"Faith, I don't like the fact that you're living in that cesspool. You don't deserve that." Cordelia said.

"I can't afford anything else, Queenie and the only reason I can afford that place, is by robbing vamps, before I dust them."

"But Giles is supposed to be taking care of you. Or at least he was, before the Council fired him for caring too much about Buffy. And there we an explanation as to why he hasn't been taking care of you. I should have realized that sooner, Buffy takes all his attention and what she doesn't take, Willow does. Look, we've got a pool house that rarely gets used. No one is going to care if you're staying there."

"I ain't looking for charity."

"It's not charity, it's making sure my only friend doesn't get nibbled to death by cockroaches."

"That's a very gross image."

"Yeah, it is. So you want the place or what? If it makes you feel better, I'll charge you rent. Fifty dollars a week."

"That's cheaper then the motel. Fine, if it makes you feel better."

"Oh, lots better, I assure you." Cordelia said, sarcastically. "Come on, let's go get your stuff."

Once Faith was settled into the pool house, she noticed the liqueur cabinet.

"Hey, Queenie, that looks like some quality liquor."

"It is, only the best for Daddy."

"You ever been drunk?"

"No, but I've had champagne. French restaurants, especially in France serve to minors, if the parents allow it. And at dinner parties Mother threw."

"Let's try some of that whiskey. I've had some before, it's got a burn to it."

"Well, we are eighteen. Everyone should get drunk once in their life, so they know what's it's like."

"You're walking on the wild side tonight, Queenie."

"It's been a long, hard year. I don't want to think about anything for awhile."

It really was quality whiskey and neither girl was used to hard alcohol. Both were drunk before long. They shared a number of stories about their lives, before passing out on the floor of the pool house.

"Oh gods, how do Xander's parents do this all the time!" Cordelia moaned as she tried to open her eyes without vomiting. She felt like she was on a tilt-a-whirl.

"I'm wondering how my ma did it." Faith was feeling nearly as bad. Her Slayer metabolism was already working to clean her system up. Cordelia wasn't so lucky.

"Never again." She whispered. "Never again."

"Right there with you. Queenie. Why do people think this is fun? Cause I'm not having fun."

Neither were having much fun later, when they were nursing orange juices and trying to calm their stomachs down when Charles Chase came home and Faith overheard him tell Cordelia that he'd apparently made a mistake in his taxes. For twelve years. A mistake that was going to cost them everything. Including her trust fund from her grandfather, because her father had used it as part of a collateral. Something he hadn't had the legal authority to do. Within a month, they'd have nothing. Cordelia was in shock. She'd grown up rich, she didn't know how to be poor.

"It's four months until graduation, what am I going to do?"

"Well, since your school is being repaired anyway from the explosion, which the Mayor says will take about a month and you and your classmates are going to be going to the other High School's in town, your Aunt Mandy has agreed you can stay with her until graduation."

"Aunt Mandy is your Aunt Mandy, she's over sixty years old! She uses plastic on her furniture. Daddy, how could you do this? You always said we shouldn't play games with our money and you played games with my trust fund."

"It was a momentary weakness. I thought I'd have it resolved before long. But the IRS found this problem and now it's too late."

"What about you? What's going to happen to you?"

"I'm being charged with fraud on top of everything else. I'm looking at least a few years in jail."

"Jail? Oh gods, Daddy."

"I know, honey. I'm sorry. But I should have enough time to sell a few things. It'll give you some money. A little cushion for after you graduate. I don't how much, maybe twenty to thirty thousand. No more then that."

Faith waited for Cordelia to come out of her father's office. She looked like she was in shock and Faith couldn't blame her.

The two of them packed Faith's belongings, she couldn't stay, Cordelia, herself, wouldn't really have a home for much longer.

"Damn Queenie, that's rough. But you're a survivor. You've survived this hellhole of a town, you can survive this. I won't tell anyone, if you're wondering."

"Thanks Faith, I appreciate that. It just doesn't seem like Daddy. He was always so careful. Something just doesn't feel right."

"Well hopefully, you'll figure it out."

"Yeah, but probably not before I end up in Aunt Mandy's spare room. And that'll just be until graduation."

"Well, on the bright side, that's only like three and a half months away. You were planning to leave Sunnydale anyway. Now you got even more motivation to leave."

"As if the vampires and demons, not to mention, Willow and Buffy weren't enough reasons."