Title: Distinction of Species
Author: Jmaria
Rating: FR-18
Disclaimer: Joss owns his people, Lora Leigh owns the Breeds (Kripke owns the Winchesters)
Summary: While the Watchers Council created Slayers out of necessity, the Genetics Council created the Breeds out of greed. When the New Council learns what happened, what will they do to help the Breeds survive?
Spoilers: General series through Bengals Heart, and the anthology Hot for the Holidays. Series for Buffy.
A/N: Ah, the fun part of deception. Also, this (I've figured it out, finally) part will focus on Oz and Faith's dealing with the backlash of the Tribe of Ten (which is what I'm calling this series - and yes, its a series). Funnily enough, they weren't even who I started out writing this about. Dawn will focus in a more multi-cross piece I'm working on called Heartbreak Mate. Xander, Buffy and Graham in a third piece yet to be named. (This is the splitting point for the stories - which is why HM is coming out).

Distinction of Species

Forever Could Be Severed

Faith pulled Letty back behind her, glaring at the girl who was genetically her daughter. Yeah, that big bad bitch attitude was all her. Graham was reaching for Letty and pulling her back out of the room, even though his eyes were locked on the big Lion male standing behind the blonde at Oz's side.

"I gave birth to her, so you can be damn sure my baby girl wasn't born in a lab," Faith snapped the second she heard the door close.

"She sure smells like a Breed to me," Maxi snapped right back.

"Well, she's not. I've been raising her with her father for the last eight years -"

"Doesn't mean shit. You remember the conception night clearly, Ma?" Maxi crossed her arms.

"Maxi, drop it," Oz snapped at the girl. "Ignore her, she tends to run her mouth."

"Oh no, baby girl can explain that remark right the fuck now," Faith snapped.

"There's a file about a mile thick on you," Maxi ignored Oz and Jocasta's glares, and Jamie's insistent tug on her arm. Only Sampson was egging her on, but he was a Coyote and they liked to piss everybody off. "Some dick named RW was working you over nice and good. Got paid a shitload too. And I'm guessin' his name wasn't Ron Weasley."

Faith's world dropped out from under her. I'm looking forward to surprising you. The exhaustion she'd felt every night they'd been posted together in Cleveland. Robin's persistent calls to the old watcher who was convalescing in Upstate New York. It made too much damn sense - and she wished it didn't.

"She's mine," Faith said shakily.

"Faith, come on back," Xander pulled her back gently. Damn one-eyed bastard had been the only one able to pull her back off the ledge when Robin had died. Other than Angel, he was the only man she'd ever let into her life without screwing them blind or using them for something else. Again. Neither of them noticed as the little Bengal's nostrils flared at the contact.

"Maxi, get gone," Jocasta snapped at her little sister. "Sampson, you too."

"You can't -"

"Get out of here, pup," Oz tugged her back.

Being openly reprimanded by her Alpha and Beta was enough to shame the younger Breed, who nodded and slipped quietly out behind them. Faith clenched her jaw.

"Stop."

Maxi and Sampson both hesitated at the door, looking to Jo and Oz for help on what to do. Jo frowned at her, and looked to Oz for answers. Faith took advantage of them.

"We came to make peace, to help you any way we could. One bitchy remark ain't gonna push me away, little girl," Faith said quietly, knowing the Breed's hearing was so much sharper than their own. "Letty's mine - and while I sure as fuck ain't old enough to have given birth to you or your brother, you are part of me too. So you, me and your brother are gonna have a nice little hash out with her," Faith nodded to Jamie who looked shocked at being included.

"Huh?" Maxi shook her head.

"Breaking bad news to me and mouthing off aren't getting you off of having to bond with me, Maxine," Faith's grin didn't quite meet her eyes, but she needed something else to focus on besides Robin's apparent betrayal.

"I'm Maxi. Not Maxine," Maxi snapped, ignoring the look Oz was giving her.

"Oh, we're gonna have a real nice talk," Faith rolled her eyes, glancing back at Buffy. "You keep an eye on my girl, B."

"You know it," Buffy nodded. They both knew she was safe under Gray's patient eye.

Faith nodded for Jamie to follow her, and the Jaguar mutely did so - even though she was casting wary looks back at Oz and Willow - who'd stepped forward to hug him. Before she knew it she was in the airy kitchen with three twitchy Breeds.

"What's Jams doing in here?" Sampson crossed his arms.

"My god, they gave my attitude to you," Faith shook her head in sympathy.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maxi growled at her.

"It means, they tried to temper my bitch ass genes with Sam Winchester's. Which explains why you don't exactly go for the kill when you've got your prey backed in a corner, and why he's the one driving them into the corner. Trust me, if you've ever seen me and Sammy fight together, you know that those roles are definitely reversed," she slid her gaze to Jamie. "And since your donor is dead, I'm the closest you have to kin."

"By what connection?" Jamie's shoulders squared and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"My daughter Letty - you come from the same stock," Faith wasn't touching the whole Breed thing with a ten foot stick. "Nikki Wood. Letty's her granddaughter."

"That explains the tagging," Jamie nodded. "They'd be all over the genetic stream. The breeding program definitely tracks that far back."

"What are you talking about?" Faith frowned at them.

"Nikki Wood - according to the files we lifted before Maxi torched the complex to the ground - was part of the early breeding program. They tried tiger, lion and I think even wolf DNA before they thought to use jaguar. About twenty failures, including a latent they let go to term because of some test," Jamie looked at the other two, who'd obviously read more of the file than she had if they knew about RW - the latent. Sneaky little Coyotes. "Still doesn't make me kin to you. Just the latent's kid."

"Who happens to be my kid, your niece or sister or whatever you wanna call her," Faith snapped. "And I wanna see this file of yours."

The remaining seven Breeds stood around awkwardly for quite a few minutes before Buffy spoke.

"So, this is cozy," she took a deep breath, staring at Jo and Luc. "I wonder which Winchester they used, because honestly - it could get really awkward in here fast."

"Like it isn't already awkward," Jo rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, if they used Dean Winchester's DNA to make you with my DNA, I'm pretty sure it'll crush my sister's heart," Buffy said quietly.

"They used a kid named Milligan and another female named Harvelle with your DNA to make Jo," Lucian supplied.

"Oh," Buffy sighed. "I'm sorry to tell you then that both of your other donors are deceased."

"I thought you all were," Jo shrugged, her chin jerking up.

"You look a lot like her when you do that," Buffy smiled sadly. "Jo would have knocked you flat on your ass."

Jocasta pulled back, blinking in surprise at her name. Buffy cocked a brow.

"Jo-Ellen Harvelle and Adam Milligan, two kids caught in a war they never even knew they were fighting," Buffy took a deep breath. "Like all of your donors, really. Kendra, she was fifteen and I got her killed. Molly - not much older, went into battle and never came back out. Jesse - was payback for me saving Willow."

"Wow, you've got such a martyr complex," Jocasta crossed her arms, eyes narrowing.

"Comes to you when you hold lives in your hands, but I'm pretty sure you already know that, Jocasta."

"On that note," Xander cleared his throat. "We actually came here with an offer."

"What kind of offer?" Oz frowned, catching his old friend's words.

"'Room and board' kind of offer," Xander answered. "You're worried about your kids getting split up between Haven and Sanctuary, we've got a solution for that."

"Sunnydale's gone," Oz said quietly.

"Yeah, but we've got a small compound for Slayers a few miles south of here. You and your kids are more than welcome to join us there if you like," Willow smiled brightly at him.

All the Breeds stiffened at this invitation. Torn between wanting to join and wanting to decline the offer. They didn't know these people - and Oz was more than a decade removed from their inner circle. Being around Slayers and back in that fight only put more opportunities for blood to be on his hands.

"We'll need to think on it," Oz answered shakily, thinking of the pretty Breed doctor, all of her tests and Jamie's belief that he was her mate.

"The offer's open-ended. No expiration date, Oz," Willow'a smile dimmed a bit, but it was all he could promise his old friends - he had too many lives in his hands.