For notes, warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1

Chapter 11: Coming to an Understanding

Joyce is looking at me as if I had suddenly grown a second head, not that I blame her. I know asking her to take Faith in may be a bit much but I still hope she will do it.

"You are kidding, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not. I know this is a lot to ask for but I am at my wit's end. Buffy is right when she says that Faith cannot be allowed to stay in that motel for much longer and even if Buffy weren't staying with me I don't think my flat would be an effective long term solution for her," I explain.

"Well, maybe if Buffy were to move back home with me --where she belongs-- then Faith could move in with you... at least for the short term."

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of both girls staying with you for the time being," I say.

"Both of them?" asks Joyce, looking a lot more receptive to the idea of taking Faith in than she had a few seconds prior.

"Yes. I must admit that the whole thing was Buffy's idea. She seems to have taken Faith under her wing and she was the one who suggested talking to you. At first I wasn't entirely sure whether or not that was such a good idea but as I thought about it I realized that having Faith here would probably help Buffy adjust to being home. Besides, while I may know how to deal with a slayer, I confess I am clueless when it comes to sixteen and seventeen year old girls. I am not what Faith needs no matter what the Council says. Faith has the potential to become a truly remarkable slayer --she certainly seems to have the raw talent for that-- but she deserves a chance to be a girl and I can't give her that... I don't know how."

"You've been doing well enough with Buffy though," she points out.

"Yes, but..."

"No buts, you can handle her," she says, and I can't be sure if she's trying to talk me out of trying to convince her to take Faith in, or if she's trying to reassure me.

"Yes, but it's not just about Faith or Buffy, it's about what's best for both of them... besides I'm going out of town for a few days and I need to know they'll both be safe while I'm gone," I explain.

"Out of town?"

"Council business," I say, hoping Joyce will allow me to leave it at that and knowing that she probably won't.

"What kind of Council business?" she asks. No, I didn't really think it would be that easy, but it was worth a try.

"I must go to the East Coast to do some additional research on some information Willow managed to find for me. I must admit that computers can be extremely useful when it comes to finding hard facts but sometimes that is not enough. There's something cold about computer data that I'll probably never be comfortable with... I may be old fashioned but there's some business I still believe should be conducted face to face."

"When are you leaving and how long will you be gone?"

"I'm still not sure. I'm not going anywhere for as long as Buffy is staying with me and..."

"So this Council business is not exactly urgent, is it?"

"No, it's not apocalyptic kind of urgent but it is important nonetheless."

"This whole thing still feels so unreal sometimes. I mean, up until a couple of months ago whenever I heard the word apocalyptic I just knew it was being used figuratively, now I assume you mean literally?" she asks, shaking her head.

"Yes, but as I said, for once the world is not in danger... or at least not in any more danger than it normally is."

"And seeing how Boston is on the East Coast is it safe to assume that your important-but-not-quite-apocalyptic business has something to do with Faith?"

"Yes," I admit, "if she's going to be staying with us on a permanent basis I'd like to know more about her. Unfortunately her watcher's diary didn't survive the woman's death at Kakistos's hand. As I said, Willow managed to find some background information on her --school records and the like-- but it is sketchy at best. I'd also like to try and track her mother down to see if it would be possible for us to legalize her situation somehow... at least enough to allow her to attend school here in Sunnydale."

"Can you tell me what you know?"

"I'm afraid it's not much. Faith turned sixteen last April, she ran away from home over two years ago, a couple of months after she turned fourteen. She was a very good student up until that point but the schools she attended were far from the best and the fact remains that she barely managed to finish the eight grade. Her mother turned thirty one less than two months ago, which means she had Faith when she was just fourteen herself. She was a single mother and she never married, never finished high school either. As far as the facts go, that's all I've got. I could speculate about what Faith's life may have been like up until she was called, but I prefer not to do it."

"What you'll find... it won't paint a pretty picture, will it?"

"No, I don't think so, especially not after what we've learned of Buffy's last summer. Buffy was seventeen when she ran away, Faith was barely fourteen and she was on her own for two full years. That's another reason why I think Faith would be better off staying here than with me, to tell you the truth. I may be reluctant to speculate about her past but from what I've seen my gut instinct says that this girl needs a mother, and seeing how Buffy has already adopted her as her sister... well..."

"I get adopted by default, is that it?" asks Joyce with a knowing smile.

"Yes, I'm afraid so... also if they are both living in the same place it would mean they would have no time alone at all while they patrol. As long as they are living in different places they will remain particularly vulnerable before they meet or after they part ways and something can always try to take advantage of that window of opportunity. If they were both living under the same roof that would effectively close that window."

"That's not playing fair, you know? Okay, I won't agree to take Faith in on a permanent basis --at least not yet-- but she can stay here while you go to Boston. We'll see how that goes and then I'll make my decision."

"That sounds fair enough, thank you... though I'll have to ask you not to tell the girls where I'm going."

"You are just going to tell them that it's Council business?"

"Yes, I'm not sure how Faith would react to the fact that I'm going to go snooping into her past and I don't want to risk her taking off while I'm gone."

"Again based on that past you don't want to speculate about?" Joyce asks.

"Mostly," I say, though I'm aware that she probably knows what I'm thinking.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Well, Buffy will still be staying with me tonight, then tomorrow after school she'll probably come home. I think it would be best if we let her talk Faith into agreeing to move in, after all it was her idea. In a couple of days --once I'm sure both girls are settled-- I'll drive myself to LA after work and I'll catch an early flight to Boston the next day. I don't think I'll be gone for more than a week. In Boston I'll try to locate some people who may remember Faith from before she ran away and I have her mother's address so I'll talk to her too. We will still probably have a two year gap but that should provide us with at least a clue as to what we are dealing with here."

"I want a full report," Joyce says, in a far more decisive voice than I would have expected under the circumstances.

"Of course, that goes without saying, especially if Faith is to stay here. I feel like I must warn you though, I don't think that girl is used to authority figures. She's been on her own for a very long time so she may prove to be quite a challenge."

"Yes, I figured that much, but that's not what I meant," she says.

"What did you mean?" I ask, rather perplexed by the sudden turn in the conversation.

"I'm not blind, Rupert, and I'm not in denial of what's going on around me any longer. Your plan makes perfect sense --I wouldn't expect any less of you-- but I've gotten to know you in these past couple of months and especially over the last ten days or so... besides, I have a sneaky teenager for a daughter. LA is only a two hours drive from here so it doesn't make much sense for you to spend the night there in order to catch a morning flight... unless you have an entirely different reason for wanting to spend some time in town in the first place. I know what you are planning to do and I said I want a full report. She may be your slayer but she is still my daughter."