DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR'S NOTE: All Buffy The Vampire Slayer stuff belongs to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fiction. All other characters that appear belong to me. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include this copyright notice and disclaimer.

Demon Spawn
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Faith had finally managed to kill the vicious demon she had been tracking for the past couple of days. It was a tough cookie, but she managed to break it. She took a few deep breaths to calm down and then walked over to a hole in the wall that the demon seemed to have been protecting. She looked in and saw an egg. She hesitated for a moment and then took it out. She looked back in to see if there were more, but there weren't.

She was about to crash the egg when whatever was inside decided to get out. Faith gasped, startled, and let go off the egg, which fell down on what appeared to be some sort of nest. The egg cracked a little and then started to fall apart. A whitish, vaguely humanoid blob appeared and Faith stared at it for a few moments. Then she picked it up and took a closer look. She was about to kill it when the blob started to take shape. Faith quickly put it down and stared at it, curious.

When the blob finally stopped morphing, Faith saw a little human girl instead of a demon. She was confused. She stared at the crying girl for a few moments, wondering what to do. She decided to take the girl to Giles. She carefully approached the girl and picked her up. She held her awkwardly and stared at her for a few moments, feeling strange. The girl kept crying and Faith realized that she was probably cold. She hesitated for a moment and then pressed her to herself and took off her jacket. Then she wrapped the jacket around the baby and left the demon's lair.

On the way to Sunnydale High, people kept glancing at her strangely, especially while the baby was crying. Fortunately, the baby soon fell asleep and Faith didn't have to worry about some cop stopping her.

When she got to the library, Buffy and her friends were ignoring Wesley, who was pestering Giles.

"Hey, Faith, what's… that in your arms," Xander said when the baby woke up and started babbling.

"A baby girl," Faith said.

"Where did you find her?" Buffy asked.

"In that demon's lair."

"Ooh! She's so cute," Willow gushed when she saw her.

"Yes," Buffy said with a smile and tickled the girl.

"What would a baby be doing in a demon's lair?" Xander asked.

"I don't know," Faith said and looked at Giles. "I found that demon and I killed it. But I noticed it seemed to be protecting some hole in the wall. When I killed it, I checked out the hole and found an egg there. It hatched and there was a… a whitish… blob inside."

"A blob?" Xander said. He frowned. "What does that have to do with the girl?"

"I'm getting there," Faith said, mildly annoyed. She looked back at Giles. "Anyway, I picked it up to see what it was and then it started morphing. It turned into the girl."

"So you're telling us a demon gave birth to a human?" Xander asked, confused.

Faith shrugged.

"I'm just telling you what happened."

"That sounds familiar," Giles said thoughtfully as he headed for his books.

"Demon giving birth to a human?" Xander asked.

"What kind of demon was it?" Wesley asked.

Faith looked at him.

"A Mostris demon."

Wesley frowned.

"They're vicious but they don't give birth to humans nor lay… Oh! Of course," he finally figured it out and headed after Giles.

The baby started crying again and Faith dandled her in her arms, trying to calm her down.

"She's probably hungry," Willow said.

Faith looked at her.

"You think?"

"Yes."

"What does she eat?"

"Baby food." Willow frowned. "Actually, no, just milk. Baby food comes later."

"Does Giles have any?"

Willow shook her head.

"No, he doesn't mix it with his tea."

"Oh."

"Giles?" Buffy asked when he and Wesley returned.

"It's a Jafaris demon," Wesley said, earning a glare from Giles. "Nobody really knows what they look like, at least in their original form. But they do have the unique feature of laying eggs."

"That's unique?" Buffy asked with a blank look.

"Well, no, but their newborn do look like whitish, vaguely humanoid blobs and they have the unique feature of morphing into whatever species the person who touches them first belongs to."

"So the baby's a demon?" Xander asked.

"Yes."

"So if a dog touched her, she would be a dog?" Faith asked.

"Yes," Wesley said. "And they're always female, even if touched by a male. The only exception is that they can impregnate themselves and lay eggs, no matter what the species. You should kill it."

Faith glared at him.

"Why?"

"Because it's a demon."

"She's just a baby."

"Unfortunately, we don't know how she will turn out," Giles said, and Faith looked at him, surprised that he would support Wesley.

"She's human," Faith said.

"She's a demon looking like a human."

"Like vamps?" Buffy asked.

"In a way, yes."

"So she's dangerous?"

"Eh, I don't know, but we should be careful, just in case."

"Oh. Okay."

Faith looked at her, surprised.

"You want to kill her too?"

Buffy shrugged.

"She's a demon."

"So? There's a whole bunch of demons hanging out at Willy's and you don't kill them."

"Well…"

"Her progenitor was a Mostris demon and we don't know what she inherited from it," Wesley said. "You should kill it."

"He does have a point," Buffy said.

"The Council clearly…" Wesley started, but Faith interrupted him.

"Screw the Council."

"Want me to do it?" Buffy offered.

Faith looked at her and then at Wesley, Giles, Willow and Xander. She realized that they all wanted to kill the baby. Normally, she would've done it, had, in fact, done it before, but this time something was different. She felt a bond to the baby and she wanted to protect her.

"No, I'll do it," she said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Faith turned and left.

"She was so cute," Willow said sadly.

When she got away from the school grounds, Faith stopped and considered what to do. She had no intention of killing the baby, but neither did she have any idea of how to take care of her. She needed help, she realized, and there was just one person left she still trusted.

When she got to Joyce's gallery, she took a deep breath and entered. She walked around the gallery for a minute and was about to ask for directions when she spotted Joyce talking to someone.

"Mrs Summers!" she called.

Joyce looked up and frowned, surprised. She excused herself and walked over to Faith.

"Faith. What are you… Is that a baby?" she said, surprised, when she saw the girl.

"Yeah. Can I… Eh… Can I talk to you?"

"Yes, of course. Come, let's go to my office." Joyce led the way and Faith followed. "Who is she?"

"Well, that's a bit complicated," Faith said, nervous.

Joyce looked at her.

"How so?"

"I'll tell you in the office."

"Oh."

They soon reached the office and Joyce closed the door behind them. Faith sat in a chair and dandled the baby some more to calm her down.

Joyce smiled at her.

"You like her," she observed.

Faith looked at her, startled, and blushed.

"Yeah."

"So, why are you here?"

Faith sighed.

"Well, long story short, she's a demon."

Joyce frowned.

"She is?"

"Yeah. I killed this demon who had laid an egg. The egg hatched and when I touched the blob, it turned into her. Apparently she's a Jafaris demon and they turn into the species of the first person who touches them," Faith explained. "So if I were a dog, she would be a dog."

"Oh," Joyce said, trying to comprehend.

"Anyway, everyone wants me to kill her, but I don't want to."

"Kill her?" Joyce said, surprised.

"Yeah."

"Is she dangerous?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I don't know. I mean, if she turned into a human, then I'm guessing she's pretty much human."

"Oh."

Faith hesitated again.

"Anyway, I, em, I need your help."

"With what?"

Faith gulped.

"I have no idea what babies need." She glanced at the baby. "She's been crying more or less since she hatched."

"She's probably hungry," Joyce guessed.

"What does she eat?"

Joyce thought for a moment.

"Well, if she's human, probably milk."

"Oh."

Joyce took a closer look.

"She's naked?"

Faith glanced at the baby again.

"Yeah."

"Hmm." Joyce thought for a moment. "Tell you what. You go home and I'll go to the mall and buy some things."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Will you, em, will you teach me how to be a… a mom?" she asked, nervous.

Joyce smiled.

"You want to keep her?"

"I can't exactly give her up for adoption. I mean, she looks human on the outside, but who knows what she's like inside. Not to mention that she might be dangerous."

"Oh. Okay."

Faith hesitated again.

"Could you, em, not tell Buffy about it? She thinks I've killed her."

Joyce nodded.

"I won't."

Faith relaxed a bit.

"Thanks."

Joyce smiled.

"Go home now. I'll drop by in an hour, I hope."

"Okay."

"Where do you live?"

"Downtowner Motel, room 3."

"That dump?" Joyce said, surprised.

"Yeah," Faith said, embarrassed a bit.

"Oh." Joyce sighed. "I'll try to come as quickly as I can."

Faith nodded and got up.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Joyce said with a smile.

When Faith got to the motel, she laid the baby on the bed and stared at her, feeling strange about being a mother. She knew she and the girl were somehow connected and she wanted to take care of her in spite of the fact that the baby was a demon.

She sighed and lay down. She tried to imagine a possible future, but then she realized that she would need much more to make it happen than just knowing how to be a mother. She would need money, lots of it, and the only way to get good money was to get an education. She groaned at the thought. She hated school, but in order to help the baby, she was willing to go back. She hoped she would get a job before going back to school, she urgently needed the money. She considered what kind of job she could get that would pay her enough money to support herself and the baby. She thought about being a waitress or a bouncer, but that didn't pay much. Security guard, on the other hand, had possibilities, especially if the location of her work was plagued by demons. She smiled, deciding to see if there was such a job available.

About an hour later, Joyce arrived.

"Hey," Faith said when she opened the door. "Come in."

"Hi," Joyce said and entered with four heavy bags.

Faith closed the door and followed Joyce to the bed.

"Did you rob the mall?" she asked, wondering at the heavy bags.

Joyce smiled at her.

"I just thought I'd get enough of the stuff. Oh, I also dropped by my house and got some of Buffy's baby clothes. I thought I'd thrown them away, but they were still there."

"Thanks," Faith said, nervous.

"I'll bring you the baby carriage tomorrow." Joyce took out a bottle full of milk. "Here, I warmed this up in the microwave."

Faith took the bottle, walked around the bed and picked up the baby.

"So I just hold it for her?" she asked.

Joyce nodded.

"Yes."

Faith held up the bottle and the baby started sucking eagerly. Faith smiled and looked at Joyce, who was also smiling.

"What's her name?" Joyce asked.

Faith frowned, startled.

"Eh, I haven't given her one yet."

"Oh."

Faith looked at the baby and thought for a moment.

"Hope," she then decided and looked back at Hope.

"A nice name," Joyce said. She took the stuff out of the bags and unpacked a diaper. "When you're done, put this on. Where do you want the rest?"

Faith thought for a moment.

"In the bathroom. Just put everything in the bags, it will be the least complicated."

"Okay. I'll just pick out some clothes for Hope first."

"Okay."

Joyce picked out some clothes and then put everything back in the bags. Then she took the bags to the bathroom. By the time she returned, Hope was finished drinking.

"Well, she was fast," Joyce said with a smile.

"Yeah," Faith said and put her down.

She took the diaper and looked at it. She thought for a moment and then put it on Hope.

"Is this right?" she asked when she was done.

Joyce nodded.

"Yes. Now dress her."

Faith dressed her up. Then she picked her up, removed the cover and put Hope to bed.

"Sweet dreams," she said softly and kissed her on the forehead.

Then she realized that Joyce was watching and she looked at her, blushing.

Joyce merely smiled.

"You love her, don't you?"

"Yeah," Faith said, nervous.

"That's okay. And don't worry, I won't tell Buffy."

"Thanks."

Joyce smiled again and looked around the room.

"Have you thought about how you are going to support you two?" she asked and looked back at Faith.

Faith sighed.

"Yeah. I'll see if I can get myself a job as a security guard. And I'll go back to school."

Joyce thought for a moment.

"Have you thought about the GED?"

Faith frowned.

"GED?"

"Yes. It would be much more simpler. You could study at home and watch Hope instead of going to school and having to worry about babysitters."

"Oh." Faith thought about it. "Yeah, that's sounds better." She frowned. "But I don't know what to study."

Joyce smiled.

"Don't worry, I'll see what papers you need and what books."

"Thanks," Faith said, relieved. She thought for a moment. "Eh, how much do I owe you for all this?" she asked and reached for her wallet.

"Oh, nothing," Joyce said.

Faith frowned.

"But…"

Joyce smiled.

"I want to help you, Faith. And believe me, you're going to need all the help you can get."

Faith sighed. She didn't like charity, but she would beg for her daughter. So.

"Thanks."

Joyce nodded.

"Come, let me show you what I've bought."

"Hello, Faith," Joyce said with a smile when Faith came by the gallery the next day. "How did it go with Hope?"

"I had to get up a lot at night," Faith said.

Joyce's smile widened.

"Yes, I know how that is," she said and came closer to the carriage, which she had dropped off at Faith's before going to work.

"She's sleeping," Faith said.

"Yes." Joyce looked at Faith. "I've already done some research on what you'll need for the GED. I'll have everything ready by the end of the week. I'll drop by then."

"Okay," Faith said. "Thanks."

Joyce smiled.

"You're welcome." She thought for a moment. "Can you find out more about her? I mean, about her species."

"I think so. I was planning on asking Giles to show me the books, but I can't exactly take Hope with me."

"Then leave her here."

Faith blinked, surprised.

"Here?"

"Yes. She'll either be sleeping or eating. Or having her diaper changed. I'll mostly be filling out forms for a couple of hours and writing letters. And if I have to leave the office, I can take her with me."

Faith thought about it.

"It won't bother you?"

"Not at all," Joyce said. "You go and find out more about her."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Eh, okay. I packed everything like you told me to."

Joyce nodded.

"Good. There's a microwave here, so I can heat up the milk, if necessary."

"Okay." Faith hesitated for a moment and then caressed Hope. She stared at her for a few moments and then looked at Joyce. "I'll see you later then."

"Okay."

"Hey, Giles," Faith said as she entered the Sunnydale High library.

"Faith. Where've you been last night? Buffy could've used your help against the Eliminati."

"Hunting vampires," Faith lied.

"Oh. Right."

Faith looked around.

"Where's crusher boy?"

"Huh?" Giles said, startled.

"Crusher? As in Wesley? Star Trek?" Giles just stared at her and Faith sighed. "Never mind." She hesitated for a moment. "Listen, I'd like to find out more about those Jafaris demons."

"Really?" Giles said, surprised.

Faith shrugged.

"Yeah. I have a feeling that Wes is gonna be a pain in the ass." She grinned. "You can tell him you convinced me to learn more about demons and what better species to start with than the Jafaris demons. I mean, since they can be virtually any species."

"Yes, I suppose," Giles said, still surprised. "I'll, eh, get the books."

"Need help?"

"Eh, yes."

Faith followed him to the books.

"Faith," Wesley said, surprised, when he came in half an hour later. "Where've you been last night?"

"Hunting vampires," Faith lied. "I dusted a bunch of those Eliminati."

"Oh." Then he finally noticed that she was reading a book. "What are you reading?"

Faith shrugged.

"Some book on demons."

"Really?" Wesley said, surprised.

"Yeah. Giles convinced me it was good for me," Faith said and gave Giles a conspiratorial smile.

"Oh." He fixed his glasses. "Yes, it is." He looked at Giles. "I wish Buffy would study like her."

"I'm sure," Giles said.

Wesley looked back at Faith.

"And the baby?"

"Killed it. I took it back to the lair so that it looks like the demon did it."

"Very good."

Wesley looked away, and Faith threw a glare full of hate after him.

When Faith returned to the gallery, Joyce was just feeding Hope, with several women cooing Hope.

"Hello, Faith," Joyce said with a smile.

"Hey."

"Is she yours?" one of the woman asked.

"Yeah," Faith said.

"She's so cute," the woman gushed.

"Thanks," Faith said, feeling strangely warm.

"Here, Faith, hold her until she burps," Joyce said when Hope was done drinking.

Faith took her and pressed her to herself while Joyce put away the bottle.

"Come, let's go to my office."

Joyce pushed the carriage, and Faith followed her with Hope.

On the way, Hope burped, but Faith carried her all the way to the office. Once Joyce closed the door, Faith put Hope in the carriage and covered her. She smiled when Hope babbled something, and caressed her. Hope clutched her index finger, and Faith smiled again.

"Did you find out more about her species?" Joyce asked as she sat down.

Faith looked at her and sat down as well, Hope still holding her finger.

"Yeah. Basically, they take the DNA of the person who touched them first and they consider that person their mother, not the person who laid the egg. They develop a bond with their mother and they take on the traits of the species to which their mother belongs. They're always female, except for the laying the eggs part," Faith said. "Oh, they grow up three times as fast as the species they belong to, but have only a third of the life span."

"Really?" Joyce glanced at the carriage. "So next year she'll be three instead of one?"

"Sort of, yeah."

"And she'll only live to be, what, thirty?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Joyce frowned.

"How are you going to explain that to people? I mean, her growing up so fast."

Faith thought for a moment.

"Isn't there some disease that makes kids look like old people?"

Joyce nodded.

"Yes."

"I could say she has something similar. Only she also grows up faster."

Joyce thought about it.

"Yes, this could work," she said with a nod.

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Can I bring her over tomorrow? I'd like to go see if I could get a job."

"Yes, of course. You can bring her over any time."

"Thanks," Faith said, relieved.

Joyce smiled.

"No problem."

Faith looked at Hope and saw she had fallen asleep.

"I'll, eh, go now," she said and got up, carefully pulling her finger free.

Joyce nodded.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah."

After leaving the gallery, Faith first got herself something to eat. Then she went to Docktown and looked around the warehouses to see which one seemed the worst off. She went to the Fish Tank to ask around. The patrons there gave her weird looks, no doubt wondering what a young girl with a baby was doing in such a seedy place. Still, the bartender told her what she wanted to know.

At night, she went out with Hope. She went to the warehouse complex she had been told about and hid. Then she waited all night and observed as various demons came and trashed the place a bit, but there were no guards. She decided to see if she could get a job.

The next morning, Faith dropped Hope off at the gallery and went to the warehouse. The guard at the gate didn't want to let her in at first, but she finally convinced him to.

When she got to the manager's office, she took a deep breath and entered.

"Yes?" the secretary asked.

"I'm her about the job."

"What job?" the secretary said, startled.

"Security guard on the graveyard shift."

The secretary blinked.

"I'm afraid we have all positions filled."

"Then you should fire them since they're obviously not doing their job."

The secretary stared at her for a few moments, confused.

"And you want the job?" she then asked and gave her a once over.

"Yes."

"I don't think…" she started when her boss came out.

"Vanessa, I need these copied twice," he said and gave her a couple of sheets of paper.

"Yes, sir."

The manager looked at Faith, curious.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm here about the job, Mr Jones."

Jones frowned.

"What job?"

"Security guard on the graveyard shift."

Jones blinked.

"You?"

"Yes."

"I'm afraid all positions are filled."

"Then fire them," Faith said bluntly.

Jones raised an eyebrow, surprised.

"And just why should I do that?"

"Because they're not doing their job. I've been watching this place all night and there were eight break-ins. The place was trashed but there were no security guards to be seen. Which means they're not doing their job."

Jones studied her for a few moments and then gave her a once over.

"And you think you can do it better than them?"

"I know I can."

Jones thought for a moment.

"Even if I believed you, I still couldn't give you the job, you're not even of age."

"That's my problem. Yours, I believe, is the loss of customers and money. We can do it under the table, if you want, but I need that job and you need me to stay in business." She smiled. "Of course, if you don't want me, I can always go across the street. I hear they have similar problems."

Jones thought about it for a few moments.

"I'm gonna need some proof."

Faith grinned.

"I thought you might. I can come tonight and prove it to you."

"What about your family?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I only have a baby. I'll give you a number to call if something happens to me. You won't need to worry about consequences or anything."

Jones thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Okay."

Faith glanced at the secretary.

"Can we talk in your office, there are some conditions I have."

Jones raised his eyebrows.

"You don't even have the job yet."

"I know. But after tonight, you'll want me. But I don't want to waste our time if you don't accept my conditions."

Jones studied her for a moment.

"Come," he then agreed.

"Sir, the copies," Vanessa said and handed him the papers.

"Thank you," Jones said and followed Faith into his office. "So, what do you want?" he asked after they sat down.

Faith thought for a moment.

"How many guards do you have on the graveyard shift?"

"Six."

"You can fire four and pay me what they're paying them. All four of them together."

Jones chuckled.

"You want four times what I'm paying seasoned security guards?"

"Considering the nature of the break-ins, yes. Quite simply, you're wasting your money on those guards."

Jones smiled.

"If you're really as good as you want me to think you are, I just might be prepared to pay you that."

Faith nodded.

"I also want to bring my baby to work."

Jones frowned.

"Here?"

"Yeah. She wakes up a lot at night and I can't afford to hire a babysitter. I want to leave her in the control room so the guard there can keep an eye on her and let me know when she wakes up."

Jones thought for a moment.

"I might allow it, if you're really that good."

Faith smiled.

"When do I work?"

"Ten to six."

Faith nodded.

"Let the guards know I'm coming with my baby."

"I will."

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow, boss."

Jones chuckled.

"Oh wait! What's your name?"

"Faith. Spencer."

"Okay, Faith, I'll see you tomorrow then."

Faith nodded and left.

Jones then activated the intercom.

"Vanessa, bring me the files of the graveyard shift guards."

"How did it go?" Joyce asked when Faith came to pick up Hope.

Faith shrugged.

"I don't think he quite believed me. I'm going to try out tonight."

"What about Hope?"

"I'll take her with me."

"To work?" Joyce said, surprised.

"Yes. I'll leave her in the control room with the guards."

"Oh."

"Oh, I, em, I'd like to give my boss your phone number. You know, in case something happens to me."

"Let me give you my cell and my gallery numbers," Joyce said and took a post-it note. "It will be safer to call them than home."

Faith nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks," she said as she took the paper.

"You're welcome. Oh, I had to change her diaper."

"Okay. Thanks. I'll, em, go now."

"Okay. Let me know how it goes with the job."

"I will."

At night, Faith went to the warehouse.

"Hi, I'm Faith," she said as she entered the control room.

The six guards, five men and a woman, looked at her and they all gave her a once over.

"I'm here for a tryout," Faith said. She nodded at the carriage, in which Hope was sleeping. "This is my daughter Hope."

"You're supposed to beat up those… freaks?" one of the guards, obviously the boss, finally spoke.

"Yeah."

The guard gave her another once over, wondering how such a tiny slip of a girl could take on the monsters he was afraid of. He snorted.

"I think you better go home, honey."

Faith glared at him.

"Maybe you should go home, since you're not doing your job," she said and the guard glared back. She looked at the woman. "Where can I park the carriage?"

"Over there in the corner," the woman said and pointed. "She'll be out of the way there and our conversation won't wake her up."

Faith nodded.

"Thanks." She parked the carriage, checked up on Hope and then went back. "Got a walkie-talkie for me?"

"Yes." The woman walked to a shelf and took a walkie-talkie and a gun from it. "Here. And the gun."

Faith made a face.

"I don't use guns," she said and took the walkie-talkie.

The woman frowned.

"Then how are you going to kill the, em, freaks?"

"With this," Faith said and took out her stake.

"A stake?" the woman said, confused.

"Now I know you're crazy," the head guard said.

Faith looked at him.

"I guess we'll see, won't we?" She looked at the woman again. "Can you keep an eye on Hope while I'm out?"

"Yes, of course."

"Why did you bring her here anyway?" one of the guards asked.

Faith looked at him.

"Because she wakes up often at night and I can't afford a babysitter."

"Oh."

"All they do is eat and sleep," the woman said with a smile. "I have a baby too, he's six months old," she explained when Faith looked at her.

"And dirty their diapers," Faith said with a smile.

The woman smiled.

"That too. Anyway, I'm Nancy."

Faith looked around.

"You guys have a furnace here, right?"

"Eh, yes. Why?"

"To burn the corpses, of course."

"Oh. Yes, it's big enough."

"You got a map of this place?"

"Yes. Here, let me show you."

After she killed the first two demons and disposed of their bodies, Faith returned to the control room. The guards just stared at her, amazed.

"Wow, that was… amazing," Nancy finally said.

Faith smiled a bit.

"Not really."

"Not really?! You fought like Bruce Lee or something."

Faith chuckled as she walked over to the carriage.

"That's a new one," she said and checked up on Hope.

Nancy smiled.

"My older son is obsessed with Bruce Lee," she explained.

"Oh."

"Where did you learn how to fight like that?" the head guard asked with respect.

Faith shrugged.

"On the street," she said. "And I had a good teacher," she added quietly and sighed.

"Oh."

"Got any place I can crash until the boss comes?" Faith asked when her shift was over.

"Yeah, there's a small room a couple of doors down the hall," the head guard said. "Show her, Nancy."

"This way," Nancy said.

Faith got the carriage and followed Nancy.

"Here," Nancy said when they got to the room.

"Have someone call me when the boss wants to talk to me."

Nancy nodded.

"I will."

Faith entered the room and closed the door. She saw a sofa and lay down.

A couple of hours later, one of the guards on the morning shift woke her up. Faith stretched, checked up on Hope, and went to see Jones.

"Morning," she said when she got to Vanessa.

"Morning," Vanessa said.

"Can I go in?"

"Hold on." Vanessa switched on the intercom. "Sir, Faith is here."

"Send her in."

"Yes, Sir." Vanessa switched off the intercom and looked at Faith. "You can enter."

Faith nodded and entered.

"Morning," she said and closed the door.

"Good morning," Jones said. He nodded at the carriage. "Your daughter?"

"Yeah. Her name's Hope."

Jones smiled.

"Sit down," he said and Faith did. "I've checked the security tapes and I must say I'm impressed."

"But are you impressed enough to accept my conditions?"

Jones smiled.

"Yes," he said with a nod. "Though I won't be firing the guards. I'll transfer them to another warehouse."

"Fine with me," Faith said. "Though if you could keep Nancy here."

"Yes, I'll keep her."

"Okay. Oh!" Faith took the post-it note from the carriage. "Here, two numbers you can call if something happens to me. They both belong to Mrs Summers. Try the cell phone first. If it's out, try the gallery number."

Jones nodded as she looked at the numbers.

"Okay."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"So we have a deal?"

Jones looked at her and smiled.

"We have a deal."

"I got the job," Faith said, excited, when she came to the gallery.

"Really? That's great," Joyce said, happy for Faith.

Faith smiled.

"Yeah. I'm getting paid four times the usual wage and I can also bring Hope along."

"To work?"

"Yeah. I did tonight and I left her in the control room."

"Oh. And how did it go?"

Faith shrugged.

"Killed six demons and a vamp." She smiled. "This is better than patrol. I get to sit in a cozy room and the demons come to me. Plus, I don't have to worry about Hope and I get paid."

Joyce smiled.

"Four times as much as the others?" she asked.

Faith nodded.

"Yeah."

"How did you convince your boss to pay you that much?"

Faith grinned.

"With my charm," she said, and Joyce chuckled. "And I used logic."

"Logic?"

"Well, math. Four guards, four wages, no work or one guard, four wages, the work of sixteen."

"Oh," Joyce said with a smile.

"I'm gonna go get something to eat now."

"Okay."

"I'll see you around."

At the end of the school year, Faith took Hope to the Summers house before joining the Scoobs at Sunnydale High.

"And off to Grandma's house we go," she murmured wistfully as they reached the Summers house.

She rang the bell and then waited.

"Faith! Hi," Joyce said and smiled. She looked at Hope, who was sitting in a different kind of carriage now that she looked like a two-year-old. "Hi, Hope."

"Hi, Gamma," Hope said with a smile.

Joyce blinked, startled, and looked at Faith, who was staring at Hope, equally surprised.

"Grandma?" she asked.

Faith looked at her and shrugged.

"I don't know." She looked at Hope. "Why did you call her Grandma?" she asked.

Hope turned her head.

"You call her that."

Faith frowned.

"I do?"

Hope nodded.

"Uh-huh. You said we were going to Gamma's house."

Faith frowned for a moment, confused, and then realized what Hope was talking about.

"Oh," she said and blushed. She looked at Joyce, who was looking at her, curious. "I was, em, I was being sarcastic. You know, that Olsen movie? I mean, not that I ever watched it, I just, em… Well, it sort of, em, reminded me of…"

"I get it," Joyce interrupted with a smile, saving Faith from embarrassing herself further. "Come in."

Faith and Hope entered, and Joyce closed the door.

"I'll come pick her up as soon as we kill the Mayor," Faith said.

Joyce nodded.

"Okay." She hesitated for a moment. "And don't worry, I'll take care of her if anything happens to you."

Faith smiled at her, relieved.

"Thanks." She kneeled beside Hope and helped her out of the carriage. "I'll come back as soon as I can, honey."

"Okay," Hope said and hugged her.

Faith hugged her back, smiling.

"You be good," she said and let go of her.

"I will, Mommy."

Faith caressed her and got up.

"Bye."

Hope looked at Joyce.

"Gamma, can I have a chocolate chip cookie, please?"

Joyce smiled.

"Yes, of course. Come."

Joyce took Hope's hand and they went to the kitchen.

Faith smiled and left.

"Is everything ready?" Faith asked when she met the gang at Oz's van.

"Yes. Everyone's armed," Buffy said.

"Got the bazookas?"

"Yes. We've already hidden them. Wait until we're all sitting and then take your position. Don't fire until I give you the signal."

Faith nodded.

"Got it."

Buffy looked at the Scoobs.

"Okay, let's go."

When everyone was seated, Faith sneaked into the school and prepared the two bazookas they had stolen. Then she waited.

When she saw that the eclipse had started and the Mayor began to act strangely, she took the first bazooka and aimed it at the Mayor. Then she waited for Buffy's signal.

The eclipse finally occurred and the Mayor started transforming. Faith waited, aiming for the Mayor's head. Then Buffy gave the signal and Faith fired. As soon as she saw the back of the missile, she dropped the first bazooka and picked up the second. She aimed and then waited to see the results of the first missile.

The first missile hit the head and blew half of it away. Faith then aimed and the spot where the snake-demon's body touched the ground. She fired.

The second missile hit more accurately than the first and the body was cut in two.

Faith dropped the bazooka and ran to help Buffy, who had attacked the remains, making sure that it was dead.

When the Mayor was history, the two Slayers ran past the sputtering Snyder to help Buffy's classmates fight the vampires.

When it was all over and the surviving vampires retreated, the Scoobs gathered to celebrate and Faith sneaked away to pick up Hope before Buffy came home.

"Faith," Joyce said, relieved, when she saw her. "And Buffy?"

"They're all okay," Faith said.

"Thank god."

"Yeah."

"Hi, Mommy," Hope said as she came from the kitchen.

Faith smiled.

"Hey, honey," she said and picked her up.

"And the Mayor?" Joyce asked.

"Dead. Snyder almost had a heart attack when I blew him up."

"Snyder?"

"The Mayor."

"Oh."

Faith grinned.

"When the Mayor changed, Snyder actually had the nerve to blab at him."

Joyce smiled.

"He's a strange little troll."

"Yeah," Faith agreed. She looked at Hope. "Come, honey, let's get out of here before Buffy comes."

"Okay."

Faith looked around.

"Where's the carriage?"

"Out the back."

"Oh."

When Buffy came over an hour later, Faith told Hope to hide in the bathroom and be very quiet.

"Hey, B," she said when she opened the door.

"Faith. Are you okay?" Buffy asked, worried. "You just disappeared. I thought something had happened to you."

"Nah, I'm fine. I was just hungry, so I left to get something to eat."

"Oh," Buffy said and smiled.

"You been home yet?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Are you going on patrol later?"

"Nah, I'm taking a break. I've had enough crap for one day."

Buffy smiled.

"Me too."

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah, okay," Buffy said, surprised by Faith's curtness.

"Anything else?" Faith asked when Buffy didn't move.

"Oh, eh, no," Buffy said. "I'll see you tomorrow then," she said and left.

"Yeah," Faith said and closed the door. She looked out the door to make sure that Buffy was really leaving. "Okay, honey, you can come out now," she said when Buffy was gone.

Hope came from the bathroom.

"Why did I have to hide, Mommy?" she asked.

Faith smiled at her and sighed.

"Because you're… different."

"How?"

Faith took a deep breath and picked her up.

"I'll tell you next year, when you're bigger," she said and caressed her. "But she would… hurt you if she saw you."

Hope's eyes went wide.

"Why?"

"Because you're different," Faith said and caressed her again. She smiled. "But don't worry, I'll protect you." She hesitated for a moment. "And so will Grandma."

Hope smiled.

"Okay."

For Hope's first birthday, Joyce invited Faith and Hope over. Buffy was away at college and there was no danger of Hope being discovered. Joyce had convinced Faith to throw Hope a real birthday party, and Faith had reluctantly agreed.

"Surprise!" Faith and Joyce said in unison when Faith and Hope entered the living room.

Hope's eyes went wide when she saw the cake.

"Happy birthday, honey," Faith said.

Hope, who now looked like a three-year-old, looked at her, confused.

"What?"

"Happy birthday," Faith said with a smile. "Today is one year since you were born."

"Really?"

"Yes. And it's traditional to celebrate that."

Hope smiled.

"With a cake?"

"And presents."

Hope's eyes went wide.

"Really?"

"Yes. Now why don't you make a wish and blow out the candle."

Hope looked at the cake and thought for a moment. Then she leaned closer.

"I wish…"

"You're not supposed to say the wish out loud," Faith warned her as Joyce prepared to take a picture.

"Oh." Hope thought for a moment and then blew out the candle. Then she looked at Faith. "Did I do it right?"

Faith smiled.

"Like a pro," she said, and Hope smiled back.

"Okay, the presents," Joyce said. "Faith?"

Faith went to the sofa and took her present.

"Here, honey. Happy birthday," she said and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you, Mommy," Hope said, excited.

"Just tear off the wrapping," Joyce instructed when Hope started to carefully remove the wrapping.

"Oh." Hope tore off the wrapping and her eyes went wide when she saw a Barbie doll. "Wow! A Malibu Barbie! Thank you, Mommy," she said and hugged Faith.

Faith ruffled her hair.

"You're welcome, honey," she said.

Joyce smiled, took another picture.

"My turn," she then said and fetched her present from the sofa. "Here you go, honey. Happy birthday."

"Thank you, Grandma," Hope said and quickly started tearing off the wrapping. "Wow! Mommy, look! School stuff!"

Faith and Joyce both smiled.

"You're growing so fast you're going to need it pretty soon," Joyce said.

Hope smiled.

"Thank you, Grandma," she said and hugged her.

"You're welcome, honey," Joyce said and ruffled her hair as well.

"Here, honey, why don't you cut the first slice," Faith said and offered Hope a knife.

Hope let go of Joyce and looked at Faith.

"How?"

"Come, I'll help you. Here, hold the knife," Faith said and then gave Hope the knife. "Okay. Now we make two cuts. Here. And here. That's it. Now we let Grandma take care of the rest."

"Okay," Hope said and gave the knife to Faith, who gave it to Joyce.

Joyce removed the candle and first gave Hope her slice.

"Here you go, honey," she said.

"Thank you," Hope said as she took the plate.

Joyce then cut two slices for her and Faith.

"Thanks," Faith said when Joyce gave her a plate. She looked at Hope. "You like it?"

Hope bobbed her head, excitedly.

"Uh-huh," she said with her mouth full.

Faith smiled and looked back at Joyce.

"Thanks. For all this."

Joyce smiled.

"You're welcome."

Not long before her second birthday, Hope realized she was different from other children. She and Faith were in the park where Faith was pushing Hope on the swings.

"Mommy?" Hope said quietly, looking at a group of toddlers.

"Yes?" Faith asked and slowed down, realizing that something was on Hope's mind.

"I'm different from them," she said, still staring at the toddlers.

Faith looked at them as well and guessed what Hope was talking about. She sighed.

"Yes," she said.

"How?"

Faith stopped her.

"Come, let's go sit on a bench," she said.

Hope hopped off the swing and took Faith's hand.

They went to the bench and sat down. Faith thought about how to begin.

"Well, you know about demons, right?"

Hope nodded.

"You fight them every night."

"Yes." Faith hesitated for a moment. "Well, you're a demon too."

Hope frowned and looked at herself.

"I'm a monster?" she asked and looked back, wide-eyed.

"No, honey, you're not a monster," Faith quickly assured her. She thought for a moment. "Not all demons are monsters."

"But you kill them."

"Only those who hurt people."

"Oh." Hope thought it over. "What kind of… demon am I?"

"You're a Jafaris demon."

"But I look like you."

Faith smiled.

"Yes. You see, Jafaris demons are unique. Nobody knows what they looked like when they were first created, but they have one special property. You see, they lay eggs."

"Like chicken?"

Faith smiled again.

"Sort of. Only they only lay two or three eggs in their lifetime."

"Oh."

"Anyway, after they lay their egg, they have to guard it for a while. When the baby hatches, it first looks like a white blob."

Hope frowned.

"Blob?"

"They don't really have a shape. I mean, they have arms and legs and a head, sort of. Anyway, what's so special about them is that they look like the first person who touches them. Usually it's the person who laid the egg, but sometimes it's not. Like in your case. I was the first person who touched you, so you look like me."

"Oh." Hope thought for a moment. "So if I was touched by a… a kitty, I would look like a kitty?"

Faith smiled.

"Exactly! The only exception would be that you would lay eggs."

"I'm gonna lay eggs?" Hope asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes."

"How?"

Faith ruffled her hair.

"Don't worry, you still have a couple of years until then. I don't know much, but I'll help you when the time comes."

"Okay," Hope said with a smile.

Faith smiled back.

"And your daughter will look like you after you touch her."

"Really?" Hope said, excited.

"Yes. Anyway, because you're a Jafaris demon, you grow up three times as fast as us humans. But you also live less long, about thirty years."

"Oh."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Eh, I think I should tell you that I killed your, eh, mother."

Hope frowned.

"You're my mommy."

Faith smiled for a moment.

"Yes, I know. I mean, the demon who lay your egg."

"Oh. Why?"

Faith sighed.

"She was… She killed people."

Hope thought for a moment.

"Am I evil too?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Faith caressed her.

"No, honey, you're not." She thought for a moment. "And perhaps your… birth mother wasn't either. You see, she was a Mostris demon and they have some pretty violent tendencies."

"Oh." Hope thought for a moment. "And me?"

"You're human, with all our faults and advantages. You make your own choices, but you're not evil." She hesitated for a moment. "You're my daughter and I love you," she added, feeling a bit awkward.

Hope smiled a bit, relieved.

"I love you too, Mommy," she said and hugged her.

Faith hugged her back and kissed her on the top of the head.

When they stopped hugging, Hope thought for a moment.

"Mommy? Is that why Aunt Buffy would hurt me? Because I'm a demon?"

Faith nodded.

"Yes. She's a Slayer, like me. But she thinks you're evil."

"Why?"

Faith smiled sadly.

"Because your… birth mom was a Mostris demon."

"Oh."

Faith caressed her.

"But don't worry, Grandma, Dawnie and I will protect you," she said, and Hope smiled. Faith took a deep breath. "Come, how about an ice cream?"

Hope's eyes lit up.

"Can I have strawberry?"

Faith smiled.

"Sure. Come."

A month after Hope's second birthday, Faith left Hope at the gallery because she had to take care of some paperwork. After work, Joyce had taken Hope home. She had just gone out the back door when Buffy came home unexpectedly.

"Mom?" she asked and looked around.

She went to the kitchen, but then she heard movement upstairs, so she headed to the stairs. When she saw a little girl of about seven there, she blinked, surprised. But when the girl saw her, she shrieked and ran back upstairs.

"Grandma! Grandma! Grandma! Grandma!"

Buffy stared after her, confused.

"Eh, okay?" she said slowly.

She slowly headed after the girl, thinking that Joyce was upstairs. She heard that the girl had locked herself in Joyce's room, so she headed there and knocked.

"Mom?" she asked, but there was no answer. "Mom!" she called and knocked.

"Buffy?"

"Mom?" Buffy said, surprised, when she heard that Joyce was downstairs.

"What are you doing home?" Joyce asked as she came upstairs.

"Eh, visiting you and Dawn?"

"Oh."

"Eh, Mom? As far as I know, neither Dawn nor I ever had a baby, right?"

"Eh, yes?"

"And we don't have another sister, right? Or a brother."

"No."

"Then who's the girl in your room?"

"That's Hope," Joyce said and walked past her.

"Okay. And?"

Joyce ignored her and tried to enter her room, but it was locked.

"Hope, honey, it's me!" she called. "You can come out now."

"But Aunt Buffy's there. She wants to kill me."

Buffy frowned, confused.

"Don't worry, honey, I won't let her."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now come out, I'm about to start making lunch and you can help me."

There was a brief pause and then Hope unlocked the door and opened it. She carefully looked out and saw that Joyce was there. Then she saw Buffy as well and she quickly hid behind Joyce, scared.

Joyce caressed her.

"Don't worry, she won't hurt you." She looked at Buffy. "Why don't you step aside so we can go downstairs."

Buffy stared at Hope for a few moments, seeing in Hope's eyes that she was scared. And there was something else she felt.

"Eh, Mom…"

"I'll explain downstairs."

Buffy hesitated for a moment and then headed downstairs.

"Come, honey," Joyce said and took Hope's hand.

Then they followed Buffy.

When she got downstairs, Buffy went to the living room and waited for Joyce and Hope to come down. She sat on a lounge chair and Joyce and Hope sat on the sofa, Hope pressing herself close to Joyce, who put her arm around her.

"So?" Buffy then asked.

"This is Hope, she's Faith's daughter."

Buffy frowned.

"Since when does Faith have a daughter?"

"Since she adopted her two years ago."

Buffy's frown deepened as she thought. Then her eyes went wide.

"The… Em…"

"The demon girl, yes," Joyce said.

"You mean Faith didn't kill her?"

"Yes."

"But…"

"She's harmless, Buffy. She may be a Jafaris demon, but if you'd bothered to find to more, you'd know that they take on the traits of the species to which the first person who touched them belongs. In Hope's case, she took on human traits. She's human in almost all respects."

Buffy looked at Hope.

"But she looks like she's seven, not two."

"Jafaris demons grow up three times as fast as humans," Joyce explained. "And they also only live a third as long."

"Oh." Buffy stared at Hope for a few moments. "She reminds me of Faith."

Joyce glanced at Hope.

"That's because she has her DNA."

"Oh." Buffy frowned. "How do you know all this? And why is she calling you Grandma?"

"Faith told me. She needed help with raising her."

"Oh."

"And as for her calling me Grandma," Joyce smiled, "well, it's a ridiculous story, but I don't mind."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Does Dawn know about her?"

"Yes."

"So everybody knows but me?"

"Not everybody, just us."

Buffy thought for a moment.

"Why did she think I wanted to kill her?"

"You did want her dead," Joyce said. "Hope knows what she is and Faith told her who she should be afraid of."

"Oh," Buffy said, having mixed feelings about it. She sighed. "Where is Faith?"

"She had to take care of some paperwork, but it's obviously taking her longer than expected."

"So you're babysitting Hope?"

Joyce smiled.

"Yes."

"Oh."

Joyce looked at Hope.

"Come, honey, let's go make lunch."

Hope smiled at her.

"Okay."

She hopped off the sofa and Joyce got up.

"Dawn should be home any minute now," Joyce said.

"Yeah, I know," Buffy said, staring at Hope.

"Come."

Joyce took Hope's hand and they went to the kitchen.

Buffy then leaned back and thought about it.

Dawn came home ten minutes later.

"Mom! I'm home!" she called.

"Okay!" Joyce called from the kitchen.

"Hey, Dawn," Buffy said from the living room.

Dawn looked at her, startled.

"Buffy? What are you doing here?"

"Can't I come to visit?" Buffy asked, mildly annoyed.

"Oh." Dawn smiled. "Sure."

Buffy hesitated for a moment.

"How long have you known about Hope?"

"What?" Dawn said, surprised.

"Hope. You know, Faith's daughter."

"Eh, Faith doesn't have a daughter," Dawn said.

"I saw her."

Dawn's eyes went wide.

"Hope?"

"Yes."

Dawn squinted.

"You didn't hurt her, did you?"

"No," Buffy said, surprised how both Dawn and her mother were worried about her killing Hope.

"Good."

"So how long have you known?"

"Since your graduation day. Faith brought her here before she went to help you."

"Oh. And Mom?"

"From day one, I think."

"Oh."

"You're not gonna hurt her, are you? I mean, I know she's a demon, but she's harmless."

Buffy took a deep breath.

"No, I won't hurt her."

Dawn squinted.

"Promise?"

Buffy rolled her eyes.

"I promise."

"Good. Is she here?"

"In the kitchen."

Dawn smiled and went to the kitchen.

"Great, now I'm the bad guy," Buffy grumbled.

A minute later, the bell ran and Buffy went to open up.

"B?" Faith said, surprised.

"Faith."

"Eh, is your mom home?"

"Yes. Come in."

Faith entered and Buffy closed the door.

"I thought you lived at the dorm," Faith then said.

"I do. I just came to visit."

"Oh."

"Are you here to pick up Hope?"

Faith's eyes widened for a moment.

"What?"

"Hope. You know, the demon girl."

Faith gulped.

"You know?"

"I've met her."

Faith looked around.

"You didn't hurt her, did you?"

Buffy sighed.

"No."

"Where is she?"

"In the kitchen."

Faith quickly went to the kitchen, and Buffy slowly followed her.

"Mommy!" Hope said, excited, when Faith entered.

Faith smiled, relieved.

"Hey honey," she said and hugged her.

"Watch your hands, honey," Joyce warned Hope, whose hands were dirty.

Hope hugged Faith, but she kept her hands away from Faith's body.

"I'm helping Grandma cook," Hope said excitedly when they stopped hugging.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. She said…" Hope trailed off when Buffy came in. "Mommy?" she said quietly.

"It's okay, honey," Faith said and got up, putting herself between Hope and Buffy.

"Why does everyone think I'm a monster!" Buffy said, upset.

"We don't think you're a monster, honey," Joyce said.

"But everyone thinks I'm going to kill Hope."

"You did offer to do it," Faith said.

Buffy sighed.

"That was two years ago and I didn't really know much about Jafaris demons. You've obviously done your homework and you've been watching her for two years, so she's obviously not dangerous." She looked at Hope. "I won't kill you, Hope, I promise. I thought you were evil, but you're obviously not."

Hope relaxed a bit.

"Thanks," Faith said.

Buffy looked at her and nodded.

Faith looked at Hope.

"Okay, honey, wash your hands, we're going home now."

"Wait, I'm making lunch for all of us," Joyce said.

"Oh."

"Why don't you take off your jacket and make yourself comfortable. You can talk to Buffy, and Hope can help me."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Okay." She looked at Hope. "Looks like we're staying for lunch. Go help Grandma."

Hope smiled.

"Okay."

Faith ruffled her hair and then looked at Buffy.

"B?"

"In the living room."

Buffy left and Faith followed her, taking off her jacket.

In the living room, Buffy sat back on the lounge chair and Faith on the sofa.

"So, you didn't kill her," Buffy spoke after a few moments.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I felt a bond between us. Jafaris demons form a bond with the first person who touches them. That's usually their mother, but in this case it's me."

"So you're taking care of her because of this bond?"

"No, I'm taking care of her because I love her," Faith said, angry. "And in case you haven't noticed, your mom and Dawn also love her, even though there's no bond between them."

"Oh." Buffy thought for a moment. "Why did you drag my mom into this?"

"I didn't drag her into anything, B. I asked her for some advice because I didn't have a clue about how to take care of a baby. She offered to help me out."

"Oh." Buffy thought again. "How can you afford to support you two?"

"I got a job."

"You do?" Buffy said, surprised.

"Yeah."

"Where?"

"At a warehouse in Docktown. I'm a security guard on the graveyard shift."

"Really?" Buffy frowned. "But that doesn't pay much, does it?"

Faith smiled.

"Usually not, but this warehouse has often been attacked by demons. I showed my boss how effective I am and he agreed to pay me four wages."

"Four?" Buffy said, surprised.

"Yeah."

"Wow. But what about Hope? I mean, you couldn't leave her at home, right?"

"I took her with me. I left her in the control room while I was out."

"Oh. Wow." Buffy frowned. "But how did you explain to the, em, your coworkers why she was growing so fast?"

"I said she has some genetic disease that makes her grow up three times as fast as normal. You know, something like that disease that makes kids look like old people."

"Oh." Buffy thought for a moment. "So that's why you moved. You had enough money and you wanted a better apartment because of Hope."

"Yes. And I didn't want you guys to know where I lived. I mean, I wasn't sure about you guys, but Wes might just have called the Council if he'd found out about Hope."

"That was two years ago."

Faith shrugged.

"I don’t want to risk it."

"Oh." Buffy thought for a moment. "What about her education? I mean, she can't exactly go to school."

"I'm teaching her at home."

"You are?" Buffy said, surprised.

"Yeah. She's pretty smart and she catches on quickly. She'll take the GED when she's six and then maybe she'll go to college if we can afford it."

"Wow," Buffy said, impressed. "And you?"

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"I hope I'll be able to go to college next year."

Buffy's eyes went wide.

"Really?" Then she frowned. "But you didn't go to high school."

"I took the GED."

"Really? I didn't know. Why didn't you say anything?"

Faith shrugged.

"I think Wes would try to order me around and stuff and I wasn't really sure I would pass."

"Oh." Buffy thought for a moment. "Don't you need an ID when you take the GED?"

"Yeah."

"But Hope doesn't have one."

Faith frowned.

"Oh. Crap." She scratched her head. "Damn, I'll have to think of something."

"You could let Willow do it. She could create the whole paperwork."

Faith shook her head.

"No. If I let her know, then Xander will probably know soon and eventually Wes. He's not such a prick anymore, but he might still call the Council. It's a miracle Dawn didn't say anything."

"I think you're being paranoid."

"I'm not the one who wanted to kill Hope just because she's a Jafaris demon."

"Oh. Sorry."

Faith sighed.

"No, you're right, I am a bit paranoid, I guess."

Buffy smiled a bit.

"Hey, Willow and Tara could help you teach her."

Faith thought about it.

"I don't know."

"Look, Willow was pretty fond of her. I mean, none of us wanted to really kill her, but Wesley had a point, I guess, that's why I agreed with him. But now that I know she's harmless, I don't want to kill her anymore. I'm sure that the guys won't either. Nor Wes."

"But you don't know."

Buffy sighed.

"No, I don't know. But we did work it out when Angel was in question, and you know what he'd done when he was Angelus."

Faith sighed.

"I guess."

"Look, I'll help you protect her if anything happens."

Faith stared at her for a few moments and then sighed.

"I need to think about it."

"Okay." Buffy thought for a moment. "What is she like?"

"Hope?" Faith smiled. "Wonderful. Like a normal kid. Except she ages for a year in four months."

Buffy smiled.

"I never thought you were the maternal type."

Faith blushed a bit.

"Me neither." She smiled shyly. "But I'm glad I was given the chance to be proven wrong."

Buffy smiled.

"Me too."

During lunch, Buffy observed how Joyce, Dawn and Faith interacted with Hope and she felt like an outsider. It was almost as though Faith and Hope were family and she was not. She also realized that Hope was very much a human child, in spite of her demonic origins. She tried to participate in conversation, but Hope was still a bit afraid of her, so she gave up.

"Hope, honey, I'd like to talk to you," Faith said after lunch.

"Okay," Hope said and they went to the living room.

They sat on the sofa and Faith thought for a few moments.

"You remember how I told you who you should be afraid of?"

Hope nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, I could have overreacted a bit." She sighed. "The only one I'm actually worried about is my Watcher. I mean, not too much about him as about who he might call. But Buffy's on our side now and I think her friends might be too, once they meet you and get to know you. But the final choice is yours." She caressed her. "Do you want to meet them?"

"They won't hurt me?"

"I'm pretty certain that they won't, but I'm not completely certain." She sighed. "They're pretty nice people, except my Watcher, who's a bit stuffy. I think if the rest agreed that you're not evil, he will probably be okay with it too."

Hope thought about it.

"I'm scared," she then said.

Faith smiled.

"I know. Me too," she said and caressed her. "But I'll protect you."

Hope smiled.

"Do you want me to meet them?" she asked.

"It would be nice not to have to hide you anymore, but only if you're okay with it."

Hope thought about it.

"Okay."

"You sure?"

Hope nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Faith smiled.

"Okay, I'll tell Buffy then."

In the evening, after the Magic Box closed, the gang came over.

"Hi, Buffy," Willow said as they entered.

"Hey," Buffy said.

"What's up?" Xander asked.

"Come in and you'll find out."

"Has anyone seen Faith?" Wesley asked.

"She's here," Buffy said.

"Oh."

When everyone was in, Buffy closed the door and followed them to the living room.

"Hello," Joyce said as she joined them.

"Hello…" Giles said and then trailed off when he saw Faith holding a girl's hand.

"Faith?" Wesley asked.

Faith took a deep breath and sat beside Dawn, who had saved her a seat. Hope sat between her legs, and Faith put her arms around Hope's belly protectively.

"This is Hope," Faith said. "She's my daughter."

There was a silence as the Scoobs digested what Faith had just said.

"Eh, isn't she too old to be your daughter?" Xander asked.

"She's two," Faith said.

Xander frowned.

"Doesn't look like a two-year-old to me."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"That's because she's a demon. A Jafaris demon."

Willow's eyes went wide as she figured it out.

"The baby?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't kill her?"

"No."

Willow frowned.

"But she doesn't look like a two-year-old."

"I know. Jafaris demons grow up three times as fast as humans."

"Oh."

Faith looked at Wesley.

"And no, she's not dangerous."

"Oh. Eh, are you sure?"

Faith rolled her eyes.

"I've been living with her for two years, so yes, I'm sure."

"Oh. Well…"

"Why didn't you say anything?" Xander asked.

Faith gave him a blank look.

"You didn't exactly protest when Wesley said I should kill her. Hell, Buffy even volunteered to do it for me."

"Oh."

"And why now?" Giles asked.

Faith looked at him.

"Well, Buffy convinced me that you won't want to kill her anymore once you get to know her." She hesitated for a moment and then looked at Willow and Tara. "And I need some help with her education. She'll be taking her GED in four years and she'll also need an ID."

"I can take care of that," Willow said, excited at the prospect of hacking and being a teacher. "And Tara and I can help you out with teaching."

"Thanks," Faith said.

"In four years?" Xander asked. "Won't she be, like, six then?"

"She'll be eighteen by human standards," Faith explained.

"Oh."

"Will she be able to learn all the stuff in four years?" Willow asked.

"Yeah. She can already read and write and do some simple math. And other stuff."

"Really? Wow."

"I can bring her over to the Magic Box tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay. And bring her books so we'll see what she knows."

"Okay."

There was a brief pause.

"Eh, Faith, we were going to the Bronze later. Wanna come?"

"Can't. I have to take Hope home."

"She can sleep over," Joyce said.

Hope's eyes lit up and she turned to look at Faith.

"Can I, Mommy? Please?"

Faith smiled a bit.

"You don't have a change of clothes."

"I can narrow a pair of Dawn's panties and she can wear a t-shirt for the night," Joyce said. "You can bring her a fresh set of clothes in the morning."

Faith thought about it.

"Okay," she said.

"Cool," Hope said, excited. She looked at Joyce. "Grandma, can I sleep with Dawn?"

Joyce smiled.

"I don't know. Dawn?"

Dawn smiled.

"Sure."

"Okay then."

"Cool!" Hope said, excited. Then she looked at Faith. "Mommy, I need to pee."

"Sure," Faith said and let go of her.

Hope slid off the sofa and ran to the stairs.

There was a brief pause.

"So you, em, adopted her," Wesley then said.

Faith looked at him.

"She has my DNA, which kinda makes her my daughter."

"Oh."

"So that's why you were so interested in learning more about demons," Giles said.

"Yeah," Faith said. She looked at Wesley. "I know more or less everything that was ever written on Jafaris demons."

"I see," Wesley said.

Giles looked at Joyce.

"You knew about, eh, Hope?"

"Yes," Joyce said. "Faith asked me to help her."

"Oh."

"She's calling you Grandma?" Xander asked.

"Yes," Joyce said.

"How come?"

Joyce glanced at Faith, who blushed, nervous.

"It doesn't matter."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I think you should leave now. Hope is still afraid of you and so many of you here would make her feel uncomfortable."

"She's right," Buffy said.

"We'll see you at the Bronze then," Willow said.

"Yes."

The Scoobs filed out, and Faith took a deep breath, relieved.

"You okay?" Dawn asked.

Faith looked at her and smiled a bit.

"Yeah. I'm glad I don't have to hide her anymore."

Dawn smiled.

"Me too."

"Will you be okay with her?"

Dawn nodded.

"Yes. Do you think she could sleep over more often?"

Faith shrugged.

"I guess. I mean, if it's okay with you and your mom and if she wants to."

"Great! Thanks! Mom!"

Dawn ran off to her mother.

"What was that all about?" Buffy asked as she returned.

"She asked if Hope could sleep over more often."

"Oh. Has she ever slept here before?"

"No. We didn't come here often."

"I though Mom babysat her for you."

"She did, but I usually took Hope to the gallery if I had stuff to do."

"Oh." Buffy thought for a moment. "Are you going to stay here until we go to the Bronze?"

"I'll have to drop by my place to change my clothes."

Buffy hesitated for a moment.

"Can I go with you?"

Faith thought about it.

"Okay," she then said.

Buffy smiled.

"Thanks."

"I'll go watch some cartoons," Faith said, and Buffy's smile widened.

"Okay. I'll be upstairs."

"Okay."

Buffy went upstairs but stopped when she saw Hope, she stopped. They stared at one another for a few moments and Buffy could see that Hope was still afraid of her. She smiled and then went back downstairs and out of the way.

Hope hesitated for a moment and then slowly followed her. When she got downstairs and saw Faith, she ran to her.

Faith looked at her and then at Buffy and realized what the problem was. She smiled at Hope and caressed her.

"Don't worry, she won't hurt you. She promised."

Hope looked at Buffy, who smiled and went upstairs.

"Where's Dawn?" Hope then asked Faith.

"In the kitchen with Grandma. She went to ask if you can sleep over more often. Why don't you go to them."

Hope smiled.

"Okay," she said and ran to the kitchen.

Before going to the Bronze, Faith went to her apartment to change. Buffy went with her.

"Wow!" Buffy said when she saw Faith's new apartment. "This is very nice."

"It's better than a motel," Faith said.

"You bet." Buffy looked around. "This actually feels like a home," she observed.

Faith looked at her.

"Yeah."

"I mean, your motel room was clean and decent, but it didn't feel like home. This here is different. I mean, you have pictures of you and Hope."

Faith glanced at the two photos on the nightstand.

"Yeah." She went to the nightstand, opened the drawer and pulled out a small photo album. "Here, you can look at the photos while I change."

"Thanks," Buffy said, surprised.

Faith picked a couple of clothes from another drawer and then went to Hope's room to change.

Buffy sat on the bed and leafed through the album. She could see photos of Faith and Hope, or just Hope, from various occasions, and there were some photos from Hope's two birthdays where Joyce and Dawn were also present.

When Faith returned a minute later, Buffy looked at her.

"I'm glad you didn't kill her," she said.

Faith stared at her for a few moments, surprised.

"Thanks."

Buffy put the album on the nightstand and got up.

"Is that Hope's room?"

"Yeah."

"Can I take a look?"

"Sure."

Buffy went to the door and looked in.

"Wow, very nice," she said, impressed.

"Thanks."

Buffy then looked at Faith.

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah."

"Hi," Faith said when she brought Hope to the Magic Box the next day.

"Hi," Tara said with a smile. She looked at Hope, who was clinging to Faith, still a bit frightened. "You ready to learn?"

Hope smiled a bit and nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Then why don't you join Willow and me at the table and we'll see what you already know."

Hope looked up at Faith, uncertain.

"Go, honey, I'll be at the table too," Faith said.

They went to the table, and Faith helped Hope take off her backpack.

"Why don't you sit between us," Willow said with a smile.

Hope looked at Faith, uncertain.

"Go, I'll be right across the table," Faith said.

Hope hesitated for a moment and then went to Willow, who helped her sit. Faith then passed her the backpack across the table and Hope took out her books, notebooks and stuff to write.

"Wow, that's a lot of stuff," Tara said.

"Oh, Faith, I'm just about done with Hope's papers," Willow said. "There's a few things I still need to do, so everything should be ready by tomorrow. You'll probably be notified by post when the papers will be ready."

"Thanks," Faith said.

As Willow and Tara started to go through Hope's notes, Buffy came to Faith.

"Wanna train?"

Faith looked at her.

"Later. I promised Hope I'll be here while she's studying."

"Oh."

"And besides, I got some books I need to go through as well."

Faith took a couple of books and a notebook from her own backpack, and Buffy looked at them, curious.

"That's college stuff."

"Yeah. I thought I'd get ready."

"Have you decided what your major will be?"

"No, not yet. I'm working on that."

"Oh. Well, okay, we'll train later then."

"Yeah."

Buffy went over to the counter, where Giles and Wesley were talking.

"She seems pretty protective of Hope," Wesley observed.

"Yes," Buffy said. "She's worried you might call the Council."

"The Council?" Wesley said, surprised.

"Yes. I mean, you would've done it two years ago."

"Oh. Yes, well, that was two years ago. And besides, Oz was a werewolf, Anya used to be a vengeance demon and Angel a vampire. What's one more?"

Buffy smiled.

"You should tell Faith that."

"What is she reading?" Giles asked.

"College stuff."

"College?" Wesley said, surprised.

"Yes, she's starting next year."

"Really? But she hasn't even finished high school."

"She took the GED."

"She did? She didn't tell me."

"She's afraid people will start expecting too much of her and she would fail."

"Oh."

"We'll train later. I'll go see if I can help her decide what to major in."

"Okay."

"So, how was your day, honey?" Faith asked Hope in the evening as she tucked her in.

"Great!" Hope said, excited. "Willow and Tara are so smart."

"You like them?"

Hope smiled.

"Uh-huh," she said, nodding. "They're nice."

"So you'll continue to study with them?"

Hope nodded.

"Uh-huh." She frowned. "Are you gonna teach me too?"

Faith smiled.

"Sure, you just have to ask. Though they're much better at teaching than me. But if you feel like learning, just say so."

"Okay."

Faith thought for a moment.

"Are you still afraid of them?"

Hope thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"Only Mr Giles and Mr Wes."

"Don't worry, Giles is okay and Wes said he won't cause problems." She ruffled Hope's hair. "You'll get used to them," she said, and Hope smiled. "Night, sweetie."

"Night, Mommy."

Faith kissed her on the forehead.

"Sweet dreams."

Hope smiled.

"Be careful, Mommy."

Faith smiled back.

"Always."

She caressed her and then left.

The End