Sunnydale.

Barry was standing surrounded by people and the din of music blasting from the speaker while looking at Buffy. He saw that her hands were clenched into fists, while her eyes seemed to be burrowing into his very soul, so much so that he could feel the anger just coming off her. However, the speedster wasn't fazed, he knew that he was doing the right thing by not telling anyone about his secret since he didn't want others to be harmed because of him, and because he was very sure that Cisco would find him at any moment; he didn't want there to be any attachments.

There was one thing though he needed to know; how it was that Buffy found out the truth.

'I was really careful,' Barry thought to himself as he took a step forward, 'I know that much. So how does Buffy know about me being the Flash? Maybe I can deny it. Yes, I'll deny it.'

"Buffy, I don't know…."

"Enough with the lies, Barry," said Buffy as she grabbed his arm, and then pulled him towards the rear exit. Willow just returned to the table with some drinks and saw Buffy leaving out the back with Barry, who was trying to resist the Slayer's strength, in tow. The two young women then got up, Tara mentally worried that something may have happened, and rushed out the same door that just closed to find Buffy raising her voice at Barry, "how could you not tell us about this?"

"I had my reasons," said Barry before he looked up at a confused Willow who had just closed the door behind her with Tara by her side.

"What's going on, Buffy?" asked Willow.

"Barry?" asked Tara who furrowed her eyebrows at the young man. She then noticed the expression on Barry's face, and had an instinctive feeling that his secret was revealed. She knew that it wasn't her who told Buffy Barry's secret, and she hoped that Barry knew that as well. Tara had already assured him that his secret life as the Flash was safe with her, and was about to open her mouth when Buffy opened her lips.

"Are you going to tell them, or should I?" asked Buffy as she glared at Barry with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Tell us what?" asked Willow looking between Buffy and Barry, who was staring right back at Buffy.

"My secret… the secret I have? It's all to keep people safe, Buffy," said Barry, at the last moment trying to appeal to Buffy to see things from his side, "just leave it alone."

"No," Buffy said her leg shaking as she recalled the secrets about the Initiative, Adam, and then the secrets that Riley tried to keep from her, and would have continued keeping from her, if Spike hadn't interfered. Those thoughts in her head, and the anger they brought back up to the surface, made her blurt out, "no more secrets. You said your family and friends are in your own Earth, so there is nothing here to stop you from telling me, Willow, Tara, and…."

"Barry?" asked Willow interrupting Buffy while placing her hand on the Slayer's shoulder, as she turned her head to him, "your own Earth?"

"I… I think we should stop, right now," said Tara as she got in-between Buffy and Barry, "I… I think that…"

"You're right," said Barry as he stared at Buffy, "I don't have anyone I care about on this Earth; no friends, and no family, and…"

"I didn't mean it that way," said Buffy when she recalled what she just told Barry.

"You did," added Barry before taking a step back while Willow approached Barry, "all I can do is live a life here while waiting for Cisco to find me and take me home. Listen, I gotta go. Yea… see you."

Just before Willow could get to Barry, he zoomed off leaving lightning in his wake, and a gust of wind that made the three young women's hair flutter. Willow's eyes remained wide open in surprise as she stared at the empty space where Barry was just standing. She then turned to Buffy and exclaimed that Barry was the Flash.

"Yea," mumbled Buffy as she looked out into the now empty alleyway before shaking her head and rubbing her forehead, "damn it."

"Ho.. how did you know?" asked Tara.

"Spike," said Buffy turning around to face Willow and Tara, "he's the one who told me."

"Spike?" asked both Willow and Tara together.

"What's Spike got to do… I mean, was he following Barry, or something?" asked Tara.

"Hs thought that Barry was a bit iffy, and… look, he said he loves me and…"

"He loves you?" chuckled Willow before she started giggling and waving her hands about while Buffy stared at her best friend, and then at the confused expression on Tara's face. Tara, trying to hide the laughter that was just underneath the surface, laughter which Willow's giggling threatened to expose, asked Buffy if he really said that he loved her. Followed by asking if she loved him back.

"Yes, he said he loves me," said Buffy to the first question as Willow slowly stopped laughing when she realized that Buffy was being serious, 'but I don't have any feelings for him. And that's beside the point, Barry's been keeping this big secret from us, and…"

"Other than Spike finding out Barry's the Flash.. which by the way is so cool," said Willow as she waved her hands about, "maybe he was right to keep the secret, Buffy."

"And why did Spike want to tell you?" asked Tara.

"I think he wants me to come to him after finding out that Barry's the Flash and.. I mean, that's not going to happen, no way… no way in hell," reiterated Buffy as the door opened again and Anya's head popped out before looking back inside. The thumping sounds of the music reverberated through the alleyway as Anya yelled 'they're outside!' before walking out of the door, followed soon by Xander. The door closing behind them, Xander placed an arm around Anya's shoulders while heading towards their friends.

"We were searching for you inside, what happened?" asked Xander, "was there a vampire?"

"Spike told Buffy that Barry's the Flash," said an excited Willow while Tara looked out into the empty alleyway towards the parking lot, and then back at the surprised looks on the faces of Xander and Anya, "we saw him run out of here with lighting behind him, it was so cool."

"Wait.. wait.. wait," said Xander waving his hands before looking at Buffy, "you're serious? Why'd he keep this secret?"

"He wanted us to be safe," Tara said, "I mean if he made any enemies here, then he would be placing his friends and family in danger."

"If he is the flash," said Anya who was tried to wrap her mind around this latest news, "then he's stuck here from his Earth since.. well, Tara and Willow already tried to send him home. And it didn't work."

"So, he should have told us his secret," Xander added before saying that he had a responsibility to at least tell his friends about it, "I mean, if we're not friends considering he came to the Bronze with us, then what are we? I'm actually a little bit hurt, and…"

"I kind of told him he doesn't have friends or family here," said Buffy softly, "so he didn't have reason to keep this a secret from us, and…"

"Ouch," said Xander as Buffy looked away with a frown on her face.

"We wouldn't be in danger," said Buffy, "he knows I'm a Slayer, he knows that Willow and Tara are Witches, and.. yea.."

"It's still his decision," said Tara, "whether to tell us or not, Buffy."

"Wait, who told you?" asked Xander, who shook his head and shuddered in disgust at the mention of Spike's love for Buffy as the reason for spying on Barry. Xander then told Buffy that while it was a bit 'sucky' to have Barry hide that he was the Flash, she still needed to call him and ask him to come back to the Bronze.

"Especially since I have so many questions," chuckled Xander.

"That's one reason," said Willow as she and Anya slapped his arms. Tara rubbed Willow's back while saying that Barry's been alone on this Earth for the past two months. She continued to say that since they haven't been able to send him back, they needed to make him feel welcome so that he didn't feel lonely.

"And well, maybe he'd be nice enough to take Spike off our hands," said Xander. Buffy's smirk was soon followed by the sound of a thud, and then the smell of cigarettes permeated the air. She looked up at Xander and the others who were looking over her shoulder; Buffy then turned around and crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Spike before demanding to know why he was back in the alleyway.

"Go home, Spike," said Buffy as she took out the phone in her pocket, and then pressed the speed dial for Barry's phone; all while glaring at the vampire walking towards them. She placed the phone in her hand, the receiver section of the phone behind her back while telling Spike that she confronted Barry about being the Flash.

"See," Spike said bowing his head, "I said that…"

"I never asked you to break into his house, Spike," said Buffy whose words Barry could hear as he listened in while standing at the cliff at Kingmans Bluff, "I never… look, I want you to leave me alone. Leave us all alone. You're a vampire, and I'm a Slayer."

'That guy at Buffy's house was a vampire?' thought Barry as he listened to the conversation between Buffy and Spike.

"Listen, Pet," said Spike, "I'm sure the military would like to know about this guy, and I could trade with them. The Flash for the chip in my head, and…"

"That's low, Spike," said Xander, "and for you, that's saying something."

"I'll keep quiet," said Spike as he threw the cigarette away while Anya looked at the opened flip phone that Buffy was holding out behind her back, "but only if we go on a date, and…"

"Are you like Twelve years old?" asked Buffy.

"Technically, that's an insult to twelve year olds," added Xander.

"Come on, Slayer," said Spike, "just you and me. Maybe there'll be a little shag here and there, but…"

"You're a pig, Spike," frowned Buffy.

"What do you have to lose," he replied while pointed a finger at the side of his head, "this chip gives me a headache if I hurt any humans, so I'll be hurting like hell if I try to hit you. So, what do you say, Slayer? Go out with me, and I keep the Flash's identity a secret. If not, then the military will be getting some information that a certain Barry Allen is the Streak.. or should I say, the Flash… and.."

Before Spike could finish saying what he wanted to say, Buffy and the others saw a bolt of lighting take the vampire away. Buffy smirked and closed her phone while Willow dropped her lower jaw, Xander raised his eyebrows, while Anya was sighing before turning to Xander and saying she was bored and wanted to dance.

"That… was… so cool," said Willow excitedly before talking about what just happened for a few minutes before Barry returned to the alleyway in his civilian clothes.

"So… where's, Spike?" asked Tara.

"An island in the South Pacific," Barry said as Xander asked Buffy and Willow why they never thought about doing that. He then turned to Barry and said that he was once possessed by a Hyena spirit, and got all the powers as well.

"Cool," said an impressed Barry, "magic?"

"Yeah," Xander replied while Willow crept up to Barry after walking past Buffy and poked his arm and shoulder with her finger, "but I don't have it anymore. I can feel it's still there though."

"Yeah, sure…" said Anya patting his shoulder while Willow mumbled to herself on Barry was able to withstand the friction created by his super speed while she, Tara, and Dawn had their clothes burned off. Barry was about to answer, when Xander hung his head and groaned when Anya said that he was like a hyena in bed, "very, very, very eager and loud."

"Oh, dear God," Buffy groaned closing her eyes and shaking her head while Tara chuckled at Xander's reaction.

"Hey," said Tara gently as she walked past Buffy and placed her hand on Willow's back. She then grabbed his arm, and asked him to return into the club with them, "it beats being by yourself, Barry. And now, you could tell us about your old friends… to your new friends."

"Yea," said an excited Willow while Anya was holding onto Xander who was nodding his head excitedly.

"Barry," said Buffy, "I sometimes shoot my mouth off, and I say stuff that… well… stuff that doesn't sound too good. I hate secrets. Secrets messed me and us up too many times over the last year, and I'm just tired of it. I get you wanna protect your friends, but you know that we can protect ourselves… and you know you can trust us with your secret."

"Yea," said Barry glancing at Tara, and then back at Buffy, "the truth is that I'm scared of making friends here since… since Cisco could find me at any time. And the closer I get to someone, the harder it would be to let them go. So… yeah.."

"I say we get back in, and get some drinks, and then we talk about Central City and Team Flash," said Xander nodded his head at the club.

"Yeah," said Barry nodding his head, "yeah, sure."

STAR Labs, Pipeline prison, Central City.

"Everything?" asked a sneering Laurel as she eyed Thea while Cisco and Joe were watching through the monitors in the Cortex, while at the same time Caitlin and Dr. McGee were tending to the so-called Werewolf being kept in a reinforced bunker several floors down, "why? You think I'm supposed to be redeemed?"

Laurel then pouted before sarcastically saying, "aww, you want to make me one of the good guys?"

"I think anyone can be redeemed," said Thea as she folded her arms over her chest.

"Oh, that's so sweet," Laurel kept on pouting as she looked at Thea with eyes wide open, and tilting her head, "and then we're gonna bake cakes and cookies?"

The expression on Laurel's face vanished before she rushed forward and slammed her fists on the glass before telling Thea that she had read up on her from Zoom's dossier on possible threats. Laurel told the young woman that she was nothing; that her training with the League of Assassins was nothing compared to her, and to Zoom, "I could have gone Star City and killed you, Oliver, dear old daddy, and…"

"Then, why didn't you?" asked Thea interrupting Black Siren, "you had every chance. You know about our Laurel's death, you knew we were in a vulnerable place, so you had every chance to take us out."

Back in the Cortex, Cisco whispered 'she's right' to Joe before Thea demanded to know why she didn't just kill them all. They watched Thea take another step into the Pipeline as Laurel backed from the glass, he face reflecting her rage while saying that she couldn't kill them yet.

"There's a part of you who still cares about Oliver, and…"

"Don't play armchair psychology with me, little girl," said Laurel, "Zoom asked me to…"

"That's the other thing," said Thea unmoved by Laurel, at least externally, "you telling me you got stopped by Zoom? How did you find out about our Laurel?"

"This isn't fun anymore," said Laurel.

"Damn it, Laurel," exclaimed Thea, "I'm trying to help you."

"I don't need your help, I don't need little Ollie's help, and I don't need any of you," said Laurel while Cisco shook his head in the Cortex. He and Joe listened in for a few more minutes, and the Cisco told Joe that he couldn't listen anymore, and that he was going to continue searching for Barry. Joe nodded his head before heading out of the Cortex, leaving Joe alone as he watched Thea sigh before asking Laurel if there was a villain on her Earth who could turn into a man sized wolf.

"A werewolf?" chuckled Laurel shaking her head, "don't bother me with these stupid things, Thea. Go back home, and rest up. I'll be getting out of here soon, and when I do? These people here will pay, and I'll save you for last. And then, you know what I'm going to do?"

"Laurel," said Thea while Joe watched on the monitor, "I'm being serious. You know anything about any meta-human who can turn into a werewolf on your Earth."

"Ask me what I'm going to do to Ollie when I get out of here, Thea," smirked Laurel as she stared at Thea while leaning her forehead on the glass, "ask me."

"I want an answer, Laurel," said Thea as she set her jaw; a part of her forcing her to remain calm.

"Ask me, and then I'll tell you," said Laurel, a devilish smile forming on her lips, "come on, Thea. It's only fair. Ask me."

"Whatever it is," said Thea before she turned around and walked away from Laure, who narrowed her eyes at the younger woman. Thea wasn't going to indulge her, and so told her that they'll have to live with not finding out the truth, "and if we have to, we'll keep the poor guy in the basement."

"Thea!" yelled Laurel.

"Whatever it is," said Teha turned just after steping out of the pipeline, "whatever you say you'll do to us? We'll stop you… either way, I'll come down here every night and talk to you. We didn't get much done, but I do want to know about my father, and…"

"Merlyn's still alive and…."

"He's a murderer," said Thea shaking her head, "I want to know more about Richard. And then there's you… I want to know how you became… this."

"You…."

"Get some sleep," said Thea, "I'll come by tomorrow, and if you're calm, then we'll talk."

"Get me out!" yelled Laurel, "get me out and I' tell you everything you ant to know, and…"

"See you tomorrow, Laurel," Thea said as the door slid shut while an enraged Laurel was screaming at her to show her face, "see you tomorrow."

TBC.