A/N: Ok, just cause Faith is pregnant, it doesn't mean she's gonna definitely end up with Robin. She's just carrying their child. And thanks for all of the help on the name issue. So, I'm making up a new last name for Faith - Harper. There are numerous reasons why I chose it. Its a street. A street that I like. My numerous reason. lol. Ok so more delving. OH, and no one's said this, but it's not tied into 'Greater Instincts' (three other stories of mine are). Enjoy!
Chapter Two
Charity didn't want to even think about opening her eyes. She was fourteen going on fifteen, and just finding out that half, if not more of her life, was a huge lie. She turned away from her mother, who was hovering over her.
"Anna, give the poor girl some room. She doesn't need ye hovering over her like a seeker looking for the snitch." She heard her father say.
"Hush, I think she's coming around."
"Mum?" She said.
"Yes, luv, it's Mummy. Sit up slowly. That's a good girl. Ollie, go fetch her a glass of water."
Charity tried to meet Anna Wood's gaze, but she just couldn't look at the woman who'd been her beloved Mum and know that she wasn't her daughter. She couldn't let it just go on like this. This wasn't hers. She looked into Anna's eyes.
"I'm not your daughter."
It broke her heart to see Anna only agree with her. It hurt more to know that it was true.
* * * * *
Faith couldn't take anymore of this bullshit. Robin had been all Mr. By-The-Book and No-Child-Of-Mine about it. Like she couldn't take care of a baby by herself?
Well, ok, she couldn't. But she wasn't gonna be pushed into anything. Not by some ordinary guy. Ok, so he was the son of a slayer. Big Deal. She was a slayer. And she wasn't gonna let herself be preached to by some guy. Not like her mother had been.
Her mother had let Jesse Barker rule over her until the miserable bastard died. Even then, she was still so subservient. Love. Her name had been Love. And she'd always been a sucker for love.
Love Harper had gotten knocked up at nineteen. She'd had Faith in Boston. Faith's father, Mike Dickerson (yea, the irony of that wasn't lost to Faith) had ditched Love after she told him she was pregnant. She raised Faith alone, but there was always a study influx of new shitty boyfriends.
But Jesse Barker had been the one to break her mother. Then Love had gotten the Big C. Cancer. Jesse booked, leaving the then thirteen year old Faith to deal with it. That was when Alice Hanover had shown up. She told them that Faith was a potential slayer. Love kinda gave up after that.
Alice. It was so long ago that she watched Kakistos kill her. She still felt a pang of guilt. She couldn't save Alice, she couldn't save Love. Faith looked down at her still flat stomach. She would save this child from pain. Or at least shield it.
An accident of foolish teenage love and lust had brought Faith into the world, and twenty-two years later, another stupid mistake was bringing an innocent into the world. There would be hope for this child.
Whether or not she raised this baby by herself. With or without Saint Wood backing her...
Surprises sucked.
* * * * *
Buffy didn't think she could move. Neither could Dawn, Xander and Willow. Faith was Pregnant? And Robin was the Father? Faith was gonna have a kid?
Everything was coming out big and important, capital letters and everything. Oh yeah, this was one fucked up day. She tried to say something - anything.
"So, you're gonna be a dad. Whoa."
"Xander!"
"Sorry, it sounds funny in my head. And the lack of an eye might have led to the humor . . . that no one else sees."
"It's a lot to consider." Robin said, taking in a deep breath.
"This isn't going to lead to a "Sex is Bad" lecture for me, is it?" Dawn asked.
"Who said sex was bad? I thought it felt pretty damn good." Faith said, entering the room.
"Is it?" Dawn asked. "Cuz, there was this site that -" She looked around to see all of them giving her dirty looks. "That showed nothing at all. Sex is Bad."
"What are you gonna do, Faith?" Willow asked, looking away from Dawn.
"We're going to get married and raise our child together." Robin said, rising to stand beside Faith.
Faith gave him a look, as she shifted away from him to stand on her own. Robin winced at her rejection of his nearness.
"Whoa, who said anything about marriage? I just said I was gonna have the kid, not get with it's father."
"Faith. . ."
"Look, we're five by five, but I'm not so sure I want to give my independence away."
"Faith, you're going to have a child, your independence is pretty much shot to hell." Xander pointed out.
"Shut up, Xander." Dawn said, pinching his arm hard.
"OW! Sure, be violent to the man with one eye!"
Faith laughed at them. Robin was still staring at her. She tried desperately to ignore him. He was asking for so much, more than she was willing to give him. Her eyes burned suddenly, like she'd gotten shampoo in them.
"Damn." She said rubbing at them. She suddenly pitched forward. She felt Buffy grab for her as she blacked out.
* * * * *
Love Harper watched as her young twelve year old daughter Faith wrestled her five year old sister Charity to the ground. One year old Hope giggled at her sisters. Love smiled sadly at her little girls. Alice stood beside her. She whispered something in Love's ear. Her smile faltered as the watcher spoke to her.
"Faith? Can you take your sisters into the other room? Please?"
"Sure, Mama. C'mon trouble, lets go boogie." She said, kissing her little sister's nose.
Charity ran ahead outside. She cried out as Faith shut the back door. Faith raced to her sister's side.
"Chari, what hurts?" She darted her gaze over Charity.
"My hand. I think I hit a rock!" Big tears rolled down her chubby little cheeks, raising her right hand.
"It's ok, look. You're five by five."
"Five by five?"
"Yep, you got all five fingers, so you're five by five."
"Kiss 'em to make em feel better?"
"Sure thing, chicken wing." She said, laughing with her sisters as she placed a little kiss on each finger.
* * * * *
Faith opened her eyes to see Giles hovering over her. He smiled at her as he turned to tell everyone she was all right. She reached up and yanked him down by his collar.
"What did that damn Council do to my sisters?" She all but growled.
* * * * *
Charity lowered her head into her hands. Hope had been too young to remember their mother. Love Harper. That had been her name. She'd been six when she'd last seen her. She wondered why her mother had given them up. Love - no, Mama, had always sworn that they would never been torn apart. That they would stay a strong family unit. Charity could hear voices down the hall. Anna and Nicholas Wood were trying to be quiet. Obviously, they were failing.
"Anna, ye canno tell her -"
"Nicky, we have to. She's bloody starting to remember what happened. She remembers Faith."
"We canno tell her"
And then it stuck Charity hard. She sunk against the wall. Love Harper had given them up - because she was dead.
A/N 2: Ok, you like, no? Tell me whatcha think!
