"How does he know?"

"He said that he recognised you without the glasses," Lizzie said with a shrug. She stood outside on the patio area with Clark. The darkness was illuminated by fairy lights which dangled from trellises. Clark had taken his jacket off and placed it around her shoulders, his hands in his pockets as she told him of the news.

"No one else has," Clark said back to her, shifting on his heels.

He took a moment to look back inside the restaurant, noting how Lex was talking to Lois. There was something which Clark didn't trust about him, and with good reason. He glanced back to Lizzie, watching her as she looked back to Lex, trying to weigh up how he had found out.

"He's the head of his own company, Clark," Lizzie whispered to him. "He's powerful. He owns this city."

"I know that," Clark replied. "I don't like him, Lizzie. There is something about him that I don't trust. The way he is when he's around you is suspicious enough...the constant touching...the leering..."

"You're over exaggerating," Lizzie hissed at him. "He hardly leers at me. He's been a good boss to me, and a friend. I've been working for him for months. I have no one else outside of work, do I?"

"Maybe you should find someone," he suggested. "I don't like this, Liz. I don't like it at all."

"Someone was bound to find out, Clark."

"But not him."

"I'm not arguing with you about this," Lizzie replied, her head shaking back and forth as she refused to divulge any more information with him. She wrapped her fingers around the lapels of his jacket, holding it tightly to her as she did so. She glanced back up to Clark.

"We're not arguing." Clark assured her. "I'm telling you that I don't like him knowing."

"And I am sorry that he does know," Lizzie replied. "But what can you do? You can't wipe his memory, can you? He says that he isn't going to tell anyone."

"And you trust him?"

Lizzie glanced back to look at Clark, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know. It is a dangerous secret for him to keep. I know that...but...what other option is there but to trust him?"

Clark said nothing in response to her. He took a deep breath as Lizzie moved to rest her hands on his shoulders. He moved his own hands to her waist, holding her to him as she kissed him on the cheek, trying her best to soothe him. She knew it would take much more, but she needed to do something.

"I guess there is no other option," Clark admitted. "I still don't like it."

"You've said," Lizzie replied; her tone bored. "But you're going to have to live with it."

"Hm," Clark grunted.

He looked back into the restaurant as Lizzie nestled her head against Clark's shoulder. He caught the eye of Lex for a moment, noting the bald man as he raised his glass to Clark. Clark said nothing, choosing to increase his grip on Lizzie as he continued to have a bad feeling about everything.

...

"Do you think they've killed each other?" Lizzie wondered.

She stood besides Clark in the arrivals lounge of Metropolis airport. Clark chuckled as he heard her, constantly on the lookout for his mother. Lizzie had her hand in his as she stood on her toes, doing her best to get a good view at the incoming arrivals.

"I think I can see them," Clark said. "Are they on the same flight back home?"

"Mom said so," Lizzie nodded. "As if spending Christmas together wasn't bad enough."

Lizzie dropped Clark's hand as she saw her mother move towards them. She wore her red designer outfit, a bag dangled on her arm as she glanced around for the sight of her daughter. Clark noted his mother behind Ellie Lowe, pushing their cases on a trolley with an exasperated look on her face. She was glaring daggers into Ms Lowe's back before she spotted her son.

"Look at you," Ellie cooed as soon as her daughter was stood in front of her.

Lizzie had made sure she set her alarm half an hour earlier so that she could look presentable for her mother. She had chosen her grey dress and tied her hair behind her head. Her black pumps covered her feet and her jacket covered her arms. Ellie held her arms out, allowing Lizzie to step into them and kiss her mother on the cheek.

Clark took a moment to embrace his mother as she sighed and whispered in his ear;

"I love Lizzie like a daughter, but I wish she had some different mother."

Clark chuckled as Martha pecked him on the cheek.

"Oh, Clark," Ellie said as she stood back for a moment.

Martha waved her arms for Lizzie to come forwards and hug her. Lizzie smiled as Ms Kent held her tightly and Clark struggled under her mother's gaze.

"Ms Lowe," Clark greeted as Ellie dared to offer him an awkward hug and a one cheek kiss.

"So, Clark, my daughter tells me you haven't proposed to her yet." Ellie bluntly spoke.

Lizzie scoffed in the middle of the arrival lounge as Martha whispered to her;

"I bought you a bottle of wine for Christmas. I think we're going to have to crack it open before then."

"I could not agree more," Lizzie mumbled before taking her mother by the arm.

"Come along, mother. I'll take you back to my apartment."

"Oh, are Clark and Martha not coming with us?" Ellie wondered as Clark took over pushing the trolley for his mother.

"No, we'll see them for dinner tonight."

Lizzie looked back over her shoulder, mouthing an apology to Clark as she walked her mother out the airport.

Clark and Martha chuckled together, slowly walking behind. Martha wrapped her arm through her son's, taking a moment to look up at his well defined face.

"That woman has been driving me mad," Martha complained. "She keeps moaning about how she has no grandchildren."

"Lizzie said," Clark replied in a mutter.

Martha sighed before shaking her head and placing her hand in her jean pocket.

"What?" Clark wondered, knowing his mother's agitated sigh from anywhere.

"Well...you've been lusting after Lizzie for years, Clark," Martha informed her son. "I can't help but wonder if you two have even thought about grandchildren...or marriage..."

Clark hesitated for a moment, not too sure if he wanted to divulge in that information with his mother.

"I love Liz," Clark said. "I just...mom...being with her...intimately...I might hurt her. I don't want that."

"Is she not frustrated? A woman has needs," Martha said.

"Mom," Clark complained to the woman on his right. She shrugged and looked up to her son, squeezing his chin as she smiled teasingly.

"Do we need the birds and bees talk, Clark?" she wondered. He rolled his eyes and snatching his chin from her fingers. She laughed before becoming sensible. "You've been on the planet for thirty three years, Clark. I am sure you can control yourself with her. She means too much for you to do anything else to her."

"I know," Clark promised his mother. "That doesn't mean that I'm not scared for her."

"Well...I'm just saying, Clark...I wouldn't mind having a grandchild..."

"Yeah," Clark replied numbly. "I know."

Martha sensed his reluctance to talk about the topic. He said nothing for a few moments, doing his best not to become annoyed with the direction of the conversation.

"Anyway," Martha said, patting his arm, "we have the entire Christmas together...besides...we'll need to stick together if we want to survive the nag-machine."

...

"Lizzie was telling me how you normally go out every night," Ellie said as soon as she sat down in the booth. She took a seat besides her daughter in the round seat. Lizzie sat next to Clark, fiddling with her ponytail as he dared to wrap his arm around her waist.

Martha sat beside her son, holding her second glass of wine already.

"Will you be vanishing tonight on us?"

"Mom," Lizzie complained. "You know what Clark does."

Martha glanced back to Clark. He coughed and took a drink of water from the table. Lizzie rested her hand on his leg, trying her best not to let her mother bother him.

"I know," Ellie said, holding her glass with etiquette. "Come now, Lizzie, I'm your mother. I don't like the thought of your relationship being strained."

"It is not," Lizzie snapped back.

Clark said nothing, turning to look at his mother to refill her wine glass.

"You said so yourself, Liz," Ellie laughed once. "You said it was difficult to know he leaves you every night."

"Clark knows how I feel," Lizzie whispered, picking her wine glass up and looking into it. "Anyway, it isn't that bad, mom. I love Clark...stop stirring everything."

"Do you think it is that bad?" Clark wondered, his voice soft as he looked down to her.

She shook her head, her brow rising as she did so.

"Of course not," Lizzie soothingly whispered. "Mom just enjoys sticking her nose into our business."

"I am your mother," Ellie said. "Besides, Clark sneaking out every night won't give me grandchildren, will it?"

"Mom!" Lizzie finally snapped. "Please, leave it be."

Clark said nothing as he took a few moments to think of what he had just heard. He knew that things were sometimes difficult with their relationship. He knew that was down to him vanishing on her whenever they went out. He seemed to tighten his grip around her waist, almost as if he was afraid of losing her because of whom he was.

He lasted half an hour without disappearing. He left quickly as Ellie rolled her eyes and excused herself for the bathroom, leaving Lizzie with Martha.

Martha moved closer to the girl as they watched Clark leave.

"It must be hard." Martha commented, filling Lizzie's glass up with more wine. "Watching him go into danger every night...I can only imagine...well...I do. I sit up and watch the news every night. We know he's superhuman, but it doesn't get easier. But you're the one who lives with him now."

"I can't pretend that it isn't annoying," Lizzie whispered, looking to the table. "I do want him to myself for one night...but...it can't happen. There's always someone in this city who needs saving. There's always someone who he has to help. I know I sound selfish."

"No," Martha promised her. "You sound like a woman. I see the way Clark looks at you, Liz. He loves you. He truly does."

"And I love him," Lizzie agreed. "More than anything. I just feel as though our relationship is strained. It's difficult sometimes, but when we're together, I forget about everything."

"Oh, sweetie," Martha sighed, wrapping her arm around Lizzie's shoulders. "I've known since day one that you two belonged together. You both were blind enough not to see it."

Lizzie smirked, drinking more wine as Martha shrugged.

"He's scared of losing you. I can see that much," Martha assured her. "He tells me how he is scared of hurting you...well...intimately..."

Lizzie's cheeks turned flame red as she listened to Martha. "Oh...well...I mean..."

"That's a matter for you two to discuss. You're both adults."

"I guess," Lizzie said, drinking more wine and wondering where Clark had gotten to.

...

He stood in the Superman suit, looking at the abandoned factory. He had managed to get everyone out before the chemicals could cause a fire. He'd done his best to contain the flames, leaving the job to the firemen when they arrived. He stood outside the factory, hiding in the alley and glancing to the flames. The fire had started at one of Lex Luthor's factories. Every disaster seemed to have something to do with him.

"Clark."

Clark turned around at the sound of his name being called. His brow furrowed as he heard the man speak to him so casually. He looked on as Lex Luthor ambled towards him, his hands dipped in his pockets as he did so. Clark said nothing, wondering what he wanted with him.

"Looks like Superman saved the day again," Lex spoke. "It does seem as though people target my businesses."

"Perhaps they do," Clark replied bluntly. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted a word," Luthor shrugged, standing a few feet away from him. "I assume that Lizzie told you I knew."

"She did," Clark said. "She did say that you'd keep the secret."

"She was right," Lex said. "I want nothing from you, Clark. And if I did...well...I could take it..."

Clark's hands tensed as he took a step forwards, his chin jutted out as he glared at Lex.

"If you're talking about Lizzie-"

"-Elizabeth?" Lex wondered; his brow arched as he shook his head. "No, not Elizabeth, although she is a pretty little thing. It is a shame about her large nose."

Clark took a moment to inhale sharply.

"Then what are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Lex shrugged. "Honestly, Clark, you do have some trust issues. That's why I'm here. I want you to know that I don't intend to tell anyone about you. You can go around, parade to be a superhero, and take the glory."

Lex held his hand out for Clark. He regarded it with hesitance before he wrapped his fingers into Lex's, not too sure what the older man wanted from him.

"Just remember that this is my city, Clark," Lex smirked. "I'd hate for you to forget that. I own this city."

Lex dropped Clark's hand, stepping backwards and away from him.

"You'd best get back to your date with the parents and Liz," Lex called out as he turned around and moved back to his car. "You should keep an eye on her. You never know whose watching."

...

A/N: Thanks to all who stick with this and review. Thanks for reading, and let me know what y'all think!