A/N: Enjoy...
Chap. 21: Found- May 05
As quietly as possible, Nevaeh walked down the dirt pathway leading to the building she believed everyone called the And Minstration building. The tingles in her back told her she was going the right way.
She knew she was going to be in major trouble when her Mom caught her, but she didn't really care. Her Mom was the one keeping her from seeing her Mama. So she was mad at her too!
She crept close to the wall. Her Mama had taught her that would help her stay hidden if someone was coming around the building. When footsteps sounded just around the corner, she darted quickly into a bush, scratching her arms and legs in the process. She wanted to cry when she saw a few drops of blood come out of the scratch on her right forearm, but Mama said she was a Slayer and Slayers were tough. So instead, she sucked back the tears and sat as quietly as possible until two of the older girls passed her by.
If she got caught her mission would be over, and who knew when she'd get another chance to see her Mama again. She hadn't planned to run off like that. But when Kennedy's back was turned, it suddenly seemed like a good idea. So she ran out of the gym before it was too late.
When she was sure the other girls were gone, she moved out of the bushes and started back on her trek around the building. The backdoors had been locked, so she needed to find another way inside.
The main doors at the front were large and really heavy, but at least they weren't locked. Using all the strength her little muscles could handle, she managed to open the door and make her way inside.
Letting the tingles guide her, she wandered the many hallways until she finally came to a staircase. She'd been in this building many times, but nobody had ever taken her into the basement. Not knowing what was down there made her walk hesitantly down the stairs. She just hoped that at the end all she would find was her Mama, and not something scary.
The hallway was lit as she jumped down the final step. Door after door could be seen on both sides of her. How was she ever supposed to find the right one? Closing her eyes, she let the tingles guide her as she took each step. Feeling the intensity increase with each one.
Stopping about five doors down, she knew her Mama was just on the other side. Trying the handle it was locked. There was a window, but she was too short to see through it. Now what was she supposed to do? Eyes wandered up and down the hall, hoping anything would give her a clue as to how to get inside. A flash of silver caught her eye, the answer had been in front of her the whole time. Up on a peg, just out of reach was a set of keys. Now she just had to figure out how to reach them.
~BF~
Were four-year olds too young to ground? Buffy thought to herself as she wandered around the compound in search of her daughter. A timeout wasn't enough punishment for how much trouble Nevaeh was in right now. She had a lot of explaining to do when they finally found her. Every minute that they didn't find her was another minute she started to freak out just a little more.
It had been over half an hour now and they still hadn't managed to find her. If this was a different situation, Buffy would be proud of her for knowing how to stay out of sight. They were the ones that had taught her how to hide after all. But she wasn't supposed to be using her skills on them.
Buffy first went back to the house, just to make sure that Nevaeh didn't return there for some reason. But the house was empty and no sign that anyone had been there since the two of them left earlier that morning. She didn't really expect to find it any differently, so it came as no surprise to her when she didn't find her daughter there.
She knew why Vaeh had disappeared. Every day the little girl grew more anxious to visit her Mama. Faith and Nevaeh weren't just close as mother and daughter, they were also best friends. It was something Buffy had always relished in, watching them together.
Most people would probably be jealous, and there were days that she felt left out, but mostly it just made her love them even more. She knew Faith never really had friends growing up, so she was happy that her wife finally had someone like that. And Buffy had her own bond with Vaeh, so how could she really be jealous. At the end of the day, they were a family and that was all that mattered.
And it was that bond that just might lead Nevaeh straight to Faith, even if she didn't know where she was, Buffy realized with a start. Was anyone still down by Faith's room? She couldn't remember, but she didn't think so. Everyone was out here looking for Nevaeh. Taking off at a run, she headed towards her wife's room, hoping she could beat Vaeh there.
A shuffling sound alerted her to the fact that someone was in fact down there by Faith's room. Using Slayer stealth, she took the final steps down and stayed out of sight as she watched her daughter move back and forth across the hallway. The door to the room across from Faith's was open and the girl went in and exited each time with a plastic tote in hand.
On the other side of the hall, Vaeh had started building a staircase with the totes leading up to the keys that sat next to the locked door. She had to give her daughter credit, she knew how to work with what was around her.
She just stood to the side, not stopping her daughter from doing what she was doing. She was just relieved to have found her and know that she was safe. Running over here, she had realized that it wasn't fair to keep Vaeh from her mother. So long as they were there to keep her safe, then they should let her see Faith. Maybe it would be good for the both of them.
So instead she stayed hidden in the shadows, watching as the plastic staircase got higher and higher. She knew she could just walk over there and open the door for Nevaeh. She didn't though, wanting her daughter to feel as if this was something she did on her own. They had one little independent girl on their hands, and she wasn't about to stifle that. So long as she knew how to ask for help when she needed it, they'd let her be as independent as she wanted to be.
"Do you think that's wise?" Willow asked her telepathically when she found Buffy standing at the bottom of the stairs, silently watching Vaeh. "Letting her go in there?"
"Yes, I do," Buffy answered back within her own mind. "She needs to see her. I didn't really get it until now. And I'm here in case anything happens."
"Then I'll be here too," Willow thought affirmatively. The witch sent out a telepathic message to everyone letting them know that Nevaeh had been found and they could all go back to what they were doing.
~BF~
Nevaeh was exhausted as she threw the last tote into place. Stepping up on top of it, she was glad to finally be able to reach the keys. Metal clinked as they fell into her tiny hands. Turning around carefully, she made her way back down on her butt, exhausted from the work it took to build her stairs. Mama would be proud of her idea.
Three keys were on the keychain and she stared at them, unsure which one to try first. She could feel her Mom close by, so she needed to hurry before she found her. The first key she tried didn't want to go in and once it finally slipped in, it did nothing to unlock the door. The second key went in easily, but still it didn't unlock the door. Frustrated, she slammed in the last key, glad when the knob turned under her fingers. She did it!
Peaking inside first, her eyes found the bed where a body lay. She'd recognize that hair anywhere and knew immediately that it was her Mama. When she stepped into the room and her Mama didn't turn to look at her, she thought maybe she was sleeping.
Moving to the other side of the bed, she was surprised to look into the eyes so like her own. "Mama?" she quietly asked. She wasn't sure what to do when she got no response.
Taking another step forward, "Mama, it's me, Vaeh." Mom had told her that her Mama wasn't feeling good, and that she didn't really act like the person they loved. But until this moment she wasn't sure what that meant. The Mama she loves would have thrown her arms around her, or tickled her, or at the very least smiled at her.
"Mama," Vaeh tried again, reaching out to touch Faith.
Outside, watching from the window, Buffy flinched when she saw the tiny hand reach out to touch Faith. She was afraid of what would happen when the girl finally made contact. But a part of her knew that Faith wouldn't hurt Nevaeh. No matter how far out there she was, she'd never hurt her daughter.
As soon as she felt the light touch of a small hand, Faith wanted to pull away, but she fought it. Her mind was a swirl of emotions and thoughts, but something in her was telling her that this touch was okay.
That voice that was calling out to her was so small, so gentle. Different from the other ones talking to her the last few days. At least she thought it was days, she wasn't really sure. Time ceased to have meaning to her.
Her heart kept trying to tell her that she was home, that she was safe. However, it was losing the battle with her mind telling her that she died, she felt that pain in her stomach, sure she had been stabbed again. And then she was with him, so surely she had died and gone to hell.
This place, it was just an illusion, another way to torture her. That's what her mind kept telling her. It was filled with all the lies he'd told her. Every day he came for her blood, he told her how she was never leaving. No one would come looking for her. He'd made sure of that. It was the fog that clouded everything in her mind.
"Mama, I love you," that sweet voice was telling her now.
She could sense as the body moved closer, never losing the touch on her arm. The bed next to her moved as the body crawled up beside her. "Me give you a magic hug, alright?"
Words wouldn't come, so she just let the body wrap itself around her. The feeling was familiar. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered this. A hug, when was the last time she'd had one of those? A few hours before the battle in the cemetery with Tarzar she thought.
As the arms wrapped tighter around her, a light began to fill her body. She could feel the pain start to melt away, the fog began to clear. "Nevaeh," came the hoarse whisper as she moved to hug back. "Oh my baby," came out stronger. The tears fell, and she pulled her daughter closer, rubbing her face on the curly hair.
"I'm home, I'm home," Faith cried.
Tears fell down Buffy's face as she watched the whole scene before her. Nevaeh had managed to do what they hadn't been able to do. She got through to Faith. They had a long ways to go, she knew, but this was a start. Faith finally spoke, and she knew she was home.
Turning she moved to walk in the door. She stopped in front of the bed, just watching as Faith and Nevaeh hugged each other, not sure what to do, but wanting to be with her family. But she didn't have to wait long. When Faith noticed her above them, she scooted back on the bed, pulling Nevaeh with her and making room.
Buffy took the hint and crawled on the bed behind Nevaeh, placing a hand across their daughter to hold on to Faith. "Welcome back, baby."
"I was so lost," Faith said softly. "I didn't know where I was, or what was even real."
"I know you were. But you're home now, you're safe. I promise you."
"I missed you guys so much. Thinking about you kept me sane in that place."
"We missed you too," Buffy cried, trying to pull herself even closer without squishing the little girl between them. "I'm sorry it took us so long to find you."
"It's okay. Doesn't matter now. You did find me, and I'm home now," she told her honestly. Her voice was still soft. She couldn't remember the last time she actually had a need to talk. Most days she was alone in that cave, so there was no need to speak.
"I love you so much," Buffy said tearfully.
"I love you too." They shared a smile, letting the room fall into silence. Nevaeh had long since fallen asleep, her little adventure having worn her out. Too comfortable to move, the two adults decided that maybe they should follow their daughter and let themselves take a small nap. Now that Faith had come back to them, they could deal with the world later. Right now they were content to just be together again.