Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: Quiet Regret

Oh DJ I loved it! It was perfect.

It feels like being with Clark in her apartment and seeing it through his eyes.

Hope you and Sue will write more in-between.

Well, DJ, I liked the story, even if I can't remember what happened in the episode. I totally don't remember Superman thinking that Lois was dead.

Oh wow! Oh wow! Look at all this additional fdk.

Hi Terry. Thank you for those lovely comments - that means a lot to me coming from you (who was I believe nominated for "She" in the Kerths this year). You "got" exactly the points I was trying to make. Armor plating... yes... I had to drag mine out even on this story for just a little while. <g> Oooh, thank you. I'm so glad I was able to move you. Thank you for those comments.


Hi Kristen! I would welcome any and all who want to give us a second look at this episode and a different take on it. Like I said, I thought this episode had massive angst potential and then fell flat. I'm so glad you enjoyed this and thank you for the fdk.


Hi Shayne. Ooooh! Thank you so much! What wonderful fdk from you. I'm glad you enjoyed it.


Hi again Carol. I wouldn't mind if I had triggered something... who knows, I might even try my hand at it again some time.


Hi Ann. <hugs> Thank you. I'm glad you were able to bring yourself to read it.

No. I refuse to believe that. We can see how much Clark loves Lois in all the little things he does for her, all through-out the series. I realize that you are a different kind of Superman fan and haven't seen many of the episodes of LnC. But in the series, Clark shows his love for her in so many million different little ways. All the sweet almost unnoticed little touches, glances, smiles... the way he is so attentive to her and does everything in his power to keep her safe and take care of her. It is obvious in the series that she means a great deal to him - there really is no other woman for him. I just think we got robbed of seeing his true emotion in this one particular episode - and so I wanted to try my hand at showing that emotion.

Thanks for the fdk, Ann.


Hi Kathy! Yes, I remember that post too. I had been thinking about writing this, way back then (whenever that was) - after that post I made some notes on what I wanted to do... then I just had to find the time and the right 'mental set' to write it. And, oh wow, such a wonderful compliment that I was able to write him in a way that fit with the character in your mind. Yay.

And yes, I agree, the angst "potential" in this paricular episode is enormous... I would love to see it explored more. Thank you so much for that wonderful fdk.


Hi Pamela! Thank you. I'm glad you loved it and could immerse yourself into it as if you were seeing things through Clark's eyes. Thanks.


Hi Nancy! Thanks for the fdk. If you don't remember Superman thinking that Lois died, you should definitely go back and re-watch the episode some time - you'll see how cheated we were. When Superman sees the tape of Lois supposedly being killed he yells out "NO!" and punches in the screen of the TV he's watching at the Daily Planet. Then in the next scene, we see him at the spot were Lois died. He looks lost and forlorn, but the scene only lasts all of 4 or 5 seconds I think. He sits sadly on the curb next to a burnt spot on the concrete and hangs his head.

And then that's it! Bam! We shift scenes to an alarm going off at STAR Labs and Dr. Klein apologizing aobut Lois and Superman looking a little sad and saying thanks... and then Dr. Klein telling him that he thinks the Lakes are involved. Then Superman goes to find the Lakes and they reveal that Lois is in fact still alive - they have her encased in a glass cage and if Superman wants to keep her alive, he has to step into a cage of his own. He rushes over to touch her, but he can't - there's a forcefield (you can see the obvious relief on his face) and he agrees to step into the cage because he can't lose Lois again. Lois says no, that the world needs him and he tells her that he needs her.

Awwww, sniffle... Anyway, thanks for the fdk.


Thanks again everyone. All this fdk really made my day.

-- DJ

I just got around to reading this and I LOVED IT.

I had never really thought about the fact that Clark would have had time to go to Lois's place to grieve before Dr. Klein called him.

This was so heart wrenchingly sad and beautiful at the same time. I love stories like this.

Great job.

DJ!

You know I love this story. You're absolutely right - there are so many moments in the series where we're missing scenes or were cheated out of seeing what happened or how the characters felt. You did such a masterful job of showing us Clark's grief.

The most poignantly written part for me was this: Not saying goodbye, not getting one last chance to say *anything* is one of hollowest, emptiest, please-just-five-more-minutes feelings in the world. It sucks. It's something you never get over, not really.

I cried along with Clark when I read this. It might sound weird to thank you for that, but...

Thank you. This was heartbreakingly beautiful.

Just got back on the boards today, so I'm just now reading this. Fics like this demonstrate why you're a master.

You do well at showing Clark grieving in your story--once again, he's doing all those little things for her, as he's always done.

But I don't want to invalidate the way the series originally aired. Sure there were time constraints, but men also grieve differently than women do. Some men get angry, some throw themselves into their work--all just as valid as crying and moping (like Lois did in TOGOM.) And remember that it was still raw and unreal for Perry, Jimmy and Superman alike.

Enough of an aside. This was a poignant rendering of an emotional scene. Well done, DJ.

Elisabeth

Hi FinLi! Thank you so much for the fdk. I'm glad you loved it. Thanks.

Hi Sue!!! Thank you for pointing that line out. That was one of my favorite lines. It's bad enough not to be able to see them alive again or talk to them again... but with Lois having supposedly been disintegrated into a pile of ash... he couldn't even touch her or see her one last time. I found that thought extremely sad.

Awwwww! <sniffle> Thank you! <hugs>


Hi Elisabeth! Thanks. I'm just blushing all over myself at your compliment. And I will admit that men definitely do handle things different than women do - they tend to hold things inside - especially when they are around other people.

But that was my whole point. On the series we only saw Clark as Superman (which he isn't going to show as much emotion as Superman anyway) and we only saw him in public settings. And as Superman we did see him get "angry" - he punched that TV. And he did sort of throw himself into his work when he rushed off to STAR Labs to see what Dr. Klein wanted. We also saw him grieve just a little beside Lois's pile of ash. But my whole point was, what if we had seen him as Clark and seen him privately, when he could truly grieve? Many times in the show the writers showed us that Clark could pout, he could mope, be sad - almost be moved to tears (even in a public setting) like when he's leaving for New Krypton and also when he's grousing over Lois being sentenced to death row - and in neither of those instances was Lois actually dead...

I just really felt that if we had seen Clark by himself, and especially at Lois's apartment, that we would have seen a very different side of his grief.

Thank you for your fdk, Elisabeth - most appreciated.

-- DJ

I really like this scene. It really shows how compassionate and sensitive Clark is that even while he's in this state of grief, he can still think of something else (see the fish as a "poor thing" that is hungry). The whole vignette is really rather remarkable at depicting his sensitivity, but I like how in this instance the concern is directed at another being.

I really like that last, it speaks volumes to me that he would do things as she wanted to. I remember this one story I read where a boyfriend lost his girlfriend and was hit so hard by it, he began dressing like her. What really struck me was the explanation he gave, that on some afternoons, he saw her shadow reflected on the wall and that made it all worthwhile. So obviously this is a tangent (and that was extreme), but it reminded me of that story because placing the dishes in that way is a form of keeping Lois around. I find that really moving.

Wonderful vignette DJ!

alcyone

Ooooh, it appears a review slipped through that I didn't notice.

Hi Alcyone! Thank you so much for the fdk. I'm glad you thought I was able to capture his sensitivity in this scene. I have always really felt like Clark is a pretty sensitive guy - not always openly, where others can see him, but definitely when he's by himself... or talking to his parents.

Thanks for pointing out the dishes. It was a way for him to "keep Lois around" - he was doing something for her and doing it the way she would have wanted... putting the dishes in the spots where she kept them. And again showed how much he knew her and loved her... down to where she kept her dishes -- because let's face it, how many of us keep our dishes and utensils in the same place that other people keep them. I know I always feel lost in someone else's kitchen.

Thank you for that fdk. And again thanks to everyone who commented and enjoyed this story.

-- DJ