Cinephile
Summary: She was practically raised by old movies, but she didn't need them to teach her about real life.
AN: Being a fan of the classics, I couldn't help but notice how Faith always seemed to be watching something in black and white when she was in her motel.
If she was honest with herself, she didn't really know why she went to the Mayor. She could've just skipped town like she'd planned, or maybe she could have somehow made things okay with Buffy. But she went to him instead.
The Mayor reminded her of a character in the old black and white movies she loved. She watched them all the time as a kid. Sometimes her mom would even watch them with her. Of course, that was only when she wasn't gone for days, nosily screwing some guy in the other room, or passed out drunk at the kitchen table. They had a lot of bad times, but those moments they spent together laughing at the Marx Brothers and crying with Judy Garland almost made her forget and even forgive everything. Almost.
After her mom died, she continued the tradition with her Watcher, who was pleasantly surprised to find that a girl of her age and disposition could have any appreciation for anything older than herself. Every Saturday, they took a break from training and curled up together to swoon over Atticus Finch or poke fun at Nosferatu. For the first time in her life, she felt warm and safe and loved, and she almost convinced herself that it would last forever. Almost.
In Sunnydale, she spent her days in a dingy motel room, watching classic flicks on a crappy TV that was probably older than her and trying to block out the memories of her Watcher's screams. Alone in that motel, she couldn't help but wish for someone to watch them with her. She spent Christmas day at the Summers' house, and as she, Buffy, and Mrs. Summers huddled on the couch to watch It's a Wonderful Life together, she almost believed she had her own Clarence. Almost.
She was practically raised by those movies. Still, she didn't need them to teach her about real life; she'd learned all about that from her mom and Kakistos and Alan Finch. But movies taught her how life should've been, and what family was supposed to be like.
Faith wasn't really sure why she went to the Mayor, but she knew why she stayed. He was what family was supposed to be like. But even though she had the Boss to watch those old movies with her, she could never bring herself to ask him to join her. And she knew she never would.
