I am so sorry for the delay. Stupid real life.
Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.
"Good morning," Andrew greeted cheerfully when Faith and Daniel stumbled into the kitchen the next morning. He handed them each a cup of coffee. Faith eyed the cup warily.
"This is pretty good," Daniel admitted, slowly sipping the hot brew.
"It's my own secret recipe," he told them. Faith raised an eyebrow but tried the drink.
"Hmmm," she purred as the taste hit her tongue. "Maybe Ms. S. was right about you." She looked around. "Where is Ms. S?"
"Oh they left hours ago," he informed them, turning back to the stove. "They drop Dawn off at school and go to the shops. They won't be home until after five." Faith looked to the clock. It was just passed nine. If they took Dawn to school, they had to leave around seven.
"They leave you here alone with the kids?" Faith asked suspiciously. "With Buffy?"
"I am a trusted member of this family," Andrew replied. Someone coughed behind them. "Of this household," he quickly clarified.
"Besides he's not alone," Willow spoke up from her spot behind them. Faith turned around, her eyes rolling in relief.
"Breakfast?" Andrew asked them, facing them once more. They were about to respond when soft crying could be heard from the baby monitor labeled 'Twins'. Andrew immediately forgot about them, instead rushing to the door. "Babyman to the rescue!" he called as he leapt out the door.
"Do I want to know?" Faith asked, while Daniel started chuckling. Through the monitor they could hear the twins stop crying and start gurgling when he entered the room.
"I like to think they're laughing at him," Willow said, although it was said with humor and kindness rather than a barb at him. "He really is good with the twins."
"But he's never alone with them, right?" Faith double checked.
"No. At least not the way you're thinking." Willow reassured her. "I come over with Tara around seven. They leave to go to work and I stay to go to work." Faith looked confused. "I work from home. Or more accurately from Joyce's home. I've kinda taken over her office, not that she was really using it for anything. But while Andrew mainly takes care of the kids, I take care of Buffy." Faith nodded.
"So where is B? I mean I know Slayers are nocturnal and all but she was always an early riser." Willow frowned and looked at the clock.
"We generally let her sleep until she wakes up naturally, but she usually is up by now," she admitted, "but with yesterday being a checkup day." She let the rest hang.
"Checkup days freak her out that much?" Faith asked. Willow nodded.
"It's much better now," she admitted. "The first few times after being released from the hospital she had a panic attack whenever we drove down that road."
"Part of her conditioning," Faith said softly, remembering finding the complete hospital ward in The Ring's training and conditioning office. She also remembered the screams coming out of the ward as the demons did God awful things to their victims inside. She shook the memories away.
"Yeah," the redhead agreed, also lost in her memories. But unlike Faith, she experienced everything that her friend went through. It still gave her nightmares sometimes, even months later. "Extreme fear response for hospitals. Even if they needed one, their victims would never go. Thus reducing the likelihood anyone would discover what was really going on." She shook her head as Andrew came back in, a baby in each arm. "Hey Alex," she said as she reached for the girl. Andrew willingly gave her up, since he needed a free hand to get them in their chairs. Alex smiled up at her, reaching for her hair which Willow quickly pulled back. "You guys are such hair pullers." Andrew came back over and she passed the baby back.
"So breakfast?" he asked as he got both babied situated. "We usually wait for Buffy, but I can whip you up something if you're hungry."
"We can wait," Daniel said, moving over to help Andrew with the kids. Faith and Willow were content to watch.
"Why do you wait?" Faith asked, taking a seat at the island and sipping her coffee gratefully. Willow poured herself a cup and joined her.
"She doesn't eat unless the people around her eat," Willow said.
"Why?" Faith asked, thinking out loud. "That's not one of the conditioned responses is it?"
"Nope," Willow said. "We haven't been able to figure out why she does it." She watched as Daniel unsuccessfully tried to get a spoonful of baby food into Alex. She burst out giggling as the food fell off her cheek. Andrew sighed loudly before taking the spoon from Daniel's hands. "Oh and don't eat to fast either. Once you're done she's done, whether she's done or not."
"But last night?" Daniel asked, giving up when Billy also laughed at his feeble attempts to feed him.
"That was with Joyce," Willow said, as if that explained everything. When they still looked confused she elaborated. "Joyce can get her to do things we can't. Oh and by the way, Joyce is the only one that can feed her. We've all tried and let's just say we know where the twins get that little display from." They looked over to where Andrew was finishing up their breakfast. Once his back was turned they looked toward Daniel and laughed, as if daring him to try to feed them again. Andrew turned back, the packet of wet wipes in his hand, just as sounds could be heard coming from Buffy's monitor. "That's me," Willow said, grabbing the monitor and turning it off before clipping it to her belt.
"I'll get breakfast started," Andrew called out as she left the room. He turned to their guests. "I was planning waffles, but I can change if you want something different."
"That's fine," Daniel said, looking at the twins who were clean and happy again. "Is it safe to come over there?"
"Oh yeah," Andrew said. "They still get a bottle. I was going to leave them in the swings until after breakfast, but feel free to give them their bottles." Needing no further invitation, Faith and Daniel each grabbed a child and the bottles Andrew held out before making themselves comfortable. The kids ate contentedly, gazing up at them while Andrew started making the waffles. Ten minutes later Willow came back downstairs, turning the monitor on but not taking it off her belt. They could hear Buffy moving around in her room, the bed and chair squeaking slightly as she moved.
"She'll be down in a minute," Willow said. Andrew handed her the first waffle, which she proceeded to cut into small, bite sized pieces. Andrew added small, thinly cut apple slices then put the plate off to the side.
"How is she gonna get down the stairs?" Faith asked, when the movement in her room suddenly stopped.
"We finally got permission for the lift," Willow said, as she began dressing her own waffle. "Xander put it in a couple months ago. It's been a lifesaver."
"We've got butter and maple syrup," Andrew said as he put a plate in front of Faith and Daniel, "but if you want fruit I can make that work." They shook their heads. He smiled when Buffy wheeled herself into the kitchen. "Good morning Milady," he greeted her. "Would you prefer to eat here or in the dining room?" She shrugged, but wheeled herself closer to the island. The island was quite a bit higher than the table. Faith threw a curious look to Willow, who just shook her head. "Wonderful choice," Andrew said, coming around the island with a tray that attached to the wheelchair. "This morning we have a lovely waffle for your culinary critiquing," he said as he expertly attached the tray. He went back around and opened the fridge. "We also have a lovely selection of beverages for you to choose from. Milk, water, and a variety of juices. Orange. Apple. Grape."
"Tomato?" Faith asked, looking passed him into the open fridge. Buffy rapped her knuckles on the tray.
"Unfortunately the tomato juice was finished last night," Andrew said. He began his list again as Faith and Daniel looked closely at the juice.
"That's not gone," Daniel whispered quietly, wondering why they didn't want Buffy to have any.
"It's also not juice," Willow whispered back. She looked at them meaningfully. "It's red like tomato juice."
"Oh," Faith suddenly understood. "She still can't hear certain words?" she asked. Buffy rapped her knuckles again and Andrew poured some juice into a spill proof container. He then placed the plate and cup on the tray.
"No," Willow told them. "Really bad stuff happens when we talk about certain Scooby stuff in front of her. Not that I blame her after everything she went through, but it kinda makes our extracurricular activity a bit harder." Buffy slowly reached for a piece of waffle before realizing nobody else was eating. She snatched her hand away as quickly as she could. Willow sighed as she took her first bite. Once everybody was eating Buffy again reached for her own food. Her hands were still shaky, but not as bad as last night, and she had a little more coordination. "So what are your plans for today? Do you need to leave right away?"
"We'll have to leave tomorrow morning," Faith told them. "Promised V we'd be back by Monday. She and Jonathan are guarding the house."
"Jonathan?" Willow asked. Andrew looked up at the name, but didn't say anything. "No fancy name for him yet?"
"Oh she's thought of a few," Daniel said, smiling slightly, "but none of them have really stuck." She made a face at him.
"How is he doing?" Andrew asked nervously.
"Surprisingly not too bad," Faith admitted. "Once he was away from Warren his evil tendencies disappeared. V's been working with him on his skill set. She's even convinced a friend of hers to come help him study." She frowned when she realized how hard it was talking in code about stuff most people wouldn't even understand anyway. Willow smiled at her reassuringly.
"I know. It gets easier."
"By the way, V wanted me to let you know the database is working nicely."
"Good to know," Willow told her. "We've been updating our database too. Once we get them synced on a dedicated server anything anyone adds to one should automatically update to the other." Faith nodded as if she understood everything. Willow smirked. "Soon we'll have all the information we will ever need at the tips of our fingers."
"Cool," Faith understood that.
"Tell Veronica I'm also working on a database for the journals." Faith frowned.
"Won't that take like forever to get inputted?" she asked. "I don't think anyone has read all the journals. Not even G or V."
"That's why we need a database," Willow told her, "so we can put in a name or a date or whatever and be directed to which journal we need."
"I guess it will make research easier," Faith shrugged.
"That's the hope," Willow said, "especially if we can get the bugs worked out before it goes online." She noticed Buffy had stopped eating her food and was sort of playing with it. She decided to quickly finish her own meal, the others following her lead. "So any plans today?"
"It's a nice day," Daniel said, looking out the window. "How about we go for a walk? Maybe take the kids?"
"And Buffy," Willow added. "She loves going for walks." Buffy looked up at her name, eyes wide with excitement. Faith hesitated, then smiled.
"What do ya say B? Wanna go for a walk with Daniel and the kids?" Buffy nodded, pushing herself out the door faster than they've seen so far. Faith turned to Willow. "You'll come to right?"
"Sorry," she said. "I'm in the middle of something." Andrew opened his mouth to volunteer when Willow grabbed his arm. "Andrew is in the middle of something too." Andrew frowned, but stayed quiet as he started to get the kids ready to go outside.
"We can't do this alone," Faith protested as she helped Willow put the dishes into the sink. "We don't know what to do."
"It's okay," she told the dark Slayer. "The twins will probably fall asleep in the stroller. Andrew will pack everything they need in the diaper bag."
"The twins are not the ones I'm worried about," Faith said, looking into the hallway where Buffy rolled herself. "I'm not used to seeing B so weak."
"Okay. First of all, she is not weak. She's not helpless. And she's not fragile." Willow guided her into the hall where Buffy was waiting impatiently. "Now if you want to let her lead you let her push herself. If you want to lead you push her."
"She won't get upset if we push her?" Faith asked. Willow shook her head.
"No. She knows how the walk works." Faith nodded as Willow helped Buffy get ready. She generally wore light clothes around the house but would need something heavier for the outdoors. "Why don't you let her lead the first part," Willow suggested. "Eventually she'll stop somewhere and just bask in the sunlight. Hopefully it will be in some place you can stop at safely, not in the middle of the street like she did once." Faith stopped.
"She stopped in the middle of the street?" she asked as she followed the witch to the coat closet. Buffy was waiting a few feet from the door, staring at it intently.
"Yep," Willow told her. "Luckily no cars were coming and we were able to let her bask for a few minutes before Giles lost his nerve. Can you help her get her coat on while I go get some shoes and socks?"
"Sure," Faith said as Willow rushed upstairs. Daniel came with the stroller, the twins looking around excitedly. Faith noticed they were bundled up too.
"Andrew says it will get a bit chilly," Daniel said, as he too grabbed his jacked. Instead of putting it on though he simply threw it in the basket underneath the stroller.
"Grab mine will ya?" she asked as she helped Buffy into her jacket. Willow came down a few seconds later with Buffy's shoes and socks and a blanket. She watched as Willow efficiently dressed her friend.
"When you're done head to the shops," Willow said, draping the blanket over Buffy's lap. "You'll probably be in that area anyway. We'll drive down there with the van so we can drive you all back."
"Sounds like a plan," Faith said once everybody was ready. "Let's go." Willow opened the door, holding it on the other side, and Buffy quickly led the way.
"Just a word of warning Faith," Willow said as Daniel steered the stroller through. "She can get going pretty fast if she wants to." Faith looked up. Buffy was already halfway down the drive while Daniel had just gotten the stroller out the door.
"Damn," she whispered when she was sure the kids were out of earshot. "Did you just set us up?" Willow looked up innocently.
"It was your idea," she pointed out, letting the smirk out for a second.
"Nicely played Red," Faith said as she stepped out the door. Daniel was trying to catch up with Buffy and she could hear the squeals from the kids as they enjoyed themselves.
"Have fun," she called out as she closed the door behind them. Faith sighed as she took off at a full run. She quickly caught up to Daniel, giving him a quick wave as she ran ahead to where Buffy was still trucking.
"Wait up B," Faith called out when she finally caught up to the other Slayer. Buffy slowed down enough to let Daniel catch up, then led them at a steady pace through the woods that separated them from Sunnydale.
"Looks like a pretty well-worn path," Daniel said.
"Xander," she guessed. They could see fallen trees bordering the path, which had been smoothed over by more than just nature. Faith shrugged as she focused on Buffy. She was still a little unnerved to be out with the blonde, despite what Willow said. She couldn't get the image of Buffy dying in a hospital bed out of her mind.
"Maybe that's why Willow set this up?" Daniel told her, easily following her thought process. Faith shrugged, eventually finding her thoughts drifting from Buffy and to the beautiful day they had. The woods soon faded, leaving them on the outskirts of the city. Buffy showed no sign of stopping though, as she led them through the city towards one of the many cemeteries Sunnydale had acquired over the years. "You can take the girl out of the cemetery but you can't take the cemetery out of the girl," Daniel joked as they followed Buffy through the gates. She led them deeper into the cemetery, stopping at a crypt.
"Great," Faith scoffed. "Let's bask in the glow of a crypt." Buffy ignored her, looking around for something.
"Faith?" Daniel said, taking in the scene evenly. "What kind of a crypt has a ramp leading down the stairs?" A crude yet strong ramp had been placed from the top of the stairs to the door. They both looked at Buffy, who had found what she was searching for. She held a long stick loosely in her hands, a branch that had fallen from one of the many trees. She reached out, rapping as loud as she could on the crypt walls. The door opened on command. Buffy barely let the door open fully before she flung herself down the ramp.
"Oi," Spike shouted, unprepared when she came down and nearly running him over. He was barely able to stop her before she ran into the wall. He grinned down at her. "Come for a little Passion?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Daniel growled, flinging himself after them, leaving Faith to maneuver the stroller down the ramp.
"What did you say?" Daniel asked, putting himself protectively between the vampire and the Slayer. Spike raised up his hands in surrender.
"I meant the cheesy yet strangely addicting daytime soap," Spike exclaimed. "Buffy and Joyce love watching it with me. For some reason Red can't stand it." Daniel felt himself relax, turning when he realized Buffy was not where he left her. She had already moved her chair over to the lounger Spike preferred and was slowly transferring herself from her chair to his. Spike groaned. "She always steals my chair."
"And you call yourself the Big Bad?" Faith asked as she finally managed to get the stroller though the door. Spike smiled.
"You brought Pint-Size and Snack-Pack," he said, leaning down so he was at their level. They squealed when they saw him. He gave them big, sloppy kisses before straightening up. He let Alex keep a hold of his hand while Billy raised his arms in the universal 'pick me up' sign. "Can I get you anything before the show starts? I've got water or juice."
"How about tomato juice?" Faith asked suggestively. Buffy rapped her knuckles softly on the recliner.
"Figured that one out did you?" he asked, before turning to the blonde. "Tomato juice for the lady. And for the rest."
"I'll take a water," Daniel said, as he picked Billy up and got comfortable on the floor.
"Water for me too," Faith said. Spike nodded, turning on the television before heading to the little kitchenette he used. Faith joined him as he quickly prepared the drinks. "So what's up with tomato juice?" she asked.
"Beats me," he said, pulling two cartoons from his mini fridge. One actually was tomato juice. The other was obviously his blood, though the cartoon had 'Tomato' hand written on it. "We discovered it by accident." He looked over to see if Buffy was listening, but she was totally engrossed in the show. "When we realized her aversion to all things supernatural we decided to downplay my blood drinking in her presence. I offered to stop drinking all together, which Rupes was all for, but Joyce said as long as it wasn't obvious it was blood it shouldn't be a problem. I've been drinking out of a mug in front of Buffy without incident for ages so we both thought nothing of it, but we forgot about the twins. I was holding Billy with my mug of blood in front of me when he started grabbing for a knife. I was able to stop him before Snack-Pack got it, but my mug got tipped in the process."
"How did Buffy respond?" Faith asked breathlessly.
"She was mesmerized," Spike said. "I thought she'd start to panic, like every time we mentioned anything supernatural, but she just stared at it. Then she wanted some. Started whimpering and reaching for it. Joyce and I were in shock. Thank God Niblet was there."
"What did little D do?"
"Called me clumsy for spilling my tomato juice." He laughed softly at the memory. "Asked me if I wanted some more. Buffy started banging her fist on the table so Dawn asked if she wanted some too, calm as could be. She nodded her head and sat back, quiet as a mouse. Niblet made a big show of opening the fridge and scanning each shelf before she told us we were out of tomato juice and we'd have to wait until mom could go to the store in the morning. Buffy stared at her mum until Joyce promised to go to the store that night. Then she just sat back and finished her dinner, like nothing had happened. The next morning Joyce had a glass of tomato juice for her, which she drank without complaint. The weird thing was Joyce said she never really liked tomato juice before."
"So why did she act that way?" Spike shrugged.
"Don't really know. Called the Watcher as soon as Buffy was back to bed. Told him everything that happened."
"Did he have a theory?" she asked.
"Doesn't he always." He checked on Buffy once more before continuing. "Remember how Danny's dad got Buffy hooked on juice?" Faith nodded. "He thinks they did the same thing. We know she was on something, there was stuff in her veins when she was rescued. When she saw it he thinks she had some sort of flashback and suddenly remembered that she hadn't had any for a very long time. She thinks she needs to drink it so she doesn't go through withdrawal again, so we give her some."
"That's really messed up," Faith said. Spike nodded, sagging against a coffin.
"What isn't with her these days. But it makes sense in her mind, and it's not really hurting her so we all just go with it." They turned their heads, watching as Buffy lost herself in the show. Daniel was quietly playing with Billy at her feet.
"Does she know she has kids?" Faith asked quietly. It was a question that had been bugging her since they found the blonde Slayer. Buffy was far to traumatized initially to be told the twins were hers, but it seems she had made good progress since Faith had last seen her. Spike sighed.
"I don't know," he admitted. "We haven't told her, nobody thinks she's ready for that, but we don't try to keep them separated either. She doesn't acknowledge them or play with them in any way, but if you put them in her lap she will hold them." He straightened up when she looked at him, putting on a smile as he handed her a glass. "Juice for the lady. Water for the gentleman," he added, pulling a bottle of water from the fridge and handing it to Daniel. Faith grabbed her own water before joining them in front of the TV. Alex reached for Spike, who quickly picked up the girl. "What are we missing?" he thought out loud, before sighing loudly. "Snacks," he said, hitting himself on the forehead. Alex laughed and followed, her little hands swatting his head. "Pretzels or popcorn?" he asked the baby. She just laughed and continued hitting him. "Pretzels it is." He passed the baby off to Faith, who had gotten as comfortable as possible on the lawn chairs Spike probably stole from someone's yard.
"How long is this?" Faith asked, getting thoroughly bored within the first few minutes.
"The show's an hour," Spike said as he placed a bowl of pretzels on Buffy's lap, "but there's three of them." He positioned himself next to Buffy, even reaching over and grabbing some pretzels from the bowl in her lap. Faith and Daniel exchanged a glance, Faith could only shrug at the activity, but apparently Spike knew exactly what he was doing. Buffy subconsciously followed his lead, grabbing a pretzel and eating it, munching on the treat while she watched her show. Spike caught their eyes and smirked, repeating the process.
Eventually Faith and Daniel lost interest in the show and turned their attention to the kids. After that time seemed to fly by.
