Control the Past, Change the Future

Rated: T

Pairings: Lois/Clark, some Chloe/Oliver

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

A/N: This is my first multi-chapter fic as well as my first Smallville fic, so hopefully I can keep it going.

Ellie drifted out of her subconscious, greeted by the sounds of Metropolis outside her window. She let her eyes open slowly and adjust to the mid morning light. Wiping the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand, she turned her head to glance at clock on her bedside table. 9:53. Her parents were at work.

Pulling back the covers, she rolled out of bed and made her way into the kitchen, yawning widely. She opened various drawers and cabinets and prepared a bowl of cereal for herself. Usually her father would have left her some pancakes that she could reheat in the microwave, but he was out on assignment last night and Ellie knew he had probably just gotten home in time to quickly change and head back to work.

It wasn't until she was walking toward the dining table that she noticed the presence of someone in the adjacent room. Placing her breakfast on the table, Ellie cocked her head to the side slightly, curious.

"Mom?" she called out. "Why aren't you at work?"

When the woman made no inclination that she had heard her, Ellie approached the couch. Coming to face her mother, she took in the sight before her. The older woman was sitting completely still, her red, puffy eyes vacant and expressionless. Her tearstained cheeks were pale and her lips formed a tight line. Ellie noticed she had something in her lap, which she was gripping fiercely, causing the skin on her knuckles to be taut and ghostly white.

Ellie knelt down in front of her mother and placed one of her hands lightly on the woman's forearm. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

Her mother remained silent and unphased. Ellie gently pried the object away from the vice of her mother's hands and realized it was their answering machine—with a message on it. She pushed the 'Play' button.

Her aunt's voice suddenly filled the silence of the room.

"L-Lois, it's Kara. I…it…it's pretty bad…t-there's…we tried…there isn't a-anything that we can d-do. He…we…we weren't f-fast enough. D-Doomsday was t-too strong. I-I'm sorry, Lois. I'm s-so sorry."

Ellie felt as if her heart had turned to lead and plummeted into her stomach. She had to be dreaming. This wasn't real. Surely her Aunt Kara was not insinuating that her father was…no! Her father wasn't dead. She refused to draw that conclusion. Desperately seeking reason, Ellie stood from her spot on the floor and walked over to the television. She turned on the news.

"… the aftermath of the battle. As you can see behind me, the destruction is rather devastating. This truly is a heartbreaking day for the people of America. Our beloved savior, Superman, is dead."

Those last three words seemed to reverberate off of every surface in the apartment. Ellie struggled to choke back her tears. It was a lie. Superman couldn't die; he was invincible—or so she thought.

"…is Green Arrow, who is part of the Justice League of America, and a witness to the atrocities that occurred here early this morning."

Ellie saw the camera swing its frame of focus to Oliver. He was wearing his Green Arrow outfit, but he looked disheveled and defeated. Behind him stood Dinah, Bart, AC, Victor, Bruce, Diana, and Kara, all dressed in their superhero garb as well, their expressions and appearances mirroring Oliver's.

"Superman was valiant, noble, and kind hearted. He always did everything in his power to save the world from destruction; even though he wasn't from our planet, he cared for humanity. He will be greatly missed, and I assure you that the Justice League will not rest until Superman's death is avenged and that monster is destroyed."

The news anchor began to talk again, but Ellie tuned her out. She was enthralled with the scenes displayed before her: buildings were smashed, roads were turned to rubble, power lines were lying limp and useless, and blood was everywhere. Ellie swallowed the growing lump in her throat as she spotted something in the distance—a torn piece of red fabric.

"Shut it off."

Ellie jumped slightly at the sound of the raspy whisper. She had forgotten her mother was in the room. She turned her head to look at the woman on the couch over her shoulder.

"Mom, I want to see this. I want to see what hap—"

"Shut. It. Off. Now."

Ellie cringed slightly as her mother began to talk through gritted teeth; her rising anger evident. Still, Ellie was relentless, "We need to watch this."

Her eyes were still focused on her mother when she noticed the woman's gaze shift to the television screen as she let out a strangled gasp. Ellie whipped her head back around and was greeted by the sight of her father—bloody and lifeless in his Superman suit.

"Damn it, Ellie!"

Her mother stood up rigidly from the place she had previously been glued to and bolted over to the television, forcing the offending picture to fade to black. She began to sob uncontrollably then; Ellie had never seen her mother so vulnerable. She attempted to comfort the older woman, but was pushed away roughly. She watched her mother's retreating form as she stumbled into her room, slamming the door loudly behind her.

Feeling a knife twist in her stomach, Ellie hastily headed to the confines of her own room. Shutting and locking the door, she fell onto her bed and allowed her tears to flow freely. Her father was dead; her mother wanted nothing to do with her. Suddenly exhausted, Ellie cried herself to sleep.