Elizabeth awoke early in the morning, the house still covered in darkness with thanks to the closed shutters and drawn curtains. The only way she knew it was morning was because she awoke to see Hank sat by the floor of the bed with Clark next to him. He stroked the dog, urging him to remain quiet after he had fed him breakfast.

"How did you sleep?" Clark wondered from her as she rolled onto her side to face him, one hand stuffed under her pillow as she looked at the pair of them together.

"Quite well in the end," she assured him.

He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it up before yawning. He was still dressed in his pyjamas; his back leant against the sofa bed.

"How about you?" she wondered.

"Well, the sofa bed isn't quite as comfy as my own bed upstairs," Clark said, turning his head over his shoulder to grin back at her. She rolled her eyes and snuggled deeper into the pillows and duvet. The warmth and comfort of the bed almost made her forget about the roars of wind from the outside world.

"Sorry about that," Lizzie replied. "I shouldn't have been so pathetic."

"It's fine, Liz," Clark promised her. "It doesn't matter to me. We still have no electric, but dad came down last night and said he would see if he could get the power back from the basement. If not then we have to sit it out."

"Mom will be going mad with worry," Lizzie complained, flopping onto her back. "She already suspects something is going on between us."

"What?" Clark snapped out, his cheeks turning red as Lizzie nodded. She had her hands under her head as her eyes remained focused on the ceiling. Clark continued his petting of Hank, feeling how his cheeks warmed up and his pulse raced. Why did this happen to him? Why could he not lie to her so easily? He didn't know. He was simply thankful that she wasn't looking at him at that moment in time.

"It is pretty obvious, Clark," Elizabeth spoke. "We spend all of our time together...mainly over here...we're both teenagers. It is the natural thing to think."

"Really?" Clark replied to her. "I don't see it like that."

A small smirk formed on Elizabeth's lips as she rolled her head to the side to look at Clark. He was nervous, she could see that. He always was when she brought up the idea of dating. There had only been one time when someone had asked her on a date and she had turned them down. Clark had told her that it had been for the best. Apparently Richard Brandon was not appropriate for her.

"I suppose not," Lizzie said. "We've been friends for a long time now. It's the only reason why we are so close. Besides, I assume you'd never go for someone like me."

"What do you mean?" Clark wondered; his gaze narrowed as he heard her breath speed up. He ran his hands over Hank's fur, soothing the dog as he rested his head in Clark's lap.

"I'm too nerdy for you, Clark," she said. "I'm the one who keeps you working. Besides, I'm hardly attractive, am I?"

"Why do you say that?" Clark wondered, still not looking at her.

"I am covered in spots, too thin and have a massive nose," she spoke, reeling off her faults. "I have no shape, and I have no social life."

"You're an...acquired taste," Clark said to her. She said nothing, moving away from the comfort of her duvet and hitting Clark around the head. She squealed loudly as he grabbed her wrist and stood up before sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her other wrist before she could hit him again. Elizabeth laughed heartedly, the sound making Clark chuckle as she leant against him, her head resting on his shoulder as he released her.

"I suppose an acquired taste is still a taste," Lizzie reasoned and leant back against the cushions. Clark followed suit, allowing her to rest against his side without complaint. "Where do you think we will be in ten years time?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," Elizabeth said. "I'm just trying to make conversation, Clark. You know; the social being that I am."

"How could I forget?" he taunted her. "I honestly don't know, Lizzie. Where do you think you will be?"

"Maybe the Daily Planet," she dreamed. "The Metropolis is in NYC. I'd love to go back there. The hustle and bustle of the city...I could be a correspondent from Washington DC to make sure I'm involved in the politics."

"You dream big," he replied to her and she shrugged.

"It's just a dream, Clark," she replied, leaning her head on his shoulder in a comfier position. "I doubt it will happen in real life. I'd be happy to work in a small paper...or maybe the White House!"

"I really can imagine you as a President," he smirked. "You'd be the first female President. You could make a speech of how I was the one who inspired you to inspire others...all because I never did my History homework."

"How entertaining," Lizzie said with a sly smile on her face.

"I'm nothing if not entertaining," Clark spoke gently to her. "Besides, I have no idea what I want to do. I don't want to work on the farm, and I have no idea what I would study at college. I don't even have the grades to get in."

"You could do if you stopped flunking," Lizzie pointed out to him. "You're hardly stupid, Clark. Besides, what are you the best at?"

"Sport," Clark told her honestly. It wasn't a lie. Clark always did well in sports. He supposed it was down to his impeccable strength and speed. The only issue was not taking it too far. If he was too powerful then the murmurs would begin again. Clark didn't mind be shunned from everyone else, but he didn't like it when they talked about him.

"You are scarily good at sport," Lizzie commented and moved her head from his shoulder. "I don't know, Clark. It is your decision at the end of the day...but...well...I will miss you when we do move on. You know that, right?"

Clark said nothing for a moment, wondering what he should say to her.

"I know," he finally said back. "I'll miss you too."

"But it isn't like we'll never see each other again, is it?" Lizzie checked, glad that the darkness was hiding the panicked expression which she wore on her face. "I mean, you'll be here for Christmas, I'll be here for Christmas. Smallville is home, regardless of anything."

"That's true," Clark replied. "Besides, we need to get through the next school year. You have until then to put up with me."

"I know," Lizzie smirked, looking down to her lap sadly. "And then there is always the summer next year. That should be good."

"Of course," Clark agreed.

A momentary silence lapsed over them after a moment.

"Why are we being so depressing?" Lizzie suddenly wondered. "Honestly, I feel as though I've just been told that the storm is going to last forever."

"Hey, you were the one who thought about the future," Clark reminded her. "It wasn't me. I fail to care about any of that at the moment."

"Jonathan, can you hurry up with the flashlight? I can hardly see anything!"

Their conversation was interrupted by the sounds of Martha and Jonathan trudging down the stairs in the darkness, attempting not to fall over them. Lizzie laughed silently for a second as Jonathan grunted back to his wife;

"I'm trying to find the on button."

"Can you try a little faster?" Martha wondered from him. "Well, it's too late now; I'm at the bottom of the stairs."

Clark stood up from the sofa bed as Lizzie remained sat on it, her head turned to look behind her as light finally entered the room. The flashlight wasn't that bright, but it was blinding when Jonathan flashed it in Clark's face.

"Don't point it directly at him," Martha scolded her husband, before looking at Clark and Lizzie. "And how are you two this morning?"

"Fine," Clark grunted.

"Good, Mrs Kent," Lizzie replied.

"Well, the good news is that the storm should have finished by this afternoon." Jonathan told them. "The wind has slowed down and so has the rain. I looked outside the window and it should be safe later on."

"He looked out the window and was almost swept away," Martha informed the teenagers. Clark rolled his eyes, Lizzie continued to smile. "Anyway, I was on the way to make breakfast. I think we have some bagels...or some cereal...come on, you two. You must be starving."

Clark spent the rest of the morning helping his father to fix the electrics in the basement whilst Lizzie helped Martha around the house. The electrics finally came on and Lizzie finally heard the wind and rain stop in its movements.

Jonathan was the one to step out of the house first, daring to put himself in place of the light wind. He looked relieved as he realised that the conditions had died down. The electric came back on, allowing Martha to check the weather which told them that they had the all clear.

"Well, they normally last longer than that," Martha spoke as Clark and Lizzie tidied the sofa bed away. "I suppose we really did get away lightly."

"I should probably be going home," Lizzie declared as she folded the duvet with Clark.

"Are you intending to bike?" Martha asked, still slightly worried that the storm hadn't passed.

"Yeah," Lizzie replied. "Don't worry, Mrs Kent, I will be perfectly safe. It's only a bit of light wind now."

"I don't like it," Martha said. "I will have Jonathan drive you back home. He can put your bike in the truck."

"Honestly, Mrs Kent, I-"

"-It really isn't up for negotiation, Lizzie," Martha smiled. "Clark will put your bike in the back and I will find that husband of mine."

Clark led Lizzie outside to the porch. She held her satchel on her shoulder before stepping down the steps of the porch. She froze for a moment as she noted the large puddles which sat on the dirt covered ground. She looked down to her feet which contained her flat pumps. She'd surely get them ruined. Clark turned around as he heard her stop.

He chuckled, noticing her current dilemma.

"You need more sensible shoes," he informed her.

"Shut up," she complained. "When I came over yesterday I didn't expect torrential weather, did I?"

"I suppose not," Clark commented and moved back to her. "Come here, I'll give you a piggyback."

"Seriously?" she checked, her brow arched as she did so. "Are we not a little too old for that?"

"Do you want to get dirty?" Clark wondered, stepping into the puddle with a thud. She complained as some spray hit her bare legs, just missing the white dress which she wore. Clark stifled a laugh as he turned his back to face her.

"I can't believe you're giving me a piggyback," she muttered, wrapping her hands around his shoulders as she moved up a step. She took a moment before she jumped and Clark caught her thighs in his hands. She laughed loudly as Clark felt his hands rub against her bare thighs where her dress should have been. The material had ridden up and Clark was only too aware of her pressed tightly against his back.

Elizabeth seemed to realise their current predicament as she felt Clark's hands against her skin. The pair of them kept quiet until Clark set her down by the trunk of the truck, his hands sliding down her thighs as he set her down. Little did he know, his hands travelled right over her bottom, pushing her dress further up to her waist.

"Sorry," Clark spoke to her as he turned around and saw her fixing the straps of her dress on her shoulders.

"Don't worry about it," Lizzie said nervously. "I don't think you feeling me up has ruined our friendship."

"I was hardly feeling you-"

"-It was a joke, Clark," she promised him. "Anyway, where is my bike?"

"I think my dad put it in the shed. Just give me a moment."

Lizzie watched as Clark rushed off to the large shed. She stood by the trunk of the car which had been abandoned behind the house and near the trees which lined the shed. She remained where she was on the dry patch of mud before hearing a snapping noise coming from near her. She pulled her satchel onto her shoulder before looking up at the trees, wondering if it had been a bird of some kind.

A large gust of wind rustled the leaves of the trees as she heard another snap echoed in her ears. She looked up this time, her eyes widening as she backed away from the sight which she was greeted with. A large shriek escaped her as she fell down to the ground and pushed her body to crawl back, the falling tree advancing on her with each passing moment.

She knew that she couldn't escape it. The tree was enormous and heading straight towards her and destroying the car. She pushed herself in the dirt until the tree was metres away and she knew there was nothing she could do. She yelled again, waiting for the impact as tears rolled down her cheeks. She could feel her pulse quicken as she closed her eyes and sobbed.

But nothing came.

She peeled her eyes open again and looked upwards, the sight greeting her one which confused her more than anything. She recognised Clark's back facing her, his hands outstretched as he held the tree in his palms. He was holding the tree as if it weighed nothing. He pushed it back into the woods, the sound echoing through the forest behind him as Lizzie replayed the entire event in her mind.

Clark kept his back to her for a moment after he had discarded himself of the tree. His shoulders slumped and he took a deep breath. He knew that he had ruined everything now. He had ruined any chance he had of being with her. He twirled his head, looking over his shoulder to see Lizzie lay in the mud. Her white dress was ruined and her legs and arms were covered in brown mess. The dress had rode up to her waist again, giving Clark a good view of her pink underwear. But it wasn't her state of clothing which concerned him. No, it was her look of horror.

"Lizzie," Clark whispered after a moment.

"No," she shook her head. "You didn't...you couldn't have..."

"Liz," Clark pleaded with her. "You need to listen to me."

"Did you just stop that tree?" she asked him. "Did you stop it from hitting me?"

"Yes," Clark sighed. "Please, don't be scared of me."

Her brow furrowed as she heard him and he bent down to offer her his hand.

"I'm not scared," she whispered, not entirely convincing herself. She wasn't scared. She couldn't be scared. He was Clark. It was just Clark. He was the boy she had been best friends with for months. She was not scared of Clark. She refused to be.

"Please come back inside," he urged her. "I can explain everything."

She nodded weakly, not too sure what she should do. She wrapped her hand around Clark's hand. He pulled her up without hesitation. He walked back around the house with Lizzie by his side, her body shaking in shock. He noted his mother and father stood at the porch, their eyes wide with fear.

Apparently they had seen the entire event unfold from the window. The sound of Lizzie's screams had caught their attention, and then they had seen their son save her from the falling tree. Lizzie avoided their stares as they mumbled something about going to check on the crops with Hank.

"Why are you not screaming at me?" Clark asked her as he brought in a towel from the kitchen. He handed it to her, watching as she rubbed the mud from her skin.

"Would you prefer me to yell at you?" she asked from him. "What good would it do, Clark? I'm still in shock at what I've just seen."

"I know," Clark whispered to her. "I...honestly...I can't explain it, Lizzie. I don't know why I am what I am. I have no idea."

"You...you have super strength?" she checked. "The stories are true?"

Clark regarded her with hesitance for a moment, watching as she held the towel by her side. Why was she reacting so calmly? Why was she not calling him a freak?

"Yes," he replied. "They are true."

"How?" she wondered after a moment. "I don't understand...how can you..."

"Come with me," Clark urged her, holding his hand out to her. "Lizzie, I trust you...I know that you won't...you won't tell anyone else...I trust you more than anyone. Please, don't run from me."

Her eyes met his and she saw something there. She saw fear. She had never seen Clark look so scared before. She could do nothing but take his hand. She entwined her fingers into his, walking close by his side as he led her down to the basement. Lizzie kept quiet; her eyes wide as she finally saw what had been hidden underneath the house.

Shock came back to her face again as she looked at the pod in front of her. Clark prised her fingers from his before he stepped forwards and looked at the foreign thing which had brought him to earth.

"My parents found me in this," he whispered to her, his eyes never leaving her as she dropped the towel to the floor and placed a hand on the pod. She ran her fingers over it, wondering what it was as Clark walked around the other side of it. "I came to earth in it when I was a baby. My dad said that it isn't made of any human element. He said that it isn't from her."

A gulp ran down Lizzie's throat as she moved her hand from it and finally came to stand in front of Clark again, confusion on her face as he stepped closer to her.

"You...you're not from earth?" Lizzie whispered to him.

"Apparently not," Clark agreed.

"You're an alien?"

"Maybe," he agreed with her. "I don't know what this means, Lizzie. I don't know what I am...but...it scares me as much as it scares you..."

"I'm not scared," she replied. "I'm just confused."

"I can't tell anyone, Liz," Clark whispered to her. "If people knew then they would be scared of me. They would...people are scared of what they don't understand...and...I need to know what I am before anyone else. I couldn't tell you. I was too scared to tell you. I was scared that you would run from me. I was scared that you would hate me."

"I'd never have done that," Lizzie said to him, a tone of hurt in her voice.

"I know," Clark said. "I didn't want to take the risk, Lizzie. You're my only friend...and if I lost you...I don't know what I would do."

Any hurt which had been in Lizzie evaporated when she saw Clark's pale face. "You won't lose me."

He looked back to the ship as she stepped closer to him, her hand moving to rest on his arm. He looked down at her as she stared at him like she had never seen him again. What did she expect to happen when she touched him? Did she expect him to change skin colour? She shook her head as Clark dared to push her hair from her face.

"You don't hate me?" Clark checked.

"I could never hate you, Clark," Lizzie promised him. "I'm just in a state of shock at the moment. I thought I had died and then you stopped a tree...and now you tell me that you're not from earth. It's a bit different to your common confession."

Clark smiled gently as he rubbed some mud away from her hair.

"What else can you do?" Lizzie wondered.

"Lots," Clark mumbled, looking to the floor for a moment. "I have x-ray vision...super strength and speed...hearing..."

"That's different," Lizzie whispered. "God...I can't believe this...and you...you just saved my life."

"I know," Clark said. "Lizzie, you're looking a little pale."

She said nothing, recalling how Clark had stopped the tree. How he had held it so easily in his hands. She shook her head, still unable to believe it as she felt her head become light. She could have died. She could have been killed by a tree.

"I think it is all just coming back to me," Lizzie said. "It is a lot to take in. I imagine you fainted when you found out."

"No," Clark said. "Come on, I'll get you some water."

"Water...water is good..." Lizzie agreed with him.

She felt his arm wrap around her waist before he picked her up and held her close to him. Lizzie said nothing as he set her down in the kitchen. She kept her hands behind her, grasping onto the counter and taking deep breaths. Why was she so hysterical? She was still alive. Clark had saved her. He had made sure that she didn't die.

"Here," Clark said, handing her the glass. "Are you sure that you're alright?"

"Not really," Lizzie admitted, draining the liquid. "I almost died; you told me that you're an alien...not an average day..."

"No," Clark agreed limply. "I suppose it isn't."

He noted another smudge of mud on her forehead and used his thumb to wipe it off as she drank some of her water.

"And you're proximity isn't helping," she assured him.

Clark couldn't help but smirk at that, deciding to step back as she took a sharp breath and then smiled at him.

"So what now?"

"We pretend nothing happened," Clark told her as if it were simple. "I'm serious, Lizzie. No one can know about this. No one can know about who I am."

She bit down on her lips for a second and nodded. She could keep his secret. She would keep his secret. He deserved that much.

"I won't say anything," Lizzie promised him.

He nodded then, completely content that he had her trust.

...

A/N: Thank you to MsJML, Smartlooks, Carlypso and happy-rea for reviewing the previous chapter! thanks to all those who are now following, and I do hope you'll let me know what you think!