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great chapter. I loved it and I can perfectly understand why Clark feels love for Lana. He knows her all his life. She is safe and she knows his secret, so he can count on Lana. A safe bet. I think he loves her because he doesn't know real love. But I guess the process of healing will be really painful and the nightmares will be worse for him. I loved it and I loved the conversation between Lucy and Lois at the end. Thanks for the insights. Well done. Can't wait for chapter 7. You want the guys with the sticks? 
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Beat Reporter
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Beat Reporter
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I loved this one too! Poor Clark--he thinks love is someone who is willing to forgive him for being different, instead of someone who cherishes and appreciates what makes him special! The guy has some serious self-esteem issues! And I enjoyed the close relationship between Lois and Lucy. WILL Lois decide to tell Clark what is going on? Or will something keep her from trusting him? (Ha! It's Lois who has the big secret this time--the tables are turned!) Clark is almost too perfect in this one, but I can't think of anything that I'd want you to change about his character.
If I could make any suggestion about where to take this, I'd suggest trying to vary the emotional tone, temporarily taking it either lighter or darker (because I can't get as upset as Clark is about his attraction to Lois).
Keep writing please, we're waiting!
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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Well Laura, I don't have to tell you how wonderful this story is. But I will... You are doing an absolutely fabulous job. I was so excited when I saw that you had posted again! When his eyes drifted open again, he was dancing with Lois Lane. It didn’t seem strange to him though and he sighed. Lois put her arms around his neck and he pulled her to him. This felt nice. It felt right. He leaned down to kiss her, but as soon as their lips touched the scene changed. He was forcibly torn apart from her and the warm, rosy glow of the room had diffused. The lighting now looked cold, sterile and he finally noticed that Lois’ dress was the exact same as Lana’s. So, Clark has been thinking about Lois. And she was wearing the same dress as Lana. That was subliminal for Lois replacing Lana in his life. If Clark would search himself deep down inside, he would remember Claude's comment and search himself for his instincts that say that there is more going on with Lois than just being a high school student. I am sure that he is going to have to save her from the bad girls at some point so she may as well clue him in now. “You kissed me, Clark,” she said softly. The name sounded odd on her tongue and he realized she had never called him that before. It was always Mr. Kent. Mr. Kent! Wait! Lois Lane was his *student*! His eyes widened in shame at what he had done and the urge to find his wife beat faster through his blood. Then Clark beats himself up for his "inappropriate" thoughts. Poor guy. “Are you okay, honey?” His mom sat down on the side of the sofa and touched the back of his hand. “You were shouting something awful out here.” What exactly did Martha and Jonathan hear Clark say? I hope not too much. On the other hand Martha is so intuitive. I'll bet Martha smells a rat. His thoughts shifted to Lana, and the night they had first kissed. Clark is having to force himself to think about Lana just to escape thoughts of Lois. Clark stirred from his musings, fully aware that he wasn’t a senior in high school anymore. Lana and he had dated all through college and married right after. His first love, he thought a little wistfully. Ugg!  I hate that Clark has already been with Lana. I guess in the end, Lois will be his first...since Lana's death. Though she wasn’t perfect, she had brightened his day. He had someone to confide in, a genuine partner. He had lost her though, and he had to square with that. Lois will be that for you, Clark. You just wait and see.  But why on earth was the only woman he had found himself dreaming about since his wife’s passing only 17-years-old? Were the fates taunting him? Well, Clark could it be that you're in love with Lois? It's just Clark's subconscious mind trying to bring him to the realizartion that he is in love with Lois. The thought of her sleeping with Claude—or anyone else—seriously disturbed him, true. But that didn’t mean anything. She was just there. Sure Clark. Keep telling yourself that and trying to justify your thoughts and actions.  Laura, I cannot tell you how much I'm enjoying this story. You are doing a wnderful job! Please...more soon. I can hardly take the wait. ~Sheila
I'm a firm believer in the fact that God doesn't put any more on us than we can bear. He does however make us come to Jesus every so often.
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Pulitzer
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Pulitzer
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Hi, Great part!  “But have you ever thought of just… telling him? Letting him know the score? He could help you, I’m sure of it. Mr. Kent knows all of his students very well. He makes it a point to do so. Maybe you know, if you told him, you could work together on the case. Then, when it was all finished he’d be done seeing you as an untouchable 17-year-old and as the beautiful, successful woman you are.”
The shock in Lois’ eyes was easy to read but hard to place. This is scary! What Lois is up to, please don't put Claude in Lois case. More ASAP, please. MAF
Maria D. Ferdez.
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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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I really liked this part! I'm hoping that Lois will let Clark know what she is up to. It would be interesting to see them work together. But I have a feeling that you aren't going to let Lois lay all of her cards out just yet. Suspence is the driving force behind any story. I guess we'll just have to wait, rather impatiently, I might add! Can't wait for more!
Silence is golden.
Duct tape is silver.
~Saw it on a T-Shirt.
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
Joined: Jul 2006
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Laura ~ I like how you showed us in this chapter that both Lois and Clark are struggling - Clark more so, of course - but for me the crux of this chapter is Lana. In one paragraph, she went from being simply Clark's first love to the Girl Who Was Not Good Enough. There is, as you well know, lots of debate about whether Clark or Lois could love someone else. In this world of fiction, I can believe or not believe based on how the author portrays the character. In this case, I believed, and now I feel a little adrift because how could he possibly have loved someone who harbored such negative feelings about his powers? I'm left with the feeling that, as far as Lana is concerned, Clark made the mistake of equating familiarity and affection with love. That disappoints me a little, because I was enjoying the idea that this Clark had loved before. Loving someone expands your heart, deepens your emotions and teaches you so much. I liked the idea of Clark bringing the benefit of that experience into his relationship with Lois. Ah, well. In the end this is the story of Clark and Lois, not Clark and Lana, so how Clark did or didn't feel about Lana probably won't matter overmuch. And in the meantime I certainly am enjoying Lois and Clark's journey towards each other in this fic.  Lisa
lisa in the sky with diamonds
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Joined: Aug 2005
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Mrs Mosley said: There is, as you well know, lots of debate about whether Clark or Lois could love someone else. In this world of fiction, I can believe or not believe based on how the author portrays the character. In this case, I believed, and now I feel a little adrift because how could he possibly have loved someone who harbored such negative feelings about his powers? Well, I for one certainly made my negative feelings about Clark's marriage to Lana very clear. Like Lisa, however, I believed that Clark loved Lana, and somehow it was, even to me, a little bit of a letdown to find out that he didn't really. But of course, in so many ways I think it's right that Clark's affection for Lana wasn't true love. What you showed us of their relationship seems very consistent with canon to me: Lana is the girl that Clark develops a teenage crush on, she learns about his powers and disapproves, but because of Clark's deep sense of commitment to his first love it is natural for him to keep building on his immature love for Lana and nurture it into a happy married relationship. (I guess that what is not canon here may be Clark's happiness with Lana.) Anyway, I don't find it hard to believe that Clark and Lana could have a happy marriage, particularly since this Clark has apparently never used his powers much, and he has certainly never gone public with them. Lana disapproved of his powers, so Clark hardly ever used them. (And he still doesn't use them.) Lana, like so many other women, liked his good looks and natural charm, so why shouldn't she be happy with him? And Clark was so happy that someone would marry him at all and seem content in her marriage to him. Clark had always dreamed of finding a woman who would love him, so of course he was happy. Anyway, Clark's marriage to Lana explains why there is no Superman, and why Clark hasn't tried harder to put a stop to the deadly initiation rites going on at his school. Clark will use his teacher's authority to try to help his students, but he won't go beyond that. I liked the way you wrote Clark's dream and how it showed him that Lois was replacing Lana in his heart. It was very effective to have Lois wear Lana's dress. But it was very clear that to Clark, the situation was a nightmare. Lois and his parents seemed cold and without compassion when they told him that Lana was gone. And Lois kept repeating that he had kissed her. Were her words an accusation? Or was she asking him to accept what he had done and admit that he was attracted to her? But Clark was horrified at the idea that he had gotten involved with a student. And the idea that Doug Scott, the principal, would copy Clark's behaviour by dating another student was really downright nightmarish. (It's fascinating to think that Clark somehow sees himself as "the principal of morality" in this story. If he can't control himself, he truly fears that the world is going to come apart at the seams - hence principal Doug Scott's copying Clark's bad behaviour in Clark's dream, I suppose.) I liked how you portrayed Lois's relationship with Lucy. She seemed a lot more open with Lucy than I would have expected her to. But then, this is a more innocent and unscarred Lois than we are used to. So far, no man has broken her heart. This is still a fascinating story, Laura. Ann
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I don't think it's true that Clark didn't love Lana in this story. But Tahu hit on something: Lana was "safe" for Clark. That was part of the attraction she held for him. As Ann mentioned, she was willing to marry him despite his "otherness," and that represented a closeness and an intimacy that Clark has longed for all his life. That, at least, is L&C canon.
And now that Lois seems to be displacing Lana in his heart, he's scared again. He has no idea whether or not Lois would accept him should she ever learn of his differences. He has no reason to believe that she'd treat him like a person instead of as a freak. He doesn't understand why she'd be on a date with a worm like Claude, so why should he believe that she'd be mature enough not to be appalled by his powers?
Excellent job, Laura! I echo the others: where's chapter seven?
Life isn't a support system for writing. It's the other way around.
- Stephen King, from On Writing
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Oooh, Terry said almost exactly what I was going to say, and said it better. So go read his comments again, OK, and pretend I wrote them Another great chapter, Laura. I'm looking forward to seeing how Clark interacts with Lois now that his subconscious has thwacked him upside the head with the fact that he's attracted to her. Seeing her with Claude might have appalled him, but it also made him see her as more than just a student. That's a hard thing to go back from, if only in his own head, and since he is so honorable, it will surely be a hard thing for him to live with. More soon, please!  Caroline
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Beat Reporter
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Beat Reporter
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Laura, Laura, Laura... Do you have any idea how talented you are? I love this story. Nevermind that it kind of follows the same storyline as one of my favourite chick flicks, 'Never Been Kissed' - it's just awesome in it's own right. I especially liked this part where Clark begins to realise (but won't yet acknowledge) that he is attracted to Lois. That he - perhaps - has some sort of feelings for her. I won't repeat what others have already said, but rest assured, I'm glued to this story!  ~Anna.
Lois: Jimmy, give me back my dress.
Clark: Now there's something you don't hear around the newsroom everyday.
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Top Banana
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Top Banana
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Ahh! I don't know if you guys understand how thrilled I am when I get feedback. Well, I'm sure you do, but still. Anyway, I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart! Okay, so onto the individual stuff... Tahu-- She is safe and she knows his secret, so he can count on Lana. A safe bet. I think he loves her because he doesn't know real love. You definitely hit the nail on the head. I'm so glad you're enjoying this story! (And giving such great feedback along the way.) I'm glad you liked Lois and Lucy too! I kind of wished Lucy had been in the show more. I think she would have been pretty funny. Especially if she could see the attraction between Lois and Clark even when she couldn't. (As many fan fiction stories have already delved into.) Thanks so much for the comments and starting off the thread! Cookiesmom-- (Ha! It's Lois who has the big secret this time--the tables are turned!) Hehe. I know! It's fun! I'm glad you like the story so much! Your comments about Clark being "perfect" just made my day. I'm really thrilled to know I'm writing him okay. He's not a totally difficult character to write, but I do have a think a bit. Especially when I'm dealing with such touchy subject matter. Your words mean the world to me! Thank you so much. I'd suggest trying to vary the emotional tone, temporarily taking it either lighter or darker (because I can't get as upset as Clark is about his attraction to Lois). That's excellent advice. I'm definitely going to keep it in mind. But just between you and me (and everyone else reading) things might be getting a little bit darker soon. But shh... Keep that a secret.  Sheila-- You got excited when I posted? I got excited when I saw you reviewed! Yours always just make me day and make me want to sit down and pound out another chapter. What exactly did Martha and Jonathan hear Clark say? I hope not too much. On the other hand Martha is so intuitive. I'll bet Martha smells a rat. Mothers are just a bit too perceptive, aren't they? I hadn't thought about having Martha and Clark had a heart to heart but your comment just might result in a new scene... *walks off mumbling story ideas* I hope I have chapter 7 up shortly! Thanks so much Sheila! mariadferdez-- Clark can't use his power? Well, Lana doesn't like him too. A bit too freakish, I suppose. Never liked that girl. Lucy must 17 because she still with her mother? Yup. She's only a junior in high school while Lois is only 23. *starts up girlish squealing and oooooohs* Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're following and enjoying! Symbolicangel-- But I have a feeling that you aren't going to let Lois lay all of her cards out just yet.  Hehe. I hope you enjoy the next few chapters! We'll have to see what happens. Thanks for the feedback! Lisa-- I'm left with the feeling that, as far as Lana is concerned, Clark made the mistake of equating familiarity and affection with love. That disappoints me a little, because I was enjoying the idea that this Clark had loved before. Loving someone expands your heart, deepens your emotions and teaches you so much. I liked the idea of Clark bringing the benefit of that experience into his relationship with Lois. Hmm... all very good and interesting points. I'm sorry the story doesn't fit everyone's ideas. I got the idea from the feedback that people didn't enjoy Clark having loved her. As you pointed out, all with very good reasons, there are good aspects to him having loved her. I'm afraid their relationship is probably just going to be a moot point from now on. Lana doesn't feature too prominently in the rest of the story. But I'm glad you left your opinion. It's something for me to seriously think about. And in the meantime I certainly am enjoying Lois and Clark's journey towards each other in this fic. Glad to hear it. Ann-- Hi. I'm glad you left your thoughts. I've been hoping very much that I didn't chase you off the story with the earlier chapters and I'm so relieved that you're still reading. Anyway, Clark's marriage to Lana explains why there is no Superman, and why Clark hasn't tried harder to put a stop to the deadly initiation rites going on at his school. Clark will use his teacher's authority to try to help his students, but he won't go beyond that. That's an excellent explanation and much better than I could have ever put it. Thank you. Terry-- Ahh your feedback is always so insightful. I never know how to respond to adequately convey my thanks. Everything you said I agree with. Thanks so much. Hopefully chapter 7 will be up soon. Caroline-- So go read his comments again, OK, and pretend I wrote them Hehe. It's a bit of a theme here. *We all wish we could reason like Terry* Seeing her with Claude might have appalled him, but it also made him see her as more than just a student. That's a hard thing to go back from, if only in his own head, and since he is so honorable, it will surely be a hard thing for him to live with. I think so too! Thanks for the feedback! I'm so glad you're liking the story! Anna-- Laura, Laura, Laura... Do you have any idea how talented you are? Anna, Anna, Anna... do you have any idea how excited you make me? I'm so glad you like the story! Especially because I think you are extremely talented. I'm glad you're hooked! I'm definitely hooked on the feedback... will probably do anything to get it. If I posted some shirtless Dean pictures subtly along the chapter, do you think people would feel more apt to review? Or simply short circuit their keyboards with the drool? Thanks all! --Laura
Thanks to CapeFetish for the awesome icon.
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Pulitzer
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Hey Laura! I of course loved this latest part. TorturedClark was great, and I really liked the Lucy/Lois interaction. Someone commented on how different Lois is, and it's really interesting. I mean for now, we've written Claude out of the dating picture  and she's just starting at the Planet so she's not *quite* so award-winning, tough-as-nails...she's almost like a regular almost-happy person lol. JD
"Meg...who let you back in the house?" -Family Guy
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Kerth
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I'm still enjoying this story! Nice introspection here gave us good insight into his relationship with Lana. I'm still hoping that Clark will sense that there might be more going on with Lois than meets the eye - I don't want him beating himself up for thinking that he's having inappropriate thoughts about a student. I love the use of Lucy in the story - I agree that she was a good character that could have been used more in the series. Looking forward to the next part.
You can find my stories as Groobie on the nfic archives and Susan Young on the gfic archives. In other words, you know me as Groobie.
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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I especially want to thank Elisabeth. She commented so much last time I wanted to cry! Aww, shucks! A lot of people tend to cry when I get long-winded. I really liked this part, but I missed having that one scene. You know, the one where Lois has to explain to her drunk mother why she's pretending this is her home. Or maybe the one where Lucy gets her eyes on Lois' escort. It stung that Lois had been to dinner with such an older man. Why was she doing this? First she hung around Lexy and Jill, the scourge of Metropolis High School and now she was seeing some greasy Frenchman? Nothing added up and it certainly didn’t fit her character. Since when do high school students make sense? I like how he analyses the situation and then feels guilty for spending so much time thinking about it. I especially love how he feels magnanimous that he would even save the students he doesn't like. The dream sequence is wonderful--the way he tumbles through his feelings about Lana and Lois, the way he dreams about Lois calling him Clark and not Mr. Kent, how upset he is that he is no longer playing the part of the grieving widower, how he transfers his disgust over attraction to a student to disgust over his boss being attracted to a student. It's all there. I've used dreams in the past to further a plot and it never ceases to amaze me how upset my characters get, while in real life I would tend to say something like, "You'd never believe the crazy dream I had." I like how concerned Martha and Jonathon are about the nightmare, and yet Clark can't quite tell them the truth. Wouldn't they all feel better if Clark just said, "I used to have nightmares all the time, but not anymore. Besides, this wasn't like that." But Clark never has been one for full disclosure, even to those he purportedly trusts. As he thought through his situation logically, the panic in his heart began to die down. He wasn’t attracted to his student. That would be wrong. And Clark Kent was a straight arrow kind of guy.
Clark snuggled down on the couch to sleep, ignoring the pitiful part of his conscious that told him he was lying to himself. Sorry for quoting the whole thing, but it's all so very poignant. It's logical and mostly truthful, and yet it still feels like he's lying to himself. “You’re warm for his form, aren’t you?” Sounds so juvenile. What a hoot! I like the comradery Lois and Lucy have. It's nice that Lois has a true friend, even if she is quite a bit younger. “I think he’d be exactly the kind of guy I’d be looking for,” Lois started slowly. It seemed like the words took a long time to form around her lips. A harsh look came back in her gaze a moment later. “If I was looking for anyone, that is. Which I’m not.” How very honest. Since Lois doesn't have to compete with Clark and since Claude didn't break her heart, perhaps it is easier for her to be honest. Love it. And I'm happy to see the next part is up, as well. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait awhile before I read. The kids all left with Daddy and I get my best rehearsal in when they're gone. Keep up the good work. Elisabeth
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Eeeeek! What a scary nightmare! Poor Clark! And then the other daydream, again, poor Clark. But this part made me smile... She had made him cry in the first grade, he remembered with a wry grin, after she had pointed out that his shirt was on backwards and that he wore two different kinds of shoes. He had been embarrassed. That was when his mother had been laid up with the flu, he remembered vaguely. He must have dressed himself that day. Awwww, that's cute and sad and funny all at once. <g> But I would hate to see a little 1st grade Clark cry - poor thing. But awwww, what Lana said! Not as forgiving as I am... ouch, that wasn't sweet at all.  “You’re warm for his form, aren’t you?” ROTFLOL!!!! <and snorting> “You’re a good sister, Lucy Lane,” Lois said, sniffling slightly. “I’m sorry I’m crying. I think it’s a mix of the stress and some old fashioned PMS.”
“I’m not sure if I wanted to know that, Lois.” <snicker> Hee hee - I liked the talk between Lois & Lucy. Cute. Another great chapter, Laura! -- DJ
Smile and the world smiles with you ... frown and you're just giving yourself wrinkles.
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