TITLE: The Gift
DISCLAIMER: All things BtVS belong Joss Whedon. X-Men and all characters in the Marvel universe belongs to Marvel Comics and their respective creators. Clark Kent, Smallville and Krypton belong to DC comics and The CW... nothing is mine, only the extremely twisted idea...
Response to Challenge 2837 on TTH "Want, take, have." (What if Faith and Kal-El met in Metropolis when Clark was on the red kryptonite between seasons 2 and 3 of Smallville? See challenge for further details.)
September 13, 2000
Giles frowned to himself as he paced the hallway around the corner in the corridor of the luxury apartments he'd found, still unsure if this was actually a good idea or not. His jacket pockets were full and weighted, two syringes in one pocket, a further spare in the other pocket, along with some of the liquid soaking into a cloth ready to be used should he need it.
The syringes were filled with a stronger version of the mixture used during The Cruciamentum, along with a heavy dose of a sedative, combined they were the same mixture that The Council's retrieval teams used to subdue wayward slayers. Between the three syringes, the small tranquiliser pistol loaded with the same mixture in his left trouser pocket and the small calibre pistol in his right pocket, he felt suitably prepared for whatever he would find inside the apartment he'd tracked down.
Precautions had been taken of course, he'd left an envelope back at his apartment in Sunnydale, knowing if he didn't return, Buffy would find some way into his apartment to look for him or clues to his whereabouts, and the envelope addressed to her would explain why he'd come here, and what she should do next.
It was strange that writing the letter to Buffy in the event of this going horribly wrong, as he feared had a high likelihood of happening, had helped him understand why he was doing it himself.
It had started nearly a month ago, a phone call that he'd answered absently and listened to silence for a few seconds before he heard anxious breathing, and then the phone had been slammed down, cutting off the call. The same call happened for two weeks, every few days he'd get a call, sometimes they would last a few seconds of silence with the breathing he could hear, other times the phone would be slammed down as soon as he answered. It was only this week when two calls had changed the pattern, on Monday he'd received the same silent call and was getting ready to shout his usual tirade down the line demanding to know who he was, when he heard the phone clattering, banging against something, and then he'd heard a familiar voice yelling "fuck!" before the phone had been slammed down again.
He hadn't placed the voice at the time, but the next night the call had come through again, and this time he distinctly heard the voice ask for him by name. He'd answered hesitantly, placing the voice instantly, but the tone was hesitant, almost scared. "Giles?" The voice had repeated. "I... I'm sor... I can't!" The voice had come back. By the time he'd gathered his mind enough to ask "Faith?" in surprise, she'd hung up again.
He'd sat staring at the phone for a while after Faith had hung up, not entirely sure what to do now he knew who it was that had been calling him. The problem was, the voice wasn't the same assured, cocky and brash voice he was used to hearing from her, it sounded hesitant and he'd be willing to bet good money on scared as well.
He'd asked Willow to trace the number, not telling her who it had belonged to, only that he was trying to track down an old acquaintance, and while he was certain that he didn't want to know how Willow had managed to do it, she'd given him an address the next day.
Which was how he'd found himself in the luxury apartments in Metropolis, not really sure of himself and unsure what to do next. It had been so simple when he'd been writing the letter to Buffy, it was a sad truth that Buffy didn't need him anymore, she had grown into every bit the Slayer he knew she could be, and with Willow, Xander, Riley, Dawn and her mother, he knew that she could face anything the world threw at her. However, it was obvious from the tone of her voice over the telephone that Faith was somewhere else, scared, hesitant, and from their history he knew that she would only be calling him as a last resort. So he'd come, just as he would have done for Buffy or anyone else that needed him.
He'd come armed of course, he wasn't stupid, after their last encounter earlier in the year when she'd swapped bodies with Buffy, he wasn't going to take any chances. The letter he'd written to Buffy also included instructions to notify The Council of Faith's address and specifically to let them deal with her if he didn't return.
Taking a deep breath he steeled himself, pushing his hand into his pocket and gripping the tranquiliser pistol, feeling the odd weight in his hand as he walked awkwardly around the corner corridor to the apartment number that Willow had given him. "Now or never," He muttered to himself, clicking the safety off of the pistol in his pocket and gripping it tightly, ready to pull it out and defend himself should he need to, he stepped forward and rapped his knuckles on the door.
"Gimme a sec!"
Giles raised his eyebrow at the voice that came from inside, now he was hearing it in person, it was definitely Faith's voice, but other noises inside sounded like she was vomiting quite uncomfortably. He waited patiently, not entirely sure what else he could do, the moments passed as other various noises came from inside the apartment before they stopped, for a moment he could hear running water and then the door opened.
Stood there was Faith in the doorway, a glass of water in hand, she froze as soon as she opened the door and saw him standing there, the glass falling from her hand and shattering on the floor, splashing water and broken glass everywhere.
He was just as unsure of what to do, seeing Faith standing there, dark circles under her eyes told him that she hadn't been sleeping well, but the jogging bottoms that he felt certain weren't hers along with the tell-tale signs of an early bump in her stomach that was stretching out her normally tight black sleeveless t-shirt had shocked him more.
"Shit!" Faith cursed out, still staring at Giles but stepping back from the doorway before looking down at the broken glass on the floor.
"Faith... I..." Giles started, not quite knowing exactly what to say in this situation. There were records of Slayers becoming pregnant during their callings, but it was believed to be a very rare occurrence, as a Slayer's abilities and calling generally prevented them from being able to carry the baby to term.
"How... how did you find me?" Faith asked quietly, anxiously looking around behind Giles in the corridor for the rest of the Scoobies that she'd expected to follow him.
"They're not here," Giles said softly, his grip around the tranquiliser pistol softening. As much as he had prepared to face an angry or possibly volatile Faith, he hadn't expected or prepared to face a pregnant Slayer, and the drug concoction he'd mixed would almost certainly have problematic repercussions for her child if he used it on her. "You're pregnant."
"No shit," Faith muttered, her hand going instinctively to her belly protectively.
"Yes, sorry," Giles shook his head, releasing the pistol in his pocket entirely from his hand so he could reach up to retrieve his glasses to clean them on his shirt. "It was... I wasn't quite expecting that."
"Shocked me too," Faith admitted.
Honestly, Giles didn't actually know what to say to that. The awkward silence stretched on for a few moments, leaving Giles unsure what to say as he watched Faith avoid his eyes and look everywhere else but at his face. Watchers as a rule generally forbid their Slayers to become pregnant during their calling, historically anyway. There had been a few notable exceptions he could think of, but in general The Council frowned on anything that took their Slayer away from her calling for any length of time, or jeopardised their control over the Slayer, which pregnancy certainly did as the Slayer then put their child first before their calling, and in his mind, quite rightly so too.
"You called me?" He said finally, not wanting to say that she'd actually called him over a dozen times, but he'd only heard her voice twice and that they'd never actually spoken.
"I..." Faith trailed off, looking down at her boots. "I didn't think you'd come."
"Faith, I know..." Giles sighed, not really knowing what to say. They had certainly had a difficult time, through Faith's mistakes and his own, but looking at her now he didn't see the self-assured cocky Slayer that he knew from before, and was reminded how young Faith actually was.
"Damn hormones!" Faith muttered to herself, wiping her eyes quickly with her hands.
Giles watched with a small smile, covering it up quickly with a cough so wouldn't antagonise Faith by it. "I assume..." He paused, gesturing to Faith's stomach. "Is why you called? Is there a problem with..."
"Shit," Faith sighed, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "I don't know." She answered at last in a small voice.
"I see," Giles nodded.
"Do..." Faith trailed off anxiously, trying to find her words. "What happens to pregnant Slayers?" She asked at last.
"Well, there are..." Giles sighed, looking side to side down the corridors around him. "Should we continue this inside?" He asked hesitantly. "If there are assurances of course."
"Ain't gonna start anything with you when you've got the answers." Faith muttered, but nodded anyway, this sort of conversation was much easier to have inside than in the doorway. Taking a breath, she stepped aside, letting Giles walk in if he could. The engrained habit of not inviting anyone in was still enough for her, even though it was daylight outside.
"That would be much appreciated." Giles smiled wryly at her, stepping over the puddle of water and broken glass into the apartment itself. He paused, looking around what was obviously a high class and expensive penthouse apartment, the view from the windows alone of the city outside told him that this sort of apartment was well out of his price range, let alone what he assumed Faith could afford.
He watched as Faith gingerly kicked the broken glass out of the doorway into the apartment itself, using her foot as a broom to slide all the broken glass pieces away from the door and into a corner before she closed the door and turned to face him.
"It ain't mine," Faith said after a moment. "The place." She explained what she meant at Giles' look. "It's... you know..."
"The father's," Giles nodded, guessing what Faith was trying to say.
"Yeah," Faith nodded back. "He..." Faith trailed off with a shrug.
"Maybe you should start at the beginning." Giles suggested, seeing how Faith was failing with her words and trying to get out what she wanted to say. "Why you called me?"
"Because I'm freaking out ok?" Faith practically shouted. "First I'm bitten by this vamp, I figure it's game over folks, then he's sucking on my neck and explodes like someone shoved a flare up his ass or something!"
Giles blinked at that, not entirely sure what he could say to what Faith was describing.
"I ain't stupid G, I was on the pill... I don't even know..." Faith sighed, moving to one of the couches in the room and flopping down on it.
"Faith, no contraception is one hundred percent," Giles said calmly. "It's possible that this is just one of those times that slipped through."
"And vamps exploding drinking my blood? That's normal shit now right?" Faith demanded, staring up at where Giles was still standing in the room. "Take a load off G, couch ain't gonna bite ya know?" She said with a smirk, nodding at the other couch in the room.
"Yes, well, as a rule no." Giles shook his head as he walked to the other couch in the room that was angled at ninety degrees to the one Faith was sat on, giving him a reasonably safe distance between them. "Are you quite sure that..."
"Hell yeah," Faith nodded. "didn't even leave a scar, healed up before I'd got home." She explained, reaching to touch the left side of her neck. "So what the hell?"
"Faith..." Giles sighed, taking off his glasses and polishing them on his shirt. "There are a few records of Slayers being..."
"Knocked up?" Faith suggested as she saw Giles searching for the right word.
"Carrying a child to term," Giles said carefully after frowning at Faith's comment. "during their calling. Though I don't have any of the diaries of their Watcher's to hand, I do recall that it is a rare enough occurrence that there aren't many theories on how your calling would affect the pregnancy." He noted the thoughts down, reminding himself to dig through the old Watchers journals when he got back to Sunnydale to find out what he could about it. "I assume... the father..."
"Ain't seen him," Faith said softly. "Kinda hot and heavy for a few weeks, guy could keep up if you know what I'm sayin', then he blew out one night and didn't come back."
"Ah," Giles nodded. "So, he isn't aware that you're..."
"Knocked up," Faith shook her head. "Weren't showing when we were doing the tango, didn't figure it out until a few months after he'd split." She shrugged. "Figured he weren't the normal type anyway."
"Normal?" Giles raised his eyebrow at that.
"When a guy can toss cars around for fun, kinda makes him stand out," Faith smirked. "Had this wicked scar on his chest as well, guy gave me the low-down tingle every time I saw him."
"The... oh, no, I'd rather not know thank you." Giles muttered, taking off his glasses again.
"Not like that," Faith smirked over. "Well, yeah, that too, but you know, that tingle that says there's a vamp around?"
"Ah," Giles nodded at Faith's clarification. "He wasn't human you mean to say."
"Had all the right parts if you know what I'm saying," Faith grinned.
"Well, yes, there are a number of demons that can resemble humans," Giles said thoughtfully. "I'm not aware of many that would actively initiate... well, that is to say..."
"Doin' the nasty," Faith interrupted.
"Yes," Giles nodded. "Most demons find intercourse with humans to be rather... tame for their experiences."
"Ain't nothing about sex with me that gets labelled tame," Faith said proudly. "I rocked his world."
"I'm sure," Giles said dryly, rubbing his forehead with his hands before replacing his glasses. "So, you believe that it is possibly an aspect of carrying the child that provided the protection against this vampire that attacked you?"
"Huh?" Faith asked, trying to follow what Giles had asked her.
"Something about your blood caused the vampire to immolate." Giles clarified.
"Hell yeah," Faith nodded. "Been caught a few times, never had a vamp explode after taking a mouthful though, since this is the only new thing," She said, gesturing to her stomach. "kinda figuring the answer here."
"May I ask..." Giles frowned, wondering how to phrase his question. "How far along... if you know..."
"Hooked up with Kal a few months back, figure about May time we were doing the most humping," She explained with a grin. "Hot summer nights ya know?" She smirked over, watching as Giles started cleaning his glasses again with a blush.
"Yes, well," Giles sighed, expecting this sort of behaviour from Faith. "So you would be somewhere around five months along?"
"Sounds about right," Faith nodded.
"Hmmm," Giles frowned to himself thoughtfully, eying Faith's stomach then looking away when she caught him staring.
"What? What's the 'hmmm' for?" Faith demanded, standing up and gesturing to her stomach. "What? Is the Slayer gig gonna be a problem here or..."
"Doubtful," Giles shook his head. "I was merely thinking that you aren't... showing, shall we say? As much as I would expect for five months pregnant."
"Oh," Faith frowned at that, looking down at her stomach. "Thought I looked huge already, you mean it's not that big?" She asked, looking from Giles and back down at her stomach again.
"Not at all," Giles shook his head. "I would have thought around three months if you hadn't have said otherwise."
"No go," Faith shook her head. "Kal had booked before then, ain't done the deed since he left."
"Ah, quite." Giles nodded after translating what Faith had actually said into terms he could understand. "It could be that the child is smaller than would normally be expected for a human? Or maybe... Kal was it?" He continued when Faith nodded. "Kal's species of demon have longer pregnancies than humans. Without knowing what species he is, it would be impossible to say."
"Figured," Faith nodded. "Can't exactly go to a normal doc and ask what's going on with this stuff can I?" Faith sighed.
"No, I'd rather think not." Giles shook his head in agreement. "Faith, before we talk anymore, I believe we should address the elephant in the room so to speak."
"Huh?" Faith frowned, wondering what Giles was getting at.
"The child," Giles asked, standing up from the sofa. "Do you mean to keep it, or..." He trailed off, not wanting to upset Faith.
Faith nodded after a moments pause. "Freaked at first, then you know, it's scary ya know? I don't know if... I mean, didn't exactly have the best time growing up."
"Ah," Giles nodded at that, not actually knowing much of what Faith's history before Sunnydale had actually been like.
"I figured since the pill didn't do shit, and Kal was... whatever, it ain't something I could just go to a doc for and get an abortion right?" Faith asked quietly.
"Quite," Giles nodded thoughtfully. "And while I wouldn't presume to tell you what to do about this, I would suggest finding a way to hunt this Kal down." He held up his hand when he saw Faith ready to say something. "If only to find out what species of demon he is so you can provide the correct information. You said he was human looking, which is a good indication that the child will be too, but without knowing if his species need any special care during their pregnancy, it could cause complications down the line for both you and the child."
Faith fell silent for a while, obviously considering what Giles had said before she paced back to the sofa and sat down heavily on it, resting her head in her hands. "Hate that you make sense with that kinda crap." She said with a sigh. "Kinda why I started calling, needed someone to talk some sense into me with all this shit."
"Well, if it's any consolation, this isn't quite how I imagined this discussion would go either." Giles sighed, sitting back down on his couch as well. "In fact, I can safely say I never imagined having this discussion at all, and would have happily not done so."
"Sorry," Faith smirked over, showing she was anything but sorry for the embarrassment she'd put him through. "And you know... sorry." She said softly, her voice barely audible in the quiet of the apartment as she looked down at her feet. "Kal, Kal kinda put everything in perspective for a bit. He was worse than I was, but he wasn't an asshole about it like I'd been. He got the whole running away from destiny gig though, it was nice to be with someone that got it for a bit." She explained.
"I see," Giles nodded. "Perhaps if we had been there for you more in Sunnydale, things might have gone differently." Giles admitted with a sigh. "Mistakes were made, by both of us." He explained, looking up to see Faith nodding slowly at him. "Perhaps it is time we moved past them though."
"Doubt B and the others will be up for that," Faith said with a sigh. "'Specially after I did the tango with her new boytoy back there while in her body."
"Let me worry about them." Giles said with a nod, pinching his nose and trying to erase the mental images that Faith was putting in his mind. "Let us worry about finding this Kal first, and then we can go from there."
"Ain't gonna be easy," Faith sighed as she leaned back on the couch while thinking. "If Kal wanted to get gone, ain't nobody going to stand in his way."
"I see," Giles frowned thoughtfully. "And he didn't mention any specifics as to where he came from or any friends that might know where he went?"
"Only saw one girl that came lookin' for him, blonde chick called Chloe, he took her outside to talk but heard enough," Faith shrugged. "Girl was saying he needed to go back to Smallville 'cause his parents were worried about him or something." She explained.
"Smallville?" Giles raised an eyebrow at that. "Hardly a name synonymous with a demonic family." He said with a wry chuckle. "A place to start though." He said with a nod.
"What if..." Faith sighed, dropping her head into her hands. "He left ya know? What if he knew and just didn't..."
"Faith, while I can't speak for this Kal's intentions or why he left you and the child, I would say only that you need to talk to him to find out more before you make any further decisions." Giles explained. "If only for your own safety and the safety of the child, with Kal being an unknown demonic species, there are variables that I couldn't even begin to understand. We would need information from him, or another member of his species, before you proceeded with anything."
"Why can't things be easy anymore?" Faith sighed from the couch, looking over at Giles and cradling her stomach in one arm.
"Things rarely ever were," Giles said with a small smile. "You are just older and wiser now to understand that things aren't as easy as they appeared."
"Enough of the old," Faith griped with a smirk.
"I apologise," Giles chuckled thoughtfully before growing serious again. "Faith, having a child is an enormous responsibility. Are you sure that this is what you want?" He asked.
When she didn't answer he looked across the room at her, seeing her face as she cradled her stomach protectively, a content look that he'd never seen on her face before when she had been in Sunnydale, which gave him all the answer he needed.
After finding a map of Kansas in Faith's apartment, Giles had managed to locate Smallville, an aptly named town some two hours' drive west of Metropolis, which had given him time to plan the short drive while Faith had grabbed things from around her apartment.
As they approached Smallville, Giles now found himself knowing enough about Faith's adventures in Metropolis to have a slightly better understanding of the girl now, and more interestingly had a face to put to this Kal that was the father of Faith's child. She'd shown him some photos of the two of them together, obviously taken by Faith at arm's length with a disposable camera while the two of them laid in bed, the two of them looked oddly happy.
Kal looked to be nearly a foot taller that Faith, and far broader than her slim frame, with dark scruffy hair and pale eyes that Faith had told him flashed red sometimes. He couldn't make out the glyph that had been scarred on Kal's chest from the photo Faith had shown him, though there were several cultures around the world, both human and demonic, that used tattoos, branding, or other forms of marks to signify the passing of a child into adulthood.
Surprisingly Faith had fallen asleep sometime during the drive, after talking about why she had ended up in Metropolis tending bar at a club called Atlantis, how she had met Kal, and some of their tamer adventures, he'd looked over to find her curled up asleep on the passenger chair of his rental car. A little smile on her face as she held the photo of her and Kal in her hands and slept soundly while he'd drove on.
"Meteor capital of the world?" Giles muttered to himself wryly as he drove past the sign saying 'Welcome to Smallville' by the side of the road. The population was some eight thousand more than Sunnydale, though the map he had found showed the town itself to be considerably smaller if you didn't take into account the farmlands around the town itself.
The drive itself had actually been surprisingly pleasant, through farmland and around Morley Reservoir before crossing Smallville Dam to where he could see the small town in the distance to drive towards. The relaxing time had given him chance to think about what sort of demon this Kal must be. Given that the photo Faith had shown him showed sunlight streaming across both of them, he was certain he wasn't a vampire or any of the other demonic species that were averse to sunlight. Brachan demons could pose for humans effectively enough and breed with them, though they were missing the strength that Faith indicated, and she hadn't mentioned anything about blue spines appearing, which was a pretty large indicator of a Brachan demon. A Goahold demon was rumoured to have the strength that Faith had told him about, though largely he wasn't aware of them breeding with humans, not to mention that they hadn't been seen since the Egyptian dynasty and journals told of their eyes flashing gold, not red.
All in all, Kal was proving more of a mystery than he had expected at first, and he found himself actually puzzling over the aspects Faith had mentioned that didn't seem to fit any demon he could think of, it was actually refreshing to have a puzzle that required time and experience to solve, and not a simple two-minute research session.
Finding the main street of the town was easy enough, unlike Sunnydale the town seemed to be based around three small blocks, with most of the residential areas being in the outlying farmland around the town itself. Driving down the main street he found an easy place to park and pulled over, parking easily on the quiet main street before turning the engine off and getting out of the car to stretch his legs.
Compared to the drive from Sunnydale to Metropolis that had taken him two days' worth of driving with a motel stop between, the drive to Smallville had actually gone by rather quickly, and with Faith asleep in the car for most of it, had left him to enjoy the peace and quiet of the road, and then finding a classic rock radio station that he'd put on at a low volume he'd simply enjoyed the music as he drove.
As he stretched his legs and walked around to the side of the car so he could look around while keeping an eye on the car and Faith, he found that Smallville was definitely different to Sunnydale. The atmosphere alone felt lighter, more fresh and hopeful. In Sunnydale, even during the day there was the constant background hum coming from the Hellmouth that everyone sensitive to that sort of thing could feel prickling at their skin, and he'd be willing to bet even people who weren't sensitive to the darker aspects of the world would have noticed it if they'd known what to look for. Smallville however felt far different, clear skies overhead lit up the town with bright colours and vibrant people going about their lives, people that probably never feared for their lives at the hands of vampires, demons, or whatever else the Hellmouth would throw at Buffy on a regular basis.
Looking through the passenger side window of the car it was obvious that Faith was content to sleep for the moment, so Giles looked around the high street at the various shops, spotting a coffee shop called The Talon several doors down he tapped on the window lightly before opening the passenger door slowly as Faith roused from her slumber. "Smallville," He smiled wryly as Faith's silent question as she looked around the street drowsily.
"Ain't been sleepin' well," Faith muttered as she wiped her hand over her eyes and mouth, frowning at the drool that came away from her lips. "Slept all the way here?"
"Most of it," Giles nodded as he opened the car door fully as Faith unbuckled her seat belt, holding it open for her to step out of the car before closing it after her.
"Better than the bed back at Kal's," Faith muttered, eying the car seat that she'd slept comfortably on for the last few hours before looking around the town they were in. "Ain't exactly Metropolis." She muttered, rubbing her face again in an act to try and wake herself up properly.
"Larger than Sunnydale, but a smaller population. Only larger due to the farming land I'd assume." Giles nodded at her assessment. While Faith had slept he'd taken the time to remove the weaponry and drug syringes from his pockets, storing them carefully wrapped up in a handkerchief under the driver's seat in the car for now. "A drink before we continue on?" He asked, gesturing to the coffee shop down the street he'd identified.
"Good plan," Faith nodded, stretching and arcing her back, as comfortable as the car seat had been to sleep on, it hadn't done her body any favours now she was up and moving again.
Giles waited for her to stretch a bit before seeing she was ready to head on, then leading the way down the street to the Talon, entering the coffee shop it was obviously more welcoming than any coffee shop he'd found in Sunnydale, with tables and chairs scattered around, along with various couches and comfortable chairs scattered around the edges of the room where he could see a few people relaxing with books while enjoying their chosen beverages.
The coffeeshop itself seemed to be decorated in a mixture of styles, with Egyptian hieroglyphics around one wall, but then half covered up by purple and green mesh curtains with a gold trim. The decorations seemed at odds with each other, but gave a sort of comfortable blend that felt like anyone could fit in here.
"Hey there."
Giles turned from where he'd been looking around to see a young woman with dark hair smiling at him, from the apron and notepad in her hand, along with the name nag marked 'Lana', it was obvious that she worked here. "Hello." Giles smiled casually.
"Grab a seat, I'll be over in a second." Lana said with a smile, collecting some empty mugs from a table before wiping it down and taking the mugs back to the counter at the edge of the room.
"Friendly enough," Giles nodded to Faith, gesturing for her to take a seat at the table that had just been wiped down.
Faith just shrugged at that, coffee shops weren't really her thing. If it had been a bar or club she'd have been able to comment, but a small town coffee shop didn't really leave her much to say.
"So, what can I get for you?" The girl with the nametag came back with another friendly smile.
"Tea, if you have it?" Giles asked hopefully.
"Sure thing, pot and strainer or just a cup?" Lana asked.
"Pot please." Giles smiled, inwardly enthusiastic at finding a shop that actually stocked proper tea rather than relying on a mug and tea-bags for his regular drink.
"Bottle of water," Faith said as Lana looked over at her. "And one of those cookies." She said, nodding to the counter where various snacks were arranged on display.
"A muffin too please," Giles called her attention back. "Blueberry?"
"Coming right up," Lana smiled, jotting down the two orders before walking away.
"Friendly enough," Giles commented with a smile as he relaxed in the chair slightly. "Once we've finished here we can start looking for this Kal of yours." He explained. "I assume you have some idea of where we should start?"
"Knowing Kal, probably the closest bar or fancy hotel," Faith shrugged. "He weren't exactly a low key kinda guy." She explained. "Hence the surprise at... you know," She said, gesturing around to mean the small town they were in.
"Yes, his apartment did seem rather... opulent, compared to the town you believe he was from." Giles nodded in agreement.
"He was rich ya know?" Faith shrugged. "Didn't mean anything to me, but he'd flash around cash whenever he wanted, paid for the apartment through to the end of the year like it was nothing." She explained how she'd still been living there when Kal had moved on. "Never said where he got the money from, but kinda guessed it wasn't from a nine to five if you know what I'm saying."
"Ah, yes." Giles nodded thoughtfully.
"Wasn't exactly a nun myself ya know, but he was doing it just for the kicks and to get away from his dad." Faith said with a frown. "Told me his dad gave him the wicked scar for running away."
"Hardly a loving parent." Giles frowned at the image conjured up.
"Hell, between us, we weren't exactly rolling in father figures." Faith snorted. "Kal's was scar-crazy, and mine got locked up for... whatever, back when I was a kid." She said, covering up the fact that her father had been arrested for murder, it wasn't the sort of thing she was going to just blurt out to people, even Giles who'd come to help her when she hadn't expected anything of him. "Figure he's either still banged up, or dead." She said with a shrug.
"I didn't know," Giles frowned at what Faith was telling him, to be honest, when Faith had first come to Sunnydale he hadn't thought much about her background really. Even when he'd learnt that Kakistos had killed her watcher, he hadn't taken much of an interest to learn about what Faith had been through in Boston before coming to Sunnydale, in retrospect he couldn't really blame Faith now for feeling like an outsider when neither him or Buffy had done anything to really help her open up to them.
"Ya never asked," Faith shrugged. "'Sides, dad might have been an asshole, but he never did shit like Kal's dad did." She muttered. "Trying to control his life then doing shit like that when he wanted to do his own thing." She explained, sighing as she pulled the photo of her and Kal out of her pocket to look at again.
Giles stayed silent at that, not knowing what to say. He might have argued with his own father from time to time, but he had no real experience to compare what Faith was talking about, and anything he said to indicate he understood would come across as disingenuous at best.
"Here you go."
Giles looked up, thankful for the interruption to the awkward silence as the waitress came back over with a circular black tray, putting it down on the table she set up the pot of tea, along with a cup and a small jug of milk, then set aside the muffin and cookie before putting the bottle of water on the table last.
"Thank you," Giles smiled up at her.
"Anything else you need, just wave me over." She said with a smile as she left the table.
"Too early to be that cheery," Faith muttered to herself as she opened the bottle of water and took a mouthful.
"It's nearly eleven," Giles smiled wryly, knowing what Faith meant though as he checked the pot of tea to make sure it was mixed properly before setting the strainer over his cup and pouring the tea through, inwardly smiling at the fresh smell that came up from the steam.
"You need a moment? 'Cause I can step outside if..." Faith trailed off with a smirk.
"Hardly," Giles responded with a small smile as he tapped out the strainer on the saucer provided before pouring a small amount of milk into the cup and stirring happily. "Perhaps we should talk more about why you chose Metropolis of all places?"
"Huh?" Faith frowned, mid-way through swallowing a mouthful of water. "You mean why I came here?" She asked before shrugging. "Seemed like a good a place as any for a fresh start ya know?" She explained, twisting on the lid of her water and putting it on the table with her photo. "After Angel and... yeah, LA just weren't for me."
"Buffy said that you were going to turn yourself in?" Giles asked curiously. "But you ran instead?"
"What you want me to say?" Faith asked, a defensive tone creeping into her voice. "I freaked at the idea of going to jail. Knew those Wolfram and Hart guys would stiff me for whatever they could. Hell, I'd be lucky to even see my first cell." She explained. "Between them and the council guys Wes sic'd on me, getting' out of dodge looked like the only way I'd see another morning."
"Well, yes, I can see how that would have been..." Giles sighed, taking off his glasses and placing them on the table next to his cup of tea. "Buffy hadn't indicated that Wolfram and Hart had you marked as well, and Wesley failed to mention he had called another retrieval team for you."
"Ain't no reason she'd'a known," Faith shrugged. "After Angel was kinda decent to me, 'specially after what happened with Wes, I couldn't stick around."
"No, I'd imagine not." Giles admitted with a nod.
"'Tropolis was the first train that came in, hopped aboard without a bag or shit, never looked back." Faith explained. "Figured a couple'a hundred miles was far enough."
"Sadly, we never manage to out run our past," Giles sighed thoughtfully, remembering his own experiences with Eyghon in his youth and how it re-emerged to torture him only a few years ago.
"Was doing pretty well until this," Faith muttered, gesturing to her stomach.
"Well, yes," Giles smiled wryly. "Fate has a rather nasty habit of getting in the way I'm afraid."
"I get what Angel was trying to sell, ya know?" Faith said in a small voice. "The redemption gig and all that shit, I get it." She explained quietly. "I just figured ain't no way I'm going to get a chance at it with evil lawyers and council hit men after me while I'm locked up."
"No..." Giles sighed, retrieving his glasses from the table and polishing them before returning them to his face slowly. "I rather think your earlier assessment of the situation was rather apt, listening to your explanations has put a rather more complicated view on things, more so than I was led to believe." He said with a frown before taking another mouthful from his cup of tea.
"Can't blame them for thinking I just split," Faith said softly, sinking down in her chair even more. "After all the shit I did, guess outta sight outta mind was best for 'em all."
"Faith, I hardly think..." Giles started, but was cut off by another voice coming from behind him.
"Hey, I know you right?"
He paused, turning around to see a young blonde coming away from the counter with a takeaway mug of coffee in one hand and a slim laptop under the other arm. "Hmm?" He asked before realising that the blonde wasn't looking at him and was focused on Faith.
"You're the chick that came to see Kal," Faith nodded, standing up from her chair. "He was kinda yelling," She explained. "Heard enough to recognise the name Smallville." She said with a shrug.
"His name's Clark," The girl frowned over as she walked towards Faith. "What are you doing here?"
"Came to find him," Faith shrugged. "Need to talk some things out." She explained.
"Clark?" Giles asked, standing up himself to stand between Faith and the young blonde. "Sorry, might you know where we can find him?"
"He's probably on the farm doing his chores," The blonde said, a bit confused why the older man was with the girl she'd seen Clark with in Metropolis.
"I see," Giles smiled. "And could you perhaps..."
"Oh my god!" The blonde whispered, looking around Giles at Faith more closely. "You're pregnant! Is it... oh god, that's... that's why you're here! To tell Clark he's... he's going to be a dad." She whispered the last.
"Oh dear," Giles frowned, stepping forward to hold his arm out for the young girl, taking her cup of coffee from her and guiding her to the chair where he'd been sat. "I imagine we've found one of his friends." He said with a small smile towards Faith.
"Chick came to get him from 'Tropolis," Faith nodded. "Managed to get a rise out of him, so figured they were kinda close."
"From her reaction, I'd say so." Giles nodded in agreement at what she was saying. "Are you ok Miss?"
"Chloe," The blonde said softly. "Sorry, I... I just... Clark, I totally didn't expect that." She said with wide eyes staring at Faith.
"I see," Giles nodded, standing at the table while Faith sat back down in her chair and grabbed her bottle of water again. "I take it this sort of behaviour isn't the normal for... sorry, Clark did you say?" He asked, then turned to Faith when Chloe nodded.
"Don't look at me," Faith shrugged. "Always went by Kal, never asked him 'bout it. Figured if he had another name, weren't my business."
"Quite," Giles sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"It's really Clarks?" Chloe asked in a small voice staring at Faith.
"Ain't been with anyone else," Faith shrugged.
"Oh my god, his parents are totally going to freak out!" Chloe whispered. "He's going to be grounded forever."
"Grounded?" Faith frowned. "Wait, parents? Nobody said shit about parents!" She blurted out, looking over at Giles with a panicked expression.
"Yes, sorry," Giles muttered, looking down at Chloe. "Exactly how old is Clark?"
"Seventeen," Chloe shrugged. "He's in my class at..."
"Seventeen!" Faith practically shrieked.
"Oh good lord," Giles muttered, taking off his glasses again to polish them on his shirt.
"Hell no, no wait, ain't no way that Kal was..." Faith muttered, ramping up to a rant before Giles interrupted her.
"Faith, take a breath." Giles said, reminding her to stay calm. "Are you sure he is only seventeen?"
"Yeah," Chloe nodded. "I've known him since we were kids. He's always helping out around the farm, we used to play there before... we grew up you know?"
"Yes," Giles nodded, knowing how well young teens tended to avoid boy girl friends until puberty took hold of them. "Could you perhaps give us directions to where we can find Mr Kent? A farm you said?"
"I can take you there," Chloe nodded. "His parents are definitely going to freak out."
"Right there with them," Faith muttered from her chair where she was silently hoping that the world would swallow her right there and then.
"Perhaps directions would be best," Giles said delicately. "I'm sure you can imagine that this will be... ahem, awkward enough."
"Oh, yeah, totally." Chloe nodded, pulling around her satchel and reaching in for a paper and pen to write directions down on. "Yeah, sorry, brain still hasn't caught up with Clark Kent father yet." She explained. "You want to head straight down main street, head right at the water tower, can't miss it. Then left by the KTML place, big antenna, local TV network." She explained. "About a mile straight on out of town towards the cemetery." She said with a smile, jotting the directions down as she spoke before handing them over to Giles.
"Much appreciated." Giles said with a smile, inwardly pausing at the idea of the Kent Farm living so close to the town cemetery, possibly another link that would help identify the species of demon they were dealing with here. "This is sort of a delicate situation, so I'd rather keep things as quiet as possible."
"Oh yeah, totally." Chloe nodded, inwardly still in shock about what she'd just learnt.
"Your discretion is appreciated." Giles smiled warmly, bringing out his wallet and placing some money on the table for the drinks along with a reasonable tip to apologise for any disturbance they'd made. "Faith, should we..."
"Yuhuh," Faith nodded, snatching her photo before sliding it into her pocket and then collecting her bottle of water and cookie from the table. "Seventeen?" She muttered to herself as she walked through the coffee shop towards the door, Giles following with his blueberry muffin in hand. "Cradlerobber Faith, that's what they'll call me right?" She muttered as she pushed open the door and headed out onto the main street with Giles following her.
"Seventeen is hardly that bad," Giles said softly as he walked up alongside her and directed her towards where he'd parked the car. "I imagine at seventeen you were... well, actually no, I'd rather not imagine that if it's all the same to you." He offered with a small smile.
"Only nineteen Jeeves, not dead." Faith muttered. "Just a shock ya know? Figured he was college age or whatever, not doing homework shit while I weren't there." She sighed as they approached the car and Giles unlocked the door for her. "Hell, I was only sixteen when I was Called, so ain't got to tell me what we got upto like that."
"Sixteen?" Giles raised an eyebrow at that, he'd always imagined Faith had been older for some reason. "I'd thought..."
"Grew up fast," Faith shrugged. "So, you got the directions?" She asked, nodding to the paper in Giles' hand, taking the conversation away from the awkward talks about how she'd grown up and how her dad had been arrested when she was young, leaving her mom turning tricks to keep the electricity on. She might not have been proud of how she grew up, but there was no way in hell she was going to talk about it and listen to Giles' 'oh mys' like some kind of sob story.
"Yes, shall we?" Giles indicated, waiting for Faith to get in the car before closing the door behind her and walking around to get in the driver's seat himself. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" He asked patiently, not wanting to rush Faith into any decisions she wasn't ready for. The last few hours had been oddly enlightening, and he'd found himself re-evaluating what he knew about Faith's actions from another viewpoint now.
"Might as well get it over with," Faith muttered, rubbing her forehead in her hands. "If his parents start yelling, I'm outta there though right?" She felt the need to mark her terms right there for Giles to know what to expect.
"Faith, I'm sure there will be some rather heated discussion," Giles ventured. "Though given his age, I'd say the yelling will be more aimed at him than you one would expect." He mused thoughtfully. "This is all of course relying on the fact that his parents are the same species that he is and know what to expect. Perhaps his journey into Metropolis and rebellion is similar to a right of passage for his species, a coming of age journey perhaps?"
"I ain't nobodies journey!" Faith muttered, glaring back at Giles.
"A poor choice of words," Giles admitted bashfully. "I was merely trying to think of ways to explain..." He trailed off catching the glare Faith was sending him. "Perhaps another time." He said to himself, turning the ignition and starting the car before pulling out onto the road.
"Yeah, another time." Faith muttered as Giles drove down the main street, Chloe's directions in one hand as he followed them towards the Kent farm.
AN: This fic is basically my response to seeing so many fluffy romance Buffy and Clark fics around, a darker and more troubled look at a paring is far more my style, along with more than a few bumps and hiccups along the way for my tortured new parents lol