Getting Ahead of Myself
by sailor80
Twenty-four
[reviews]
As soon as Giles was gone, Faith asked, "What'd they send you this time, B?"
"Birth certificate for Dawn." Buffy held the papers out, and Faith came over to take them.
"Nice," she said after glancing at the document, and handed it back. "I'm goin' to patrol. See you later."
"Be careful," Tara said.
Faith backtracked and kissed her quickly. "Wear the skirt with the swirly thingy," she said in a low voice.
Tara blushed, but smiled and nodded. Faith winked and took off toward the weapons chest in the front room.
Joyce asked Buffy, "What's your problem with Rupert owning the magic shop?"
"It's, like, the second most dangerous place in Sunnydale, right after the hellmouth itself."
"I'm sure Rupert can take care of himself."
"Sure he can, Mom," Buffy answered sarcastically. "That's why they call him a Watcher." She stood up. "I hear Dawn."
Dawn was holding herself upright on the edge of the playpen, and smiled hugely when Buffy approached. She let go of the playpen and raised her arms so Buffy could pick her up. Buffy scooped her up and kissed Dawn's face all over. Dawn giggled, and Buffy's bad mood evaporated.
She sat on the floor with Dawn and played peek-a-boo and patty cake. Buffy pretended she didn't notice her mother with the camera, or Willow smiling happily at them, or Tara watching them. When Dawn began to fuss, Buffy picked her up. "I'll get her ready for bed," she told Willow.
Willow nodded. "I'll be up in a minute." She got up and went into the kitchen to prepare a bottle. When it was ready, she went upstairs to the nursery. Buffy was snapping Dawn's sleeper by the time Willow arrived, and she had time to settle herself in the rocker before Buffy brought Dawn to her.
While Willow rocked and fed Dawn, Buffy read them a chapter from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series. It was the first thing she and Willow had been able to agree on, and only after extensive debate. The stories weren't too scary, were interesting, and not too hard to follow. Buffy was enjoying them, since she hadn't read them when she was growing up. Willow, who had gone through all of them one summer, was happy that Buffy was willing to read them to Dawn.
By the time Buffy finished the chapter, Dawn was finished the bottle, burped, and sleeping on Willow's shoulder. Buffy got up from the floor and put the book in its place, then took Dawn from Willow and put her in the crib. She kissed Dawn's forehead before covering her with the blanket, and she and Willow left the door open when they left.
They went to their room. "You aren't really mad about Giles, are you?" Willow asked. She sat on the bed.
Buffy sighed and sat beside Willow. "Not really. Just worried. I mean, we've had to run down how many demons because of it?"
"Yeah, but he needs something to do. And it will give us someplace to do research besides the dining room table." Buffy didn't say anything, so Willow asked, "You're going to help, aren't you?"
"Yes," Buffy answered grudgingly.
"Thank you." Willow kissed her cheek.
"That's all I get?" Buffy mock pouted.
Willow smiled and slid closer. She slid her arm around Buffy's waist and put her head on Buffy's shoulder. "For now. Unless you're very, very good."
"I've been good," Buffy answered. "I didn't insult that Council person once."
"Do you think the birth certificate is valid?"
"I don't know. It looks real enough to me."
"She's growing so fast."
Buffy smiled, as she always did when Dawn was mentioned. "I know. She'll be talking soon."
"We're going to have to teach her at home," Willow said.
"I kinda figured that."
"That's another reason to move research central out of here."
"We could get our own place," Buffy suggested.
Willow thought for a few seconds before answering. "Until we get this Beast thing under control, I think everyone is safer if we stay together."
"All right," Buffy agreed reluctantly. "But after we get rid of this thing, we're going house hunting."
"Agreed." Willow turned away and yawned. "Sorry," she apologized.
"It's all right." Buffy kissed her gently, then stood up. "I'll be watching TV." She bent down and kissed Willow once more. "Sweet dreams."
Faith was later than usual, and Tara paced the living room anxiously. Both Joyce and Buffy had gone up to bed early, and Tara expected Faith to return by 11 p.m. By 11:30, Tara was trying calm herself. At 11:40, she heard uneven steps on the porch. She waited for the door to open before moving toward it.
Tara caught Faith as she stumbled in. Tara kicked the door closed and helped Faith to the small bathroom under the stairs. "Oh, sweetie," she said sympathetically when she saw Faith's face.
"Should see the other guy," Faith slurred and slumped forward.
Tara pulled the first aid kit out from under the sink and threw some washcloths up into the bowl. She turned the water on briefly to get them wet before turning her attention to Faith. Tara knelt in front of her. "Pick your head up, sweetie."
Faith forced herself to sit up. She inhaled with a hiss when Tara touched her split lip with the cloth. A cut over Faith's left eye bled freely, and Tara folded the washcloth into a rectangle. She placed it over the wound and put Faith's hand in place over it.
The more she tried to get a handle on Faith's injuries, the more overwhelmed Tara became. She finally rocked back on her heels. "I need some help," she told Faith. "Will you be all right here for a minute?"
"Get B," Faith said thickly.
"All right," Tara agreed. She hurried from the bathroom and Faith leaned back against the toilet tank with a groan.
Buffy was the first one on the bathroom. "What got you?"
Faith shrugged. "Knights."
Buffy frowned. She backed out of the small room so Willow could get in. "She needs stitches in her lip, Will."
Willow didn't say anything at first. She assessed the injuries she could see, mostly bruises, the lip, and whatever was under the bloody cloth Faith held over her eye. She turned around. "We need some space, Buffy. Take her to the kitchen. I need some things from upstairs."
Willow left, and Faith let Buffy hoist her to her feet. Once they were clear of the bathroom, Tara got on Faith's other side. In the kitchen, they put her in a chair. Tara stood behind Faith and stroked her hair.
"Doesn't look too bad," Buffy said. "Couple bad cuts and a concussion."
"Rib," Faith added as Willow came in carrying the large first aid kit from the upstairs bathroom.
Willow put the bag on the table and opened it. She pulled out a sponge holding threaded needles and looked at Faith speculatively. "This is going to sting. Do you want a shot?"
Faith shook her head. The room swam and she closed her eyes.
"Put your head back," Willow instructed, and Faith laid back against Tara. Willow went to work then. She opened a small packet and removed a square. The smell of alcohol and disinfectant filled the room. Willow pulled a small bottle from the bag and added some of it to the cloth before gently wiping Faith's lip clean of dried blood. She moved the Slayer's hand. Buffy took the bloody cloth to the sink and began to rinse it with cold water while Willow cleaned around that cut. It was bigger, and still bleeding, so Willow began stitching it first.
Faith stayed still. Tara held her head, although it wasn't necessary, and watched Willow put seven stitches through Faith's eyebrow and down beside her eye. Her lip only needed four stitches.
Willow put the needle aside and asked Faith, "What's your name?"
"Don't wanna play, Red."
"C'mon, Faith, you know the drill," Buffy said. "Where are you?"
"Home."
"What's today?"
"Thursday. Friday."
"How many fingers?"
Faith opened her good eye cautiously. "Trick question," she answered Buffy, who had her hands at her side.
Buffy grinned with relief. "Want some help getting downstairs?"
"Yeah." Faith sat up slowly.
Buffy moved to her side and helped Faith to her feet. Tara slid the chair aside and moved so Buffy and Faith could turn. Willow put her hand on Tara's arm and held her in place until Buffy and Faith were on the stairs.
"You need to wake her up every hour or so and make sure she's oriented. She needs to tell you who she is, who you are, the day and maybe the date, and where she is. If you need us, just yell."
"She hasn't looked like this since..." Tara trailed off.
"Yeah," Willow said sympathetically. "She got over that, and she'll get over this."
"Ok," Tara said, and went downstairs.
Faith was sitting on the bed. Buffy stood in front of her, listening. Faith stopped talking when she saw Tara.
"I'll talk to Giles," Buffy told Faith. She turned to Tara. "Get us if you need us."
"Thank you."
Buffy nodded and went upstairs. She closed the basement door and watched Willow clean up and repack the kit. "You and Tara should probably put one of them in the downstairs bathroom and the basement."
"Yeah," Willow agreed. "What got her?"
"Knights. Horses, armor, swords, the whole bit."
"Wow, she really took a hit to the head."
"I don't think so. I mean, yeah, she got hit, but I think that's what she saw."
"Sounds like something Giles needs to check out."
"We'll tell him when we see him." Buffy yawned and looked at the clock. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle and put it in the microwave while Willow closed the case.
Buffy took both the bottle and the first aid kit. She ushered Willow ahead of her through the first floor and up the stairs. Buffy put the first aid kit down by the bathroom door, and they both went into the nursery. Dawn was standing expectantly in her crib, and held her arms out to be picked up as soon as she saw her mothers. Willow lifted her and carried Dawn to the changing table. She changed her diaper quickly and put her in a onesie. The sleeper, its feet blown out since they put Dawn to bed in it, went into the trash with the diaper. Willow handed Dawn off to Buffy, who waited in the rocker.
Buffy rocked, Dawn drank, and Willow straightened the blankets in the crib. Dawn fell asleep before finishing the bottle, and Buffy put her back in the crib and covered her. She and Willow returned to their bed, and fell asleep quickly.