This little girl

I know I’ve been gone a while. Sorry, life has a way of catching up with you. This is a short chapter and it takes place about three months later.

I’m sorry about the little fit I threw about reviews. I wear my feelings on my sleeve. This shit is kinda difficult to do, and so I get unrealistically touchy about it. Anyway, there is no smut in this one, but there will be. Just give me a little while to get it together.

I really hope you like it. I tried to make it a little light.

Either way, even though I’ve been absent, I haven’t changed. I need feedback. I need it bad. Especially since I haven’t had it in a while. – No that’s not a sexual reference at all.

Thanks again.


Buffy’s POV

I was on my third cup of coffee. This was the day. The big one. I hadn’t really expected it to happen this fast.


“Buffy, why do you always look like that? Don’t you have any emotions? I can’t believe this is happening. I don’t think I can take it.” Cordy was staring at me, wringing her hands, “Why are you just standing there? Have you no feelings? ” And she said I was dramatic.

“Mommy?” Annie was barreling down the stairs. “Where are my shoes?”

What is it with the shoes? “Which ones?”

She looked at me like I was an idiot. Told you she had Faith’s charms. “The ones with the silver laces. The new ones. You know.” She whined.

Silver laces? What the hell? I know for a fact I didn’t buy her any shoes with silver laces.

“Look behind your door,” I heard Faith call behind me, “I think we put them there last night.”

Annie winked at her, “Thanks.” She said, skipping back to her room.

I turned and looked at Faith, “I think I’m gonna puke,” she said.

I smiled at her. “Why?”

She actually did look like she was gonna puke. I kinda felt sorry for her. I also felt a bit amused. So sue me.

“What if she doesn’t like it? I mean school’s a really big deal. And I think Cordy was right. Remember when she said Annie was probably gonna be smarter than the other kids. She’s probably too smart for school. We should just keep her at home.”


Cordy nodded, “Finally someone is listening to me. Amazing. Probably too late. But amazing.” She turned to Faith, “You are my new favorite slayer.” Oh, please break my heart, really.

Faith had her hand against her face. I reached up and smoothed a piece of hair down, “Everything will be fine. I promise.”

She shook her head. She obviously didn’t believe me. “I don’t know B…this…I don’t like this feeling.”

I was about to say something to make her feel better when Annie bounced back down the stairs, “I’m ready.”

Her announcement brought the others into the lobby.

“Wow,” Willow said, “look at the schoolgirl.” She reached down and rubbed Annie’s cheek, “Do you have the stuff I bought you?” Annie nodded. “Good, Try not to turn the teacher into a frog, unless you know…”she bent down and whispered, “She deserves it.”

I was about to say something, when they looked at me, “Just kidding,” Willow said. She looked like she was gonna cry as well, “Well…that’s good. You’ll be good…and everything is…ok, I’m not going to cry.”

Annie held her hand, “Don’t be sad Wills.” She looked around the room, “You guys are silly.”

Kennedy bent down and kissed her cheek, “Kick anyone’s ass that is mean to you.”

“Ken,” A chorus of voices rang out.

“What?”

Annie was giggling. She walked up to Giles. He picked her up and slipped five bucks in her back pocket. Sucker. He gave her a quick hug. “Ah, yes…well you should be off. First day and all.” Hey, I thought, that means I love you in Brit speak, doesn’t it?

Xander wished her luck and spun her around, probably making her good and dizzy on her first day of school. “Remember. You are way smarter than your moms are, so you should have no problem.”

Cordy walked up, “And cuter. Way way cuter. Remember that as well. Looks get you a long way in life. Thank god you took after me and not your aunt Dawn.”

Dawn walked up and smacked her on the arm, “Hey.” Annie was nodding at Cordy, “I can’t smack you yet.”

Cordy rolled her eyes in Dawn’s direction, “Cause she’s afraid you’ll kick her ass. Ow…”she yelled, as Dawn smacked her again.

Dawn took Annie from her and set her on the ground, “Don’t blow up the school until after they tell you if you passed or not. Your mommy had a tough time with that one.”

My sister is insane. “You wish you were as cool as me, Dawnie. I was the hottest thing in that school. That’s why it blew up.”

Cordy scoffed, “You’ve got to be kidding me. I was so hot that people couldn’t even look me in the eyes without going blind. Look at Xander there…”she turned to Annie, making her point, “He just had to keep one eye on me and see what happened.”

Annie giggled. Cordy is insane as well. I heard someone sniffing behind me. Two someones for that matter. I turned around. Faith and Angel were both standing there. And both of them were crying. Ok, so everyone here but me is insane. Why were they crying? Was I missing something? She’s just starting school, I thought, not joining the service.

Angel looked at me, “What?”

“Are you crying?” I asked, this was incredible. What the hell had happened to the two of them?

“No,” He said. Ok, and he’s lying as well.

Faith sniffed. I looked at her. “I’m not crying.” I continued to stare at her, “Shut up B. We can’t all be hardasses, you know.”

Annie grabbed my hand, I looked down at her, “I think we are living in the Twilight Zone or something,” I told her.

She nodded sagely at me, “I know. Everyone is so weird.”

See, I told ya. In the end, she’s my kid.

I picked her up, “You are the coolest kid on the planet,” I said, hugging her to me, “I love you.”

She hugged me back, and then wiggled out of my arms. “Get it out of your system now, cause no hugging once we get there.”

What? What is she talking about? Why does she not want me to hug her in front of people? Is she…she can’t be…she’s embarrassed. Excuse me, while I go over here and die now.

“Ready?!?” Annie yelped, standing in the doorway. I looked up. I guess everyone did. There’s our baby. Standing with the sun behind her. Smiling at us.

I looked around the room, everyone was smiling back. Cordy was wiping her eyes. Faith still looked like she was going to puke.

I actually had the thought – my baby is not a baby – I mean, where the hell did that come from?

Annie snapped her fingers, “Hello, ladies…let’s go.” She said, rolling her eyes.

Faith and I obediently followed.


Faith’s POV

Oh shit. This was a bad bad idea. I’ve been back for three months. Living in that hotel, trying to make things right with the others, trying my damndest to get into Buffy’s pants when no one was looking. And most of all, I’ve been bonding with my Annie doll. I used to be worried I was turning into a sap. Now I know I am one. I so don’t care though. The only thing I am concerned about is this school. Kindergarten, for god’s sake. She doesn’t need all of that shit. T.V.’ll teach her the things we forget. She already knows her ABC’s and 123’s. And she can kick both mine and B’s ass without breaking a sweat. What the hell did she need school for?

I tried to persuade B that we could teach the squirt everything she needed to know. Buffy wouldn’t have any of it.

“No, Faith, quit being retarded. She’s going to school.”

“Come on B, she’s already smarter than everyone else here.” I had tried.

Buffy had shaken her head at me like I really was a little slow, “You do hear yourself, don’t you?”

“What?” I had asked.

She had turned around, “She’s going. Get over it.”

She better be glad I’m in love with her, cause I was ready to kick her ass that day. Now, though, I was ready to puke. Buffy was rubbing the back of my neck, “She’s excited, isn’t she?”

I tried to nod, “I don’t know why I feel like this.” I said to her.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the car, “You’re just sentimental is all. I think it’s adorable.”

Annie was belting herself in. I looked to her and then back to her mother, “Adorable?”

Buffy put her back to the car, “Yep silly, adorable.” She winked at me, “And when we get back, well…let’s say that you and I take advantage of the fact that a super hearing minislayer is at school. What do you say?”

She was so damn naughty. Did I mention how much I loved her? She knew how to get me going, though, that’s for sure.

I smiled at bit, “Well…I might need some persuading.” I tried the pout. I know she said she perfected it, but still…well, it couldn’t hurt.

She smiled back, “Come on, you big baby,” She said, pulling me to the car.

Ok, this school was…all right I guess. No prison bars or metal detectors. I took a chance to check out the other parents. Some kids were there with just a mom, some just a dad, some both, some like us. I was starting to feel a little better.

I caught the eye of a bigger kid, probably a second grader or something. He looked like he wanted to start some trouble. Probably one of those little bullies or something. I snarled at him. He started crying and ran to his mom. Yeah that’s it you little mother fucker, go and hide behind mommy’s skirt.

“Faith,” Buffy smacked my arm, “Don’t scare the kids.”

I looked down. “Whatever…he looked like a little fucker. Don’t think I can’t tell.”

Buffy swatted my arm again, “And don’t cuss in here. Good god, they are going to kick us out on the first day.”

Annie took my hand and Buffy’s and we went to look for the classroom 2E. This was Ms. Hart’s class and it was going to be Annie’s home away from home, at least for the next nine months. I had to make sure she wasn’t an evil entity or being from a hell dimension or whatever. I sure hoped she wasn’t. I didn’t feel like beating the shit out of a kindergarten teacher. At least, not in front of the kiddies.

Unless…what if she’s mean? She could be mean. Some teachers were evil. I was living proof of that. I had this one bitch. Jeez…she was the mother of the devil. I swear to god. I still have nightmares about how she would make us eat our crayons. I sweat to god, sadistic bitch…I thought back to Annie’s new teacher. Oh, I’ll kick her ass, I thought. Let her be mean to my baby. I wish she’d try. The other parents would probably cheer me on.

I watched them. Some of them looked like I felt, sick to their stomachs. The older ones, they probably had other kids or something, looked like they were pros at this, leading their little snot-nosed monsters down the corridor.

Some of the kids were cute. There was a little girl in front of us with blond hair in pigtails, her daddies (yeah, I said daddies…we didn’t pick this school for nothing) seemed as hesitant as we did.

They stopped outside the room. I looked up. Our stop too.

The two men turned around and looked at us. The dark-haired one spoke first.

“Hi, I’m Jack, and this is Chris.”

Buffy shook their hands. “Buffy…and this mute one here is Faith.”

“Hi,” I mumbled.

The other guy looked just like me. I feel you dude.

“This is Emily,” Jack told us.

“Annie,” Buffy introduced.

The two looked at each other and smiled. Emily grabbed Annie’s hand. “Let’s look in here.” She said, running into the room.

“Ok,” Annie smiled.

Well, isn’t that special? Hello, here is your mom, having a coronary Annie. I see now you don’t care.

Buffy smiled at Emily’s fathers, “Well that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Jack smiled. He turned to his partner, “Told you.” He turned back to Buffy, and whispered, “He’s been sick all morning.”

She motioned her eyes to me, “You should have seen this one. She hasn’t slept in two nights.”

The two of them walked into the classroom, leaving the two pussies…me and this guy Chris…standing in the hall.

“I can’t help it if he is completely lacking in human kindness…” He muttered to me.

I nodded, “She acts like she’s not nervous at all. I think there is something mentally wrong with her,” I said motioning to B. I turned back to him. “Meanwhile, hope this teacher gives me a reason…” I said, cracking my knuckles.

He smiled a bit at me, “Yeah, maybe you and I could corner her. Scare the shit out of her one good time. She needs to know how special Em actually is.”

I nodded again, “Ann too. I think we should let her…”

“Faith.”

“Chris.”

We looked to each other, “I am so whipped,” he said.

“Don’t I know it.”

A woman with light brown hair and blue piercing eyes walked up to us. “Hi, I’m Amy. Ms. Hart to the children. You must be Faith,” she turned to my newfound partner in crime, “And you must be Chris. Pleased to meet you.”

We both shook her hands, tentatively, looking around the room for our respective families.

“They’re over there,” she pointed to the corner of the room, “I told them to take a look around.” She linked one arm with me and the other with Chris and began leading us around the room. “I know you two are nervous.” She didn’t wait for us to protest, “Oh, I’ve been doing this for about seven years now,” she fluffed her hair, “I know I look a lot younger than I am. Anyway, your two sweeties we’ll be fine.” She said, placing her hands on Emily and Annie’s shoulders, “Won’t we girls?”

They both nodded and ran off. She began shooing us out the door. “It’s best if we discuss everything after school today. That way we don’t make the first day into some dramatic experience that can scare the kids. It’s best not to make a big deal of leaving them.”

I stared at her. Was this bitch crazy?

Chris seemed to agree, “I think you may be…”

“A certified, experienced Kindergarten teacher who knows her stuff,” Jack said.

Buffy nodded, “Don’t freak Faith.” She motioned to Annie, “They’ll be fine.” She said for mine and Chris’s benefit.

I’m so glad she is cool, calm and collected. I watched her wave to Annie.

“Bye baby,” B called out from the doorway.

“Bye sugar,” Jack did the same.

Annie and Emily waved to them, and then turned to their more morose parents who weren’t moving.

“Bye Mom,” Annie said, running over and hugging me, “I love you. It will be ok.”

I didn’t want to let go, but B pried my hands away. Bitch. I’ll get her later. I saw Chris being pulled away as well. This dude held a piece of my heart.

“Come on Faith, let’s go,” Buffy said, pulling me out the door.

“It will be fine Ms. Jackson,” the teacher said, “I promise.”

I nodded, a knot in my throat.

She pulled Chris and I to the side. “Why don’t the two of you go get your cars?” She told B and Jack. She turned to us as they left, “Look here. I’ve got a special window, just for parents like you.” She watched our partners walk down the hall, “Some just find it easier than others.”

She showed us to a side wall. We could see inside the classroom. Anna and Emily were putting away their things. They were even holding hands. We watched them run up to the art center and start coloring, like they were best friends. Kids were so cool sometimes.

“God, how cute are they?” Chris said.

“Ok, so I think they’re gonna be ok…right? They’re ok.” I stammered, “I mean the teacher doesn’t seem like a murdering…”I looked at his face, ok, he didn’t flinch. That’s good, “they’re cool, right?” I breathed a sort of sigh of relief. At least I was not alone.

He nodded, “Wanna go get a coffee?” He asked.

“Sure. What about the other two?” I motioned at the door B and his man had walked out of.

“Hey, they can go with us. Or not. I don’t even care…I mean there’s this great coffee shop…”He trailed off.

“Across the street…”I nodded, looking at him. “Yeah, just let me tell B.”

“Meet you there in five,” he said. And ran in the opposite direction.

Hey, that Ms. Hart might be the nicest woman in the world. Or she might be a brain sucking child eater. I didn’t know. I had to at least make sure before I let the reason I was alive get sucked into her claws or jaws or whatever evil things used to eat small kids with. Nope, a cup of coffee didn’t sound bad at all.


TBC