DISCLAIMER: Joss owns all.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fic's wrapping to a close. One, maybe two more chapters. It's been great fun, but I think it's just about run its course. Thanks for reading, and for those of you who do review, for reviewing. It's the only thing keeping me going, and it really does mean a lot to me.
Also, if you're a fan of little Faith, check out CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN. It's my first real, solid attempt at AU fic, and it stars Faith as its nine-year old narrator… you also get a four year old Anya, a seven year old Lindsey who already has a good grasp of the law, little Tara, little Willow, and much, much more.
THROWBACK: Chapter Seventeen
Faith and Liam watched in satisfaction as Buffy unchained Spike. Spike winked at them, and Liam, remembering that he was supposed to be mad at Spike for putting him in time out, glowered at the vampire.
"That's the best brood you've ever done," Faith whispered to Liam. "It looks really scary."
"Really?" Liam asked, his eyes lighting up with glee and a smile breaking into his brooding expression.
"Really," Faith said, and without a word, she leaned over and put her head on Liam's shoulder. If her Liam was in time out, then Faith was, too.
Buffy shot Liam a warning look. She wasn't positive, but she was pretty sure that talking in time out was a no-no.
Spike held a finger up to his lips, indicating that the children should be quiet, and Buffy gave him an incredulous look. What in the world was happening to Spike?
As soon as he saw the look, Spike let a tough guy expression settle over his face and did just enough Big Bad posturing to make up for the fact that he was getting rather attached to mini-Poof and the Bite Sized slayer.
As Buffy and Spike exchanged glares and smirks, Liam whispered into Faith's hair. "I made up a brand new song," he said. "You gave me the idea."
"What's it called?" Faith asked in a whisper. She knew how to whisper. Filthy little sluts knew when to keep their mouths shut.
Liam snuggled up against Faith a little, and after casting a furtive glance at Buffy and Spike, he told Faith the name of his new song. "It's called the Wanker Ass Bint Song," Liam said. "I think it's about band-aids and crossbows and…" Liam gave Faith a devilish grin.
"And Wanker Ass Bints?" Faith asked, a smile coming onto her face.
Hearing her, Buffy opened her mouth to scold, but Spike caught her eye and shook his head. "Let her be," he whispered gruffly under his breath. "Just let her be."
"Sir, I'm afraid we're going to need your ticket, not a cocktail napkin with a half-eaten cookie in it."
The flight attendant's voice snapped Wes out of his stupor. "Of course," he said, fumbling through the pocket of his jacket. He handed it to her, his mind filling with images of a small, dark-haired little girl and an angry, hurting, dark-haired woman.
Could he change her back? He'd seen her hell. Tortured at a young age, forgotten by a system that couldn't save every child. Could he send her back to a new hell of her own making? And what of Liam? Cheerful, joyful little Liam with the unruly brown hair and the heart of a champion. Could he curse the child by turning him back?
"Damn it," Wes muttered savagely under his breath.
"Sir?" the flight attendant asked.
"Oh bother," Wes muttered. "Not you," he clarified to the woman. She looked at him, eyebrows raised and Wesley simply picked up his luggage and started walking toward the plane.
"Sir," the woman called. Wesley turned around.
"Yes?" he replied, his British accent crisp and his voice polite.
"You forgot your cookie."
"Me and my Liam are hungry," Faith announced a moment later. "Is the time out over yet?"
Spike meant to say no. He wanted to say no. He opened his mouth to say no. "Ask the slayer," he said, chickening out at the last moment.
Buffy rolled her eyes at him. Those kids had the so-called Big Bad wrapped around their tiny little fingers.
"Buffy?" Liam asked, looking up at her with huge, round eyes.
Buffy looked at them, looking up at her so hopefully, and her heart melted. "What do you want to eat?" she asked.
"A preschool teacher sandwich," Faith said without hesitation.
Spike struggled to keep a straight face and failed.
"Or chocolate chip cookies," Liam added.
"Faith, baby, come see what Mommy has for you."
Faith looked at her mother warily. Sometimes she was Momma and sometimes she was Mommy, and sometimes she was the Mommy, and sometimes Faith was nothing. Sometimes what Momma had for her was a smack. Or a knife. Or the hot, hot stove.
"Oh baby, don't look like that," her mother crooned. "Sweetie, Mommy's feeling good today. I'm doing better, baby, really. I made you cookies." She held up a tray of cookies. "See?"
Hesitantly, Faith stepped forward, and silently, she ate the cookie her mother handed her. Her mother petted her hair and hugged her, and kissed her on the top of her head.
It was the best day of her life. Ever.
"Faith?" Buffy's voice broke into the child's thoughts.
"Cookies are good," Faith said. Then she grinned up at Spike. "Preschool teacher cookies!" she added.
"I'm home, I'm beautiful, and I missed you," a voice called from the other room. Instantly, Liam and Faith were racing towards the owner of the voice.
"CORDY!" Liam yelled, flinging himself at the older woman.
Cordy squeezed the little boy to her side, and when Faith pressed her face against her knee, Cordy bent down to envelop them both in a giant-sized group hug.
"So, what did you stab?" she asked the kids conversationally.
"Nothing important," Liam said. "We have band-aids," he added proudly.
Cordy looked at the dinosaur and Barbie band-aids plastered all over both kids, and she made a mental note to take more pictures. Little Angel wearing Barbie band-aids? If that wasn't a Kodak moment, Cordelia didn't know what was.
Faith murmured something into Cordy's leg.
"What did you say, sweetie?" Cordy asked.
"You came back," Faith said loudly, hugging the woman's leg tightly.
Cordy opened her mouth to reply, but the second she opened it, images flew into her mind with a force so powerful that she flew over backwards.
Moving with slayer speed, Faith managed to keep Cordy's head from hitting the ground, and she held it, as Cordy's eyes glazed over.
What was Mommy looking at, with her eyes all blank like that? Why was she asleep in the bathtub? The water was red, so red.
Mommy, Mommy, what are you looking at? Mommy, Mommy, why are you asleep in the bathtub?
"Cordy?" Faith said.
From inside her vision, Cordelia vaguely heard the little girl's voice, but she was too caught up in images slicing through her mind to answer.
"Cordy?" Liam echoed. Why was she just sitting there? Like Kathy. Dead Kathy. Liam wrinkled his nose. Who was Kathy? He couldn't remember.
"CORDY!" Faith screamed. Buffy and Spike charged into the room, followed by Xander, Anya, and Willow. Faith looked up at them through a panic-stricken face. "Make her come back," she said. "I didn't mean to make her go!"
My fault. My fault. My fault.
Don't care.
My fault
Can't care.
My fault. My fault. My fault.
Mommy?
"Cordy, come back," Faith said. "I'll be better. I promise. Cordy, just come back."
My fault. My fault. My fault.
The real world came back into her line of vision and hit Cordy like a brick wall. Faith and Liam were looking down at her, their eyes wide, Faith's body frozen stiff and her face devoid of color.
Cordy racked her brain, trying to think of something to say. "Uh, peek-a-boo?"
"Peek-a-boo yourself," Spike said, giving her a meaningful look that made Cordy roll her eyes and made Buffy jab him suspiciously in the side.
"Vision thingy," Cordy said, using the technical term. "Vamps, a bunch of them, right at sunset. In the high school."
"The school?" Buffy asked.
Cordy nodded impatiently. "Charred. Burnt to a crisp. On the mouth of…heck. Yeah, that school."
Xander looked out the window at the setting sun. "It's almost sunset," he said.
Cordy's attention was on Faith. "Faith, baby, come back to me," she said. Faith looked at her warily. "I'm okay, sweetheart."
"Your hair's messed up," Liam volunteered. Cordy caught him up in a hug and tickled him. Cautiously, she tickled Faith, too, but the child didn't respond. Instead, she stared at Cordy, her eyes blazing.
"Don't you ever leave me," she said fiercely. "I'll be good, so don't you ever leave, Cordy."
Cordy kissed the top of her head. "I won't."
"Can you show us where?" Buffy asked, breaking into the moment awkwardly. "The vamps, with the… vampiness," Buffy clarified. "Can you come with and show us where?"
Cordy nodded.
"I can stay with the kiddos," Willow volunteered hesitantly.
"We can have another invigorating sing-along about the capitalism of sex toys," Anya volunteered brightly. "Can't we, small people?"
"No," Faith said, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly. "Me and Liam are going with Cordy."
Cordy opened her mouth.
"You're not leaving me," Faith said, her voice hoarse. "I'll be good."
"And I can sing you my new song," Liam volunteered. "It's about Spike and band-aids and crossbows and it goes like this." Liam took a deep breath. "This is the Wanker Ass Bint song," he sang. "It's about wanker ass bints and crossbows and the Big Bad who ate a preschool teeeeeeaaaaaaacheeeeer…" Liam looked at Faith and grinned. "Who was aaaaaaaaaaa…." Liam drew the word out.
"Wanker ass biiiiiiiiiiiint!" both kids belted out together.
Cordy fell helplessly into giggles.
"Catchy," Anya commented. "You might add something about an orgasm or fair trade."
Liam grinned up at her. "Don't worry," he said. "The song's not over yet. Me and Faith, we'll sing it all the way to the school."
TBC… Okay, maaaaaybe three more chapters. I'll try not to rush it. Up next, Kate and Lindsey follow the group to the school and get a good look at little Faith, little Liam, and the vampire slaying business. Wes arrives home with the last ingredient to the spell and knowledge of Faith's past. More of the Wanker Ass Bint song, as well as a few variations.
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