This little girl

Well, I think this will be the last update today. This chapter took a lot out of me. I don't know why. I think my insomnia is catching up with me. But like I said I can't deny you. I'm glad you guys are still finding it entertaining. I hope it's not too heavy for you.

I am officially sunburned or sunburnt (which is it?). I guess it's what I get. Only I would try to write a story outside, in the sun. Of course, that's not the only thing I like to do on the beach. :) Ok, starting to go a little crazy. And like I said, blind. But it's worth it.

Review. You know it's my crack. I know you wouldn't deny me.

(Cho - sorry I didn't acknowledge you. You were my first review. You hold the special place sweetie. Pippi - hope you got some sleep and enjoy the chapter.)

Disclaimer - I can't even remember anymore.

Chapter 13

FLASHBACK

POV None

“What are we going to do?” Willow whispered.

Xander shook his head, he put his hand on the baby’s back and rubbed. Willow switched her from on shoulder to the other. “I don’t know,” he answered.

The baby was still crying, Willow tried switching her again. She handed her to Kennedy who tried the same thing. Kennedy began bouncing her a little, walking around. “We’ve got to do something. She won’t even look at her.” She sat down when the baby started fussing, but jumped back up as she started crying again, “Shh,” She whispered rubbing her back.

Cordelia walked in rubbing her eyes, “What time is it?”

Kennedy sighed, “Two a.m.”

“Jesus, what is wrong with the kid?” She rolled her eyes. “Give her here.” Kennedy hesitated a moment, but handed the baby over. Cordelia began to rub her back. The baby instantly quieted. “It would be easier if she liked someone besides me,” she sighed.

Xander rolled his eyes at her. “You eat that up.” He laughed. “She just gets quiet so you’ll think she’s asleep and shut up.”

“God jealously is so unbecoming on all of you,” Cordy said. She moved the baby away from her, to look her in the eye, “She’s asleep.” She sat down, but didn’t put the baby down, instead shifting her to her lap.

Willow sat opposite her. “That’s why she likes you. You hold her all the time. She’s spoiled.”

Cordy smirked. “So what if she is spoiled? Her mother ignores her, and her other mother, well, who the hell knows where she is?” Cordy shifted the baby under her chin. “Speaking of which, what the fuck are we going to do about Buffy? I mean, we can’t even leave her alone. Somebody having to sleep in there with her the whole time. It’s ridiculous.”

“Giles is looking into it,” Kennedy offered.

“Oh Giles is looking into it,” Cordy said, “I feel much better now.”

Xander began to pace, “Well, what are we going to do? We can’t just go in there and tell her to snap out of it.”

“Bullshit,” Cordy said. “I think we can. Somebody needs to tell her to get over herself. We’re raising her kid.” She quieted for a moment, “Not that I don’t like…oh, you know what I mean.”

Willow teased her, “Cordy? Do you actually care about someone other than yourself?”

Cordy looked at her, “I’m not cold and heartless.” She looked at the baby snuggled against her, “Besides, how cute is she? I would have to be a monster not to love her.”

Kennedy laughed, “Yeah. I feel…I don’t know, attached to this kid somehow.”

“It’s because we’re raising her,” Willow said, rubbing her girlfriend’s neck.

Angel came into the room. “Rough night?”

Xander answered. “Yeah, until Cordy. She seems to have the magic touch.”

Angel smiled at her, “Don’t let her fool you. She has a gift.”

Cordy rolled her eyes at them again, “Whatever. You guys just suck at being parents is all.”

Willow ignored her. “Is Buffy asleep?”

Angel sighed and sat down next to Cordelia. He rubbed the baby’s back. “She hasn’t been out of bed all day.”

“Do you think it’s postpartum?” Kennedy asked.

Angel shook his head, “Not really. Do you?”

The other shook their heads as well. Xander spoke, “I think it’s more like the absence of Faith.”

Angel nodded. “I spoke to Giles. They are trying to locate her. The coven says that she has just about dropped of the face of the earth. Either she’s not slaying or she’s masking herself somehow.”

Willow screwed up her face and turned to look at him, “How would she do that?”

Angel shrugged, “Magic? Drugs? The pure effort of not wanting to be found? Who knows?”

Cordy stood, still rubbing the baby’s back. “Well, she needs to get over herself as well. Those two slayers act like they are the only two people in the world. Life sucks sometimes, they both need to get over it. I, for one, am about sick of their melodrama. Faith, storming out of here like some soap opera queen. Jesus, it’s so stupid.”

Xander shook his head, “Don’t think they care what you think.”

“Well a big fat so the fuck what. I’m not surprised. All they care about are themselves. Faith walked out of here with nothing but a dumbass case of pride following her. What do you think she’s got now? I’m willing to bet anyone of you here it’s nothing but fucking misery” No one said anything. “Not to mention Buffy, miss ‘I’m going to lay in bed and pine all fucking day’ Summers. The story is starting to get old. I don’t care if they want me involved or not. I am. We all are.” She gestured to the baby with her head, “All of us. Giles, Dawn, hell even Andrew. Everyone is putting in more than their share. Dawn hasn’t had a decent night sleep since Faith left. We have all been up at least once this week passed three o’clock. Kennedy does all the slaying. Willow,” she looked at her, “You have done all the shopping for Annie. And I have fed her almost every meal. I don’t think that Buffy even knows how to make a bottle.”

Angel sighed. He looked to Cordelia. “So what do we do?”

She shrugged, “I don’t have all the answers. I’m just saying. Annie’s two months old. She thinks I’m her mother. Hell, Buffy wouldn’t take a fucking bath if Dawn didn’t force her too. And make her eat. I believe Giles is staying in England cause he doesn’t want to see Buffy like this.”

Willow nodded, “me too. I thought the same thing.” Xander and Kennedy nodded as well.

Kennedy spoke up, “Maybe we should stage an intervention.”

Cordy shook her head. “Yeah, we could all be like ‘Hey Buffy. You’re a big fucking fuck up. So get the fuck over yourself and help out around here. Cause contrary to what the fuck you think, the world so does not revolve around you.’” She turned to Kennedy, “Think she’ll take kindly to that?”

Kennedy laughed, “I doubt it.”

They all stopped talking when they noticed the door open. Dawn walked in. “I’m so tired.”

Willow rubbed her on the back, “I know Dawnie. We all are.”

She smiled at Cordy holding the baby. “Who would’ve thought you’d ever see that?” She pointed, watching as Cordelia snuggled the baby in her neck.

Cordy looked at them. “What? She thinks I smell good.”

Angel looked at Dawn. “Is Buffy asleep?”

Dawn nodded. “Yes. She’s been sleeping all day. I don’t know how she could possibly still be tired. But she is. Or at least, she seems to be. I can’t even talk to her anymore. She just mumbles and nods or shakes her head. It’s like I’m not even in there.” She sat down. “I don’t know what else to do.”

Willow looked a little hurt. “At least she’ll acknowledge you. She won’t even speak to me or Xander.”

Xander looked down at the ground. “I’m at a loss.”

Cordy made her way to the door, “Well someone is going to have to do something. My advice is that we stop acting like she is made of some precious breakable material and go in there and give her a piece of our mind.”

Angel shook his head, “You think she’ll listen?”

“I don’t rightly give a damn if she does. At least we can say we tried.” No one said anything. “Look, she’s being a spoiled brat.” Everyone looked at Cordelia surprised. “Please,” she scoffed, “She is. You all know it. She is being a self-centered, spoiled, little child. She needs a good ass kicking.”

Willow looked aghast. “We can’t beat her.”

“Of for fuck’s sake, I was speaking metaphorically,” She sighed. “You people are so dense sometimes.”

Kennedy looked at Willow. Willow shrugged, “You get used to her.”

“That’s just it,” Cordy said, “You guys wouldn’t let me do that. You would never let me get away with what Buffy is doing. She’s got everyone, including me I’m ashamed to say, falling over ourselves to help her. I say we stop.”

Kennedy jumped up suddenly, “That may just work. What if we left Annie in there with her for a while? I don’t think she could hurt her.”

Cordy began backing up, “Whoa, that isn’t what I meant.”

Angel stood, “No, I agree. That could be a good idea. She’s never been alone with her, has she?”

Xander shook his head, “Nope. Not that I can recall.”

Kennedy shook her head. Willow agreed, “Never as far as I know. Why didn’t we think of this sooner?”

“Because it’s stupid,” Cordelia answered. “I’m not leaving Annie in there with her. What if she…what if she…oh, I don’t know…what if she does something?”

Dawn rubbed the baby on the head, “What’s she gonna do? We’ll all be right there. Kennedy and Angel have super hearing. Nothing will happen.”

“You say that now,” Cordy said, “But what are you people going to say when something does happen.”

“This was your idea,” Xander told her.

“Nuh-uh,” she shook her head, “This was not my idea at all. My idea was to not do this. Remember that. I wanted to kick her ass. That was my idea.”

Willow smiled, “Too bad Cordy, you’re overruled.”

Angel smiled as well, “We’ll try it tomorrow.”

Cordy began walking down the hall, “Bad idea. Bad idea. I don’t like this at all.”

Buffy’s POV

When Annie came running in the room, Faith froze. So did everyone else actually.

“Why is she still here?” She asked me.

“Annie, you shouldn’t say things like that,” Cordelia said. “It isn’t nice to point out the obvious.”

She turned to look at her, “Why?”

Kennedy picked her up, “Because it’s just not nice.” She smoothed her hair down. “I don’t think those shoes are ugly.” She smiled.

Willow nodded agreeing with her girlfriend. She looked at me to back them up.

I shook my head, knocking myself out of my reverie. “You have to learn that Faith is here to stay.” I said walking over to her, “Right Faith?” I looked to Faith.

Deer in the headlights look, Faith wears it well. She looked like she was gonna bolt. Please don’t. I kept thinking. If she leaves now…I don’t know what we’ll do.

She finally spoke, “Yeah.”

Annie made a face. “She made Monnie leave.”

Cordy shook her head, “No she didn’t.”

Annie stuck her lip out, “Yes she did.”

Faith looked like she was going to vomit, “I’m sorry,” she whispered meekly.

Annie ignored her. She turned to Dawn, “Are we getting pancakes?”

Dawn shook her head, “You’re not being very nice.”

Annie jumped out of Kennedy’s arms and ran to the door, “You’re not being very nice, “ she yelled.

“Anna Jackson Summers,” my voice was firm. I watched Faith’s eyebrow. She seemed surprised. Yes, did you think I didn’t know your name? I wondered. I looked back to my daughter. “You stop this instant.” She froze, “You will stop behaving this way.” She turned around and looked at me, a look of fiery indignation on her face. “No mam.” I said, as she turned to go to the door, “Stay put.” She froze again, “You will not treat other people like that. Especially your mother.”

She stomped her foot. “She. Is. Not. My. Mom.” She said. Her voice was even. It scared me.

No one else moved. Oh well, this was my damn job, wasn’t it? “Watch your tone. She is your mother.”

“No she’s not,” she shouted, “she has never taken care of me. She doesn’t love me. And neither do you. You love yourself. You love her. You don’t love me. Everybody else takes care of me.” She was crying now. It was breaking my heart. I did love her…Jesus, does she think that?

Faith finally spoke, “You know that isn’t true, Annie.” She whispered.

Annie spun on her. I said she was fast, didn’t I? I didn’t like the way she looked, she was feeling cornered, I could tell it in her eyes. Apparently everyone else could too, cause they all backed up, giving us some space. “You Don’t Know,” She screamed at her. She got quieter, sobs wracking her body, “You don’t know. You don’t know. You don’t know.” She repeated to herself. She looked so small. I had to make myself stand still. Don’t go to her, I thought.

I could hear Willow and Cordy move behind me. I held up my hand. “No,” I said,
turning to look at them.

Willow nodded and Cordy looked at me like she could kill me where I stood. But she relented.

Annie bent over, she was crying so hard. I tried to will Faith to move. Go get her, I thought. Go get her.

Maybe she read my mind, I don’t know. Maybe her heart was breaking too. I don’t know how it couldn’t have been. Regardless she moved over to her.

“No. Go away,” Annie tried weakly.

Faith didn’t say anything. She just bent down and picked her up. Annie struggled against her, but Faith held her to her. “Shh,” she said, rubbing her hair.

Annie still struggled, but only halfheartedly. “No,” she whispered, but her body betrayed her as she leaned into Faith. She put her head in the crook of her neck. Faith held her to her and slid down the wall. The sight alone made me lightheaded.

“No,” Annie whispered, her arms wrapped tightly around Faith’s neck. Faith was rocking her back and forth, her face buried in her hair.

“I love you,” she whispered. “I love you. I love you.”

Annie cried harder, “No.” I think she was just saying it now to be saying something. She didn’t let go of Faith.

I could barely hear them. They were both speaking so softly, “Yes,” Faith said. “I do.” She sniffed, not moving, “I’m not leaving. I don’t care what you say. I’m not going anywhere. Ever. I love you. I can’t leave you. I promise. I promise. I promise.”

Annie finally conceded, still crying. “Ok. I believe you.” She leaned back and looked at Faith, wiping her tears from her face. “Please don’t cry. I believe you.”

Faith couldn’t stop sobbing. She nodded her head, trying to answer her.

Annie smoothed her hair. She wrapped her arms around her neck again. “I promise. I believe you. I feel it. I know you won’t leave.” She grabbed Faith’s hand and put it on Faith’s chest. She covered it with her own. “I can feel how you feel here. Did you know that?”

Faith sniffled and shook her head.

Annie nodded, “I can. It’s because I’m special.”

Faith nodded, “You are special,” she said, squeezing her hand.

Annie giggled. “I know silly. Everyone tells me all the time. Born of two slayers. Meant to save the world. All that kinda stuff.”

Faith laughed, “well at least you know now. It took me years to figure it out.”

Annie laughed, “Aunt Cordy said you were slow.”

I hadn’t heard the others leave the room. No one was in there but the three of us. I don’t think they even noticed that I was there. I cleared my throat.

Annie looked at me through hooded lashes, “Sorry Mommy.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t move. “It’s ok.”

Faith hugged her to her. “Wow B,” she said, “We didn’t even know you were standing there.”

No kidding, I thought. “You guys gonna sit there all day, or are we gonna eat breakfast?” I couldn’t form any more thought than that.

Faith stood up effortlessly, Annie still clinging to her neck. “Pancakes?”

Annie nodded, “With strawberries..and not blue…”

Faith interrupted her, “blueberries.”

“Cause they suck,” they said at the same time, breaking into an immediate dual course of giggles.

Oh fuck, I thought. I’ve created a couple of monsters. Two of them. Just alike. Boy, did we have our hands full.


TBC