A/N: Thanks for the reviews!! I'm still unsure if its going to be more than Buffy/Clark friendship, so let me know if you have a preference either way.

Chapter 2 – Secrets

Buffy sat in the loft holding Mr. Gordo, and watched the stars while thinking about everything and at the same time nothing. It was peaceful to just sit there and listen to the silence.

It was nothing like the silence at the dinner table, as everyone tried to finds topics to discuss but at the same time staying silent and wondering who she was and what she was doing there. It didn't help that Buffy occasionally called Clark 'Kal'; even though she tried to stop herself after she noticed them flinching at the name. But she couldn't help it; as long as she had known the farm boy he had been 'Kal'.

Running away from home after killing Angel, Buffy had ended up in Los Angeles for a time but quickly the fear of being found drove her farther away. She finally ended up in Metropolis and survived by working at diners. By chance, the manager of a popular local bar – Destiny -- had stopped in for a quick bite and offered her a job. On impulse, Buffy had accepted and a couple days later she became a bartender.

Quickly she became a favourite – both being beautiful, friendly, and a master of mixing drinks. Everyone was amazed at how quickly she had picked up the little tricks that make a great bartender, and slowly Buffy started to come out of her shell. She still wasn't comfortable going by Buffy, so she became Slay. One of the bartenders gave her the name because she was always breaking the customers hearts. A real manslayer.

It was a few weeks later that she met Kal.

Bars were a feeding haven for vampires – a dark room filled with inebriated humans – and Buffy soon found herself falling back into her slaying habits, though she was careful to make sure no one ever saw her. So the second Kal entered the bar Buffy was aware of him.

She kept an eye on Kal all night – having asked one of the other bartenders for his name -- but other than him being a first class jerk he didn't seem to be dangerous. Buffy had almost forgotten about him when she left after her shift, but when she felt his presence nearby she decided to take a look. To the blonde girl's surprise, she found him slouched against in an alley passed out with his shirt open revealing a scar that resembled at eight within a crest.

Buffy chuckled slightly as she remembered his startled reaction to finding himself at a girl's apartment.

Clark blinked his eyes to find himself somewhere other than his loft. Looking under the covers, he was embarrassed to find that he was wearing only his draws. His embarrassment heightened when a smiling Buffy entered the room asking how he was doing. Blushing bright red, Clark apologized for inconveniencing her and searched desperately for his clothes. After getting over the difference in his personality from just the night before, Buffy treated him to a homemade breakfast.

The two talked comfortably, though both skirted around their pasts, until Buffy commented on his change in personality. Clark gasped and searched his pockets desperately. When Buffy asked what was wrong, he only apologized again and left in a hurry.

Worried, Buffy returned to place she had found the strange boy in hopes of finding whatever it was that he had been looking for. After ten minutes, she was almost ready to give up when Buffy noticed a red glow from under some garbage. Cringing, the Slayer dug around until she pulled out a school ring.

"I wonder where Smallville is?" Buffy thought and then glanced at her watch. Realizing she wouldn't have time to find Kal before work started, she tucked the ring in her pocket and hoped that he would show up.

He didn't show up -- not that night or the next three nights. Buffy was about to give up when one of the girls at the bar mentioned him in passing. Luckily, she remembered where he lived and a few hours later the Slayer suddenly found herself standing in front of his door.

By the vibes she was receiving, the Slayer knew he inside – but it also reminded Buffy that she still wasn't sure what Kal was yet. Though he hadn't seemed dangerous, he did seem to have a split personality. She just couldn't reconcile the bad-boy the girls were crying over and the shy boy that had woken up in her apartment.

Taking in a deep breath, Buffy knocked only to receive no reply. She knocked again – louder – but still Kal didn't answer.

"Come on, Kal, I know you're in there! I just want to return your ring," Buffy yelled, and was shocked by the door suddenly swinging open revealing a wide-eyed Kal.

"You found it?" he asked incredulously, "How did you know…?"

"When you freaked out, I figured you'd lost something important so I went back to where I found you in the hopes I'd find it. When I saw the ring, I figured it was yours," Buffy grinned mischievously, "and since you've already slept over at my place, don't you think I should see your?"

On cue, Kal blushed furiously but grinned and let her in.

A creak from the stairs brought Buffy out of her memories, and she turned to see Kal's mother coming up the stairs. The women smiled gently and held out a folded blanket to the blonde girl.

"I thought you might be getting a little cold."

Buffy took and said, "I'm sorry if I woke you up."

Martha just shook her head, dismissing the girl's concerns. "Don't worry, it's all a part of the mother package."

Buffy noticeably saddened at that and looked back up to the stars. Hesitantly, Martha sat beside the girl; unsure of what to make of this girl and her sudden appearance but the mother in her cried out to help the forlorn teen.

"I'm sorry for disrupting your lives like this, its just…I didn't know who else to call but Ka…Clark."

Staying silent, Martha wondered how much she should ask or how far she should push the girl. Clark hadn't said anything to either her or Jonathon about who Buffy was or where they had met. Although, the fact that Buffy sometimes called him 'Kal' was telling. That period of time in Clark's life was hard to remember, and most of the time all the Kents tried ignore that it had happened.

"How did you and Clark meet?" she asked gently, hoping it was the right thing.

Buffy was silent, wondering what she should say. She knew Clark's secret, but they hadn't discussed how much they should tell his parents about how they met, his life in Metropolis, about her.

"She helped me out of the hole Jor'el had me in."

The two startled at the voice of the dark-haired youth. Clark slowly walked up the stairs with a smile on his face.

"Clark…" Martha breathed, looking between her son and the girl.

"It's okay, Mom, she knows. If it hadn't been for her, dad wouldn't have been able to reach me – I would have been too far gone," Clark said the last bit in a sad voice, remembering how far he had almost fallen. "She kept me from…doing something really horrible."

"You wouldn't have done it, even if I hadn't been there," Buffy said quietly, but with conviction.

"You don't know that."

"I do."

They two stared at each other, communicating as only those who have shared something powerful could do. Mrs. Kent watched, wanting to understand but at the same time afraid to know. Their gazes were broken by yet another voice as Jonathon Kent also made his way to the loft.

"So this is where everyone is…you know, some people sleep at night," he said wryly and everyone chuckled and the serious air dissipated. Clark sat down on the other side of Buffy and wrapped a friendly arm over her shoulders. Leaning in closer, Buffy pulled Mr. Gordo up to her chest, closing her eyes, and enjoyed the feeling of safety that she always felt in Kal's arms.

Clark chuckled.

"I still can't believe you have that pink monstrosity, Slay."

Buffy's eyes flashed with indignation. "Hey! Don't mock Mr. Gordo; he's been through everything with me. Besides…mom gave him to me. He's all I got left of her," she whispered. Clark drew her in closer and rested his chin on her head.

For the first time, Buffy let tears fall. Not many, and not hard – but for the first time she let go some of the pain of her mother's death. Mr. and Mrs. Kent watched this silently, beginning to understand why their son had brought Buffy home with him. Their son could never leave anyone in pain – he had to rescue everyone, or at least try.

But…

Exhausted from the previous days events, and finally letting go some of her emotional barriers, Buffy fell asleep in Clark's arms. Carefully, he carried her up to the spare bedroom and went down to talk with his parents. By this time it was six am, and Martha was baking breakfast while Jonathon was having coffee. They both turned as their son descended the stairs.

"She's sleeping."

Clark sat down and waited for the questions – he didn't have to wait long.

"Clark, what do plan to do with her?" Jonathon asked.

"What do you mean?"

"She can't stay here forever, Clark. There has to be someone who's looking for her."

Clark's eyes clouded for a moment and a look of anger crossed his face, but it was gone so quickly that Jonathon thought he might have imagined it.

"Her mom's dead, and her dad is somewhere in Europe with his secretary. She couldn't even get a hold of him for the funeral. There is no one."

"Clark, sweetie, I know you want to help," she glanced helplessly at Jonathon, "but if she stays here she might find out your secret."

"I told you, she already knows."

"Son, exactly how much does she know?" Jonathon asked concernedly.

"Everything."

The Kents digested that in silence.

"Clark, what happened between you two in Metropolis?"

This time it was Clark's turn to be silent. Memories flooded his mind, most of which he had been trying to forget. He wasn't proud of what he did as Kal; the only good thing that he remembered was his friendship with Slay – both as Kal and as Clark. But he knew his parents needed to know what happened, or else they would never trust Slay.

"Before you found me…a drug addict had broken into my apartment and I caught him trying to steal some of my stuff. I was wearing the ring at the time, and I went berserk. I broke his arm and a couple of ribs and I was…"

Clark looked at his parents with shame flooded across his face.

"I was about to kill when Slay stopped me. She told the thief to get himself to a hospital and never tell anyone what happened, or she would make him regret it," Clark chuckled a little at that, "If she hadn't stopped me I would have killed him."

Clark looked into his father's eyes.

"If she hadn't stopped me then…I would have killed you when you came for me."

Martha hugged her son and whispered reassurances in his ear. She shared an agonized glance with her husband, knowing there was nothing either of them could do to spare Clark this torment.

"I can't turn my back on her now that I can help her the same way she helped me," Clark begged.

The older Kents shared a silent look, but they had known this was coming from the moment their son had introduced Buffy.

"If she's going to be staying her, I want to be going to school," Jonathon Kent said in a stern voice, but his smiled slightly. Clark beamed and hugged his parents and headed back upstairs. Halfway up he realized that he was going to tell Buffy she was going back to school.

Idly, he wondered just how invulnerable he was.

TBC