Still don't own anything

Chapter 4

Clark's hands gripped the armrests tightly, leaving smooth indentations from his fingers in the metal. He had his eyes shut tight, finally letting his breath out when he felt the plane level off. He didn't open his eyes until he felt a small hand on top of his. Looking over, he saw Chloe smirking widely at him. "And here I thought I was the one who was supposed to be nervous Clark."

Letting go, he tried to smile. "Well… you know… Clark and heights don't go well together."

Sitting quietly, they stared ahead at the seats in front of them, the flight almost empty save for a few other passengers.

"So, did you tell Lana that you were running off with her dorm mate to the exciting west coast?" Chloe smiled slightly, trying to pick at Clark.

"Actually, Lana and I had a fight the other day. I don't know Chloe, it just seems like no matter what, she and I seem less and less likely to be together. And for the first time, I feel like that's a good thing that we aren't together." He heard the sudden inhale from Chloe, but chose to ignore it for now. "I've been crazy over her for years, I even let it get in the way of more important things." He placed his hand over hers slowly, his palm almost swallowing her fingers.

Chloe looked back up at him, almost afraid to ask what was on her mind, when suddenly the plane tilted again. Clark's hand shot away from hers, latching onto the arm rest again, and his eyes slamming shut. Chloe laughed, rubbing the top of his arm, and leaned her head to his shoulder, sitting quietly next to him.

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Xander was pacing around the gate area, nervous energy making him unable to just sit quietly. He got this way with every new potential, eager, nervous, much like he used to be in high school when trying to meet new girls. It wasn't like it mattered now if they thought he was cool, it was just force of habit.

"Oy mate, sit down. You're gonna wear out the rug, and it's not that sickening a shade of turquoise." Spike chewed the end of a cigarette, wishing he could light up. He had noticed he was going through even more cigarettes lately, but he blamed that on all the women he had to deal with nowadays. "Do we even know what this bird looks like?" he asked Xander.

"Yeah, her Watcher sent a picture to Giles." Reaching in his back pocket, Xander produced a printout, handing it to Spike. He took it, studying the smiling face. Short blonde hair, big smile…

"God, what is it with bouncy blondes and the Slayer lineage. And what is she doing… is that a fair?" Squinting his eyes to see further back in the picture, he frowned. "What is Cow Patty Bingo?"

"There she is." Xander stepped out into the greeting area, seeing the blonde girl walk through the hallway from the plane. She looked… not as nervous as one might expect given the situation.

"Well at least she's not breaking down crying like the last one," Spike stated simply. "But hey, what's this friend look like? Was there a picture of thaaaaaaaaa…?" The word fell slowly from his lips, staring at the fellow who had just stepped out next to Chloe, almost having to duck under the doorway. He was freakin' huge! "I'm guessing that's him?" he asked, turning to Xander.

Xander could only nod quietly. "He's even taller than Angel, right? Wow, the air in Kansas must be really… full of steroids. This is good if he can help us fight. And if he's not gonna turn into the Creep from the deep." Spike shot him an inquisitive look. "Long story, another time."

Nodding, Spike put the cigarette behind his ear. "Ok. Looks like he could be good in a fight. But I swear, if he's as broody as Peaches, I'm gonna punch his bloody face in."

Clark and Chloe walked out of the connector, looking around for the people they were supposed to meet. "We're looking for a guy named… Xander? Have you ever heard of a Xander?" Chloe asked while looking at the piece of paper Jonathan had given them before the flight.

"Not that I can remember, but we do know a Lex, so let's not jump other people's names so quickly." He shouldered his backpack, looking over her shoulder at the paper.

"Chloe? Chloe Sullivan?" A voice broke their concentration. Looking up, they saw a young man with an eye patch, and guy in dark blues with slick bleached hair.

"That's me, and this is my friend, Clark." She reached out to shake Xander's hand, then Clark did the same.

"Clark? What kind of name is Clark?" Spike chuckled.

"Spike, cool it alright?" Xander interrupted.

Clark smirked. "You call yourself Spike? And you're making fun of my name?"

Stepping up to the younger man, Spike stared up the several inch difference between them. "You know, you look really big from a distance, but now, face to face… good God man, what does your mum feed you?"

This caused Chloe to break into laughter, prompting all three men to look at her. "Trust me, it's all good and all homemade. Clark's family comes from a farm."

They exchanged more banter on the way to the luggage pick up, Spike actually realizing he would be able to deal with this Potential much better than the ones currently taking over the house. Clark shouldered all their luggage, two big duffels plus his backpack, making Spike and Xander look at him with slightly awed faces. "Farm boy, remember?" Chloe laughed, used to seeing this reaction from new people who met her best friend.

Walking out to the parking lot, Spike led them to his newest "acquisition." A four door Dodge Ram 2500 Pickup with a lift kit, fully tricked out with plenty of chrome. "WHOA!" Clark exclaimed. "This is yours?"

Spike smirked. "Yup, just got it off the lot." Xander had to turn so his laughter wouldn't be as obvious.

"No offense Spike, but you don't strike me as the big truck kinda guy," Clark answered, walking around to toss the bags in the truck bed, then looking over the entire truck, whistling at the little touches here and there.

"Well, I wanted to branch out, experience new things. Everyone, pile in." He climbed up into the driver's seat, watching in the rearview as Clark lifted Chloe into the back seat, then climbed up himself. Xander grunted, plopping down next to Spike up front.

During the hour ride back to Sunnydale, the four were engaging in small talk, who worked at what, what movies were any good lately. Chloe looked up at the front, then over at Clark, whispering very softly. "Clark, Spike's not in the mirror!"

"What?" he mouthed confused.

"I can see Xander in the mirror, but not Spike. Something's not right here." She looked back up front, staring straight into Spike's eyes.

"Something wrong luv?" he asked.

"NO!" she shrieked, then quickly composed herself. "I uh… I mean no. Nothing's wrong."

"Ok, good. Don't want you to get all twitchy just because I don't have something like a reflection or anything like that." He smirked as he finished the statement.

"Stop the car!" Clark shouted.

"What? No, look, we can explain all of this," Xander started.

"I said now!" Clark stared the man down.

Sighing, Xander looked at Spike. "Pull over."

Spike slowed to a stop, jumping out of the cab. "Ok, listen, there's a logical explanation for…" He couldn't finish the sentence, he was lifted off his feet by a hand around his throat.

Clark looked up at him. "Is this a trap? What do you want with Chloe?"

Xander and Chloe ran around to the other side of the truck. "Uh, Clark, you might need to put Spike down, he's not happy about being pushed around like this."

Ignoring Xander, Clark stared back at Spike. "What's going on?"

"You have three second's to let me down mate! One… two…" Before hitting three, Spike threw a hard punch at Clark, catching him directly in the nose, and heard the satisfying crunch of bone… until he realized the crunching was his own hand. "AHHH!"

Clark stumbled back, holding his face. That punch hit him harder than anyone's had before, what was going on? His eyes scanned the area quickly, but he didn't see any Kryptonite.

Chloe ran to Clark, looking at his face. "Just tell us what is going on, okay?" she looked pleading at Xander.

Xander took a deep breath. "Ok… the world has all sorts of bad things in it, you know that much right? Ok, well, Spike here isn't your average Vampire, he had a microchip put into his head so he couldn't hurt any living thing, then he started helping us to fight the forces of evil, then he went and got his soul back so he could be more of a man than a monster, and now he's a good guy that fights the bad guys and doesn't hurt people anymore, and how hard is your head Kent, Spike can usually punch through a wall if he needed to?"

The other three stared at Xander as he spouted off. "What? She wanted an explanation."

"Alright, alright… so we know I'm not going to attack you now, right?" Clark and Chloe nodded slowly. "Ok, so let's get out of here, because sun comes up in a couple hours, and I'm not a big fan."

He climbed back into the driver's seat, pulling the cigarette from behind his ear and pushing in the truck's cigarette lighter. He heard a slight cough from the backseat, and looked over his shoulder.

It was Chloe. "Um, could you not smoke that? Smoke really bothers me."

Spike stared slack jawed, then tossed the cigarette onto the floor. "Damn blondes and their damn infectious smiles and bright eyes…" he muttered, flooring it as the truck skidded back onto the highway, dirt and rocks flying all over the road sign behind them with loud clangs.

Giles was sitting on the porch when he heard a loud engine coming closer. Standing up, he shivered a little hearing the tires screech as the truck lurched to a stop. He had to laugh as Xander jumped out of the taller than normal cab, hitting the ground and kissing the grass. "Land! Oh thank God, solid land!"

"Get up you ponce, it's not that bad." Spike jumped out walking past Xander and standing next to Giles on the porch. "I swear he gets to be more of a Nancy everyday. It comes from being stuck in this house with all these bloody women."

Rubbing his temples, Giles looked up, seeing a shorter blonde girl climb down gingerly, holding onto a laptop case, and… "Good Lord. That's the friend she brought?" he asked Spike as he watched Clark step down from the truck, not having to drop very far for his legs to reach.

"Yup. And trust me on this Rupes, she's not the only one with something special about her," Spike emphasized with a poke in the arm as he walked into the house. "BLOODY HELL NOT ORLANDO BLOOM AGAIN!"

Giles couldn't help but chuckle as he heard this, turning his attention back to the new arrival. "Chloe isn't it? Very pleased to meet you," he said, shaking her hand.

"Nice to meet you too, and this is my best friend, Clark Kent." Clark reached out, shaking the elder man's hand as well.

"Ah yes, Jonathan and Martha's boy. I've heard many things Mr. Kent."

Clark smiled a little. "Just Clark, sir. Mr. Kent is my dad."

"And Martha is definitely your mother. Forgive me, I'm not used to manners lately, I've been stuck in a house with 40 giggling adolescent girls," he stated polishing his glasses again.

Chloe and Clark laughed, then followed him into the house. "Chloe, I want you to come with me, you're going to meet the original Slayer and Faith, and she is a Slayer as well. It's a rather long story, I'll let them all explain it. Clark, feel free to make yourself at home down here." Giles put an arm behind Chloe, leading her to the staircase, leaving Clark by himself in the front foyer. Glancing around, he was met with plenty of stares from girls all around the living room and dining room. Smiling back at them, he started blushing which elicited a round of giggles from the room. Clark rushed through the kitchen, searching for a door out of the house and fast.

Stepping onto the back porch, he breathed deeply. "So many giggles… oh God."

"Yeah, it wears on you after a bit mate." Spike was leaning back against the trellis, halfway through his third cigarette in ten minutes.

Clark plopped down next to him, leaning his head back against the house. "So, is a vampire with a soul a big deal?" he asked, looking at Spike curiously.

"Yep. When you're turned by a vampire, your soul is replaced by a demon. The demon drives you, twists you to a more evil way of thinking, of acting. It brings out the worst in you, and I had a pretty bad worst, myself."

Clark nodded, taking this in. "But, Xander said you started fighting with them, helping them. So that must mean you had some good to you."

Shaking his head, Spike stubbed his smoke. "No, I had a microchip in my head that gave me a nuclear migraine if I tried to hurt any living thing, like a human, even a bloody puppy. I could still fight demons, and violence is something I happen to enjoy, so I did what I could. Nothing good about it."

"That's crap." Spike looked at Clark, shocked by his sudden bluntness. "You say that there was nothing good about you? How long have you been… uh… living dead?"

"About 120-130 years now. Why?"

"You've been evil, as you put it, for that long, and you couldn't figure out how to get blood from people without hurting them? I'm a farm boy from Kansas, and I can think up at least three off the top of my head. I think part of you wanted to be good, for some reason or another. So what was it? Why the huge change from denizen of darkness to warrior of the good?"

Spike stared at the ground, the answer right on his lips, but not sure if he could make himself say it.

"Did it for a girl, mate."

Clark chuckled quietly. "Isn't that why we all do crazy things?"

Looking at the young man, Spike's face took on his hard edged smirk once again. "Like traveling halfway across the country to a strange place with strange people talking about vampires and demons because your 'friend' has some sort of higher calling?" He used air quotes to emphasize the friend part.

It was Clark's turn to sit quietly. "I don't… uh… what do you mean?" He fidgeted nervously, not looking up at Spike.

"I think you know pretty well what I mean. This bird means a lot to you doesn't she?"

"Well, I… Wait, did you hear that?" Clark tilted his head, listening to the night air.

Spike sat quietly, focusing. "Yea, someone's moving in, slowly. But how did you hear…" Looking at the young man, he tried to figure out what other secrets he had, but the moment was broken suddenly by several men jumping the fence into the backyard, robes billowing behind them. "SLAYER! WE GOT BRINGERS!"

Spike and Clark were up in a flash, fighting off the first wave of attackers, tossing them into each other, at each other, and anywhere they could get them.

Clark was hitting them much softer than usual, but still enough to knock them off their senses. "Can't use full strength, don't want to have everything blow up here in front of strangers."

By this point Buffy and the Potentials had burst onto the back porch, watching Spike and Clark fight off the creatures. She was momentarily stilled by the sight of the new player, tall and powerful, handling the Bringers with almost as much ease as Spike was. Her attention was broken when Spike landed right in front of her, crushing one of the flower boxes beneath him. "Oh, Spike! Are you ok?" She knelt, helping him sit up.

Spike was caught in her eyes, seeing a flicker of genuine concern. "Yea Buffy, I'm good. Got a sword handy?" he asked, standing back up.

Clark was knocking them back as fast as he could, and had just about knocked the second wave back when he noticed something glint in the bright moonlight. One of the Bringers had his dagger out and was already in the process of throwing it. Clark jumped to block it, but the blade slipped right between his fingers. Looking behind him, he saw it head right for the crowd on the porch, the girl furthest front being… "CHLOE!" He tried to run to stop it, but he was suddenly covered by at least six Bringers, knocking him to the ground before he could react.

Spike and Buffy looked up at the same time, seeing the dagger move in almost slow motion as they were already moving to react. Spike pushed Buffy back, out of the way of danger, and dove in front of the newest girl just as the tip of the dagger reached him. He felt it slice through his chest, piercing his long dormant heart, and let out a throaty growl as the pain hit him. He suddenly heard a much higher pitched scream and turned around, hearing metal rip flesh. Chloe had a pained look on her face and he saw the red already soaking through her shirt up near her shoulder. The blade passed completely through him and stabbed her in the shoulder.

Clark looked up to see Spike move, then the blood flowing from Chloe. He suddenly felt an extreme energy hit him, his blood boiling. With a shout, he tossed the Bringers off of him. Standing tall, he put himself between them and the house. "THAT'S IT!"

Everyone stared as Clark started dismantling the attacking force. Punches sending Bringers head over heels backwards, his boots colliding with chests and legs. Spike could hear bones snapping, and could almost make out the words the Bringers were unable to speak, like "OW" and "GOD THAT HURTS". Grabbing two of them, Clark smashed them together, blood flowing from their faces.

"Good Lord, what is all the commotion…" Giles stepped outside, then ducked just in time to dodge a flying body. He saw Jonathan's son fighting the Bringers with a very intense ferocity, even wincing as he punched one hard enough to snap its neck. He was about to tell the boy to look out as he saw one moving to stab him in the back, but could only stare wide eyed as the blade shattered against his skin.

Finally, Clark had beaten them all down, and held the last one up by his collar before letting him fall on the heap with the rest. Turning slowly, he saw everyone gaping at him.

Clark shook his head, realizing it was all out in the open now. Looking at his friend, he saw a younger girl and a redhead looking at her wound, and then he noticed Chloe was… smiling at him?

Things were definitely changing.

End. Chapter 4