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Chapter Five



"Wills, are you still there?"

Buffy had just finished telling Willow a very detailed version of her encounter with Spike. Her friend had remained silent on the line the whole time, most likely from shock. "Will?" Buffy asked again, afraid they might have lost a connection.

"Yeah." Willow cleared her throat. Buffy could practically hear the wheels turning. "Wow," was all Willow could muster.

"Wow? That’s it?" Buffy sighed. "Some help you are. I might as well have called Xander!"

Willow allowed a small giggle at the expense of their friend. "I’m sorry, Buffy. It’s just amazing. He’s the last person I expected you to meet on your trip." Willow paused. "Are you happy to see him again?"

"At first not so much." Buffy remembered trying to run and hide from the man. "But now, maybe."



As soon as Buffy ended her conversation with Willow, she picked up the phone and dialed another number. Although Willow wasn’t thrilled that Buffy was going to keep up the charade of being eighteen, she had offered her help and gave Buffy many good ideas. The most important being taken care of first.

"Faith?" Buffy asked as her old friend picked up her cell phone.

"B?"

Buffy could hear the surprise, but didn’t blame her. They hadn’t spoken since Buffy had left to move to Sunnydale. "Yeah, it’s me."

"Long time no talk. I guess they don’t have phones down there in Sunnydale, huh?"

Buffy felt a pang of guilt. She knew Faith was using sarcasm to cover up her hurt feelings. "Actually I’m in L.A. right now. Visiting my dad for the summer."

"Is that right?" Faith questioned. "So you got lonely and decided to look up your old pal Faith?" She didn’t wait for Buffy to answer. "Well that’s good ‘cuz I’ve got all kinds of fun planned for this weekend."

Buffy cleared her throat nervously. "Actually, no. That’s not the reason I’m calling. Although, I would love to hang out and catch up sometime soon," she quickly added, not wanting to hurt Faith again when she needed a favor. She explained some of her situation, without giving names, and eventually asked Faith for her help.

Faith didn’t answer right away, and Buffy waited nervously for her response. "Okay, B. I know some people that could hook you up," she told Buffy. "Meet me at the old high school in two hours."

Before Buffy could thank her, she’d hung up.



Buffy checked her bag for the hundredth time since she’d left her father’s house for her pepper spray. The old high school wasn’t exactly in the best neighborhood, and she was more than a little nervous about walking there alone. The sun was setting, which added to her discomfort. She scanned the empty parking lot, for any sign that her friend was waiting for her.

"Boo!" Buffy screamed loudly when someone jumped in front of her. Her heart was racing as her attacker started laughing. "Relax, B. It’s just me."

"Faith!" Buffy didn’t know if she should be relieved or pissed off at her friend.

"Who else would it be? The big bad?" Faith teased her.

"Well? Did you get it?" Buffy asked anxiously.

Faith waited a second before pulling something out of her back pocket and holding it up for Buffy to see. "You know me. I always get it." She handed Buffy the small, plastic card.

"Ohmigod!" Buffy squealed in delight. "It even has my real picture on it!"

"Yeah, I had a few lying around. You owe me fifty bucks."

"Whatever, it’s worth it." Buffy’s eyes were still glued to her new fake ID.

Faith flashed her a devilish smile. "Wanna test it out?"



Buffy stared at the cars as they drove past her, oblivious that she had passed her destination three times. As she walked the city block for the fourth time she wondered if maybe she was making a mistake. Her time with Spike had been short, but her instincts had told her to leave that morning after their night together. What if that had been her mistake? Was meeting Spike again fate’s way of telling her that?

However, she couldn’t shake off Willow’s warnings. Even if she and Spike were meant to be together, he would never stay with her if he knew her real age.

"What if this thing turns serious?" Willow had asked. "How are you going to explain why you still go to high school? Why you don’t have a driver’s license?"

Buffy had been silent, contemplating her friend’s questions. She remembered how easy it had been to dismiss Willow’s concerns.

"This ‘thing’ won’t get serious, Will. It’s just a summer fling."

Now, Buffy couldn’t get that conversation out of her mind. Was she willing to risk getting attached to Spike when she knew all they could ever have was a summer romance?

As she approached the building for the fifth time, she shook her head to clear her mind and finally made her way towards the apartment complex. Tonight was her first real date with Spike, and she couldn’t help but be nervous about how she would look. Which is why she’d gone to her only real friend in L.A. for help.

"Hey, B," Faith greeted her after answering the door. "You come back for some more club hoppin?"

Buffy smiled, remembering the previous night with her friend. Buffy’s fake ID had worked like a charm, and thanks to Faith’s connections neither of them had spent a dime. However, clubs in L.A. weren’t like the Bronze in Sunnydale and she was more than exhausted after their night out. "No, but I do need your help."

Faith stepped aside to let Buffy inside the small apartment. Faith’s father had died when she was ten and since then her mother had turned to alcohol as a way out. Faith rarely saw her mother and when she did it was only for a day or two. She’d bring whatever boyfriend she’d found back to the apartment and ignore Faith until she could get some money out of her. Then she’d steal whatever small belongings Faith had and disappear again for months.

Buffy could tell things had gotten worse for Faith. The tiny apartment was dark except for a lone ray of sunlight coming in through the blinds. Her furniture consisted of a small table that belonged in someone’s backyard and two fold up chairs in front of a minuscule television set. There was a mini refrigerator, a few cabinets, and a small sink that made up the kitchen. Her bed was up against the far wall of the room with a small alarm clock sitting beside it.

Faith clapped her hands loudly, bringing Buffy out of her daze. "So, what kinda help you need this time?"





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