Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK: Learning to Love, 19/?

Wish I wasn't so tired these days... but Carol, this was just absolutely fabulous!

I love how they sit in their own little cocoon of peace and togetherness, inside which Lois is wrapped in the cocoon of Clark's arms. Lovely. So wonderfully warm, serene and peaceful.

And then...

It is perfect that Jor-El and Lara should appear to them then and there.

And Clark saw them die. And for the first time he broke down.

And finally Lois was able to be there for Clark and comfort him when he needed her:

I'm so glad she can do this for him.

I love how she's cradling him, but I wish that she could say that she is committed to this relationship, too, just as Clark is.

You describe Clark's loneliness when growing up so heartbreakingly. I was particularly moved by this:

Maybe this instinctive fear or being rejected, turned into a freak or even literally or figuratively "dissected" was the reason why he didn't tell Lois about his powers as soon as they were married.

This was so completely beautiful! He is so grateful to her! How he loves her.

And finally she can say it:

Yes! She is committed to their relationship, too. She believes in him, and she won't leave him. Finally!

This was sweet and funny! I can hear Julie Andrews singing!

Good that she said it, and he admitted it. I figure he won't be so hopelessly polite around Mayson from now on, if she tries to spend every lunch with him.

I'm glad that Lois admitted this...

And I'm really glad she told him this!

Good! Great!

I'm very glad that they resolved to communicate, to really talk to each other for at least a few minutes every day, from now on.

I'm glad Clark asked Lois why Lucy was so much more carefree than she was herself. I liked Lois's answer:

Sniffle. But Lois had to do all that.

I love this observation of Clark's:

That's true! What a great sister Lois has been!

When Clark said this, I realized how much I wanted them to be together for real.

But Lois isn't ready. I understand that, too.

I like Clark's observation. Paul has really helped Lois and Clark get closer than they have ever been.

Yes, please, do go to the police!

Yes! Bill Henderson!

Gaaah! Dr. Snodgrass! Now you've given me another person to dislike!

Yes!!! (And maybe she'll discover something else on that tape recorder!)

I'm so glad that Lois is determined to stop Paul, so that he never gets to rape another woman again. And I love how Lois has begun to trust Clark, and how they are building a foundation of love together!

Ann

Fabulous part, Carol. I'll admit, it didn't leave me jumping all over the place as the last part did, but that's basically because you *did* burst the angst-bubble in there and here it was just sweet waff.

Okay, you asked for it. And since I just hate it if our guys get hurt, I do tend to think about vindictive ways to hurt the bad guys back. I'm not nuts, or anything. It is just fiction, right? And they do deserve it.

*Probably PG-13 imagery in the following lines*

So, first you start by slowly boiling his genitals with heat vision. You can switch to pressure between treatments at your leisure. Then you start using the laser-mode to burn them off, millimeter, by millimeter.

Then you go on to ripping out his finger- and toe-nails. Teeth too, but you risk him bleeding too much to scream, so that's a tricky part there.

And on you go to crushing one bone after the other, starting with fingers and toes and moving inwards. Basically, you turn his arms and legs into skin-covered goo.

It might be necessary to give him time for waking up from were the pain took him to dreamland somewhere at this point.

Then you can pull his teeth and hair, break his nose, stuff like that. The tongue, too, might come out.

You finish up by doing a disembowelment on him.

So, it's basically a cross between getting run over by a road roller, a medieval execution ala Braveheart, and a Mayan execution.

Michael

Carol, this was just a masterpiece. I love that Lois and Clark are attempting to understand each other and that Lois now knows that he is in it for the long haul.

I think when Lucy moves out, Lois and Clark will fall in love and things will just happen for them. This was just so emotional!

Well done and don't keep us waiting!

~Sheila

Because many times, but not always, love hears what isn't spoken just as deeply as what is spoken.

It's moving that he doesn't just reveal her hidden fears, but he also exposes himself. He uses the example of the nightmares to show how he has been secretly expressing his love for her even though he knows she isn't ready to receive that when she is awake.

It's funny that I've never considered that footage as Clark witnessing his parent's death. It isn't as if a thousand voices cried out on Alderaan and then were silenced. Instead, to me it has always felt as if it were an impersonal special effect.

There is something profound about the second time death is experienced that effects a person much deeper than the first time. For many people, no matter how old they are the loss of the second parent, or in this case the second pair of parents, hurts so much deeper than the first time. You mourn the first loss all over again as if it just happened. I imagine that somehow Clark *feels* like an orphan. Certainly he's been an orphan for half his life, but now he feels like one.

Isn't it strange that Lois gathers the strength she needs to comfort Clark from Clark's own strength? Yet, I find that very plausible.

I know there are some who will feel that by having one heart-to-heart fix everything you're making the ending too easy, but I don't see it that way because they have come up with a workable plan to overcome their relationship's shortcomings. A similar comparison would be that one conversation might not end a family's money woes, but if it leads to a budget it just might.


Elisabeth
PS As for tortuous deaths, have you read Fox's Book of Martyrs?

Thank you guys - I'll be back with more later, but I did want to respond to a couple things Elisabeth said...

Umm... we're nowhere near the end . Though this chapter of their lives [the perpetual miscommunications] is coming to an end, its not going straight to a bed of roses - or maybe it is - roses do have thorns after all...

And:
You know... we have a copy of that around here somewhere... I'll have to look for it. Thanks for the idea .
Carol

Great story as always! (Although I've been very quiet lately, I've been eagerly awaiting every new chapter. )

I love the way Lois and Clark resolve their issues, but this part nearly made my heart break for young Clark: And this one really brought tears to my eyes (even though I was absolutely thrilled that Lois finally believes in Clark). Oh, I think 'I believe I can fly' would have been perfect for this one. Or maybe the theme song of the Batman 70's series?

I love how Clark makes that point. *happy sigh*

Good! This is Lane and Kent in action. This Paul definitely knows how to wake a sleeping giant.

***

Okay, torturous deaths... ever thought of covering someone's naked skin with honey and hanging him head down over an anthill? (Obviously, said person would have to be tied up.) Of course, stripping him naked and throwing several beehives at him should do just as well, but I doubt it'd take as long. Or strip him naked and put him in the middle of somewhere with lots of mosquitos. Like the Metropolis Sewage Reclamation Facility. (Did I mention I don't like insects?) I can also imagine that being eaten by a giant snake wouldn't be pleasant, either. (Snakes tend to swallow their victims whole.) Or... strip his skin off him square inch by square inch, starting with the more private areas... /me has a wild imagination

Dying of thirst would be pretty horrible. Your mouth and eyes would be so horribly dry, it would be hard to talk, hard to breathe. On the plus side -- a last minute rescue would not be out of the question. :p

Awesome, they have a plan for dealing with Scum Paul. And since they're Lois and Clark, the plan will work. (Hopefully, Lois isn't going to tape over the (theorized) recording of Scum Paul when she talks to Snodgrass. )

If we're talking about torturous deaths for Scum Paul (and I'm confident you're not about to start torturing random people to death), physical pain is not enough. Rape is among the worst crimes because it dehumanizes the victim. Find a sadist who gets actual pleasure out of hurting people, and let them carry out the torturous deaths folks are listing here. Over as long a time period as the sadist desires.

I love that Lois and Clark are finally starting to work together. It was wonderful to see them both supporting each other when they needed it.

I'm also happy to hear that this is nowhere near the end. I'd like this story to go on forever, it's so wonderful

I'm afraid I'm not going to be of any help on the torture side. I'm like Clark - a little too nice for my own good. My idea of tortue means making someone sit locked in a room with my former sister-in-law for several hours.

So. Freaking. Touching.
Honestly, I think this is one of if not the most insightful part of the story so far.

Torturous deaths, eh?
Okay, I don't know how reliable this is, but the Russian mafia pops up a lot in books I read, and they always seem to kill using zamochit, and it's described as breaking every bone in your body. In the stories I've read, the mafia starts by breaking your fingers and kind of working from there.

Sounds pretty painful to me regardless of accuracy.

Terrific part, Carol, can't wait to find out where this goes next.
JD

One method of torture I've heard about is to cut off someone's eyelids and leave them in the desert. Which just creeps me out beyond belief. It took me two years just to build up the courage to wear contact lenses, and I still can't open my eyes under water.

I was really glad to see Clark open up and face his own grief for his own losses, and admit (if only to himself) that his life has been, and still is, very hard in a lot of ways. I think he needed to do that. He's been strong for everybody else for so long now. I guess it's been bothering me that this poor Clark has had so little emotional support up to this point.

And really, it was great to see Lois offering comfort to Clark. Props to her for that. But at the same time, she's still saying she isn't ready to let him in. Sigh. Well, maybe working this "case" together will work its usual L&C magic, and draw them closer.

I think we all (characters and readers) needed the release that this part offered, because I have the feeling that things are going to get tense again...

I too liked the glimpse into Clark's demons and Lois' comforting him. Both characters are very endearing.

A very nice chapter.

and remind me to NEVER tick any of you people off, especially Michael

Another one that comes to mind. The torture scene in The Princess Bride comes to mind...

or

Putting him in a pit of vipers just before sunrise, naked, of course.

James

Thanks again everyone!

Ann - hope you get some rest! Originally, they were supposed to see all the messages before the ice storm or so but I think it worked better this way. Clark surprised me with his reaction to Krypton's explosion. They *will* get to the whole how long it took Clark to tell her thing, but it may be a little while - they're dealing with a lot right now. They *will* be together for real at some point - I promise you that.

Michael - thank you for the suggestions. Some variation has made it into the fic unless my BRs tell me to take it out - but then you can blame them .

Sheila - thank you. Next part is up!

Elisabeth - I never thought about it that way before either - it was just sort of an epiphany of some kind. When the planet explodes, that is *the* second that Jor-El and Lara die. I *did* break out my Foxe's earlier today...

Lara - glad to have you! Awww... /me hands Lara a Kleenex. Yes, 'I Believe I Can Fly' would have worked so well there... *sigh* but it's a mid-90s release and this is the mid-80s... And thanks for the ideas - they sparked another one or two.

Allie - thanks .

Amy - Oooo I hope she doesn't tape over that either! *ducks* I had this vision of Sayid from LOST when I read that. He doesn't particularly enjoy torturing, but he *is* good at it.

Rona - Well... it will end eventually. I'd originally planned about 25 parts, but now I'm writing 24... the whole 'get paul' thing was going to take 1 part. Yeah, that's not happening...

JD - awwwww... thanks! Actually, that was another late add when someone [Alisha?] asked about Lucy's relationship with Jimmy. They've been together two and a half years at this point and in some ways their relationship is light years ahead of Lois and Clark's.

Beth - thanks! You should see this segment in your inbox .

Carolyn - I think that she's *willing* to let him in - some - but when it's so ingrained not to let someone in... kind of like Clark not telling his secret [okay, not so much in this one but in general].

AnKS - Thank you! Yes, anything can happen .

James - Yes - there are some cruel people here . Ooo forgot about that one... Been a long time since I watched Princess Bride.

I promise, I'm not a sadist! Honest!!

Next part is up, but it's not letting me edit it. 20 is up now because tomorrow is busy and so is Sunday so 21 will be up Monday .
Carol

You misunderstood me. The first death is usually one parent and the second the other, but in Clark's case both sets of parents died together. So in Clark's case the first death he *experienced* was his adoptive parents and the second death was his birth parents. However when he saw Krypton explode he mourned for all four of of his parents together, each loss making the previous one hurt more. When you think about it, it's a lot of loss for someone so young.


Elisabeth

Right. I understood what you meant. I had never thought of the explosion of Krypton being his parents dying you know? It's like 'oh look the planet exploded' but it's easy to forget that there were also people on that planet. So the planet exploding... in that instant, his parents also died. I had never thought of it in those terms until I wrote this segment.

Fortunately, I've only dealt with one death personally. I'm not looking forward to the second one but realistically, it's probably not that far away. Dad is going to be 62 this year and no man on his side of the family has lived past 65 or 66... I hope that's not the case for him but...

Thanks .
Carol

Speaking about seeing a lot of death, do any of you remember the first Star Wars movie from way back when? From where Princess Leia had those funny-looking buns that no princess would want to show herself in these days?



Anyway, I and Star Wars got off on the wrong foot. Do you remember that Darth Vader blew up Leia's home planet and she wasn't more upset than she was ready to scold Luke Skywalker for not having a proper plan for rescuing her ten minutes later?



Seeing your home world blow up. Can you imagine it? I can't. No wonder Clark was crying.

Ann