Pairing: Clark Kent/Buffy Summers

Warnings/Triggers:Torture, Violence, Mention's of Major Character Death, Bad Language, Sexual Tension, Eventual Smut

Summary: Takes place during Man of Steel. When Buffy discovers the U.S Military trying to keep quiet about an object buried in a twenty thousand year old glacier, she immediately thinks the worst. However, when a surprise visit to the Canadian Arctic puts her in the path of a mysterious stranger her whole world is changed forever.

Authors Notes: Well first I need to say, Wow, just wow you guys. You've been completely amazing with the reviews and questions. I will answer them all as soon as I can. It's just been busy this week. Anyway, I'm posting this now because I'm not gonna be able to post until Sunday otherwise. I'm about halfway through Chapter Four so I'm hoping to have it done by at least Tuesday, and betaed by next weekend. Anyway thank you all again. I had so much fun writing this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. My amazing beta Hipkarma has been a wonderful help while I've been writing this. So she deserves a big thanks and much credit for this chapter.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


Chapter Three

"I'm sorry Colonel Hardy, I don't remember much." Buffy said over SATCOM, her breath fogging up the magical bubble around her head.

She thanked whatever deity was watching over her that she looked ragged enough to pull off the lie she was about to tell. Both she and Willow going to great lengths to make it look as if she had been abandoned near a rocky outcrop. Willow even going as far as enlarging a few footprints to make them look as if a man had carried Buffy's body through the snow. For her part, Buffy had rolled in the icy cold powder, leaving an impression of her body and a blood stain to boot. She also pulled out a few strands of hair for good measure to leave behind.

They were now back at the H.Q. in Scotland. Willow had ported them directly into the decontamination chamber on Wes's orders. They were both doused in disinfectant and then sprayed with water just below scorching. Willow conjured them both magical breathers similar to what they had on their suits, and told her to head to Wes's office. Which is where she was now, doing her best to avoid Wes's disapproving and worried frown now that he finally got a look at her.

"I went for a walk after I got off the phone with Willow and I noticed someone climbing along the ridge, so I followed." She closed her eyes for a moment, as if she was trying to remember. "I found a tunnel that looked recently burrowed out, by what, I don't know. I followed it, found the ship and made my way inside. There was some kind of security droid waiting for me. It took me by surprise and I ended up wounded pretty bad. I fought it off as best I could and then someone saved me." She paused, doing her best to seem confused. "I think it might have been that guy. The one who worked for Arctic Cargo, but I was really out of it. I could just be imagining that. The next thing I know I'm in the middle of nowhere and Willow's standing over me."

Hardy didn't look a hundred percent convinced, but she could tell just by the pinched look on his face he wasn't going to push it. Not when she looked like walking death. "You've obviously been through an ordeal Miss Summers. Your story checks out. The coordinates Mr. Wyndam-Pryce gave us found sufficient evidence to corroborate your story. However, we would like you to quarantine yourself and remain at your headquarters for the next two weeks. We can't risk an alien pathogen being exposed to the public. I have already spoken to Mr. Wyndam-Pryce about this and he agrees."

Buffy nodded in consent, "Of course."

"You could have put a lot of people in danger Miss Summers," He chastised. "After the lecture you gave me, I thought you would have known better than doing something so reckless."

Buffy looked down feigning shame. "You're right Colonel, I apologize. I had good intentions but I should have alerted someone."

"Yes, you should have." He agreed. "Now, I'm assuming you have a medic on hand. I want a documented physical once a day monitoring your health in case you start showing any signs of being sick. I also would like copies of a blood panel."

Buffy opened her mouth to argue but decided against it. Her cooperation right now would keep the Government off their backs in the future. So, instead she answered, "Yes, of course."

Hardy nodded, "Good, we've shipped your possessions back to you. They should be arriving within the week."

He signed off and Buffy's eyes finally met Wesley's disapproving ones, "He's not wrong you know. What you did was entirely to rash and dangerous. You had no way of knowing if this being meant to do you harm and you could have very well walked into a trap."

Buffy frowned, "I really don't think it's fair to be lecturing me when you and Willow have been keeping things from me."

He groaned in frustration. "The prophecy has very little to do with the fact that you ran off into a situation you knew nothing about without backup. You flew away in a spaceship for Christ's sake. You could have been transported to another world." His eyes narrowed on her clothing. "Without your suit no less. What on earth were you thinking?"

Buffy felt her face heat up at his reprimand. It wasn't very often that he took that tone with her. So, when he did, she knew she'd screwed up. "I'm sorry. You're right." She whispered. "At the very least I should have been wearing my suit."

Wesley sighed. "Understand Buffy, it has occurred to me what might happen to you if you went to a dimension without oxygen and didn't have the proper equipment to rectify that. It's why I had Willow put the additions on all of the suits. The other girls would most likely just die, but you could be stuck in a never-ending cycle of suffocating to death."

"You're right," she said again, this time emotion cracking her voice. "I promise it won't happen again."

"Good," He nodded. "As for the prophecy, I kept it from you because I spent years watching Angel strive for something that he believed to be about himself. Letting a prophecy dictate every decision he made. I will not be responsible this time around for the same thing happening to you. Nor will I allow it to happen to this—" He looked at a file on his desk, "Clark Kent."

Buffy frowned, "How did you–"

"Because Willow did the research last year. We tracked him to his childhood home in Smallville Kansas after finding an article about a bus going off a bridge and into a river. According to the story, three witnesses stated that a thirteen-year-old Clark Kent pushed the bus out of the river and then dove under for a Pete Ross, saving everyone onboard." Wesley said, handing her the file. "He's really quite extraordinary."

Buffy flipped through a few pages, frowning when she saw a newspaper article with a picture of a much younger Clark, his face contorted in pain as held on to a woman who could only be his mother. The headline reading:

Tornado Tears Apart Kent Family
April, 19 1997
In devastating news. A well known and loved family among the community was torn apart today when a level four tornado converged near the local highway not far from the Kent farm. Johnathan Kent was lost to the tornado while helping several people trapped on the highway get to safety. Witness's say that his surviving son Clark Kent and wife Martha Kent looked on helplessly as John signaled them to stay put before he was swept away. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Kents on this most devastating and tragic day.

"Oh Clark," Buffy whispered sadly. This definitely explained why he didn't want people to know about him. His own father sacrificed himself for his secret.

"You'll have plenty of time to read up on him in the next two weeks." He sighed, "This is the one moment Hardy and I will probably ever be in agreement about anything. I'm not risking the possibility you brought something back with you on anyone. Both you and Willow are to remain confined to the unused part of the east wing for the next two weeks, am I understood?"

Buffy nodded. "Yes," She agreed quietly. "I understand."

"Very good." He said, before adding as Buffy turned to leave, "And Buffy?"

She stopped in the doorway without turning back around, "Yeah?"

"I truly am happy you're okay."

A smile graced her lips as she left the room. She might be being punished for being stupid but it was only because he cared.


ONE AND A HALF WEEKS LATER:

She was bored out of her mind. She honestly didn't remember the last time she had been this bored and it was doing a number on her mental health. One of the great things about being a Slayer was there was always something to do. Always something to fight or prepare for. This was the first time in years she had been stagnant for this long and her mind kept taking her back to things she'd rather not think about.

Ugh, three days. Three more days until she was allowed out of quarantine and she couldn't wait. She would be flying out to Cleveland where she and Faith would be meeting up for much needed slayage and drinking. After that Wes wanted her to fly out to Kansas City, where she was to establish a base of operations until Clark made contact. If he did at all. Buffy was starting to doubt he ever would.

She tossed her stake in the air for the hundredth time, catching it right before she lost an eye. She had been doing this for at least thirty minutes now, seeing how far she could push the game of how-can-Buffy-maim-herself-today. 'God I really am losing my mind!'

Her cell phone rang and she snatched it up without looking at the number. "You have reached Buffy's own personal hell; how may I help you?"

Silence greeted her and she frowned at her phone, not recognizing the number. "Hello?"

"Buffy?" A deep voice asked over the line.

"Clark?" She breathed, sitting up in her borrowed bed.

"Yeah," He said, worry lacing his voice. "Everything alright?"

"Ugh," She groaned, falling back on the ancient mattress and coughing when she breathed in what must have been three-hundred-year-old dust. "Nothing dire, just in quarantine for another three days and both Willow and I have been banished to a part of the castle that hasn't seen an interior decorator in at least three hundred years." She snorted, "I'm pretty sure she's regretting making me immortal right about now."

He sighed. "I'm sorry," He apologized. "For getting you in trouble."

"Oh, trust me," She chuckled, "I did that all on my own. I went after you without my suit and without backup. I'm not in trouble because of you. I'm in trouble for being stupid and almost dying."

He was quiet a long moment before he asked, "You have a suit?"

"Yeah," she said, curling a strand of blonde hair around her finger. "It's made of Kevlar and a crap ton of magic. If I had been wearing it, I wouldn't be in quarantine right now." She sighed, "At least I only have three more days. I'll be heading to Cleveland after that."

"What's in Cleveland?" He asked curiously.

She smiled, "A Hellmouth and some old friends. Basically, I have forty-eight hours to blow off some steam by killing a bunch of demons and getting gloriously drunk. Wes said as long as I sing in front of Lorne, he doesn't care what I do while I'm there."

There was amusement in his voice now, "Did you just say sing?"

She rolled her eyes, and chuckled. "Lorne is an empath demon who is able to read people's possible futures when they sing. He doesn't always tell you what he sees, but he tends to put people on the right path. He owns a demon karaoke bar in downtown called The Sanctuary."

"Are you having to sing because of this prophecy your friend was talking about?" He asked.

Buffy shrugged even though he couldn't see her. "Probably, I don't really know. He's being pretty mums-the-word about it. Says he doesn't want me or you to get obsessed where it influences our decisions. Personally, I think he's projecting."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Wes hasn't exactly had very good luck with prophecies." She sighed sadly. "He followed someone for a long time thinking they were this prophesized Champion. A vampire with a soul, meant to help fight back the darkness, will be granted mortality once again," She shrugged. "Or something like that. I don't really know, I never read it."

"Hmm, didn't turn out like he expected," Clark guessed.

"Yeah," She agreed. "Another vampire fought for his soul and died saving the world. Kinda throws into question who the prophecy was actually about." She sighed. "Long story short, the other vampire was brought back somehow. The how and why of that is still pretty vague, I wasn't there when it happened." She shrugged staring at the stone ceiling. "Anyway, Spike came back–and I don't know…maybe the idea of Spike doing something like that soulless, got to Angel or maybe he really was corrupted somehow after he lost Cordy. All I know is, according to his team, Angel started acting really weird. They had recently taken over a law firm that was pretty much evil incarnate, hoping to change it from the inside out. Somewhere along the way, he stopped caring. He wasn't trying to do what was right anymore. He started making really shady deals with really bad demons. His team quit and went into hiding with Spike and a few months later Angel disappeared."

She swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice from cracking. Her mind wandering to a time of pure horror. She stared at the ceiling holding her breath, trying to keep her emotions in check. She must have gotten lost in the memories because Clark's worried voice finally snapped her out of it.

"Buffy?"

"Sorry," she said, sitting up and shaking her head. "Got lost for a minute." She swallowed, taking a deep breath before continuing. "When Angel returned, he brought an army, sans a soul and spent the next six months trying to destroy me in every way possible. A lot of good people and demons died."

"I…I don't understand. Why was he so hell bent on hurting you?" Clark asked, confusion and perhaps even a bit of anger tinting his voice.

"He was…well…" She sighed. "When you're sixteen the whole Romeo and Juliet thing seems really romantic. Forbidden love, cursed vampire with a soul and Slayer destined to meet. I spent a long time believing that to be true. Even after…" She paused, swallowing down her tears and shame. "Even after he lost his soul the first time and tried to do the same thing, I held on to that belief. He left me for what he said was my own good and still I held on to that belief. I shut people out and sabotaged relationships because of it. When I finally let go of it, when I finally found a bit of self-worth and happiness, and was really starting to enjoy my life again after my resurrection; he showed up and ripped it all away." She felt the bitterness and anger rise up then and knew he could hear it in her voice. "And he did it all because he loved me and the soulless demon part of him hated me for that."

She heard what sounded like heavy breathing and then a low dangerous voice came over the phone, "Is he…did you–"

"Yes," She whispered, the anger in his voice sending a shiver down her spine. She picked up her stake, fidgeting with it; uncomfortable with the topic. "He's gone. I made sure."

"And the prophecy?" He asked.

She pressed her finger against the point of the stake, enough to hurt but not break skin. "Who knows. Rumor has it that Angel signed his rights away when he joined something called the Circle of the Blackthorn. So maybe the prophecy is about reincarnation and when Spike died, he was reborn and is now an eight-year-old little boy again somewhere. Then again, it might not have been about him at all, and when Angel signed his rights away the prophecy became null and void."

They were both quiet for a long time and then Buffy blew out a breath chuckling humorlessly, "And wow, did I just unload on you. I am so sorry. I was not expecting to tell you all that today, or like ever, really."

"Don't be, I'm glad you did. It gives me a little more insight into what I'm signing up for." Just then Buffy heard what sounded like a screen door opening.

"Clark, honey, dinner's almost ready." A woman's voice said.

"Okay, Mom. I'll be in, in a minute," He answered.

There was a pause, before his mom curiously asked, "Are you talking to your new friend?"

"Yeah," he said, amusement in his voice.

"Well, you should invite her to dinner one of these nights."

Buffy heard the screen door swing shut. Her mind trying to process what exactly just happened. "You told your mom about me?" She asked surprised.

She heard him chuckle, before saying. "Didn't really have much of a choice. Your little friend Willow showed up here about six months ago looking for me. She left her card and a book on Slayers and Demons. Wild stuff by the way."

Buffy groaned, "Of course she did."

She heard him chuckle again, "Listen Buffy, I gotta go, but I was thinking maybe I could meet you in Cleveland if that's alright with you? I'd like to see a demon so I can know what to look for."

"Sure," she said. Sudden anticipation filling her at the prospect of seeing him so soon. "My flight gets in around sixteen hundred hours on Saturday, but I should probably tell you I was already headed to Kansas City anyway."

"You were?" He sounded surprised. "Why?"

"In case you called." She said, and then realized how flirtatious that sounded. Luckily, he didn't seem to catch it.

He chuckled, "Well then, now you have to come over for dinner. My mom won't take no for an answer."

She smiled; he really was a sweetheart. "I'd love to."

"And I'm still serious about Cleveland." He added. "I was reading about Hellmouths in that book Willow left and I'm curious."

Her smile widened, and a giddy giggle escaped her lips. 'God I'm acting like a teenager.'

"Well alright then. You got a pen and paper? I'll give you the address of where I'll be staying."

Buffy heard the screen door open and close before he said. "Okay, go ahead."

She gave him the address, and told him to be there anytime between six and eight. An evil grin stretched her face as she added, "Oh and Clark, I hope you know what this means."

She could almost see the worried look that must be on his face at the moment. "And what does it mean exactly?"

"You're gonna have to sing too," Buffy laughed.

"Not a chance in hell."

"We'll see about that," Buffy said, before hanging up.


Clark was nervous. He didn't remember the last time he was this nervous. He stared up at the large building in trepidation, hearing several voices inside. Way more than he expected. He honed in, searching for the sound of her voice and sighing in relief when he finally found it. He wasn't trying to listen in, but the conversation she was having caught his attention.

"So, definitely a stud," A woman's husky voice said in a teasing tone.

"Faith!" He heard Buffy say warningly.

"Oh yah," A deep male voice said chuckling. "She's feelin' him alright. Look at them cheeks. You almost red girl."

"Fine," He heard Buffy cry. "He's gorgeous, okay!" She sighed, "But what does it matter? He's… he's sweet and innocent. I'd only end up hurting him. Every man I've ever been with has either died, left me, or went evil." There was a pause, before she whispered, "I'm a man destroyer."

"That's about the dumbest shit I ever heard," The male voice said. "So, Riley left, you knew you weren't right for him. You told me that yourself. And Spike, you actually think you somehow did him a disservice? He got his soul for you, girl. He became a champion for the light only because of you. If it wasn't for him…me, Wes, and Lorne wouldn't have made it those last couple of months. Illyria's great for muscle, but the concept that humans need to eat is one she never really caught on to."

Clark quickly pulled away from the conversation. Already feeling guilty for hearing that much. They were obviously teasing her about him. Though he had to agree with whomever said her reasoning was–well, he wouldn't call it dumb, more like misguided. She was smart, witty, and beautiful. She was selling herself far too short if she really thought that. It only made him hate this Angelus even more.

The book Willow had left him was very informative about both vampires and though he didn't much like the vampire known as Spike either, he did respect the hell out of his final choices. It was a noble death to die for someone you love, his father had done the same for him and he knew if given a similar choice he would do the same as well.

Clark was relieved however about Buffy's hesitance to begin a relationship with him. It was something that he had actually worried about the past couple days. It was quite clear that the attraction he felt towards her was reciprocated and he didn't want to have to explain he was terrified of hurting her or anyone else physically. It's one of the many reasons he'd never been intimate with anyone before. He'd had nightmares of what could happen if he lost control in the heat of the moment and pulled too hard, or grasped too strongly.

So, it was definitely a blessing that she was just as afraid to let anyone in as he was. It would save them both the discomfort and awkwardness of him having to explain why he couldn't be what she needed. Or worse, finding himself unable to refuse an advance, which was honestly the more likely of the outcomes. It wasn't even a question of wanting her. He already knew he did. That little giggle he'd heard her make and her innocent teasing and challenge at the end of their phone call had sent his libido into overdrive.

None of that mattered however. He was a man of self-control. His dad had made sure of that. So, no matter how he felt, he couldn't let those types of feelings get in the way. Not when there was such a high risk of hurting someone who was already so broken and beaten down by life and love.

He could be her friend though. Maybe help ease some of the burden she was carrying. He already found himself feeling guilty at times while reading about some of the things she had been through. The book itself was all quite clinical, but actually meeting her made some of those things not feel quite as cut and dry as the book seemed to describe. He wished he could have met her long ago. He wished he could have been helping her for years if he was being honest with himself.

He sighed again, adjusting the strap of the backpack he was returning. 'No time like the present Clark.' He made his way up to the door and knocked, surprised when a young girl in workout attire answered it. This must be another Slayer. He knew they were young from what the book said, but to see it was unnerving. Buffy was that age once, fighting evil all by herself with just a handful of people helping her.

The girl had curly red hair, freckles, and large blue eyes that gave him a once over before saying. "If you're the pizza guy, we're ordering from you guys from now on."

Clark felt his face heat up at her bluntness and cleared his throat. "Umm, is Buffy here?"

"Ugh," The girl rolled her eyes and sneered, "Of course you're here for the Queen Bitch herself."

Clarks eyes widened, what was she, sixteen? Apparently, Slayers came in all makes and models as far as personality went.

"Are you seriously still pissed at her for chewing your ass last year after almost getting us killed?" Another girl a little older than the redhead said, coming out of a room to the left. She had short black hair, dark eyes, a nose ring, and was wearing way too much black in his opinion, but she held herself in much more mature manner than the other girl.

"You must be the new recruit no one is saying anything about." The young woman said holding out her hand. "Sorry about Tanya, she doesn't play well with others. I'm Lisa by the way."

The redhead huffed and rolled her eyes heading through a door that was adjacent to the one Lisa had come through.

"Clark," he said, shaking her hand.

She blinked in surprise and raised an eyebrow at him, "Well, now I know why Buffy will be your handler. Follow me."

She led him up a staircase, and then down a hallway and Clark soon realized this was some sort of boarding school for Slayers. They went through a set of double doors and down one more hallway before she knocked on a door that read Staff Living Quarters.

"What?" He heard the woman Buffy called Faith shout.

"The new recruit is here for Buffy," Lisa answered.

There was movement behind the door before a voluptuous brunette with dark eyes and a predatory smile opened it.

"Damn B, you weren't lyin'." She said, giving him a once over.

Clark's eyes traveled past the brunette's and landed on Buffy's. His world seeming to narrow at the sight of her. She looked much more rested than the first time he saw her. Her skin full of color and life. She was wearing a white wide necked sweater, a slim tan shoulder peeking out on the left side. She had on black leather pants that accentuated her figure and black Doc Martens boots. He swallowed, forcing his eyes away and meeting the amused eyes of a dark-skinned man who looked to be in his mid-thirties.

Faith stepped aside, "Well come on in stud. We were just talking about you."

Clark nodded at her in acknowledgment, quietly thanking her and stepping in the room. His eyes once again finding Buffy's.

"Hey," she said shyly, a blush spreading adorably across her cheeks. "You shaved," she acknowledged. Her blush intensifying at the obvious statement.

A small smile graced his lips and he ran his hand along his face where the scruff used to be. "Yeah, figured I wouldn't be as easily recognizable this way."

She nodded in understanding and their eyes locked again, until the dark-skinned man cleared his throat breaking the spell. Buffy shook her head, coming back to herself.

"Clark," she said, swallowing her nervousness. "Meet Faith Lehane and Charles Gunn. They run the school here with two other veteran Slayers."

"Nice to meet you man." Charles said, holding out his hand. "Everyone just calls me Gunn."

Clark shook it, smiling politely. "Nice to meet you, Gunn." He then turned back to Buffy, "I brought your pack." He said, sliding it off his shoulder. "Don't let me forget though. I have a change of clothes in there in case I need to get a motel room tonight."

Buffy frowned, "Why would you–"

"You mentioned drinking," Clark clarified, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. "I'm fine after one or two beers, but more than that and…well…let's just say it could be dangerous if I tried to make my way home."

She shook her head, "No, I mean you don't need to rent a room. You can stay here."

"Yeah man," Gunn cut in. "We're gonna have a pretty full house tonight, but you can crash on the couch in Buffy's room," He smiled slyly and threw Buffy a wink.

She glared at Gunn, a blush rising in her cheeks and her eyes then falling to her shoes. "Only…only if you want too." She said nervously.

Clark looked around the room, noticing the innocent look Gunn was now sporting and the raised eyebrow and knowing smile Faith was trying to hide. He swallowed clearing his throat, "Do you…are you sure?"

Buffy nodded, sighing and meeting his eyes nervously. "Yeah." She whispered. "Should be fine. You wouldn't be the first person to have to crash on my couch because they had no where else to go." Her eye then narrowed focusing on Gunn, "Right Gunn?"

Gunn had the decency to look mildly ashamed. "Yeah," He agreed, his eyes moving to where Faith was pouring herself a shot of Jack Daniels. "Sometimes the missus gets sick of me and if Buffy's in town she lets me crash in her room."

Faith finished her shot, glaring at Gunn, "Call me The Missus again and you'll be sleeping in the hallway tonight." She then groaned. "Ugh, Rona and Vi better get back soon. If I gotta spend one more day dealing with the mini-slayer brigade by myself I might actually go back to prison just for a bit of peace."

"And what am I, chopped liver?" Gunn asked frowning.

Faith chuckled, "You let those girls walk all over you, Charlie boy."

Buffy snorted, "She's right you know. I heard what happened with Kirsty last month."

"Aw man, come on Buffy. That wasn't my fault. She told me her boyfriend's dad was in the hospital." Gunn whined.

Clark watched in amusement as Buffy raised a single eyebrow at Gunn. "Was he?"

Gunn looked down, "No."

"Does she even have a boyfriend?" She asked.

Gunn sighed, "No."

"Then I stand by my earlier assessment." She said cheekily, smirking.

Just then they all heard shouting and a loud crash. Faith huffed in annoyance marching out of the room and yelling, "If something's broken, I swear to God someone is going through a wall!"

"And welcome to my world of wacky," Buffy muttered, giving Clark an apologetic smile.


They were walking together down a dark street near several abandoned warehouses. Faith and Gunn having split from them a few minutes ago for reasons Clark still didn't fully understand. Buffy had been exceptionally quiet since Gunn had bulldozed Clark into agreeing to bunk in Buffy's room. He thought maybe he should say something. Offer up staying at a motel again, but he didn't want to make an awkward situation more awkward than it already was.

"So, your friends are–"

"Completely insane, I know." She interrupted, blushing.

He chuckled, "I was gonna go with different."

"You're sweet." She sighed. "Sorry about that. Sometimes I forget how different people act in the normal world."

He smiled, "I think normal is relative to the individual."

A small smile graced her lips at his words. "I like that."

They were quiet again for a few minutes. Her eyes scanning the area for what he assumed was a threat. She noticed him watching her and looked away, a blush once again spreading across her cheeks. Clark was quickly realizing that his idea to remain friends was going to be much harder than he thought. The need to reach out and brush his fingers down an arm or hold her hand was overwhelming at times.

Clark cleared his throat trying to get his mind away from thoughts he shouldn't be entertaining. "I thought you wanted to hunt with Faith?"

Buffy smiled, "We did, but we made the plans before Vi and Rona got called away." At his confused look she elaborated. "Slayers are predators and we were originally meant to be solitary creatures. When we hunt or patrol, as I like to call it, there's a release in slaying. It's almost like a need we can't control. When one of us hasn't been out in a while we can get territorial. Usually, it's fine if the other Slayer has been making a daily quota, but you get two Slayers anxious for a fight and well…it could lead to badness."

"You enjoy it," Clark realized.

"We were created to." She sighed. "It took me a long time to admit that. That I enjoyed the killing as much as the hunt, but it's true." She looked down, "We aren't creatures made of light and goodness. We were created for the side of light, but there is a darkness in every Slayer I've ever met. It's the choice we make to fall into that darkness or not that makes us who we are."

They stopped walking and Clark studied her expression, seeing the guilt and sadness in her eyes he asked, "Have you?"

She looked away, "Yes." She whispered. "Once after my resurrection. Well…let's just say I went to a place I didn't know I was capable of going." She sighed. "And once when I finally got my hands on Angelus." Clark opened his mouth as if to argue, but she held up a hand. "No," She said firmly." I know my job is to kill creatures like him, and that's fine. It's not my job to do it the way I did though. Soulless or not, no one deserves to suffer the way I made him, no matter what he did to me. I was no better than him in those moments."

"Most people wouldn't agree with your sense of honor, especially after what he did to the other Slayers." Clark said, though secretly he concurred. There was too many people willing to cross that line in this world. He didn't know what she did, but the haunted look on her face was enough to let him know it was bad.

"Well, I'm not most people." Buffy froze in realization of what he just said, confusion and disbelief on her face. "Wait, how did you–"

"The book Willow left me." He clarified.

She frowned, "She…she left you that book? Why the hell would she do that?"

He shrugged, "I don't know."

Her frown deepened. "It's basically got my life story in it." She shook her head. "They're up to something. We don't tend to give anyone that book but other Slayers."

"Do you think it has–" He frowned, hearing a strange noise in a building not far from their location. "Buffy?" He said, gaining her full attention. His eyes scanning the building at the end of the block. "I…I think there are some demons in that warehouse down there."

Her eyes lit up at his words, "You sure?"

He grimaced, "I'm pretty sure humans don't have teeth that sharp, plus their organs look all wrong."

"Come on then. Let's check it out." She said heading in the direction he indicated.

Clark followed close behind. She flattened herself against the wall next to a broken window and slowly peeked inside, quickly pulling back. Her eyes met his and he opened his mouth to ask what the plan was when her warm finger was suddenly against his lips. She moved in close and for a split second he thought she might be about to kiss him as she grabbed his shirt and yanked him down to her level. Her warm breath ghosted along his ear and he couldn't help the involuntary shiver that when through him from having her so close.

"They're Grolrock demons. They have excellent hearing." She whispered lowly as way of explanation. "I know you're strong but I think we've both come to the conclusion that you have a weakness for the mystical and demons are mystical. Meaning they can probably hurt you."

He nodded, his eyes closing. Trying to keep his self-control in check.

"You're stronger than them. If you need to use brute strength, then use it. You can hurt them just as bad as they hurt you." She waited for him to nod again and then continued. "Their weapons are probably just your standard steel, but be careful in case they have something mystical."

He nodded again, opening his eyes and whispering in the same manner as her, "You don't have a weapon?"

She smiled, "I have a stake and myself. I'm incredibly resourceful." Then her smile morphed into a serious expression. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." He whispered with a nod. She let him go, backing up a few feet and his eyes widened in realization at what her plan was. "What are you doing?" He whispered a little louder.

She smiled and winked at him. "Making an entrance," and then she was off, doing a full summersault and crashing through the already broken glass.

Clark easily followed the next second, watching her roll and come up in a fighting stance. All five demons turned away from the strange altar they had been chanting around and screeched. They were all around six feet tall, with scaly reptilian faces and mouths full of teeth that reminded him of a piranha or angler's mouth.

A gargled word he recognized coming from the one that seemed to be the leader. "Slayer!" It growled.

She smiled, a predatory gleam flashing in her green eyes. "Hate to break up the party but can't have you boys opening portals on the Hellmouth." One of them screeched in offence, and Buffy's smile turned sinister. "I'm sorry, are you the female? Can't really tell when all of you are so ugly."

They all screeched at once and the leader pointed its finger, gargling, "Get her!"

Four demons charged. She evaded one, quickly disarming it and using its own blade to decapitate it; spinning easily away from the rest of the attackers, before reengaging.

Clark didn't have much time to appreciate the beauty of the fight, because the leader suddenly turned towards him. Its piranha-like mouth widening into a grin that would have been absolutely terrifying to anyone else.

"Smell power!" It gurgled, and then charged.

Clark easily side stepped its advance, but found himself thrown back when a warm body slammed into him knocking them both through a supporting wall. He ended up on his back with Buffy on top of him, their eyes met for only an instant when he noticed part of the upper floor of the factory collapsing and quickly flipped them so he took the brunt of the impact.

Buffy looked up at him in surprise. A laugh breaking her lips, "I guess they really didn't like the ugly comment."

He chuckled, easily forcing the debris aside and standing while helping her to her feet. They were both covered in concrete dust, and Clark reached out to swipe some off her cheek only to realize he made it worse. He started to chuckle harder and when she frowned and wiped her cheek, covering half her face with the stuff he couldn't help the full bellied laugh that came out of his mouth. An evil look crossed her face as she studied her hands and realized what he was laughing about.

"Oh yeah?" She said, and then pounced. Her dirty hands rubbing the powder all over his face.

Clark laughed harder at the assault and quickly captured her wrists, pinning them at her sides. Forcing her closer, without meaning to. The levity of the situation suddenly changed and her goofy grin melted to something much more serious, her pupils dilating in a mixture of lust and fear. There was a challenge on her face that he might have taken her up on in that moment had the three remaining demons not entered the room saving them from themselves.

Clark released her stepping back as she reached down to pick up her stolen sword. They both looked at each other and grinned before charging. Clark slamming into the leader hard, its body smashing against the wall as he used his heat vision to sever the head. Buffy taking out the remaining two with the sword, decapitating one and slicing the other in half.

He stared in fascination as all three bodies melted into greenish slime and then disappeared completely. When he looked up Buffy was watching him with a frown on her face.

"What?" He asked.

"We're going to have a serious conversation about what other abilities you have mister," she said. "Starting with the laser eyes."

Clark grinned. "It's heat vision." He corrected.

She waved him off, "Whatever, what else can you do?"

His smile widened, "Come with me." He said, leading her outside.

"Where are we going?" She asked

He turned to her as they stepped out into the cool night air and held out his hand. "Do you trust me?"

Buffy swallowed, but nodded all the same and grasped his hand. He pulled her in close, securing an arm around her waist. She gasped. "What…what are you doing?"

"Well," he said smiling cheekily. "We can't exactly go to a demon bar looking the way we do, I figured we could stop back at the school and change."

She frowned at him, but before she could say a word, he shot into the air.