Hey kiddos, I know what you're thinking…what the hell, shortest fucking chapter ever…Well, I respond with…did you read the title? That's what I thought--No, I'm kidding. So, I'm running a little off schedule…as usual, and I'm not so sure about an early this week update (real/complete update), and I just thought of this introduction, for what I do have done. It's extremely short, I realize that, but…well, it'll make you a little curious…I hope, and even more anxious for my real/complete update. So, here it is. I hope you like it. Feel free to comment. Oh, yeah, title (or part of title) once again Radiohead. Also, thanks for all of the reviews that I've gotten…Does this site block people from reviewing twice--even when technically it's a different chapter--replacing an old one? Just wondering. -ThomThom

Introduction To: Everything In It's Right Place/ The Same, But Different

Faith walked down the familiar street, a cigarette lit between her fingers. She had wondered if it was a good idea; if maybe June wanted some space, or something like that, but decided that she'd go see her anyways, to make sure she was okay, because they hadn't talked at all since they had slept together. First because of the obvious reason of Faith leaving, after finding out that Buffy had seen the two of them, and secondly because June had disappeared by the time she had gotten back, to the motel, which made her feel like a complete ass.

Really, she hadn't thought about it when she had taken off towards the Summers residence. All she knew was that she had to see the other slayer; had to talk to her, but that was it. There had only been a moments hesitation; a moment that didn't really consist of any thought out process, or anything resembling actual intelligent thinking. It had all been a feeling. Like she had to do it; like she had no choice. The stupidity, and cruelty of her quick decision was only called to her attention when she returned to the motel, finding wood from the railing scattered at the base of the building, and spots of blood dried on the dirt below. She had left June. Simply left her there without any explanation, or any thought really, and she saw that that had been a mistake. Leaving Kennedy standing there, with June inside, had been a mistake. The talk she had had been with Buffy wasn't on the list of regret--no, there was some good that came out of that--it was the going that made her feel guilty; the steps she took to get there. Not even on the way back to the motel had she thought that something might of happened. She was still thinking about the time she had had at Buffy's, seeing Dawn get in trouble for sneaking out, and also letting her aching back calm, until it didn't hurt when she walked. There was irony in that that she only saw once she had returned to the motel.

She had ran up the stairs, hoping to find June still inside, but walked into an empty room. There was no trace of the girl that immediately caught her attention, which made her a little worried, seeing her sister was also no where to be seen, but, after panicking for a minute, she spotted a note on her dresser. It was from June, telling her that everything was fine; that her and Kennedy hadn't killed one another, and that both of them were back where they really belonged. That, of course, sounded a bit cryptic to her, so she picked up the phone and called the other slayer, seeing if Kennedy had returned, but she hadn't come back. Then, she heard Dawn mention Willow's place, in the background, and that made her relax a little. After handing up with Buffy, she found June's number, and called her house. Catherine had answered, said June was home, but she was sleeping, and then she added the little message June had told her mother to deliver, which was far from little, saying that Kennedy was indeed at the redhead's house.

Though relieved to know that both were okay, Faith couldn't help but worry about the fact that June had known she was going to call, and simply told her mother to give her a message, instead of giving it to her herself. She wondered what Kennedy had said to the girl; what either of them had said, but in the back of her mind, she knew that what was said really didn't matter. It didn't matter, because anything Kennedy would have said was probably already known to the blonde girl. Just knowing what she knew about June, and some of her power, she figured that June had known when she had taken off towards Buffy's, and probably knew exactly where she was going. What she was worried about was what June might have been thinking happened once she had actually gotten to Buffy's house. Was she cooking up some grand story of her cruelly making up with the other slayer, the day after they had slept together? Then, there was the fact that for the next couple of days, when Faith had called the girl's house, there was either no answer, or some obvious lie that kept her from being able to talk on the phone. So, as a last resort, she knew she had to just go to the girl, whether she wanted her to, or not.

When she had seen June walk out of her house, as she still made her way down the street, she was relieved by the fact that she didn't have to knock on the door; have to bear the look she was sure she'd receive from the girl's mother. The one she imagined the woman to have each and every time she had called their house. The relief, however, was cut short when she realized that June was putting a boxes in her mother's SUV.

She quickened her pace, catching June's attention as she did, "Hey," she called, "What are you doing?"

June, who was in some jeans, and a t-shirt, with her hair back, wiped some of the sweat from her forehead, sniffing as she did, "What are you doing here, Faith?" she pulled a hair tie from around her wrist, and pulled her hair back into a ponytail, "I'm pretty sure I didn't ask you to come over to help."

"I…uh--I just came to see how you're doing," she watched the girl turn from her, starting to push the boxes further in the back of the SUV, feeling a little nervous, and worrying about what she had stumbled upon, "You going somewhere?" she finally asked, to which June simply shrugged. Faith sighed, putting her hands in her pockets, "Look, I really hope you're not leaving, 'cause of--"

"Is that what you think?" she turned back to the slayer, taking a few steps, so she was standing directly in front of her, "Don't flatter yourself," the front door of her house opened, and saw her mother begin to walk out, "It's fine, Mom. You can go back inside," once the woman was gone, she turned her attention back to Faith, "I'm not leaving because of you--but, of course, you would assume I was."

"Why would I think differently?" she asked, angrily. She hadn't gone to the girl angry at all, in fact she had gone because she felt guilty. It was her fault after all. All of it, not just the part where she left the her alone, but them even seeing each the day before--letting them get close in the first place. If the girl was in pain, physically, emotionally--or both--she felt that she was to blame. That's why she had gone to her. But her reasoning was being pushed aside by the comments that June was making; the fact that she had gone back to her cocky, closed off, self, "I've been calling you like crazy, and each time I do there's some kind of crazy excuse that your mom comes up with, so I can't talk to you. I'm not stupid, I know you've been avoiding me. So, when I come here, and see you putting boxes in Catherine's car--What else am I supposed to think?"

She rolled her eyes, "I don't know, maybe that I have a life outside of you. That my world doesn't revolve around you. Then there's the little fact that I don't exactly get to make the decisions about us packing up--that's my mom's job, not mine."

"Right," Faith said, feeling a little dumb for assuming what she had, "It's just that…it's kind of a coincidence, don't you think? I mean, I come over here, and here you are packing it up. We haven't talked since--"

"Since you left me at alone at the motel?" she asked, cutting the slayer off, "Since the morning after we slept together, and you left me there, knowing that your sister was outside?" Faith looked away from her, making her even more angry, "That is what you were going to say, wasn't it?" the slayer nodded, "Oh, suddenly you don't have anything to say?" she stepped closer, "You left me there. Do you even know how wrong that was? Did you even think about how I'd feel--how cheap I'd feel, being left in a motel, after I had slept with someone? Not to mention that your sister so kindly waited for me to wake up," she added, sarcastically, "No, of course you didn't, because you can only think about her. No one else matters, do they Faith?"

"June--" she hesitated, still looking away from the girl, who she knew was staring at her--through her, "I-I'm…What happened that night was--I don't know what I'm doing, okay? This stuff isn't something I'm used to dealing with. I shouldn't have left, I know that now, but when I found out that--that she had seen us, I had to make sure--I know that wasn't really a good reason to leave you there, now, and I shouldn't have done it. June, I-I'm…"

"Don't bother," the blonde said, frustrated, "It's not in your nature--the whole apologizing thing," she went back to moving the boxes around, "For your information, I'm not leaving, so you don't have to play the guilt trip on yourself anymore. You see me. I'm fine. So why don't you just do what you always do after you see me--Run on over to Buffy's."

"I'm trying to fix this," she said, once again getting frustrated with the girl, "I came here to fix this, and all you can do is make smartass comments? You're not even giving me a chance here," June kept doing what she was doing, saying nothing, barely even acknowledging her presence, "Oh, come on," still nothing, "Fine, whatever," she turned to walk away, feeling herself turn to her usual ways; choosing to put her own wall back up. She turned back, "You know what, I came back, and you were gone. It's not my fault that you knew where I went; that you have a habit of tracking people down, with the blink of an eye."

June threw one of the boxes to the ground, and walked over to Faith, "Are you fucking kidding me? This is your fucking justification, for what you did? You're honestly going to turn this around and make it my fault, because you happened to go back to the motel--where you live anyways, and I wasn't there? Well, I'm sorry I didn't wait around for you to come back from seeing the girl you would have rather spent the night with. Don't stop now," she said, seeing the expression on Faith's face change, "Tell me more about this being my fault. It was my fault, all of it. I seduced you, and waited for your sister--who is like my most favorite person in the world, now--to show up, so you could run off, and so her and I could beat the shit out of each other. What I'm wondering is, what I would have done if I would have stuck around, waiting for you to get back. Tell me, do you know? I mean, since you seem to know the grand master plan," she paused, looking away for a moment, and then looked back at Faith, her expression changed from an angry one, to a sad one, "That's what I thought."

"This isn't what I came here to do," Faith finally said, "This is just how it works when it comes to me. Things get all fucked up--Usually because I'm the one that fucks it up, and then I make it worse. This is why I've been trying to steer clear of all things emotional."

Sighing, she turned to walk away from her, "Whatever, Faith. That bullshit story doesn't work on me," she stopped, still not turning back, "Tell your sister that I hope she's feeling better," she paused, "When I come back out here, I don't want you to still be here, got it?"

"Yeah, sure. If that's what you want," Faith mumbled.

"Damn it, Faith!" she turned around, "Don't you get it, yet?! This isn't what I want," she yelled, "But I don't get what I want," she grabbed one of Faith's hands, pulling it harshly, and put it over her own heart, "I don't track you--I feel you…What I want doesn't matter. Not here, or anywhere else," after a second of just standing there, she pushed Faith away from her, harder than she had meant to--which she only realized once Faith had fallen to the ground--and then walked towards her house, "Sorry, I pushed you," she said, almost in a whisper, knowing Faith would hear it.

Once the girl was inside, Faith stood up, slowly, sighing as she did, "Great job," she thought, as she dusted herself off, "First you lead her on, then you actually sleep with her and leave her to go see your--whatever Buffy is--all while leaving your sister there to stir things up more. Why not just top it off by telling her it was her fault, 'cause that's a genius plan. Always one for the brains," she spotted the box that June had thrown to the ground, seeing that it had landed on its side, and some things had flown out of it. After considering it for a moment, Faith walked over to the box, and started to pick up all of the stuff that had come out of it, "Books?" she asked, aloud, "Old, dusty--heavy, books," she put them back into the box, and then put the box--which was way heavier than the blonde girl had made them look--into the SUV, "At least I did one thing right," out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a book she had missed, which had actually slid under the vehicle, and reached down to get it. It was light, which explained why it had landed further than the other books, and was open when she picked it up. She studied it for a moment, noticing that there was something strange about it, and flipped through a few pages, "It's blank," she thought. All but the last page, which had a name on it, "James Raimundo Rico-Finmere," she laughed, "That's one hell of the name--and the best damn book I've ever read," she closed the book, walked over to the SUV, and put it down in front of her, while she reached further in to grab the box she had put in it. Once she had the box, in reaching range, she went to the book up to put it in, she found it open, "What the hell--?"

It flipped a few pages forward, like there had been a gust of wind, and then stopped, making her wonder if she was going crazy. That's when words began to appear on the page, "Okay, I am crazy," she mumbled. She looked over at Junes house, noticing that every curtain, and blind, was closed, and then turned back to the book, reading it as the words appeared.

"Hello, Faith. I'm glad that you have stumbled upon me, I was wondering if it was actually fated to happen--well, fated in my sense of fate…" there was a moment when the words stopped, but eventually they continued, much to her confusion, "You're really not much of a thinker, are you?"

She frowned, "Did you just insult me?"

Another moment of nothing, "Yes, but that's not important--You must take me, while she's not looking. Take me, and I'll tell you everything--I'll tell you why your sister's going mad--I'll tell you your destiny."

"Or, I could sell you for a couple bucks, and buy some more cigarettes. I'm running low," she laughed, "Why am I talking to a book. This is some kind of weird magic shit, that I'll never understand--and by never, I mean it's back in the box for you," she reached to grab it, but it slid away from her, "Oh, come on."

"You have to do this," the words continued, "She's not strong enough to do this alone. She's trying, but her emotions are getting in the way, like they always do. Her destiny is a hard one, only you can make it easier, at the moment."

She grabbed the book suddenly, closing it as hard as she could, "I can't steal from her, too. I'm pretty sure I've done enough for a life time, don't you think?" when she laid the book in the box, it opened again, it's next group of words instantly catching her attention.

"Take me, or your sister dies."

--TO BE CONTINUED--

So, what'd you think? Yeah, I'm aware that it was Kennedy free, but that can't be helped. Hope that it isn't leaving you guys to close to an edge of a cliff…no that's a lie, but still--Well, like I said, it's just a little intro. I promise to work extremely hard to get this updated soon, and after I'm done with the re-make, I already have the two following chapters thought out--with written plans as well--and ready to be made, so they'll be a few in a row updates over the next week, or so, if things go according to plan. Wish me luck! Thanks again, and feel free to tell me what you thought. -ThomThom