Lizzie knew that advanced math had gone as well as she had hoped, and she didn't have a lot of hope considering what had happened last night. She had closed her window after Clark had left and spent the rest of the night in bed, crying herself to sleep, wishing things had been different. It still hurt her to think about Clark and what had happened. He promised that she would see him soon. She didn't know whether or not she would. She only longed for Clark to stay safe.

"Did you see what the freak did?"

She groaned as she heard the voice behind her. She was messing with her bike lock again, trying to work it so that she could get her bike out. She knew that she needed a new lock; she had done for a long time. And then her anger rose up. He had been the reason for Clark's immediate departure.

Lizzie turned around, dropping her satchel to the ground. She came face to face with Whitney, the smug boy getting on her nerves as he stood there with a grin on his face. Lizzie said nothing, choosing to ball her hand into a fist and punch him across the jaw.

Apparently Clark had more self restraint than she did.

Whitney doubled over, the pain in his jaw causing him to wince.

"Stay the hell away from me, Fordman," Elizabeth warned him. "I mean it."

"You're as psycho as that boyfriend of yours. Where is he hiding? What hole has he crawled into?"

"He's gone away from you," Lizzie said. "He's left Smallville. You've tortured him enough, haven't you...but...even after everything...Clark will always be worth ten of you."

"You're a fool, Lizzie," he warned her. "I always thought that. Kent is nothing. He's a freak on a farm. That is all he ever has been."

"Do you want a black eye to go with that jaw?" she wondered, grabbing her bag from the floor and slinging it over her shoulder. She climbed onto her bike, removing the lock and dropping it in her basket, her satchel soon following suit. She glared at Whitney one more time as he looked at her with entertainment on his face.

"Have a good time in New York, Lizzie." He urged her. "I'll be here for when you return...I can't say the same about Kent. He's destined to be locked away forever."

"You're an asshole," Lizzie growled and began to bike away. If Clark could restrain himself then so could she. She biked as fast as possible, unknowingly heading in the direction of Clark's house. It was where she tended to go after every school day. She knew where she was going as soon as she came to his house. She climbed off her bike, looking at the white house with wide eyes.

Martha was stood outside when she saw the girl pull up to her home. She stood with her bike at her side, holding onto it with both hands.

"Lizzie?" Martha spoke, pulling the girl out from the daze she had been in.

Lizzie looked to Mrs Kent, an apologetic smile on her face. "I'm sorry, Mrs Kent...I just left school...and ended up here..."

"You don't need to apologise," Martha said, pegging the final sheet to the washing line. She rubbed her hands together and walked over to her, pushing her hands in her pockets as she smiled at Lizzie. "Clark told me that he went to see you last night."

"Yeah, he did," Lizzie said; looking to the ground as a blush clouded her cheeks. "I sort of hoped it hadn't happened."

"So do I," Martha whispered. "Do you want to come in for a cup of coffee?"

"No, it's fine, Mrs Kent," Lizzie shook her head. "I should go home. Mom and dad aren't working late tonight...they...well..."

"They don't think a lot to Clark," Martha said with a nod. She knew that. She always had known it. "It's fine, Lizzie. They wouldn't be happy if they knew that you were here."

"Probably not," Lizzie admitted to her.

A momentary silence came between them. Lizzie ran her hand down her arm, looking back to Mrs Kent with a hesitant gaze.

"Do you know where he went?" Lizzie wondered.

"No," Martha admitted. "He promised to let me know as soon as he knew. Hopefully he will tell you, Lizzie."

"Hopefully," Lizzie repeated. "Anyway, I should get going. I will...well..."

"You'll let me know how you are, won't you?" Mrs Kent checked with the girl. "When you come back at Christmas? You've been a good friend to Clark, and you're a nice girl."

"Of course," Lizzie said, climbing back onto her bike. "If Clark contacts you...well...tell him that I miss him."

"He has only been gone a day." Martha said, a knowing smile tugging at her lips.

"I know," Lizzie said, pushing at her pedal to even them out. "I do miss him though."

"He will miss you too." She promised her back. "Good luck with everything, Liz."

"Thank you, Mrs Kent," Lizzie said. "I'll see you...well..."

"One day," Martha nodded to her.

The young girl smiled and began to bike away down the dirt track. Martha stood and watched her with a look of sadness covering her face. Clark had come back to his mother, telling her of everything that had happened between him and Lizzie. He even told her that he kissed her. Martha had taunted him for a few moments before coming to realise the extent of her son's feelings.

And he was leaving.

It saddened her, of course it did. But she had no doubt that he would find someone eventually. It may be Lizzie, or it may be someone else. Both of them would end up happy, she knew that much.

...

Clark had been gone for three months. He had left and he had not returned to Smallville. He had written to his mother on multiple occasions. He had promised her that he was safe and had found work. A small fishing boat was willing to take him on. He spent most of his time on the sea, earning as much money as possible.

He lived as normal a life as possible.

He had spent a lot of time wandering around, trying to find his purpose in the world. But nothing had presented itself. He hadn't expected it to. He had never expected for the answer to flash in front of him. It was like Lizzie used to say, staring into space won't give you what you need, only you can do that. He found himself reciting Lizzie for a while.

And so Clark had tried to live an ordinary life. He needed money. That was the main reason for his working on sea. He didn't know how long his job would last. All he knew was that he smelt of fish all the time. It was hardly a smell which he enjoyed being around.

Before Clark knew it, the weeks were turning into months. And then a month turned into a full year. One Christmas had passed and summer was approaching again. He had turned nineteen without a second glance. He hadn't even gone home in that time.

He hadn't even seen Lizzie in that time.

He persuaded himself that he could see her. He could fly back when he had a week off to himself. It was rare that he had any spare time. Besides, he was trying to fit in and didn't have enough money for a ticket back to the States. He wrote to her, hoping that she received the letters.

He addressed them to her house back in Kansas. Her parents shouldn't read her mail, it wasn't right.

He would figure something out, he was positive of it.

...

It was another Friday night at New York College. Elizabeth had passed her first year of her degree and was now waiting for her mother to come and pick up all of her stuff and drive her back to Kansas. Her roommate had let before she had, telling her that she would see her the following year. Lizzie smiled and agreed.

She had been back to Kansas for Christmas and Spring Break. Nothing had changed. Nothing was different. She had spent most of her time indoors, studying for the end of year exams. She hadn't seen Mrs Kent, or any sign of Clark. That had hurt her.

She had asked if any letters had been sent to her from Clark, but her parents informed her that her mail was simply bank statements and junk mail.

She had heard nothing of Clark.

She was beginning to wonder if she should lose hope. She wondered if he would come back. There wasn't a day that went by when she didn't think of him. Her parents had urged her to move on, telling her that she had plenty of friends at college who cared for her.

She supposed they were right in a way.

Lizzie had turned back into her usual self at college, becoming social and surrounding herself with many friends. Clark had told her that she would be fine. And she was fine.

She hated to admit it, but she was fine with everything. She couldn't let Clark's absence ruin her. She was young and needed to realise that she had everything to come in her life.

She would have written to Clark, but she didn't have any address and she had heard nothing from Mrs Kent. She shook her head, pushing her thoughts from her mind before standing up. She moved around the small room, placing more of her belongings into cardboard boxes. A sudden knock on the door snapped her from her thoughts.

She tucked her hair behind her ears and pulled her skinny jeans further onto her hips. Moving to the door, she glanced through the peep hole to see James stood there. Unknowingly, a smile crept onto her face as she opened the door and dropped a hand to her hip.

"Ah, my beautiful Lizzie." He drawled out.

She rolled her eyes, continuing to stand in the doorway and block him from entering the room. "What do you want, James? I'm packing."

"I thought you would be," he replied. "That is why I came to ask if you needed any help. A strong guy like me can be handy to have around."

"You're too late," Lizzie replied. "I've packed most things. I just have the bedding to take off in the morning, and I don't think that will be much of a struggle, do you?"

"You never know," James replied to her. "Besides, I thought I would come and say goodbye to you...and my dorm is extremely quiet tonight. Most of them have left for the summer."

"Join the club," Elizabeth complained. "Amelia left the other day. The room has been empty without her."

"And that is why I'm here," he smiled at her, clapping his hands once.

She looked at him with an arched brow.

"Really?"

"And to push my luck one more time," he admitted to her.

Elizabeth laughed, leaving the door open for him to come in. He closed it behind himself, watching as she moved into the bathroom, pushing her hair behind her ears and waiting for James to say something. He moved quickly, looking at the mirror on her desk to make sure his blonde hair was in place and there was no remains of shaving cream on his clean cut chin.

"How many times have you pushed your luck this year?"

"Not enough because you haven't agreed."

"And I've told you before, there are plenty of other girls out there for you," Lizzie replied, resting her hands on the basin, bowing her head as she thought about James. The boy who studied Psychology. The boy who had spent the past year pursuing her, only for her to turn him down at every opportunity. And she didn't know why.

Was she waiting for Clark?

Was she really spending her days counting down until he came back?

She felt like she was, but she wasn't too sure. She had heard nothing from him. What if he didn't come back? What if he found someone else?

But he had promised her. He had promised her that he would come back to her. He would see her again. She believed him, she truly did. She just didn't know when she would see him next. A year had passed and there had been nothing thus far. How long would it go on for? Would she ever be able to recover from Clark?

"None of them are you, Lizzie," James promised her. "You know that none of them have caught my eye. What's holding you back?"

"You know. I'm too focused on my degree. I need this, and I need a job out of it."

"You also need a social life," he assured her. "You have that. I wouldn't distract you from anything. I am asking for a date, Lizzie, not your soul."

She moved out from the bathroom then, a hand on her hip as she did so. She looked at him for a moment, wondering if she should take his offer up.

"I will tell you what," Lizzie said, taking a deep breath before looking at him again. "If you still feel the same after summer, then I will go on a date with you. And I need to feel the same too. Okay?"

James couldn't help but feel a fist pump radiate through him. He could make it through summer, he was sure of it. If he had made it through an entire year then summer should be no issue to him. He nodded in agreement with her, doing his best to compose himself.

"That's cool," he agreed lamely with her. "We'll just see how we feel."

Lizzie did her best to contain her laughter, a small smirk coming from her as she watched him attempt to control himself in front of her. She shook her head, crossing her arms over the sheer blouse which she wore.

"Fine," Lizzie said. "So, I guess this is goodbye for now, isn't it? Have a good summer, James. Try not to forget about me." She teased him.

"Oh, I will do my best not to," he promised her. "Would a goodbye hug be too much to ask for?"

"Probably not," she promised him.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly and closing his eyes with content. Lizzie tried to relax, but her eyes remained wide open. She remained stood there, her mind whirling as she wondered what she had just agreed to.

"Anyway, you should go," Lizzie informed him, pulling back after a moment. "I need to be up early in the morning. So do you."

"True," James said, moving back to the door. "Have a good break, Lizzie. Stay in touch, okay?"

"Yeah," she agreed, trying to fake enthusiasm. "I'll see you in the fall."

...

Clark sat at a desk in a room which he was renting out. It was unusual to have time away from the sea. He wrote on paper again to his mother, assuring her that he was safe and fine at work. And then he wrote to Lizzie. He wrote to her whenever he wrote to his mother.

The major difference was that his mother always replied to him.

Lizzie had never replied to one of his letters. He left her his address, begging her to respond. He wanted to hear from her. He didn't have enough money to fly back to the states, and he was determined not to use his powers. He was trying to be normal. He informed his mother that she had not responded and she had gone to her house to see if her parents were giving her the letters. They said that they were. What more could Martha do? She had asked for another address for Clark to write to Lizzie and they had given her one. Martha didn't understand it herself. Lizzie still wasn't replying to Clark.

It was even the right address, she had checked it. But there was nothing.

If only she knew that Mr and Mrs Lowe were intercepting Lizzie's mail. Apparently they had the power to do that if they had the money.

And so Clark waited.

He hoped that she would understand. He had explained it in plenty of his letters.

Maybe she didn't understand. Maybe she was ignoring him for not coming to her. Clark didn't think that she would do that. He didn't think that she would be petty.

And so he wrote. He wrote time after time, begging her to reply. He wrote until he didn't know what he was going to do.

...

A/N: Just a short filler chapter before I get into Man of Steel. Only then will the interesting events begin! I do hope that you will let me know what you think!