Lizzie had been making the sauce for the spaghetti carbonara in silence. She found herself unable to do anything but that as Martha went to the store. Lizzie knew that people would find it odd if she picked up a pregnancy test. Most people in Smallville knew everyone's business. They'd soon question Martha and her recent purchase.
She stirred the sauce slowly, placing some on top of the wooden spoon before slurping it off. She kept quiet for a few moments, deciding whether or not it needed more milk before she heard the slamming of a car door. She pulled the pan off the heat and rushed through to the living room, waiting for Martha to come in.
Ms Kent stepped inside, a large brown carrier in her hands as she went.
"Gods, the questions old Shirley Monroe asked me when I got the pregnancy test. I had to tell her it was for one of my distant cousins who's in town for the weekend. Don't know if she bought it or not."
"Thanks, Martha," Lizzie said, noticing that she had a job holding the bag. She plucked it from her hands and moved into the kitchen, her super speed coming into play as she went.
She emptied the bag and searched for the pregnancy test, doing her best to remain calm as soon as she found it. Martha stood in the doorway, folding her arms as a sad smile came over her. She remembered when Lizzie had been a girl. When she had been in her kitchen teasing Clark over trivial things.
How she wished time didn't pass her by so quickly.
"Get it over and done with," Martha said. "There's no use staring at it and wondering, Liz."
"Right," Lizzie nodded once.
She took the test with her up the stairs to the bathroom, following the instructions before the long wait began. Martha stood downstairs, unpacking the rest of her groceries whilst she waited for Lizzie to come down and deliver the news. She didn't know if the girl was happy at the prospect of having a child, or disappointed. Martha assumed that it was the shock which had gotten to her.
Without a doubt, she clearly had not been expecting this for news.
Elizabeth trudged back down the stairs, her feet heavy and her mind elsewhere as she came to stand in the kitchen doorway. She had her arms folded over her stomach as she looked to Martha.
Martha stood where she was, a brow arched as she held the apples she had been in the process of putting away.
"I'm pregnant," Lizzie whispered to the woman. "Martha, I'm pregnant."
A small smile crept over Martha's face, the thought of becoming a grandparent something which excited her. She also liked the fact that she had managed to find out before Lizzie's mother.
Lizzie placed a hand over her mouth as a small tear fell down her cheek and a laugh escaped her. She didn't know how she felt at that moment in time. Her hormones were raging and her emotions were high. Martha moved over to her, wrapping her into her arms slowly.
"Oh, Lizzie," she sighed as the girl gurgled.
Martha placed her at arm's length, looking at her with wide eyes. Lizzie's tears had begun to flow freely as a smile remained on her face. She couldn't help the look which she had in her eyes.
It was the same look which Martha had the first time she had seen Clark in his cot.
"How are you feeling?"
Lizzie scoffed at that.
"Nervous, scared, excited," she explained. "Is it possible to feel all of those emotions at once?"
"Honey, believe me, I've been there and done that. Trust me; the ride gets a lot bumpier." Martha said and Lizzie smiled warmly, her head shaking back and forth as she thought about the revelation which had just come her way.
"How do you think Clark will react?" Lizzie wondered. "He said that he wanted a family after marriage."
"Maybe this will help him to get his ass into gear," Martha scoffed, patting Lizzie on the shoulder. "Gods know that he isn't getting any younger and you two aren't splitting anytime soon."
Martha wandered back into the kitchen to finish off packing whilst Lizzie stood in the living room, still moving around with the dumbstruck look on her face.
...
Clark was growing emotionally drained. He couldn't deny that. He had to act depressed around work, saddened at the death of his girlfriend. Only then could he return home to see her, perfectly healthy and alive. And then he had to attend her pretend funeral the following day.
Never mind the fact that Lizzie was insistent about helping him at night and screwing what the government thought about it. Clark had enough stress on his hands. All he wanted was one night of peace; one night where he could sleep beside Lizzie peacefully.
"Clark, is that you?"
He entered the door as he heard Lizzie call him, her voice coming from the kitchen. He dropped his messenger bag to the floor by the door, raking a hand through his thick black hair.
"Yeah," he called back, moving slowly into the kitchen.
Lizzie was stood with her back against the counter and her arms folded over her stomach. He could smell some kind of pasta food as he moved towards her, his hands resting on her shoulders as he kissed her on the cheek.
"Where's my mom?"
"She went out for the evening. She said she was meeting some friends for a meal and drinks," Lizzie replied. "She said not to bother waiting up for her."
Clark snorted at that.
"As if that will happen," he replied. "I could swear I act more like her father in some respects than others."
Clark was no fool. He noticed the way Lizzie's face paled as he mentioned the previous sentence. He arched his brow, looking at her with wonder as she decided to move and stir the sauce in the pans. Clark shook his head, wondering if his brain was overanalysing everything. It had a tendency to do that.
"How was your day?" Clark wondered from her, moving to grab a beer from the fridge.
"Oh, it was fine," nodded Lizzie. "I called my mom. She sounds more excited than she should over my funeral tomorrow."
Clark scoffed. "That doesn't surprise. This is your mother we're talking about."
"Can you stop badmouthing my mother?" Lizzie wondered. "Honestly, Clark, she's not that bad once you get to know her."
"I'll take your word, and won't find out for myself," Clark promised her, a sickly sweet smile on his face.
Lizzie rolled her eyes at hearing him, her head shaking back and forth as she turned around to face him. She had to tell him sooner or later. She supposed sooner would be the better option.
"Clark," she began; her tone one of nervousness. "I do have something to tell you."
"If this is about you coming to help me, then I've told you no-"
"-It isn't about that," Lizzie assured him. "Although we will have that debate another day, I promise you that."
"I do not doubt you," Clark promised her, holding the beer in his grip as he folded his arms. "So what is it?"
Lizzie took a deep breath, calming her nerves. "Well, you remember that we...well...we've..."
Lizzie trailed off, unable to say anything further as Clark noted the blush on her cheeks. He knew what she was trying to think as the red deepened to scarlet on her pale skin.
"I remember," Clark said. "What about it?"
"Well," Lizzie coughed. "I know that we were safe...but...sometimes safety isn't...well...it isn't always one hundred per cent, is it? There can be things that happen. Things which we cannot predict."
Clark listened to her insistent blabbering, doing his best to decode what she was trying to say to him. He could have sworn that she talked rubbish most of the time. He was slowly beginning to build the puzzle, placing each piece into its place as Lizzie finished speaking. Her eyes were wide as she waited for Clark and his reaction to her.
He gulped loudly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"Your mother bought the test from the store. It came back positive, Clark," Elizabeth whispered. "I'm pregnant."
Clark could feel the beer bottle slipping from his hands before it fell to the floor and smashed. The liquid squirted into the air, catching the bottom of their legs as Lizzie's mouth gaped open and Clark struggled to find one single comprehendible thought.
"Say something," Lizzie urged him.
"I don't know what to say," Clark told her. "I never...well...not yet..."
"I know that we didn't plan for this to happen," Lizzie promised him. "But it has, Clark. I...I felt the same as you do now. I'm as scared as you are. We both didn't expect this. We haven't discussed children in a while."
"I guess we'll have to now," Clark said, finally managing to bring his gaze back to her.
She watched him for a few seconds, wondering what was going through his mind.
"You're not...well...you're handling this better than I thought." Lizzie admitted to Clark.
"How did you think I would handle it?"
She scratched the back of her neck before leaning down into the cupboard to find the dustpan and brush.
"I don't know," Lizzie said. "I thought that you might faint. Or maybe panic."
"Oh, believe me," Clark said, "I'm panicking."
"I get that," she promised him. "I am too. We'll work through it though, won't we? We've always managed to do so-"
"-This baby won't be normal," Clark interrupted, unable to keep his thoughts in his head. "It will have everything that we have."
"And we will teach it the ways of the world," Lizzie promised Clark. "Martha and Jonathan raised you, Clark. You turned out fine to me."
"In the end," Clark said. "I don't...I've not...we're not prepared for this. We have no baby stuff. We don't even live together."
"Clark," Lizzie said, a soft laugh escaping her. "The baby doesn't come for nine months. We have time."
"And what about if people see me pushing a baby around with a girl when my girlfriend has supposedly died?" Clark wondered from Lizzie. "What do I do then?"
She bit down on her bottom lip, shaking her head back and forth slowly.
"We don't need to worry about that," she said, refusing to let Clark ruin what was supposed to be a happy moment. "Please, Clark, we really don't need to worry about that just yet."
He said nothing to that, his mind already coming up with ideas for the future.
"Hey, you shouldn't be doing that," Clark said as she begun to bend down and sweep up the broken glass.
"I'm pregnant, Clark," Lizzie laughed at his overbearing behaviour. "I'm not going to injure myself."
"I'm not bothered," Clark promised her, taking the brush from her hands as she rested a hand on his shoulder. He stopped for a moment, exhaling deeply as he did so.
"Are you sure that you're alright?" Lizzie whispered to him. "I know that this is a lot to take in."
He moved his free hand to cover hers, his blue eyes finding her dark ones. He leaned in closer to her, his forehead resting against hers as he elicited a sigh.
"We'll cope," Clark whispered.
Lizzie rested her hand on his cheek as the pair of them knelt on the kitchen floor. "We always have."
...
A/N: There are only a few more chapters to the story left, AND for those who show concern over Lizzie not using her powers to help Clark, do not fear, that is still to come! In the meantime, do review for me, please!