Just a Photograph

CHAPTER TWO
"Invited"

"I'm… HEY! Why?" She jogged to catch up with me.

"Because I'm a little short on cash at the minute and maybe shelters more important then breakfast, but I dunno I could be wrong." I don’t look at her as I say it and open the door to the little shop and throw myself in a booth and watch Buffy slide in across from me.

"Oh… okay. Well, where are you staying? Are you with your parents? Your watcher?"

Fuck yeah right.

"I'm here by myself."

Her brow wrinkled in concern. "Well are you gonna get a job or something? To be able to live I mean."

I shrug, "I never really thought about it. Only thing that was on my mind for awhile was to get here. And now that I'm here... I guess I could. I mean, what else do I have to do with my time besides slay?"

The waitress came then, and we ordered some pancakes and eggs. Buffy did the whole smile and be nice thing and I grumbled my order and looked at her tits. Don’t we make a great pair? But hey, she had some nice knockers.

After the waitress left Buffy shrugged and said, "Well, you could hang out with me and my friends."

I raised an eyebrow, "You really want someone like me to meet your friends?" Of course I'm skeptical, no one ever wants to hang out with the girl who dresses in all black and looks like a street side whore. Not like I give a shit though because fuck it, I look GOOD in these kinds of clothes. Everyone else can shove it up their ass.

"Yeah, why wouldn’t I?"

"I dunno."

She gave me a small smile, "You’re a bad a lair you know."

I grumble, "Fuck you." And grab a straw and start to chew on it.

She giggled a little and gave me a small kick underneath the table. "Don’t be such an asshole, Faith. I was just saying."

"Sorry B, but that’s who I am."

Hah, like I'm really sorry. She fuckin' kicked me! Granted it didn’t hurt but still.

Buffy rolled her eyes at me and stuck her tongue out as the waitress brought back our food. "I bet."

I didn’t say anything, I just dug into my food. I live for food. Well that and sex, dancing, slaying, and cigarettes. They shape the human world. Trust me.

She picked at it with her fork and I raised and eyebrow since I was already halfway done with my food. "You gonna eat that?" I reach my fork over the table to take some of hers but she slapped my hand away.

"Yes! Just cause I don’t shovel down my food like SOME people doesn’t mean I'm not gonna eat it."

I shrugged, "Whatever you say."

She took a bite of her eggs and when she swallowed she gave me an inquisitive look. "So where are you staying?"

"Dunno, haven't checked in anywhere yet. Though I saw some place near the High School, it looks like a dump but I bet it's cheap and that’s what I need right now."

She made a face. "No."

I raise an eyebrow at her, "No? What are you my mother?"

She shook her head, "I'm not letting you stay there. Why don’t you stay with me?"

"With you? Like in a house?"

I haven't been in a real house since I was with my watcher and that was… a dunno, a couple weeks ago? Why would this girl want me to stay with her anyway, she doesn’t even know me.

She laughed a little, "Yeah Fai, like in a house."

I gave her untrustful look, "Why?"

She looked down and fidgeted in her seat a little. "Well cause… I know this is gonna sound stupid but… Okay see, you know that Kendra came before you right?"

I nod and take another bite of my pancakes.

"Well me and her never really got to know each other, probably cause she was really tightly wound and we had nothing in common other than slaying. But I felt bad that I didn’t really get to know her before she died, I mean that could've just been a front. She could've been really cool, ya know?"

"So you want to get to know me before I die??"

"No! Jesus Faith, that’s not what I meant. And I'm not done, don’t interrupt me." She took a breath and fidgeted some more. "But this is kinda different. Not that your tightly wound, I mean I can see that. But no that’s not what I meant. You're just… I dunno different. I can… I can feel you. I couldn’t feel Kendra. Do you feel me?"

Feel her? I raise an eyebrow and she blushes but I concentrate and then I could. A slight humming, and I didn’t notice it before but yeah, I could feel her. Maybe it’s a slayer thing?

"Yeah… actually I can."

She breathed a sigh of relief, since she didn’t want to look stupid. "Okay. But do you see what I mean? I didn’t feel that with Kendra, and I don’t know why. I mean this humming stuff has to be our slayer connection or something, right?"

"I guess. Maybe this is like this whole Chosen Two deal. Maybe I'm supposed to stick around longer than Kendra did." I pause and smirk, "Or lets hope."

"Jeez Faith, morbid much? Of course lets hope. Seeing another one of my friends die isn't high on my list of things to do."

I raise me eyebrows, "Friend?"

"Yeah."

I give a little half smile and finish my pancakes and then reach my fork over to steal some of hers.

"Hey!"

I smirk as I chew and say with a mouthful, "Oops?"

She made a face at me, "Ew, don’t talk with your mouth full, Faith. Its icky."

I swallow and laugh, "Icky?" I then mock her, "Ew, don’t talk like that, B."

"Shut up, and don’t steal my food!"

"Well then maybe you should hurry up and eat it, I wanna get out of here anyway. Don’t like to be in one place for too long." It was my turn to fidget in my seat.

She rolled her eyes and pushed her plate towards me, "Fine. Here."

I grin and dig in and between mouthfuls say, "Thanks B!"

"Yeah yeah, just stop talking with your mouthful."

I finish it quickly and Buffy gets up to pay the bill. When we walk out the door she takes my hand and all of a sudden our slayer connection or whatever is amplified. It's like full on buzzing. She looks at me and I know she can feel it too.

We walk down the street and she asks, "So have you decided?"

"About…?"

"About staying with me." She gave me a ``don’t tell me you forgot`` look.

No, I didn’t forget! I just… okay so I forgot. I got a bad short-term memory, so sue me.

"Don’t you have to clear it with your parents first?"

She shrugged, "I doubt my mom will care, she'll just be all excited that I have someone to share the slaying with. She doesn’t like that I do it."

"What about your dad?"

She looked away and said quietly, "He's not around anymore."

Insert foot into mouth. "Oh."

"Its okay though." She paused and she's back to being smiley again, "So will you?"

"Uh… I guess." What could it hurt?

She grinned and bounced down the street to the school, "Yay!"

Damn, she gets happy over small things apparently.

We run through the schoolyard and into the building. Well, she did, I'm just following. I didn’t think shed want to come back to school.

I catch up with her when we get into the school. "Why the hell ya wanna come back here?"

"You promised to meet my watcher, remember?"

"Your watchers in school? What's she a teacher?" Wow that'd suck. Your watcher being there twenty-four seven.

"HE is the librarian." She said and headed off towards the library.

I sigh and follow. I really hope he doesn’t do a background check.

TBC….