Faith
Faith awoke to hear her phone ringing. Glancing at the clock, she groaned. 8am. She picked up her phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this Faith?"
"Yep, who's this?"
"This is Diana Hanson."
Faith's eyes opened all the way. Well, she was definitely awake now.
"How can I help you, Diana?"
"I think we need to have a talk. Could I meet you for coffee somewhere?"
Faith rubbed her eyes. "Um, yeah, sure. There's a coffee place just down the road." She rattled off the directions to it.
"Alright, that should be fine. Say, in an hour?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll see you then."
"Goodbye."
Faith hung up and threw her phone onto the ground. She sat up and looked over at Zac, who was still sleeping peacefully. She didn't want to wake him. She scribbled a note and stuck it to the mirror, then looked around. She selected some baggy faded jeans and a long sleeve white shirt.
Faith showered and put some shoes on then headed out, reaching the cafe just in time. Diana was already there so Faith joined her.
"Hi."
"Morning Faith, please, sit down."
Faith sat in the chair across from Diana's and fiddled nervously. They ordered their coffees and sat in silence until they arrived.
"So..." Faith began. "I guess this talk would be about Zac?"
"Yes." Diana sipped her coffee. "I understand that he's staying with you at the moment."
Faith nodded. "I think he just needs some time to cool off."
"Faith, I'm still unsure about your relationship with him. I don't think it's going to work out."
Faith put her coffee cup down. "I can't change that... if you don't want to accept us, then... well, there's nothing I can do. All I can tell you is that I really do love your son."
"Are you sure it's love? You're not confusing it with lust?"
"Diana, please..."
"I think," Diana began, changing the subject. "That Zac is too young to be living with someone. I really would like him to come home."
"Maybe he is too young in your eyes, but to me... he's not. He's not a child anymore, and I'm sorry if I'm out of line but it's true."
"Faith, he is just a child. He's only 17 years old, and he's made so many mistakes already. He does not need your influence on him. Please, send him home."
"He's not a child. He's all grown up, and I'm sorry if you don't see that. Yeah, he's made mistakes, but haven't we all? He won't leave unless he wants to. You know him more than I do, you know how stubborn he is. When he wants to come home, he will. And honestly, what do you think I'm going to get him involved in?"
"You fight vampires and demons, and you're going to get yourself killed - "
"Wow, thank you for the confidence in my ability."
"That's not what I meant... but do you honestly think it's going to last between you?"
"Maybe it won't, but maybe it will. And don't you think that is up to us?"
Diana sighed. "Can you at least get him to call me?"
Faith nodded and stood up. She reached into her pocket and put some money on the table. "I'll try. Bye, Diana."
"Good bye, Faith."
Faith left and headed home, feeling that Diana was perhaps never going to forgive her. She opened the door to her house and went inside, still unsure of what was going to happen.
Faith
Faith sighed as she kicked her shoes off and put them aside. She went into her room to see Zac still sleeping peacefully. She pulled the note off the mirror and scrunched it up and tossed it into the bin.
"Morning sleepy head."
Faith crawled onto the bed and straddled Zac's back. "Wake up."
Zac
Zac groaned, and opened his eyes reluctantly.
"Mmmmeeeeeeerrrrrhh," he moaned. "It's only half past nine... I wanna sleeeeeep."
Faith
"Come on, sleepyhead!"
Faith grinned and kissed the back of Zac's head.
"Up... I have some news for you anyway. Come on, I'll go make you some coffee if you want."
Zac
Zac sighed.
"Okay, okay," Zac replied. "But can you do one insy-wincy favour first, and get off me?"
Faith
Faith got off Zac's back and slapped his butt lightly.
"Alrighties. I'll be in the kitchen."
Faith grinned and hummed as she went into the kitchen to start making coffee for Zac.
Zac
Zac laid the the bed for a bit longer.
"Zac... get up," he told himself.
He didn't move.
"Zac, you gotta get up."
Nothing.
"Zac! Get! Up! No, I don't wanna. C'mon Zac, Faith's waiting for you. I wanna sleep. Get up! Argh!"
Zac got up, got dressed and headed downstairs.
"Hey Faithy," he said.
Faith
Faith looked up from mkaing coffee. She gave carefully handed it over to Zac, just the way he liked it.
"Morning, you."
She grabbed some juice out of the fridge and poured herself some and leaned over the breakfast bar.
"Sleep well?"
Zac
"Yeah, I was sleeping great until someone decided to wake me up," Zac replied cheekily.
Zac took the coffee and sipped it contentedly.
"Mmm..."
Faith
Faith grinned. "Well, you were all sleeping while I had to be up alone."
She finished her juice. "I went and saw your mom this morning. She called and asked if we could talk."
Zac
Zac nearly choked on his coffee.
"Wha-what?" he gasped.
Faith
Faith's eyes widened in alarm. "Are you ok?"
She patted his back gently. "Well, she wanted to talk about what was happening now that you are living here..."
Zac
"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine," Zac said, gaping at her. "How... how'd it go?"
Zac put down his coffee, figuring it was safer that way.
Faith
"It went... alright, I guess."
Faith rinsed her glass out.
"I get the impression she doesn't approve of us," Faith said dryly, remembering the conversation. "But she wants you to call and talk to her."
Zac
Zac considered this.
"I suppose I can do that," then he sighed. "I just hope she actually means 'talk' and not 'argue'."
Faith
"She cares about you, is all," Faith yawned.
"I think you should talk to her... she seems upset about it."
Zac
Zac nodded.
"Okay," he agreed. "But after breakfast."
Faith
"Alrighties... we have choices. I can't cook so there is no hope of that... so one choice. You wanna go out for breakfast?"
Faith grinned and moved her hair out of her face.
Zac
Zac grinned back.
"Sounds good to me," he said getting up. "Anywhere in particular?"
Faith
Faith kissed Zac's cheek.
"Well there's a little place down the road. Then we can go out and see a movie or whatnot. It's been ages since we did anything outside of this house."
Faith went to the door and put her shoes on again. She grabbed her wallet and phone and waited for Zac.
Zac
Zac got on his own shoes, shoved his wallet in his pocket and phone on his belt and joined Faith at the door. He held it open for her and gestured for her to step out.
"Ladies first," he said with a grin.
Faith
Faith locked the door once Zac was out and took his hand.
"Do you think we'll need to get you a key cut?" she asked, squinting in the sun. She whipped her sunglasses off her head and over her eyes.
Zac
Zac shrugged.
"Your house," he said. "Up to you. The van or will we walk?"
Faith
"Walk, I guess. We should probably engage in some sort of physical activity." Faith coughed. "Well, some other sort of physical activity."
She brushed her hair away from her mouth as they walked down the road to a little cafe.
Zac
Zac laughed. Soon they were at the cafe and Zac was eyeing the menu.
"What do you think?" he asked.
Faith
Faith bit her lip, skimming the menu.
"Hmm... I'm voting for toast and bacon. And another coffee. What about you?"
Zac
"Sound good to me. But I might have the hot chocolate instead of coffee. I'm not going to turn into the addict Tay and Ike are," Zac grinned.
Faith
Faith shook her head.
"Yuck, milk. Reminds me too much of other things that I'd rather not be swallowing."
A waiter came over and they ordered.
Zac
Zac gave Faith a long look.
"I'd ask, but I have a feeling I'll regret it," Zac said.
Their breakfast soon arrived, piping hot.
"Mmm... bacon..."
Faith
Faith poked at the bacon with her fork before starting to eat it slowly.
"Yeah... probably best not to ask."
Faith added some sugar to her coffee and stirred it slowly, taking a glance at Zac and smiling to herself.
"So... what do you wanna do today? I got us this far."
Zac
"Well," Zac said thoughtfully after a sip of his hot chocolate. "We could go see a movie. Or we could go to the pool. Or we could paint the town red. Or blue. Or green with pink spots. Or we could go rock climbing. Or we could -"
Faith
Faith laughed. "Well, I'm all for painting the town green with pink spots. But seeing as people would probably frown upon that... I vote we go to a beach or the pool."
She fiddled with the spoon in the coffee again.
Zac
Zac grinned at her as he dug into his food.
"Okay then, but Faithy, I think you've been living in LA too long. We don't have a beach in Oklahoma," he teased. "But we do have great places to ride dirt bikes."
Faith
Faith stuck her tongue out at Zac.
"Hey, been living in places that are not here. Not accustomed to not having what I want."
She chewed on some bacon then swallowed it. "Well... swimming is an option... or movies, or just hanging out."
Zac
"Swimming is fine with me," Zac said. "And then we can see a movie - if there's anything on."
Zac ate some toast and followed it with some more of his hot chocolate.
Faith
They finished breakfast and paid, and all that stuff and headed back to Faith's house to get their stuff.
Faith opened the door and let Zac go in before her. "Ladies first," she said, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
Zac
Zac turned once he was through the door and gave her a look.
"If I'm a lady, what does that make you?" he asked.
Faith
"Makes me a less girly lady than you. Ok, fine, I didn't think that through. Pssh."
Faith grinned and headed off to her room to get her stuff. Where was her stuff? She bent down looking through her bottom drawer trying to find her swimmers.
Zac and Isaac
Zac started to follow Faith, then remember he told he he would call Diana. He hesitated for a moment and picked up the phone. He dialed his home number.
"Hello," Isaac said answering the phone.
"Hi Ike," Zac said, "Is Mom there?"
"Yeah. I'll just get her for you."
"Thanks."
"Mom? Zac wants to talk to you."
Zac waited.
Faith
Faith jumped as her phone started to vibrate in her pocket. She looked at it and saw Xander's number on her screen. She picked up and walked into her bathroom, trying to find her swimmers. "Hello?"
Diana hurried to the phone and took it from Isaac. "Thank you." She lifted to her ear. "Hello, Zac, honey?"
Zac
"Hey Mom," Zac said. "Faith told me you wanted me to call."
Diana
Diana sighed in relief. Maybe now she could talk to him rationally.
"Honey, I really think we should talk about what happened and what's going to happen now that you've... temporarily moved out."
Zac
"Mom, I'm not going to argue with you," Zac replied. "I'm not going to stop dating Faith just because you don't like her. And right now I don't think I can live at home without feeling like you're going to jump down my throat every five seconds."
Diana and Faith
Diana sighed again.
"Zac, I just don't think you understand what I'm trying to say. You're too young to be living with a girl you hardly know, and worse than that, your father and I know next to nothing about her."
She took a deep breath. "I spoke with her this morning, and I'm still sure that she is not the one for you. Zac, please come home and we can work this out."
Meanwhile, Faith remained in the bathroom, so as to give Zac some privacy. "Yeah, mouth of Hell and all that. How's Phoebe? That's good."
Zac
"Oh gee, Mom, I wonder why you don't know anything about her," Zac said sarcastically. "Could it be because you never bothered to even try to get to know her? And I know her a lot better than you seem to think. I've also been making my own decision for years now. I mean, hello? Who's idea was it for me to start a trust fund for Julie's baby? Mine! My idea. My idea that I implimented. As I recall you even applauded me for it."
Diana
"Zac, that was completely different! Faith is older than you and she should know better than this!" Diana took a deep breath. "I don't want to fight with you again. And I've gotten to know Faith as much as I want to. She's bad for you, Zac."
Zac
"You haven't gotten to know her at all!" Zac shouted. "Y'know what? I didn't come over here so I could argue with you on the phone too. Bye."
He hung up. He glowered at the phone for a moment, then slammed his fist on the bench in frustration.
Faith
Diana was shocked. She put the phone down slowly, tears in her eyes. "Well, all I wanted was to talk."
Faith heard Zac shouting and then a loud bang. "Xand, I better go. Yeah, you too. Bye." She left the bathroom and went out to see Zac.
"Didn't go well, I presume?"
Zac
"She won't listen to me!" Zac exploded. "She just refuses to. Stubborn, stubborn woman."
He stood there, clenching his fists.
Faith
Faith pondered whether or not to tell him that he wasn't exactly the most compliant person in the world.
"Zac, she just cares about you, that's all." Faith went over and hugged him, kissing his head softly. "You should talk about this you know. I'm not saying she's right, I'm just saying that you need to work this out. Otherwise you're both going to be miserable."
Zac
Zac sighed.
"I know, I know," he shook his head. "We still going for that swim?"
Faith
"Yeps, just gotta find my stuff again."
Faith headed off into her bedroom and retrieved her swimmers from her drawer. She tossed them onto her bed and went looking for her flip flops.
Zac
Zac went through his own bags for his board shorts.
"Ah ha! I was worried for a second that I forgot them," he grinned cheerfully.
Faith
Faith grinned and grabbed her denim shorts from the chair they were laying on, and took a singlet top from her drawers. She picked up her swimmers from the bed and went into the bathroom and got changed, appearing minutes later, tying her hair up and putting her sunglasses on her head.
"Ready when you are, love."
Zac
Zac finished getting changed himself while Faith had been in the bathroom.
"Yep, ready to go," he grinned.
He took her hand and started towards the front door.
Faith
Faith locked up and threw her keys into her bag, along with the towels and her phone and wallet.
Flipping her sunglasses down on over her eyes again, she turned to Zac.
"Rightio... van?"
Zac
"Probably better that way," Zac said.
He made sure he had his keys and walked out to the van. He opened the door, got in and waited for Faith to join him.
Faith
Faith hopped into the passenger seat and threw the bag into the back.
"It's hottttt," she whined playfully.
Zac
"I know that already," Zac replied with a cheeky grin.
He started the car and began driving to the pool.
Faith
When they reached the pool, Faith grabbed the bag out of the bag and hopped out of the car and waited for Zac.
"Ready?"
Zac
Zac got out of the car, and locked up.
"Okay, let's go in."
They got in line, and Zac paid the admission fee.
Faith
Minutes after they were inside, Faith and Zac were in the pool. Faith splashed Zac playfully before diving under the water.
"Ah, that's better."
Zac
Zac and Faith had much fun playing in the pool. Eventually, though, they started to get hungry and Zac realised with a shock that they had been there for hours and it was definitely lunch time.
"You wanna go eat something?" he asked.
Faith
"Yep, sounds good."
Faith hopped out of the pool and they dried off. They left the pool and got into Zac's van again, heading for a cafe for lunch.
Zac
"Oooh," Zac said. "Haven't been there for awhile. Look good to you?"
He pointed at the cafe.
Faith
"Yep, anywhere. Just needing food."
They got out of the car (after parking it of course), and headed for the cafe. Faith took Zac's hand while walking over to their table.
Zac
"Well, I'm gonna have a burger with the fries and coke. What about you?" Zac asked, after checking the menu.
Faith
"Yep, I'll get the same."
Faith put her menu down and made the order when the waiter came over. She leaned back in her chair, and looked at her arm, which looked slightly darker from the time in the sun.
Zac
Zac sighed contentedly.
"This has been a really great day," he said.
Their food soon arrived and Zac got stuck into it.
Faith
They finished their meal and paid and left the cafe. Faith took Zac's hand again.
"So, shall we go back home, get cleaned up and head off for a movie? Or you wanna go right from here?"
Zac
"Hmm..." Zac said. "We should probably get cleaned up. I don't think popcorn and chlorine go well together."
Zac opened up the van and got in.
Faith
Faith hopped into the van and before she knew it, they were back at her house.
They walked up and she unlocked it and made a break for the shower, hoping to beat Zac.
And she did.
She showered and dried off, leaving the bathroom and coming back into her room in a towel, looking around for some clothes.
"All yours, love."
Zac
"Why, thank you, your royal highness, for blessing this humble servant with the use of your shower," Zac said with a cheeky grin. "I hope you left me some hot water."
Yes there was hot water left. He was soon done and dried off, and got himself dressed.
"So, we ready to go?" Zac asked.
Faith
Faith nodded, checking her reflection in the mirror.
"Yep, all ready."
She grabbed her keys, phone and wallet and led Zac outside, where she again locked up. She made a mental reminder to look into getting someone to invent a self locking house.
Zac
So they got back into the van and drive to the local cinema. They got out again and looked at the movies and session times.
"Umm... so what do you want to see?" Zac asked.
Faith
Faith shrugged and leant against Zac slightly.
"It's up to you."
Zac
"Oooh! Hulk!" Zac exclaimed, his eyes glittering. "Let's go see that!"
Faith
Faith grinned.
"You're cute when you're excited. Ok, Hulk it is."
She headed over to the ticket place and bought two tickets and went back over to Zac. She handed a ticket over.
"There ya go."
Zac
"Thanks. And now I'll get the munchies. Popcorn, umm yeah, what would you like to drink?" Zac asked as he headed over to the candy bar.
Faith
"Just a bottle of water, thanks."
Faith rubbed her eye and waited for Zac to get the stuff. Then they headed into the movie theatre and found some seats.
Zac
Soon the lights dimmed and the ads came on. Then they dimmed some more when the trailers came on, and soon the movie started. Zac held Faith's hand throughout most of the movie and when it was done he was positively gleeful.
"That was so cool," he said, grinning.
Faith
Faith grinned back at him. "That was wicked cool."
She stood and checked her watch. "Hmmm, shall we head out for dinner?"
They left the cinema, holding hands again and Faith looked around. "Okies, we can go out for dinner or head home and see what we can eat. But since you're the only one of us who can cook, the task will fall upon you."
Zac and Isaac
Zac shrugged.
"It's still early. I'm not really hungry. Hey, is that Ike? It is. Hey, Ike!"
Isaac looked over.
"Hey Zac, Faith. COming out or going in?"
"Out. We saw Hulk. It rocked."
"Cool. That's what I'm here to see. With Isis."
"Isis?"
"Umm, yeah... I didn't think I'd see her again, but y'know."
Faith
Faith smiled at Isaac.
"Hey Ike. Who's Isis? New love interest?"
Isaac and Zac
"Umm, good question," Isaac laughed. "She... umm... she was the one who helped Zac get away. She's a little weird, but y'know... I wouldn't call her a love interest."
"Yeah, no one can hold a candle to Mi."
Isaac rolled his eyes.
"I'd better go find her again. Nice talking to you."
"See ya."
Faith
"See ya."
Faith turned back to Zac. "She helped you get away? Confusion... but it'll pass."
She took his hand and led them outside to Zac's van.
Zac
"Yeah," Zac said. "I don't know how she got there in the first place, but she said that if I could get her a date with Ike, she's help me. I didn't think Ike would mind, and I really had to get out of there. But Ike... he doesn't like to tell that part of the story."
Zac got into the van.
"So, where to now?"
Faith
Faith hopped into the van. "Home? Not much else to do that we haven't already done. Unless you feel like making a night at P3. But I think I'm gonna be too tired to be up for that."
Zac
"Okay," said Zac. "Home it is then."
Soon they were back in the house. It had been a rather full day, still Zac cooked them a small dinner.
Faith
"I'm kinda tired."
Faith and Zac ate dinner and then headed off to bed. They didn't even do it. You know, the "it" that all the kiddies are doing these days, the "it" that they seem to do a lot. Shocking.