Title: Friendly Reflection


Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. Never will. I do make claims to Lexia who I thought up all by myself. No help from nobody. Ok! Yes I made her up as a like, "fellow-demon-child-type" to relate to Connor, but that's all mine. Yep....anyways....


Summary: Set before Rain of Fire, as if Cordy had never left the hotel and ran back to Connor's place. Connor's coping with living alone when he meets someone who has something in common with him.


Raiting: Pg-13



Chapter 2:


Connor followed Lexia down the hall of her building to the end door. She pulled a key chain from her pocket and put the key in the lock. She motioned him in and pulled the door closed behind them. Connor noted that she locked the door quickly, deadbolt and chain. The Lexia turned to face him.


"Take your shirt off."


"What?" Connor asked a bit surprised.


"So I can look at your ribs," Lexia reminded him.


"Oh."


Connor shrugged and lifted his shirt over his head, wincing at the discomfort this caused him.

Lexia pointed for him to sit on a stool in the kitchen and he did so, leaning against the counter behind him. She came up to him gingerly touching her fingers to his injured sides. Connor involuntarily jumped from the feel of her hands. Lexia quirked an eyebrow at him, but said nothing.


Connor took the opportunity to look around Lexia's small apartment. The living room and kitchen were conjoined, the counter he was leaning on being the only thing to separate the two rooms. She had little furniture; a couch, a beat up coffee table, old t.v., and an old looking bookshelf crammed with books. A floor lamb in the corner was the only illumination. In all not a great place to live, but better than his ever sparser accommodations.


"Well," Lexia said bringing him back to himself. "None are broken. Bruised pretty bad, but u seem to heal fast."


"Yeah I'm pretty resilient."


She gave him a sad kind of smile and handed him his shirt. Then she rounded the corner of the counter into her kitchen, flipping on an overhead light as she went.


"You hungry?"


"Yeah," Connor said think to himself, Are you kidding? I'm always hungry.


"So, why are you out-and-about fighting demons?" Lexia asked looking into her fridge. "You Batman?"


"Uh... Is he the one in all rubber, or the one with the cape?"


"Rubber."


"Oh. No."


"Too bad. 'Cause you know, rubber, major turn on," Lexia stopped realizing that sounded bad. "If you're, ya know, Elvira."


Connor laughed even though he didn't know who Elvira was either. He watched Lexia move through her kitchen gathering things together to fix. In the light the blond streak in her hair was a stronger color, almost gold. Really gold. That was cool. In an odd sorta way...


"So why do you?"


"Somebody has to," Lexia said shrugging. "You like turkey?"


"No tomato," Connor said nodding.


Lexia handed him a sandwich on a plate, and went about making her own. "So how long ago did you move here?"


"What makes you think I did?"


"Well,"she drawled dropping a butter knife into the sink. "I figured since you have 'no one to take care of you' you either ran away, or lived here your whole life and were just poor and dumped on so much you just said 'screw it'. Like me. But you don't seem like you've lived here long."


"Well it's been a few months," Connor relented. "You were poor you whole life?"


"Yeah. But don't cry for me. I'm over it."


Connor bit into his sandwich thinking. Lexia was very strong for her age, reminded him a bit of Cordelia. Who you don't want to think about, he reminded himself. Cordelia had chose to go back to the hotel. With Angel. That was fine. Really. Didn't bother him a bit.


Lexia sat her plate on the counter and pulled a stool close. She sat in front of Connor and began eating her sandwich. Both teens were silent as they ate. But it was a comfortable silence, one he'd never shared with anyone before. It was strange, but good at the same time.


Then Lexia looked up at him. She stared Connor straight in the eye, but still said nothing. Connor looked back unwavering.


"You freak me out," she finally said.


"Me?" Connor asked almost choking on his sandwich. "Well... did you ever think maybe you freak me out?"


Slowly Lexia smiled. "Yeah probably do. But hey, I'm good at it."



Connor smiled too, and ran a hand through his hair. Wow, someone who thinks like me, he thought. He finished his sandwich and pushed his plate away. Lexia had finished hers too and took his plate and her's and set them in the sink. Then she came into the living room and stood awkwardly for a moment.


"So how do you want to do this?"


"Uh... do what?"


"Sleeping arrangements. I usually take the couch..." Lexia explained.


"Oh, well I can still go home. It's no problem."


Lexia looked at her watch and frowned. "It's 3:30 a.m. I can't let you go walking around now. Here," she reached into the closet nearby and pulled out a blanket and pillow and threw them at Connor so fast he had trouble catching them. "I guess you can use the floor. Can't you?"


"Yeah. Not a problem."


"Good."


Lexia threw another pillow and blanket on the couch, then headed to what he assumed was the bathroom, pulling off her jacket as she went. Connor dropped the pillow down, near the end of the couch, and spread the blanket down. Then since he had no other sleeping options he took off his shirt (for comfort, lets not go getting too cozy here ppl!) then laid down, covering with the blanket. A moment later the bathroom door swung open and Lexia emerged, not in flannel pajama bottoms, and a cotton tank top. She switched off the lamp as she went by it, then went about arranging her cover and pillow. Finally Connor heard her lay down, her feet closest to his head.


"Comfy?" she asked teasingly.


"Very. This may be the most comfortable place I've ever slept,"Connor only half joked.


"Well good. I have to warn you though. I talk in my sleep sometimes."


"Really?" Connor said laughing.


"Yeah. But I'm sure it won't be more than 'Look out the space cows are coming!'. G'night," she said rolling over.


"Good night."

+ + +



Connor woke to bright sun streaming in the window. Groaning he covered his head with the blanket and rolled over, trying to sleep. Then he realized Lexia wasn't on the couch. Connor sat up, gazing around, but there was no sign of her. Just her rumpled bed covers on the couch.


Standing Connor looked around a bit more, still saw no sign of her. But since he needed the bathroom he decided to go, then find her. He headed to it and opened the door, only to find Lexia slipping her bathrobe over her naked shoulders.


"Oh!-Uh...sorry!" Connor said turning around.


Lexia laughed. "Don't worry about it. But you could have knocked."


"Sorry... I-uh...thought...thought u were gone."


"Where would I go? I live here."


"Yeah...uh- good point"


Lexia finished tying her bathrobe and slipped out past Connor. Exhaling Connor shut the door then leaned against it to compose himself. This is nuts, he thought. I just met her last night and I'm like a quivering bowl of Jell-O. Shaking his head Connor did what he had to do in the bathroom, then came out seeing Lexia was now in the kitchen making coffee. Connor grabbed his shirt off a chair nearby and slipped it over his head.


"So I guess I better be going," Connor said.


"Yeah..." Lexia said leaning against the counter. "I guess so."


The both stood in awkward silence for a few moments. Say something, Connor urged himself. Anything! Just tell her you like her, tell her you wanna see her again. That-


"So when am I gonna see you again?" Lexia said interrupting his thoughts.


"Well I was gonna go vampire patrolling again tonight..."


"Do you ever do anything normal?"


"No, not really," Connor said with a laugh.


"Well we'll just have to change that I guess. Come back later. We'll go do something..." Lexia shrugged her shoulders a bit. "Fun."


"Uh...ok. Great! So..."Connor opened the door. "See you tonight then."


"Yeah. Later."


Connor left shutting the door behind him. He walked a few steps away from Lexia's door before a huge smile spread over his face. I have a date, he thought. Then he stopped eyes widening.


"I have a date," he said outloud, bewildered.

+ + +


Lexia smiled as the door shut behind Connor. She couldn't believe all that just happened. He'd stayed the night, almost saw her naked, and now they had a date? This was crazy. But good. Very good.


Giggeling Lexia poured herself some coffee and took a sip, savoring the rich flavor. Then she turned, but stopped dead in her tracks. In the center of her living room a figure stood, wearing a long, black cloak. The figure removed the hood from his head, reveling his very gold hair, and glittery skin. A demon. A very pissed off looking demon.


"Hi Dad," Lexia said sighing.