1.01 Life's Short

Fade In:
Inside their motel room

Faith pulled her eyes away from Buffys chest and pushed her off of her before standing up. “Think maybe we should go patrolling?” She asked, changing the subject.

Buffy just looked at her for a little while before pulling herself up off the floor too, “Yeah I guess. Think there are any cemeteries around here?”

Faith nodded, “Yeah, I grew up around this area. Well, okay, not really *this* area, but the closest `bad part` of town next to here.” She looked in their weapons bag and got two stakes and threw one to Buffy. “Ready to roll?”

Cut to:
The street - Night

Faith twirled her stake in her hands as we passed by people to get to the cemetery. Her eyes were scanning all around though, almost like she was afraid someone or something was gonna pop out at her.

“Could you not play with your stake? People are staring, and bad things are gonna run away if they see you.” Buffy asked, looking at Faiths nervousness.

“Just keepin my hands busy. And besides, vamps are retarded, they’ll come anyway.” Her eyes shifted around again.

“Faith are you okay?”

Faith stopped, and stared at a house across the street, terror written plainly on her face.

“Faith?” Faith didn’t move, or answer. Buffy followed her gaze, “Is that where you used to live?”

“No,” Faith answered too quickly, “Of course not. I wouldn’t live in a dump like that. Come on.” And she was off again, walking way too quickly and Buffy had to jog to keep up.

“Slow down, you have longer legs than I do.”

“Learn to keep up.” She kept walking fast.

“Faith!” Buffy ran up to her and pulled on her shoulder to turn her around to face her. “What’s wrong? What was in that house?”

“Nothing, its none of your business.” Faiths eyes flickered to down the street.

“You know, you complain about me not paying attention to your life, about not caring, and how can I when you don’t share anything with me?” Buffy looked at Faith and held her gaze. “I’m not asking you to share everything, but I hardly know you.”

“Better that way,” Faith mumbled and set off again, but walking at a normal pace this time. “The cemetery’s up there,” she pointed to a set of brass gates up ahead.

Buffy sighed but didn’t push it anymore, it was no use anyway because Faith was always used to just bottling everything up inside her. “Okay.”

The two entered the cemetery and Buffy fingered the brass gates. “Why have gates if their not locked?”

Faith shrugged and said sarcastically, “One of the many mysteries of life I guess.”

Buffy rolled her eyes at her sarcasm and walked down the path, looking at the graves. Lynn, Williams, Bryant, Spencer.....

Buffy stopped. Spencer? It sounded so familiar to her. “Faith...”

Faith looked back, “What?”

“Do we know anyone with the last name Spencer? A potential or something? It keeps ringing a bell.”

Faith noticeably paled.

Buffy looked back up and noticed that she’d gone white, “Faith? Faith are you okay?”

“N-No,” She managed to get out, “No we don’t know anyone with that last name. Come on.” She took Buffy’s arm and pulled her away but Buffys gaze never left the tombstone.

That is, until they were bombarded by three vampires.

“Thank god for small favors,” Faith muttered.

"Dinner time, boys," one said as he vamped out and approached the two quickly.

"You're taking us out to dinner?" Buffy asked in a `I'm a dumb blonde` way. Faith snickered.

"Yeah little girl, I know a place that has food to die for."

Buffy rolled her eyes, "No one says anything original anymore." She shrugged and pulled out a stake, "Oh well."

She did a roundhouse kick and knocked the first one down as Faith grabbed the second and threw him into a tree. The third charged at Faith but she elbowed him in the face. The second punched her in the face while she was busy with the third and she staggered back, "That wasn’t very nice."

Buffy got hit by hers but she threw a punch of her own back and he fell back and hit a tombstone, cracking it in half. He growled at her, "Slayer."

"State the obvious much? And that’s SlayerS, plural."

He got up and charged at her again but she backhanded him and cleanly shoved the stake in his heart, reducing him to a pile of dust.

Faith, meanwhile, was having a go at both of them at the same time, and was loving it. "Gonna kill you mother fucker," she said to one and punched him in the nose, making him scream. "Oops, now, did I break it? I'm SO sorry." She smirked as he held his nose, which gave her the opportunity to stake him.

She turned to the third as Buffy came up next to her, and they both had their stakes raised. He backed up with his hands in the air, "We don’t have to do anything rash here, I'll go. I'll be good." He ran around the side of a mausoleum and the two ran after them, but stopped dead when they saw him turn to dust.

On the other side of him was a girl, about fifteen or so, her stake raised.

"Well," said Buffy, "That saves us a trip."

"Who are you?" the girl and Faith said at the same time.

"We," Buffy paused for dramatic effect, "Are the original Slayers. And we've been looking for you. Well, you and a bunch of other girls that are now of the stake-wielding type."

"What's your name?" asked Faith as she put away her stake. Buffy did the same.

"Sam. Well, Samantha, but I hate that name." Sam put hers away too.

"Hi Sam, I'm Buffy, and this is Faith," she motioned to Faith.

"Hey," was all Faith gave in response.

"Hey," Sam said back. "So why are you looking for me? Kinda fuckin creepy if ya ask me."

"I take it since your all stake happy that you know what you are, correct?" Buffy asked.

"Well, not exactly. I know I've gotten stronger, and that I can kill guys with weird faces with wood." She shrugged.

"You’re a Slayer, destined to kill vampires, demons, and other evil--"

"B, shut up. I swear if you give the whole `your destined` speech to every chick we find I'll gag you."

Buffy shot her a glare, "I'd *really* like to see you try, F."

"Don’t tempt me."

"*Anyway*… " Buffy turned to Sam. "We're looking for other Slayers like you, to train you and prepare you for what you're inevitably going to face."

"Which would be…?"

"Evil. Lots of kinds. Big, small, fat, slimy, smelly… the works. We don’t exactly have a place to train yet, or do anything of that sort, but I guess we're kind of grouping up right now."

"Oh yeah B, ya gotta call Giles. He said he was gonna find a place for us."

"I know that Faith." Buffy sighed.

"Don’t fucking talk to me like I'm stupid." Faith turned to face her fully and tensed up, like she was preparing for a fight.

"Faith, please, not now okay? We have someone else here." Buffy dismissed her and turned back to Sam.

"Bitch," Faith muttered.

"Are all Slayers `destined` not to get along like you two?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "Cause I'd have to say, having a bunch of girls with lots of strength going at each other twenty-four seven, might cause some damage. "

"We have history, " Buffy explained.

"That *you* cant get over," Faith interjected.

Buffy turned to face Faith again, "No, I *did* get over it. If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be standing here right now."

"Is that a threat, Blondie?" Faith stepped closer.

"All I'm saying is that I wouldn’t have let you into my house to help fight the First, okay? Stop being so defensive."

"Stop trying to be the bigger person, B. You're not."

"Great, we've established none of us are the bigger person now can we please stop fighting? Trust me, I'll let you have the `bitch at Buffy` session later okay?" Buffy turned away from her again.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go find something else to kill," Faith said before walking away.

"Don’t die!" Buffy yelled after her.

"Yeah, yeah," Faith muttered before disappearing around the corner.

"Well *that* was fun," Sam said and rolled her eyes.

"I'm really sorry about that, she's stubborn," Buffy apologized. "Well, I know we don’t know each other very well, actually not at all, but I'd like for you to come with us. To train."

"To kill things?" Sam's face brightened.

"Well, *evil* things… " Buffy clarified, just in case she had a potential `rogue slayer` on her hands.

"Whatever, same diff. Sure, when ya wanna start?"

Buffy looked around the corner, at Faith who was busy pummeling on a girl vamp. "I gotta call Giles first, he's gonna get us a space where all of you can live and train too. So as of right now I guess I'll call you. What's your number?"

"I, uh… " Sam trailed off. "I don’t exactly have a number."

"Oh, no phone?"

"Yeah, and no house." Sam shrugged it off.

"Oh." Buffy stopped for a second. "Well I could get it arranged that you can live in the Marriott till we get a house. Is that okay?"

Sam shook her head, "Nah, I cant leave my friends. Don’t worry, I'll find you tomorrow." She picked at the stone on the mausoleum with her fingernail.

"Alright… but the offer still stands."

"Yeah, thanks. I guess I'll see ya, " Sam said before walking off in the other direction.

Buffy gave a little sigh before turning around and ran directly into Faith. "Oof!"

Faith chuckled, "Damn B, watch where you're going. Where's the girl?"

Buffy shook her head to clear it, "She um, went back to where ever she lives. She said shed find us in the morning. I asked if she wanted to live at the Marriott till we get the house situation straightened up but she said no."

" Oh, didn’t want to leave the rents?"

"I don’t thinks she lives with them. She doesn’t exactly live anywhere… no home I guess."

Faith looked past Buffy and to the street where she saw Sam walking and had a look in her eyes of understanding.

Fade Out