I never wrote fanfiction when Smallville was on the air. Since Hulu started streaming Smallville, I finally got around to watching the first few seasons. I only begun watching Smallville after Lois was on the show. I know how the show ends and how bad Lex gets. As I watched season 1, I was drawn to the tragic figure of Lex Luthor. Like Clark, I know that there is good in him. I decided that he needed someone besides Clark to keep him from succumbing to the darkness inside of him. I'm assuming that Lex is 21 or 22 in season 1 of Smallville. This story takes place then. It is several months after season 7 of Buffy. The BTVS comics are ignored and not a part of this alternate world.

This will be several short stories in a series as I don't want the pressure of a long story right now, but I wrote this months ago and am excited to share it with someone! I hope someone likes it.

Disclaimer: I do not own BTVS or Smallville.

Chapter 1: First Encounters

It had been about five months since Buffy had closed the hellmouth. She and the surviving potentials spent a few weeks with Angel in Los Angeles before Giles got control of the council funds. She and Faith were paid quite well for their years of service. Buffy would never have to work again if she didn't want to. Willow was gathering all the potentials in England. Buffy, though, was done. She'd given more than one life to slaying. She asked Willow to find her a place that needed her but had no hellmouth potential.

Willow told her about Smallville, Kansas, a small town outside of the larger Metropolis. Buffy could attend school and finish her degree in psychology. Smallville had a lot of weird things happen that Willow said had no supernatural roots but extraterrestrial. A meteor shower had killed a lot of people over a decade earlier. Ever since then, the meteor rocks had weird effects on the populace—something the public officials were loath to admit. Only the high school paper ever seemed to point out the weird things that went on.

Buffy wanted to spend a semester focusing on school. She was taking eighteen credits. Then she would move to Smallville and bring Dawn back from Cleveland after spending the summer overseas with Giles in the UK. It wasn't easy being so far from her sister and friends. However, the absolute quietness of her new life brought her a peace and contentment that she hadn't felt since her calling. Faith was taking over all the potentials. She had enough help with Robin and Xander—even Andrew. If a world ending event occurred, Buffy would step in and help. She'd even given Faith her scythe. Her friends had been upset at first, but they knew how much she needed a break.

Since Buffy didn't really need a paycheck, she was hoping she might volunteer her services at the local high school. Robin had provided her a glowing letter of recommendation. The school had one overworked counselor that was busy with the academic side of things. Buffy was going to meet the counselor that morning and talk about her ideas for a mentorship. Then she was going to explore the town.

*****Several Hours Later*****

Clark was in the room were all the magic happened—according to Chloe. He was supposed to be finishing his article, but instead, he was daydreaming about Lana Lang. They'd been neighbors all his life, but he could never really talk to her since she kept that green meteor rock necklace on all the time. Clark didn't know why it made him sick, but it did.

"Did you see the woman talking to Mrs. Powers?" Chloe asked excitedly.

"No," Clark said.

Chloe rolled her eyes, not surprised. "I was following her as she was giving a tour. I think she might start working here!" Chloe announced.

"Why? We haven't lost a teacher, and we're already in the middle of a semester," Clark said, frowning.

"I don't know! That's why I want to meet her!" Chloe said, liking the new mystery to explore.

"You could just go up and say hi," Clark suggested.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You are such a babe," she said in disapproval. "There's nothing investigative about that! To be a reporter, you got to be sneaky."

"Miss Sullivan, I hope you are not trying to convince Mr. Kent to do something against his conscience," a voice said.

Both students looked up as the very people they were discussing stood in the doorway.

"Mrs. Powers!" Chloe said, jumping up. "We were just talking about you, actually."

"Really?" the white blonde older lady said, giving the pair an indulgent smile.

"Chloe was just curious about your visitor," Clark said, quickly.

"Clark!" Chloe said in disapproval.

The very pretty blonde woman laughed. "I'm Buffy," she said, holding out her hand to Clark.

The woman had her hair pinned up, showing off a thin neck. Her green eyes were very pretty and kind. Clark automatically took her hand and was surprised when he actually felt her grip.

"That's quite a grip you have," Buffy said, impressed. Country boys were made stronger.

"Buffy? What kind of name is that? Family name?" Chloe asked.

"I work on a farm," Clark said, ignoring Chloe.

"I've never been to a farm before," Buffy said, glancing at Chloe. "I'm from California. Buffy is a Californian name."

"This is where the school paper is printed. Miss Sullivan likes to focus too much on the negative things that happen in this town," Mrs. Powers said in disapproval.

"I don't like to live with my head in the sand!" Chloe protested.

Mrs. Powers pointed to her wall of weird. "That display is a disgrace, Chloe! Other people's misfortunes should not be an object of such open speculation!" she said.

"My wall of weird refuses to hide what's really going on in this town!" Chloe said, not backing down.

Clark jumped in front of Chloe. "What Chloe means is she's not trying to profit off of others' bad luck. She just wants to tell their stories," he said, giving Chloe a pointed look.

"I think it's cool," Buffy said, walking to the wall and reading some of her headlines. "My school was on, like, a hellmouth. So many bad things happened. One principal got eaten by wild dogs. At my graduation, my principal was eaten by a giant snake. The town paper tried to say it was a gas leak."

"An escaped anaconda? That's possible. They get up to forty feet long!" Chloe said excitedly. "Do you have pictures? I'd love to see them!"

"Most students were too busy running for lives," Buffy said dryly. "Five years ago, cell phones with great cameras weren't the thing."

The bell rang. "Well, I have to go," Mrs. Powers said. "Chloe, why don't you and Clark show Miss Summers out?"

"Sure," Clark said.

"Miss Summers, I will definitely be calling you about your proposal," she said, smiling warmly at Buffy.

As soon as Mrs. Powers left, Chloe asked, "What proposal?"

Buffy laughed, amused by the girl's inquisitiveness. Dawn would so love this girl. "I want to volunteer here next semester. I'm getting my degree in psychology and want to start a mentoring program. I worked at the high school in my home town and felt like I really made a difference. Your counselor is really overworked."

"That'd be amazing!" Chloe said, liking the woman. A fresh mystery to solve. "You can tell me all about your high school were principals have a short lifespan." They walked out of the room. Chloe led her down the now empty halls to the front of the school.

"You're the reporter. It's up to you to find out the details," Buffy said, giving her a cheeky smile.

Chloe returned her smile, unoffended. "I live for a challenge," she admitted. It was refreshing to meet someone that wasn't put off by Chloe's inquisitiveness.

"So, where's your family, Buffy?" Clark asked. "Back in California?"

"Actually, my mom is in heaven—a brain aneurysm, and my dad is off with his secretary somewhere. My baby sister is in Cleveland with friends. She's going to school there. I hope to have her join me here after Christmas," Buffy shared.

"Oh, I'm sorry about your mom," Clark said with sympathy.

"Me, too," Buffy said. "But I know she's in a better place."

"That's good," Clark said.

"But how do you know? Reports on heaven are contradictory at best," Chloe said, not able to turn off her reporter brain.

Clark gave a her a look. "Chloe, how about you try to not offend a woman we just met?" he suggested.

Closing the hellmouth and losing so much had given Buffy some prospective. The past few months had been a time of real self-reflection. "It's fine. I don't mind telling her why I know that my mother is in heaven," Buffy said. "Because I died once and went there myself. Heaven is real. One day I will see her again." Her words to Chloe were said with real conviction. It was what gave Buffy hope and strength to keep fighting. Her peace would be found once again one day. It was nice to think of her mother experiencing it now even though her loss was still a hole that would never be filled.

Chloe looked at Clark in surprise, not expecting Buffy's answer. Before she could open her mouth to ask questions, Clark spoke. "I'm sure you will. I'm adopted myself. I don't know anything about my birth family," Clark offered up, hoping to distract Chloe from the invasive questions he knew were coming.

"Wow. I'm sorry to hear that," Buffy said in sympathy.

"I'm not. My parents are great," Clark said with a kind smile.

"Well, I appreciate you letting me see your wall of weird," Buffy said. "I hope to see you both next semester."

"Any time," Chloe said as Buffy walked to her car parked in the visitor.

"She seemed nice," Clark said as they watched her leave.

"She seemed full of secrets!" Chloe said excitedly.

"How so? She told us hers!" Clark argued.

"I know. So just imagine what she left unsaid!" Chloe told him. Then she slapped her forehead. "I can't believe I forgot to ask her what the name of her school was in California! What a rookie mistake!"

Clark put his arm around her shoulder. "Don't worry, Chloe. She may even have a sister attend here. You'll learn all her secrets," he reminded her.

After school, Clark left Chloe regaling Pete about her newest story find while he walked home.

Buffy had parked her car rental in the middle of town and was taking her own leisure walk around the town, getting a feel for the place. Everyone was so friendly—it was weird but nice.

She saw a teen on the bridge and smiled as she recognized him as Clark Kent, one of three people she now knew in town. However, she saw a car on the hill speeding down toward them. There was something in the road that the driver didn't see. Buffy knew an accident was about to happen. Clark seemed totally oblivious, so she took off running toward him. She knocked him down just as the car came over the bridge. The driver's car hit the bridge, going over the side.

"Clark, are you okay?" Buffy asked, looking down at him.

"I'm fine," Clark said, stunned. She'd come out of nowhere and hit him so hard that he could still feel it. The oddity of it shook him. But she was still in motion. She was kicking off her shoes, threw her phone down. He stood up, realizing that she was about to dive off the bridge after the car.

"I've got to get that driver out of there!" Buffy exclaimed. Before he could say anything, she hit the water.

Clark followed her into the water without hesitation—his shoes were still on. Buffy was already at the car. Clark watched as she used her elbow to shatter the windshield. He swam up to help and pulled the door open. Clark recognized the bald head. Buffy pulled him toward Clark. Clark grabbed a hold of him and swam to the surface, Buffy right behind him. She and Clark pulled his head above water. Lex didn't stir.

Scared, Clark got out of the water first, pulling Lex after him.

"Lie him flat," Buffy ordered. Then she began CPR.

Lex Luthor spit out water as he took a deep breath. A beautiful woman had been breathing into him.

"Thank God!" she said in relief. "He should be okay."

"Clark?" a voice shouted.

"Dad!" Clark exclaimed, jumping up and embracing the man.

"What happened, Clark?" his dad asked.

"I'm fine. Buffy came out of nowhere and knocked me away from the car. Then she dived into the water to pull out Lex. I helped her," Clark said.

Lex was sitting up, trying to get his bearings. The woman was smiling encouragingly at him. "Take slow deep breaths. You're going to be okay," she said.

"You were speeding down the road again in that toy car of yours," Mr. Kent said, frowning in disapproval.

"I guess so," Lex said weakly.

"You could've killed my son!" Mr. Kent exclaimed angrily.

"Mr. Kent, this man almost died. Now is not the time for you to be yelling at him!" Buffy said in disapproval.

"Who are you?" Lex asked her.

Buffy stood and held out her hand. "I'm Buffy Summers," she said. He took her hand and stood.

"I owe you my life," Lex said, squeezing her hand. He let go and looked at Clark. "I'm Lex Luthor. I can't thank you enough."

"We know who you are," Mr. Kent said. "Be more careful driving around."

"There was something in the road he was dodging," Buffy said in his defense.

Lex thought a minute. "Yes, a roll of barbed wire. I tried to miss it, and then that's when I saw your son," he said with a wince and look of regret. "I couldn't stop."

"It's good that you were there, Buffy," Clark said. He didn't see her car. "How did you get here so fast?"

All three eyes were on Buffy. She gave a sheepish smile. "I parked in the center of town and was exploring. I saw the car coming and ran," she said.

The ambulance finally arrived. "I don't need an ambulance," Lex said.

"You should get checked out. Make sure there's no fluid in your lungs. I drowned once, so I know what I'm talking about," Buffy said.

The three men looked at her in surprise. She reassured them. "I got better!" she said. "But I know that you were submerged in a lot more water than I was."

"Were you in a swimming pool?" Clark asked, unable to stop from asking. He'd been spending too much time around Chloe.

"Clark," Mr. Kent admonished.

"It's okay. It was a long time. I was about your age, Clark. Sixteen," Buffy said with a casual shrug. "And no, it wasn't a pool. It was a fountain."

The men all gave her looks of confusion and puzzlement, each trying to figure out how one would drown in a fountain. Only Lex jumped to the correct conclusion. Someone had tried to kill her by holding her face in the water. Her casual mention of her brush with death sparked his curiousity.

The paramedic was insisting Lex get into the ambulance. He was hesitant to leave his beautiful rescuer who was full of intrigue.

"Will you be around?" Lex asked her.

"No. I have to go back to Metropolis. I have classes and a ton of homework," she said. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks, Buffy," Clark said, flashing her a warm smile.

"My pleasure. Pay more attention to your surroundings," Buffy admonished. "I'll see you next semester, I hope."

"Thank you, Miss Summers," Lex said. He reluctantly walked away from him rescuer, climbing into the ambulance.

"Take care of yourself," Buffy said, giving him a smile and a wave. She was glad he went with the paramedic. He really had been in the water too long.

"Can I give you a ride?" Mr. Kent asked.

"Nah. I'm good. I'll be seeing you," she said. She waved and walked across the bridge.

The two men watched her for a moment. "So what really happened?" Jonathan Kent asked his son.

"It was just like she said. I was oblivious. She came out of nowhere and knocked me out of the way," Clark shared. "You should've seen her, Dad. She didn't hesitate. She threw her cell phone down and kicked off her shoes and dived. When I followed her, she was already at the car. She busted his car window with her elbow. I helped her open the door."

"So, she didn't see you use your powers?" his dad asked.

"No. She was the powerful one! She was incredible, Dad!" Clark said, obviously in awe of the woman.

"Lucky for all of us, she was there. No need getting Lex Luthor interested in your life," Jonathan said. "So how did you meet this girl?"

"She's going to start a mentorship program next semester, she said. Mrs. Powers introduced her to Chloe and me today. We walked her out after the bell rang and Mrs. Powers had to leave. Chloe gave her the third degree, and she didn't even get annoyed. She was very patient with Chloe. I think she's going to make a great counselor. Her program will probably help a lot of kids," Clark said.

"That sounds nice," Jonathan said. "Let's get you home to change."

Clark wasn't sure how his day had gone so off the rails, but he had a feeling meeting Buffy and saving Lex was the beginning of something.

*****Chapter End*****

If it's been a while since you've seen the pilot episode of Smallville, I changed it just enough to make some huge changes. Not only did I insert Buffy in it as co-savior, but in case you didn't catch it, there's no reason for Lex to obsess over how Clark saved him. Buffy wisely used just enough strength to get Lex out without drawing suspicion. Reviews make me so happy, so please take a moment to review and let me know if you want to read more! This first story will be 5 chapters long. Thanks for reading!