Chapter 3: Shared Delusions

Summary: Set during Normal Again. While in the mental hospital Buffy meets a fellow patient.

Summary: Set during Labyrinth. While in the mental hospital Clark meets a fellow patient.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Buffy is seriously starting to question her sanity. Of course that could be something to with the fact she is in a mental institution. The nub of the matter is…her dilemma is that she can't decide if this is some sort of demon induced delusion or whether it is her whole life as a slayer that has been the delusion like the doctors keep telling her. Part of her wants this to be real. Her parents are alive and together and happy but another part of her is screaming at her to wake up and go back to her friends and her sister. What does she do?

Well at the moment nothing but sit in this chair and wait to be taken back to her padded room. She stares at the floor barely noticing someone else sit down next to her. Probably waiting to see the psychiatrist. Out of boredom she looks up and finds herself looking into these indescribable cerulean blue eyes and even better those eyes are in the face of this gorgeous man. To quote Cordelia 'Hello Salty Goodness!'

Clark knows this is wrong. This has to be wrong. His whole life can't be a delusion can it? He thinks back. One moment he is in his barn, he hears a noise and the next moment he is here in this institution being told that his belief he is an alien is a delusion…a symptom of mental illness.

'What happened to him and how have they removed his powers?' he asks still clinging to the belief that this is all some sort of ploy played on him by someone. For the moment he is just playing along with his doctors until he figures out a way to escape which would be why he is here allowing himself to be taken to see his psychiatrist. He notices a blond girl sitting there but doesn't pay too much attention to her as he sits down and waits. Then out of curiosity his gaze turns to the girl and he wonders what her issues are. Just then she turns to look at him and he finds himself staring into these beautiful green eyes that literally take his breath away.

"So what are you here for?" the girl asks Clark.

Clark blinks and shakes himself out of his momentary freeze. "Sorry?" he asks not catching what she said.

"I asked what are you here for," Buffy repeats. Hey she might as well find some way to pass the time.

"Erm…" Clark isn't sure what to say.

"Look I'll start," Buffy offers. "I believe I'm a super powered warrior called a Slayer whose job it is to fight vampires and demons and the forces of darkness."

Ok that's slightly odd but crazy? Wait why is he actually considering what she is saying is true? Well he did meet a vampire once when he ran away to Metropolis but that is neither here nor there. Well he better say something he supposes. "I believe I'm an alien," he tells her.

Buffy actually smiles. Wow and she thought she had problems. "That's kind of cool or it would be if this wasn't all a demon induced hallucination and you were actually real."

"Funny that's exactly my thoughts except I have no idea if this is a delusion or some set up by my enemies," Clark says while briefly looking around for some sign that all of this is not real.

"Wow paranoid much," Buffy quips.

That makes Clark smile. "Perhaps. What's your name?" he asks.

Buffy realises she has been really quite rude and not introduced herself. "Oh I'm Buffy the Vampire Slayer or just old plain Buffy Summers, delusional mental patient. Take your pick."

"Well in that case I am Kal-El of the planet Krypton or just plain old Clark Kent, delusional mental patient."

Buffy offers her hand. "Nice to meet you Clark."

Clark takes her hand. "Nice to meet you Buffy."

There is a spark as their hands touch and they break contact quickly. After a moment they both laugh. "We must really be nuts," Buffy says.

"I know," Clark says in agreement. "So if this is a delusion where are you really?" he asks.

"Erm at home I guess. Lying on the floor. There's probably drool dribbling down my chin as we speak. You?"

Clark scratches his head. "Not sure. The last thing I remember before here was being in my barn. I think something attacked me and the next thing I know I'm queuing for pills."

"Oh yes the pills are good. I like the pink ones," Buffy says with much mock enthusiasm and love for the pills.

"Red ones for me and oh blue as well. Have no idea what they do," Clark admits with a small shake of his head.

"Neither do I but then again none of this is real including the pills."

"I still haven't decided on the reality of this yet."

"So do you have cool alien powers?" Buffy asks, curiously.

"Not anymore."

"But you did before?"

Clark nods. "Yes." Clark sees Buffy looking at him earnestly. "You want the list don't you?"

Buffy smirks. "Yep. Come on I've met demons and even a hell god and they had pretty impressive powers. Me, well some enhanced strength and speed and agility. I'm really agile, so come on share. The worse case scenario here is that you're talking to a mental patient who may never leave this place."

Clark shrugs. She has a point. "Well I'm strong, really strong and fast and invulnerable."

"Invulnerable? You can't be hurt?"

"I can but it takes a lot of force. You want to know the rest?"

"Sure."

"Ok well lets see superhearing. I could hear a whisper in a hurricane and heat vision."

"Heat vision? Explain please."

"I can project beams of heat from my eyes."

"Now you see that would be so handy against vampires. I should get a power like that but I'm interrupted you haven't I. Continue."

"Well that just leaves the x-ray vision I think."

"X-ray vision? Bet you have a lot if fun with that," she teases.

Clark's cheeks go red. "No. I don't spy on people. I'm a mental patient not a voyeur."

"Hey congratulations. You just admitted you're a mental patient. Acceptance is the first step to recovery you know," she says. Also she finds the way he got embarrassed there just so unbelievably cute.

"I really hope that was sarcasm," Clark comments dryly.

"Maybe," Buffy says with a cheeky grin that causes Clark to smile in spite of himself.

"Buffy sweetheart."

Buffy turns to the voice. "Hey mom. I was just talking to my new friend Clark here," she explains.

"Well the doctor wants us all to have a talk. You're father is waiting."

"Ok," she says in acceptance. Buffy stands up. "Well it was nice talking to you Clark," she says her farewells.

"You too. Hope you get better soon and all that."

"Yeah. Hey maybe once we're both better and out of here, we can meet up or something," she suggests.

"That would be nice," he admits truthfully.

"Well goodbye," Buffy says to him as she walks off with her mother feeling a bot sad that she has to go. When she first locked gazes with him she felt a stirring in her heart she hadn't felt in quite awhile.

"Bye," Clark says with a little wave of his hand feeling a bit sad she is leaving.

"Clark," Clark's doctor who has seemingly appeared from nowhere says to him to get his attention.

"Yes," Clark replies.

"You were talking to that girl. I haven't seen you talk that much to anyone since you got here," his doctor remarks.

"Well I found her interesting. Will she be ok?" Clark asks.

"She's not my case but from what I know she is very stubborn in holding on to her delusions. Like you I'm afraid. Come. It's time for our session," the doctor informs him.

Clark stands up and glances at Buffy as she disappears round a corner. She really was interesting and when he first locked eyes with her he felt a little stir in his heart that he hasn't felt in awhile.

Of course once Clark drove the phantom that was attempting to take over his body out it became clear to him she was just another part of the delusion. Still he couldn't quite shake the feeling that somehow she was more real than the rest of it. She seemed a bit like J'onn was. Like somehow she was projected into his head or something. He gives himself a mental shake of his head at that idea. Now he really is starting to worry about his sanity.

Once Buffy had avoided killing her friends and killed the demon instead she tried to forget her little trip to fantasy institution land as best she could but that Clark stood out, like he was more real than the rest of it somehow. Maybe he was real. Then she mentally snorts. Yeah right. An alien existing. She's really losing it now.

A couple of years later Clark, now working for the Daily Planet, is investigating a warehouse on a lead. Lois was suppose to be helping him but she had gone off on a date. 'Thanks a bunch Lois,' he mentally grumbles. Worse still the lead seems to be totally false. The place is empty. So a complete waste of his time then. To compound his rotten night he is suddenly attacked by a… oh terrific, a vampire. Clark easily grabs it round the throat as it attempts to leap at him.

"Let go of me!" it demands.

"Not going to happen. You must really be stupid to attack me," he says somewhat insultingly but his night has been ruined so he is in a foul mood.

As the vampire pointlessly tries to break Clark's grip it has to agree. The last thing it sees are Clark's eyes glowing red before its existence comes to an end.

Clark is now forced to try to get the dust off of him. Great another shirt ruined he muses miserably. He has to come up with a disguise or a costume or something. He slowly backs up, still trying to dust himself off and not paying attention to where he is going until he bumps into someone. He spins round and his eyes widen at the short blond woman standing in front of him. One with incredible green eyes that take his breath away just like the first time he saw them but it can't be her. Can it? "Buffy?" he queries tentatively.

Buffy was in Metropolis checking up on the slayer cell there and had decided to do some patrolling so she could workout some of her frustrations at the current state of her life. She followed this vampire into a warehouse but had lost sight of it. So she is slowly walking around and stupidly backwards when she bumps into someone big. She spins round and her eyes widen at the sight of two indescribable cerulean blue eyes staring at her in disbelief. It can't be him. Can it? "Clark?" she queries in an equally tentative manner.

"You're real," Clark says not quite believing his eyes.

"So are you," Buffy says back in the same manner.

"How?" Clark says in a virtual gasp.

"I…er…don't know." 'Wow. Gee. Can she sound any lamer?' "Soooooooo….uh…are you…uh…are you still an alien?" she has to know.

"Are you still a vampire slayer?" Clark asks back.

"Take the stake in my hand as an answer to the positive," she says holding the sharpened piece of wood up.

Clark smirks as a sudden idea hits him. His eyes glow and he sets fire to her stake. "Take that as proof to the positive."

Buffy tosses the stake away and frowns. "Just be lucky that wasn't Mr Pointy or you would be in big trouble mister," she threatens poking him in his chest. Wow does he ever have a broad chest and hard and probably really really muscle-y and…uh…what the hell was she saying again?

"So how did we end up sharing a delusion?" Clark asks her.

Buffy snaps out of daydreaming. "Oh so it was a delusion for you then," she assumes from his words.

"Yeah. There was this phantom…uh…spirit trying to take over my body but to do so it had to break my will to resist. The whole delusion was designed to do that."

Buffy shudders. "Ooh possessions are creepy. As for me I was poisoned by this demon but to answer your question I haven't a clue how we ended up sharing a trip to fantasy wacky land. Hey maybe we're having another delusion or still having the same one."

"I hope not," Clark says. "I'm just getting my life into a place I like it."

"Yeah still working on that," Buffy has to admit sadly. Ever since Sunnydale went to Craterville her life has been all work and no play leaving her sadly single but she is not, as Faith and Dawn and Xander and Willow and well ok everyone…she is not as they keep implying starting to get desperate or anything…and wow does Clark have big hands she notices. She wonders what else is big on him.

"So what are you doing here?" Clark asks her.

"Here in Metropolis or here in this warehouse?"

"Both."

"Um well for that second one I was chasing a vampire. You didn't happen to see one go by did you?"

"See the dust all over my shirt as answer to that question."

"Cool," she remarks. "And as for the first one that's a long story really."

"How about we talk about it over dinner?" Clark suggests in a sudden and uncharacteristic moment of boldness.

"Are you asking me out?"

"Sure why not. Unless…uh…you're seeing someone aren't you," Clark suddenly realises feeling embarrassed.

Buffy smiles at him. He is still cute when embarrassed. "Actually no."

At her admission Clark smiles so broadly his dimples show. Buffy nearly melts into a puddle of goo. That smile should be registered as a lethal weapon because frankly in Buffy's opinion women of the world would be helpless against it.

"So…uh…dinner?" Clark asks. Buffy smiles all the wider at that and Clark finds his heart fluttering away in his chest at what must be the one of the most beautiful smiles he has ever seen.

Buffy moves to his side and loops her arm around his. "Love to," she says in reply to his offer of dinner.

They share a smile and exit the warehouse. They once shared a delusion although neither can figure out how but what both are hoping as they walk off into the city is that this is the beginning of them sharing a life together.

The End.

Author's Note: Kind of fluffy I know but I have had this half written on my computer for years wondering if I should finish it and what to do it with it when I did. I should have come up with the compilation idea years ago. Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews for the other pieces I have written so far.