"I've told you everything."
Elizabeth's voice was one of complaint as she sat in the dull room. She'd been handcuffed and Clark had been told that he couldn't go into the interviewing room with her. That was how he found himself stood in the waiting room, craving caffeine but unable to have any due to the out of order machine.
Elizabeth had been stuck in the room for the past hour, going over her story multiple times. Agent Barnard didn't seem to want to believe her on the entire matter. The thing which intrigued him most was that she had met Superman up in the sky.
"He seemed pretty cosy with you on the footage."
"It is some video from YouTube," drawled Lizzie. "I have no idea who he is. I saw that he was there when Lex was. I thought that he might need some help. I supposed that two is better than one."
"So you had never met Superman until that day?" Barnard checked, pulling on his black tie before taking a sip of water.
Lizzie did her best not to yell in frustration at what she was hearing from him. She was struggling to do anything but groan in exasperation.
"No!" she snapped. "I haven't seen him since, either. Clearly he wants nothing to do with me."
"Or maybe he can't find you?"
"I doubt that considering my face is on the TV at every given moment," Lizzie replied, her brow arched before she pushed a hand through her hair. "Look, have you not spoken to Lex Luthor? He knows the cure for this. I never asked to be super human."
"He's claiming that he doesn't remember the method. No one else knows it either. The body of General Zod has been lost. We suspect he has destroyed the body. That was needed to make you normal again."
"And where is Lex?" Lizzie wondered.
"Pending trial. He's in serious trouble over this."
"Right," Lizzie nodded, a small snort sounding from her. "And he refuses to help. Well this is just great. So what now? You've had me locked in here for an hour now. I've done nothing wrong."
"You could be a national threat," he reminded her.
"Is Superman considered a national threat? I thought that he was a national treasure?"
"He's seen as both nowadays," the man admitted to her. "Your story seems to add up. I doubt we can keep you in custody all day. You'd find a way to escape."
"I could have done that as soon as you rolled up in Smallville," she promised him. "I decided to be good and hand myself in. I thought that maybe I could have some faith in you and your boys."
"I suppose we did say that we would help you," Barnard agreed with her, nodding his bald head stiffly. His blue eyes found Lizzie's as she leant back in her chair and folded her arms over her stomach, waiting for him to make a statement. So far she hadn't heard anything that sounded appealing to her.
"And will you?" Lizzie wondered. "I never asked to be this Superhero. I never wanted any of this. I was a PA, for goodness sakes. I don't intend to do anything dangerous."
"I think I can see that, Miss Lowe," Barnard assured her. "But you know how worrying it is that you're out there, don't you?"
"I see where you're coming from," Lizzie promised him. "And I know that my word probably means...well...little to you people."
"You'll be under constant watch," Barnard told her. "You know that, don't you?"
"The media seem to be doing a good job about that," Lizzie drawled, looking down to the table.
"We have no over option but to trust your word," Barnard sighed, looking to the mirror. He knew that his colleagues would be looking at him, wondering what he was going to do with the girl. The matter was serious, all of them knew that.
"So you'll let me go?" she checked with him, her voice full of optimism. All she wanted was to go back home with Clark. Why was that so difficult to ask?
"There will be a few conditions to it," Barnard told her sternly. "We are willing to offer you a new identity. Elizabeth Lowe will no longer exist. She will die along with her powers. The toxin didn't react well in your blood stream and it killed you. You'll change your appearance so that no one will recognise you. Dye your hair, wear contacts, dress differently...you get the picture."
"And that's it?" Lizzie checked; her brow arched as she did so.
"Not quite," the agent says. "Someone will always be watching you, Miss Lowe. There will always be someone to make sure that you don't turn against us. If we even get a whiff of trouble from you then that's it. You're back in FBI custody and I'll find a cell which even you can't escape from."
"I doubt that," Lizzie muttered. Her comment earned her a glare from the man across from her. She shuffled in her seat, sitting up straight as she thought about what he was offering her.
"If you have any contact with Superman again then I want to know," Barnard said. "He's still on a threat list, when all said and done. If you even think of going flying with him then remember that there will be people watching you. Journalists aren't stupid. They'll see through some contacts and a brown hair dye. You're the only woman they know who has these powers. They'll put two and two together."
"I guess the identity will be dropped then," Lizzie mumbled to him.
"You guess correctly," he promised her.
Lizzie decided to keep quiet on that matter, deciding it wasn't best for her to agree to something she didn't know could happen. She didn't want to leave Clark alone out there.
"So, we have an agreement, Miss Lowe?"
"I suppose we have to have one, don't we?"
...
"All of this attention has been ridiculous, Lizzie."
Elizabeth kept her hand on the wall as she held the phone in her other hand. She had been staying at Martha's house for the past few weeks. Clark had been doing his best to teach her how to use her powers. He flew back to Metropolis in the morning, saving people before going to work. He would then fly back to Smallville at night to teach Lizzie.
"People are baking cakes. They are sending me flowers and cards. I've even had to buy a new black dress for your pretend funeral. It's very nice, Lizzie. I'd say it is quite vintage."
"You do know that you shouldn't be so happy about my death, mom?" Lizzie checked; a small smirk on her face as she did so.
"It's all been prepared so well, Lizzie," Ellie assured her daughter. "I just hope that the tears will fall on the day. I would hate to look like some hard hearted mother."
"Isn't that what you have always been?" Lizzie teased her mother.
"Enough of that," Ellie said, although Lizzie could sense there was a small smile on her face. "Anyway, I will come around after the funeral tomorrow. I haven't seen you in days on end."
"I doubt you would recognise me," Lizzie scoffed, looking to her reflection as she glanced to the glass. Her hair had been dyed a dark brown and her contacts continued to irritate her eyes. Clark was coming back to Smallville for her funeral and Elizabeth had the joy of sitting inside until it was all over.
She wondered how long it would be before she could be seen with Clark in public again. She supposed time would heal him, and then he would find a new brunette who would make his life better and he would be able to move on.
"Well I hardly like the name you have chosen," Ellie scoffed. "Annabelle...I named you Elizabeth for a reason."
"I know that you did," Elizabeth said. "Look, mom, I have to go. I need to prepare dinner for tonight."
"Look after yourself, my love," Ellie urged her daughter. "I shall see you as soon as I can."
"Love you, mom."
"Love you too."
Lizzie hung the phone up and rolled up the sleeves to her red dress, allowing them to rest at her elbow. She kept quiet for a few moments as Martha walked back into the kitchen, her washing basket in her hands as she went.
"It is quite blustery out there," Martha said as Lizzie smiled at her and moved over to the fridge, opening it and seeing what foods there were.
"I heard you in the bathroom this morning," Martha informed Lizzie. "This is the second morning in the row."
"I know it is," Lizzie sighed, pulling out a carton of milk. She kept quiet as she searched for more foods. "I think that it could have been something I ate. Maybe it could be the injection with Lex gave me...the after effects of it..."
"For two days in a row?" Martha wondered. "Lizzie, are you sure it cannot be something else?"
"I cannot think what," Lizzie replied. "I feel fine now."
"Well...I mean...I don't want to pry..." Martha whispered. "But...you and Clark have been together, haven't you? You've had each other."
Lizzie felt a blush on her cheeks as she thought about what she was hearing. She shook her head back and forth, a smile of disbelief on her face.
"We were careful," Lizzie promised Martha. "It can't be anything like that. Surely...no..."
"Maybe you should make sure, dear?" Martha asked her. "I don't mean to worry you, but it could be something."
"Well...I don't know..." Lizzie whispered, continuing to pull out foods from the fridge.
"I will get a test if you want me to?" Martha wondered. "Just to be on the safe side? I mean, it probably is something you ate lingering in your body."
"Exactly," Lizzie nodded, forcing herself to smile at Martha.
Martha grinned back before turning away, only then did both women frown with worry at what they had heard from each other.
...
A/N: So thanks to everyone who has review thus far! Do let me know what you think!