As a disclaimer, I have never been part of the American foster care system, so there may be some inaccuracies. Still, I hope you enjoy!

The Beginning

"–Wendy was just reunited with her mom today, so if you want me to do something out of town, now's the time, before I start fostering another kid."

"Good, good…"

"Giles?"

Buffy placed the plate she had just finished cleaning on the drying rack and dried off her hands as Giles was silent for a moment.

"I know you don't like me meddling with the foster care system before we've talked to the child–"

"Giles, what did you do?"

"–But if you let me explain, I think you'll understand why I felt I needed to."

"Giles, this is someone's life. If some poor girl is a Slayer than we need to talk to her before interfering, and we don't want to force her to slay if she doesn't want to, and staying with me is only going to pressure her–"

"It's a six year old boy."

Buffy froze. "...Why are we meddling?"

†

A year after Sunnydale collapsed, the Watchers' Council had been reformed, and a school had been started for all the new Slayers in the world. As the most senior Slayer, Buffy had been offered a place at the school or the Council, either full time or part time. She could have been a teacher, or administration, or a one-on-one Watcher.

But honestly? Buffy was tired of fighting. She had been forced into it far too young, and what she wanted now was the same thing she'd wanted for years: to be normal.

She got a job as a counselor at the local high school (thank you Robin), and learned to cook, and went on dates, and even figured out what a tea cozy was, and, most importantly, joined a book club.

Laura was the founding member of that book club, and was the one who had convinced her to become a foster parent in the first place.

Willow was the one to connect it back to slaying.

†

Like I'm really planning to have kids anytime soon. Maybe someday, in the future, when I'm done having a life, but...right now kids would be just a little too much to deal with.

†

"He's the sweetest little boy," Kit said. "He really should have been adopted as a baby."

"Why wasn't he?" Buffy asked, sipping the water Kit had given her.

Kit sighed. "At first, we were looking for his mother and trying to see if we could find out who his father was. Just as we were about to give up, his aunt appeared and wanted custody, but she didn't– she wasn't mentally stable. Then he was adopted, but there were some… issues."

"What kind of issues?" Buffy asked, trying not to sound too interested, nor let her pick up on the fact that she already knew.

"Just some crazy people in the neighborhood."

It was actually a vampire cult, who was interested in the boy – Connor – for some reason, and they followed him from home to home. Oh, and the time the baby broke his guardian's finger just by squeezing a bit.

Yeah, Buffy got why Giles had interfered.

"He really is the sweetest, though."

Buffy put on her sunniest smile. "I'd love to meet him."

†

Sara's five year old son had joined them in book club one day, and Buffy had missed almost all the discussion as she interacted with the kid.

Laura approached her as she waved good-bye, a smile on her face.

"You're good with kids."

Buffy smiled. "Thanks."

"Are you planning on having any?"

The word 'no' was on the tip of her tongue before she mentally stopped in her tracks. She could now, technically. She wasn't doomed to an early death, even if she did periodically patrol her neighborhood. And even if the only person she had ever wanted kids with couldn't have any, that didn't mean she wouldn't ever find someone else.

(It didn't mean she would, either, but that didn't change the fact that–)

"I love kids."

"It's the husband part that's the problem?"

Laura had heard enough stories of Buffy's disastrous dates to make that joke, and Buffy snorted.

"Pretty much."

"Have you ever thought about foster parenting?"

†

"Hi, Connor," Kit said as they entered the room. "I have someone who wants to meet you, if you don't mind."

The small, dark haired boy looked up from the Legos he was playing with. Buffy crouched down to be closer to his level.

"Hi, Connor," Buffy said, a small smile on her face. "I'm Buffy."

Connor made a face. "That's a weird name."

She laughed. "Yes, I've heard that a lot."

He looked at her for a minute longer, before he held out a Lego. "Do you want to play?"

Buffy smiled brighter. "What are you building?"

†

"So you're a foster mom now?" Willow asked during their monthly coffee meet up.

Buffy nodded, recalling how her explanation during their last phone call had been cut short by some sort of emergency at the school.

"Laura helped me figure it out. Apparently she'd been thinking about asking me for a while, since all my favorite book club books are the ones about family."

"Wow," Willow responded, before drinking her coffee. "That's so weird. I mean, I know you raised Dawn back in Sunnydale, but…"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Totally different animal."

"What are you going to do about patrol?"
"Well," Buffy said, "I'm thinking I won't do it the first few weeks, so they can get settled in, but I'll add it back into my schedule slowly."

Willow nodded, her thinking face suddenly on. "What about Slayers in foster care?"

†

Well, there were an uneven number of students, and you didn't show, so...

I'm a single mother?

No man of her own.

Do you know what this says about me? That I am doomed to lead my mother's life! How deeply scary is that?

How 'bout this: it says nothing, it means nothing, this whole egg experiment thing is completely pointless!

†

"And here's your room."

Connor entered slowly, taking in the light green walls, the fairy lights that had been Willow's idea, and the pile of stuffed animals Xander had sent the moment he heard about the foster mom thing.

"If you have anything you want to put up, you can do that, and if you want to buy something to add, all you have to do is ask me, okay?"

He nodded, hugging his book bag closer to his chest.

Buffy smiled. "I'll let you get settled in while I order dinner. Do you want me to get pizza or Chinese?"

"...Pizza."

"What kind of pizza do you like?"

Connor sat down on his bed and looked at her. "Pepperoni."

Buffy nodded. "Pepperoni it is."

†

Her first assignment was a ten year old girl named Jenna, whose mom was in rehab for a drug addiction.

The first thing she had said when she saw Buffy was, "I want to be with my mom."

Her social worker had immediately started talking after that, but Buffy had seen how Jenna had looked around her house, like she had been abducted by aliens and was on some other planet.

She ate in her room the first week, and Buffy had simply tried to remember it would take some time to adjust.

So she tried her best.

Buffy asked her questions when a conversation formed, and she asked her what she wanted for dinner, and she took her shopping when it became apparent she needed more clothes.

And as Jenna became more comfortable, Buffy started falling in love.

"Have you met my mom?"

"Not yet," Buffy responded.

Jenna nodded. "I want you to meet her, because I like you and I think she'll like you too."

†

A couple weeks after Connor joined her, Buffy wore a bright red shirt that Dawn had given her for Christmas.

It didn't mean anything to her, but Connor kept looking over at her, and the shirt was the only reason she could think of.

"Is everything alright?"

Connor hesitated for a moment. "You look like my mom."

"I do?"

Connor nodded. "I have a picture, and you kinda look like her."

Buffy smiled. "Thank you."

"I hope she was like you."

"Like what?"

"You're nice. I hope she was nice."

"I'm sure she was."

†

Buffy did eventually meet Jenna's mom, when she was allowed to start visiting her. She was nice, and her rehab was going well.

And soon enough, the day came for Jenna to go back to her mother.

She gave Jenna a hug, and as she left, she waved and smiled and drove to the nearest empty parking lot so she could cry.

A week later, the process started all over again.

†

"How would you feel about adoption?"

Buffy froze, before she forced herself to relax. "Isn't it a bit early for that?"

Kit shrugged. "Unless the dad shows up out of the blue, the kid has no family, so we always ask his foster parents about adoption." The fact that it didn't work out for them was left unsaid.

Buffy was quiet for a minute. Finally, she started speaking. "I don't really know him yet, and adoption is a big decision. But… Don't put me down as a no."

†

You deserve more. You deserve something outside of demons and darkness. You should be with someone who can take you into the light. Someone who can make love to you.

I don't care about that.

You will. And children.

Children? Can you say jumping the gun? I kill my goldfish.

Today. But you have no idea how fast it goes, Buffy. Before you know it, you'll want it all, a normal life.

†

At some point around the three week mark, Connor had decided Buffy was trustworthy and that he could talk to her. Ever since then, rides to kindergarten were usually filled with all sorts of stories and ideas about what he would be doing that day.

Usually.

"Are you okay, bud?"

Connor shrugged.

"Is it because it's your last day?"

He nodded, fiddling with his backpack.
Buffy gave a small smile. "It's okay to be sad."

"I know I'll be back for 1st grade."

She nodded. "Mm hm. It's different though."

"Yeah."

She pulled into the school, and got out to open the door for Connor. He grabbed her hand as they walked into the building.

"Can I have friends over in the summer?"

"Of course," Buffy said. "Ms. Johnson and I are already planning the playdate with Philip, remember?"

He nodded, and they reached the classroom.

"You be good, okay?"

Instead of responding, he gave her a hug, which Buffy bent down to return.

"Love you, Buffy."

Her heart melted.

"I love you too, bud."