Author's note: Hokay, hi again ppl. Contrary to popular belief, I, much like Elvis, am still alive. I've just needed to deal with school, but now it's "summer, summer, time! Feel it in my skin, warmin' up my mind!" So, I've got like, 10^(100^100) ideas, and you can expect to see lots more out of me.

Clark was no stranger to awkward silences. Often in his life when he'd been forced to use his abilities, people had questioned. This however, was an entirely different kind of awkward.

"Why did you…you know…kiss me?" Clark eventually asked. "I mean, you didn't even know me…"

Dawn had trouble remembering a time in which she'd been so very embarrassed. She tried to sort out her own thoughts, wondering why she had kissed him. Looking back on it, it seemed like a really illogical thing to do. Then again, she was a teenager, as she had often explained to her mom; logic didn't kick in until the mid-twenties.

"Well, I don't know. Okay, I think we can both agree that the situation was pretty stressful. Despite all that, you were clear headed, took charge, just acted real cool." Dawn was pacing now, and speaking so quickly that Clark was sure that he wouldn't have been able to keep up if it weren't for his super-powers.

"Then, when you were vulnerable you confided in me, and not anyone else. I mean, the only thing you were missing was a white horse and shiny armor. A tough guy with a heart, that's like, fantasy of girls everywhere, how could I not…"

Dawn stopped pacing and jabbed her finger into Clark's chest.

"You know what?" she exclaimed, "I accuse you of trying to seduce me!"

Even with super-speed, Clark's reaction time had a noticeable delay. "Wha-!" was all he could get out.

All Dawn's anxiety seemed to have left her and moved into Clark, and Dawn smiled.

"Yeah, that's it. You were totally trying to get into my pants the entire time!"

"Wha-I…that's…No!"

Dawn kept trying to hold in her laughter, but it broke out in a series of snorts and giggles. Clark realized she was making fun of him, and his stern expression broke the damn and laughter came flooding out of Dawn.

When she had recovered she noticed Clark was smiling slightly himself. He was just so easy to make fun of. In the Scooby Gang, he might as well have a giant target painted on him with the words "Hit the bull's-eye for $500 million" flashing around him in neon lights.

But Dawn became serious again when she remembered the conversation that came after that. She tried to keep her voice distant and uninterested as she asked him "So, is there one? A girlfriend, I mean."

Awkward Silence returned for its encore presentation.

"Well, no, there isn't a girlfriend…but, there is a girl." Clark answered.

Dawn chest seemed to shrink painfully, and when she spoke again, she did her best to convey as much nonchalance as she could muster. "Oh…well, yeah, I figured there would be. Me too…" Dawn's composure broke as she rethought the last sentence. "Ah, not girls, I mean…guys, there are guys…oh, but, not at the same time or anything! Argh, dammit, you know what I mean!"

Clark couldn't help but laugh a little, which made Dawn scowl at him and stick out her tongue.

"Yeah, well, things are complicated…" he said.

Dawn's mood dropped even lower, it was somewhere below her knees at this point. Oh god, he's not going to start talking about her is he? What if he wants my advice on how to get her to like him? Oh, stop it, Dawn! What are you so disappointed for anyway? Cut it out, it's stupid and lame! You had to have already known that nothing could possibly have happened anyway.

Fortunately for Dawn, Clark didn't much feel like talking about Lana, or Whitney, or any of the mundane problems he faced. For some reason, they seemed to be the hardest ones to solve.

"It's getting late, we need to head back. People might be looking for you, and I need to keep Chloe out of trouble."

"Yeah, we were out here for a while huh…say, how long are you here for?"

"My bus leaves tomorrow."

"Oh…" The last of Dawn's inner strength left, and she began to cry.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" Clark asked, alarmed. Had he said something?

"Why does this keep happening?" Dawn sobbed "everyone is leaving me. Mom, Tara, Riley, Giles! Now even you! Is there something wrong with me? Tell me please, I can change, I can, please just don't…" Dawn knew she was being nonsensical. There was no way her begging could make any of the people close to her, much less Clark, who had just met her, stay. Still, wouldn't it be something if they did?

Clark was embracing her and she buried her face in his shirt. Her sadness was slowly replaced by mortification over her breakdown. She felt queasy now, but Clark didn't call her out on it.

"I'm not leaving, Dawn, not really." He eventually said.

"What?"

"You want to know what one of the good things about being as fast as me is? There isn't really such a thing as a long-distance relationship. To me, California is just a morning jog away from Kansas."

Dawn laughed a bit and wiped her arm across her eyes.

"Thanks, Clark…I'm fine now."

"You sure?"

"Yeah…let's go back."

Clark let Dawn climb back onto his back, and right before he took off, he turned to her and said "This might be hard for you, but, try to keep your mouth closed, a bug could fly in."

Dawn slapped his arm, and he laughed as he took off in a blur.

The rest of the night for Clark consisted of following Chloe around and keeping her away from vampires. A part of him was riddled with guilt when he saw his friend's disappointed face.

The next day he spent with Dawn. They had gotten that ice cream he had promised her, and Clark spent a lot of time wondering if waiting around for Lana was really worth it.

After all, Dawn already knew who he was and accepted him for it, something he had always been worried that Lana would never be able to do. And besides, there was Whitney, and Clark always felt bad that he wanted Lana so badly, even though she was with Whitney.

But Clark didn't make a move, and the day passed by.

Soon enough, Clark found himself at the bus station. Chloe was already on the bus, and Clark was waiting for Dawn. She had told him to wait for her to see him off.

Soon enough, Clark saw her bobbing toward him with a big smile on her face.

"Hey there, Superboy!" she exclaimed.

Clark groaned at the new nickname Dawn had seen fit to bestow on him. "Stop calling me that."

"Stop getting so bothered by it and maybe I will."

Dawn jumped onto Clark and threw her arms around his neck.

"And shrink, would you!" She exclaimed.

"Hey, it's not my fault the Summers women are short."

Dawn faked a gasp of indignation and slapped his shoulder.

"See ya tomorrow, Superboy." And then she got on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek.

Clark coughed, and grinned at her, his blush returning for the umpteenth time.

Clark got into the bus and sat next to Chloe, who looked at him suspiciously.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Uh…just a friend." Clark responded.

"Really." Clark found the sarcasm in Chloe's voice odd. Before he could say anything, Chloe turned away and he thought he heard her mumble "I should have been a brunette."

"What did you say, Chloe?"

"Nothing!"

Clark was a bit surprised by his friend's foul mood, then he felt guilty thinking it probably had something to do with the fact that she hadn't found any vampires.

Half-way to Kansas, Clark sat at his window seat, watching the scenery pass by. Chloe's head was leaned against his shoulder and she was fast asleep.

"Will you ever tell me your secret, Clark?" Clark's heart stopped as he heard her mumble. He didn't move for several seconds, and then he turned to face her and found her still asleep. Clark let an exhalation of relief escape him.

Maybe someday, Chloe…

About a year later

Buffy's head was pounding like a piston. She opened her eyes as someone shook her gently.

She opened her eyes slightly, taking and met eyes of the oddest shade of blue she had ever seen. The eyes are oddly familiar.

As her sense returned, she took in the rest of the face, the strong cheek bones, the dark hair, the bruise on the cheek.

"Hey, I know you were at the magic box when we lost our memory…you're Calvin."

"Clark, actually."

"What are you doing here?"

"Um, I was just in the neighborhood."

Buffy sprang up, then almost collapsed as pain hit her from everywhere in her body.

"Look, Clark, you need to get out of here, there's this guy…" Buffy looked around, but there was no sign of Caleb anywhere. There was however, a large, wrecked, blue pickup truck parked in the middle of a wall at the end of the hall.

"You're talking about the preacher?" Clark asked.

Buffy whirled on him. "You saw him?"

"Yeah, I hit him with a car."

"…what, like…you ran him over?"

"…yeah, sure…but it won't keep him down long, I say we get out of here."

"Look, Clark, you need to leave town right now, things are really bad-"

"So, why are you objecting to my help? Come on, let's get you back home."

Buffy accepted his help in leading her back to her car, preparing to thoroughly grill him when she returned home…and took a nap…and a 3 hour long shower.

Clark touched his pants pocket, feeling the bulge of his cell phone, in which sat the message he had received earlier today.

"Hey, Superboy, super-speed your but over here as fast as you can. Things are getting ugly!" – Dawn

The End…and, the Beginning

Ending Note: And, that's how it goes. Can anyone else believe that this story was originally going to be a oneshot? So, I know some ppl are disappointed by Clark's lack of interaction with other Buffy characters. But really, the story was over like, 3 chapters ago. Everything else is just resolution. Anyway, that's what I created "Hero Talk" for.

This is the first multi-chapter story I've ever finished!

Be sure to check my profile on for information on ongoing, and upcoming projects. If you're reading this on Twisting the Hellmouth, you can find on my profile page, a link to my fanfic profile under HOMEPAGE