DISCLAIMER: Listen up and Listen good, because I'm only saying this once! OC stuff, not mine (especially the scene at the end which is copied from The OC). Buffy stuff, not mine.

SUMMARY: the OC/BtVS. Faith was taken from her family when she was ten. Now the Watchers Council is gone she's free to go back, but it's not that easy when over ten years have past and nothing's the same as when you left.

RATING: PG-13 for language.

TIMELINE: Faith is aged 21 in this fic. That makes her 16 when she first arrived in Sunnydale (around the same age Buffy was when she was called). She was 10 when she was taken from her family, so they've been without her for about eleven years. Takes place after 'the Blaze of Glory' for the OC and goes AU (alternate universe) i.e. Trey will not show up. At least not for now, but I may change my mind later.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews- there should be responses waiting in your inboxes for everyone who gave signed reviews.

Distant Elephants by Kiara

5- THINGS WEREN'T ALWAYS EASY FOR THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS…

"We're booked on the 9.10 tomorrow morning."

Faith nodded, taking a steadying breath. "Still got time to back out then?" She joked feebly.

"You think I'd let you? I'll drag you on unconscious if I have to."

Faith snorted. "I'd like to see you try."

"Hey, I work out!"

"Have you developed supernatural speed? Because that's all that'll save you."

Xander looked offended for a moment, before shrugging. "Fair do's. I'll see you in the morning. Around half seven?"

Faith nodded slowly. "I'll be ready."

Xander went back to his silent room. He leant back against the cool wood door and exhaled slowly. Tomorrow he would find out if he'd set Faith up for the biggest fall of her life.

He'd been so busy trying to persuade Faith to find her family, so sure that it was the right thing to do, that he hadn't even considered that they might not accept their daughter back into their lives, especially when they found out what she did for a living. Or when they find out what she'd done in the past, especially with her father being a lawyer.

There were so many reasons why they could turn her away. Buffy's dad put her in an asylum when she tried to tell him; her mother threw her out of the house when she found out the truth. What was to stop Faith's family from doing the same, especially after their daughter dropped off the face off the earth eleven years ago as far as they knew?

From what Faith had told him, the Cohen's were a great family. He could tell that there had been a lot of love around for the first years of her life. They might be so glad to have her home that they don't even mind about the slaying or the jail term. Hopefully.

It could all go disastrously wrong, but he had to stay strong for Faith. There was no going back now.

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The next morning seemed to roll around way too slowly for Faith's liking. She didn't manage to get any sleep all night; a mix of excitement and total dread had her stomach churning. Half of her wanted to curl back up in her safe warm bed; the other half wished she was in Newport Beach right now. But she was determined to go through with the trip. She sat on her bed staring at the wall in front of her, a suitcase packed by the door and a small carry on bag next to her on the bed. She checked her watch for the millionth time that day. Xander would be here any minute.

As if on cue, someone rapped sharply on the door. It was Xander.

When he saw the bags all packed and ready to go he smiled. "You're ready to go then?"

Faith nodded. "Let's do this."

"Buffy says 'good luck.'" Xander commented as Faith went to pick up her bag.

She turned to him, hurt showing on her face. "You told her?"

"No, of course not. I just said we were going away for a while and I think she guessed something was up."

"Oh; sorry."

He just smiled, showing her that she didn't need to worry about offending him. "Let's go."

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Ta-ta-ta-tap. Ta-ta-ta-tap. Ta-ta-ta-tap. Ta-ta-ta-tap.

"Faith!" Xander put his hand on top of hers, forcing her to stop rapping her nails against the little fold down table on the plane.

"Sorry." After a few moments of fidgeting, Faith started biting her finger nails.

Xander sighed. "What's up?"

"Nothing." He gave her a look. "I think I knew I'd have to do this one day, you know? Sooner or later I'd have to go home. But there was always something to do to put it off; slaying, prison, the First, rebuilding the Council, helping Angel defeat the evil lawyers, helping Angel rebuild Angel Investigations, teaching the newbies. But it was always this distant elephant."

"What?"

"A distant elephant. You know, like when you see an elephant in the distance it looks really tiny and then you get close to it, suddenly it's not so tiny."

"Okay…so your family are distant elephants?" Xander asked confused.

"They were. Now they're great big, close up elephants that are standing right on the only path through the desert."

"I see." Xander said, though he clearly didn't.

"No, you don't." Faith said, not bothering to explain it any further. "How do you think they'll react when I tell them what I've done?"

"You don't have to tell them anything you don't want to. The Council wiped your record and Willow took care of the recognising you from the news thing. It could just disappear if that's what you want."

"I don't think it can." Faith looked out the window, watching as the tiny buildings below got bigger and bigger as they descended. "We're getting ready to land."

"There'll be a car waiting for us at the airport." Xander said quietly, watching for Faith's reaction. "They'll take us to Newport Beach."

"Right." She kept looking out the window, watching the strip of grey approach.

With a slight bump they landed and were taxiing around the tarmac. As the plane slowly came to a stop, Xander got up and pulled his bag from the overhead locker. Faith was still looking out the window, not moving to get off the plane.

"Faith?"

Her head snapped round. "Huh? Oh, right."

Faith didn't really remember what happened next. She knew they got off the plane and collected their bags, but it passed in a swirling mass of colour to her. They were soon sitting in a big black car, courtesy of the Watchers Council, and on their way to the Cohen household, Newport Beach.

They drove through up the hill towards a set of iron gates marked 'Pelican Cove'. The driver flashed his Watchers Council badge at the doorman allowing them entry into one of Newport's most exclusive areas. As they continued up the hill and the first of the perfect white mansions came into view, Faith started to fidget again. They were getting close.

Xander reached over and placed a comforting hand on hers. He smiled reassuringly. "It'll all work out. They'll be so pleased to see you."

Faith just nodded, not sure she trusted her voice to stay steady if she attempted to actually speak.

"It'll be fine."

"Maybe."

"It will be, you've got to stay positive." Xander said, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look at him.

"Jesus Xander, this is so hard. So many things could go wrong and then it'll be even worse than if I never came here."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. I've been gone for more than ten years, they won't recognise me, and they probably think I'm dead for Christ's sake. They might not believe that I'm me, they could chuck me out into the street like I'm nothing to them. But let's say they do believe me, then what? What about when they ask what I've been doing for then last decade? Do I tell them about the slaying and the demons? Or do I just mention the fact that I'm a murderer who should be doing time, but broke out of a L.A. prison to help out my vampiric friend who was trying to kill everyone, much like I'd tried to do a few years previously? How do I tell them any of that? The Council already told me they don't like the slaying idea." Faith ranted, losing her cool for a moment.

Xander blinked. "You should tell them really slowly. And in small instalments."

Faith smiled despite herself. "Yeah, maybe I could use sock puppets."

"Puppets are always fun." Xander quipped. "Just ask Angel."

"Yeah," she snorted in a very unladylike way; "I don't think he found it fun though."

"Well I would. If only I could have been there, I have a feeling that Wolfram and Hart's CCTV footage just don't do him justice." Xander sighed.

Faith laughed. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"It's what I do- comic relief and fixing windows." Xander said with a grin.

"You're more than that."

They were quiet for a minute, neither knowing what else to say, until the car shuddered to a halt outside a large mansion.

"This is it." Faith muttered, the churning stomach now replaced with a total numbness. She didn't know which she preferred better.

"Would you like me to come with you?" Xander asked, not sure whether she wanted him to intrude on the moment.

She nodded, grasping his hand tightly. They walked up the path and onto the porch. Faith looked back at Xander who nodded encouragingly before knocking on the door to the Cohen house.

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"Alright, dinner time. How do you feel about chicken parm?" Sandy asked as he put his bags down on the kitchen table.

Kirsten didn't move, she kept looking at the papers in front of her. "That is simply unacceptable!"

"Hey don't look at me; I'm the one who wanted Thai!" Sandy said as he got the plates out. As much as he missed his wife with all the extra work she had been doing for the launch of Newport Living, he was grateful that it gave her something to focus on other than her dreams. She was even starting to act a little more like the Kirsten they all knew and loved. Luckily the boys seemed to buy the 'tired from work' line he'd spun them.

"Carter, I'm gonna have to call you back." Kirsten pulled the ear piece out of her ear and hung up her phone.

"You're off the phone!" Sandy said in mock surprise. "I barely recognise you without a wire coming out of your ear!"

Kirsten walked over to him and helped dish up the takeaway. It was taking less and less of an effort to keep acting like normal as the days went past. "I'm sorry, it's just that we're unveiling the magazine in exactly sixty seven hours, at which point I will have some semblance of a life back."

"Ah well, here's hoping!"

The couple looked up as they heard their son approaching. "… I was kicking your ass and every time I do that you pause it." Seth said, picking up a plate of food.

Ryan took one of the plates Sandy offered him. "Thank you, I'm starving. See you later."

Sandy stood in front of his family, blocking their exit from the room. "Whoa, no way, sorry. This is a family dinner."

"Ohh the sneak attack family dinner. Dude, we walked right into it." Seth said, making a face at his 'brother'.

"I have to work." Kirsten tried.

"Yeah and Ryan and I are in the middle of a very crucial playstation game."

Ryan nodded. "It's kind of like the super bowl."

"I don't care, nobody here eats tonight unless we sit down and eat as a family, no excuses, tonight and together, now sit down everybodyc'mon." Sandy pointed to the dining table. It was the perfect time to remind Kirsten of what she still had.

"Great" Ryan muttered, taking his seat across from Kirsten.

"And you too." Sandy said noticing his son's reluctance.

Seth reluctantly took his place opposite his father. "Mm family times always best when it's forced."

"You're not going to be invited on the family trip I'm planning." Sandy threatened, but Seth just laughed. "Ryan, have you ever seen Mount Rushmore?"

They were interrupted by the doorbell ringing.

Kirsten turned around. "Oh, that could be to do with work."

"Summer gets really mad in I'm not available."

"Yeah and Marissa's supposed to come over."

Sandy got up, quelling his family's protests. "I will get the door. Nobody's leaving, this is a family dinner."

He pulled open the white door sharply. "Hello?"

There were two people standing there that he didn't recognise. A girl of about twenty and a boy of about the same age standing behind her.

"Can I help you?"

The guy nudged her slightly causing the girl to slip out of her reverie.

"Err yes. I thought I better come and see you, that is to tell you…what I mean is…" The girl trailed off, her eyes on the floor. Her companion put a hand on her shoulder which seemed to give her comfort and she was able to life her eyes to look directly into his own. "I'm Faith."

For the first time in his life, Sandy Cohen fainted.

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Next chapter: Faith finally meets her family and Xander and Faith get closer. I've already started it, so look for an update in about a week.

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