2 Slayers and a Baby
by Slayer Tash
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I don't own them sadly. If I did I wouldn't have to write fantasy stories I would just make them do it!
"Now see this guy here K, that's SpongeBob Squarepants. He lives in this wicked cool pineapple that just happens to be under the sea. His best friend is Patrick and he is a starfish yunno cause they are under the sea."
I walk in to our living room and see Faith filling our 6 week old son in on the finer points of her favourite cartoons.
"Hey Mommy" She says to me as I sit next to them on the couch.
"Hey, how was your afternoon?"
"Easy peasy japanesey wasn't it Boof?" She says looking down at him.
He smiles. She has him in kind of a sitting up position but he is leaning back against her. Her left arm is around him.
"He sleep okay?"
"Like a log."
"And lunch?"
"We both kept it down."
I had made her lunch before I went out shopping with Willow.
I ignore her comment and take Kale from her "Hey handsome" I give him kisses on his face and he gurgles his approval. "I missed you so much, Mommy is never going out without you again."
"Do you know if Ken was home?"
I look over at Faith "No idea."
"How much of my money did you spend?" She frowns.
"I didn't buy anything. It was Willow that did all the spending."
Ever since Kale has come along things between Faith and I have been strained and that is putting it nicely.
"You were gone for like 6 hours" She looks at her watch "And you are telling me that you didn't buy a god damned thing?"
"Maybe a Diet Pepsi…and I had a pretzel on the walk home."
"You haven't been shopping since we got all his baby stuff like 4 months ago."
"I know" I gently hand her Kale and get up off the couch.
"It is Christmas in like a week."
Shit. With Kale arriving a couple of weeks early and getting in to a routine it had totally slipped my mind "I know."
"You have no fucking idea!" She says with a raised voice.
"I have been pre occupied. He came early and we have been getting in to a routine. There are never ending loads of washing or dishes to do…it slipped my mind."
"Right so I guess that means my birthday slipped your mind too?"
"No. I know when it is."
"What did you get me?"
I sigh. I had actually gotten her birthday present months ago. She saw this classic black and white Fender guitar in a store down near Broadway and nearly had a heart attack so I knew I had to get it and I did.
"What did you get me?" She asks again.
"I am not fighting about this."
"Why not you seem to want to fight about everythin' else."
"I don't want to fight about anything Faith" I say softly.
"Coulda fooled me Buffy" She is up off the couch now "I am going round to Ken's" She hands me Kale then gives him a kiss on his forehead then walks off. I hear her grab her keys and I definitely hear her slam the door. Kale jumps at the noise and cuddles against my chest.
"Sorry Boof" I kiss the top of his head "Maybe we should do some Christmas shopping while Mommy is at Kennedy's."
I walk in to his nursery and grab some warm clothes. I put him on the changing table. I check his diaper which is dry then get him all rugged up.
I grab his pram and put him in then I grab my purse and jacket and we head out.
It takes me half an hour to just leave the building. Mrs. Jackson from the floor below us was on the elevator and she had about a million questions about Kale and how Faith and I were settling in to parenthood and Manuel who seems to always be at reception no matter the time of day had to do his cootchie cootchie coos as well.
I know that presents from a toy store are a must. Not only for our son but for Faith as well. I had a feeling that if I went present shopping for Kale with out her then I would just be asking for another fight. I decided I would do my shop for her and a few personal gifts for Willow, Xander and Giles.
I would also leave the shopping for Dawn for us to do together. I went to Sam Goody's because I know there were cd's and dvd's that Faith wanted. I got the seasons she didn't have of SpongeBob and The Simpsons. There were some cute children's books so I couldn't resist getting a couple for Kale. I found a few Jamie Oliver books for myself.
I had become addicted to the food shows during the day when Kale was sleeping and I had been picking up a few tips here and there and had actually improved in the kitchen. I saw some great recipes in the Jamie books that would be great for Christmas day.
I thought I would have to hit a separate store for the books I wanted to get Giles and Willow but Sam Goody's had those as well. I spent a couple of hours in store and Kale was perfect the whole time…he was attracting people left right and centre and loving it. Faith would have been proud at the amount of hot girls he had fawning over him. I don't blame them though we do have a beautiful boy.
After Sam Goody's I made my way to a store that sold the jeans that made Faith's ass look fantastic. They sat perfectly on her hips and hugged the curve of her ass like they were made especially for her. 5 pairs of jeans, 3 hoodies, an array of tanks, a couple of pairs of checked vans and a new pair of chuckies later I thought I was done but then I found the perfect pair of aviator sunglasses for her plus some of the cutest little gifty things that I could wrap and say they were from Kale.
Lettered shot glasses…I got 5 spelling out Faith. She loves, loves, loves Twinkies and they had this Twinkie making kit so of course I had to get that plus some diner style cups. They were just for the kitchen not for her.
I found these plush Snoopy Dog's so I got one for Will and Xander and these totally cool Family Guy talking tree ornaments that Xander will love.
The longer I spent there the more stuff I accumulated. I guess I was making up for lost time.
I had brought so much stuff that I had to get the store to deliver most of it. I took the little stuff along with the Sam Goody's purchases and headed home.
"Where the hell have you been?" Faith says as soon as we are in the door.
"Christmas shopping" I put the bags by the door and put my jacket over them to shield the gifts from her eyes.
"You left your cell here. I have been trying to call you for the last 3 hours. It is past his dinnertime" She comes up to the pram and takes him out.
"Sorry. We got held up."
"You. You got held up!" She tells me off.
"Why are you scalding me like I am a two year old?"
"You didn't think! I had no idea where he was."
"Where would he have gone?"
"I don't know. Someone could have gotten in and taken him."
"Someone who?" I fold up the pram and put it back in the hall closet.
"A demon someone."
"Don't you think there would have been signs of a struggle? Don't you think that if he was taken by a demon I would have called you?"
"You didn't even take your friggen phone with you."
"I'm sorry. It slipped-"
"Your mind, yeah you seem to be forgetting a lot lately."
"You yell at me because I forget Christmas so I go out and start to shop and I still get yelled at."
Kale is crying so I make my way in to the kitchen and grab a bottle from the fridge and pop it in the microwave.
"I am yelling because I thought something had happened. I was worried."
"Well he is fine. A little upset right now but until we walked in that door he was happily sleeping."
"You need to think Buffy. Maybe if you left a note I wouldn't be yelling at you right now."
"So I don't write a note and I deserve to be spoken to this way."
"When you take MY son then yeah you do."
"I am not going to apologise Faith. Yeah I forgot the phone, that was silly of me but people make mistakes. He was safe the whole time we were out. I may forget things but I am not stupid."
"Coulda fooled me" She huffs out.
"You know what Faith you can go fuck yourself. Standing there like you are perfect. You haven't spoken nicely to me in fucking weeks. I've been lucky that I have even been noticed around here. I am up at 3 to feed and change him. I then do washing until 10am. It is then time for another feed plus the house is a fucking mess with empty plates and glasses left out amongst video games and various articles of clothing none of which belong to me. I pick the clothes up and start another load of washing. I collect the dirty cups and plates and take them in to the kitchen which lucky me has shit everywhere. I do a few loads in the dishwasher and clean down the counter tops and once that is done it is time for another feed. He goes down for his afternoon nap which finally gives me time to fold up all the clothes I have washed. Around 5 I get to have lunch and start dinner. I think maybe I can ask my wife to help out a little by feeding Kale his evening bottle and I get a grunt while you snatch the bottle out of my hand then curse me out because I walked in front of the TV to hand you our son. I gladly make us dinner and while you put Kale to bed I manage to wash up the dinner dishes and make up his bottle for his late night feed. I think I can grab a shower before he wakes up around 9ish for his last feed before I have to get up at 3am again but guess what I find in the bathroom…wet towels left on the floor, wet clothes left on the floor. So yeah things have slipped my mind but it seems some things have slipped yours too" I take the bottle out of the microwave and test it then give it to her "Make your own fucking dinner. I have lost my appetite and I want to shower."
I leave her standing silently in the kitchen, well not silently Kale is still crying up a storm. I feel so bad that he has been crying for a minute of two while I said my bit but I was done with being spoken to like that and being treated like a doormat.
I stand under the spray of the hot water trying to calm down. I play what I said to Faith over and over in my head. Not every day is like that, it does feel like I don't get a moment to myself sometimes but I don't care because I love every second of it. I love it because it means I am taking care of my family. My wife and my son. I know I may have been chosen to fight the demons to save the world but now I feel like this is my calling.
The shower door opens and she gets in "Hey."
"Hey" I slide my arms around her and we hold each other under the spray.
"I am a bit of an asshole."
"So am I" I say in to her neck.
"Is every day really like that for you?"
"No. I get to watch Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver while I fold up the clothes."
I feel her laugh softly.
"I miss you" I look at her.
"I miss you too."
"I miss us. I had visions of us doing all of this together. Not the cleaning and feeding and diaper changing…the chilling out time. Like when I joined you on the couch earlier. I wanted to put my head in your lap and Kale against my chest and just be with you."
"Well why didn't you?"
"We fought. We get in to the same room and we just want to tear strips off each other."
"I know" She looks away from me.
"Where is Kale?"
"Dawn came home. I asked her to feed him so we could talk."
"I am so tired."
"Take the night off. I can handle him and I promise I will be more involved."
"Why haven't you been involved?"
"I am gonna sound like a shithead but you looked like ya had it under control."
"I do but it doesn't mean I don't want help."
"I uh…I am kinda scared."
"Scared? What of?"
"Fuckin' up."
"Welcome to my world every day honey."
"You get scared?"
"I do. If I think he has cried for too long while he waited for me to get his bottle ready I am scared it is hurting him. If he has cried for too long waiting for me to get his nappy changed at 1am I get scared that he could get nappy rash. I am scared that when I feed him it isn't enough. I am just constantly second guessing everything I do with him."
"You seem so confident."
"Trust me I'm not."
"I guess doing it by yourself hasn't helped either."
"No but I could have spoken up rather than just expecting you to be a mind reader."
"It isn't even about being a mind reader, it is about being present."
"I won't argue with that."
"I really am sorry B."
"I know" I rest my head back in the crook of her neck.
We stay in the shower just holding each other for a little while longer before we decide to save our son from the hands of his Aunt Dawn.
She watched him one afternoon last week while I slept and when I woke up she had put him in a freaken sailor suit.
What woke me up was Faith's reaction. She really blew her top with Dawn saying she had dressed her boy like a mini village person.
It was kinda funny and he did look adorable but I remember the suit Mom made me wear. I was a little older than Kale though, maybe 2 or 3. I think she and Dad had gone through a nautical phase because she has photos of her and I in matching suits and my father in a Captain's jacket and hat.
We hid the suit after that incident and promised that we would never ever subject him or any future Lehane children we may bring in to the world to matching outfits not even if we have twins. The world is cruel enough without us doing that.
I moan out in to the room.
"You need to be quiet" Faith says.
"Well I would be if you didn't put your fingers in there with out warning" I breathe.
"What is wrong with where my fingers are?" She wiggles them and I moan again.
"Oh holy moly…nothing…but oh my Faith."
She chuckles.
"What?"
"Holy Moly and Oh My…where is my wife and what have you done with her?"
"Kale is fast asleep 20 feet away from us if he does wake up I don't want to be cussing."
"He won't even understand what we are doing."
"No but I will!"
As if on cue Kale starts crying she rests her forehead on my shoulder and sighs.
I groan out in frustration and also at the loss of her fingers.
I remove myself from her lap and put my robe on and then walk in to the bedroom and over to his crib. I pick him up and can feel through his suit that he is wet.
"No wonder you are crying Boof, you are soaking" I hold him against my chest and we make our way in to the nursery.
I place him on the changing table and remove his suit and wet nappy. I clean him up and dry him off.
I feel Faith behind me. She slides her arms around me and rests her chin on my shoulder.
Kale smiles big at the sight of her.
"Don't smile at me like that Mister. Mommy was trying to get her groove on and you rudely interrupted."
He seems very amused right now he keeps smiling at the both of us.
"It's not funny Boof. I get really cranky if I don't get me a little somethin' every now and then" She tickles his belly.
"Great I thought we would at least wait until puberty to talk to our son about sex."
"His sex life yeah ours is different."
"Why is it different?"
"Our sex life could be happening right now and well into the wee morning hours."
I roll my eyes and shake my head "Stay there with him while I grab him a clean suit."
I move over to his chest of draws and grab a nice warm suit for him.
"OH MY GOD KALE!" I hear her shriek out.
I turn and look. She is covering her mouth with her right hand and her left hand is shielding herself from a stream of pee.
I burst out laughing.
"IT'SNOTFUNNY!HEPEEDINMYMOUTH" She says behind her hand.
"Oh it is so funny! That is karma for talking about our sex like in front of a 6 week old baby."
I went back over to the changing table. He was going to need a bath. There was pee all over him from her shielding herself.
I picked him up "Come on Boofy, fun is over bath time."
"What about me?" She asks.
"I am sure you know how to bathe yourself."
"Pee in my mouth!"
"Make sure you floss" I smile to myself as I walk out of the nursery.
I am making Faith breakfast in bed. Today is her birthday…the big 26. More like 16 with the way she carried on earlier this morning when Kale peed all over her. When she got in to bed she was in full on sulk mode. I tried to entice her back in to the mood we had been in before he woke up but she wasn't having a bar of it and that of course means she will be in full on bitch mode when she does wake up.
I am hoping that crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns and toast perks her up a little.
Kale has been fed and changed and is fast asleep so I am hoping to give Faith a little side of Buffy with her breakfast.
I put the finishing touches to her plate and pour her some fresh mango juice, she hates OJ. Don't know why she just will not drink it. I load up the tray complete with a few red roses and a birthday card. I was going to put a few picks in the card that go with the guitar that I got her but I knew she would be all about the guitar.
I learnt my lesson with the Red Sox Jersey.
I load up the dishwasher and get that started and grab the tray and head in to the bedroom. I place the tray beside the bed take off my robe and then crawl under the covers to straddle the lump in the middle of the bed.
Her head is to the side so it gives me nice easy access to her neck. I start nibbling slowly at the bottom of her neck. I dip my tongue out to taste the soft skin that my lips are finding really hard to resist. I can taste the peach body wash she would have used over and over in the shower this morning.
I kiss my way up to her ear.
"Happy Birthday Beautiful" I whisper then run my tongue along the outer shell of her ear.
I feel her shift gently underneath me and watch her hand come up to scratch at her ear where my tongue had tickled it. I take her hand in mine and lace our fingers together.
She goes to roll on to her side but because I am on top of her she can't move how she would like.
Her eyes slowly flutter open and she takes a deep breath in.
"Hey" I softly say.
"Hey" She rasps out.
"Happy Birthday" We kiss softly.
She lets go of my hand and then places both hands on my lower back "Thanks."
"Feel like breakfast?"
"You woke me up like that for breakfast?"
"Uh huh."
She looks down between us "But you are naked."
"That is for after breakfast."
"What if Junior wakes up?"
"I have made sure he won't. I fed him, he is dry and he is asleep should be for a couple of more hours."
We kiss again, this time is a little more passionate. I cover her mouth fully with mine and slide my tongue in deeply to play with hers. I feel her right hand make its way to the front and her fingers slide inside my folds.
I moan in to her mouth as she rubs around my clit, she then slides down to my entrance dipping two fingers ever so slightly into me then sliding straight back up to my clit.
I break the kiss and breathe in at the fast past she sets straight up.
"Just a little somethin' to get my birthday started" She says before we begin kissing again.
It only takes a minute or two but I am on the verge of coming. My hips are setting a blistering pace much like her fingers are as they expertly work my clit.
I push myself up on my hands "You going to go inside?" I ask almost breathless.
"Nope."
"I want you inside" I plead.
"Too bad."
She pinches my clit and instantly I am seeing stars behind my eyes. I come all over her stomach silently before collapsing against her.
A couple of minutes later we manage to sit up, well I manage to sit up. She was completely fine, she just let me lay there while I recuperated. Her fingers softly making patterns on my back, her lips giving my shoulder the occasional kiss.
She looks down at her stomach where the bulk of my orgasm went.
"S'pose it is better than pee" She say smiling.
"Much better" I give her a sloppy yet appreciative kiss "Thank you…but it is your birthday."
"Your face when you come is an excellent present. I haven't seen that in a while."
"Hopefully you will get to see it a few more times today then."
"I will hold you to that Mrs. Lehane."
I smile at her and place a soft kiss on her nose "Breakfast?"
"Yes please."
She has her breakfast and we have our fun in bed and the bath before Kale reminds us we aren't horny teenagers anymore and actually have responsibilities.
We are sitting on the floor in the living room giving Faith her presents. She has Kale between her legs resting back against her. I hate it when she has him sitting like that because he is still only 6 weeks old but he loves it when he gets to see what is going on. If we lay him down while we are doing things he is already lifting his head to try and see what we are doing. She does it in a way where he is totally supported plus you try telling her not to do it. We are finally getting along the last time I mentioned it we fought for an hour and didn't speak to each other for nearly two days.
The phone rings. I grab the cordless from the coffee table.
"Hello."
"Oh Hello is that Faith?"
"No this is Buffy. I will get Faith for you. May I ask who is calling?"
"Uh this is Isobel, Isobel Lehane" Holy shit it is her Mom.
"Just a moment" I take the phone from my ear and cover the mouthpiece.
"Who is it?" She asks.
"Your Mom."
"My what now?"
"Mom, your Mom."
She takes the phone "Hello…Hi…Thanks…you remembered it was my birthday?"
I kneel and pick Kale up "We will give you some privacy."
"Thanks" She says.
I give her a quick kiss "I love you" I say softly.
She smiles "Oh no I was just…Buffy is just…giving us some privacy to talk. I am so glad you called we were hoping to visit with Kale soon."
I take Kale in to our bedroom where I clean up a little after putting him in his crib. He doesn't like it but I can't make the bed while holding him.
I grab the baby sling Willow and Kennedy got me and put him in that once the bed was made and made him my official guest of my normal chores. I was going to leave them today and have the whole day about spoiling Faith but with her Mom calling if I didn't distract myself I would be at the door of the bedroom listening in to as much as I could.
The mention of us going to visit her was a shock. Maybe she just meant her and Kale. Normally I would be offended at being left out but I get her need to take some of these steps by herself.
She and Cooper are actually able to hold a conversation. Naturally he wants to know about the family and where he came from and how he ended up with another family.
She told him she isn't ready to talk about it with him just yet and would like for them to get to know each other before some really serious shit is brought up.
He seems okay with it for now but when he is over I can tell he wants to know more and is itching to ask stuff she won't answer. He has come to me a few times and I just have to tell him to be patient. While I know, it isn't my place to tell him. I have had to take Dawn aside and make her promise that she won't say anything. Sounds drastic but after how she introduced them I would not put it past her to just blurt it all out because she felt sorry for Cooper.
He gets the same sad look that Faith does and it does make your resolve crumble to see those dark brown eyes brimming with tears.
The first load of clothes are in the machine and the dishwasher has been unloaded so Kale and I decide to fold up the load of suits that were still sitting in the laundry basket.
"I just don't understand how you can go through so many clothes in one day! You sleep and eat. I can totally wait to see the pile of clothes you create once you are outside playing in the dirt…or even here inside playing with your mother. You should see the state she leaves her clothes in."
"Well the state my panties are left in is all your fault. You can't blame me for that."
I look up as she walks in to the nursery. I smile "Good call?"
"It was. She said she has wanted to call every birthday…I guess I wasted a lot of time huh?"
"Not at all baby. This is the time for you and your Mom."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Look all you need to understand is that it is happening now. No matter how much you think you should have taken this step a year ago or even 5 years ago the fact is that it I happening now and it all seems to be working out. Now is when you are meant to be doing it because you are doing it now."
She frowns "I am sure there is some kind of logic in there somewhere."
"Remember what I said a few weeks back?"
She is still frowning "Get your ass off the couch so I can vacuum in here?"
I roll my eyes "One day at a time Faith."
"Okay but how does that help me with my current quandary."
Quandary?
"Educated woman here. I may like to say fuck a lot but I still know proper words and shit."
I smile "You say quandary then follow it up with a sentence like that."
"Real problem here B!"
"Right, well I can apply what you used to say to me when we first started slaying together."
"Shut up and fuck me?" She laughs to herself.
"Excuse me Ellen Degeneres do you want my help or not?"
"Come on that was funny!" She takes Kale out of his sling and holds him against her chest.
"Right so like you used to say to me when we first started slaying together when I used to go off at you for being reckless. Why worry over what could have happened. It didn't happen so there was no need for me to be so upset with you."
"I used to say that to calm you down. If I didn't calm you down you didn't want to fool around."
I throw my hands up in the air "I give up. You want answers but each time I try you joke but when I joke you get pissy."
I put the last of Kale's suits away and close the draw with a solid slam.
"Chill B. I'm sorry. Please finish explaining."
"Okay" I take in a deep breath and go and stand in front of her "You and your Mom are talking now, communicating now. It doesn't matter that time has past because what matters is what is happening right now…plus if you are asking me I think time needed to pass for you to be ready for this moment."
"Why did time need to pass for me to be ready? Because I am some kind of immature fuckhead that couldn't understand any of it."
"No! You only found out a couple of years ago that your life had been manipulated, that your Mom had been framed by your grandfather. You found out a whole mess of stuff. You had a brother that was given away, you had a grandfather that killed your father and a grandmother that killed your grandfather. You had an Uncle that sold his soul and tried to pull you in to his plan to end the world and that at some point it was your grandfather's plan first. That isn't something you deal with in a weekend then say okay let's look up Mom and become best friends. Let's find that long lost brother and catch up on family history."
"Oh."
"Yeah. It is a lot to wrap your head around and while things are moving on with your life it still needs to be one day at a time for these issues. There is deep pain and emotional scars attached to your family and I think you are amazing to be even able to deal with any of it."
"You think that?"
"Yeah. I crumble at the thought of which purse to take when I go out shopping I would have no idea how my brain would cope with what you have been."
"You know you underestimate yourself. You have been my strength through all of this. I know I went awol for a few months back when the shit hit the fan but the fact that I am here today able to talk to Mom and Cooper and even attempt to talk to Grams is cause I draw strength from you" She gives me a sweet little kiss "You are my heart B. So you may be amazed by me but I am amazing cause you make me amazing."
"Awwwwww look at you saying sweet shit to me" I smile and give her another kiss.
"Yeah, don't expect anymore for a while."
I usher her out of the nursery and return her to the living room to finish unwrapping her presents.
Christmas morning and we are on our way to see Isobel up in Bedford. After her birthday phone call a few days ago Faith decided that it was time to see her and what better time than on Christmas.
Apparently all inmates were allowed visitors at Christmas. Normally you have to apply for them months in advance. Isobel also said that it was her first visit that wasn't her lawyer since she went to jail nearly 15 years ago.
I am glad it is only about a 45 minute drive because Faith is nervous and understandably so but her constant shaking of her legs is pissing me off. I should be concentrating on the road in front of me but the jiggling from her nervous energy has me all kinds of distracted.
"Do you want to drive?" I ask her.
"No. Why?"
"I just thought that maybe if you drove it might distract you from your current state of nervousness."
"You think this is a good state to be in control of a car?"
"I don't know, I thought maybe if you were you would calm down a little."
"I am calm now just a little nervous."
I see the sign that says we have reached Bedford, we are only about 2 minutes away from the prison now…guess it had been pissing me off for longer than I had noticed!
She notices to sign and I hear her sharp intake of breath.
I reach over and gently run my hand over her leg.
"Both hands on the wheel. I am already nervous enough without thinking you are going to ram us into a tree or something."
"Where did I get this bad reputation as a driver?"
"Do you not remember Band Candy?"
"Yeah a gazillion years ago when I first learnt how to drive. God you do something wrong once and that is all that people remember. Have I not driven really well today or any other day I have driven, am I not in complete control right now?"
"Yeah but you are more suited to the backseat. That is where you have done some of your best work."
"I am gonna let that slide on account of seeing your Mom for the first time in 15 years but don't ever think that it is okay to talk to me like I am some kind of slut Faith" I pull into the driveway of the prison.
She mumbles some kind of apology.
I find us a spot and put the car in to park and kill the engine. I get out and open the boot and get out Kale's pram then I get out Kale and rug him up. It is freezing and there is snow starting to fall.
I lock the car up and we make our way to the prison guest entrance.
"If you want to go in by yourself with Kale I completely understand."
"No. I am going to need you there. I can't do it by myself."
"Okay."
We walk the rest of the way in silence and join the end of the queue that had formed for security checks.
They thoroughly searched Kale's pram and the present Faith had brought for Isobel. The pram wasn't allowed in as there were parts that could be easily removed and used as a weapon or escape device so I had to carry Kale and the world's largest baby bag with me. The pram was left in the capable hands of the Bedfordale Correctional Facility staff. I know it is just a pram but is a $700 pram and made sure they knew they would be paying for it is anything was damaged. Faith takes Kale's baby bag from me and puts the present in it.
"I wanna warm up to the present" She explains.
We are led over to the door where they lead us in to a mess hall type of set up. Her Mom will be on one side of the table and we will be on the other. They have said it is okay for her to hold Kale if she wants to but the contact between her and us is to be limited.
The door opens and I find Faith's hand holding tightly on to mine. I lace my fingers between hers and give it a gentle squeeze. She looks at me with a strained smile on her face.
"I am here every step of the way" I tell her.
She nods then turns towards the door. She takes a deep breath and leads us in to the room.
We know she is at table 16 so we make our way through the large room following table numbers.
We reach table 16 and Faith is just standing by it looking at her Mom. Isobel is standing there with a shy smile on her face. She is nothing like I imagined at all. The woman has been in prison for 15 years but it looks like she has been on some kind of wellness ranch.
She has perfect peach like skin and dark chocolate brown hair. Which is actually neatly pulled back…I feel kinda bad for expecting some kind of movie stereotype.
Up until right now I thought Faith was very much like her Dad but one look at Isobel and I can see where Faith got her hair, eyes, nose and mouth.
"You must be Buffy" She says.
I shake myself out of my daze "Yes. Sorry" I extend my hand to shake hers.
"And this little guy must be Kale."
"It certainly is…the car ride lulled him off to sleep but I am sure with all this hustle and bustle going on he will be awake soon wanting to take it all in" I smile at her.
He is curled up tightly against my chest right now.
"Would you girls like to take a seat?" She asks.
We sit down at the table and spend a few awkward moments just looking at each other and around the room.
"Merry Christmas" I say to her.
"Merry Christmas to you too" She smiles "How was the drive up?"
"Pretty uneventful. We don't often drive being in the city and having everything in walking distance and it was nice to get out of the city. It has been so long since I have seen a road that wasn't piled high with skyscrapers."
She smiles "Do you like New York?"
"I do. We always talked about settling down there. Which is kinda funny because you see people leave New York to settle down."
"You from New York?"
"No. I was born in Los Angeles and lived there til we moved to Sunnydale when I was 15 then we stayed there until….the uh earthquake. We did Europe for a few months but we missed the US so we came back."
"And you decided on New York?"
"Not at first. Before Europe we were in Boston for a short time. When we got back from Europe there were a few days in LA before I headed to Cleveland to help out some old friends but they sent me to do some work for them in New York and we have been there ever since. Close to 3 years now."
"I did my internship in New York. It was where I met Nicholas."
I look at Faith at the mention of her Dad's name but she seems really interested in the wood grain on the table.
Kale stirs against my chest and lets out a little whimper. I look down at him and watch as he wakes up slowly.
He takes a big breath in and I move him so he can see me "Hey handsome."
He yawns big then smiles.
"I have someone Mommy and I would like you to meet" I get up and take him around to Isobel "This is your Nanna…you can take him" I tell her.
"Are you sure…I haven't held a baby in…in…in a very long time."
"It's fine."
She gently takes him from me and cradles him in her arms "Well aren't you just…you are just…" She stops talking and just looks down at him.
I go back over to my seat. I put my hand on Faith's leg "You going to talk anytime soon?"
She shrugs her shoulders eyes fully focused on the table.
Kale lets out a squeal and I look over.
They both have big smiles on their faces and Isobel is softly talking to him.
"Kale thinks she is a hoot."
"She is holding him?" She looks up finally.
"Yeah."
I watch her face as she watches our son bond with his Nanna well more like the other way around but I am sure you know what I mean. Slowly the eyebrows that have been knitted together since we got on the highway relax and her lips curl in to the smallest hint of a smile.
"He loves it when you talk to him" She says.
Isobel looks up at her.
"Hey Mom" She says.
"Hi Pumpkin" Isobel says holding back tears.
I gently rub Faith's back.
"So this one likes the talk huh?"
"Can't get enough of it."
"You were like that. I swear at 4 weeks old you knew every word we said around you. You looked at us like you couldn't get enough information and you cried the second we stopped talking to you. Nicholas lost his voice twice before you were even 4 months old. He would sit with you every night and read to you. Nursery Rhymes, Fables, Novels…you loved the Boston Herald for some strange reason."
She smiles "He likes the TV too."
"Yep just like you. I had trouble settling you some nights so I would lie on the couch with you on my chest and put on the Red Sox game. Used to put you right to sleep but back then I don't think many people stayed awake watching them."
They both let out a small chuckle.
Isobel turns her attention back to Kale. She looks like she wants to say something but she doesn't.
"How much do you know about Dad's family?" Faith asks.
"Too much, it is why I am here."
"What do you mean?"
"I know he put me here Faith. I ran as much as I could after he… after I lost your Father but he always found us."
"He killed Dad."
"You know about that?"
"I know a lot Mom."
"So you know you had a brother then? That I lost him at birth…"
She nods. She isn't going to tell her about Cooper just yet. She doesn't want to lay it all on her in one visit.
"Do you know why I ran?"
"I do. I didn't at first, to say I was angry with you for a very long time would be an understatement…then I found out the truth."
"So you know about demons and magic and all this mystical stuff he was in to?"
"We both do. Buffy and I are slayers" She says softly.
"Slayers?"
She gives her Mom a run down…a non British version of the speech Giles tried to give me on my first day at Sunnydale High.
"I know what slayers are…I just thought there was only ever one."
"There was. B died and got brought back."
"Then you were called?"
Faith shakes her head "Some Jamaican chick called Kendra, she was killed then I was called."
"So 2 slayers."
"Well actually now there are hundreds and thousands of them."
"The prophecy" She says quietly.
"The prophecy?" Both Faith and I ask.
She looks around to see if anybody is paying attention to us then begins to explain everything she knows to us.
Time flies and before we know it we are getting our 5 minute warning.
Faith pulls out her present for Isobel. "I know it isn't much but I thought maybe it might help us to catch up on the last 15 years."
"Thank you."
"Maybe wait til you are in your cell or at least alone to open it."
"Okay" She smiles softly "Does this mean I get more visits?"
"We will be here as much as they will allow us" I say.
Time is up and I take Kale from her so she and Faith can say goodbye. Isobel gives me a small hug and says thank you and I head off to give them a private goodbye.
"So you are trying to tell us that her grandfather tried to fulfil the prophecy 15 years ago?" Willow says.
"He was in the process of it. He aligned himself with the first…her Dad was the one trying to stop it, it was why he was killed. If it weren't for Grams killing her grandfather then I doubt any of us would be here."
"You say she also knew there was a chance Faith would be called?"
"Yeah. The spell we used back in Sunnydale to try and find the next slayer when we thought it was Dawn…her Dad performed that and it illuminated Faith. Not with the yellow we got but a blue colour which Isobel said meant potential. It was one of the reasons she ran."
"You mean the murdering father in law and evil family weren't enough reason" Kennedy says from her spot on Giles' couch.
It is the day after Christmas and I am filling the Scoobies in on our visit, only because of what we found not in a caring and sharing kind of way.
"Well yeah. Her Dad knew he would probably be killed so he and Isobel had plans in place for practically every situation."
"However he still managed to get his claws in to them" Giles says cleaning his glasses.
"Yeah. So Faith has grand visions of being able to free her based on the diaries. He wrote everything in there. The plan, the rituals, the different types of demons he had on his side."
"The downside of everything though is the monsters. You show that to any cop or lawyer and they are just going to think you are a whacko" Kennedy says.
"Yeah. We have Gunn on it though. Well we will. Faith is working on getting the diaries. Kinda hard though because Grams won't take calls from her at all."
"Does someone need to remind her that she did wrong by Faith not the other way around" Xander speaks for the first time.
"You've met Faith right…well this is the woman that taught her to be stubborn."
"Two people I don't want to meet, the person who taught her how to be stubborn and the person that taught her how to fight" Xander says.
"Well you know me" I say "and I taught her how to fight."
Faith walks in and snorts "Who taught you how to talk out of your ass?"
"You" I smile at her.
She sits on my lap.
"Kale okay?" I ask her.
"Out like a light."
"You just about ready to make a move" I whisper in her ear and place a soft kiss on her neck just under it.
"We need to make a move. Kale's sleeping pattern is all out of whack after yesterday's visit so we need to get him back in to it right away or we will be losing sleep for a month."
"So you are going to eat then run?" Giles says.
"I think it is more of a case of run then eat" Kennedy says.
Faith stands up and flips her the middle finger.
"You warming up there champ?"
I put an arm around Faith and usher her towards the hallway so we can collect Kale from Giles' bedroom.
"Can you believe her saying shit like that?"
"It's true."
"I know but still" She takes the brakes off the pram and wheels him out of the bedroom.
We thank the gang for lunch then head of for the 5 block walk home. Faith talked the whole way. She has some grand plans. She has her hopes up higher than the empire state building that we are going to get her out of jail. I just hope that her hopes don't get crushed. I have a feeling if they do her taking of for a few weeks will be the least of my worries.
Dread…the feeling overwhelms me.
Faith went to Boston to get the diaries to see if they would be of any use to Isobel and her fight to get her out of jail. She has been gone 4 days and I have heard from her once. I know Boston is her home but each time we go to that place something happens. I know I wasn't involved in this trip this time around but that place leaves a weird energy around her and in turn causes problems between us. I keep thinking that she is going to come back and want a divorce and to take Kale from me.
To top it off Kale has been crying nearly non stop since she left. He doesn't have a temperature, he hasn't been sick, he is eating like normal and I always make sure he is dry. I have taken him to the doctor 4 times and the emergency room twice and every time I am told that he is fine and sometimes babies just cry. When I tell them that he isn't like this they just give me that look. You know the one I mean. The 'Sure your baby is always perfect and you never over react' look. That look just makes me so mad and of course my reaction to that look just has them thinking I am even crazier than they originally thought.
He has been crying so much that it drove Dawn out of the apartment and Steve from across the hall has complained to building management. All this adds up to is a strong case if Faith actually does want to divorce me and take Kale. I can't even look after him on my own for a few days.
I have been pacing the length and width of the apartment with him in my arms all afternoon and I am ready to collapse.
"What is with all the noise" I hear the front door open.
I rush out of our room to see Faith carrying a few more suitcases than duffle bag she left with.
"Oh my god thank god you are home" I rush up to her holding Kale to my chest.
"Hey." She puts her arms around me and kisses Kale's temple "Heya Boof."
"Don't ever go away again."
"Don't take this the wrong way but you look like shit B. You get any sleep while I was gone."
"No!"
"Really?"
"10 minutes after you left he started crying and hasn't stopped since."
"Well give him to me, I'll get the wee one settled." A familiar Irish accent fills the room.
I turn and see Grams. I haven't seen her since the day she caught us coming out of the office and Faith screamed in her face.
She hasn't changed a bit. Still looks like Mrs. Claus. White hair pulled back in to a neat bun and a cheery face with rosy red cheeks.
"Don't just stand there and stare missy, show me my great grandson."
I walk over to her and she takes Kale from me.
"Now what is all this noise? I heard ya all the way from the elevator and me hearing ain't what it used to be." She cradles him in her arms and pats his bottom.
I feel Faith behind me. I step back so I am closer to her. Her arms slide around me.
"Has he stopped crying?" I ask her.
"Yeah." She chuckles in to my neck.
"I think he broke my ears" I say "Or I just got so used to the crying that when he stopped it didn't register."
"Has his crying really been that bad?"
I turn in her arms and put mine around her "Yep. We need to get a new Doctor…I kinda cussed her out."
"You cussed out a paediatrician?"
"She didn't believe me Faith! I want to go back to Dr. Anderson."
"She is a Gynaecologist not a baby doctor."
"I don't care. Dr. Gauci said I was going crazy and the Doctors at the ER thought I was going crazy but he would not stop crying…I know him better than they do and it isn't like him to cry like that."
"I know Honey." She gives me the look.
I step back out of her arms "Don't give me the look."
"What look?" She feigns innocence.
"The look I have been getting from stupid doctors for the last 4 days."
"There is no look B."
"There is so a look, the look is saying 'Sure he never cries like that and you aren't over reacting.' It is all over your face."
"I think you need sleep Honey."
She's right I do but she HAD the look, she HAD the look!
"She's right Blondie, ya look like shite" Grams says.
"It is so lovely to see you again Grace. How have you been" I say in a strained voice looking at her.
I hear Faith breathe in behind me.
"Don't get pissy with me Blondie. I got the kid to stop crying, somethin' you seem to have a problem with."
OH NO SHE DIDN'T!
I take a step forward but Faith grabs me around the waist and starts pulling me toward our room.
I would struggle but I am too fucking tired.
She closes the door behind her and I make my way to the bed.
I sit on it and she stays by the door.
"So I have a surprise for you." She says with a stupid look on her face.
"The smart mouth Irish woman…yeah thanks for that. Just how I planned our reunion after I screwed up your relationship with her" I flick my shoes off and get under the covers. I am already in sweats and after springing Grams on me she is in no way getting the welcome back I promised her moments before she left on her trip.
"She wanted to see Kale…What was I supposed to do?"
"Show her some of the pictures you took with you."
"She wanted to meet her great grand son B." She sits gently on the bed.
I yawn big.
"So he was a handful?"
"He just cried Faith. I couldn't stop it and half the times there were no tears. I didn't know if he was sick or if I had hurt him or what was going on. I couldn't get hold of you either. We don't have a great track record when Boston is involved."
"What do you mean?" She frowns.
"Just shit always seems to go down there and cause stuff between us."
"No shit went down B. We just talked…a lot. Said things that needed to be said."
"Was drinking involved?"
"We are Irish of course there was." She smiles softly.
I yawn again.
"You go to sleep baby, we will talk in the morning."
"But Kale…his bath" I say sleepily my eyelids feeling very heavy.
"I am all over it."
"And his clothes…they need folding." My eyes droop shut.
"Sleep B" I feel her lips against mine.
I kiss softly back "I love you."
"I love ya too B."
When I wake up I am half sprawled out over Faith. My right hand in conveniently up under her PJ top resting on her left breast.
I lift my head and look at her. She is sound asleep. I think I need to wake her up.
I slowly remove my hand from her breast and undo the buttons of her pyjama top. I push the top open and my right hand returns to her left breast.
I begin kissing her between her breasts and slowly making my way up to her neck. She sighs a little in her sleep but as I reach the spot on her neck that drives her wild the sighs become raspier and raspier. My mouth latches on to her sweet spot and I begin to suck slowly. She lets out a soft moan and I can feel her hands on my ass.
I start kissing my way down again and replace my hand on her breast with my mouth. Covering it with soft kisses and nips.
My thigh is between her legs and I move it flush against her, grinding it in to her in time with my kisses.
I take her nipple fully in to my mouth and suck slowly.
"Uh…B." She breathes out.
Crying fills the room via the baby monitor.
This time we both sigh and neither of them are close to the sexy ones coming from Faith only 10 seconds ago.
I push myself up and look at my wife.
"Hey." She smiles at me.
"Hey."
"As much as I love the little guy I prefer your wake up call to his."
I give her a soft kiss but it soon turns in to a much more heated one.
"I thought you and I talked about this cryin' malarky last night."
Hello annoying Irish woman, goodbye raging libido "Where are those mothers of yours?"
I move off Faith and get up out of bed. I quickly run a brush through my hair and make sure I look decent.
"I bet they are too busy gettin' busy to worry about you huh."
I look back at Faith, she is buttoning up her shirt. Obviously ignoring the comment made by Grams.
"I hope it is just a short visit" I say before exiting our room.
I see Grams in the hallway. I go up to her and take Kale from her. She doesn't look too happy about it but I don't care. We don't hear from her even when we try to contact her and then when she does arrive it is with the hugest chip on her shoulder, somebody should remind her that she was the one who did wrong not us.
"Hi Sweetheart" I say to him and give him a few soft kisses over his face.
I get the smell of poo and I wrinkle my nose up at him "Can't you just once wake me up with say a bunch of roses…they smell much better" I smile then take him in to the nursery and change him.
When I reach the kitchen Faith is there putting a bottle in the microwave.
"Thank you" I say to her.
"No problems." She comes up to me and we kiss "Good Morning."
"Not the good morning I wanted to give you." We kiss again.
"I see you two are still nauseatingly in love."
"Ignore her" Faith says taking Kale from me "Hey Boofa. Did you have a good sleep?"
He squeals at her.
Faith feeds Kale each morning and they always have a 'chat'.
I get started on breakfast for us.
"So you got married" Grams says walking in to the kitchen.
"Yep."
"And had a kid."
"Looks like."
"Seems to me this would be information a grandmother would find out before the events actually happened."
"Seems to me that we sent you an invite to our wedding and that Faith wrote you and let you know we were pregnant. I also know that she has sent you a birthday and a Christmas card every year since we left Boston and has been sending you pictures of Kale regularly."
"How do you know I got an invite, wasn't it a surprise to you?"
"Yeah it was but believe it or not Faith and I actually do talk to each other. She told me that she sent invites to all the Lehane's and not one of you bothered to reply."
"Look at you all high and mighty." We are now standing toe to toe.
"Look at you all pissy and trying to shift blame."
"You'd do well not to upset me missy. You better keep you to you or else."
"Or else what? You gonna slip a little poison in my coffee…make it look like I had a heart attack too?"
She goes to slap my face but I catch her hand.
"I wouldn't if I were you Grace. It would be a shame for you to get your grand daughter back and then lose her all in the same week."
"You don't scare me slayer."
"You don't scare me old lady" I let go of her hand and leave the kitchen. I find Faith in the nursery feeding Kale in the big rocking chair we have in the room.
"What's up? I heard raised voices." She asks hading me Kale to burp him.
"Seems Grace is big with the threats. I am going to call Willow and see if Kale and I can stay with her til she goes."
"Why?"
"I am not staying in the same place as her and there is no way I am letting her anywhere near Kale" I gently rub his back.
"B!" she stands up in protest.
"Sorry Faith but I don't trust her. I understand your need to reconcile but she seems to forget one very important thing."
"What's that?"
"That she did wrong by you not the other way around. She is all woman scorned over what happened but she lied to you, she kept things from you, she manipulated you, she killed people and now."
"She killed one person." She cuts me off "And we both agreed that we could see why she did what she did."
"I know Faith but she is in our kitchen making with the threats towards me. She is walking around like we owe her something…I am not standing around and letting this happen."
"Letting what happen?"
"Letting her get her hooks in to you and my son. How many letters did you send with no response Faith? Now all of a sudden she wants to be all chummy…well with you and Kale anyway. She is setting the slayer tingles off in a big way Faith and I am getting Kale as far away from her as I can" I place a few soft kisses on his temple.
"And 76th street is as far away as you can take him?"
"I can go further if you like Faith but that wouldn't be fair to you."
"Fair to me? Fair to me would be to talk about this before deciding to just up and leave."
"I am talking to you Faith."
"No you are telling me."
"At least I am not just walking out the door and springing this on you."
"What if I say no Buffy? What if I won't let you take my son?"
"You mean what if you choose your grandmother over me."
"She is my blood B. You don't turn your back on blood."
I scoff "What the hell has she done for the last how many years Faith? When you needed…when the shit hit the fan…where has she been Faith?"
"It's not her fault." She says softly.
"It isn't?"
"We just took off. We didn't allow her to explain, get her side across."
"If she was that concerned with getting her side across Faith then she would have done what she could to get hold of you and don't give me bullshit that she didn't know how to get hold of you. If she knows how to kill a man with untraceable magic then she knows how to find her grand daughter. She wants us to think she is the innocent in all this but I doubt that very much. If she is as innocent as she makes out then she would have done everything she could to find you to explain to you but she didn't. She ignored you, she threw every attempt you made back in your face and now when you are trying to move on with your life, get to know your mother, your brother she is suddenly interested."
"That isn't fair."
"I think it is Faith. Kale is 2 months old and if she is that interested in getting to know her grand son then where was she two months ago?"
"She was scared."
"Bullshit."
"She was! She told me she was scared."
"And you believe her?"
"Of course I do."
"Because she is blood?"
"Yeah."
"The same blood that captured me and tortured me in an attempt to align you with the first evil…the same blood that killed one of its own because he wanted something better for his wife and daughter…the same blood that took a baby away from its mother and then told the mother that the baby had died…the same blood that set a woman up and had her sent to jail for a crime she didn't commit."
"That was my grand father Buffy not her. Not the same blood."
"You say potato Faith."
"You are being unreasonable."
"No I'm not…I knew this would happen. I knew it."
"Knew what?"
"Boston…Boston always has a way of fucking with us and as usual you take Boston's side."
"That is not true!"
"Isn't it? I just came in and told you your grandmother threatened me and you are defending her. I am taking Kale and leaving Faith. I will not let this happen again" I leave the nursery and head in to our bedroom.
I pack a bag quickly for me then go back in to the nursery and pack a bag for him.
"You can't do this Buffy."
"Why not?"
"I told you it isn't fair."
"You know what isn't fair Faith? How I am getting treated. She did wrong and who gets left on her own for 3 months…I am not going to bring up the past because we have dealt with it and moved on but I am not staying near her and I am not letting her near our son."
"So that's it then you lay down the law and I just have to play along."
"I am willing to discuss this with you Faith but away from her…very, very away from her and this fucking thrall she seems to have over you."
"Don't you get my need to have my family in my life?"
"Of course I do. I am not stupid. I get the need to have family in your life and I know how hard it was for you to approach her and I also saw how hard it was when you didn't hear from her…when she ignored you during some pretty big moments in your life. Now all of a sudden she is back wanting to play happy families with you while threatening me."
"Why would she threaten you?"
"I don't know Faith but I do know I am not going to stay in the firing line, I will not be a sitting duck. Something is going to happen and it is going to happen at her hand."
"No it's not!"
I pick up our bags "I will call you later...let you know where we are and hopefully by then you want to discuss this rationally without your Grams blinkers on."
"Buffy don't do this."
"I know you have trust in her Faith and I don't blame you for it…I just wish you had that trust in me. You would think that after all this time, after all we have been through I would at least deserve that."
I turn and walk away from her. I grab Kale's pram from the hall closet and put him in it and then head straight for the academy. Sure Willow's was where I said I was going but I think a building full of slayers complete with magical barriers is the way to go right now.
Dread…the feeling overwhelms me.
I am sitting in Willow's office. She had watched Kale for me while I took a long hot shower complete with a mini meltdown.
He is now fast asleep in my arms
"You know we have a bassinet for him. Just have to grab it from Faith's office."
"He is fine here" I say my eyes not leaving him.
"He will be okay if you put him down."
"Not taking the chance Will. I shouldn't have left him for a shower."
"Buffy I get that you are worried but what will this achieve?"
"My son not getting taken by a crazy Irish lady."
"You ever think that maybe she is just that, a crazy Irish lady?"
"Yeah a crazy Irish lady that kills people that get in the way of her family."
"Maybe you are just upset that Faith sided with her."
"Have you just met me? Of course I am upset over that but I am also worried at her being here. I hate Boston."
"No you don't."
"Yeah I do. Everything that has gone wrong with Faith and I can be traced back to one place."
"Boston?"
"Yep."
"You going to try and talk to Faith?"
"I am. Away from the apartment and away from her grand mother."
"What are you upset over the most?"
"That she was ignored from the moment she left that house…letters, phone calls and emails we left unanswered and then in the space of 4 days they are best of friends again and I am out in the cold."
"The one person that has been there for her through the years gets tossed aside."
"That's what it feels like and I know that sounds selfish but they hurt her Will…they always hurt her and leave others to pick up the pieces."
"Do you mind picking up the pieces?"
"Not at all. Whatever she needs me for I am there. What I do mind is getting tossed aside for that woman."
"It's family Buffy and if we have learnt anything over the years that it is always complicated when it comes to family."
"So complicated that you push your wife aside for a person that ignored you for 3 years? And let's not forget the way she manipulated Faith's life."
"Maybe when you talk you can get it all sorted out."
"Maybe."
"I have a heap of reading to do so I won't be leaving the office for a while so if you wanna crash on the couch I can watch you and your cutie pie."
"You don't mind?"
"Of course not. I love being bodyguard to my best friend and god son."
"Thanks Will. You are the best."
"I know." She gives me one of her trademark grins.
I move over to the couch and lay down.
I feel the couch move and I open my eyes. I see Faith sitting halfway down.
"Hey." She puts her hand on my leg.
"Hi…where's Will?"
"Meeting with Giles about a nest in Rochester."
I sit up and move Kale so I am cradling him.
"Have you slept for long?"
"Not sure. Will and I talked for a bit…wasn't really looking at the clock when I lay down."
"Has he been okay?"
"Perfect."
"I know." She says softly placing her hand on my leg.
"Well why ask."
"I mean about Grams."
I sit up "What do you mean?"
"That woman isn't my grandmother."
"Well thanks for bringing her in to our home" I get up and put Kale in his pram and cover him over "I can't believe you are bringing evil home now!"
"Just let me explain before you start on one of your little Buffy rants."
"This had better be good" I fold my arms across my chest.
"Don't get defensive."
"Evil in our home."
"I have an explanation!"
"Start explaining."
"I don't know what it is or what it wants exactly but I do know it isn't Grams."
"How?"
"Well firstly she hasn't aged in what 3 or so years…secondly I know my Grams and when I look at that thing I don't see her at all."
"Uh huh could you just cut to the explaining of why you brought it home."
"Well whatever it is doesn't know that I know it isn't Grams. I needed those diaries so I played along and whatever this thing is, is playing along as well. Plus I overheard it talking to someone saying that I have no idea about the plan and have been completely fooled by it."
"Yes but I am still clueless as to why this thing is IN MY HOME!"
"Well if I am playing along and it was Grams and she asked to see her great grand son we all know I wouldn't say no. Plus I figure if it is in our home then we can't be surprised by any surprise attacks."
"No we will just wake up dead."
She frowns at me.
"What we will!"
"Wake up dead?"
"You know what I mean Faith."
She shakes her head "I am just thinking keep your enemies close."
"Fine but I will not be coming back to the apartment."
"That's fine and part of my plan."
"Plan?"
"Yeah, I obviously don't want you or Kale in the line of fire…the fight we had earlier I was hoping it would go that way."
"You orchestrated a fight!"
"Baby please bear in mind that I am doing this to keep you safe."
"You don't even know if we are in danger."
"You said it yourself this morning. You don't trust 'Grams' and rightly so. I wanna tell you that I agree, it ain't Grams but I ain't sure what it is just yet but I do know it wants ta hurt me or maybe even you and Kale."
"So why orchestrate a fight?"
"I want the thing to think that we are fighting…that my alliance lies with it rather than you. That I really believe that thing is my grandmother."
I catch on…man I am slow.
"I couldn't say any of this to you back at our place. I don't know much about this thing so I don't know if it has super power hearing like us."
"Why not orchestrate the fight last night?"
"You were out 15 minutes after I got home. I didn't really have a chance."
"What if she struck last night?"
"She didn't…and I don't think it will for sometime."
"How long is some time?"
"I don't know…I really need to talk to Giles and Willow and I am thinking I bring her in for a tour. Let our cameras do some of the working out."
With Angel's help the academy is set up with state of the art camera systems that can detect all kinds of demons and shows you the true face of the demon. The academy doesn't really have the need for them because none of the vampires are stupid enough to enter the building because they have this awesome security device that dusts them the instant they walk in. Of course it has been tweaked to not recognise Angel.
Something to do with his connections at Wolfram and Hart which he is still running to this day much to my disgust. Seems he has the same idea as my wife about keeping enemies close.
"When is this supposed tour going to take place?"
"Tomorrow."
"What are you going to tell her about us?"
"That you are refusing to talk to me…I may need to call you from time to time and have a 'fight'."
"I don't like this Faith. I don't like it at all."
"Neither do I but it is all I have to work on right now."
I sit back on the couch beside her "Do you think Grams is…"
"Dead?" She sighs.
"Yeah" I run my hand over her leg.
"I would like to think no is the answer to that one but I have been in this business far too long and I know the real answer is probably yes."
"I am sorry Baby" I say.
"I know. I don't want to think about it though…I want to find out what this thing is and what its intentions are. I mean it could actually be Grams and she wants me to be part of this plan that the family seem gung ho on going through with or it could just be the yearly big bad coming at us through family."
"So a theory is that Grams is just as evil as your grand father and Thomas?"
"Yeah…Jeffrey, Esme and Maria were all absent during my little visit. I lived there for 6 years and they never left the house not even at Christmas time."
"Did you ask her about it?"
"Yeah she said it was time they went on holidays and with it just being her at the house for the last 18 months or so she didn't really need that many staff."
"There is a clue right there that we aren't dealing with Grams. She always said they were more like friends than staff."
"Yeah." She sighs again.
"Tried getting hold of Danny?"
"Yeah I left about 30 messages on his phone while I was in Boston but he didn't answer one of them. I guess I burnt some bridges when I left last time."
"It isn't your fault though."
"Isn't it? If we didn't take off maybe Grams would be Grams."
"Would you still want to be living a lie though Faith?"
"Sometimes I wish you never found those books Buffy. Sometimes I think that you finding those books fucked my life up…that you took my family away from me."
I get up off the couch "You know what Faith I don't think any of the fights we have from here on will be orchestrated or fake."
"B don't take it that way."
"Pray tell Faith how should I take it? To hear that you would rather be living a lie with a family that has done nothing but pull your strings and try and use you than be married to me and being a mother to our son is kinda hard to take any other way."
"You know I love Kale. I wouldn't change that for the world."
"Just maybe who you had him with huh…you want Grams or Uber Grams living in the house then that is fine by me because I doubt I will ever be back there."
I grab the pram and leave Willow's office.
"Buffy don't leave like this, you know I don't mean it like that."
I head for the door but stop when I see 'Grams' standing there talking with Willow and Giles.
"Ah Buffy. We were just talking to Faith's Grandmother."
"Fanfuckingtastic maybe you could all move in to our apartment together and have a grand old time."
"Buff?" Willow says as I bolt past them and out the front doors.
"Buffy wait" I hear Faith call out after me.
I keep walking but I can hear her running up behind me.
"Baby stop." She puts an envelope on top of the pram "Hotel room for you two. Clothes and everything you need are already there. What I said was because I knew she was in the building."
"You don't feel those things?" I wipe my tears away.
"Not at all. I love you and I love our life. I am sorry for what I had to say."
"I don't like this" I move in to her.
"Neither do I…I will try and get to see you later and explain a few more things like how I knew she was in the building but please know that I love you…so much and I am so thankful for our life and what we have."
I look back towards the academy and see Grams, Giles and Willow standing there watching us.
"We have an audience so you better go back and I better storm off."
"Slap my face."
"No!"
"Slap my face B and walk off."
"Faith."
"Do it."
"I don't want to."
"For fucks sake Buffy." She raises her voice.
I slap her face hard and she holds her face "Go."
"Faith I."
"I know, just go."
I walk off down the street and that ever present feeling of dread grows with each step I take. Each step I take is taking me further away from Faith and each step she takes is making her closer to danger.
I just hope she knows what she is doing.
So far it has been three days of being ignored and blown off by my wife. I have no idea on what is going on with the 'Grams' situation. I have come up with about a million theories but one I always come back to is that we aren't dealing with anything evil. We are just dealing with a nasty old Irish woman who wants her family back including Kale.
Last night when I went to pick him up and saw her holding him I lost it. We don't have any idea what we are dealing with but she is letting her hold him. I get told to chill out that if we are trying to make 'Grams' believe that Faith thinks it is really her then Faith would let her hold Kale.
I then told Faith that I think she is full of shit and that some part of her hopes that this really is her grandmother and she is more focused on that rather than the actual problem.
It was a fight of massive proportions to say the least it started on the Grams thing and just blew up in to every little thing both of us had done wrong in the past being brought up and used against each other. I wasn't going to bring up the being abandoned by her for 3 months at all I was careful of that because I knew it would be the point of no return for us but she brought it up first. Totally 5th grade of me I know but she said I drove her to leave. That if she didn't leave she may have ended up strangling me in my sleep because of what I did, because of what I made her lose. She said she blamed me for what she lost not them. I told her that was fine and if she wanted that life and that family back so badly then she could have it.
I then took my son and left the academy and came back to the hotel room. I packed our bags and organised Dawn to pick us up first thing this morning.
"Willow tells me that the fight was pretty big" Dawn says.
"Yeah it was" I say not taking my eyes off the scenery as we pass by it.
"She says Faith was a mess after you left."
Am I supposed to care about that fact? I meant what I said to her last night if she wants that world more than this one then she can have it.
"You still seem pretty steamed."
"Like you said it was a pretty big fight."
"So where am I driving us?"
"To see Isobel. I want some questions answered."
I am done with this drama. I retired which means no more of this bullshit.
"What do you think her Mom has to do with this?"
"Nothing, I just think she can shed some light on the situation."
"You mean give you dirt on Grams?"
"Pretty much. I am sick of this woman controlling every part of our life."
"Isn't this kinda the first time you guys have had problems in years?"
"No. We have been happy don't get me wrong but there is just…some days Faith isn't all there. Some days she looks right through me. Some days it feels like I am just not enough to make her happy, complete her life…like the way she has completed mine. I live in this woman's shadow every day Dawnie…I accepted it, was able to live with that cause most days I got my happy but now she is here and the world has gone to shit. I have been tossed aside without a second thought."
"That must suck."
"Yeah it does. I knew she was going to put the blame on me for what happened and I will be fucked if she gets away with that."
"Grams or Faith?"
"Her fucking Grandmother."
"Did you have to tell her about what you found?"
"Dawn I was screwed either way. I don't tell her and she found out that I knew then it would be over."
"It could all be over now."
"Yeah I guess but at least I won't spend the rest of my life wondering how it would have been if I had just told her."
It is quiet til I have to give her directions to the jail. I have her drop me off. She is watching Kale while I visit.
I got Gunn to pull a few strings so I was able to have a private area to talk to Isobel.
The door opens and she walks in. I get up from my chair and go over to hug her.
"No touching." Say the guard.
"Sorry" I step back and let her take her seat.
"I will be outside the door. You have half an hour."
"Thank you" I say then sit in my seat.
He closes the door and I look at Isobel.
"No Faith or Kale?"
"No."
"So the Boston visit didn't go well then?"
"She brought Grace back with her" I exhale "Only I don't think it is Grace. My slayer senses go haywire around her."
"What about Faith's?"
"She says so but she isn't sure what we are dealing with so she is pretending that she doesn't feel anything that grand daughterly love towards her."
"You are dealing with evil. I know you girls think it was just Thomas and her grand father but don't let Grace fool you. She is evil."
"I knew it!"
"Edward was the one that acted on the plans. He did the dirty work. She was the brains and he was the puppet. She knew how to manipulate him and everyone around her. She always looks like the innocent. I know she told you that she had nothing to do with his world and that is bullshit. She killed him because she found the diaries that part is true but it wasn't because she found out he killed Nicholas. It was because he documented what they had done."
Isobel knew everything including the Cooper situation. We told her about what I found in detail. We could never really go in to too much detail though because there were always guards about.
"What I read never mentioned her."
"She had a way of making Edward think it was all his idea, that he was the one with the power and she liked it that way. If anything was to ever happen it all traced back to him not her."
"What about Thomas?"
"With Edward gone she needed someone else to do the heavy lifting so he became the next puppet."
"If you knew all of this why didn't you do something?"
"I'm not like you Buffy. I don't have super powers or links to magic or the super natural world. Once Nicholas was gone it was only a matter of time before they got their hands on Faith and killed me so I stuck to what Nick had set up to the letter but it was never good enough they always found me. I thought it was all over once I was shoved in here. Everything they told Faith about me was a lie. The drugs, the drink…the signing away my parental rights. All bullshit and I couldn't do a fucking thing" I watch as tears fall from her eyes.
I can't even begin to imagine what she has been through. She must have been through a living hell. Not knowing if Faith was good or bad or even alive. Thinking her son was dead. Her life was fucked with just as much as Faith's was.
"I spent my first few years in a padded cell. I literally went out of my mind with all the things I thought could be happening to my little girl then one day I got a letter and photos. They came every 6 months. I don't know who from but they let me know that Faith was okay. I was eventually put in to this facility to serve out the rest of my sentence. You know, once they determined I was no longer bipolar or schizophrenic or what ever other crazy term I was labelled." She wipes at her eyes.
"Do you know exactly what we are dealing with? Is Grace a demon?"
"No, sorry. Nick tried to shelter me from it as much as he could. I got basics like slayers and demons and vampires actually do exist. He told me that his family was somehow tied into the underworld and were trying to do the same to him but he was going to fight it to the end…he did. He did everything he could to get us out of there and it had almost worked. We were so close to escaping them…the letters helped calm me in relation to how my baby girl was doing but it never stopped the what if scenarios…what if we made it out of that world, what if he were still alive…it never stops."
I put my hand on hers. I know the guard said no touching but this woman lost everything she lived for. Lost everyone she loved and has to this day no idea why. I am so close to being her and she needs this. Fuck I need this!
"We are going to stop Grace. I promise you that."
"You don't understand Buffy. You have no idea what you are dealing with."
"I don't care. She is messing with my family and her doing that shows me that she has no idea on what she is dealing with."
"What? The slayer? She will laugh at you."
"She can laugh all she wants and while she is laughing I will chop her fucking head off. Every battle I have faced I have had someone telling me that I don't know what I am dealing with, that I would be a fool to take them on. That clueless fool is still standing and where are they? Dead, stopped cold in their tracks. They come at me anyway they can thinking it will scare me, that I will pack up and go home, let them win when all it does is piss me off and make me that much more determined to beat them."
"She will hit you where it hurts the most."
"I will hit back harder. Nobody fucks with my family and if she was as smart as she thinks she is then she should know that."
"Harsh words are all well and good Buffy but this woman is twisted. She doesn't care what it costs she will have her way. She will kill you."
"If what you say about her is true then she has already tried to have me killed and she failed. Faith and I have been through too much to let her take it away."
"And where is Faith? She is in her web already and it won't be long before you two are fighting over her. It won't be long before she comes between you two and she takes her side."
"No matter what happens in this fight I am going to lose Faith. I would just prefer that at the end of it I am alive that my son is alive and that my family and friends are alive."
"What makes you think you will lose Faith if you win this fight?"
"I know her better than anyone. She left me when she found out about her family. I am pretty sure killing her grandmother regardless of whether she is evil or not will end us."
"Why fight her then. Why not just let her take Faith the way she wants to?"
"I may be okay with killing her grand mother but I am not okay with killing her I know that if Grace wins and gets Faith then I will have to kill her. So if I beat Grace and lose Faith then I am okay with it because at least she will still be alive."
"Alive on the outside."
"Dead on the inside?" I finish for her.
"Something like that."
I sigh.
"Do you ever wonder if it is worth it?" She asks.
"I used to wonder every day if it was worth but I would go home and she would be there. I knew as long as I had her at the end of it all then it was all worth it. I would take a month of beatings for a minute with her."
"And now?"
"I have no idea. I get that this isn't easy for her, when she looks at Grace she sees her grandmother. She sees the person that looked after her and cared for her. Sure she also sees the person that has done nothing but lie to her her whole life but mainly she sees her Grandmother and I get that. I get it more than she knows."
"Angel?"
She knows about Angel. I look anywhere but at her.
"Faith told me. Her letters…very informative." She explains.
"Right. Well yeah I guess the Angel thing does relate here." Who am I kidding that was what I was referring to when I said I get it more than she knows but talking about your ex with your mother-in-law is just creepy no matter what the situation is.
"So your mind is made up. You are going to fight her?"
"With everything I have."
"Even if it means losing Faith?"
"This fight isn't just about. Sure it is a big part of it but if this woman wins I am pretty sure it will be the end of the world… again."
The guard walks in "Meeting is over ladies. Please remain seated ma'am while I escort the prisoner out. One of my associates will be by shortly to let you out."
"Thanks" I look at Isobel "I will be back soon. I promise I will bring Kale with me."
"Stay safe." She says before she is lead out.
So here it is the end of the world again. Been a while, I hope I am up for the challenge. I am sure with Willow, Xander, Giles, Dawn, Kennedy and the academy behind me I will be. Just this time is different even if we win it will be the end of the world. For me anyway cause without Faith there is no world.
Notes: This is a confusing chapter...mainly because I was confused. I thought I had an angle but it was shot to pieces. I had liked what I had written and I wanted to take it to another place. No fight and fuck theory like seems to be the norm and no easy answer either...if that makes sense!
I get Dawn to take me back to our apartment. I am ready to fight and am in no way going to back down from 'Grams'. If it comes to blows at the apartment I am prepared for that, honestly I hope it doesn't. I am hoping Faith is willing to talk and do this together.
She helps me with my bags and Kale's stuff then hightails it out of there when she sees that Faith is home.
"She isn't here" Faith says as I walk in to the kitchen.
"Where is she?"
She shrugs her shoulders "I got home last night and everything of hers was gone."
"Gone?"
"Yeah, like she just disappeared off the face of the earth."
"I suppose you blame me for that as well" I say in a curt voice. I know what I said about talking to her didn't say I would talk nicely.
"Yeah I do. It is all your fault." She says sarcastically slamming the knife she was using to cut on the counter "You make me so angry Buffy. You lay all this shit on me, manipulate my words then take off on me. What was said was absolute bullshit, you bullied me and bullied me til you heard what you wanted to hear then bailed on me. This is already hard enough without having to fight you every single fucking step of the way."
"YOU said you blamed ME."
"I said you want me to say that I blame you, that I ran because of you. I also said that I know you think that at the back of your mind you were in some way to blame for what happened and that I wish you had never found those books and when I said yeah for maybe a second you clung on to that. You didn't hear the rest. You heard me say that for 10 seconds I felt that yeah I wish you didn't find those books and that I still had my family and you shut off. You didn't hear the rest." She left the kitchen in tears.
In all the time I have known Faith I think I have seen her cry like 4 times and they were at pretty important times in our life too so I guess I have fucked up royally this time.
I don't go after her straight away. I know she isn't just upset at me she is also pretty pissed off. If she wasn't she would have called last night when she knew 'Grams' had gone. I feed Kale then change him and put him down for the night.
She has been in the workout room the whole time and that is where I find her, just sitting on the ledge looking out the window.
"Kale is down would you like me to get started on dinner?" I ask her softly.
She looks at me, her eyes are red and puffy from the crying. She takes a deep breath and lets it out "So are we going to act like none of this happened?"
"Not at all. I just thought maybe I would make us dinner and we could sit and talk like adults. No more yelling at each other and definitely more listening to each other…well me listening to you. I think I have said enough."
"Yeah I think you have." She looks back out the window.
"So if I make us dinner?"
"Sure."
"Or I could order in. Get whatever you want. It's been ages since we have had take out."
"Chinese." She says.
"Right, I'll order the usual."
"Great."
I leave her in the room and place the order. I set the dinner table and wait for the food.
When it arrives I place it on the table and go and get Faith.
I let her load up first then get mine. We sit quietly and just eat. I want to apologise but it just seems so stupid…so pointless.
Everything feels so different, so uncomfortable.
"Where did you go today?" She asks.
"To see your Mom."
"Right."
"I went to ask about…"
"Grams. Yeah, what did she have to say?"
"A lot…I think maybe you should talk to her. The last time I found out stuff about your family and I told you it didn't work out so well. I am not throwing it in your face I am just saying that it didn't work out too well and I am scared to tell you what she told me cause we are already on the edge and I don't want to push it which is strange because I already think we are over, that I have lost you and for good this time so it doesn't really matter if I tell you or not."
She puts her fork down "Wait…what? You think you have lost me?"
I nod slowly.
"What makes you think that?"
"I walked away and you let me and I am not talking about last night. I am talking about the first time when you put her first, you knew she was dangerous and you brought her in to our home and then you let me walk away…with Kale."
"I explained why!"
"So that means it is okay?"
"I guess not." She pushes her plate away.
"This whole thing is so confusing and upsetting and did I mention confusing."
"I know." She sighs.
"Do we even know what…Your Mom says she is evil and was the evil one and the others were just her instruments of evil."
"Yeah that is pretty much it. I don't have any kind of proof at all but that is what I figured out. Red figured out she was cloaking a few things but she worked around them."
"What did she find?"
"No soul. She had a spell in place so we couldn't sense it."
"We sensed something though right?"
"Yeah."
"If she is as powerful as we think why hasn't she just killed us before…she had the chance to kill you in your sleep."
"Yeah but if she has a plan and it involves me somehow and I think she needs me alive for it."
"One thing I don't get that Isobel said was that she killed your grandfather cause she found the diaries."
"Yeah she told us that."
"Not finished. She said that she didn't kill him because she found out his plan and that he had killed your Dad. She is pretty sure she made him kill your Dad, she said she killed him because he kept records of what he was doing."
"If she killed him cause she found that why did she leave them there?"
"Exactly! It wasn't until Dawn was driving us home and I was playing over in my head the conversation we had and I thought that was strange."
"I don't think it is anything important we need to worry about. If they were she would have gotten rid of them."
"Plus she gave them to you to help Isobel right? If she was worried about them why would she hand them over?"
"She kinda didn't. I just took them. The second I saw her I knew something wasn't right so I wasn't going to talk to her about Mom or wanting the diaries."
"Do you think it is even okay for us to be talking like this? How do we know she hasn't bugged the apartment?"
"The place has been thoroughly checked over. The only thing Willow found was the mystical remnants of a cloaking spell."
"She could be cloaking herself right now and actually be here just invisible."
"The cloaking spell was specific to hiding the absence of a soul."
"That is pretty specific."
"You kinda have to be specific with spells otherwise who knows what can happen."
"Do you think she could have messed with us in anyway?"
"She could have. I had Willow check us over though. No traces of anything being used on either of us."
"Damn…thought maybe I could use magic to get me out of this mess I am currently in with you."
"Cuteness won't work either."
"So what do we do then?" I push a bit of sweet and sour pork around my plate.
"I don't know. Like you said this whole thing has really been confusing and we don't know what is coming. And if something is coming I think we need to be together on it."
"And if something isn't?"
"We need to work it out either way…we both need to learn from it too. I am not saying the blame is all on you but you gotta take some of it. You kept walking off right when things needed to be sorted out."
"I walked away once during a fight the other times I left because she was there or you wanted me to storm off."
"I am only talking about yesterday. That fight took place in like 8 different locations because you kept walking off when you didn't hear what you wanted to hear and even when you did hear what you wanted to hear you took off."
"It wasn't a pleasant thing to hear."
"I told you that I thought it for maybe 10 seconds and that was it! I left because of me Buffy no other reason at all and I told you that several times yesterday and when I came back and the one time I say something contrary to that you cling to it. What you did yesterday was unfair."
"And me having to leave my home was fair?"
"You didn't have to go! I get why you did go and support it all the way but you can't sit there and blame me for it. I get you were pissed that I brought her back here but what else was I supposed to do?"
"Take her out before you even got to the stage of bringing evil home."
"I wasn't sure. I needed Red's help and wouldn't I have looked like an ass if I killed an innocent person."
"She was in no way an innocent person."
"I didn't know that at the time."
"Your grandfather?"
"That was complicated."
"It was a convenient excuse and you know it."
"None of that time was easy Buffy. It still isn't easy. How would you feel if this was Joyce we were talking about?"
"We aren't though Faith."
"No because you are perfect, you come from a perfect family where it was all civil and nice and perfect."
"No I didn't Faith…Yeah my Mom was fantastic and I know how lucky I was to have her but my family was far from perfect."
"You can't sit there and judge me for how I have reacted to this when you have never been through it yourself."
"Faith you are my family, what effects you effects me as well."
"Yeah funny how when push came to shove you took off."
"I have Kale to think of now."
"So do I Buffy." She puts her head in her hands and massages her temples.
"Well why bring her here then?"
"This is just going round in circles! I told you why I brought her here. I knew something was up but I didn't know what and my support crew were a few hundred miles away and I didn't want to alarm her because I didn't know what she was going to do. Hurt you, hurt Kale even hurt me. So yeah I played dumb, played like she was still my grandmother so I could get her here and figure it out with more resources and people that support me. If something did happen back there I was screwed so I brought the fight to where I had a chance."
"Home court advantage."
"I guess."
"Why would she give up hers though?"
"If she is what I think she is then she doesn't need it. She could be anywhere and be ready to go."
"What do you think she is?"
"Evil." She picks up our plates and takes them in to the kitchen "Just an evil woman, just a plain old human that was corrupted."
"Well what do we do?"
"Fucked if I know. It was a strange visit. She really did seem like she was here to catch up with me. She seemed really upset that she didn't get to see Kale and you as well." She sits back on her seat at the table.
"She gave a vibe though."
"I know. Her taking off is just confusing me because there was no reason for her to up and leave. I hadn't confronted her, I don't think she had a clue that I had been doing the magic trace spells on her. I know I said if she has a plan but I don't even think that she does. Like you said she had plenty of chances to do something and nothing was done. I think if she was planning something she would have done it by now."
"So you think she just came back for a visit?"
"Yeah I do."
"And I ruined it."
She lets out a huge sigh.
Yeah I ruined it "Maybe I can fix it."
"How?"
"Well maybe you and Kale could head off to Boston, visit with her."
"She doesn't have a soul Buffy."
"Yeah true but she hasn't done anything. If she was going to do something then I think she would have by now."
"I think we just leave it. I went to get the diaries to get Mom out of jail and that is what I am going to do. If Grams is gonna do something then we will just wait until she does it. I am not wasting anymore time fighting over this or spending any more time on pointless research."
"What about us?"
She shrugs her shoulders "I have no clue at all. I am still mad at you but I am glad you two are home."
I reach over and put my hand on hers "I am glad we are home too."
She pulls her hand back "I need to shower." She leaves the table.
I sit back in my chair…what the hell is going on? She has just up and left…This whole evening feels so god damned strange. Pissed Faith would be yelling and ranting and pacing right about now regardless of anything else.
I will get to the bottom of this…I hope I will get to the bottom of this cause right now I have no fucking idea what I have to get to the bottom of.
I am so confused!
It was a strained morning at the apartment. Faith was moody to say the least and not even attempting to talk to me. I decided I would go and see Willow just to talk to her about the last day or so, decompress and hope my best friend could bring some perspective to me and help things be less confusing. Faith said she didn't feel like going to work and had already called Giles to let him know so I left Kale with her and told her Willow and I were catching up over coffee. She grunted in response before sitting down in front of the TV with a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles.
When I arrived at the academy Willow was elbow deep in some incantation deciphering so I kinda just sat on the couch in her office and waited.
It was Sumerian or maybe Latin from what I could make out...who am I kidding I failed at pig latin and that was just putting the first letter at the end of the word and making an ay sound.
Her door opens and I look up and see Faith.
"Hey Will how are those…Oh Hey." She looks at me kinda confused.
"Hey."
"I am waiting on Willow to decode a few spells. I am hoping it helps us with the Grams situation."
"Uh she left."
"She did?" She frowns.
"Yeah. When I got home last night you said that she had just packed up and left. No note, no explanation just gone" I sit up on the couch, alarmed at her lack of remembering.
"I was here all night." She frowns more.
"Oh ha ha ha ha ha."
"I'm not joking Buffy. Will tell her. I have been here since you took off 2 days ago."
I get up off the couch as Willow nods her confirmation "Oh my god."
"What?"
"Oh my god!" Kale…who the hell have I left Kale with. I pick up my bag and run out of Willow's office.
I break a land speed record to get back to our apartment.
When I get there it is empty. No Faith, No Kale. I run back down to the reception desk.
"Hey Buffy. I thought you were going away" Manuel said.
"Going away?"
"Yes. Faith came down not long after you first left with the little guy and a whole bunch of bags. I asked if you were going away and she said you were."
"Oh shit."
"Everything okay? Faith this morning seemed very out of sorts and Kale was really upset. I don't think he has cried that much since she the time she was away…wasn't that a fantastic time."
Willow and Faith run in.
"B what is going on?"
"She's gone and she took Kale."
"Grams?"
"No you! You were here when I left this morning. I left you with Kale and now he is gone and the other version of you is gone!"
"Okay you gotta calm down for me B."
"Calm down! Are you kidding an uber version of you took off with our son."
"Baby please, you gotta calm down, talk to me so we can get this sorted."
"What more do you need to know? She pretended to be you and then stole him."
"Alright, alright…let me take you upstairs…we are gettin' some funny looks."
"I don't care."
"I know but you can't help if someone calls the cops and you are locked away in the loony bin."
"Okay."
I let her take me back up to our apartment and we sit at the breakfast nook facing each other.
"Start at the beginning." She says.
"Beginning of what?" My brain is a mess.
"Fill me in on what you have done since you left the other night."
"Went back to the hotel and packed up. Dawn picked us up yesterday morning after I checked out and we went up to see Isobel…well I went and saw Isobel while Dawn watched Kale. When we got back I came here and you were here. We chatted a little, actually you yelled at me, I put Kale down for the night then ordered us dinner. We talked over dinner but it was confusing and weird and now I know why. When I got up you were in such a shitty mood. Which I totally understand after what I did but normally you yell and you weren't yelling at me…I should have known something was wrong…I should have known you weren't my Faith!"
"Hey I am here now baby." She takes my hands "What did you and uber me talk about?"
"When I got there the first thing she said was that Grams had gone. Like she had disappeared off the face of the earth. I was then pretty snippy saying I bet you blamed me for that too. Uber you blew up at that comment then got upset. I put him to bed and like I said ordered us dinner. We talked over dinner."
"What about?"
I rehash the whole conversation that Uber Faith and I had the night before. I tell her that apart from the initial yelling at me the rest of the night felt weird and strange and really confusing.
"I still feel like I should have known it wasn't you but Uber Faith knew stuff. She knew our plans. I didn't click because I didn't think Grams knew about Isobel."
"She doesn't" Faith sighs.
"Uber you knew things. Uber you knew our fight inside and out. What was said how I reacted…Did you and Grams talk about the fight?"
"No…I have been at the academy for 2 days working on stuff."
"Did you talk to anyone?"
"Uh Mom called the night you took off. She knew something was up with me and I kinda just blurted it all out. I used all her phone time talking about our fight."
"It's kinda strange she didn't mention that you had spoken to her."
"She didn't?"
"Nope. Just straight in to Grams talk and what we had found out about her and basically launched this all out attack on Grams about how she was the evil mastermind not Edward."
"Look Grams may have killed him but she was no evil mastermind…things just aren't adding up B."
"I know. There are holes in stories for sure. Like the whole diary thing. If Grams was the mastermind and she found records then she would destroy the records not keep them. You don't get to become an evil mastermind by over looking little details like that."
She is quiet but I know she is thinking. I can see her trying to connect the dots in her head. I think I may have already connected them.
"Look I know things are strained at best with us but the one common thread I keep coming up with is Isobel."
"Me too." She says dejectedly.
"She was all with the blaming of Grams and how innocent she was all in this."
"She knew I was going to Boston."
"So did I."
"Apart from the people that needed to know she was the only other person that knew I was going there."
There was a knock on our apartment door then Willow walked in "Giles is here and is talking with Manuel trying to get details but that seems fruitless. I just did a couple of spells to see if there were any traces of magics left behind but I am getting nothing."
"Are you sure?" Faith stands up "This place was glowing crazy blue 3 days ago."
"I know. The source of making it glow has gone so I guess that is why with the no more blue."
"How do we even know that was Grams you brought back" I say.
"Uh because I was at her house, I brought her back."
"Noooooooo. Look 'Grams' was here when the place was all aglow right?"
Faith and Willow nod.
"I come home and no 'Grams' just a 'Faith' so should we be assuming who or what Faith brought home with her was pretending to be Grams just like it was pretending to be Faith."
"Okay."
"They have to be the one and the same. Since the thing has been here this place has felt weird and unusual and now it feels…it feels like home…home with a chunk missing out of it because this thing has taken our baby."
"She's right" Faith says "I feel it too."
"Great…so how does this help get us Kale back?" I ask "We just lost all our leads."
"Locator spell!" Willow blurts out "This house is filled with Kale's items. I can use them to do a locator spell."
Great another spell. Why do I think all of a sudden than magic is a waste of time?
Well I thought that because it is right! Right lets do a locator spell with one of the items that belonged to Kale only thing is Uber Bitch took everything of his and when I say everything I mean it.
From every pair of socks and booties to his bath things including towels, lotions and his wash cloths. How the fuck did she know which ones were his!
"We wrote it on the tags" Faith says.
I look at her "Huh?"
"The wash cloths…we put his name on the tags so we didn't confuse them with ours. Didn't wanna transfer any germs from us to him despite how good our washer and dryer are."
"I said that out loud?"
"Yeah. You were talking about his booties and wash cloths and said how did she know they were his."
"Right" I say looking in to his empty bedroom for the millionth time in the last hour.
I can feel her behind me "We will find him."
"How?"
"We are his Moms and nothing can keep us away from our child."
"Have you forgotten your family's history? They are pretty good at separating mother and child."
"Don't start another fight Buffy."
"I am not starting another fight. I am stating the fucking obvious."
I turn and face her.
"This isn't my fault."
"I didn't say it was. This whole thing is just…My little boy is gone and I don't know if I am ever going to see him again!" I bawl.
"Hey." She wraps me in her arms "We are going to get him back safe and sound. I promise you."
I bury my head in her neck and cry even harder. Not at her words but the ache I have inside me. The emotions and heart ache I felt when Faith left is nothing compared to what I feel right now. I love my wife and she is part of me but Kale is actually a part of me. A part of us.
"This is all my fault…if I had never had brought that thing home with me." She says softly.
"No" I sob.
"Yeah B. I can admit it."
"No" I sob again. It is all I can say.
"Buffy I know it."
I hold her tighter and look at her "NO!"
"Okay." She says her own eyes glistening with tears "I'm sorry." She rests her forehead on mine.
"I love you" I choke out.
"I know I love you too." She says as the tears fall down her face.
Out of all the apocalypses we have faced, the threat of the world coming to end never ever felt as real as it did right now. I know if we lose Kale then it is over for me. It is over for her. We will be done.
I hate this, I hate being helpless. I may have been a retired slayer for a year or so now and during that time I never missed it. The slayer in me never felt neglected, never wanted to come out and play but she is there now and she wants to kick ass. I just wish I knew what direction to point her in.
We have no idea who has taken Kale and whoever it was has covered their tracks so well that Giles is already saying we may never get him back. I almost let the slayer out a millisecond after he said that but Faith held me back.
Even now as I sit in the middle of his nursery I want to go out there and at least slap his face for thinking it.
I pull out my phone and scroll through the pictures I have of him on it.
I have to stop because the more I see the more my heart breaks…I don't even think it is breaking, it is shattered for sure.
I look through my phone book and see Gram's number. I hear the ringing before I even notice I had hit the call button.
"Lehane residence" Jeffery answers.
"Jeffery?" I say softly.
"Yes, how may I assist you?"
"It's Buffy."
"Buffy?"
"Buffy of Buffy and Faith."
"Yes I know. I just don't understand why you are calling."
"Neither do I honestly."
"It's been years."
"I know. Faith was there last week."
"She was?"
"Yeah. She visited Grace."
"We haven't seen Faith since she left with you. Grace has been in Ireland for the last 6 months and still is."
"Grams has been in Ireland?"
"Yes."
"Have you been in Boston the whole time?"
"I have. Daniel has been here so I have been attending to him."
"And you didn't see Faith at all last week?"
"No." He sounded really annoyed.
"Sorry I know these questions must seem out of the blue."
"Much like the phone call."
"Right. Do you know if Grams ever got any of the letters Faith sent?"
"No sorry I don't."
"We are married now."
"Right."
"And are parents to the most beautiful little boy."
"Right."
"He was taken today…By someone or something that looked like Faith but for the 3 days before that it looked like Grams."
"I can assure you it isn't her if that is what you are saying."
"I don't mean to question you, I am sure you know the reason behind Faith leaving."
"I do, I also know Grace."
"Are you certain she is in Ireland?"
"I am."
"Could you maybe…ask her to call us?"
"Don't you think that is a tad inappropriate?" He scoffs.
"Do you really want me to start with what is and isn't inappropriate when it comes to you people?"
"Very well."
I give him the house phone number and he says he will ask her to call as soon as possible then we end the call.
I head in to the dining room where Willow and Giles are pouring through books.
"Will any chance you can do a trace on a phone call when it comes in?"
"Sure. Magical or technical?"
"Which is easier?"
"Magical…only cause all the technical stuff is back at slayer headquarters."
"I just called Boston. They say Grace has been in Ireland for the last 6 months" I sit at the table.
"They aren't exactly a reliable source of information" Giles says.
"I know, which is why with the line trace. Jeffery is going to get Grace to call here. I figure if we can trace the line then we know for sure."
"Hasn't Faith been trying to call them for some time?" Giles asks.
"Yeah on and off for a while now. She says there is never any answer."
"And now after Kale goes missing you get through first go?" Willow says.
"Where is Faith?" I say looking around.
"On her way to see Isobel I think."
"She didn't say anything."
"She was standing in the kitchen just staring in to space then she says 'Mom' picks up the car keys and leaves. I guess that is where she was headed."
The house phone rings.
I get up and pick up the cordless from the kitchen.
"You ready Will?"
"Yep." She makes her way to the base unit.
I walk in to the living room and answer "Hello."
"Buffy it's Grace."
"Hey, how are you?"
"You are aware of the time difference between here and Ireland right? I nearly tore Jeffery a new one for calling at such a stupid time but then he tells me you called and that you and Faith seem to be in some kind of trouble."
"We are. I called because you were our house guest up until last night."
"I was now was I?"
"Yeah. Faith went back to Boston last week when she returned you were with her."
"Wasn't me Blondie. I haven't heard from Faith since she yelled at me and you all left."
"I know that isn't true. She has sent you Christmas and Birthday cards and she invited all of you to our wedding."
"You are married?"
"Yeah."
"I never got any invite."
"What about a letter complete with photos of your great grand son."
"Great Grand Son?"
"Kale, he was born 2 months ago."
"How long ago did you get married?"
"Nearly 18 months ago."
There is silence on the other end of the line.
"Grace?"
"I'm still here Blondie." Her voice wavers a little.
"Our house guest took him, took our boy."
"You think it was me?"
"I honestly don't know. The last week has been very confusing. Faith has been in contact with her Mom as well so we are thinking maybe it is her."
"Isobel?"
"Yeah. After we got married and pregnant we decided we wanted family involved. She wrote to Isobel first then you. We only ever head from Isobel."
"Could I…would it be alright to see photos now?"
"I can mail them, sure."
"I have email. Daniel has been running things for me while I have been away and I have all this technical shit set up so he can keep in touch with me."
"I can email you pictures for sure."
"And not just of your little man. Maybe some of your wedding and any recent ones you have of Faith. I know what…I know her life…I did it for her own good and I know she will never understand it but I still love her."
"I know you do Grace."
"I'd never fuck with family Buffy. I know what it is like to lose mine and I would never ever do that to another person. I know you may not believe me but what Edward did was nothing to do with me and if I knew what he was doing I would have stopped him sooner."
Call me crazy but I believe her.
She gives me her email address and I promise to send her the photos straight away and she promises she will do whatever she can to help. I end the call and head back over to Willow and Giles.
"She is calling from Ireland. I can give you an address if you like."
"I have her email. She wants photos…she also is going to do what she can to help us get him back."
"So you believe she has nothing to do with it?" Giles says.
"I may have had a whammy put on me the last week and she may have kept some things from Faith about her child hood but that woman doesn't blow smoke up your ass."
"I take that to be a yes."
"Yeah" I sit at Willow's laptop and start to send Grace what I promised.
I sit up as I feel the bed move.
"Hey it's just me" Faith says.
"Where have you been?" I ask rubbing my eyes.
"Bedford."
She is sitting on the side of the bed undoing her shoes.
"Guess what?"
"What?"
"Prison has never heard of Mom."
"I am sorry could you repeat that, it sounded like you said that the prison we have been visiting your mother at for a few months have never heard of her."
"I did say that."
"So…"
"We have been fucked up the ass."
"And we assume by Isobel?"
"Yeah. When I put everything together it just all leads to her."
"I spoke to Grams tonight."
"Yeah Willow said. She and Giles are burning the midnight oil out there."
"I didn't mean to fall asleep. Grams wanted photos of Kale and I got kind of emotional. Will brought me in here and let me cry…kinda stayed and soothed me next thing I know you are waking me up."
"What did Grams say?"
"That she wouldn't mess with us like that. I think she knows she did wrong by us and never really expected to hear from us again. She says she never got the cards or the wedding invite or your letter."
"I was there last week!"
"She is in Ireland, has been for 6 months. I called and spoke with Jeffery in Boston. He got her to call here, Will traced the call to an address in Ireland. Jeffery said he has been at the house with Daniel and he never saw you last week."
"He wasn't at the house though."
"I think a big whammy has been pulled on us…like a monster whammy of epic proportions."
"And for what? Kale isn't superhuman. He isn't a slayer, he doesn't have any powers he is just a baby…our baby…our little boy."
"If Isobel is involved…maybe it is a case of kidnapping. Taking back what she lost in Cooper."
"You think?"
"I know. She lost her baby, I could lose my baby. If I had the slimmest of chances of getting him back then nothing would stop me."
"Well why doesn't she contact Cooper?"
I can't answer that "I can't answer that. Technically we have never met Isobel that we know of. How do we know what we told her during those visits she actually knows?"
She puts her head in her hands "This is so hard."
I move behind her on the bed and rest my chin on her shoulder and rub her back.
"All we know for sure is that she got the first letter telling her about Kale."
"We gotta assume she knows everything. She has to know everything to have gotten to us this intricately."
"Should we go brainstorm with the brains trust outside?"
"I think if we don't get some rest we aren't going to be any help to our boy."
"I just feel we need to be doing something he could be in danger."
"I don't think it wants to hurt him. If this is Mom gone off the deep end she just wants her baby back…when she was Grams all she wanted was to hold him and be close to him. I think if she wanted him hurt she wouldn't have taken him."
"So we are saying for sure that we are dealing with Isobel?"
"I think so." She turns her head to look at me.
"Sleep?"
"We can try." She lets out a long sigh.
"We always win" I say to convince both of us.
"I know but this time it is personal."
"Isn't it always?" I move on to my side of the bed.
"I guess so."
"We will get him back." Again with the convincing of both of us.
"There isn't another option B…there just isn't."
I just hope he is safe no matter where he is. If I have to spend the rest of my life feeling like this then I am not going to survive very long.
The feeling of helpless is long gone and I just feel empty. I know she does too.
"Hey" Faith says as I open my eyes.
"Hi" I say sleepily.
She rubs my back "You doin' okay?"
"I have no idea how I am. You?"
"Pretty much the same."
We share a soft kiss.
"I was up a little earlier and G-Man says they think they may have a trace on what kind of spells were being used on us."
"Just on the spells?" I say a little disheartened.
"Yeah but to get to whoever took him I guess the spells are the best place to start."
"Why can't we just talk to the police?"
"How would they help?"
"We could get his picture out there and if anyone spots them then they can call us and we can get him back."
"It's not that easy, I wish it were."
"Why can't we make it that easy?"
"Baby you know that we can't."
"Why not? All these years we have played by the rules and evil just keeps breaking them to get to us."
"Where do you suggest we go?"
"The powers that be."
"Are you insane?"
I sit up "My son has been taken I get to be a little insane."
"Our son."
I run my hands through my hair "I hate this, I hate it so much" I start to cry.
"So do I." She moves behind me and wraps her arms around me.
I move so I am between her legs and bury my face in her neck and cry.
"I am going to get him home safely B I promise."
When I am able to function I join Giles in our dining room, Willow had gone home to sleep for a few hours and contact the coven to see if there was another way to trace Kale. Faith was making us something to eat.
"Do we physically need something of his?" I ask Giles.
"To do a tracing spell it does require an item that belonged to the missing."
"What about part of him."
"What do you mean? And if you tell me that you kept his umbilical cord I am going to be severely disgusted." He takes his glasses off.
"Ew, no…I mean like when Glory opened the portals the only thing that could close it was Dawn's blood but she was made from me so my blood worked…what if you had some blood or hair from both Faith and me… would that work?"
"It could work, it would require a different kind of spell though."
"What about photos?" Faith says from the kitchen "We have hundreds of him."
"Willow tried it earlier, didn't turn out too well."
"How bad?" I ask.
"The photo burned up in her hand then kind of did the same to the remaining photos through out the house."
"What?" I rush around the house to look for the pictures we had up and around the apartment of him and they were all gone.
"It was an accident Buffy, it seems whoever took him anticipated our trying this and had some kind of magic trap set up on the photos."
"If they can anticipate our moves why didn't you anticipate theirs!"
I snap at him.
"I understand you have suffered a loss here Buffy but you need to understand that we need to try everything we can and unfortunately things like that get overlooked."
"Pictures of my kidnapped son get overlooked? I can't believe you are saying this to me!"
"Buffy you need to calm down, getting upset over this is fruitless."
I try to go for him but an arm around my waist stops me "No B." She whispers in my ear.
"Let me go Faith" I struggle in her arms.
"Baby please, I know it's hard but please." She whispers again her voice wavering.
I stop struggling and turn in her arms "He's our boy Faith."
"I know." She rubs my back while tears slide down her face "I will get some new pictures up right away."
"Thankyou but that isn't the point" I say wiping her tears.
"I know it isn't but what else can I do?"
"Let me talk to the powers."
"They won't talk to you."
"Why not? I have done everything they have thrown at me, sure I haven't done it quietly or happily but I have still done it and now I have no options left."
"What about the delightful blood thing you mentioned before to Giles?"
"If she booby trapped the photos I think she would have booby trapped us too and I don't really want either of us to go kablooey."
"They only talk to their champions."
"Get Angel on the phone then, I want him talking to them as soon as possible."
"Okay."
"And tell Giles to go away. He is not helping at all."
"I beg to differ, I have been up all night researching."
"Yeah thanks for burning all of Kale's photos it really helped us" Faith says.
"I get you two are upset right now but having a go at me isn't helping."
"How about you have a little sensitivity Giles. It isn't some research party where Xander goes out to get jelly donuts while we scrounge for clues on this weeks big bad, our son has been taken" I say.
"I don't know how getting upset over this is helping our cause. Emotions are bound to run high but we can't let them impede our development."
"Get out Giles, we appreciate your help but you just don't understand. You need to leave right now" Faith says and walks over to the front door and opens it.
He picks up his books and quietly leaves. He turns just as he is out the door about to say something but Faith just closes it in his face.
Angel has been with the powers for what seems like weeks but when I look up at the clock it has only just been over 20 minutes. I sigh for probably the 6th time that minute and continue my pacing path through the living room. I can hear the soft thwap, thwap, thwap from our workout room where Faith went to occupy herself while we wait for Angel to call us. I think our punching bag will retire after this crisis is averted because it has had quite a workout.
After Giles left Faith spent an hour or so in there while I spoke to Angel about what had happened and what we needed to do. I also checked in with Willow who confirmed any method we tried to use was pretty much booby trapped but could be worked around but it would take a lot of work to make sure it wouldn't harm us, Kale and whoever performed the spell.
I look up at the clock and see 22 minutes had passed. I walk in to the workout room, Faith looks up at me.
"I hate waiting" I sigh.
"I know."
"I hate all of this."
"I know."
"I have been kind of selfish the last few days."
"You are allowed to."
"Really?"
"I am giving you permission…I know how hard this is for me, I can only imagine it is a million times harder for you."
"Why would it be harder for me than you?"
"You gave birth to him."
"You have a stronger bond with him than I do!"
"How?"
"TV time and he hates it when I change his diaper and whenever I go in to feed him he always looks upset when it is me rather than you."
"Baby that isn't true."
"It totally is…even when he was in my belly he liked you better" I rub my stomach at the memory.
"Well you did think he was a girl." She rests against the bag.
"We both did" I say smiling slightly "I just want you to know that I don't think how I feel is anymore important than what you feel."
"I know."
"I just think if I didn't get my panties in a bunch when you came home with who we thought was Grams at the time maybe he would still be here."
"I don't think we had any choice in the matter. I think whoever it was fucked with our noggins big time." She taps her head.
"You mean they made us fight?"
"I would never let you and Kale walk away from me like that. You two come first not Grams not after what she did to me."
I walk up to her and she puts her arms around me "I'm sorry. I should have never walked away."
"No need to apologise." She kissed my forehead.
"I love you Faith, I love everything about us" I looked at her "And I feel that some days I don't show that, that everything has to be about Buffy."
"It's okay, I know that everything does have to be about Buffy."
I give her another smile.
"I like that smile." She says softly.
"Is it wrong that I am smiling?"
"No, he is okay baby. If she took him it is because she loves him not to hurt him."
"So you really think it was your Mom that took him?"
"We know where Grams is and when I go to talk to her she isn't in prison anymore…you only saw her there a few days ago."
"I just don't get why she took him. She only saw him a few times."
She sighs "You can't freak out when I tell you this."
I pull back from her a little bit.
"Promise me." She tries to stop me from moving.
"No!" I pull myself free.
"Baby, please." She takes my hands.
"You can't make me promise, if you knew something that put Kale in danger I can't promise I won't get upset."
"I didn't know it until a little while ago."
"Define while?"
"When you were talking to Angel, Gunn called my cell."
"And?"
"He managed to get his hands on Mom's psych evaluations and at her most recent one they said she was still suffering from the loss of her baby. She had periods of psychosis where she still thought she had him."
"I thought the jail said they had never heard of her."
"Another spell."
"She told me she didn't even understand magic."
"She has screwed with us from day one."
"So we assume everything she has told us is a lie."
"Yep, it is all so…inexplicable though."
"She has all this power and knows how to cloak it obviously so why did she wait until now to start using it. She could have done her vanishing act years ago and taken any baby she wanted."
"Kale is family, Kale is her flesh and blood. This way it feels more real to her."
"Do you think she planned this all along, I mean before you were talking to her?"
"I don't think so…she couldn't know that I was going to contact her and that we were having a baby."
"Do you think she has been controlling us for longer than the last few days?"
"What do you mean?"
"If she had been controlling us these last few days isn't it possible that she may have been controlling us for longer" I am back to pacing again.
"Define longer."
"Weeks, months maybe even years."
"I doubt the years part. Maybe since we came in to contact with her is a possibility or even the letter. Her magic is strong but I don't think strong enough to control us for years. She didn't know where we were until I contacted her. I think me contacting her triggered things."
I look at her, she is focused on the floor. I know that she is blaming herself for this "This isn't your fault."
She looks up at me "Isn't it?"
"No. You couldn't have known this would happen" I stop pacing to walk up to her.
"I should expect it though, I mean look at my fucked up family history."
"Do not blame yourself for this" I run my hand up and down her arm.
"Too late." She walks away from me and over to the window.
"Faith you couldn't have known any of this."
"Do you blame me?" She asks softly.
"No" I walk over and stand behind her "I would never blame you for this" I kiss her shoulder.
"You should…if I didn't write her…if we didn't visit her."
"If we didn't fall in love, if we didn't use that spell to have a baby."
"He has…he is my heart and soul B." Her voice cracks and she begins to sob.
I turn her and wrap my arms around her. She buries her head in my neck and cries.
As if my heart hadn't been broken enough up until now. Hearing Faith turns the last few pieces of it I had left into mush.
After maybe 2 minutes of crying Faith just buckled at the knees so I decided to manoeuvre us to our bedroom, where I spent the next hour or so holding her on our bed. She didn't spend the entire time crying but it came in waves for her. She would sob, then she would just lie in my arms breathing softly into the crook of my neck and say that she loved me then she would start to sob again.
I don't like it when she is upset and I can't fix it and to know that she is blaming herself for this mess makes it harder.
I know Faith so well. She really does feel that this is her fault and I don't blame her and I know that even though I am telling her that she doesn't believe me, I know that Faith thinks I am just saying it to make her feel better. I also think she wants me to feel that this is her fault so I will lash out at her in some way, an elaborate way to distract us from this ever growing feeling of emptiness inside us.
Faith would never put us in danger and I feel like an ass for saying what I said earlier about her knowing something and putting Kale in danger.
She is asleep now, so I gently work my way out from underneath her and cover her over and let her sleep.
I go in to the kitchen and pick up the cordless and dial Angel's direct number.
"Hello." He says kinda breathlessly which is strange cause he doesn't breathe.
"Out of breath?"
"Buffy hey."
"So how did your little trip go?"
"I was about to call you."
"Sure you were."
"I was. I just…Gunn came to me with some stuff he was talking to Faith about and we have been looking at that."
"So that means the powers weren't able to help much."
"Why do you say that?"
"If they had something that helped you would have been on the phone to me right away."
"What they told me does help in some ways. It can eliminate a few things I have my team here working on so we can get the concentrating on the booby traps set up on the spells."
"So what things can we eliminate?"
"They said that this is a mortal matter and of no concern to them."
"Which means?"
"He hasn't been taken to fulfil any prophecies, he hasn't been taken by anyone demonic or evil."
"Just someone chock full of magical power."
"We can work around her traps."
"Could they at least tell us if he was okay?"
"He is fine. They were pretty stubborn at first but then I gently reminded them of how yourself and Faith have helped them over the years and if they wanted that to continue that it was in their best interest to help a little bit."
"What did they say to that?"
"That the world wasn't in any eminent danger and I shouldn't bother them with trivial matters…I said if they didn't at least tell me that he was safe and sound then two very upset slayers were likely to put the world in danger in their quest to find him."
"Right…" I sigh.
"How are you holding up?"
"It's Faith's turn to fall apart so I am fine right now" I sit on the couch and bring my legs up underneath me.
"And the truth?"
"I don't want to face the truth right now because I will stop functioning and I can't do that, I need to bring our boy home."
"Nobody will hold it against you if you fall apart."
"How many times am I allowed to fall apart Angel? If it wasn't for Faith holding me together I don't know if I would be here right now."
"I thought you said she was falling apart too."
"Our son was taken Angel we are both falling apart. Did Gunn have an update?"
"Of sorts."
"Elaborate much?" I was starting to get mad.
"Sorry, I think it might be better if he talks to you or Faith. He wanted to get a bit more info before we divulged anything to you."
"He has information that may help us and he wants to wait?"
"He isn't 100% sure and he only wants to tell you if it is 100% certain."
"I don't care if it 52.9% certain, I want to know."
"I get that you are upset Buffy but getting angry at the people trying to help you isn't a good idea." He tries to placate me.
"You sound like Giles. Why don't people understand that this is OUR SON! It isn't some random taken hostage, this is Dawn being taken by Glory proportions but bigger times infinity because it was OUR SON that was taken."
"We do understand Buffy, believe it or not I understand better than you know but you can't take it out on me."
"Right so now tell me how would you feel if your son was taken from you and you had no idea where he was, what he was doing or if he was still alive?"
"Buffy."
"Tell me Angel…tell me how you would act, how you would feel."
It is silent for a bit "I would feel like my world is ending, I would feel hopeless and useless."
"And if I came to you and said I may have some information that could help but I wasn't 100% sure would you tell me to come back when I was?"
"No probably not." He sounds defeated.
"Well then what did he say?"
"He has used some pretty in depth methods and has been able to trace Isobel back to when she was running away from Faith's family. He has Emily in or magicks department working on her magic fingerprint that Willow was able to give us a couple of days ago."
"And what does that mean?" I sit up a little.
"Well it gives us locations to look for her. He has noticed that she spent a lot of time in two towns during her time on the run. One is a small place near the border of New York and New Jersey and the other was a place outside of Boston called Worcester."
"That's the place she had Cooper in" I get up "Is it possible that she could take him back there?"
"It is."
"Faith and I were talking and based on what Gunn has said she was still suffering from the loss of Cooper so she has taken Kale as is his replacement."
"You are thinking she has taken him back to where she lost her baby to have the life she never could."
"It is all we have to go on right now."
"It is a strong possibility."
I sigh.
"What?"
"It is the easiest option. She has done so much work to protect herself that it being the easiest option is probably not the right answer."
"She has done so much protecting that the thought of us figuring it out to that probably hasn't even crossed her mind."
"She was able to make herself Grams…she was herself and Grams at the same time is she even going to look like her when we do find her?"
"From what Gunn has found out about her psychosis is that when she was in it she was in it fairly deep and if she has been pushed over the edge then I think she is going to take herself back to that time."
"So we are looking for Isobel 20 years ago?"
"I would say so. She wants to go back to where she suffered the loss and she was Isobel when she lost him so I think she will still be Isobel."
"My brain hurts."
"Leave it to us Buffy. Gunn should have certain answers for us in a couple of hours and as soon as he does he has been instructed to call you. We have everything and everyone on stand by to help get you to wherever you need as soon as possible."
"Thanks Angel" I say relieved and anxious.
"Anytime."
"I'm sorry for getting mad before."
"Don't worry about it…just because I haven't…I know how it was with Dawn so…a kid of your own…I should have realised." His voice breaks a little.
"Angel, are you okay?"
"Uh yeah, fine." He coughs to cover up the flub from before.
"Well I mean it thanks."
"We will talk soon…hopefully when Kale is safe and sound and back where he belongs."
"Yeah, Bye" I hang up the phone and put it back in its cradle in the kitchen and then make my way back to the bedroom.
I gently sit on the bed and Faith's eyes flutter open. She blinks a few times the rubs her eyes.
"I conked out on you, sorry." She says her voice all croaky.
"No need to be."
"I am sure I left nice little snot trails over your Gucci top."
I look down at my top "This old thing? Nah nothing a little Tide won't fix."
"You are making jokes you must have gotten some good news." She sits up.
"I called Angel again…long story short Gunn has had people working in Isobel's magical fingerprint and they have been able to match it to her magic traces back from when she was on the run."
"What does that mean?"
"They found hotspots from when she was hiding from the Lehanes with you and there were two main towns that she spent most of her time in. One of them being Worcester."
"Where she 'lost' Cooper."
"Exactly and Gunn has been reading up on her psychosis and he thinks she may be going back to where she lost her baby with an actual baby to have the life she didn't get with him."
"Well why aren't we halfway to Worcester by now?"
"Gunn needed to confirm a few things first. He isn't certain that is where she is and he doesn't want to send us in the wrong direction."
"It's not wrong, it makes sense." She gets up and grabs a small suitcase and opens our draws.
"So we are going no matter what?"
"We are going no matter what."
"How do we find her?"
"I remember bits and pieces of Worcester…it is scratchy and we are talking 20 years ago but with Mom's kind of psychosis she is going to be doing everything like it was back then."
"Minus you."
"She is so deep in it that she doesn't even remember me being there… this is all about Cooper."
"What do we do if we find her?"
She stops "I don't want her going back to prison, that clearly didn't help her."
"Angel…he has people that can help her…we have one pretty important person that can help her."
"Cooper."
"He has said he will do what he can to help us."
"I'll pack you call him and tell him we will pick him up in 10 and then tell Giles that the private jet better be waiting for us."
I make the calls and we are in the car. Cooper is lucky that she has the car at a complete stop to let him in. He closes the door before the tree on the sidewalk knocks it off, sadly his belt isn't on in time for the sudden brake Faith makes for an untimely red light and I feel his head smack in to the back of Faith's seat.
I turn in my seat to make sure he is okay. He says he is but the red welt against his cheek says otherwise.
"Good thing about luxury cars, padded leather seats" Faith says not taking her eyes off the red light.
"Yeah padded" Cooper says holding his cheek giving me a small smile and buckling up.
"Giles has organised for a couple of slayers to meet us at the airport. He is in the process of briefing their watchers as we speak so by the time we land they should be full bottles on everything."
"Good I don't want to waste anytime when we hit the ground". She says taking off as soon as the light goes green.
"Or while obviously driving" Cooper says quietly.
"Backseat fucking drivers." She says under her breath.
The rest of the journey to the airport was spent hanging on to our lives as Faith pushed the car and amber lights to the limit. I think we were pretty lucky that no police were on the roads we took because I am sure we would have been pulled over at least 5 or 6 times and then arrested for what Faith did to the poor officer that had dared to stop us.
We boarded the plane and I actually had to convince Faith that she couldn't sit in the cockpit and look over the pilot's shoulders and tell them how to fly considering she didn't actually know how to fly.
We had Giles' plane which meant there was a sleeping quarters on board so I took her in there in an effort to distract her. I didn't mean for it to end up sexual at all I just wanted to be able to talk to her privately because she clams up in front of Cooper but taking her clothes off was the only way to stop her from leaving the room.
By the time we were climaxing we were actually touching down in Worcester and taxiing into the terminal.
Our normal post coital kisses and cuddles were forgotten as we quickly put our clothes back on and headed off to bring our baby home.
As soon as our feet hit the tarmac we are ushered into a black SUV and are on the road in record time.
Gunn is in the front passenger seat.
"Dude how did you get here so fast?" Faith asks sitting forward in her seat.
"Teleportation."
She turns and looks at me "Why didn't we do that?"
"Do you remember that week long headache you had last time Will teleported you?"
"Yeah right, plus mile high club is pretty cool yunno."
She and Gunn high five, as do I but I connect with the back of her head.
"B why ya gotta hate?" She looks at me again.
Here we go, ghetto Faith is in the house. She gets like this whenever she is with Gunn.
"So did the magic fingerprint help at all?" I ask him hopefully changing the subject.
"Yeah. Em was able to match everything up, she even has some traces in the same area in the last day which is good news."
"He's here then?"
"Her last reading showed up at around 12 today and she says that it is some kind of protection spell she is using."
"Any signs of a cloaking spell?"
"No, the last trace of that was from your place."
"Do we have an address?"
"We do, we are on our way there now."
"And what do we do when we get there? She has covered her tracks to make sure the prison system doesn't know about her."
"We were waiting to talk to Faith about that. Angel can organise the best doctors for her or with the flick of Em's wrist her spells are undone and she is a fugitive on the run."
"Do I have to decide now?"
"No."
The rest of the drive is in silence.
I am so nervous. This is far from the battle I am used to…This time I really want to be in the fray, I want revenge for the last 36 or so hours but I know I can't have it. I have to try and have compassion for her and I don't know if I can do that.
What happened to her was terrible but it doesn't make it okay to do it to someone else. It is like Grams finding out what Edward was doing and her killing him to stop it.
Then again it isn't like that at because she is supposedly mentally ill…I just don't know if I will be able to help her after she took my son from me sick in the head or not.
I feel sick, I think I am going to throw up.
"Stop the car" I say.
"We are almost there" Gunn says.
"Stop the car, I am going to be sick!" I shout.
The car pulls up and I climb out over Faith and am sick on the side of some funky smelling road.
"For someone that hasn't eaten in 2 days you sure are throwing up a lot" Faith says from behind me.
I wipe my mouth on the sleeve of my jacket.
"You pregnant or something." She tries and jokes.
"Inappropriate humour Faith, really inappropriate."
"Kinda nervous here B."
"Yeah I get that" I stand up "Right there with you."
"What do I do? She is sick but I am so fucking angry at her!"
"I don't know…I honestly don't. I want Kale back and I want to go home."
"What about Mom?"
"Whatever you want to do with her I am fine with, provided what you want to do with her is thousands of miles away from us."
"And if I want her to get better and be close to us?"
"I can't answer that Faith. All I can concentrate is getting him home safely."
"Would you leave if I had her brought to New York for treatment?"
"Is that thousands of miles away from us?"
"Is that a yes you will leave?"
"Can we just get this part over and done with then argue?"
She sighs "I don't want to fight."
"Neither do I but please excuse me if I don't want her anywhere near my son."
"Our son."
I get back in to the car and buckle up. Once Faith is safely back in the car we continue on our way.
We don't go all the way to the house in the car in case she sees it and freaks out and takes off. We pulled up behind another SUV which had two local slayers Yvonne and Lynnie and their watchers in it along with a psychologist from Angel's firm in LA.
Gunn had a map of the house and had Yvonne and Lynnie guarding any possible exit points at the back of the house while he said he and his driver Mack would watch the front after Faith and I went inside. Cooper would wait with the two watchers Aaron and Felicity and Dr. something I can't pronounce.
We let the two slayers go first so they could make it to their waiting places then we followed a few minutes later.
The house was a pile of shit to be frank. Paint was peeling from the planks of wood that still actually had paint on it and the only thing left of the porch was the framework. I could hear Kale crying inside. I make my way up to a window and see Isobel sitting in the middle of what would be a living room holding Kale trying to soothe him.
"Can you see him?" Faith whispers softly.
"Yep."
"Front door doesn't even close…we can walk straight in."
I look over and she is standing at the door. I make my way over to her and we quietly make our way through the toothpick that is passing for a door.
Faith starts to approach her first.
"Mom?"
"Sshhh Faithy I am busy with your brother" Isobel answers.
"Mom, I need your help with something."
"It will have to wait, I can't get him to settle."
I make my way around to the other side of her.
"Mom it can't wait you need to help me now."
"Faith! Your brother needs me more right now. I can't put him down when he is that upset."
"I can hold him for you while you help Faith if you like" I say.
Isobel looks up at me "No, you will take him away from me just like the nurses did in the hospital."
"I won't I promise. I will just watch him while you help Faith and as soon as you are done you can have him back."
"LIAR!" She shouts and with a wave of her arm I am flying backwards. I crash through a wall or two before landing.
Now flying through a wall isn't fun at the best of times but when these walls are the only thing holding this house up I am guessing it isn't going to end well.
I push myself up and as I do I feel pain through my stomach. I look down and see a jagged piece of wood sticking out of it.
"Shit" I breathed in. Looking at the blood all over the plank I would say that it had gone all the way through…I had maybe landed on it.
I couldn't take it out because I didn't really feel like bleeding out all over the floor of this shitbox.
I manage to get to my feet and as I look up I see Isobel standing there holding Kale against her chest.
"I'm not here to hurt you Isobel, we want to help you."
"You want to take my boy."
I was sick of this shit, I was sick of her family kicking me, pummelling me, holding me hostage and throwing me through fricken walls.
"He is MY boy Isobel, you took him from me and I just want him back."
I can see Faith behind her shaking her head at me and signalling not to say that to her. Screw that.
"He is not your boy, you are a liar."
"No I'm not…I am here to help you, we are both here to help you but you need to give him to me."
"NO!"
Excellent I am now flying sideways…When I write my memoirs I will have to fully explain just how much fun landing face down with a 4x2 plank of wood sticking out of your stomach really is cause right now I am too fucking pissed off to share it.
Being retired doesn't help either. My arms aren't really helping me up right now either and I can hear what I am sure are bits of the house falling down around me.
It takes me a while but I manage to get back on to my feet but I struggle to make them move to the best of my ability. I stagger back to the living area but find it empty.
"Faith" I call out "Faith where are you?"
"I'm helping my Mom with my brother."
"Stop the brother bullshit and get our son back" I am starting to feel fairly woozy right now. The piece of wood that was comfortably sticking out of my stomach is gone and there is just a hole now.
Hmmm I think I might lie down now.
I seriously need to get back in to training. I do not like feeling like this and all I have done is wake up from my little nap.
When my eyes focus I see that someone was nice enough to take me to the hospital. I can see Dawn sitting by my bed.
"Hey Dawnie" I croak out.
"Hey." She says softly.
"Do I want to ask how it went?"
"First off Kale is fine. Willow is feeding him right now."
"And Faith?"
"She kinda had to be sedated."
"Because?"
"The house kinda collapsed and Isobel was kinda crushed to death."
"Oh my god."
"She managed to get Kale out first and she went back to get Isobel out but the house kinda fell down before she did. The only reason you survived it is because of your slayer powers."
"I was in the house when it collapsed?"
"Yeah…Faith didn't know you were still in there until Gunn told her. She went mental pulling the rubble apart to find you."
"Was I in another coma?"
"You have been out of it for about a day and a half. You weren't responding when she found you. You had lost a lot of blood from the stomach wound…you barely had a pulse. When they got you here they rushed you in to surgery. Whatever made the hole in your stomach missed doing serious damage to your major organs and they gave you a blood transfusion as well…as soon as you got some blood back in to you your slayer healing kicked in. You need to take it easy but you should be on your feet in a day or so."
"So why is my wife sedated?"
"She flipped her lid Buffy. After you came out of surgery the Doctor said if you had been left a few minutes longer you wouldn't have made it."
"She's blaming herself."
"In a nutshell."
"Does she know about her Mom?"
"Yeah."
"Another reason she flipped her lid?"
"I don't think so. When Gunn told her she didn't react at all. I think she was more worried about Kale."
"Can I please see him?"
"I'll go get Will."
"Thanks Dawnie."
I watch her get up and leave the room.
I move the bed so I am in a sitting up position and wait for them to bring him in. I want to be able to see Faith as well.
I hear the door open and look up and see Faith walking in with him.
I instantly have tears falling down my face. She has bruises all over her face and her left hand is bandaged up.
She sits on the bed "Hi."
"Hey."
"He is asleep. Aunty Willow did a good job feeding him."
"I am sorry about your Mom."
"Everything I care about is in this room."
"Thank you for pulling me out."
"Dawn filled you in?"
"You got Kale out, went to go get Isobel but the house kinda imploded before you could. Gunn told you I was still in the house and you went through the rubble til you found me."
"If…I didn't know you were still in there. I thought you left mad at me."
"I don't remember much apart from a plank of wood sticking out of my stomach."
"Yeah. Mom had some mojo going on."
"I am sorry about her dying."
"Don't be." She says as she kisses the top of Kale's head.
"Baby" I say softly.
"Don't B. I can't think about it. I almost lost you again."
"You didn't though" I run my hand over her leg.
"She took our son, she used us, she manipulated us. I didn't lose anything when she died."
"Are you okay…physically?"
"Yeah all superficial. I cut my hand open on something when I was trying to get to you it is nothing more than a scratch now."
"I heard you were sedated."
"Yeah…I put you in danger, you almost died because of me."
"No I didn't. Did you throw me through the air?"
"No, but my Mom did."
"Yeah she did, not you" It hurts but I move closer to her "I know you are going to blame yourself no matter that I say to you but I am telling you there is no need to. We went in there to get Kale back no matter what and I'd do what I did 2 days ago every single day if it meant he was safe and with us."
"I brought that thing home with me."
"We were under some kind of spell!" I almost shout.
Kale's eyes flutter open at my raised voice.
"I don't want to fight" Faith says.
"Well stop blaming yourself baby and there won't be any fights" I ran my hand over the top of Kale's head gently and he closes his eyes again.
She gives me a small smile and I rest back against my pillows.
"Kale slow down" Faith calls out "Are they sure he doesn't have slayer speed?"
"Good thing Grams has lots of room on her estate" I say watching him run circles around nothing in particular.
"Yeah just what a hyperactive 3 year old needs."
"You are just upset that you can't keep up with him anymore."
"Well is it my fault you can't keep it in your pants and I got knocked up?"
"Yes it is…haven't you learnt by now that everything is your fault."
"Well I guess being irresistible in the bedroom is my fault. I have no problem accepting responsibility for that." She flashes me a dimply smile.
I find an acceptable spot on the perfectly manicured grass and place our picnic basket and blanket down. I then help my heavily pregnant wife sit down and sit beside her.
"Kale do you want some lunch?" I call out to him.
"No I wanna run." He answers.
"Sweetie that is fine with Mommy but could you at least have some pb & j first?"
"Did you make it?" He stops running and comes over to the blanket.
I hear Faith chuckle beside me, my hand instinctively reaches out and lightly slaps her arm.
"If I say no will you have some?"
"I wanna play Mommy!"
"You have all day to play bub."
He kneels between Faith and I and puts one of his hands on Faith's belly "Will baby be able to play with me when he arrives?"
"Not right away" I answer.
"How long?"
"3 weeks" Faith says.
I shake my head…I know in about a months time after the new addition arrives I am going to be asked every day 'Is it is 3 weeks yet'.
"Thanks Faith" I say to her.
I get another dimply smile and she hands Kale his sandwich, which he happily sits and eats.
If I had handed him that sandwich he would have thrown it back at me… I am doomed if baby number 2 is as enamoured with Faith as baby number 1.
Not that I can complain. Life is pretty sweet and hopefully will only get sweeter as we start the next chapter of our lives here in Boston.