Buffy handed her mother a glass of water to help her swallow the pills that the doctor had given to her. Faith sat on the bed beside her watching in apprehension as Joyce swallowed the handful of brightly coloured pills.
"They're not bad medicine are they B?" the young girl asked looking to her sister for confirmation.
"No, they're from the doctor so it's safe," Buffy said pulling the covers over her mother and placing a kiss on her mother's forehead as Joyce smiled at her gratefully, "Say goodnight to Mom Faithy and then we'll run you a bath."
Faith lent over to copy Buffy's actions but pulled back as Joyce sat up and gasped pushing to toddler away from her.
"Don't touch me, yo-you're dirty," Joyce said pushing herself back against the headboard.
"Mama," Faith whimpered her lower lip trembling as she looked between her mother and Buffy who had gone to hang up Joyce's robe.
"Get away from me," Joyce said her eyes wide with fear, "You're blood it's tainted, you don't belong here."
"Mom," Buffy said uncertainly coming to stand behind Faith.
"You're not so special, I don't even know how you got here," Joyce said to Faith.
"Mom it's Faith," Buffy said pulling the crying toddler up into her arms.
This seemed to pull their mother out of her state and she looked up at her girls in confusion a look that was quickly replaced with concern when she saw Faith's tears.
"Faith honey what's wrong?" Joyce asked concerned but Faith turned from her and buried her face in the crook of Buffy's neck.
"It's okay mom she's just tired, and you are as well. Come on lie down and try and get some sleep and after I've put her to bed I'll come in and check on you as well," Buffy said coaxing her mother to lie down and tucking her in.
Buffy carried Faith into her bedroom and got out some pyjama's for the younger girl to wear before taking her into the bathroom. The toddler was unusually silent as Buffy got her in the bath and after her earlier tears she seemed to be deep in thought about something.
"Does Mama hate me?" she asked Buffy eventually her voice wavering.
"What, oh no Faithy she doesn't hate you, she loves you," Buffy said tipping the young girls head back tenderly and pouring water over it, "she's not herself at the moment it's the tumour in her head that's making her say all these things, she doesn't mean them."
"But other people sayed things to me too," Faith said and the toddler didn't seem to be upset just waiting to see what Buffy's answers would be.
"You mean the man at the hospital?" Buffy asked her.
"Uh huh and another man when we were at Grandpa Giles' shop and me and Tawa were outside he sayed I shouldn't be here," Faith said, "did I do something bad?"
"No baby it's not your fault. I think there's something wrong with these people's brains, like Mom's when they're sick and it makes them think that nothing is real, if anyone says anything like that to you again don't listen, even if it's Mom," Buffy told her.
"I hate it," Faith said quietly as she allowed Buffy to lift her out of the bath and wrap her in a towel.
"I know but just don't listen okay," Buffy said pulling Faith's pyjama top over her head, "come on let's get you to bed," she said lifting Faith up onto her hip.
"Can't I stay with you for a bit longer?" Faith asked wrapping her arms around Buffy's neck.
"I guess so, what do you say to some hot cocoa?" Buffy asked carrying Faith down the stairs.
"And cookies?" Faith asked excitedly.
"Maybe one, but don't tell Mom she'll get me in trouble for giving you cookies after dinner," Buffy said.
"I won't tell B I promise," Faith said crossing her heart.
"Okay go sit on the couch and turn the TV on and I'll get the cocoa and cookies," Buffy said putting Faith on the floor.
When Buffy returned Faith was sitting on the couch her feet barely making it over the edge. She had her thumb in her mouth and was flicking channels on the remote with her other hand.
"Anything good on?" Buffy asked her.
"Nope, so can we watch Scooby Doo again?" Faith asked. Xander had gotten the young girl a couple of Scooby Doo DVD's after she had heard them referring to their group as the Scooby gang and the toddler had been obsessed with them ever since.
"Again, Faithy we have watched them a million times already," Buffy whined putting their food on the coffee table. To be honest she usually found it hard to say no to her little sister the toddler had a way of unintentionally wrapping you around her little sister and didn't actually mind watching the cartoons.
"Aw come on B they're real funny and I promise I won't talk all the way through like I did last time," Faith pleaded.
"Oh okay," Buffy winked and put the DVD on.
She helped Faith drink her drink and then settled the young girl on her lap and handed her the cookie.
"Try not to get all messy I already gave you a bath," Buffy said wincing as Faith took a bite from her cookie and a bit of the chocolate chip smeared by her mouth.
"It's yummy," Faith said taking another bite.
"As long as you keep it off your," Buffy winced as Faith used her clean pyjamas to wipe her hands on, "pyjamas," the blonde Slayer sighed mentally adding them to the pile of clothes waiting for her to wash in the laundry.
"B do you think Mama will let us get a puppy?" Faith asked as they settled in to watch the cartoon dog on the screen. Buffy's mind flashed back to a conversation had with teenage Faith about her mother not letting her have a dog and she paused from the negative answer she had been going to give.
"I don't know baby, maybe when she's had this operation you can ask her about it," Buffy said putting her arms around Faith's middle.
"I never had a puppy before," Faith said softly and Buffy smiled at her stroking her hair.
Half an hour later Faith had her hands over her ears as they heard their mother rambling nonsense from upstairs. Buffy leaned forward and turned the television up louder in order to block at the unnerving muttering. She reached up and gently pulled Faith's hand from over her ears and hugged her tighter to her body.
"It's okay," she whispered into the young girl's ear dropping a kiss to the top of her head.
"Maybe Mama doesn't want to be by herself," Faith said to Buffy.
"She's just confused baby she doesn't know what she's saying but she needs to get some rest so we have to leave her be so she can go to sleep," Buffy told her.
"I don't want her to be sad," Faith said.
"She's not sad just tired," Buffy assured her.
"B how come you're so brave?" Faith asked.
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.
"When I get scared you're not and you can make me feel better and when Mama is scary 'cause of the cancer you're real brave," Faith said.
"It's my job as the big sister to make sure you're alright and making sure you're okay helps me be brave," Buffy told her.
"Sometimes you don't have to be brave," Faith said quietly snuggling deeper into Buffy's embrace, once again startling Buffy with her perceptiveness.
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Buffy stroked her hand up and down the back of the sleeping toddler she held in her arms as she sat next to her mother's hospital bed. The two of them hadn't gotten much sleep the night before because of Joyce's ramblings upstairs and Faith had crashed a little while ago. She was holding her mother's hand in her free hand as a nurse inserted an IV needle in preparation for Joyce's surgery later in the day.
"Buffy, uh, I'm gonna ask you something, a-and if I'm, if I'm being crazy you just tell me, okay?" Joyce asked after the nurse left.
"You got it," Buffy nodded smiling.
"The other day well, actually, I'm, I'm not sure when, the days seem to all bleed together," Joyce said.
"It's not important," Buffy said rubbing her thumb comfortingly over the back of her mother's hand.
"No, I guess it isn't. I do know I was pretty out of it, and I had not-not a dream exactly, more like I had this knowledge, i-it just came to me like truth, you know? Even though it didn't seem possible, even though I shouldn't even think such things," Joyce paused.
"What?" Buffy asked.
"That Faith, she, she's not like us is she?" Joyce asked.
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked startled.
"There's something about her, it, it makes her different, special," Joyce continued as if trying to wrap her mind around what she was saying.
"Yes," Buffy said.
"She's important though, to the world though, precious isn't she?" Joyce asked.
"Yes she is and when you get through this I will tell you all about it," Buffy promised.
"We have to take care of her, Buffy promise me that if anything happens to me, if I don't come through this," Joyce said but Buffy cut her off.
"Mom, you're going to be fine," Buffy said.
"No listen to me. No matter what it is that makes me different, she is my daughter and I made a vow to give her a better life. I have to know that you'll take care of her, keep her safe. That you'll love her in the way that I love you," Joyce said placing her hand gently on Faith's back and staring into her eldest's eyes.
"I promise," Buffy said biting her lip to stop the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes.
"Come here," Joyce said scooting over on the bed to make room for her daughters. Buffy stood and gently lifted Faith with her onto the bed situating the toddler in between herself and her mother. Joyce wrapped her arm around the two of them and cupping her eldest daughter's face with her hand.
"Oh, my sweet brave Buffy. What would I do without you?" Joyce asked her voice thick with tears.
"Probably be living it up on a cruise boat in the Caribbean with some hot young stud," Buffy laughed her own tears mixing in with her mother's as the two of them laughed. Their laughter woke the toddler who was lying in between them and she rubbed her eyes and looked between them groggily her face screwed up in confusion.
"What's so funny?" she asked her voice husky with sleep.
"Nothing honey Buffy was just being silly, did you have a nice nap?" Joyce asked brushing some hair away from Faith's forehead.
"Yep it was a good nap. Mama you sound lots better maybe you don't need to have a oparation anymore," Faith said.
"Sweetheart I wish it was that simple but they have to take the tumour out or I will never be one hundred percent," Joyce said.
"I wish you didn't have to," Faith said quietly and Buffy had to turn away so the young girl wouldn't see the tears that had started to fall.
"I wish I didn't have to either, but if I'm going to get better then I have to do this," Joyce said.
"Are you going to be okay?" Faith asked sitting up.
"I'm going to be fine, but if something doesn't go right I need you to promise me you'll be a good girl for Buffy, she's going to need you to help her out so you will have to look after her okay, can you promise me that?" Joyce asked stroking the backs of her fingers down Faith's cheek. Buffy had to turn her head and bite the pillow to muffle the sob that she felt building at the back of her throat.
"I'm always a good girl," Faith said and her mother laughed, "I can look after B."
"That's my girl," Joyce said pulling Faith tightly to her and wrapping one arm around her and placing the other on Buffy's back. Buffy turned so that her face was buried in Faith's back and hugged her arms around the two of them as Joyce stroked her hands through her daughter's hair.
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"I love you Mama," Faith said leaning forward in Buffy's arms and giving her mother a kiss.
"I love you too sweetheart," Joyce said holding Faith's small hand in her own.
"I love you Mom," Buffy said leaning down and giving Joyce a kiss.
"And I love you, I'll see you two soon okay," Joyce said letting Faith's hand drop as the doctors wheeled her through the swinging doors and away from them.
"How long do we gotta wait now?" Faith asked as Buffy walked the two of them back over to Xander, Anya, Giles, Willow and Tara all who had shown up to support them.
"A couple of hours, a couple of long long hours," Buffy sighed.