Buffy stared down at the book, "That's not what I'm looking for."

Giles inquired, "Are you sure?"

Buffy said, "I'm way sure." As she backed away from the book.

Giles blinked, "My mistake." He bent down to replace the book behind the counter.

Buffy quickly walked out of the library as Giles stood back up asked, "What was it you said you needed?" But she was already gone.

Chloe was sitting at her and the dynamic duo's regular lunch room table. They were the only three to seat there since they were all basically outcasts.

Chloe was going through all the research she had done for Clark. Buffy Summers, 15, expelled from her last school for burning down the gym. It would seem Clark has found himself a firecracker.

As much as she hated the idea of Clark with anyone but herself, a fact only Xander suspected of, she figured it would work out her way in the end. Clark will be scorned by the small blonde pyromaniac then maybe Chloe could comfort Clark about it. Anything for the brownie points in the "best friend who happens to be a girl" department.

While she was picking at her "Meatloaf Surprise" a voice said behind her, "Uh hi, Chloe right?"

Chloe said, "Yes and no I will not get out of my seat for you."

Buffy stared at her, "How about we start off with, "Hi I'm Buffy." and go from there? Then let's dive right into me asking you for a favor?"

Chloe was speechless.

Buffy continued, "It doesn't involve moving and it does involve with hanging out with me for a while." She thought for a moment then added, "And telling me everything you know about Clark Kent."

This had been the last thing Chloe had predicted. Not only someone Chloe see hanging out with Lana Lang, the biggest bitch this side of the Rocky Mountains, but she wanted to know about Clark. Clark Kent, the guy who has less friends then a hobo has changes of underwear.

Chloe said, "But aren't you hanging with Lana Lang and the bitches from the black lagoon?"

Buffy asked, "Not that I'd want to but couldn't I conceivably do both?"

Chloe laughed, "I'd say not legally but I'm sure the only laws Lana knows involve clothing."

Buffy grinned, "Look I just want to get by here. New school. And Lana has appeared to been nice. Uh to me. Anyway, but I seem to have this burning desire to not to flunk out of all my classes. And I heard a rumor that you were the person to ask about anything going on in school."

Chloe grinning at the rumor that in her opinion was true, "Sure I'll help you out. If you answer a question."

Buffy said, "Sure shoot."

"What is your interest in Clark?"

Buffy looked toward the ground, surprising shy about this, "I don't know. He's been really kind to me since I got here. And he's really cute and shy. Not to mention we somewhat kinda have a date tonight?"

Chloe eye's bugged out of her head and choked on her soda, "You have a date with Clark Kent?"

Buffy grinned, "He's just being sweet and showing me around town. I live just down the road from his farm and he wanted to be the kind neighbor."

Chloe exclaimed, "And you live next to him?"

Buffy asked, "Yeah why?"

Chloe blushed, "Nothing. So if you have a free period 6th we could meet up in the Torch."

Buffy asked, "Where?"

Chloe told her that she was the school's newspaper editor. Buffy praised her on accomplishing that as a freshman. Chloe took the complement but silently mused how no one really wanted the job.

And that moment Xander and Clark set down at the table. Clark, Chloe noticed seat down next to Buffy and Xander seemed to stare daggers at Clark who he didn't notice because he was staring at Buffy who was staring at Clark.

Xander asked, "Hey you guys busy? Are we interrupting this little episode of The View. I do enjoy listening to chicks cluck."

Chloe frowned at Xander, but the Xander's face could have imploded all over the table and Clark and Buffy wouldn't have noticed.

Clark shyly asked, "Having a good day?"

Buffy smiled, "Yeah super. Looking forward to tonight. Chloe here was just giving me the lowdown on school."

Chloe said, "Buffy you obviously know Clark. This is Xander."

Xander said, "Oh Buffy and I go way back. Old friends, very close. Then there's that period of estrangement where I think we were both growing as people but farther apart. And now here we are just like old times. I'm quite moved."

Chloe asked, "Is it just me but have you tuned into a bumbling idiot?"

Xander looked down and said in a quiet voice, "No its you."

Buffy tore her eyesight from Clark to stare at Xander, "Who are you?"

Xander's cocky grin dropped, "Xander. I help pick up your books after English."

Buffy thought, "The Spaz?" but just stared at him.

Clark came in, "Buffy this is my friend Xander. Forgive him he suffers from delusions of grander."

Xander said, "But we've totally met."

Clark grinned, "He's not all there up there. He has good days and bad."

Xander said, "Very funny. But to prove we've met Buffy how did I get your thing." He pulled out Buffy's wooded stake out of his backpack.

Buffy eyes widened.

Xander continued, "All I can come up with is your building a very small fence."

Buffy nervously laughed and said, "No actually it's for self defense. Everyone has them in L.A. Pepper spray is so 80's."

Clark and Chloe exchanged a look.

Xander, this being a good enough excuse coming from someone who's skirt is so far from her knee, asked, "So Buffy what do you do for fun? Stab pedophiles in dark alleys?"

Chloe, thinking Buffy seamed nice enough but was totally on board scaring away anyone even remotely good looking and interested in Clark for whatever reason, said, "Yeah have any dark evil secretes I can do a byline on in this weeks Torch?"

Buffy and Clark's eyes widened.

Buffy said, "Gee wiz, everyone wants to know about me."

Clark, coming to the rescue, said, "You don't have to answer them. There both love hazing the new kid."

Xander said, "Well not much happens in a town without Starbucks. You moving here's is bigger news then that three headed goat Chloe saw at the County Fair."

Chloe said, "Three footed. Not three headed. Not like you can count to three."

Xander stuck out his tongue playfully.

Buffy said, "I'm not news. Really."

Then Lana walked over from her table and asked Buffy, "Are these freaks bothering you?"

Buffy looked at Clark and said, "No"

Xander said, "Yeah Lana we were just discussing on possible theories why all those Voodoo dolls of you I made haven't worked yet."

Lana glared at Xander, "I don't like you having anything in my image freak."

Xander said, "Yeah neither did my priest. He said carving an image of pure evil is bad for my soul."

Lana ignoring Xander, turned to Buffy and said, "I didn't mean to interrupt your downward mobility, you don't need to meet Coach Arnold, the fat guy with the temper and no fashion sense, because gym was canceled due to the extremely dead guy in the locker room."

Clark and Buffy both looked up, "What?" they asked at the same time.

Lana said, "Some guy was stuffed in a locker."

Clark asked, "Dead?"

Lana looked at him, "Hello am I talking to you farmboy?"

Buffy, frowning at the insult, asked "Dead?"

Lana said, "Yeah like dead dead."

Xander asked, "So not just a little dead dead?"

Lana asked, "Don't you have a Playboy to go stare at?"

Xander said, "No I burned my last copy because you were no the cover for Whore Month."

Clark ignoring the banter, asked, "How did he die?"

Lana said, "I don't know?"

Buffy asked, "Were there any marks?"

Lana asked, "Uh morbid much?"

Buffy looked around, "Uh guys I gotta book. Chloe I'll met you at the Torch."

Clark, also worried about a dead body, said, "I also have to book. Catch you guys later."

As the almost couple walked away in different directions but the same destination in mind, Lana asked, "What is there deal?"

Chloe said, "Oh you know, lovebirds and dead bodies mix so well."

Lana turned around, "Buffy's dating Kent?"

Xander, jealous of Clark, said, "He's just showing her around. You know not being a total bitch."

Lana frowned and walked back to the jock table.

Xander and Chloe shared a look, wondering what Clark was getting himself into. And in Xander's opinion he should be the one getting into it.

Chloe reminded Xander that before he went to the tryouts that he needed to head to the library to get that math book for there tutor session later.

Buffy and Clark went there separate ways. Buffy went to the back of the gym. She found a door to get in but found that it was locked. After a quick pull and a dash of Slayer strength, the door broke apart and the lock fell off. Buffy stepped back from it, looked to see that no-one and saw her feat of strength, then went inside.

When she entered the gym she found the body laying on a bench covered with a blanket. Seeing that no-one was around, Buffy lifted the blanket and saw the body.

The body, was a teenage male, probably a junior or senior, and had two holes in it's neck. He was very pale from being drained dry of his blood.

Buffy muttered, "Oh great." Another vamp she thought.

She was about to cover up the body, when a voice asked, "What are you doing here?"

Buffy turned around, fearful that she just got herself thrown out of another school, to find Clark standing in the doorway.

Buffy asked, "Clark?"

Clark asked, "How did you get in here?"

Buffy said, "I took the back door."

Clark said, "The back door that is broken?"

Buffy lied, "Must have been broken by the killer."

Clark pondered this as he kneeled by the body.

Buffy asked, "Do you recognize him?"

Clark signed, "Pete Ross. Our football teams left tackle. Liked to hit Xander where the sun doesn't shine. What do you think made these holes?"

Buffy once again lied, a fact that she didn't like doing to Clark, "Maybe the killer stabbed Pete with a giant fork. Or something." She finished lamely.

At that moment the lunch bell rang.

Clark said, "We need to get out of here before we're seen."

Buffy thought she had to get to that creepy library guy, "I need to go to the library."

Clark said, "No time. You'll be tardy. What's your next class?"

Buffy thought back to her schedule, "Chemistry"

Clark smiled, "Me too."

He stood up and offered her his hand to help her up, "Shall we?"

Buffy smiled and thought, maybe the vamps and British dude can wait.

Clark and Buffy made it to class, barley. This was the only class Clark didn't have with Xander all day.

Buffy set down at a lab table next to Clark. She noticed that no-one set with him. She felt sad. Must be lonely to only have two friends in school. She could relate. She didn't even have one other then Clark. And she just met him.

Clark was on Cloud Nine. Yes he had just had a Close Encounter with a future cadaver. But now he had Buffy to keep him company in Chemistry. It was a lonely class for him. He excelled at it mentally. He wasn't sure if it was an ability like his strength or speed, but Clark had an act to remember almost everything he read. He had sped read through all of his textbooks the first day. He had memorized them all.

He knew he could pass all of his classes with honors with ease but he always aimed for B's in every test. Clark had learned with his "abilities" as he called his freakiness, not to draw attention to himself in anyway. Physically or academically. As far as the world was concerned he was plain old Mild Mannered Clark Kent. And he hated every moment of it. Hiding who he really was from the people he cared about.

But at least while had to pretend to learn all that he had learned in this class, he had something pretty to look at.

Not just pretty, he thought, but beautiful. He smiled at Buffy who returned the smile.

The teacher, Mr. Singer, walked in front of the class and started his lecture, "In the struggle for survival, it is the fittest that win out, at the expense of there rivals."

Clark, Buffy noticed, wrote the name Charles Darwin in his notebook.

Mr. Singer asked, "Now who said this?"

No-one answered.

Mr. Singer said, "Come on people. Literally wrote the book on Evolution."

No-one answered.

Buffy looked at Clark who was staring straight at the wall. Not looking the teacher in the eye.

Mr. Singer sighed, "Charles Darwin. Come on people that was an easy one."

Buffy looked at Clark's notebook and saw that he had written the answer. Why hadn't he spoken up, she thought.

After class Clark and Buffy rather reluctantly had to part ways. Buffy had to go to the library before she made it to the Torch and Clark had to go to the football field to make sure Xander didn't get himself killed during tryouts.

As Clark made his way to leave, Buffy called out, "You had the answer."

Clark turned around to face her.

Buffy said, "In class you had the answer but you didn't say it. Do you not want people to know your smart?"

Clark answered, "People tend to treat you differently if they know you're different."

Buffy thought, Amen to that.

Buffy smiled and took his hand, "I don't plan on treating you differently became you're different."

Clark smiled at the touch and comment, "Thank you."

Buffy could almost feel the longing in his voice.

As the crowd in the hall way got thicker they reluctantly let go of each other's hands.

Buffy stormed into the library, "Ok what's the sitch?"

Giles said, "I'm sorry?"

Buffy said, "You heard about the dead guy right? The guy in the locker."

Giles answered, "Yes."

Buffy said as she made her way up toward the back of the library where Giles was located, "Funny thing is his neck has two little holes in them and all his blood has been drained."

Giles started at her puzzled.

Buffy asked, 'Isn't that bizarre? Aren't you just going, "Oh that's interesting?"

Giles said, "I was afraid of this."

Buffy scoffed, "Well I wasn't. It's my first day. I was afraid that I was going to be behind in all my classes. I wasn't going to make any friends. Or I would have last month's hair. I didn't think that there would be vampires on the campus in the middle of Kansas. And I don't care."

Giles asked, "Then why are you here?"

Buffy hesitated before answering in a quite voice, "To tell you that I don't care. Which I don't. Which I have now told you. So bye." And she turned to leave.

Giles rubbed his eyes, "Will he rise again?"

Buffy turned back, "Who?"

Giles stressed the words, "The boy."

Buffy answered, "No. He's just dead."

Giles asked, "Can you be sure?"

Buffy answered matter-of-factly, "To make you a vampire they have to suck your blood. Then you have to suck there blood. It's like a whole big sucking thing. But mostly there just going to kill you."

After thinking about it she asked, "Why am I still talking to you?" and she made to leave.

Giles asked, "You really have no idea what's going on do you? Do you think is coincidence you being here? That boy was just the beginning."

Buffy turned back to him, "Why can't you people just leave me alone?"

Giles answered, "Because you are The Slayer. Unto each generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world who is chosen…"

Buffy finished for him, "One given the skill to stop the vampires. To stop there evil. Blah Blah Blah I've heard it all before. Ok?"

Giles said, "I really don't understand this attitude. You've accepted your duty if you've slain vampires before."

Buffy said, "Yeah and I've both been there and done that. And I'm moving on."

Giles held up a finger before rushing out to collect a book, "What do you know of this town?"

Buffy said, "It's three hours away from Metropolis?"

Giles said, "Think of it in the history of this place. I've found a steady stream of odd occurrences. Like the meteor shower. I believe that this whole area is a center of mystical energy. They seem to gravitate toward here that one wouldn't normally find."

Buffy asked, "Like vampires?"

Giles said as he handed Buffy book after giant War and Peace size books, "And zombies. And werewolves. Everything you ever imagined is under your bed but swore it couldn't be by the light of day. There all real."

Buffy asked, "What you sent away for the Time Life series?"

Giles said, "Yes actually."

Buffy asked with a smile, "Did you get the free phone?"

Giles answered reluctantly, "The calendar."

Buffy said, "Cool" and she stared to struggle with all the books before dumping them all into Giles hands. "Ok first of all, I'm a Vampire Slayer. And secondly I'm retired. Hey I know why don't you kill em?"

Giles smiled at the outrageous question, "But I'm a Watcher. I haven't the skill."

Buffy said, "Oh come on. Stake through the heart. A little sunlight. It's like falling off a log."

Giles said, "A Slayer slays. A Watcher…"

Buffy asked, "Watches?"

Giles said, "Yes. Wait no. He trains her. He prepares her."

Buffy asked, "Prepare me for what? For getting kicked out of school? For losing all of my friends? For endangering my life all the time and never getting to tell anyone because I might endanger them? Go on. Prepare me."

Giles stared at her, taken aback.

Buffy sighed and walked out.

Giles seemed at lost for words before finally deciding on, "Damn"

As Giles started after Buffy, Xander stepped out from behind a bookshelf holding a math book. He looked toward the doorway Buffy had just left and asked, "What?"

Giles chased Buffy do

wn the hallway when he said, "It's getting worse."

Buffy sighed before turning around, "What's getting worse?"

Giles said, "Supernatural occurrences have been building up around here for years. There's a reason why you're here. And there's a reason why its now."

Buffy said, "Because now is the time when my mom moved here."

Giles said, "Something is coming. Something big is going to happen here. Soon"

Buffy smarted off, "Gee can you vague that up for me?"

Giles stressed, "The signs as far as I can tell lead me to believe something will happen in mere days."

Buffy said, "Come on this is Smallville Kansas. How much evil can be here?"

Clark was sitting in the football stands watching the tryouts. How he longed to be out there trying out with Xander. Hell he wouldn't mind getting cheered for by Lana Lang.

Clark tried to read his copy of Dracula for English, but his mind couldn't help wonder.

He imagined himself in the red and yellow uniform. Being the quarterback, seeing that there was only 8 seconds in the last quarter and no-one to pass the ball to. He knocked down four players and sprinted down the field, running 90 yards in less then 3 seconds. Faking out players and jumping over others. When he makes it into the end zone, he throws the pigskin in to the ground so hard it obliterates. He took off his helmet, and Buffy ran toward him. She said, "I knew you could do it Clark. He could hear people chanting his name, as Buffy leaned in to give him a NC-17 full on make-out.

Then he heard Xander shout, "Clark!"

Clark snapped out of it to see his best friend in football equipment two sizes too big for a guy twice his size.

Xander asked, "What the hell buddy? You had a far out look and were making happy noises. Were you day dreaming about me again?"

Clark said, "Shut up Xander."

Xander grinned, "So how do I look?"

Clark grinned, "Like a tackle dummy."

Clark stood up, "Good luck out there killer."

Xander said, "Clark we got to talk man."

Clark said, "Not now man I'm going to meet Buffy."

"Dude this is about Buffy."

"Xander I know you're jealous but you were the one who made me go talk to her. I like her and I think she likes me so deal with it."

Xander watched as Clark walked back toward the school.

Buffy had a very productive 6th period. She had learned the basics of surviving "Hick High" and learned details about Clark. He was adopted, he's 14 years old. And never had a serious girlfriend. From the way Chloe described him, Buffy suspected Chloe may have a crush on Clark. Chloe talked about how dependable and loyal Clark was.

Before she knew it school was over. Buffy met Clark at the front of the school. Buffy had called ahead to her mother and told her how she was going to walk home with Clark. 6 miles was a long way home but more time to talk to Clark.

As they walked Buffy got a sense that Clark was a very secretive and lonely person. She could relate. Unlike every guy she ever met, he stared into her eyes and not her chest. He listened to what she said and seemed to actually care about her opinion.

She told him of her life if L.A. minus the vamps. He told her about life on a farm and Chloe and Xander.

They had made it to a bridge when Clark leaned against the railing and stared out into the water.

Buffy mirrored him and asked, "Clark why didn't you go out for football?"

Clark grinned at her, "What makes you think I'd want to?"

Buffy said, "Well you looked longingly at the football stadium as we left and you seemed annoyed when Xander mentioned tryouts."

Clark sighed, "My dad didn't want me to."

Buffy asked, "Is he anti school spirit?"

Clark answered, "No he was the head of the football team in his day."

"So why not let you play?"

Clark answered truthfully, "I think he wants me not to depend less on my strength and more on my brains."

Buffy said, "But you're already pretty smart."

Clark smiled at her and watched as her hand moved over and touch his.

Then of course all hell broke loose.

And 18-wheeler carrying barb wire drove pass and a roll of barb wire fell off the truck. Then a sliver Porsche going to fast drove right over it. The cars wheels blew out and the car went out of control.

The driver fought for control but couldn't stop it heading toward a bridge and about to hit a small school girl.

Clark saw in slow motion as the car barreled toward Buffy. He stepped in front of the car and shoved Buffy out of harms way. After she was clear of the car, the car ran into Clark and both went over the bridge and into the river.

Buffy went from having a Kodak moment with the handsome farm boy to being shoved on the ground in almost a second. She stares as Clark is hit by a car and both go into the river.

Buffy stares as the water settles from the splash. After a moment Buffy swan dives into the water, desperate to save Clark.

When she was under the water she was amazed to see the roof of the car torn open and Clark was dragging a bald man toward the surface.

Both Buffy and Clark made it to land.

Buffy stared in awe as Clark started to perform CPR on the man.

Clark pushed down on the man's chest saying, "Don't die on me."

Finally the man coughed up water.

The man looked up at Clark, "I could have sworn I hit you."

Buffy stared at Clark as he said with utmost surprise and dread, "If you did. I'd be dead."