Clark had managed to get Elizabeth to Smallville without any hassle. The FBI had turned up to her apartment the previous night, wondering where she was. She'd seen it all on the news as she sat in the living room with Clark and his mother.

Her mother had left earlier after ranting about everything that she had seen. She told her daughter that she couldn't answer the phone without being hounded by the press. Lizzie had assured her mother that she would sort everything out. She didn't know how, but she knew that she would.

Clark had helped his mother to prepare dinner for that evening, watching as Lizzie stood outside of the house, wandering around the field behind. Clark said nothing for a moment as he peeled potatoes above the sink.

"She isn't right, Clark," Martha told her son.

"I know," Clark said. "She's just thinking of everything that's happened so far. She needs a bit of space."

"Does she?" Martha dared to ask her son. "I've got no idea what that girl needs, son, but I think she needs you. Go out to her."

"And say what?" Clark wondered. "Everything is fine for me, mom. Only a certain few know who I am...but...Lizzie...everyone knows who she is. The FBI will be onto her soon enough, demanding to investigate her."

"Maybe they will be understanding towards her?" Martha suggested, waving a hand in the air as she peeled the carrots. "They were for you."

"They had me handcuffed," Clark replied. "They still don't entirely trust me ."

"I don't think they will. They cannot trust what they cannot understand," Martha said to her son. "Go to Lizzie and see what she's thinking, Clark. It's making me nervous watching her wander around."

Clark took a deep breath and finished the final potato he was peeling. He set it down on the counter before moving outside into the cold air. He shrugged himself out of the jacket he wore as he approached Lizzie. He draped it over her shoulders as she looked up to him, a small smile on her face as she did so.

"I don't get cold," she reminded him.

Clark shrugged, dropping his hands into his jean pockets as he did so. He looked down to her as she looked into the rows of trees.

"Humour me," he urged her. "What are you doing out here?"

"I was thinking," Lizzie admitted to Clark. "I was thinking about everything that has happened to us...I mean...this is where we...where you told me who you was. You stopped the tree from killing me. You saved my life."

"I remember well enough," Clark replied with a quick nod.

"What would have happened if you didn't have super strength?" Lizzie wondered from Clark. "What would have happened if you never came to earth?"

Clark scratched the back of his neck for a moment before he shrugged at her, not too sure what he should say in response to her questions.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"I mean, how many people have you saved, Clark?" Lizzie wondered. "How many lives have you helped?"

"Lizzie," Clark drawled, "I do it because it is right for me."

"Then it should be right for me," Lizzie nodded with haste. "I should help you, shouldn't I? I mean, I'm not scared to do that."

"No," Clark shook his head. "You don't need to do that, Liz. No one knows who I am. I can do this. Everyone will know who you are, and there will always be people who resent you for it. Look at Lex. He found out who I was and he used me against you."

"Yet he never said anything about you being Superman."

"He did," Clark said, remembering what his mother had told him when she had made dinner with him. "No one believed him. Apparently he was disorientated. Besides, I have a medical prescription which says I need glasses."

"How did you manage that?"

"I know people," Clark told her with a smirk. "That's not the point. Everyone who knows Clark Kent says that he cannot be Superman. Lex did suffer concussion."

"That's good," Lizzie said. "But if someone wanted to hurt me then they would go to you, Clark. It isn't like you could be hurt."

"No," Clark agreed, "but I could be discovered because of it. I don't want you to help me, Lizzie. I know that it may be impossible to hurt you...but...the thought of someone trying..." Clark trailed off, looking at her as she looked back to him. "And what if someone hurt your mother? You are not a symbol, Liz."

Elizabeth said nothing for a few moments, not too sure what she could say to appease Clark. It seemed he had his mind made up on the matter.

"You're right," Lizzie said. "I never thought anyone would want to hurt you."

"And look how wrong we were," Clark told her, snaking one arm around her waist before holding her tightly to his side. She moved one of her own arms to his waist before she looked back to the tree which had almost ended her.

"If no one knew who I was then I would come with you," Lizzie assured him. "Standing here and thinking of what you do...well...it made me realise that I could help. I don't have to sit in and wait for you to come back to me."

"The chances of me not coming back are slim," Clark assured her.

"It doesn't make it any easier," Lizzie retorted. "So what do you suggest I do? Everyone knows who I am. The FBI are looking for me. It will only be a matter of time before they find out about Smallville."

"I know," Clark nodded in agreement. "What do you really want to do, Lizzie? If they find you then they'll take you in for questioning."

"Maybe I can see what they suggest," Lizzie said. "Surely they won't fear me."

"They fear what they don't know," Clark told her.

The two of them began to walk side by side through the gardens. She dropped her arm and moved her hand into his as they wandered through the long grass.

"But they do know," Lizzie protested. "They have seen you, Clark. They don't try to stop you from doing what you do now. You're like the Batman of Gotham."

Clark chuckled at that, knowing that he was compared to Batman quite often.

"I know," Clark assured her. "It is your decision, Lizzie. We can flee or we can stay."

"I didn't even consider fleeing to be an option," Lizzie admitted to Clark. "What is the point? Fleeing will not achieve anything."

The two of them kept quiet as they heard a sound in the distance. Clark looked down the Lizzie, the sound of speeding tyres echoing through their ears. Clearly it didn't take the FBI long to find them. Clark took hold of both of Lizzie's hands, bending down to look her in the eye.

"We can go," Clark assured her. "We can do whatever you want."

"We always do what I want," Lizzie shook her head. "It's never gotten us anywhere before."

"Liz-"

"-I'm not scared," she promised him. "Far from it."

Clark said nothing more as he kissed her quickly. She pulled back after a moment and nodded at him.

"I'm ready," she assured him, adjusting the tie he wore as he pulled his glasses from his pocket and placed them on his nose.

"I've told you, she isn't here!"

Martha continued her protests to the four men who stood outside her home. Lizzie could see more vans in the distance, all of them waiting for her to come quietly. Her hand rested inside of Clark's as he slouched downwards, mussing his hair up as he stood besides his mother and the men in suits looked to them.

"She's not here?" one asked Martha, his tone dry and sarcastic.

"Must have slipped my mind," she shrugged, clearly wanting nothing to do with the man in front of her. "Lizzie, what are you doing?"

"Miss Lowe?" the man asked at the same time as Martha. Clark looked to his mother, shaking his head as he did so. He kept hold of Lizzie's hand as she stood tall, inhaling sharply as she nodded.

"Yes," she said. "I am Elizabeth Lowe."

"You're going to have to come with us, ma'am," he informed her.

"What are you going to do to her?" Clark worried. "You're not going to hurt her."

"No," the man replied. "It would serve us no power to hurt her. From what we hear she could easily win."

"Probably," Lizzie nodded. "So what do you want to do to me? I don't think I have done anything wrong."

"Don't make this so difficult, Miss Lowe," the man advised her. "People know who you are. They'll be tearing their hair out to get to you. We're here to make your life easy."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Lizzie wondered.

"Come with us and we shall discuss it," the man retorted to her.

Lizzie rolled her eyes but nodded. She supposed she had no other choice but to do what was asked of her.

"Fine," Lizzie agreed.

"I'm coming with you," Clark told her.

"And you are?"

"Her boyfriend," Martha answered for her son. "He's going with her. Who knows if you can be trusted with her?"

"Miss Lowe will be perfectly safe," the man assured her. "But if you wish to come and wait then I see no issue. Although the coffee machine is out of order."

"I'll cope," Clark mumbled, still holding Lizzie's hand as the man opened the car door for the pair of them. Neither of them said anything as they journeyed through the roads; both of them quiet as they wondered what was in store for them now.

...

A/N: So thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. Do let me know what you think