A/N: Written for the tth 'Fic-for-all' no. 56
Pairing: Buffy/ Seth Cohen
Disclaimer: I own naught
Spoilers: Minor spoilers up to end of the S1 in the OC for all those who haven't seen it yet!
Timeline: Me mucking about with the timelines means that Buffy running away in S2 coincided with Seth's sailing trip at the end of the first season of the OC. Also both of their 'trips' go over winter, I repeat: They are still runaways (or whatever you want to call it) at winter.
MY FIRST CHRISTMAS ALONE
Seth glared into the mug of cheap coffee as he sat on the cheap chair in the cheap café. His yacht, the one he had spent years preparing for this trip, had started causing problems before he'd even left Californian waters so, after being picked up by the coast guards, he had travelled to LA with under a hundred dollars in his bank, nowhere to stay and no job.
The glamorous lives of the rich and famous, eh?
He had considered going to Ryan's, but the remainder of his pride wouldn't let him. He'd thought about going home, but didn't feel like it. So he was stuck.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Who's got table five?" A voice shouted through the hatch that led to the kitchen.
"Sarah, but she's on her break. I'll take it."
"Thanks, Anne."
Buffy, or Anne as she was know there, had discovered that if she buried herself in her work then she didn't think about home that much. She didn't think about her mom, or Willow, or Xander, or Giles, or …anyone. She wasn't that girl anymore. She was Anne and most definitely not a vampire slayer.
She approached the table. A guy about her age sat there. On the plastic chair next to him was a large rucksack. She recognised him immediately as a runaway, so many of them came into the dingy café.
"Pie and fries?"
Seth looked up surprise, jolted out of his musings- who was he, where did he belong? "Yeah, thanks."
She didn't have the energy to return the smile. "Pay at the counter."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Is Sarah back yet?" The café owner called from the kitchen.
"No."
"She was due back half an hour ago; I'm fed up with this. You tell her, if she comes back, that she better find a new job."
Over at his table Seth's ears perked up. Did that mean there was a vacancy? He approached the counter.
"Excuse me, ma'am, I couldn't help but overhear. I was wondering if-"
"If you could have Sarah's old job?" She finished. Work was scarce for kids in LA, especially when they were runaways like this one obviously was. "Do you have any experience?"
"No, but I'm a quick learner."
The woman seemed too considerate. "This shift ends in fifteen, can you start then? Sarah was supposed to help Anne with the decorations but it doesn't look like she's gonna be here."
"Sure." Seth said, managing to hold his excitement in. He, Seth Cohen, had a job!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Anne! New boy! Get over here!"
The two runaways dutifully responded to her call. Nicola Shaften was a hard woman. She had owned the café for many years and had seen hundreds of kids, who would most likely be dead within a couple of weeks, go in and out. That's why she took on young people who didn't want to give them any identification as her staff. She accepted the names she was given and tried not to read the 'missing' sections of the paper too much.
"Decorations are in those boxes over there. Put out as many as you can without creating a fire hazard. Knock on my door when you're done." And she left, trusting Anne not to steal anything or let the new boy, not that there was anything of any value.
Seth turned friendlily to the girl. "I'm Seth. I just err, moved here."
She cautiously took his outstretched hand. "Anne. I moved here a few months ago."
They both knew the other wasn't telling the whole truth, but neither particularly cared. Buffy/ Anne cast a look over his clothes and was surprised. They were branded with all these classy, upmarket names- an Armani t-shirt on a runaway wasn't a regular sight.
"So where do you wanna start, Annemeister?"
She looked at him sharply with a pang of emotion. Xander had always added 'meister' onto her name; he'd used her real name though. Now she thought of it, they looked a bit alike as well- messy dark hair, hazel eyes, kinda goofy. She blinked back the tears that came to her eyes. "Erm, tinsel?"
"Sounds good to me." He pulled a stack load of decorations out of the box and dumped them on the floor. "Oooh! Spray on snow!"
Buffy smiled a little, but the home sickness was back. She hadn't cried once since she'd left and now she was bawling her eyes out in front of a total stranger. "I-I'm s-s-sorry."
"Hey, it's okay. What's the matter?" He hugged her amid the Christmas decorations.
Maybe it was because they were in the same situation, maybe because he reminded her of home, but whatever the reason she opened up to him. "I want to go home. I miss my family, and my friends. I don't want to spend Christmas alone."
"It's okay, shhh. Why don't you just go home?"
"I can't." Buffy sobbed. "Not yet, it's too soon."
Seth nodded, he understood that. He watched as she pulled herself together, as she pulled the emotion inside.
"Sorry."
"S'okay. I get it, really."
Buffy smiled the first real smile in a long time. "Thank you. Now, let's get these lights up."
They worked for the next hour. Buffy standing on chairs to reach high spots while Seth hung sparkly domes from the lights. A small Christmas tree was in one corner. As Buffy went to put the angel on top Seth sighed.
"At home we always have a star."
Buffy smiled understandably. She pulled a star from the bottom of the box and held it up for his inspection. Now she thought about it, she'd be happier with a star as well but the angel was the first thing out the box.
Buffy reached up to the top of the tree. "Dammit."
"Here." He lifted the petite slayer the extra foot needed to finish their decorations.
When he put her down, they both stood back to admire their work. Seth slung an arm round her shoulder. "Merry Christmakah!"
"Huh?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
'Tis the season to be Jolly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!