Four's A Family
by ABFan
Part 3 - TBC
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It was a week before Files brought in a physical therapist who had the knowledge and skills that a slayer needed and the smarts to not ask questions. After that it was a pain filled month of intense therapy that often ended with Buffy in tears when she thought no one was looking. However, Willow and Tara were never too far away and their hearts ached each time they saw what could only be sheer agony etched across the blonde's face as she laid motionless in the dim living room.
The therapist was in the kitchen with Giles, each held a forgotten cup of tea in front of them. As the Witches came down from tucking Joy in for the night they entered the room just in time to hear, "I don't think she wants to remember."
"Surely Buffy would want to know who she is?" Giles questioned.
"What do you mean?" Willow pushed, her brow furrowed in concern. Tara placed a comforting hand on the redhead's lower back, hoping it would be enough to quell her pregnant lover's often-fluctuating emotions.
"I think she's had some glimpses of who she was, but doesn't want to go back to that. She didn't have a choice about her destiny when she was first called, but now she has a chance to change that," the woman tried to explain.
Tara, feeling the muscles beneath her hand tense, knew her lover was about to inundate the poor woman with a barrage of questions and jumped in only a moment before Willow could start. "I'm not sure I understand. Buffy's destiny is just that — a destiny. How can she change that now?"
"I don't think Ms. Wilson is saying Buffy can change her destiny," Giles intercepted the question and sent a quick glance toward the woman, who smiled in appreciation that he was going to field this question. "Buffy thinks that if she stops remembering who she is then no one can expect her to return to her duties."
Willow and Tara both went to speak but a new voice stopped everyone cold.
"Maybe she doesn't have to go back."
All eyes turned to the doorway between the kitchen and dining room; a stunned silence met the comment. Willow was the first to react and immediately jumped in front of Tara and held out her hand, ready to send the first spell she could think of at the woman. Giles moved next, stepping in front of Willow in an attempt to stop an attack from either side and protect the irrational Willow and her child.
"Easy there, Red," she said and slowly moved off the wall. He body was coiled, ready to strike if needed. Her calm and cocky attitude covered the nervousness that rippled through her. "I heard you were preggers, but didn't believe it. Guess I was wrong," she shrugged." Congrats," she offered almost dismissively as she turned her attention to Giles.
"What do you want, Faith?" he asked, his voice going down into a dangerous register.
"Hey, man, if I wanted you all dead you would be, so just chill. I heard B wasn't in tip-top shape anymore. Figured if I heard about it then others would too, ya know?" Faith left the insinuation open as she glanced at the new woman.
"We're well prepared for that eventuality," Giles snipped. "What are you doing out?"
Faith shrugged. "They really didn't have much on me to keep me for life or nothin'. I think five years is enough, guess you don't think so, huh?" The dark Slayer straightened and started to turn. "Look, B isn't in any condition to handle what's out there and it's only a matter of time before what's out there starts to come here. Now you can sit here with your books or you can have the strength of a slayer back you up. Your choice," she turned and left the room.
More silence followed and then Willow jolted into action. "Buffy!" she screeched in urgency and rushed from the room, the others following close behind.
Just as they rounded the corner they all skid to a halt at the sight before them. Sitting next to the bed was Faith, the walls that were normally in place seemed to be forgotten and a small tear trickled down her cheek. With slow and uncharacteristic hesitation, she gently brushed aside stray strands of blonde hair. "You never do anything half-assed, do you?" the rouge slayer whispered. "I know our time has passed and that I screwed up real good, but I'll still protect you. I hear you're a mom, who'd have thought, huh? Well, you were always meant for more anyway. You get better and enjoy your family, I'll go out and keep everything away from you." She stood slowly and leaned over to place an almost chaste kiss on Buffy's forehead.
Willow, Tara, Ms. Wilson, and Giles quietly moved back to the kitchen, each stunned and lost in their thoughts about what they just witnessed. Faith sauntered in only a few moments after them, her tough faÁade back in place, but now they could see through it. "So what's the what? I got places to go, things to see, people to do."
Because of their history together, Willow was silently made the decision-maker on this matter. She stepped forward, her own feelings conflicting inside. "You try anything, and I mean anything, and you won't have to worry about jail next time, understood?"
Faith knew she deserved that and so much more — and she knew the redhead could follow through on her threat. A brief flicker of softness passed through Faith's eyes before she gave a nonchalant shrug and answered, "Sure thing, Red. I'll do a patrol and then catch ya whenever." She spon on her heels and left the house.
"Well, I think that went rather well," Giles finally spoke.
~~~
The follow days were tense as Faith easily slipped into a routine with the slaying while the other tried to keep the house protected. Tara worked the magicks with Giles assisting while Willow split her time researching any news about planned attacks against the slayer and working for her job. Dawn and Freddie prepared for files and stayed with Buffy as moral support. Since everyone was preoccupied, Joy spent a great deal of time with Buffy, something the blonde was not happy about.
As much as she was starting to get attached to the young girl, the slayer was constantly bombarded with flashes to a life she did not want to remember. Images of happy times were seemingly few and far between, as the moments of death, apocalypses, mayhem, and pain always came in overflowing waves. The blonde knew she held some type of vital position in life, but it was a position that she was more than willing to forget. Even when she thought of this girl who was her daughter, the warm feelings were clouded over with flashes of stuffy men, a fire, and a moment that she wished remained forever buried. A moment where disfigured men surrounded her — hurt her — and she wasn't sure which she feared more; their wish to have her or kill her.
"Buffy?" the gently prodding voice broke through and Buffy's eyes slowly opened. "I have to take Willow to the doctor," Tara informed.
"She okay?" the blonde asked in a voice hoarse from sleep.
"Nothing to worry about, just a check-up for the baby."
The blonde gave her a weak smile of acknowledgement and let her eyes drift shut again. She had little interest in the matter, especially since she didn't know that the child Willow carried was also her very own. The topic about the three of them being lovers was never broached and the details of how Joy was conceived were always dodged.
Tara lingered a moment and then turned with a sigh. Though the slayer showed some initial improvement around Joy, she now seemed to be slipping deep into a depression. It was time the Scoobies went into action and got Buffy put back together.
~~~
"What can we do?" Xander asked as the group sat around a table at the Espresso Pump, minus Giles who stayed behind to watch Buffy.
"Well, from what I learned in psych..." Willow started but was interrupted by Xander's groan. "I know she was insane, Xander, but Professor Walsh did make sense when she was in class. Tara and Anya both remained silent, having only been told the tale of Walsh and Adam. Xander and Willow also shared a moment of silent until an unspoken understanding passed between them. "Anyway, the best I can suggest is to surround Buffy with happy things. Pictures, stories, try to be more cheery around her instead of all doom and gloom like."
"I don't see how that could hurt anything," Tara put forth as her acceptance of the preliminary plan.
Soon they were putting together a solid battle plan of how to insinuate all the pleasantness they could without overwhelming the blonde and risk pushing her further into the shell she'd created.
Over the course of the next week they would leave a photo album behind while cleaning up, sitting close by and talk about found memories while the slayer rested though they knew she was listening, and constantly smiling whenever they were near. It was beginning to drive Buffy crazy.
Buffy knew what these people who called themselves friends and family were trying to do and a part deep inside appreciated the effort. However, a larger part of her resented them; irrationally thinking that the only reason they wanted her better was to send her back into the night; into the source of those horrid memories. Her own counter plan began to form.
~~~
Three more months passed and both Willow and Buffy were progressing. The redhead's moods were in constant flux and her body ached in places she didn't know existed. Buffy pushed herself hard during her therapy, even going so far as to ask for sessions five days a week, instead of the original three. With some effort she was able to walk and move her body to do basic tasks, but remained on the ground floor. She longed for the day she could walk easy enough and far enough on her own and planned to walk out the front door — never to return.
There was a buzz through the house when Buffy made her first attempt to climb the stairs. After she reached the third step she slowly turned and was greeted with both applause and a sudden memory flash, which caused her stumble and topple forward. Everyone cried out and lunged forward, but it was Faith who, thanks to her slayer-abilities, reached Buffy first. They both crashed to the floor, though the dark slayer took the brunt of the impact. The blonde slayer frantically scampered away while pandemonium erupted all around them.
Everyone's first thought was that Faith somehow attacked Buffy and Xander made that point known when he landed a solid punch to the woman's face. It was a lucky shot, in that the force caused Faith's head to snap back and connect with the hard floor where darkness greeted her. Willow and Tara were immediately at Buffy's side, trying to both sooth and find out if she was hurt.
Buffy stared passed the women and watched the motionless form on the floor. 'You killed me,' reverberated through her mind, compounding until she screamed "Shut up!" The slayer slumped forward, joining Faith in the welcome oblivion.
~~~
SMACK! "What'd you do to her?" came Xander's demanding voice through Buffy's haze. She slowly opened her eyes and took in the alarming sight. Xander, Anya, willow, Tara, Giles, and Dawn were seated and standing around a tightly bound Faith. Her eye was bruised, lips split, and in general looked ragged.
"Nothing!" Faith snapped back. "Touch me again I'll kick your ass. Now, just let me go and I'll disappear," she snarled.
"Yeah right," Anya jumped in. "So you can come back later and hack us all up into little pieces."
"Enough," Buffy tried to call out, but it was lost when Willow stepped forward.
"I warned you, Faith."
"Enough," Buffy said again, louder this time.
Everyone turned to the slayer and then rushed to the bedside. Everyone but Faith, who let her head slump down, the hurt she felt inside need to be hidden from the Scoobies.
"are you okay" came from so many voices it was impossible to tell which was from who. Buffy immediately closed her eyes and groaned against the onslaught and everyone quickly quieted down.
"Leave us," was her simple command.
Once again a clatter of noise came at her, this time she opened her eyes to silence them — the determination in her eyes enough to get everyone moving. Once alone, Buffy watched Faith, head still bowed. The slow, rhythmic motion of her chest made her appear asleep, but Buffy knew better. "Look at me."
A few moments passed before Faith finally looked up. Their eyes locked and something released — a lifetime, a generation, a history, flooded through Buffy. Realization, discovery, and surprise slammed into Faith. All that Buffy ran so hard from forced its way back into her mind and Faith understood that the woman she thought infallible was far more frightened than she ever imagined — and both knew they each could see inside the other.
(TBC - WIP)