pThey had walked almost two blocks before she spoke. She knew he'd been behind her the entire time, so she hadn't bothered to turn and check on him or measure his progress. He would follow her./p

pThey always did./p

pThey were somehow in the middle of a graveyard, which in any other town might have been ironic, a vampire in a graveyard and all, but here was merely playing the odds. "Where do you live?" she demanded./p

p"Why, so you can come and stake me tomorrow morning? Thanks, but I'll pass."/p

pShe turned towards him, frustrated. "Where else are we going to go?"/p

p"Why are we going anywhere?"/p

p"Why not? You followed me this far."/p

p"You think I'm that bloody easy to manipulate?"/p

p"No, I iknow/i you're that easy to manipulate. Every time I even say Buffy's name, those cheap pants get just a little bit tighter."/p

p"They aren't cheap. They're real sodding Levi originals."/p

p"Bullshit. They're cheap imitation jeans that you can only wear because you hide them under that fucking coat. Who'd you steal that from?"/p

p"Another of your kind. Maybe you'll be next."/p

pShe laughed hollowly. "I don't have anything of value to steal, and anything that I do have looks better on me."/p

p"I somehow doubt that."/p

p"Anything you have would probably look better on me too."/p

p"It's too bad I don't have a gag, then. Maybe you'd shut up for a minute."/p

pShe examined him for a minute and then leaned back against a headstone. "No, I think that would look better on you."/p