasons why you should never go with strangers. But this can also happen in a family. Some adults hurt children, just because they can. This is very, very bad. The children who suffer from this are too weak to defend themselves and they don’t understand what the adults want of them,” Clark said softly.
“And what has all this got to do with touching now?” Becca wanted to know.
“If I was like one of these bad adults, I could touch you in a way that you would find even more disgusting than Mrs. Pritchard’s kisses. You wouldn’t like it although you know me.” Clark bit his lips. “I will never do anything like that to you, Becca,” he added.
I like his honesty, and the way he describes the problem without going into details that Becca couldn't handle.
“Does that mean that I’m not allowed to sleep in your bed anymore?” Becca asked. “Just because they have the wrong ideas about you? Don’t they see that you are a nice dad?”
“It’s not something you can see, Becky, honey. And you can come to me, if you’ve got trouble sleeping. There’s nothing bad about that.”
Good. That's a very good way of reassuring Becca.
Poor girl, though. Not only is she an orphan, but the Child Services threatens her relationship with the one person in the world who has always been there for her, her adoptive father, Clark Kent. Eh - by the way - I don't remember.
Did Clark ever legally adopt Rebecca?
Okay! Looking forward to more. And I hope you will keep moving things forward between Lois and Clark.
Ann
