Author's note: This part is a bit more serious than the first.
Part II
Six months later
Green is definitely not my color. Or at least not pea green.
Yet, the bit seemed to think otherwise and was determined to see me covered in it. I'd started weaning her off the formula a few weeks ago but it was obvious that I was bollixing it up.
Seeing that I wasn't gonna get anywhere today, I handed her the zippy cup full of apple juice. She grabbed it eagerly and grinned at getting her way.
Shameless bint.
I waited for her to finish and lifted her up from her high chair. As usual she kicked her legs enthusiastically. The bit wasn't walking yet but not from lack of trying. Actually the problem was that she tried to walk too fast and usually landed on her bum. I figured she'd get the hang of it in a few days.
We went to the sink and washed the green gunk off her face. She loved the water. Her happiest times where spent in the bathtub surrounded by a menagerie of plastic animals.
Afterwards I set her down for her nap. She whined a little at being placed in the crib but she already knew that I wouldn't back down. Bit needed her sleep and I needed to feed.
In the beginning I attempted to bring her with me when I went hunting. I would leave her in the car seat but she had a tendency to cry so I stopped. Now, I basically bagged my meals, which is revolting but convenient.
It's just that I wouldn't trust anyone but myself with the bit. She was picky and fuzzy and only I could understand the meaning behind the sounds she made. And more to the point, who was I going to leave her with? Dru? She'd probably make her drink tea or blood.
So I was the bit's primary and only caregiver and that was just fine with me. It meant that her loyalties would lie with me.
When Dru first told me that the bit was a Slayer, my first reaction was to get rid of her. The Slayer-types tend to have a limited shelf life but you never know. Either way she was a threat. Or more to the point a future threat. Right now she was just a helpless baby. Helpless and completely under my control. It was just too good to pass up.
The bit wasn't just a mere candidate for Slayerhood, she was actually going to be called according to Dru's vision. This meant that if I played my cards right I would have my very own Slayer to do as I wished with. Just thinking about it always brings a smile to my face.
The bit's calling was years away and I was having fun seeing little glimpses of her personality with each passing day. She was about a year old now if my calculations were correct. She was healthy, strong and happy. I was too.
The only thorn in our sides was Dru. My lady did not like the bit and alternated between ignoring her and treating her like a bleeding doll. The bit would cry every time Dru picked her up. This irritated Drusilla to no end and once I caught her with her game face on in front of the baby. We got into a very serious physical/emotional fight that day and things have not been the same ever since. Now, she mostly stays away and I wonder if she's taken another lover. I also wonder why the thought does not bother me as much as it used to.
Whatever the reason, it gave me more time to focus on the bit. Times to focus and worry about the challenges that were coming up. First and foremost I was strictly nocturnal and the very human bit would not be for long. As a baby she could easily adjust to my schedule but as a child she would need to be out in the sun. She would need to go to school and to the pool, park etc. Maybe I could scrounge up enough cash to get a nanny but who'd want to live with a couple of vamps in a ratty basement apartment. No, that was out of the question and I could not see another solution.
Problem number two was that the bit would soon begin to talk. Talking would then lead to the asking of questions that I could not answer. So far bit could only manage "mook" for milk but she was a bright little bint and would soon add more words to her repertoire. I was gonna have to come up with some really convincing answers before long.
Thirdly, I was seriously strapped for money. Although the bit only had the barest necessities they cost quite a bit and since I could not leave her alone my stash of cash was almost depleted. I gave up smokes and beer but it still didn't make a difference.
I was going to have to come up with something soon. I figured that I needed about five grand to get through the rest of the year comfortably.
There are quite a few members of the undead family who are quite wealthy due to their long-term investments and what not. I, on the other hand, never thought that much about the future knowing that somehow I would get by. Now, I wish I had been a little more farsighted for the bit's sake.
I didn't have a choice. I had to make some money and I needed to find a babysitter. Frankly, my choices are sadly lacking. Most of my friends and acquaintances are vamps and demons that would sooner kill the bit than protect her. I considered getting a human sitter but I really couldn't trust them with the bit.
There was this one chap thought. He was a demon but decent-like and he seemed to like little ones. Maybe I could go to him. Yeah. I would go tonight.
TBC.
Should I continue?