Actions & Consequences (11/?)

"Momma?"

Faith stared at Lex, her heart catching at the sight of her little boy, hers, stood by his bed, a protective arm around his twin's shoulder. Every time either of them spoke to her, called her Momma or Ma or Mummy, her heart tightened with a combination of joy at finally at finding her babies and fear that she'd be a fuck-up of a parent just like her mom. Finally she found her voice. "Yes baby," she scooped her children up into her arms and kissed them on their foreheads with a softness she'd never kissed anyone with before. "What's up?"

She hid a smile at the troubled look on her babies' face; they looked so sweet in the PJs Fang had found that had once been Connor's. "You know how you and Aunt Buffy are real strong?"

"Yes baby," she nodded. They'd explained about Slayers, her heart had nearly burst with pride when Hoppy had called her 'a super-hero'.

"And how's Auntie Willa can do magic," Hoppy's eyes widened at her comment. Again she nodded. "And Granpappy Giles knows everything?" Faith bit back a chuckle, better not let English hear that otherwise he would lord it over them.

"And then there's Uncle Angel who's a vampire," Lex added. Faith could barely stop from laughing remembering how excited her babies had been when Fang had vamped out for them. "But," her baby hesitated.

"Go on sweetie," she encouraged.

"Why doesn't daddy have powers too? Why isn't he special too?"

"Hey," Faith scolded gently before shaking her head. "You shouldn't say that about your daddy he's real special. Even though he hasn't got any powers he saved the world once on his own, when Auntie Buffy and Granpappy Giles couldn't," seeing her children's eyes widen she continued. "And he's helped your Auntie Buffy save the world a ton of times and killed plenty of demons."

"How does he do all that without any powers?" asked an awe-struck Hoppy, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Because," Faith stopped for a second wondering how to explain the concepts of honour, compassion, bravery, and loyalty to two three year olds, concepts she'd not believed in herself until recently. "Because he does have a power."

"Really?" Lex looked so excited. She couldn't resist giving him an extra squeeze and a soppy kiss on his cheek. "Mom!" A look of disgust on his face, Lex wiped his face clean.

Faith giggled at her son's horrified expression. "Sorry baby. Your daddy's power is he has the biggest heart in the world, all filled with love and courage."

"Wow," Lex said. "We're really lucky to have him as our new dad aren't we?"

"Yes you are sweetie, he'll be the best daddy in the world," Faith looked at the bed. "Now let me put you to bed. I'll sleep in the chair, okay?"

"Momma," Hoppy asked in a small voice. "Can you sleep with us? Please?"

Faith smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."

In just a few seconds, she snuggled up to her babies, lying between them, holding them in a protective embrace. "Mommy?" Hoppy spoke, her voice sleepy. "You won't leave us like our other mommy did will you?"

"Never," she vowed. She was going to be a mom for her babies to be proud of.

Xander stopped outside the door to his children's room, his forehead creased in thought. He looked down at the fairy tale books Fred have given him, with the shy suggestion that he might want to read his children a bedtime story. Finally he shook his head and backed away from the door, he couldn't go in there, not after what he'd just overheard, not with his feelings all confused about Faith.

Turning, he started back towards his room. Maybe, just maybe, Faith had changed. Or maybe, he scowled, she'd heard him outside and said it to impress him, show him what a great girl she was. Wouldn't put it past her, he still remembered what a devious manipulator she was.

"Xander."

He jumped at the unexpected voice beside him. His heart thumping, he turned to the vampire by his side and glared. "Damn it Deadboy!" he growled. "You own this big ass hotel, but you still can't afford a bell around your neck? What's up with that?"

The vampire smiled thinly. "You wouldn't understand."

"Uh?"

"It's a question of style and you don't have any." Angel's face turned serious. "Can we talk?"

Xander nodded even as he inwardly groaned. Great, here it came, a lecture on the wonderfulness of Faith. "Sure, your office?"

"Willow?" a hesitant voice came through the door.

Willow looked up from kissing the back of Kennedy's neck, allowing her hands to drop from cupping her girlfriend's breasts. "Come in Buffy," she called. "Later honey," she whispered a promise into the new Slayer's ear.

The door swung open and Buffy walked in. Her best friend smiled at Kennedy. "Kennedy, can I have a word with Willow on my own please?"

Her girl friend glanced at her for guidance, she nodded. Kennedy's answering smile seemed forced. "Sure Buffy."

Rising Kennedy made her way to pass the oldest Slayer only for the blonde to block her path. "Thanks for what you did earlier; rescuing my sister and Giles, you did good work."

Willow saw her girl friend's lips, oh so kissable lips, quirk up in a smile. "Thanks, but you might want to ask Giles about that. He wasn't best pleased to see me." Chuckling slightly, her girl-friend left.

"What was that about?" Willow demanded as the door closed behind her girlfriend.

Buffy shrugged. "I don't know although Giles was muttering something about pitying whoever ended up as her Watcher when they got back from being rescued."

Willow crunched her forehead up in thought. How strange, it wasn't like Giles to be ungrateful. "So," she smiled expectantly at her best friend. "Not to be impatient or anything but I really wanted to get full use out of my girl-friend's tongue piercing tonight."

"Okay," she was pleased when Buffy reddened. Payback's a bitch; she thought. After all those years being embarrassed by her friend's descriptions of her sex-life it was good to get some retaliation in. Honestly, the girl was second only to Anya sometimes. "Too much information Will," her friend's voice turned from dry humour to concern. "Will, what's up?"

"I was just thinking of Anya and all the people we lost," Willow wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Her heart dropped at the sight of Buffy's face tightening. "Oh god Buffy, I'm sorry. I forgot about Spike!"

Shaking her head, Buffy knelt on the end of the bed. "Don't worry, I've realised I need a for real normal guy, someone who knows about the Slaying but can deal with it, Spike was a mistake." Buffy smiled at her doubtful look. "Honestly, a mistake with great abs but once he put his shirt on.... No," her friend's face shadowed. "I was thinking of all those new Slayers who got murdered. By my plan."

"Buffy," she breathed. "We won, we saved the world. Was there another way? Maybe if the Council hadn't been blown-up, we had more time, an army of ensoulled vampires, but we didn't, we were it. We did the best with what we had." Buffy looked doubtful. "But-."

"No, no buts," Willow giggled. "Well except Kennedy or Faith's in lycra shorts. Look at me Buffy, this is resolve face, you and Xander know not to mess with this look."

Buffy grinned then scowled. "Faith and Kennedy's butts? What's wrong with mine?"

"Why did you want to see me anyway?" Willow evaded, telling a friend she had a butt as flat as a pancake was probably not the best way to keep their friendship intact. Girl likes to have something soft to hold and squeeze... "Well get on with it!" she snapped with more fervour than she intended, but she really needed Kennedy right about now.

Buffy blinked at her tone and then continued. "So Xander and Faith having kids. How do you feel about that?"

Willow stared at her companion for a moment, uncertain what to say about the contrasting emotions swirling around inside her. "You know when I was a girl playing with my dolls," her mother had disapproved, saying that a young woman of the twentieth century should play with 'non-gender specific' toys but she'd ignored her. "I always used to make Xander be the daddy -."

She was interrupted by Buffy's snort. "Sorry, I just had a vision of Xander playing with a doll. Serious blackmail information." Her friend turned serious. "But how do you feel?"

Willow shrugged. She didn't feel the same way she had about Faith, her turn to the dark side following Tara's death had shown her how seductive evil could be, and it wasn't like they were competing for the same boy, or even gender, anymore. And she knew who's best friend Buffy was, that insecurity didn't have the same bite it once had. But on the other hand... "I just want him to be happy and I'm glad he's finally got them, but," her face twisted in anguish. "Why didn't he tell me about them?"

"Hey," Buffy hugged her. "He knew how hurt you were by you being with Faith at the time, maybe he was afraid to hurt you even more. And of me kicking his ass."

"But what about the way he reacted at the wedding?" Willow added, all her worries surfacing. "I mean Xander's a good guy and everything, but can he be relied on to look after two kids?"

"Then we'll have to make sure our nephew and niece gets the best home they can. What about," Buffy hesitated. "What about Faith as a mom?"

Willow gnawed on her bottom lip in thoughtful contemplation. "I never saw hell raiser, 'get some, get gone' Faith as the earth mother type but the way she looked when we all walked into the room before, she was so frightened that we were going take her children away from her. And she idolises them," she decided not to tell Buffy about the eavesdropping spell she'd cast when Xander and the second Slayer had left the room. If Xander had tried to blackmail Faith into sex, well her new nephew and niece would be down a daddy.... If she didn't do it herself, she'd ensure that Angel and Giles were told. "You can tell by the way she looks at them, her pride when they call her mommy."

"Yeah but," Buffy pressed. "What if it's a novelty? Knowing Faith she could be bored in a couple of months, leaving on the back of some biker's Harley, leaving her kids behind, all heartbroken."

Willow fought back the urge to swear. It appeared that while she might have gotten over her issues with Faith, Buffy hadn't completely. "Just give her a chance Buff," she counselled softly. "If it doesn't work out," she shrugged. "Then Xander will have us all to help him won't he?"

"He will," Buffy smiled unwillingly and stood. "They are little cuties aren't they?"

Willow beamed. "Oh god yeah, Lex has got his daddy's smile, makes me want to cuddle him and never let him go."

"Careful Will," Buffy grinned. "Kennedy hears you she'll think you're turning straight again."

Willow giggled. "Just wait 'til Alex's 18, I'll be his Mrs Robinson!"

"Ugh Will!" Buffy's nose scrunched up. "That's gross!" Her friend's face turned serious. "What about all these powers after them?"

Willow felt her heart harden at the mention of the evil forces arrayed against them. "We'll deal, we always do," she said with a calmness she didn't feel. And if any of them hurt a hair on those two children's heads, she'd make them wish their names were Warren Meers.

"Angel," Xander sighed from the other side of his room. "I figured you invite me into here for some reason other than to stare a hole into my handsome face?"

Angel started and nodded. "Sorry I was just thinking."

"Ah," Xander nodded sagely. "Takes extra time for thoughts to make their way through your hair gel."

Angel shook his head; one thing he hadn't missed from Sunnydale were Xander's attempts at humour. Taking an unneeded breath, he began to talk, telling Xander of what had happened to Cordelia, he didn't want to tell the youth but he felt it best that Xander found out direct from the source. Then at least he wouldn't have to wonder when the explosion came. He finished his recounting with a description of rescuing a comatose Cordelia from Connor. "So he's just disappeared?" Angel nodded; his son had leapt through a window just after he'd been defeated. "I'm sorry."

Angel blinked. That wasn't the reaction he'd expected. "You're not angry?"

"Angel," his companion sighed. "I spoke to Cordelia a couple of times a month," Angel blinked again, he hadn't known that. "She was so proud of what she did here, your work here. It made her happy and fulfilled, you made her happy damn it. She chose this life; you didn't force her into it."

"Thanks," he hesitated. It wasn't any of his business, and yet... "I heard what Faith was saying about you."

Xander looked surprised for a second. "What?" then he nodded. "Oh yeah, gotta love that vamp hearing. So?"

"What did you think of what Faith said?"

Xander shook his head. "Confused." The youth paused; Angel remained silent waiting for the young man to expand. Well, it wasn't like he was getting any older. "For the past four years I've hated Faith, for the way she treated me after we had sex, for trying to kill me, and most of all for stealing my kids away from me. Then I hear the person I hate the most of all in the world telling those self-same kids how much she thinks of me."

"Xander," Angel struggled for the words to comfort the youth. "You want to blame anybody for Faith blame me."

"Uh?" the one-eyed man looked confused.

"Or blame guys like me," he clarified. "Like Liam at least. I never raped or beat a woman," well he hadn't as a human. "But I'd use any line to get a girl, especially one as beautiful as Faith, and then, once I'd got what I wanted, she'd be dumped, pregnant, heart-broken, her reputation ruined. It's because of guys like me when you went to see Faith after Finch she couldn't believe that you wouldn't want anything other than to use her, because that's all she'd ever known users."

"You managed to reach her."

Angel shrugged. "There's a darkness within both of us that gave me an understanding of her that you thankfully could never have," he smirked. "And as I remember it, it hurt a hell of a lot doing it too."

Xander chuckled. "Having a Slayer beat her frustrations out on you can't be fun," he commented.

"You have no idea," he retorted. "Xander," the younger man paused in rising. "Faith has her problems but she's also loyal, honest, and has a lot of love to give to her kids - and the right man."

"The right man?" Xander's mouth dropped open. "Me and Faith? No way," he shook his head. "There lies the path of madness."

"Why?" he asked bluntly. "Faith's beautiful, spirited, loyal, honest, brave, and funny as well as being the mother of your children."

"As I've only got one eye now, sleeping with one eye open is going to be a problem."

"Look Xander," Angel sighed. "I'm not saying get married tomorrow or anything drastic like that. I'm saying open your heart, you forgave Willow," Xander's mouth dropped open. "She mentioned it after ensoulling me, she was so proud of what you did. Give her a chance to prove she's changed. If you don't...." he allowed his voice to trail off.

"That a threat Angel?"

Angel chuckled at the look in the youth's one eye. "How stupid would I have to be to threaten you in a hotel filled with Slayers who to a woman adore you? Including the girl we're talking about? No," he shook his head. "I'm just warning you that you could be losing out on a great opportunity. But," he flashed his eyes yellow. "I am warning you abuse her in any way, and Buffy and Willow won't be able to stop me from paying you a visit."

To his surprise his companion, didn't flinch. "Good to know."

Alone in his hotel room, Giles smiled as he remembered the look of wonder in his grand-children's eyes as he'd regaled them with tale after tale. He'd never married, so the Scoobies were his surrogate children, and fine children they were. He was amazed how much the three of them had grown, Faith seemed completely different, especially when her children were with her. He just wished Anya, Tara, and Cordy were still with them, to share in all this.

Noting the early morning rays were beginning to come through the windows, he climbed into his bed, he needed to rest before tonight's action. His smile faded, his face hardening into something Ethan Rayne would have recognised as Ripperish, as he considered the forces arrayed against them. They were all going to learn what a mistake it was to try and hurt his family.

The teen looked down from his crouched position on the hotel fire escape. He knew they wouldn't be able to detect him, not with the skills his guardian and hard life had taught him. The loyalty he'd seen puzzled him, it must be.... "Family," he muttered before disappearing into the night. The children were interesting.... He'd keep an eye on them.