"Emma? Why the hell are you still out here?", asked Faith seeing the woman in the red leather jacket squatting on the kerb outside the Summer's house as she burst out into the afternoon light with a light smile of relief dancing on her lips.

"I'm in a strange town in the middle of suburbia, I've no idea where the hell I am. I might be damn good at finding people but I really have no sense of direction and if this town is as dangerous as you say, well your Mom would kill me if I got killed", Emma shrugged as she got to her feet tucking into her pocket the random doodles of space cowboys she had made whilst waiting.

"Ok, that makes sense I guess", Faith smirked, "So why didn't you just knock on the door. Mrs S is cool, she woulda made you a coffee or something"

"No. From the sounds of it you really needed your alone time to talk to her, am I right?"

"You can read people too, eh?"

"It's handy when it comes to my job. Also, it helps when trying to get your Mom to calm down after she freaks out when someone squeezes the middle of the toothpaste tube. She's quirky like that"

"Yeah, I bet", chuckled Faith as she nodded along the empty street, "C'mon, I'll show you the way back"

"Thanks", Emma said as, seeing the awkward jiggle to the slayer's step, decided to just dive right in, "So I guess the talk went well"

"Pretty much. Mrs S has this way of just cutting through the shit and telling me what I don't want to hear, or just don't want to admit", Faith said as they swerved left at the junction.

"And?"

"Well I can't remember the exact details of what she said…..but she pretty much told me to go for it. I've always wanted a Mom, someone who actually has my back and gives a shit. Fair enough, Mrs S does that anyway, but she's Buffy's family….and it's about time I-I had my own", Faith said hoping the love offered to her was not a poisoned chalice.

"So you've accepted that Regina is your Mom?", Emma asked hopefully as the constant texting from her lover had shown her how anxious and desperate the fallen Queen was to have her daughter back in her life.

"Kinda. But I'm gonna give it a shot. I don't wanna chicken out and live to regret it, to look back on what might have been", Faith breathed out heavily as she was still apprehensive about actually listening to her heart having been wounded so many times in her young life.

"Good on ya", Emma said thankfully as she bumped hips with the girl who reminded her so much of herself during her ill-spent formative days, "So…er….. where do we go from here?"

"Take a left on Pine Street and straight on"

"That's not what I meant"

"I know. I just don't know how to….y'know…..she's my Mom but I have no idea who she is or what's she's like. I mean she's obviously a total cougar"

"W-what?"

"Y'know, she's got to be a few years older than you….."

"You've no idea", Emma muttered flippantly.

"Huh?"

"Nevermind. But Regina's in the same boat. But I think you can figure out each other as you go along"

"I hope so", said Faith as she came to a halt, "But what if I fuck it all up. I-I can't handle that…. having a Mom….. and then throwing it all away just 'cos I…."

"Faith, listen to me", Emma said putting her fingers under Faith's crestfallen chin and raising it until their gazes clashed, "Regina is a fucking awesome woman, she's been through so much that no matter what you do she'll never give up on you…..never"

"That's….cool", she breathed out in relief as they continued their walk through suburbia.

"You know, Sunnydale kinda reminds me of Storybrooke", Emma shrugged gazing round at the wandering citizens.

"Why?"

"It just seems to be full of white middle class people. I mean, this is California, where the hell are all the blacks and Hispanics? It's almost like it's some kind of Aryan paradise where the white blonde chick can only be the superhero just like in Storybrooke. Kinda weird don't you think?"

"Never really thought about it, but I see your point"

"So this slaying thing", Emma said hoping to steer the conversation back to territories where Faith obviously felt more comfortable, "Bet it hurts"

"Not so much, it's kinda therapeutic kicking the shit out of demon's n' things. But there's always some smart ass demon trying to get the better of us by screwing with family….and now I better keep an eye on you and Mom as…well …. I don't wanna see you get hurt"

"Thanks Faith", smiled Emma softly sensing the strength of the young girls heart, "But she's such a bad ass with the magic that no-one could ever get near her family without Regina tearing off their face and wearing it as a hat. As for me? You don't grow up on the bad side of Boston without knowing how to kick some ass"

"You're a Beantown girl too?"

"Yep. Boondocks."

"Cool, me too", replied Faith, her attention being grasped by this woman who seemed actually quite cool and even honest.

"Haven't been back there for a while though, not since Xmas two years back when I saw my old foster family"

"What are they like?"

"Really cool, I don't know why foster families get such a bad rep, I mean there's hundreds of great families out there who are offering loving and secure homes. I don't know why everyone assumes that if you were in the system then you'd get nothing but abuse and rejection, it's really stupid. My home was great and my foster parents, man I totally love them. I should really head back there sooner rather than later, show off Henry and 'Gina. You too if you wanna come?"

"Sounds cool. So were you a cop back in Boston?"

"No, I used to be a Bailbonds person"

"You mean a Bounty Hunter?", asked Faith, her shapely brows suddenly popping up as the gears within her mind began to turn.

"I prefer the term 'Bailbonds person', it sounds less…"

"But Bounty Hunter sounds way cooler", replied Faith in mild admiration, "So what was it like?"

"It was ok. Good money, really good money actually. Worked when you wanted, no uniform, and with crime the way it is, it's about the only growth industry in America today. Why?"

"That sounds awesome. I could totally do that", said Faith with a sudden spring in her step, a growing excitement dancing within her eyes as she couldn't wait for her careers counsellor to hear her plan.

"W-what?", squawked Emma in shock as she hurried along the sidewalk until she caught the slayer up, "No, I-I mean you have to be aggressive with the fighting and that"

"No probs, I know several martial arts now, but I've always been a helluva street fighter even before I was called"

"But there's the danger", Emma said with a growing panic knowing that if Regina heard one word of this she would be sleeping on the couch for the foreseeable future.

"Ahem….slayer here", Faith said pointing to herself, "I face danger every damn day, some jerk with a sawn off should be no problem. Besides, I heal extra fast"

"B-but it's not all kicking and cuffing, sometimes you have use your sexual prowess to snare the bad guy…."

"Hey", said Faith motioning to her glorious bosom, "I sure got that covered"

"B-but what about….", Emma blustered with a sudden panic as this conversation had veered quickly into an avenue she hadn't expected.

"No buts Emski…"

"Emski?", she coughed in return at the unexpected emergence of a nickname.

"Yeah, I never wanted to go to college anyways, bein' a bounty hunter could easily fit around the slaying gig. Damn, I never would've thought of that without you. Thanks Emski, I'll seeya later at the library", Faith said as she playfully punched the Sheriff in the arm, something she only ever did with people she actually liked, leaving her alone at the end of Main Street with the coffee shop in the distance.

"B-but wait…..oh shit", Emma said as her skin flushed cold as her cellphone rang. Without even answering it she knew who it was.

"Emma, I couldn't wait any longer. Did you talk to her?", asked Regina cutting past the simple pleasantries with the lilt of hope scraping along each perfectly rounded syllable.

"Um…..yeah"

"And?"

"And what?"

"What has Faith said? Has she accepted she's a Princess?", pressed the former Queen.

"Er…", said Emma looking at her feet and scuffing her shoes on the sidewalk like a child caught out after curfew, "…..not exactly"

Meanwhile, across town at the Rosenberg residence

"Astarte et inflamanium", shouted Willow firing her most powerful spell at the man with the grey mottled skin.

"He-he-he", he giggled in reply as, with the flick of a wrist, he turned her magic into dust, "You really are a stupid girl"

"Entioh alles…uughh", choked out the fledgling witch as, before she could finish another spell, found her magic rendered useless and her arms pinned to her sides.

The man who smelt of death and chaos skipped across the room in a vile mockery of a pirouette, chuckling in such an easy victory. His thin lips slipped back to reveal vile teeth as his face came within an inch of hers, as if he were a vicious predator finding crippled prey.

"You wield magic like a child who's found her father's gun. In my world we created these spells, we crafted these magicks through years of trial and error and then they were stolen to this world so people like you could read these words like faithful sheep and take the glory for yourselves", he spat out in a menacing whisper, "You are a simple charlatan standing on the shoulders of giants. You are a thief. You dearie…. are nothing"

"B-but I understand magic and…."

"You understand nothing!", he roared with glowing eyes, "Every spell in this world was stolen from the vein of magic owned by me for though I wear no trinket on my noggin, I am the crown prince of the black arts. Each time someone here uses such magicks it costs you a part of your soul. In the years to come you will lose every aspect of yourself to the Darkness, your womb will become shrivelled and barren before you even leave your teens, it's the price of magic in this world. And you dearie, have been usurping my gifts so much that your soul is so tainted with my magic….. and you have no idea how much you belong to me now. You are a whore. No more, no less", he sneered picking up Willow's favored book and igniting it before it cascaded down in ash, "You have raped my magicks without hesitation, you are nothing more than a pretender to the throne which is why you will always fail"

"B-but I didn't know", choked out Willow as her eyes stung with tears yet to shed.

"In this world, I believe they're called covens, they share and limit their magic only reaching such strength through their unity for they know the true price of magick. One individual holding such powers, well it will corrupt and cost them everything they hold dear. Spells to bring back the dead or lead the world to ruin, they would seal their soul to me for eternity, by the time they'd be 25 they'd be nothing but a desiccated husk in my servitude", he grinned, "You think a few years of reading books and you could become as powerful as I, how ridiculous does that sound? I told you, all magic comes with a price"

"But w-what about Regina? S-she does magic and…"

"What do you know of the Queen?", Rumplestiltskin spat trying to keep the shock from his lilting voice.

"S-she's here. She came for Faith, s-she's her mother"

"Ah, the child that was stolen", he said stroking his chin sagely, "And you know of this girl?"

"Y-yes sir", whimpered Willow feeling the power radiating from the ghoulish creature.

"Then maybe you have use to me, perhaps I won't take your soul as my trophy. For Regina and I possess magicks you could not possibly comprehend. Very well, you shall serve me until my vengeance on the Queen is complete. But if you dare cross me, an eternity of slavish pain awaits you, an existence of degradation as my pet will be your reward if you so dare as mention my presence to anyone. Do we have a deal?", Rumplestiltskin urged with glee thrusting a parchment scribed with an archaic language towards her.

"B-but I can't do….."

"Sign the contract dearie or I shall shackle you right now and you will spend a dozen lifetimes as my plaything where you will redefine pain and suffering", he sneered.

"I….ok…but please….d-don't hurt me", sobbed Willow as the spell relaxed enough for her to run his quill across the line, thereby sealing her servitude to him.

"I never said any such thing", he sneered as he ran a sharpened fingernail across her face, scorching her cheek as the air filled with the vile stench of burning skin making Willow scream, "It hurts does it dearie? Think of this as insurance, if you so much as mention my presence here then this burning scar will spread throughout your body, boiling your blood and turning your bones to ash"

"B-but who are you?"

"I am Rumplestiltskin of course. But you may call me….Master", he cackled in a tone which sliced into Willow's heart.

Across town, at Sunnydale High

"Are you ok, Gina?", asked Emma as they walked hand in hand along the empty corridors of the school.

"Yes….no…..I'm just worried that I will mess things up, what if I'm not all that Faith expects …..or deserves? What if I don't measure up?", the former Queen said biting her lip.

"Since when have you ever worried about what other people think of you?"

"I know, but this is different….she's my baby. And it is her birthday next week, maybe I should get her something really special to show how much I really care. That I'm really here for her"

"Like what? What does every princess want?", Emma asked with knitted brows.

"Well on my seventeenth birthday I got a loom"

"A loom? Oh Mom, can you imagine what Faith would do with a loom?", Henry said with a shake of the head as he followed his two mothers through the labyrinth of hallways, each one looking the same as Regina tried to recall where the library was.

"Ooh, I know…how about a tumbling monkey firework circus?", Emma said with bright eyes.

"No dear, that's what you want", Regina smiled back squeezing her lover's hand a little more, despite the uncharacteristic clamminess of it.

"No fair", pouted the Sheriff, "Well, let's just ask Faith what she wants, I think she's a girl who knows her own mind well enough. Just…don't embarrass her, ok Gina"

"What do you mean?"

"We're about to watch two slayer's do a little sparring, if what Faith said is true then it might get a little… rough"

"But if slaying is so dangerous then how can I stand idly by and do nothing? For if anyone so much as lays a finger on my little girl I'll tear out their heart and feed it to the pigs", snarled Regina.

"No you won't", Emma said offhandedly.

"Well I'll boil their blood until it spills from their eyes"

"Gina…. please", said he Sheriff with a dramatic roll of the eyes.

"Do you doubt me or my powers?", Regina said narrowing her eyes at her lover.

"Do I doubt that you'd anything and everything in your power to protect the ones you love? Nope, no doubt at all"

"Well I'll still spit my venom on anyone who hurts my baby"

"Don't let Faith hear you call her that", Emma said as they finally found the library where Faith and Buffy were warming up.

"Call me what?", asked Faith as she stretched out her spine arcing over backwards.

"Oh nothing", Emma said as they all stared awkwardly at each other not really knowing how to proceed as a damnable silence seemed to steal their words into meaningless gestures.

"Er….do you want to sit over there? Then we can show you what we do", Buffy said taking her girlfriend's hand and squeezing it before giving her a small smile, "Don't worry baby, it'll be ok. You know I'm really proud of you for going for it like this, it's no less than you deserve"

"Thanks B. Well it was your Mom who told me to shit or get off the pot", replied Faith, grateful that the other slayer always had her back.

"My Mom really said that?"

"Well not in so many words, but the message was loud and clear. Oh and she told me to tell you not to wait up for her, something about a hot date tonight?"

"Oh yeah, she mentioned something about this guy picking her up at the gallery", huffed Buffy not liking the idea of sharing her Mom again.

"Hey Ma, sit here", Henry said motioning to the chair besides him as he screwed his face up at the unnecessary firmness of the wooden seat.

"Ma?", Faith said curiously.

"Yeah, with Regina being called Mom we needed another name for me, but I like to think of it as being short for Emma. That way is don't sound so old lady", Emma grinned as she took her seat.

"I ain't calling you Ma", Faith said a little gruffly.

"Don't worry, Emma's fine"

"Nah, I'll stick with Emski", smirked the slayer in flippant reply.

The two slayer's moved a few more chairs to give them enough room to spar sufficiently. Faith's apprehension shone through her cocky façade making Buffy offer her warm smile of support as often as she could, it was all the tempering her fears needed.

"So where did Giles go?", Faith asked as she looked around the library with her fledgling family watching on making her a little uneasy as if she was on display.

"No idea. You ok, sweetie?", Buffy asked sensing the apprehension in her girlfriend.

"Yeah, I….I dunno", Faith shrugged as Buffy's hand lay softy on her shoulders, "It's all so….new….and unexpected. Last week I was just some drop out with moderate to severe abandonment issues, now I'm some Princess from a fairytale with a family who actually gives a shit. It's….fucked up"

"I know, but I'm always here for you. You know that"

"I know. And you have no idea just how much that means to me", Faith breathed heavily as they shared a brief chaste kiss.

"Ewww, gross", Henry said as he got comfortable inbetween his two mothers.

"You better get used to it Lil' H", grinned Faith punctuating it with a little laugh letting her dimples flow.

"Lil' H?", he asked with dancing brows.

"Yeah, I like to give people nicknames. You ok with that?", Faith said with a wry wink to try and hide her nervousness around her new kin.

"Yeah, very ok", he smiled back warmly as he whispered to Emma, "I always wanted a nickname, but I was never cool enough"

"You are now, kid", she replied wrapping an arm around his shoulders and offering a tender smile.

"Ok, you better stay back when we start fightin'. Don't want you to get a stray kick knocking a tooth out do we?", smirked Faith as a blush spread across Buffy's face.

"That was like one time, and I apologised to Xander for a week afterwards. He shouldn't have been standing there anyway", she huffed back with a pout.

"I know…so, you ready girlfriend?"

"Always", Buffy replied as a smile blossomed on her face as she aped Faith's fighting stance as the first blows slammed down.

They kicked. They span. They blocked. They punched.

"Wow, it's like West Side Story if it'd been directed by Quentin Tarantino", Emma said as her mouth hung open in awe and admiration.

The two slayers held nothing back as their blows connected jarring bones and blemishing skin, but the smiles on their faces couldn't be contained as they thrived on the close quarters action.

"Had enough, B?", Faith grunted heavily as she pinned Buffy down, sweat glistening on their lithe bodies.

"Never", the blonde replied with a smile as she flicked her hips and threw the other slayer off as they once more erupted into heart pounding violence.

"Henry, don't look", Regina said with horror as she tried to cover his eyes.

"No way, Faith totally rocks", he blustered back caught up in the action.

"Huh?", said Faith as she was taken off guard by his simple words, but to her ears, deafened by years of hate filled abuse, it was the sweetest sound she'd ever heard. It echoed of acceptance and validation.

But in that moment her guard dropped enough for Buffy to spin a round house kick knocking Faith across the library and crashing through a table.

"Faith!", screamed Regina as her palms crackled with magic and, out of instinct, threw her magic across the room as she ran to her fallen daughter.

"Oh my baby girl, are you alright?", she choked out in alarm as, before Faith could right her senses, she felt ensnared in a warm motherly embrace, her face being pulled in tight to Regina's bosom as they sat amongst the broken wood.

"I'm fine…..get off", came Faith's voice muffled by a glorious swell of boobage.

"Did she hurt you sweetheart?", Regina asked as she cupped Faith's face drowning her in the attention like she was but a five year old who fell off the swings in the local playground.

"Course not, lucky shot is all", Faith grumbled back as she blushed fiercely under the tender motherly fussing.

"Oh my little puffling, no-one gets to hurt you. No-one", the fallen Queen said as she pulled out her handkerchief and licked it before wiping a smudge of dirt off her daughter's cheek.

"Mom….please", the slayer whined with a fierce blush infusing her dimpled cheeks.

"Y..y-you called me Mom", Regina gasped with joy as the slayer tried to push the hand away as she smoothed down her hair.

"I…er….sorry", said Faith in a muted voice as she tumbled from her comfort zone.

"Honey, don't apologize. You have no idea how long I've waited to hear those words from you", Regina said as a tear ran down her cheek pulling Faith closer into her hug which, to both their surprise, the slayer returned. A heartfelt moment of such sincerity that Faith nestled into the arms that ached to hold her for all these years.

"Er….ok….we done now?", Faith said finally breaking the embrace and trying to slyly wipe the tear which ran from her own eye.

"Ahem….. guys….a little help?", Buffy said with a hint of worry from across the library where she struggled vainly to break her magical bonds.

"B….what the hell?", Faith said with concern though she couldn't help the small chuckle escaping her succulent lips as she eyed Buffy up and down, "Damn girlfriend, I always knew bondage would look good on you"

"Very funny….just get me out of these", Buffy huffed as she pulled against the series of wide leather straps wrapped around her torso holding her arms down as well as keeping her legs tightly pinned together.

"Mom", started Henry with curiosity saturating his words as Regina turned to him, "What's bondage?"

"Er Henry, do you wanna go get a snack or something. I think I saw a vending machine down the hall", Emma said hoping not to stain his childhood memories any more than they had been.

"Ok", Henry said bouncing off the seat not noticing the thankful look on Regina's face as he and Emma left the library in search of the snackery booth.

"Jesus…..they won't budge", Faith groaned as she pulled at them with all her slayer strength to find the bonds were unmovable.

"Oh, let me", Regina said a little bashfully as she flicked her wrists making the straps disappear, she held her breath hoping she hadn't damaged her already fragile relationship with her daughter.

"You ok, B?"

"Remind me never to piss off your Mom", Buffy said able to expand her lungs once more as Faith's arms slipped around her.

"Yeah, I get that", chuckled Faith as her mother fussed around her.

"So….er…Your Majesty…", said Buffy awkwardly standing in front of the smartly suited woman as she felt the authority radiating from her.

"No need to be so formal dear, you may call me Ms Mills", Regina replied as she picked splinters of wood from her daughter's hair making Faith flinch in embarrassment.

"Er….Ms Mills, so…um... you want to be Mayor then?"

"Yes. I'm going to see the Town Council this evening, it shouldn't be hard to convince them to make me Mayor for the time-being. And I have some big plans for this little town, for we all have to look to the future don't we. Tell me Betty…."

"It's Buffy", huffed the blonde.

"Sorry, Buffy, but tell me, when you look into the future what do you see?"

"Apart from Faith?", smiled Buffy as she slithered her arm around her girlfriend's waist.

"That's very sweet, dear. But I meant what did you have in mind for when you finish school? I don't want my baby hooked up with some feckless muppet", Regina pressed not wanting her child to be saddled with some airhead.

"Feckless? I-I'm not feckless, I'm like full of feck…..totally fecked up I am", blurted out Buffy.

"What on earth are you talking about, dear?"

"Er…I just meant…..I'm not some idiot you know"

"So what did you have in mind when you finally make your way into the big wide world?"

"Well I thought with…..oh crap, it's careers day tomorrow! I totally forgot about it. That sucks, I have nothing to say ….again", Buffy sighed.

"Oh, I totally have an idea….I think it rocks", Faith said with glowing eyes as she looked at her mother and girlfriend wondering how long Emma would take to return from the vending machine as she wanted to give due credit to her.

"So, what do you think of Faith?", Emma asked putting coins in the machine and eyeing up the Snickers bar as was her son.

"She's really cool, she gave me a nickname and she kicks….", he said looking around making sure they were out of Regina's earshot,"…ass"

"Yeah, I think life isn't gonna be boring with her around", Emma chuckled as she handed the chocolate to her son and headed back to the library.

"You want to do what as a career?", came the ear piercing shriek of Buffy as Faith told her of her plan for gainful employment.

As Emma stepped back into the library she felt all the air suck out of the room as twin glares of outrage bore down on her as Buffy and Regina, in synchronised pacing, strode up to her to stop inches from her face. One blonde girl bearing a furious scowl to match that of the suited woman next to her.

"I want a word with you", said Buffy and Regina simultaneously as they quickly shot each other a look of curiosity before bearing their flaming eyes back on Emma who was shrinking away under the fierce glare.

"Oh shit"

.

.

(Authors notes- I just thought that Faith would kick ass as a Bounty Hunter…. he-he, now that sounds like a fun fic to write….… hmmmmm.)