The Three of Us

Reviews and Feedback are more than welcome. (Big Hint!)

This Chapter is beta free. Please disregard all gramma tickle errors and mastikes.

Last time I checked none of these Characters belonged to me!
***********************************************************************


Buffy and Faith came to a halt outside a small bistro. Buffy looked at her reflection in the large windows, she adjusted her hair and checked the crease in her pants. Faith stared off down the street to her left for a moment. She leaned back, and looked past Buffy to the right. She straightened up and looked to the left again.

“What?” Buffy asked quietly.

Faith pulled her sunglasses down her nose and looked at the blond over the top of the frames. “This is where I had lunch with your mom,” Faith was staring at her. “But you knew that, didn’t you?”

“Moi?” Buffy brought her hand up to her chest and tried to look innocent.

Faith smirked, “Nice try, B, I ain’t buyin’ it.” She pushed her glasses back up her nose. “Why are we here?” she glanced at the window. “Who are we meetin’?” she turned back to the blond, “And for what?”

Buffy stared at the window, “Does this shirt look okay with these pants?” She turned slightly away from Faith, watching her in the reflection.

Faith sighed, “I don’t know about that, but those two guys,” Faith pointed at a table on the other side, “Are really enjoyin’ the show.”

Buffy straightened up with a shocked look on her face, “Oh my god,” she muttered. Faith laughed at the blushing blond. “C’mon,” Buffy growled when she grabbed the brunette’s arm and started dragging her toward the door.

Faith turned with the blond and stopped, she reached up with her free hand and took her glasses off. “Seriously, B,” she was staring hard at the blond, “Why are we here?”

Buffy was half a step in front of Faith, still hanging on to her arm. She could see the determination in the dark slayers eyes. She briefly glanced away, before meeting Faith’s eyes with a determined look of her own. “I’ve already told you,” she started, “That I spent a long time talking to my mom last night. Right?” Faith nodded, not moving. “Well, some of that conversation involved you.”

“Me?” Faith’s mouth dropped open, “Why me?”

Buffy pulled her head back a little and stared at her; “Duh!” she glared. “Why do you think?” She let go of Faith and crossed her arms. “I found out more about you in a dream, than I have since you got here!” She blew out a breath, “There’s that little bit about the three of us waking up together, or the shower.” Faith could see the blond starting to get on a roll and wasn’t sure how to stop it. “Plus there’s the thing that Lorne said, you going all psycho on the council...”

Faith grabbed her arm, “Whoa,” a tentative smile crossed her face, “Calm down, B.” She gently rubbed her hand up and down the blond’s arm, “I get nervous when other people talk about me, okay?” She dropped her arm to her side, “It was just a dream. You caught me by surprise, that’s all.”

Buffy sighed and looked at the dark slayer sheepishly, “Sorry,” she paused. “But that whole dream gives me the wiggins.” Faith’s face dropped. “Oh crap,” Buffy muttered, “That’s not what I meant Faith.” She grabbed the girl by both arms, “I went to bed last night, wondering if Scott was going to ask me to prom, and I wake up in a committed relationship with two other girls.” She smiled, “So, yeah, I was a little freaked.”

Faith chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, “Yeah, I can understand that. But I still wanna know why we’re here.”

Buffy nodded, “We’re going to have lunch with my mom. She wants to talk to you about some of the things I talked to her about last night.”

Faith tilted her head and looked at the blond, “Why?”

Buffy sighed and looked at the ground before bringing her head up to meet Faith’s gaze again, “She’s my mom; she wants to get to know you.”

Faith’s eyes widened, “Just what did you tell her?”

Buffy laughed, “Eww, I didn’t tell her that! She’s my mom!” She shook her head for a second, smiling, she slipped her arm through Faith’s again. “I told her that I wanted to make some changes in our relationship.” She looked sideways at the brunette, “I said we’d be spending more time together and building better bonds as slayers.”

“Somebody write that out for you?” Faith was wearing a smirk.

Buffy smacked her lightly on the shoulder, “Ha, ha, remember, you said you were going to trust me on this.” She smiled at her companion, “C’mon, mom’s waiting.”

Faith sighed and nodded, “I knew that statement was gonna bite me in the ass. I just didn’t expect it so soon,” she grumbled. Buffy smiled and the two girls walked into the restaurant.

They followed the hostess out to the patio behind the restaurant. The girls spotted Joyce, perusing the menu in the shade of a Jose Cuervo umbrella. She looked up and smiled as they approached. “Hello girls,” she welcomed them, and waited for the hostess to leave. “Did you even go to school this morning?” she looked at Buffy.

Faith’s eyes went wide for a second, “Yeah,” Buffy answered meekly, “I did go and talk to Giles for a bit.”

“It’s my fault Mrs. S.” Faith broke in, “I dragged her away so’s we could talk.” She shot a quick glance at the blond, “Don’t get mad at her, when it’s my fault.”

Joyce smiled, “While I appreciate you sticking up for my daughter, that’s not what this is about.” The two girls blinked at her, “I figured if you didn’t show up at the school, she’d have gone to get you.” She smiled at both of them, “I just want to know what she did with her morning, that’s all.”

Faith looked at Buffy and her mom, “Oh,” was all she could say.

“We went to the Pump for coffee,” Buffy was flipping through the menu, “We ran into Cordy, and she came with us.”

“Oh, why?” Joyce asked.

Buffy glanced at Faith, “She mentioned that she knew where Faith could get the dress she wore in the dream.”

“Oh,” Joyce was taken aback, “Why would she say that?”

The two slayers glanced at each other before returning their gaze to Joyce, “She shared the dream with us,” Buffy said quietly. Faith nodded in agreement.
“I, see,” Joyce was pensive, “Does this happen often?”

Both girls shook their heads. “This is the first time I shared a dream with anybody but B,” Faith spoke, “That’s why we asked her to go with us.” She glanced quickly at Buffy, “What did B tell you about the dream?”

“I thought you would have discussed this,” Joyce shot a pointed glance at her daughter. “What did you three talk about?”

A red tinge slowly crept up Buffy’s cheeks, “Cordy was there, so I didn’t want to talk about anything that didn’t concern her.” Faith glared at the blond. Buffy smiled at her, “Sorry, but I didn’t think you would want to talk about it in front of her.”

“Talk about what, B?” Faith demanded.

“Faith,” Joyce interrupted, “I’m sorry you weren’t prepared for this, but we’ll deal with it. Just relax, and enjoy lunch.”

Faith shot a look between the two, “Why do I get the feelin’ I’m bein’ set up for somethin’?”

Buffy reached over and gently touched the brunette’s arm, “Remember, you said you were going to trust me?”

Faith rolled her eyes, “Yeah, and don’t forget, that only goes so far, blondie.”

Buffy smiled, “Duly noted. What are you having for lunch?”

Faith blinked, “I’m gonna have the cheeseburger platter.”

“That’s good,” Buffy was flipping back and forth through the menu, she flipped it shut, and looked at the brunette, “I’m going for the seafood pasta, they skewer a mean shrimp here.”

Joyce smiled at Faith, “She does like her seafood diet.”

“Mom!” the blond yelped, “How can you say that?”

“Lighten up, Buffy,” Joyce smiled at her daughter. She turned to Faith, “Sometimes I like to say she’s on a seafood diet. She sees food and eats it.”

Faith looked at the mortified blond, and smirked, “I can totally relate to that. This slayin’ stuff, it definitely leaves ya hungry.”

“Thanks,” Buffy looked at Faith, “I think.”

The waitress appeared and the three made their orders. Silence surrounded them for a few moments, just the muted conversation of other diners to keep them company. Faith looked nervously at Buffy, then her mom. The silence was making her edgy. ‘I should just ask what they were yakkin about last night,’ she thought to herself. ‘Just find out what it is and deal with it,’ her eyes darted back and forth. ‘Maybe I don’t want ta know and should just leave it?’ she sucked in her bottom lip. ‘Nope, there’s somethin goin on here I need ta know,’ she sighed. She looked up to see both Summers looking at her, “What?” she snapped.

“Tense much?” Buffy smiled, “You need to learn to relax. All this tension isn’t good for you.”

“My problem is,” Faith shot back with a smirk, “You cause most of it.”

Joyce watched the banter between the two girls. ‘I wonder if I made the right decision,’ crossed her mind. ‘It seems like I did, I hope this works.’ She glanced at her daughter, before turning to the dark slayer, “So, Faith,” she smiled, “I’m guessing you don’t know why you’re here.”

Faith blinked at the older woman, she bit back the sarcastic comment, and went with the pat ‘Dealing with Adults’ answer. “I have no idea,” she replied. “Would you care to tell me?”

Joyce sighed, “Drop the attitude Faith; I get enough of that from Buffy and Dawn.” She stared at the dark slayer, “Shall we start again?”

“Oh,” a now contrite slayer looked down at the table. When she looked back up at Joyce some of the walls were gone. “B didn’t say why I’m here,” she glanced at the blond. “She just told me you wanted to talk to me and get ta know me.”

Joyce nodded, “Okay, let’s start with last night.” She paused for a moment, “Here’s what I know. Buffy woke me last night, after she shared a dream with you and Cordelia, correct?” Both slayers nodded. “The dream caused her to question some of her past behaviour, and how it might affect her life going forward. Particularly as far as you and Cordelia are concerned. Am I on the right track?”

Faith shot a look at Buffy, “I know we shared the dream, but I don’t know what she talked to you about,” she shrugged.

“It was some of the things I learned about you,” Buffy was watching Faith. “Like I said earlier, most of what I know about you, I learned last night.” She reached over and lightly touched the dark slayers arm, “I didn’t know how much was true or not.” She squeezed the arm, “It bothered me that I didn’t know.”

Faith shrugged again, “Not a lot to tell.” She looked away from the two at the table. There was a hard set to her eyes when she looked back, “Shitty childhood, here I am.” She sat quietly for a moment. “Pretty short story actually.”

“Well,” Joyce spoke up, “You can spend the rest of your life whining about it, or you can do something to change your life from here on out.” She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the brunette.

Buffy’s eyes had popped open at her mother’s comments, “Mom!” She blinked at her, “How can you say that?”

“It’s the truth Buffy,” her mom said earnestly. “Those are her choices. She just has to pick one.” She reached forward and took a sip from her water, “From what Buffy has told me, you seem to be a pretty smart girl, Faith. I think you’ll make the right choice.” She put her glass back down, “Remember, neither one of us can make it for you. Whichever choice you make, you make because it’s the one you want.” She watched the brunette, weighing her words, “Don’t make the decision based on what you think Buffy, or Cordelia, or Giles, wants you to do.”

“Do I have to decide right now?” Faith’s eyes were moving back and forth between the two women. Buffy was worried she was going to bolt.

“No,” Joyce answered lightly. “It won’t be a conscious decision Faith.” She looked up to see the waitress approaching, “You’ll just realize one day, which one you chose.” She opened her napkin and placed it in her lap, “Our food’s here.” She turned to her daughter, “That’s one of the things you don’t understand as a teenager, but you will as you get older.”

“What?” Buffy’s brow was furrowed in concentration at her mom.

“That most of life’s big decisions are made by small insignificant decisions taken every day.” She moved to the side slightly, as the waitress put her food in front of her. “It’s not until you look back, do you realize what you’ve done.”

“I’m missin’ somethin’,” Faith said quietly. She looked up into Joyce’s eyes, “I ain’t gonna realize, which choice I made till I’m like twenty or somethin’?”

Joyce laughed, “If you’re lucky, Faith, you’ll realize it by then, it may take longer. It will just depend on your approach.”

Faith looked confused, “So like one day, I look back and realize which choice I made?”

Joyce swallowed her mouthful, “Pretty much.”

“That sucks,” Buffy added. “What happens if you don’t like the choice you made?” she asked her mom.

“That’s when you have another opportunity to do something about it.” She looked at both girls, “It’s why you have to push yourself to improve, and to be the best you can everyday.”

“Do you make tapes?” Faith asked, causing Joyce to stare at her. “Cuz if you did, I could order a set and listen to ’em in the car. If I had a car,” she shrugged. Buffy’s eyes went wide and she gawked at the dark slayer.

There was a tight smile on Joyce’s face, and it was scaring Buffy. “That was uncalled for, Faith,” there was a chill in her voice. “I understand you being nervous about being here, but you need to drop the attitude if we’re going to get along.” She took a breath, “We’re here together because I asked Buffy to do this. Show some respect to the two of us please.” Faith’s head dropped till her chin hit her chest. “I also understand that it’s part of your defence mechanism, to protect yourself,” she looked at Buffy before turning back to Faith. “You need to understand, that when you’re with us, you don’t need that. We’re not trying to hurt you or take anything away from you. We’re here because we care about you.” She reached over and used her finger to lift the brunette’s head. When she made contact with the dark eyes, she continued. “We are going to criticize you, or correct you, when you need it, not because we think we’re better than you, but because we care about you.” Faith pursed her lips and gave a small nod of recognition. “We can only offer to help Faith, whether you take it or not, is up to you.”

“What makes you think I need help?” Faith growled out through clenched teeth. She had straightened up in her chair and was leaning slightly forward.

Buffy watched her mom face Faith, “You misunderstood, Faith. I didn’t say you needed help, I said we were offering it if, and I stress if, you needed it.” She smiled at Faith, “You’ll see there is a difference.” Joyce lifted her arm and looked at her watch, “Now, finish your lunch. Buffy, you have to go back to school this afternoon; I’ll take Faith with me.”

“Umm,” the dazed brunette started, “Uhh, take me where?”

“Why do I have to go back to school?” Buffy whined.

“Because,” she was using her mom voice, “I’ve already talked to that troll Schneider, once, and I don’t want to do it again. To answer Faith, we’re not finished yet.”

“Oh,” both girls replied dejectedly.

Joyce sighed and rolled her eyes, “Relax, both of you. You’ll survive the afternoon, don’t worry. Well Faith has a little more to worry about, but she’ll be okay.” Faith’s eyes went wide, and the colour drained from her cheeks. Joyce laughed, “I’m teasing you Faith, you can meet her in the library after school and do your slayer stuff then.” She reached over and patted the dark slayers arm. “I want to get to know you; we’ll spend some time together and see how it goes. Alright?”

Faith nodded, not sure if she could trust herself to say anything. Buffy sighed and looked at the scared girl, “I’m sure you’ll be okay Faith. She hasn’t killed any of my friends,” she waited a beat, “Yet.”

Faith’s head swivelled around, wide eyed, “Yet” she squeaked. She brought her fist up to her mouth and coughed, “Whatta ya mean, yet?” her voice was back to normal.

Buffy and Joyce were both laughing now, “Just playing with you Faith.”

“I knew that,” the dark slayer grumbled. She looked at the two Summers’ smiling at her. “Why do I get the feeling I bit off more’n I can chew?” she mumbled to herself. Joyce and Buffy broke out into fresh laughter.

“Good, now eat,” Joyce commanded.

Thirty minutes later, Joyce pulled the jeep to a halt in front of Sunnydale High. She turned to Buffy, who was sitting in the back seat, “Here you are,” she smiled.

Buffy looked out the window at the school, “Yeah,” she sighed. She looked at her mom with hope in her eyes, “Maybe I should go with you, just in case?”

“In case of what?” Joyce queried. She looked at Faith, “Don’t you think Faith can look after me?”

Faith turned from the front seat to stare at the blond, “Yeah, ya think I’d be able ta look after yer mom,” she snarked.

“Well,” a flustered Buffy started, “That’s not what I meant! Maybe you’ll run into something that needs two slayers!”

Joyce laughed, “Nice try, Buffy. You’re going to school.” she smiled at her daughter, “I’ll drop Faith off here about 4:30, and then you can go see Mr. Giles. Alright?”

“I suppose,” the blond grumbled and opened the door. “See ya,” she said to Faith as she got out.

“No sweat, B,” the brunette replied through her lowered window. “I’ll try to keep your mom safe.”

“Ha, ha,” Buffy lifted her hand and let it drop when she turned to walk away. “Freaking comediennes,” she mumbled.

Joyce smiled and watched her daughter’s half wave as she walked off toward the school. “I love her dearly, but she’s always been a bit of a drama queen,” she smiled at Faith. She dropped the Jeep into gear, “We have a number of stops to make, so we’d better get going.”

“Umm,” Faith looked at her nervously, “Where we goin? Exactly.”

Joyce shoulder checked and pulled out into the traffic, “I’ll tell you when we get there.”

“Oh,” Faith replied. She paused for a moment, “This a good time ta tell ya I don’t do surprises well?” She watched Joyce for a moment, waiting for a response. “Uh, Mrs. S?” she queried, “I’m really gettin’ nervous here.”

“Sorry, Faith,” She glanced and smiled at the brunette, “I’m just trying to figure out how to approach this,” she turned her attention back to the road.

Faith was looking around at the buildings whizzing by, “Approach what?”

“Our conversation,” Joyce flashed a smile at her. “I’m just trying to figure out what I should say when I get there.”

“I’d help,” Faith muttered, “But I ain’t got any idea where we’re goin’.”

“Ahh,” Joyce peered ahead, “There it is.” She turned into the parking lot of a nondescript one story building. The only difference between it and an abandoned warehouse was the warehouse looked cheerier. She pulled into a visitor’s stall and stopped the car. She turned to Faith, “We’re here.”

“And that would be where?”

Joyce looked at the dark slayer for a moment, before turning to face the building. She stared for a minute, knowing that Faith was watching her. A serious look settled across her face, and she turned back to the slayer. “You don’t strike me as the type of person who pussyfoots around, so neither will I.” Faith’s left eyebrow arched up toward her hairline. Joyce continued, “Buffy told me where you’ve been living since you got here. How you’ve been on your own for a while. The details in the dream,” she held up a hand to stave off Faith’s protest. She could see the girl getting upset, “Just let me finish Faith, please.” She took a deep breath, “Some of the details she saw in the dream, disturbed her deeply. I don’t know how much of it is true, and I’m not sure of how much I want to know.” Faith had folded her hands in her lap and was staring at them. “I believe,” Joyce spoke softly, “That you’ll tell me when you’re ready.” A small smile crept onto her face as she watched the girl. “This place,” she waved at the building in front of them, “Is Child and Family Services.”

Faith’s head shot up and snapped around, “What?” she yelled.

Joyce still had the small smile on her face, “Remember, during lunch, when I said most major decisions are made up of a whole bunch of little ones?” Faith was staring at her like she’d lost her mind. “This isn’t one of them.” She sighed, “Every once in a while, you have to make a big one.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Faith was getting panicky. “Why the fuck are we here?”

“Calm down, Faith,” Joyce spoke evenly, “Let me finish what I have to say.” Faith angrily crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the passenger window. Joyce sighed, “I need you to listen to what I have to say Faith.” She watched the girl for a moment. “Because of what Buffy told me this morning, I did some thinking of my own,” she paused. “I’d never thought about where you were staying, or how you supported yourself, who looked after you when you’re hurt,”

“I don’t need nuthin’ from nobody,” Faith growled, “All I need is me.”

Joyce shifted in the seat so she could face the dark girl. “That’s where you’re wrong, Faith. Everybody needs someone. You’ve got Buffy now right?” The question hung in the air while she waited for an answer that wasn’t coming. “You can talk to her about Slayer things, because she understands that. The same way I hope she can talk to you about them. I can listen to her, but I don’t understand it because I’m not a slayer,” she took a breath. “I depend on you to protect my daughter, to keep her safe. I also want her to look out for you.” She looked out the windscreen toward the building for a moment, before turning back to Faith. “It bothered me this morning that I didn’t know these things about you, so I decided to look into it.”

Faith was still staring out the side window of the car, “You take me in there, and I’ll be gone before ya get to the door.”

Joyce smiled, “I was expecting that.” She looked at the girl’s reflection in the side window. “The reason we’re here, is because I don’t want you to worry about having a bed to sleep in at night, or where your next meal is coming from. And this,” she pointed toward the building, “Is one of your options.” She saw Faith’s reflection blink, and glance toward Joyce’s in the window. “If you go in there, they’ll put you into care, you’ll have a place to sleep and get fed regularly. But living in a foster home will definitely put a crimp in your slaying.” She saw the girl look toward her again. “There is another option though,” she said softly. The two sat there in silence, Faith looking toward Joyce’s reflection. Joyce watched the back of her head, Faith needed to ask the question if this was going to work.

“What,” Faith squeaked. She cleared her throat, and growled, “What’s the other option?” Her head moved around so Joyce was in her peripheral vision.

“Besides running?” Joyce had a smirk on her face. She smiled when she saw an upward tug at the corners of Faith’s mouth.

“Yeah,” Faith’s voice was a little lighter, “’Sides that one.”

Joyce watched the girl, “You let us look after you.”

Faith’s head snapped around, her eyes wide. After a moment, she blinked, and then blinked again. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Exactly what I said,” Joyce smiled warmly. “You move into the house, go back to school, and you won’t have to worry about sleeping in crypts.”

Faith’s mouth was hanging open and her eyes were blinking furiously. Joyce watched her and waited while she processed the information. “Move,” Faith started, “Move in?” she whispered.

“Uh-huh,” Joyce answered. “You live with us, and go back to school. I’ve already been by the motel and picked up your things. They’re in the basement now.”

“School?” Faith whispered, her eyes darting back and forth in panic. “I’d have ta go back to school?” Her eyes, full of fear, settled on Joyce, “But I’d have ta go back to like Grade Eight!”

Joyce gently put her hand on the brunette’s shoulder to calm her, “No, Faith. You would take the GED course. You write a test to see what level you’re at, and they develop a curriculum to suit you.” She pulled her hand back, “When you finish, you have a high school diploma. You could go to college if you want.”

Faith laughed, “Have you been drinkin’?” She shook her head, “Man, can you see me in college? Only reason I’d be there was by accident.”

Joyce’s smile drooped as she sadly shook her head. “Don’t sell yourself short Faith,” she looked at the girl again. “Start with taking the test, and we’ll go from there. I’d like to see you try for college, but the decision will be yours.”

“Oh,” Faith’s eyebrows scrunched together, “I don’t have to go to college, but you’d like me to think about it.” She looked up at Joyce, “That’s what yer tryin’ to tell me.”

Joyce smiled and turned back to the steering wheel, “That’s all I’m doing for now.” She started the car and turned to back out of the stall, “We’ll go see my lawyer, and you can write that test.”

“What’s a lawyer got to do with this?” Faith growled. She was watching Joyce, trying to determine if the woman was pulling a fast one. “If I’m movin’ in with you, why do we have to see a lawyer?”

Joyce smiled while she checked traffic, before pulling out onto the street. “There’s some paperwork, that’s all, Faith,” She glanced at the slayer, “It’s just so everything’s above board.”

The dark slayer stared at Buffy’s mom for a moment, “You said my stuff’s in the basement already?”

“Yes.”

“Why’d ya do that?” Faith was glaring at her.

Joyce chuckled, “You had three options, Foster care, running, or moving in with us. I chose the smart one and hoped you would as well.”

“What if I decided to run?” Faith’s voice was shaky.

“We would’ve gone home,” she said in an icy tone that was scaring Faith, “Picked up your stuff, and I’d take you to the police, and report you as a runaway.”

“Oh,” Faith looked down at the floor of the Jeep. “Why are you doin’ this?”

Joyce sighed and gripped the steering wheel a little harder. She cast a glance toward the dark slayer seeing the intense gaze. ‘She needs the truth,’ she thought to herself. “The main reason is because I need you to help Buffy. The fewer distractions you have, the better you can help her.” She saw Faith’s shoulders sag, “The other reason, is because you need a home. Someplace where you can feel safe, and know that people care about you.” Faith’s head snapped around and she was staring wide eyed at Joyce again. She smiled, “I don’t know you all that well, yet, but I like what I’ve seen. I think you can become part of our family, Faith. Dawn already thinks you’re way cooler than Buffy, so she won’t mind you staying with us.”

The brunette cracked a smile, “You were pretty sure that I’d make that choice, weren’t ya?”

Joyce grinned, “I said you were smart, Faith.”

“So, how come I gotta write that test today?” Faith had realized the rest of what Joyce had said. “Aren’t I supposed to study first or somethin’?”

Joyce shook her head, “No, it’s designed to find out what level you’re at. So there’s no real reason to study.” She stopped for a light, “That might put you into a level you’re not ready for.” She turned to Faith, “It’ll be better this way.”

“Great,” Faith grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest. “Everybody’ll know how stupid I am.”

Joyce sighed, “That’s not going to happen Faith. You write the test and they design a program for you. When you’re done the program, you write a Final Exam. When you pass it, you get your diploma. It’s the same as a high school diploma.” She turned into another parking lot, and started to look for a spot. “Nobody will now what your results were, unless you tell them.”

“But they’ll see me in the halls and they’ll know,” she grumbled.

“If you went to the same school,” Joyce admonished the slayer, “that would probably happen.” She brought the Jeep to a halt and turned it off. Looking at the slayer again, “The GED courses are in a held in a separate school. It’s close to the high school, but that’s it.”

“Oh,” Faith mumbled. She looked at the building, “Where are we?”

Joyce opened the door and got out of the car, “My lawyers office. Let’s go.” Faith swallowed and slowly opened the door.