Disclaimers and story info located at Chapters 1 and 4.
Here she was, less than twenty-four hours later, once again being unnecessarily led through the halls of the prison. The same clanking, buzzing, yelling, crying. The guard's shoes squeaking with each step, keys jangling, the smell of antiseptic, sickness, and pain growing stronger as they neared the infirmary. Last night with the Scoobies had been easy. Handing a signed proposal to Quinton and his lawyer at 4:00am - cake. This was the hard part. Walking through this maze of yellowed halls, ending up in front of the same door. Lies of omission waiting to be left out, sin of omission already having been committed. The Scooby Gang had a long-running history of lies and secrets; sometimes she thought it was the glue that held them together. It wasn't that simple with Faith.
Back to the present situation. She smiled over her shoulder at the guard who was looking at her strangely - no lingering in front of sickroom doors. Deep breath. Turn knob. Open. to reveal a still-pregnant Faith, additional wires and tubes running from her body to various beeping machines.
"What happened?" Buffy asked, closing the door behind her and quickly moving to stand beside the bed.
"We're fine;" the younger slayer replied, attempting a weak smile, "getting ahead of schedule. C-section moved up to tomorrow morning. I think she's just anxious to get to Sunnydale."
"So Quinton called?"
"He was here this morning. Needed my signature next to yours. No backing out now." Bravado couldn't hide the doubt in those brown eyes.
"Not an issue." Buffy assured, pulling the chair up close to the bed and taking a seat. Nervous little butterflies danced around in her gut. The girl in the bed was almost unrecognizable as the one she'd seen yesterday. Her face was puffy, pale, and glistening with sweat. The IV drip had become a flow, the hand that bore it, bruised purple at the point of insertion. The clear plastic tube led up to a clear plastic bag marked "MgSO4", hanging from a metal stand. Breathing was slow and heavy. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I have pre-eclampsia, but I'm going to be fine. So is the baby." The brunette stifled a yawn, all the while managing to look ashamed of the action. "Sorry. If I fall asleep mid-sentence, don't take it personally. I did it to Quinton earlier."
"Ooh, I would love to have seen that." Had to give Faith credit for the swift change of subject. Note to self: read up on pre-eclampsia. "Fill me in about tomorrow."
"Tomorrow morning. Eight o'clock." Another yawn. "I think Quinton arranged for early visiting hours, but that's about all I know. You'll have to call him for specifics." The girl's eyes had shut by the end of her sentence. Buffy sat for a moment, listening to Faith's breathing, taking her back to the last time she'd really heard it: Three AM in that dank little motel room. Static on the TV, under-sized air conditioner groaning loudly, couple next door arguing, musk of sweat hanging about -
"I just fell asleep, didn't I?" Back to reality, pushing the past aside, focusing on the brunette of here and now.
"That's okay. I should get going. But I'll see you in the morning." She got up and started for the door.
"Buffy?" Came a small voice, the past crashing in again for a moment, remembering the same tone and inflection used on her name years ago, turning back before and seeing a sad and swollen face, words on the tip of her tongue but refusing to come out.
"Thank you." Whispered this Faith, tears welling up in her eyes despite the smile on her face. Buffy smiled back and nodded before hurrying out the door, shutting away the recollections of two dead girls.
* * * * * * *
Buffy lay in the tub in the hotel bathroom with a wet washcloth over her eyes. Dawn was in the next room, undoubtedly consuming every sweet in the mini-fridge. The girl had been conspiring with Quinton. He'd arranged to have her flown out to L.A. The amount of time she and Dawn had spent on the phone with that man was disconcerting. But then again, this whole situation was bewildering. This whole life. All three of them.
Her sister had brought a backpack full of baby books, including one outlining the condition called pre-eclampsia. Plenty to think about, worry about. That was the point of spending the past hour in the tub. Wash the worries away. It didn't work, just gave the random thoughts swirling around the silence they needed to break into consciousness. Her meeting with Faith had been so brief; the memory of it was blurred and fading. But that moment, that remembered moment, of a previous life within a previous life, long forgotten. that was disconcerting. Disorienting. Disheartening. Disillusioning.
Buffy sighed heavily and got up, stepped onto the bathmat and dried herself off. She changed into her pajamas quickly and opened the bathroom door to reveal Dawn, sitting in the middle of one giant bed. Surrounded with cellophane wrappers.
"We just ate." The blonde commented as she climbed onto the other bed.
"Yeah, but how often do I get Belgian Chocolate Truffles?" Her sister managed to get around a mouthful of candy.
"You know those things are probably ten dollars a piece?"
"They don't come with the room?"
Buffy's raised eyebrows conveyed the needed answer. "Oh." She replied, somewhat abashedly, gathering the noisy little wrappers and placing them in the trash. "What does it matter anyway? The Council's paying."
"They're not our personal piggy bank."
"I know. Just think of it as back pay for a job that got you killed. Twice." Dawn handed the remote to her sister before getting under the covers and switching off the little bedside lamp. She tossed and turned for a few moments, searching for the sweet spot in an unfamiliar bed, while Buffy flipped through the channels at an alarming pace, searching for distraction.
"Isn't it weird that by this time tomorrow we'll be at home, with a new baby?" The younger Summers asked amidst her pillow fluffing.
"A little bit."
"I think Mom would be proud."
Buffy looked over at her sister and smiled, as the last shred of doubt left her mind. "Me, too."
TBC
Here she was, less than twenty-four hours later, once again being unnecessarily led through the halls of the prison. The same clanking, buzzing, yelling, crying. The guard's shoes squeaking with each step, keys jangling, the smell of antiseptic, sickness, and pain growing stronger as they neared the infirmary. Last night with the Scoobies had been easy. Handing a signed proposal to Quinton and his lawyer at 4:00am - cake. This was the hard part. Walking through this maze of yellowed halls, ending up in front of the same door. Lies of omission waiting to be left out, sin of omission already having been committed. The Scooby Gang had a long-running history of lies and secrets; sometimes she thought it was the glue that held them together. It wasn't that simple with Faith.
Back to the present situation. She smiled over her shoulder at the guard who was looking at her strangely - no lingering in front of sickroom doors. Deep breath. Turn knob. Open. to reveal a still-pregnant Faith, additional wires and tubes running from her body to various beeping machines.
"What happened?" Buffy asked, closing the door behind her and quickly moving to stand beside the bed.
"We're fine;" the younger slayer replied, attempting a weak smile, "getting ahead of schedule. C-section moved up to tomorrow morning. I think she's just anxious to get to Sunnydale."
"So Quinton called?"
"He was here this morning. Needed my signature next to yours. No backing out now." Bravado couldn't hide the doubt in those brown eyes.
"Not an issue." Buffy assured, pulling the chair up close to the bed and taking a seat. Nervous little butterflies danced around in her gut. The girl in the bed was almost unrecognizable as the one she'd seen yesterday. Her face was puffy, pale, and glistening with sweat. The IV drip had become a flow, the hand that bore it, bruised purple at the point of insertion. The clear plastic tube led up to a clear plastic bag marked "MgSO4", hanging from a metal stand. Breathing was slow and heavy. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I have pre-eclampsia, but I'm going to be fine. So is the baby." The brunette stifled a yawn, all the while managing to look ashamed of the action. "Sorry. If I fall asleep mid-sentence, don't take it personally. I did it to Quinton earlier."
"Ooh, I would love to have seen that." Had to give Faith credit for the swift change of subject. Note to self: read up on pre-eclampsia. "Fill me in about tomorrow."
"Tomorrow morning. Eight o'clock." Another yawn. "I think Quinton arranged for early visiting hours, but that's about all I know. You'll have to call him for specifics." The girl's eyes had shut by the end of her sentence. Buffy sat for a moment, listening to Faith's breathing, taking her back to the last time she'd really heard it: Three AM in that dank little motel room. Static on the TV, under-sized air conditioner groaning loudly, couple next door arguing, musk of sweat hanging about -
"I just fell asleep, didn't I?" Back to reality, pushing the past aside, focusing on the brunette of here and now.
"That's okay. I should get going. But I'll see you in the morning." She got up and started for the door.
"Buffy?" Came a small voice, the past crashing in again for a moment, remembering the same tone and inflection used on her name years ago, turning back before and seeing a sad and swollen face, words on the tip of her tongue but refusing to come out.
"Thank you." Whispered this Faith, tears welling up in her eyes despite the smile on her face. Buffy smiled back and nodded before hurrying out the door, shutting away the recollections of two dead girls.
* * * * * * *
Buffy lay in the tub in the hotel bathroom with a wet washcloth over her eyes. Dawn was in the next room, undoubtedly consuming every sweet in the mini-fridge. The girl had been conspiring with Quinton. He'd arranged to have her flown out to L.A. The amount of time she and Dawn had spent on the phone with that man was disconcerting. But then again, this whole situation was bewildering. This whole life. All three of them.
Her sister had brought a backpack full of baby books, including one outlining the condition called pre-eclampsia. Plenty to think about, worry about. That was the point of spending the past hour in the tub. Wash the worries away. It didn't work, just gave the random thoughts swirling around the silence they needed to break into consciousness. Her meeting with Faith had been so brief; the memory of it was blurred and fading. But that moment, that remembered moment, of a previous life within a previous life, long forgotten. that was disconcerting. Disorienting. Disheartening. Disillusioning.
Buffy sighed heavily and got up, stepped onto the bathmat and dried herself off. She changed into her pajamas quickly and opened the bathroom door to reveal Dawn, sitting in the middle of one giant bed. Surrounded with cellophane wrappers.
"We just ate." The blonde commented as she climbed onto the other bed.
"Yeah, but how often do I get Belgian Chocolate Truffles?" Her sister managed to get around a mouthful of candy.
"You know those things are probably ten dollars a piece?"
"They don't come with the room?"
Buffy's raised eyebrows conveyed the needed answer. "Oh." She replied, somewhat abashedly, gathering the noisy little wrappers and placing them in the trash. "What does it matter anyway? The Council's paying."
"They're not our personal piggy bank."
"I know. Just think of it as back pay for a job that got you killed. Twice." Dawn handed the remote to her sister before getting under the covers and switching off the little bedside lamp. She tossed and turned for a few moments, searching for the sweet spot in an unfamiliar bed, while Buffy flipped through the channels at an alarming pace, searching for distraction.
"Isn't it weird that by this time tomorrow we'll be at home, with a new baby?" The younger Summers asked amidst her pillow fluffing.
"A little bit."
"I think Mom would be proud."
Buffy looked over at her sister and smiled, as the last shred of doubt left her mind. "Me, too."
TBC