Disclaimer: Still not mine. Phooey. :-p

A/N: All warnings/parings etc. remain the same. I'll try to keep this moving at a fairly quick pace. I'll do the best I can. Feedback is appreciated!

Chapter I: Oriens

Six Months Later

"Order up!" Chas said loudly, shoving the plate of food down the counter.

"Chas, how many times do I have to tell you not to shout? We are a curbside eatery, not a diner! I'm five feet away at all times so quit yelling!"

Chas grumbled under his breath. "Sorry Mr. Chen."

He was sick of eggs and pancakes and being five feet away from his boss at all times. And that was five feet too close, if anyone asked him. But nobody asked him anything unless it was for extra syrup.

No one asked him why he could speak Latin fluently. No one asked him why he had a strange tattoo on his right wrist. No one asked him if he had any family, why he lived alone, or if someone his age worked full time at a 'curbside eatery' that only served breakfast food.

And no one could tell him why all these things were true, either. As far as he knew, nobody cared. He had just woken up in the hospital one day. No one knew who he was ore where he came from. All they knew was that his name was Chas and the bill was (miraculously) paid.

When they released him, all he could do was wander. So wander he did, and for two weeks before he begged, wheedled, and convinced Mr. Chen to hire him. All Chas had cared about was getting money so he could go back to eating on a regular basis. Of course, he then realized he probably ought to find some place to crash. Only problem with that was he didn't know anybody to crash with, and his minimal salary definitely wouldn't get him an apartment, even in the bad part of town.

Chas had one option. It stung his pride (damn had that stung), but it was what he had to do. He slept on the ground between the two sides of the eatery, and no one was the wiser. It was dry, after all.

Then one Saturday morning, a girl walked by. She then walked by again. She did it a third time before finally sitting on one of the stools. He had gazed at him, as if studying him, before quietly ordering a plate of pancakes.

They had got to talking, and Chas found himself telling her about his lack of living space. She had said she had a friend who knew someone who knew someone, and a week later he was set up in a swank little place on the east side. It was close to work, close to the library, and best of all, it was free. He decided not to ask how she'd worked that out.

So for the last five months he'd been saving most of his money from the eater and some odd jobs he'd grabbed. Chas figured he had a nice little stash and he might try to get in to the community college in the spring. He figured, for not having a memory, he had it pretty good. He had a job, a home, and if not a girlfriend, a good friend. He had a relatively normal life.

"Hey! Boy! Quit zoning out and get me those eggs!" Chen shouted at him.

"I'm going, I'm going." Chas grumbled. "And you could stand to not shout yourself." He added under his breath.

"What was that?" Chen nearly bellowed, causing Chas and a customer to cringe.

"Is he causing trouble for you again, Mr. Chen?" A soft voice asked.

"Mahina! Can't you do something with him? Get him laid or something! The boy needs to focus!"

"Mind your own damn business!" Chas groaned. He turned his back on his boss and his friend and started her usual order.

Mahina grinned. "I've told you that Chas and I aren't going out."

"So?" Chen demanded. "You aren't married, are you?"

"No…" she drawled. "But let's just say I'm claimed property."

"Hmph. It's a waste I tell you." Chen muttered, leaving the conversation to serve another customer.

Chas plopped her plate in front of her and watched her begin to butter the pancakes liberally. She glanced up at him and grinned again.

"Such a waste, am I? My monogamy doesn't seem to stop him from taking my money." She said playfully.

Chas raised an eyebrow at her. "You know that sounded bad."

Mahina laughed and swatted at him. She pushed auburn hair off her shoulder to keep it out of her syrup. "Don't be nasty. I would never sleep with your boss."

"Thank God. I would have a freakin' heart attack."

"Oh, really?"

He tapped his chest. "Fo' sure."

She rolled her eyes and ate her pancakes.

Chas took the opportunity to eye her momentarily. He wondered about the mystery man she alluded to. She had never talked about him in detail, and he doubted if he was even in the city.

"We still on for the library this afternoon?" she asked, oblivious to his pensive mood.

"Yeah, sure thing. You sure you can get us in?"

She nodded emphatically. "I used to work for Clive, the librarian in charge of restorations. He called this morning to confirm we were coming. He warned me, though. Said this book is pretty scary. You sure you wanna see it?"

"Trust me. I can handle anything." Chas said, with a confidence he didn't quite feel was his own.

Mahina smiled as she dug around in her purse for her wallet. She pushed her plate away and dropped some bills on the counter.

"I'll meet you later then." She said. She leaned over the counter and gave him a quick hug. "Bye!"

He smiled. "Bye." He said with a wave.

Chas picked up the cash and pocketed the extra she always left for him. He wiped the counter down with a spare rag and shivered suddenly as chills ran down his spine. He glanced around and shrugged to himself; going back to cleaning the counter.

He didn't see the tall man in a black trench coat walking away.