Buffy sat at home mastering her new power lighting candles in her fortress of solitude her dad built for her in the loft. She decides to call it a day another power under control. Though she kind of has the wiggins now that she can kill people just by staring at them now.

Buffy decides to do what she always does comfort call Chloe and see what crazy adventure she has Pete and Xander on.

Chloe hears her phone ring at the worst possible time as a vampire hears it. She goes to flip it open and close real quick but she's tackled to the floor and the phone breaks.

Spike throws Clark out of the crypt and Clark quickly pulled himself back up. Clark put both hands up as if boxing. Spike just rolls his eyes not impressed. "I thought you slayers were actually fighters."

Clark feigns a punch and kicks Spike hard in the side of the head with his shin as the vampire falls flat on his back. "It's called Muay Thai Captain Peroxide."

Spike got up holding the side of his head. "Now that hurt."

Clark went to punch him but Spike stepped aside and threw him down to the ground as the sprinklers started going off soaking them both. "But not as much as this is going to."

Clark backed up and grabbed Tess' cross and quickly started chanting in Latin moving his fingers around.

Spike just smiled. "Isn't it a little early to be praying for a miracle mate?"

Spike feels it almost immediately as every ounce of him heats up boils and he runs away a vampire steam show. "Ah, you limey son of a-"

Clark got to his feet he'll fight Spike later right now he has to find Chloe, Pete, and Xander they can't take care of themselves in this. He hears a female scream Chloe.

Clark ran to blond reporter and took his jacket off. He rapped it around the head of the vampire trying to bite her. The vampire screamed as steam rose up over the jacket and Clark slammed his head into a tombstone knocking him out. Clark took a stake and dusted the creature before turning to Chloe. "Where are Xander and Pete?"

Chloe just shrugged. "We got separated."

Clark hears movement and scoops Chloe up in his arms. Chloe isn't shy of the attention she often wishes Xander would do this for her until Clark puts her down. "Two vampires are coming distract them."

Chloe just nods she wishes Buffy was here she has an act for finding people like when she found her buried alive last year.

Chloe steps out and sees 2 vampires dragging Xander as Clark rings out his shirt getting a fresh supply of holy water on his hands.

"Um hi" Chloe said weakly as Clark walked up behind them. Clark grabbed them by the back of their necks as they shouted in pain before releasing Xander and Clark arranged a meeting of the minds by bashing their heads together and then staking them.

Chloe helped Xander up. "Are you OK?"

Xander nodded weakly. "Someone hit me."

Clark was looking for Pete but no sign. "Where is your friend?"

"That girl grabbed him."

Clark just punched the tombstone too late again as usual. "Pete"

Clark walks into the library having spent all night looking for Pete. He sees Xander and Chloe looking at Giles and Clark just sits down as Giles gets started.

"This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their... their Hell. But in time they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for, for man. All that remains of the old ones are vestiges, certain magicks, certain creatures..."

"Like vampires" Clark added.

Xander feels he has to speak up on this. "Okay, this is where I have a problem. See, because we're talking about vampires. We're having a 'talk' with vampires in it."

"Isn't that what we saw last night?" Chloe asked.

Clark shakes his head no. "No those were just guys who got rabies from bad PCP. And turning to dust trick of magic. That was my reaction when I first saw a vampire. Well after oh crap I missed the heart."

"So vampires are demons." Xander asked for clarity.

Clark just sighed as Giles went into another rant. "The books tell the last demon to leave this reality fed off a human, mixed their blood. He was a human form possessed, infected by the demon's soul. He bit another, and another, and so they walk the Earth, feeding... Killing some, mixing their blood with others to make more of their kind. Waiting for the animals to die out, and the old ones to return."

"So what's a slayer?" Chloe asked.

"For as long as there have been vampires, there's been the Slayer. One…well it's usually a girl in all the world, a Chosen One." Giles answered.

Clark pulls out the cross from his neck. "It's simple. I'm the slayer don't tell anyone keep one of these on you at all times and don't invite anyone in just say whatever. That's everything you need to know."

"Just one more thing?" Chloe asked. "How did you do so much damage with wet clothes?"

Clark pouted. "I'm an ordained minister in the church of Cookie Monster. I can make my own holy water."

Giles took off his glasses. "You want to run that one by me again."

Clark sighs not seeing the big deal. "I joined a fake church for $5 so I can make holy water doesn't change my life and I can still get married and do anything I want since the whole church is basically a tax shelter. Hell I can even marry you for two cookies. Now if you'll excuse me I have to find your friend."

Xander piped in. "Well wait I'll go with you."

"No, you will not." Clark replied. "I already tried the slaying with friends approach not in the mood for an encore." Clark just stormed out of the room.

Xander just looked at him. "OK what the hell was that about?"

Giles took off his glasses. "I have no idea."

Chloe just looked at the two. Man guys are dumb. "Something like this happened before. He said he didn't want an encore of last time. So he slayed with someone before and it ended badly." Chloe turned to Giles. "I think I might have something you need to see."

Clark walked out and he was spotted by Buffy he doesn't need this right now.

Buffy smiled at him. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Away from here." Clark answered as he rapidly left Smallville High. Buffy just rolls her eyes she better keep an eye out for him.

"So wheres away from here?" Buffy asked.

Clark glared at her subtle approach not working lets try this. "A place that does not have bottle blonds and cheerleaders now if you'll excuse me I'm out of here."

Buffy glares right back. "Fine don't let the door hit your ass on the way out."

Buffy wonders what that was all about. What caused the transformation in Clark from cool to creep? Buffy walked into the torch and saw Chloe giving Mr. Giles the new librarian a rundown of her life's work.

"I call it 'the wall of weird'. It's every strange, bizarre, and unexplained event that's happened in Smallville since the meteor shower. That's when I thought it all began - when the town went schizo. So what do you think?"

Giles is looking at the pictures. "I think that whether Clark wants it or not he's going to need our help or he'll be in serious danger."

Buffy just looks at Chloe coldly. "Chloe are you trying to scare away the new teacher."

Chloe looked at her. Man how does she move like she does. "Buffy when did you get here?"

"I call it the wall of weird." Buffy answered arms across her chest. "So why is Clark in danger?"

Xander and Chloe each turn to each other this is bad.

Buffy notices the shared look between them they're either about to play a joke on her or this is really bad. "Guys?"

Xander and Chloe look at Giles pleadingly and he just silently nods to tell her this is going to be an interesting assignment.

Clark looks around the graveyard as he looks for a hollow grave or something used to get underground. He grabs a shovel and just starts hitting around the Mausoleum. Spike entered with a sucker punch but considering they took Chloe here this has to be where the secret entrance is. He rips the top off the coffin and sure enough there is a ladder down.

He climbs down and looks around and sees an old Indian cave. Big business must have just built right over it. He sees an interesting drawing of a girl with a dragon attached to her head but quickly realizes Pete doesn't have time to look for him to go sightseeing.

He goes to the end of the cave and near the tunnels and just groans.

"Do I look Mormon to you?" Clark asks as he turns around and faces Tess.

Tess just smiles and shakes her head no.

"Then stop stalking me." Clark ordered.

Tess just shrugged. "I was here first tough guy. It's not my fault it took you so long to figure out the entrance."

Clark just rolls his eyes. "You know what I got an innocent person in there that might be a friend. I don't have time for this."

Tess just sighed she knew this wouldn't be easy. "Just try to stay alive. The Harvest is tonight Clark. You kick the bucket early and the Master walks."

Clark just nods as he starts walking into the tunnels of Smallville. Vamps can travel all over the city down here they're so big. Clark sighs he hates that he's such a gentleman but when he doesn't smell Tess' perfume he realizes it's not her following him. He closes his fist and waits for the vampire to make her approach. Clark turns and punches. He smiles as bones break the only problem they were his bones breaking.

Buffy walked into the mausoleum Chloe had told her about. She saw someone messed with the coffin and it led to stairs. Buffy looked around and wondered what this place was. Buffy stood in awe looking at the place. She sees all sorts of drawings like on that piece of the ship her dad was able to get out before it closed completely. Her mind quickly remembers Pete and she focuses on finding Pete.

Buffy just starts walking through the tunnel trying to keep her ears open. She needs better hearing. She keeps moving until she is caught by surprise by a punch to the stomach. Unfortunately for whoever swung at her she was caught by surprise by a punch to the stomach which meant she couldn't move with it to save her attacker's in this case Clark's hand.

Clark is cradling his hand. "Buffy what do you have under your shirt a steel plate"

Buffy just lifts her shirt up leaving Clark speechless until he pouts seeing a lead wrap around.

"Lead…why?" Clark asked.

"It's a good luck charm." Buffy replies it also gives her a couple seconds to flee if there is meteor rock.

Clark frowned hearing someone else coming. "So are Giles and Chloe behind you?"

Xander just walks up oafishly. "No just me. I kind of followed you here. I couldn't just sit home and do nothing. And in what world does this resemble a bathroom Buff."

Clark and Buffy groan this is going to make it much harder then before.

"Very brave, now go home both of you." Clark ordered.

Buffy and Xander shake their heads. "If Pete's down here I'm not leaving until he's with us."

Clark sighed he hates this place he should have put up more of a fight for Cleveland. "Alright its pure Stoker territory stakes, cross, garlic, holy water, fire, decapitation, and sunlight."

Buffy just nods fire so her new ability should be useful.

"That would be useful if I had any of that stuff." Xander quipped.

Clark sighed and gave the two stakes and crosses. "You two are going to get yourselves killed at which point I have no objection to stabbing you both in the heart with a stake."

Xander just shrugged. "It still beats Chem. class."

"So did you stake anyone famous like Dracula?" Buffy asked curious as there is now someone else with a secret apparently.

Clark thought about it and ran down the list. "6 Draculas 4 Lestats 3 Selenes 2 Edwards and one guy with very feminine hair calling himself D. How did you find out anyway?"

"Buffy's part if the BFF club she was bound to find out sooner or later Clark." Xander answered.

"Are you planning to tell anyone else?" Clark asked.

Xander shakes his head no. "Just Pete if he's still alive. So what's the craziest weapon you've used?"

"Napalm to blow up the school gym" Clark answered. "Now be quiet, vampires have great hearing."

It didn't take the 3 long to find Pete chained up. Buffy stares in shock as Clark breaks the chains with his bare hands. She thought she was the only one that could do something like that.

Clark sees shadows moving on the wall and pulls out a stake.

Buffy turns to the freed hostage. "Pete is there another way out of this."

Pete just nodded. "Yeah follow me."

Pete leads them into a chamber. Clark looks around and tightens the grip on his stake.

"Buffy, Xander get away from him." Clark said knowing what he has to do.

Buffy just looks at him as she realizes it. "No, there has to be another way."

Clark just shakes his head no. "There isn't."

Xander was confused he missed something. "Another way for what?"

Pete grabs Buffy from behind and vamps out. "This!"

Buffy just has a tear in her eye when she realizes they were too late. "Sorry Pete I tried to save you."

Pete just smiled as he drives his fangs into her neck. To Buffy's surprise they go through and get some of her blood until Xander shoves a cross into Pete's face and Pete stumbled right back into Clark who stakes him.

Clark walks over to Buffy. "Let me see."

Buffy just moves away. Clark doesn't need to know the wound closed up already. "I'm fine unless I'm changing. I'm not changing am I?"

Clark shakes his head. "It has to be a mutual suck."

Clark looks around and sees a grate. "Guys up there"

Clark gives Buffy a lift and once again she's heavy. Why is she so heavy she looks like a toothpick? Buffy gets the grate open and enters as Clark sends Xander after her. Clark thinks about fighting the army of vampires but decides against splitting up from the group, that got Pete killed after all.

Buffy made it to the streets followed by Xander. Clark made it halfway through until a vampire grabbed his leg and tried to pull him back down. Clark didn't mind the idea but Buffy grabbed on by his jacket and pulled hard pulling the complete vampire out behind him who combusted in the sun.

Clark looked to Buffy there's something about that girl. "Buffy how did you do that?"

"Adrenaline I guess." Buffy lied.

The three come into the library and see Chloe hard at work on a volume.

Chloe smiles seeing the three return. "Did you find Pete?"

Xander nodded weakly. "Yeah"

"Was he dead?" Chloe asked.

"Worse." Clark answered as Buffy sits at the end of the table. "I'm sorry, Chloe. We were
too late. And they were waiting for us and he had already attacked Buffy."

Chloe's tone saddened. "At least you three are okay."

Xander violently kicks a waste basket. Buffy is startled.

Xander just started pacing like a caged lion. "I don't like vampires. I'm gonna take a stand and say they're not good."

Clark turns to Giles. "So, Giles! Got anything that can make this day any worse?"

He goes over to the whiteboard and puts down his pen. "How about the end of the world?"

Clark sighed. "Yeah…that ought to do it."

Giles started to explain what he and Chloe found. "This is what we know. Some sixty years ago, a very old, very powerful vampire came to this shore, not just to feed."

Clark nodded. "He came 'cause this town's on the mouth of hell."

Giles nodded. "Yes. The Spanish who first settled here called it 'Boca del Inferno'. Roughly translated, 'Hellmouth'. It's a sort of, um, portal between this reality and the next. This vampire hopes to open it."

"Bring the demons back." Buffy asked.

"End of the world." Xander quipped.

Chloe nodded. "But he had performance issues!" Everyone stared at the blond reporter. "I mean, there was an earthquake that swallowed half the town, and him, too."

Giles just nodded and cleaned his glasses. "You see, opening dimensional portals is a tricky business. Odds are he got himself stuck, rather like a, uh, cork in a bottle."

Clark caught on. "And this Harvest that Tess is so afraid of is to get him out."

Giles just nods. "It comes once in a century, on this night. The Master can draw power from one in his bloodline while it feeds. Enough power to break free and open the portal. The minion is called the Vessel, and he bears this symbol."

He draws a three-pointed star on the whiteboard.

Clark looked at it. This seemed easy enough. "So, I destroy any vamp with that symbol, and no Harvest."

Giles nodded kind of a layman's approach. "Simply put, yes."

Buffy turned to Giles "Any idea where this little get-together is being held?"

Giles just shrugged. "There, there are a number of possibilities."

"They're goin' to the Bronze." Xander said without any doubt.

Chloe looked at him. "Are you sure?"

Xander nodded. "Come on. All those tasty young morsels all over the place? The only time it wouldn't be the bronze is football night."

Giles grabs his coat and starts out of the library. The others begin to follow. "Then we should get there. The sun will be down before long."

Clark turned to the others. "I gotta make a stop. Won't take long."

Giles looked at him. "What for?"

"My good weapons" Clark answered like it should have been obvious.

Clark was in his room going through his weapons chest. Collapsible sword, wrist stakes, a double edged super soaker capable of shooting squirts of holy water and hellfire Willow was a mad scientist at weapons he'll give her that. Joyce comes up stairs and sees what he's doing.

"You were right we should have gone to Cleveland." Clark's mother joked.

Clark was extending and retracting his wrist stakes making sure they still worked. "Yeah but then we'd have twisted clowns."

"You OK?" Joyce asked.

Clark frowned. "Not even a day I made friends and just as quick lost one."

Joyce turned her son around so he'd look her in the eyes. "Clark you put the weight of the world on your shoulders honey and that's noble and I've always been proud of you for it. But you can't save everyone no matter how hard you try. I'll have dinner ready for you when you get back. Kick the demon's head in."

Clark smirked. "Thanks mom!"

Clark met up with the others and sees two vampires outside guarding the club. "Are they already inside?'

Giles just nods. "Most likely." Giles turns around and sees Clark climbing up the roof of the adjacent building.

Clark jumps over the roof and onto the Bronze holding his stomach a little. He has a thing against heights.

Buffy sighed. "He just left us here."

Clark makes his way into the Bronze and sees a burned Billy Idol center stage with the symbol feeding off a blond woman. Clark goes to jump the guardrail but quickly realizes he's sucking dry a corpse. He also sees a vampire standing guard not far from him and walks over.

Spike lets the body fall. He's keeping his part of the deal. The Master walks free and in return Dru is cured to her normal crazy self so Spike can send her annoying sister packing.

"What no volunteers?" Spike asked as Lana drags Cordelia to the stage. They're all cut off by someone doing a human torch and combusting to ash on the way down.

Spike looked up with a smile. "Slayer and here I thought the evening would be dull."

Clark jumped over the guardrail and landed on the pool table and rolled off. Two vampires rushed him and Clark flicked his wrists so his stakes would come out and staked one on each arm as they turned to dust.

Spike just smirked and let go of Cordelia. "Rather have your blood anyway."

Clark just shrugged. "Works for me." He replies as he rushed on stage.

Tess ran over to the Bronze she's curious to see the result. She sees Giles, Chloe, and Xander waiting. "Why aren't you three in there helping?"

Chloe turns around and sees no one. "Guys we lost Buffy."

Giles points out the two vampires and turns to Tess. "Who are you?"

"Tess Mercer" She replies staring at the two vampires. "And lucky for you I know the password."

Tess walked right up to the vampires and pulled out a gun with a silencer on it and calmly shot each vampire three times in the chest.

Xander turned to the others. "Apparently the password is I'm packing."

The others rushed to the door and Giles staked the vampires who were thriving on the floor. Giles grabbed one of the slugs and it was simple but very effective. Bullets with crosses carved into them. Bloody brilliant in its own way.

Tess kicks the door open with Xander but Chloe wonders where Buffy went since she pulled her patented disappearing act.

Buffy was on the same catwalk Clark was on as she watched him fight the blond vampire whom was kind of cute. OK she does not think the vampire is hot. She sneaks down and goes to stake a vampire with a pool cue but finds she can't do it. Her parents taught her violence is not the answer and she's a firm believer in that. The front door is opened by Giles Chloe Xander and a red head she doesn't know as they get everyone out. Lana sees them and tries to cut them off but Buffy grabs her from behind and throws her into a wall hard and Lana runs in the other direction.

Clark tackled Spike to the ground and buried his elbow into Spike's face with repeated strikes. Spike retaliated with a headbutt and knocked Clark off him. Clark grabbed a mic stand and got to his feet.

Spike just smirked. "And how do you plan on beating me with that."

"Sunlight" Clark answered as he threw the stick at the window.

Spike just stood there. "Yeah it's in about 9 hours you sodding moron."

Clark groaned under breath. He can't count how many times that trick worked before. "Huh vampire with a brain."

Spike feigned punching high but kicked Clark in the stomach knocking the wind out of him. Spike turns around and sees Buffy with glowing red eyes.

Buffy looks at Spike she knows she probably should but she can't do it. Spike just smiled as her eyes turned back to normal and punched her in the face and knocked her down.

Spike smells Buffy while cradling his hand he feels like he punched a brick wall. "Well you're not completely human are you?"

Buffy groaned in pain why can vampires hurt her it doesn't make any sense she's been hit by a bus once and all she did was destroy the bus.

Spike just smirked as he moved down. "Bet a couple drops from you and the Master will go free."

Clark got to his feet and tackled Spike off the stage as Clark fell to the floor with Spike falling on top of the wrist stake Clark held out.

"Bugger" Spike muttered as he turned to dust.

Clark glared at all the vampires and they fled in fear seeing his resolve face.

Clark stared at the others. "How did you guys get in?"

Chloe turned to Tess. "She got us in."

Clark nodded he saw them in bits of fighting they all helped guess as much as he wants to he can't fight alone. "I'm stuck with you guys aren't I?"

Chloe just hit him. "You're not stuck with us we're your friends and we chose this."

Xander just smirked. "Face it Clark you're stuck with us."

Tess just smiled watching Clark leave with his new friends as they run into Buffy outside. She knows he had a tough time in LA but maybe the people here can help him get through this. She sees Giles walking up behind her.

Giles turned to her. "Carving crosses into bullets. Lazy but practical."

Tess just nods. "Works for me. You put Clark through the Cruciamentum I will shoot you in each lung understand."

Giles went to cleaning his glasses. "Yes, you've made your point…quite clearly."

Chloe turned to Buffy. "So where did you go you missed everything?"

"Sorry" Buffy replied. "I got a jelly belly at first but I tried to help Clark at the end."

Clark put his hand on her shoulder. "Relax, people aren't supposed to go ooh vampires."

Chloe turned to Clark. "Did we win?"

Clark just shrugged. "Well, we saved the world. That's got to mean something."

"I give us points for that." Buffy quipped.

Xander thought on it. "One thing's for sure nothing's ever gonna be the same."

They're all back at school the next day and nothing has changed. Cordelia just sounded excited as she walked off with a friend.

Clark turned to Xander. "What exactly were you expecting?"

Xander just shrugged. "I don't know something. I mean, the dead rose. We should at least have an assembly."

Giles walked over with Buffy, and Chloe. "People have a tendency to rationalize what they can and forget what they can't."

Clark just nods. "'Believe me, I've seen it happen."

Chloe was shocked. "Well, I'll never forget it, none of it."

"Chloe please tell us you didn't write a story on this." Buffy pleaded.

Chloe shrugged defensively. "I didn't publish it."

"Good! Next time you'll be prepared." Giles pointed out.

Xander turned to Giles. "Next time?"

"Why is there a next time?" Chloe asked.

Giles turned to the teens. "We've prevented the Master from freeing himself and opening the Mouth of Hell. That's not to say he's going to stop trying. I'd say the fun is just beginning."

Buffy frowned. "More vampires?"

Giles just nodded. "Not just vampires. The next threat we face may be something quite different."

"Yay" Clark joked in sarcasm.

Giles kept explaining. "We're at the center of a mystical convergence here. We may, in fact, stand between the Earth and its total destruction."

Clark rolled his eyes. "Well, I gotta look on the bright side. Maybe I can still get kicked out of school!"

The four students go to class. Giles stays behind and watches them go.

"Oh, yeah, that's a plan. 'Cause lots of schools aren't on Hellmouths." Xander quipped

"Maybe you could burn something down. That worked before." Chloe quipped.

Clark just smirked. "Ah I already did that I want to be original."

"Oh you can blow something up that's a new twist." Buffy joked.

"Now we're getting somewhere." Clark said excited. "Maybe nuke the school."

Giles started walking away. "The Earth is doomed!"

Unknown to Giles and the others the whole scene is watched by a cloaked figure as everyone goes their own way. The cloaked figure pouted under its hood. The figure had warned the Master about Clark but the Harvest still failed even with Spike as the vessel. Oh well it can be patient…for now.

Giles walked up to the Kent Farm in its own way it's quaint in its own way.

Giles knocks on the door and Jonathon answered.

"Is there a reason my daughter came home with a fat lip?" Jonathon asked the watcher angrily.

Giles just looked at him concerned. "I thought she was invulnerable."

"Apparently not" Jonathon said. "Any idea why vampires can attack Buffy?"

Giles shakes his head no. "I'll find out as soon as I can."

Jonathon just nodded. "Thanks Rip-Rupert. And thank you for keeping the council from investigating the meteor shower."

Giles just nodded. "Of course anything for an old friend. I should like to talk to the girl in private if that's OK."

Jonathon just nodded. "That can be arranged. I thought slayers were girls."

Giles took off his glasses. "They're supposed to be Clark is an exception but he shows potential."

"It's going to get worse isn't it?" Jonathon asked.

Giles just nods. "It's only just begun."

Author's notes

Thanks for the reviews

Up Next: Clark finds something interesting when patrolling becomes a lot easier.