A/N: This story is AU set in the same universe as my story Little Friend. Instead of Faith turning back into an adult she stays as a baby. Set in Season Six.
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In the week since they'd faced Absentitus and Faith had been turned into a ten month old version of herself Buffy had began to appreciate her life again. After being brought back from the dead things had been difficult for the blonde Slayer and it was only now with the infant in their lives that the rest of the Scooby Gang had seen their friend return to the woman she had been before she sacrificed herself to save the world.
She was sitting on the floor now with the infant sitting between her legs. The two of them were facing Dawn and were rolling a plastic ball back and forth much to the infant's delight. She would clap her hands together and laugh every time Buffy helped her to catch the ball and Buffy felt herself falling deeper and deeper in love with the baby currently giving her a huge gummy smile.
Once she was sure Faith was sitting up on her own she got up and left the room intent on getting the baby something for lunch. To get into the kitchen she had to step over the baby gate Xander had made, similar ones were now all around the house stopping Faith from going up the stairs or down into the basement as well as blocking her from Buffy's weapons chest or the television. Having the gate up gave the baby more freedom to move around downstairs and also gave the older members of the household the peace of mind to know that she couldn't escape or hurt herself on anything if they weren't watching.
She smiled as she heard her sister and Faith laughing from the living room. There was nothing like the sound of a baby's laughter to put a smile on your face. She pulled a jar of baby food from the fridge and looked around the kitchen for Faith's bib, finally spotting it hanging off the hook they usually rested their keys on. She opened the jar and put it on the tray of the highchair Xander had brought over and grabbed the bib before heading back to get Faith.
"Baby where have your shorts gone?" she said standing on the kitchen side of the baby gate. When she had crawled from the living room across to the kitchen the denim shorts Faith had been wearing had slid down her legs leaving her in the short sleaved black and white striped onesie she was wearing underneath. Seeing Buffy the infant used the baby gate to pull herself up into a standing position and looked up at the blonde Slayer expectantly.
"Where's Aunt Dawnie gone?" Buffy asked the baby lifting her up and over the gate and resting her on her hip.
"'Nie," Faith said as Buffy fastened the bib around her neck.
"That's right and I've added the Aunt part in there since Dawn decided to pull the whole you're my daughter thing at school so she may as well play the part," Buffy said carrying the baby into the kitchen and strapping her into the high chair. It was things like this, sitting in the kitchen and feeding Faith from a jar of baby food that in just a week had become like second nature. She didn't think twice about making up a bottle of baby formula, or changing diapers or even getting up in the middle of the night to a crying baby.
"Hey Buff, hey Faithy, what are we doing?" Willow said coming in through the back door coming over to give the baby a kiss on the forehead. Over the past week the infant and instantly won over the entire Scooby Gang, even a reluctant Spike. She had fit into their lives so easily that none of them had even stopped to think how different things were going to be.
"We are just having some lunch and then we're going to have a little nap," Buffy said, "How was class?"
"Good, great even, have I mentioned how much I love this course I think it's going to open up heaps of doors for me," Willow said grabbing an apple and coming to sit down next to Buffy, giving Faith her hand when the infant reached out to her.
"That's great Will I'm really glad you're enjoying it," Buffy said giving Faith another spoonful.
"Have you given any more thought to going back?" Willow asked.
"Sort of, but Anya has been going over our finances and she said that I'm going to have to get a job if we want to keep this house and with everything that's going on with Faith," Buffy trailed off smiling when the baby looked up, "That's right I'm talking about you," she said tweaking the baby on the nose.
"We don't even know how long Faith's gonna stay like this and maybe if she doesn't you can go back part time a-and even if she doesn't we can work something out, I mean Giles is at home all the time I'm sure he wouldn't mind looking after her sometimes and I can do it sometimes and Xander and Anya we can all pitch in," Willow said.
"I don't know Will it's a big ask of you guys," Buffy said wiping Faith's mouth.
"Buff this Faith being a baby thing isn't totally your responsibility. We're all here to help you, she's not your baby it's not all on your shoulders we can all be helpful. But like I said we don't even know if she's going to stay like this," Willow said.
"I know she's not but, Will, is it weird that, no never mind," Buffy shook her head giving Faith the last spoonful and wiping her face and hands off on the bib.
"What's weird Buff? Come on I'm your best friend whatever it is you can tell me," Willow said getting up and following Buffy who had taken the now empty jar over to the bin.
"No it's okay I didn't mean anything by it don't worry," Buffy said going back over and lifting Faith out of her highchair.
"Buffy you see this, this is my resolve face and I'm not going to take no for an answer. Tell me what is weird," Willow said pointing to her patented resolve face.
"Fine, okay," Buffy sighed adjusting Faith on her hip, "Just is it weird that I'm starting to feel like she is."
"Like she is what?" Willow asked.
"Mine."