Title: Her Salvation: Chapter Three.

Rating: PG-13...er, R?(For now at least.)

Summary: What happens when Faith gets whisked away to prison, only to find herself pregnant? Rather than turn her child over to the system, Faith asks a favor that might take more courage than she feels she has.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything here. Save for the storyline. All characters and the like are trademark properties of Joss Whedon, Fox, Mutant Enemy and it's affiliates. If I use lyrics then they're copyrighted to their respected owners and blah, blah, blah. Please don't sue. I'm just a poor girl. Really, I am.

Pairings: Faith/Buffy later on, Buffy/Riley at the present and of course Willow/Tara and Xander/Anya.

A/N: I know I have a lot of stories out there already, or at least a few and should stay focused on them. But like I told a friend, and she told me, it's so hard to not take an idea that pops into your head and go with it. :D

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Los Angeles Womens Corrections Facility.

"What did you do?" Came a probing voice from behind. There wasn't any amount of anger in his voice, only wonder.

"All of a sudden I'm at fault?" Buffy spun on the heels of her feet to face Angelm ready for anything he'd throw her way. At once her feeling of being wrongly accused of something disappeared. He looked pleased and even, dare she say it? Happy. I Just not too happy. /i She reminded herself.

"I haven't seen Faith that..." What was the word? "...at peace in a long time." Was he thanking her? Pfft, he better be! This hadn't been a short, or easy visit. Despite that the two girls clawing lasted only minutes rather than the entire time.

"Yeah, well, don't go thinking I'm going to make a habit out of it, cos I'm not." That was a lie. She definitely was. Even Angel knew it. Especially with being given the title of parent and all. A parent to Faith's child. Something she never, ever would have forseen. "I'm just helping her out."

"Buffy, I'm not judging your decision, but are you sure this is right? I know your mom is sick, and you have Dawn to take care of while she's in the hospital, ontop of other things already." Angel knew he made valid points, but the tiny blonde he still loved was as stubborn as he. Far braver though.

"I can do this, Angel. I don't want Faith to think I abandoned her at probably the most vulnerable time in her life. What kind of person would that make me? To refuse helping her and giving her child a hard life?" Buffy knew full well what being shifted around from one town to the next did. It made you an outsider. Sure she had only been to five different schools in her lifetime, and all before eighteen, but it left a mark on her.

"If you need me, I'll come." Angel laid a hand to the top of Buffy's shoulder, gently kneading the skin. "Anytime. Well, as best as I can during the day." He gave a little grin.

"I know. Thank you." For once they left in peace and not with one of the other storming off. It actually felt nice.

Three days later;Driveway of the Thomas' household.

"Wait, not yet." Buffy said grabbing Angel's arm. The car had been sitting at the curb to the foster family's house for over twenty minutes. Two dozen times Buffy had said she was ready to go in and get Nathaniel, when she backed out of it in fear.

"Buffy, they know we're out here. I'm sure they're in no rush to have him leave, but I know you want to take him home." The normally broody vampire was all smiles. It had been a while since he and Buffy spoke like this. And in the past two days, they talked on the phone nearly all night and morning after she patrolled and he did his nightly helps.

"I know I told Faith, I can do this. But, Angel, what if I really can't? What if mom doesn't get better right away and I have to take care of Dawn and the baby? I'm not an adult. I've told you that I've killed goldfish and virtual pets!" It didn't take more than a comforting hand covering her own and a few whispered words from Angel to have Buffy shutting the passenger door with one look back. "You're right. I'm ready. I'm just nervous." She breathed, catching the image in the back of the sleek black car. A baby's carseat. Nathaniel's. It was one that both Dawn and she had picked out.

Looking as if they were the most normal couple in the world, and they definitely were neither, couple nor normal, Angel and Buffy walked side by side up the stone path way to the large porch. There the two were greeted by a man in his late thirties with graying hair. A pair of bright green eyes stared at the two before he waved them on in passed the glass door, "Come in, come in. You must be Angel and Buffy. So pleased to meet you." He said in earnest, holding the door open for the couple to step through.

At once shaking their hands, the older looking man introduced himself. "I'm Tim. My wife's coming out now. She was just getting his bottles already. We made some for you on the trip home. I know coming up here isn't a short drive. Figured you'd need something to tid the baby over."

"Thank you, very much. Hopefully there won't be any traffic on the way home and we'll get there in no time." Angel was trying desperately to make idle conversation as much as this felt ackward. "Not that we speed. We don't. I just mean since it's later on at night, there might not be anyone on the road to cause delays." He thanked whatever power above for the intrusion.

The intrustion was the sound of a woman's voice who appeared from the kitchen, looking in her early thirties with dark brown hair. The baby boy to her chest was wailing, his back to the new comers.

"Oh, look at you two. Such a sweet couple. I'm Laura. This here is my husband, Tim. I'm sure he hasn't introduced himself. He tends to forget his manners, but he means no harm."

"I did, Laura. I'm surprised by myself that I did remember this time." He laughed, "We do this often. Foster children so they don't have to go into an orphange before someone takes them to a good home. Nathaniel here seems to not like it as the rest do. Although we think he's mostly colic. Even if the doctor says there's not a thing wrong."

Buffy now thought all over again to what she had gotten herself into. That the baby likely felt the same hatred towards her that Faith did. This was a recipe for all kinds of wrongness to insue.

"Have you ever held an infant before?" Laura asked Buffy, who slowly shook her head, then remembered she had. "I was six, I think. My sister Dawn. Long time ago. I'm not sure..." Immediately she had her arms out and the older woman was instructing the tiny blonde what to do.

When the crying baby was settled into strong arms, did he finally stop his crying. A hush fell over the house. Tim and Laura watched in amazement. Buffy looked petrified. Angel looked on in awe. Nathaniel in love.

"D-Did I do something?" She never stuttered, yet she did now. Fear shone in normally brilliant hues of jade. "I didn't mean to. Oh, god. I'm sorry." She whispered to the baby, who was busy looking up in the blonde face. Something akin to recognition in his baby blue eyes. Adjusting her hand further up the baby's neck and against the bottom of his head, Buffy turned to Angel for support.

"You didn't do anything wrong. He likes you, Buffy. A lot. Faith was told he cried constantly when he was away from her. Only when he visted did he stop. Guess the little guy fell hard for you." Not that he couldn't blame Nathaniel for it. Buffy did that to a lot of people and of course, one vampire. "Ready to take him home?" He asked peering over Buffy's shoulder, running a hand gently over the top of Nathan's head, "You've a good thing going for you right here." He mouthed and pointed fown towards Buffy, "She'll take care of you. And so will I."

"I'm ready." Buffy nodded. With Nathaniel in her arms, she felt at peace. She knew what she fought for. Why she was chosen to do what she did. Dawn was a constant reminder. But as she grew into a more independant individual, Buffy's rememberance as to why she fought nightly faded in and out of focus. Now she'd have a reminder for a very long time. And there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for the little guy that she wouldn't for Dawn.

Although the diaper changing thing was all Nathan. If Dawn ever decided to wear diapers again, noway in the Hellmouth was she changing those!

-TBC (I'm saving the interaction between Faith and Buffy finally getting to the agreeing decision that Buffy would take Nathaniel and raise him for flashbacks. Thank you for the reviews so far, so please R&R some more:))