Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Lois & Clark Fanfic FDK - Awaken My Heart (11/?)

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Many thanks.

The scene with the oatmeal was precious.

With this chapter, as with every chapter I open, the first thing I do is hope for more Lois/Kal interaction. But I'm also very intrigued by what is happening beyond Kal's bedroom. My questions mirror Lois's. You always leave me wanting more!

PS - I can't wait to see what happens when Kal tries on the cologne!

PPS - I'm seeing more and more of Clark in Kal. Is he going to learn to wink?

Wow the oatmeal was sweet but the black outfit sweeter. I can not wait for more. Laura

I was just re-reading Chapter 11, when I noticed something I hadn't noticed the first time around:

The first time I read this, I was focused on the line, "Did Jor-El hurt when La left him?" with the unspoken, "like I hurt when Lois leaves me." Awwww....

So focused was I on that, that I didn't pay much attention to the part about "one objective which, so far, had eluded them."

Why has Kal been kept clueless as to how babies are made? Tek gave him cologne, saying only that the ladies like it, with no futher comment. Does this mean Tek assumes that Kal knows more than he does? Does this have anything to do with the instructions that no one is to talk about the Supreme Leader? Is that rule meant to ensure that no one realizes that Kal is deliberately being kept in a state of ignorance in order to ensure no heirs are born to him? Was Kal's wife at the speech? If so, is *she* likewise in the dark about the birds and the bees? Is Nor behind this? So many questions!

More, please!

Well, I had no trouble picturing Kal's outfit this time!

This is funny, but of course sad at the same time. I think Lois is dealing very well with her lack of independence. All the time spent with Kal no doubt helps.


She hasn't lost her instincts and desire to seek out the truth, she's just a lot more aware of sticking to boundaries and trying not to get into trouble. The last thing she wants is to cause trouble for Kal or jeopardise her position with him when he is what is keeping her from despair and loneliness. Even though she is beginning to realise he is fond of her, she isn't aware of the depth of his feelings and that he can't bear the thought of losing her the way she doesn't want to lose him, even to the point of thinking she may not want to return home if she could as mentioned in the last chapter.

I'm starting to think along the same lines Vicki mentioned that the truth has deliberately been kept from Kal, though how Lord Nor could be responsible for what Kal was taught fairly early in his life I'm not too sure. I suppose it depends on the age-gap between them. Unless the 'birds and the bees' talk is kept until much later on New Krypton than earth. I wonder how he thinks an heir is produced? Has he been told a stork brings one?!

Awwww! I'm so pleased Kal is being brave and decisive despite his nerves, rather than waiting to kiss her for weeks before plucking up courage.


He must be flattered and confused at the same time.

Any excuse eh Kal! You don't need one, she'll hug and kiss you anyway.

It must be such a relief to Kal having a confidante and indeed someone who questions him and Kryptonian laws and traditions. It seems he's never had anything remotely like that, especially having had no parents and it appears no friends.

And I feel concerned, Lois can get into a lot of trouble in the space of a day!



I think you're getting warm Lois.

Quite right too. If Lois ever became Supreme Ruleress I can see that tradition going right out the window!

Sorry I've quoted nearly all of it - it's just soooo good!!! I look forward to it like a fave TV show then analyse it like an English Literature text!! Fanfic should be studied in schools! It should when it's this good!!

Still so many mysteries. Like Vicki said, I'm intrigued by them all, but at the same time I never want the Lois and Kal scenes to end.

More sooon please!

Emma

Emma,

I wondered the same thing. But then I remembered that in an earlier chapter of this story, Nor says (or, technically, thinks about how) the master plan to take over New Krypton was thought up by his (Nor's) father. So, I suppose Nor's father could have isolated Kal as a child and assured he never learned about sex. (?) Although this theory still leaves a lot of unanswered questions.

Mysteries continue. Isn't this the first time there was a spoon to use? Always it was the chopstick. Admittedly, it's hard to eat oatmeal with a single chopstick.
Keep it coming!

Artemis

Well, I do admit freely to Kal in the black suit not doing anything for me. But on the other hand, a drooling Lois is fun

Corrina, I'm looking forward to your explanation about the skintight suit.

Ard's behavior is interesting. Who was the guy? I'm quite sure it's not Nor. Lois would have recognized him, standing up there next to Kal. Oh, right. I guess she wouldn't have noticed him, standing up there, right next to Kal

The whole heir-thing gets more and more confusing. And is it possible that it would have been the responsibility of the concubines, in particular C1, to explain to Kal about the fact that babies don't drop from the sky in pods?

Did I yet mention that Kal and Lois are absolutely adorable together?

Michael

Have I said you guys are AMAZING?!?!

Not only are you really generous with lovely comments, you pick up so many of the little clues I leave along the way.

So often when I read FDK, I find myself smiling and and saying 'he/she *got* it!!'

I have to be at work in an hour and I *really* want to get a scene written that has been brewing in my head overnight ... so I'll do proper replies when I get home.

But for now, I just wanted to say ... Thank you so much

Corrina.

A lot has already been said, to which I will say a hearty 'amen.' A few details I noticed on a second reading:

--"If this became public, would Kal be openly shamed?

Would he be forced – under Kryptonian Law – to take action?

What was the punishment for consorting with another man’s concubine? The *Supreme Ruler’s* concubine?

Lois shivered and decided she would say nothing of this to Kal. Not until she knew more.

But she *would* find out more.

A whole lot more."

Echoes of Lois Lane, defender of Superman. Lois would squash a story to protect Superman, and Lois will keep a secret to protect Kal. BTW, the man in Ard's room could still be Nor. Lois didnt' get a good look at him, so wouldn't have recognized him at the ceremony.


--"'I won’t leave you, Kal,' Lois said. 'Not unless you ask me to.' Why does that sound like a vow?


--"Somehow, she had to inject some life into this planet." Wow. Lois is one strong woman. She's stranded on this strange world, entirely dependent on Kal for her survival, and she's ambitious enough to think about what influence *she* can have on the entire planet. That's what happens when you let Lois Lane get bored.

--“I hope my words today will avert disaster.” And yet his actual words were pretty brief. So I'm wondering which disaster he was worried about. His people not accepting Lois? Panic about the lack of water? Rebellion over the lack of an heir? Most likely, civil war between the factions and despair in the face of their difficulties. I actually wondered whether Kal himself is thinking of unity between the factions rather than the production of an heir as the unmet objective of his marriage. Yet he did mention the heir in his speech. So maybe it's more of two sides of the same coin--the heir being the key to the unity.

--"He could never be hers." Actually, Lois, he already is. He just doesn't have the words to say so yet.

"Possibly four hundred. Maybe more." If this is the entire adult population of New Krypton, this colony is in serious trouble. Once they find water, their next order of business is to drastically increase the birth rate. Hopefully somebody besides Tek and his wife remembers how.

We're all enthralled, Corrina. Keep it coming.

Well, wow! With a chapter like this, how can you deny us a Close Encounter of Comparative Anatomy of the Third Kind? (Where the actual, hands-on comparing takes place between chapters, of course?)



The physical attraction between Lois and Kal is as overwhelming as it is sweet. I loved how you made sweetness a minor theme of this part, with Kal treating Lois to sweet oatmeal (shaped as an edible spoon, too, or did I just imagine that?) and Lois telling Kal in return that he is sweet.

Otherwise, this chapter centerad around children and procreation. Lois gave Tek her book for him to read to his children, and in return Tek gave Kal some cologne - to help him procreate, I wonder? But with whom? Surely Tek wasn't thinking of Za? (Or was he?)

(By the way, Za and La. Za of the house of Ra, and La of the house of Ra. I love it.)

Anyway, Kal is childless, and Lois has figured out why - it's because he has never done that. Well, hmmm. Some things don't necessarily have to be taught, I think. Kal has apparently never met a woman who has tempted him to explore her anatomy and compare it with his own. (But now, of course, he has indeed met that woman.)

But the long and short of it is that Kal is a virgin. And he is childless. (Why am I not surprised at the childlessness part of it, given the virginity aspect of it?) And Kal has announced to his people every month for the last ten years the fact that his wife is not pregnant? Okay, one mystery is solved at least. Kal is not supposed to be a virgin and he is not supposed to be childless. He is supposed to make love to his wife and make her pregnant. But then, why hasn't he, ever, as Lois thinks to herself?

Another theme of this fic is, I think, the giving of life. Lois has been given that mission, the mission of bringing life to New Krypton. If she can help the NKers find water on New Krypton, she will have done a lot to help them survive. But Lois's mission is more than that, and it definitely has to do with children. By giving the NK children nice books to read, and by telling them how to play hopskotch, Lois is, literally, giving the NK children more of a life. But I'm beginning to suspect that Lois's most important mission is to have a child of her own on this bleak world. And that child is going to be Kal's. (We hope!!!!! Keep Lord Nor away from her!!!!)

Hmmm. Lord Nor. And the man - Nor's servant? - who left Ard's quarters. Ard, Kal's concubine number one. Okay, Corinna, you can just as well tell us straight away that Ard is pregnant. Something tells me that it is going to be a huge scandal if Ard is pregnant while Za is not. Kal is going to be accused of wasting his seed on his concubines instead of making his wife pregnant, right?

Eagerly looking forward to the next chapter!

Ann

Ann may be on to something here! However, unlike Ann, I am not looking forward to the next chapter...I'm looking forward to the next few chapters! Corrina, you have truly outdone yourself!

Absolutely fabulous!

~Sheila

Ditto everyone else!--Lois adjusting to her independence, the mystery behind Kal's lack of heir, C1's visitor...I also wonder how people are going to feel about Lois' stories; they can't hide at Tek's house forever...

Great part!
JD

Of course, another possibility is that Nor makes Ard pregnant, and then he expects Kal to accept Ard's child as his own. Well, poor Kal is so utterly clueless about the birds and the bees that he is going to think that if Ard is pregnant she must be expecting his child, since she is his concubine! And that way Lord Nor's child becomes Kal's heir!

Except that Lois is going to give Kal a hand's-on demonstration of how the birds and the bees thing works, we hope. And then Kal can't possibly believe that Ard's child is his own!

Ann

Vicki
Oh good! Because that is exactly what I'm trying to achieve.

Initially, I had pretty much that exact ending to that sentence ... then decided to go the less obvious route.

But you still picked it up Thanks.

Laura I couldn't write an NK fic without the black suit making an appearance somewhere!

Thanks for your FKD.

Emma Wow! Thanks for you long FDK.

Lois - I've tried to balance her natural fire and inclination for risk-taking with being in such an unfamiliar environment.

(Although I was expecting someone to queston why, after the Report, she basically hid in her room until she was sure everyone had gone. My reasoning was that being one 'human' amongst 400+ 'aliens' would be a little disconcerting ... even for Lois).

Obstacles - Clearly a completely angst-free story risks being boring, but sometimes the obstacles used to keep a couple apart (not just in LnC, but in all TV, movies, books etc) just irritate me - particularly when the solution is so simple everyone can see it ... except it seems, the two people involved.

I've enjoyed being able to keep this fic relatively straightforward. I'm glad you're enjoying that too.

Loved your comments about Tek.

Artemis The spoon was mentioned once in Part 4 - the first time they had breakfast together.

Thanks for your FDK - glad you liked the closing lines!

Michael

Uhmm ... the explanation of the skintight suit ... uhmm ... is there one in canon? Because if there is, I'll go with that.

Thanks, Michael.

Happy Girl Oh, there are so many things I could say about your FDK.

When Lois sees the man coming out of Ard's room, her first (and only) thought is Kal (I thought about having her go to Ard's room to check if Ard was OK) - which is, as you said, taken from Lois's natural inclination to protect Superman.

You're right about Lois not getting a good look at the man - she saw enough to think he is male, but nothing else.

(I've just written the scene where Lois finds out what he was doing in Ard's room!!)

Thanks, Happy - wonderfully thought out FDK, as usual.

Ann A Close Encounter?? All I'm saying is I haven't written it yet ... so if it happens, it won't be anytime soon.

Your paragraph about Kal's sexual experiences ... close!

Your paragraph about Ard and Nor or Nor's servant ... not so close!

And as for your final thoughts ... I can see so many hilarious possibilities with that ... but I don't think they will be in this fic.

Sheila Thanks for your comments and interest, Sheila.

Shadow Thanks - good point about Lois's stories getting into the community.


Part 16 is about half written and I have the rest of it plotted, so once I get it to Iolanthe, I'll post Part 12.

Thanks everyone.

Corrina.

What a sweet chapter! I grow more and more fond of your story. It's really great and I can't wait to read more.

Hopefully, Lois will find the courage to talk to Kal, asking him all these questions that are on her mind now. I can't wait to read the answers. And I'm wonderig if that concubine visitor might have been Nor? Is he trying to impregnate one of Kal's concubines, knowing that Kal would probably claim the child as his? Assuming he actually knows about the bees and the flowers...

Come back with more soon!

When I saw a man come from C1's quarters, a possible pregnancy didn't even occur to me. What *did* occur to me is that Nor is using C1 as a spy. (Although that begs the question of how effective a spy she would be, given she doesn't seem to have much access to Kal. )

Geesh. This is my fourth feedback post on just this one chapter. Can you tell I'm obsessed?

The downside of getting busy is not being able to read parts as soon as you post them. The upside is getting to read two in one night!

You've gotten great feedback on this part already (still laughing at the length of Em's ) so I'll try to keep this short. Yeah, the fact that I'm anxious to move on to part 12 has nothing to do with it.

On Ard's visitor -- I'm thinking Nor, but the question is whether he's there for sex or information. Given how beautiful she is, I'm thinking sex (maybe he'd hoped to claim her, but Kal got there first?) but Nor doesn't seem to do anything for just one reason, so maybe it's both. Though given that Kal doesn't seem to interact with Ard, I'm not sure how much information she'd be able to provide. I'm looking forward to learning more about her.

On Kal's objective of producing an heir "eluding him" -- I have this picture of Kal and Za being told that "to have a baby, you make eye contact for exactly 14.6 seconds once a year at the Convention, and eventually it will happen." And they're all like, "Well, it will be hard to look at each other than long, but if that's what it takes ..."

Now I must hurry along to part 12. Yay!

bakasi Thanks for your comments. I'm not willing to say anything about Ard's visitor other than there will be answers.

Vicki Nor *should* read these boards - he would get so many good ideas for how to bring down Kal-El!!

Kathy If I did write the '14.6 second' explanation, would you buy it?

Thought not ... but I did enjoy the picture it created in my mind.

Good point re Kal saying he needs a hug from Lois. Until she arrived, he didn't give a lot of thought to his own needs. Now, he has realised he has needs *and* he's realised there is no one better at meeting those needs than Lois.

Thanks, Kathy.


Corrina