Part Fifteen: Birthday

Taking a much-needed deep breath, Faith stood outside the place she had once called home, holding a gift. About to press the doorbell, she was stopped when she heard someone walking up behind her.

"You forget your key?" the brunette was asked.

Turning around, she recognised,

"Dawn."

"Hey Faith," the younger brunette replied, hugging the slayer. She pulled back adding, "Long time."

"Yeah," the older of them agreed. "How've you been?"

"Good," Dawn replied. "Hey, has the party started yet? I know Buffy said three but in Buffy-time that's really like... eight, right?"

"I dunno," the brunette answered. "I just got here."

"Okay," Dawn replied. "Well if we're late we've got the whole strength in numbers thing going. Plus, I had to come all the way from LA. You live here - she's gonna be way madder at you."

Faith made no attempt to speak, causing Dawn to feel uneasy.

"Let's just go inside," the younger brunette decided, ringing the doorbell. Waiting and looking expectantly at the door, the brunette beamed as her sister opened it.

"You made it!" Buffy exclaimed, throwing her arms around the younger woman. Pulling back, she looked Dawn over, complimenting, "You look great."

The slayer calmed as she caught sight of her ex. Not sure how to behave after her excited out-burst, she kept the smile and motioned for Faith to come in.

Hearing the commotion in the hallway, Joyce bounced outside from the decorated and crowded living room.

"Aunt Dawn! Faith!" she cried, rushing up to the latter.

Bending down, the brunette slayer took the child into her arms, giving her both a kiss and the gift she was holding.

Failing to hesitate, Joyce ripped open the outer packaging.

"The new 'Death Fighters' game! It's the best! Thanks!" The eight-year-old threw her arms around the slayer, taking her by surprise.

Faith returned the embrace, reminding the child,

"Yeah, but don't go playing it too late. You know how scared you get."

Interrupting the display by audibly clearing her throat, Dawn handed her present to her niece.

"Thank you, Aunt Dawn," Joyce told her, opening the package to see a golden crucifix.

"I figured with all the monsters and the demons in your life-" Dawn told her, looking to Buffy whose wide-eyed expression forced her to look around and remember the living room full of children. "From your computer games," the brunette added, despite the lack of attention from the guests.

"Thank you," Buffy returned.

"Yeah, thank you Auntie Dawn," Joyce echoed.

"No problem," the woman replied, giving the girl a kiss before standing up.

"Oh guess what?" Buffy asked her sister as she stood to full height. Prompted by Dawn's, "What?" She proceeded to answer, "Giles called. He said he'll be here in time for Christmas."

"That's great," Dawn agreed. "It'll be like old times."

Looking up from her crouching-position where she was helping Joyce put on her new chain, Faith motioned to ask about Christmas day arrangements, when she was distracted by a male voice announcing,

"Here we go."

The slayer fastened the chain and stood to face the man coming from the kitchen holding a large, lit birthday cake. Gritting her teeth, Faith recognised the brunette from the party at the clinic, as he walked past them into the living room and began singing 'Happy birthday' placing the cake on the table.

"Wow!" Buffy exclaimed, looking to the cake. Taking Joyce's hand and following behind Parker into the room of guests. They joined in the chorus, positioning themselves beside the cake.

Once finished, Buffy instructed her daughter, "Blow out your candles."

Getting ready to do so, Joyce was instructed to, "Make a wish." She watched while Dawn picked up and poised her camera before she blew out the candles on her cake, causing the adults and children around her to cheer. Posing for pictures, the blonde youngster smiled cheerily. She happily allowed her mother to begin cutting the cake, looking up to her brunette friend who knelt next to her.

"Have you opened all of your other presents?" Parker publicly asked the eight-year-old.

Joyce nodded.

"Good. I wanted mine to be the last," the psychiatrist explained, smiling. He spoke on to announce, "Now, I can't take all the credit 'cause your mom helped me set it all up. But if you go upstairs and into your room, I think you'll find the latest and finest widescreen TV with all the surround sound, digital picture quality etc and a certain console and games that a certain someone has been pestering her mom for."

"Really?" Joyce asked, her eyes lighting up. She turned to her mother. "Thanks! Can I go?" she asked.

"Sure," Buffy replied, smiling at the expression of joy on her child's face.

Joyce rushed upstairs beckoning for her friends to follow her.

Standing in the corner of the room, Faith watched as the children grabbed slices of cake and rushed past her, upstairs. She glanced at Buffy who was smiling after the youngster. What she had intended to be a mere glance becoming a stare, she listened as the blonde slayer thanked Parker for his gifts and grimaced at the sight. Feeling awkward standing in the corner of the room now absent of the children, she powerlessly watched as Buffy briefly introduced her sister to her colleague before making her way to the kitchen with Parker following her. At a loss of what to do, Faith was momentarily relieved when Dawn approached her.

"Okay, now Faith, what's going on?" the brunette asked her, as if in confrontation.

"What do you mean?" Faith asked for asking sake.

"Usually when I come here, I'd have to set the place alight to get you two to even glance in my direction; you're so into each other," Dawn explained. "Today you've hardly said two words."

"That's usually how exes are," the slayer dryly returned.

"Oh God, I thought as much," Dawn uttered, as her suspicions were confirmed. Her expression showing mixed emotions, she asked, "When did this happen?"

"A few weeks ago," Faith informed, bitterly adding, "And she's already all over this new guy."

"Him?" the younger brunette asked, pointing towards the kitchen. "No. He's all over her, the sleaze. Did you see him?" she asked, mimicking the psychiatrist's earlier behaviour. "'Joyce, have you opened all of your less important presents yet?'Cause I got you the latest finest most expensive TV'" As if just having given evidence, she emphasised, "Sleaze!"

"Preaching to the choir," Faith told her ex's sister. She shook her head. "I don't know why I even bothered coming today."

"What?" Dawn asked, taken aback. "It's Joyce's birthday."

Continuing in her rant, the brunette slayer asked, "Did you hear what Mr big-shot got her? My gift doesn't even compare to all that shit."

"Faith, can you hear yourself? It wouldn't matter if he bought her a planet; no one could replace you to Joyce. Did you see the look in her eyes when you came? Not to mention the one in Buffy's."

Faith's expression became one of questioning.

"Are you kidding? She was so happy you came - I could tell."

"Yeah?"

"Totally. I don't know what Buffy's playing at with this guy, but I'm going to find out and put a stop to this nonsense. Don't worry, the two of you will be back together before you know it."

"It's not that simple," the older brunette confessed. "You don't know why we broke up."

"I don't care, Faith," Dawn told her, shaking her head. "You two have been together way too long to let anything stand between you. Especially some pretentious long haired Mr Big-shot."

Faith smiled.

"Thanks D," she returned graciously. Remembering herself, she added, "I gotta get back to work. How long're you in town for? We should hang out."

"I was gonna go back tomorrow," Dawn answered. "But I'm not leaving 'til all of this is sorted out."

Faith laughed, ascending the stairs. "I'm gonna go say bye to J. I'll see you around."

"Yep," Dawn replied, heading for the kitchen. "Leave it all to me."

Entering one of the home's three bedrooms, Faith looked around at the mass of brand new electronics filling the eight year old's room.

Joyce looked towards the door to see that the person who'd entered was Faith. Getting up from her position in front of her new TV and handing its controller to a friend, Joyce moved to be beside the slayer.

"Faith, look!" Joyce told her, pointing to the wide-screen and its large speakers. "Isn't it cool?"

"Yeah. Looks like something out of a catalogue," Faith dismissed. She bent down to be at eye-level with the child. "Hey kiddo," she told her. "I gotta go back to work-"

"But you just got here," Joyce complained, interrupting.

"I know, but I only just snuck out so I could come see you. Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow and we can do something, ok?"

Joyce nodded. "D'you promise?" she asked.

"Of course. I'll see ya."

Hugging her tightly, Joyce replied, "Bye Faith."

The brunette winked, smiling. She got up and let herself out into the hall, almost bumping into Buffy who was on her way up.

"Hey," Buffy said, meeting her. "Dawn told me you were leaving."

"Yeah," Faith replied, trying to remain cool in the presence of her former lover. She waited for the blonde to speak, time seemingly standing still as she noticed the other slayer's newly acquired radiance.

Unsure about how to phrase the question on her mind, Buffy decided to say,

"I just thought that seeing as you're here and all, we could," she walked into her bedroom and picked up a box full of things. Holding it out for the brunette, she completed, "Get some of this stuff out of the way."

Faith took hold of the box full of items that appeared to belong to her. Having been taken by surprise by the scenario presented to her, she stood staring at the contents for a while, deciding,

"You know what?" dropping the carton and allowing a second for the 'thud' as it hit the ground and tipped over. "Burn 'em."

Increasingly upset, the dark slayer left Buffy staring after her. Walking down the stairs, she felt the fine line between hurt and anger disappear as she collided with Parker, who having heard the crash upstairs was alerted and on his way upstairs.

"Hey, watch it," the man berated.

"What was that?" Faith asked him. Enraged, the slayer grabbed hold of the brunette by his shirt, pushing him and shoving him against the wall before dealing a left hook to his face. Pulling him down by his shirt, she delivered a knee to his groin, letting go of him as he fell to the floor. About to continue the assault, Faith stopped as she felt herself pulled back with great force.

Having removed the threat, Buffy knelt in front of a reeling Parker.

"Oh my God, are you ok?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Parker forced out.

Angry, Buffy looked up to castigate her ex-girlfriend only to be met with the door slam as the brunette left.

Nursing his facial bruise with an ice pack, Parker smiled as Buffy sat aside him on the couch.

"They're all gone!" Buffy announced, throwing her head back as if exhausted. "Peace at last."

"For some," Parker returned. "I can still hear the buzzing in my head from Rocky's blow earlier. What is that woman's problem?"

"It's complicated." Buffy decided to answer. She took hold of the hand Parker was using to nurse his face. Feeling the ice in the pack having liquidised, she told him, "Let me get you an actual ice pack."

Taking hold of the blonde's hand, Parker told her,

"No need. I can barely feel it anyway."

"We could always use the ice to cool down other places," the slayer told him, smiling. She allowed her smile to fade as the psychiatrist placed his hand on her cheek and leant in to kiss her. Their lips about to meet, the mood was interrupted by sounds of Joyce screaming in pain.

Rushing up to go and help her, Buffy found her daughter laid out on the stairs holding her ankle.

"Mommy, I'm hurt," the child proclaimed.

Helping her daughter to her feet, Buffy refused her colleague's offer of assistance before taking Joyce upstairs. Once in the child's room with the door firmly shut, she asked,

"Ok, what was that about?"

"I'm sorry, mom," Joyce confessed. "It's just that I saw you going to kiss Parker and I didn't know what else to do."

"You shouldn't be spying on mommy," Buffy told the child, slightly taken aback by her forwardness. "Besides I thought you liked Uncle Parker."

"I do," Joyce explained. "He's my friend. But I want Faith to come home and she wont if you and Uncle Parker are together."

Shaking her head in disbelief, Buffy looked to her child.

"What am I going to do with you?" she asked rhetorically, holding her. Needing a subject change, she looked to her watch. "You've only got a few hours of your birthday left, what's say the two of us go downstairs, watch some movies and stuff our faces with loads of pizza and ice-cream."

Beaming, Joyce replied, "Cool!"

Taking her daughter's hand the slayer told the small blonde, "C'mon. Let's go say goodnight to Uncle Parker."

Part Sixteen: Predicaments

"Hey Dr Samuel," Parker called down the hallway of the Sunnydale clinic and stopping the psychiatrist in his tracks.

Whipping around the man acknowledged,

"Dr Abrams, hi. Oooh, nasty bruise," he noticed.

"It's nothing. Anyway I just saw the rota," Parker explained his voice laden with sympathy. "You're up for a double shift."

"Yep. It's gonna be a long day."

"I feel for you," the brunette sympathised momentarily before asking, "Hey, how's Colette?"

"She's great," Dr Samuel replied, in reference to his girlfriend of eight months.

"D'you know what you're getting her for Christmas?"

Sighing, the young psychiatrist screwed his face up as if having only just remembered.

"God, Christmas. How much time have I got?"

Laughing, Parker replied, "Three days. But it's cool, 'cause I know this great place. It's a few hours away but they do beautiful jewellery for half the price - special closing sale."

"That's too bad," the taller man replied. "I'm stuck here the whole day."

As if thinking about it, Parker paused, eventually deciding, "You know what? You go. I'll do your shift tonight. Go pick Colette up something beautiful and spend the rest of the day with her."

"You serious?" Dr Samuel asked, in disbelief.

"Yeah. I have no plans today, so why not?" the brunette replied. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card and handing it to his colleague, told him, "Here's the address."

Reading it, the man smiled. Shaking his head, he told his fellow doctor, "You're a good man, Parker Abrams."

Smiling, Parker returned, "Send Colette my best."

"Will do," the older man assured, heading both away from the brunette and from the clinic's back exit.

"Hey, where are you going?" Parker stopped him.

"Just heading to hand in my beeper and tell Dina about the swap."

"Here, I'll do it," Parker offered with an outstretched hand. "You just get outta here before I change my mind."

Handing the blue-eyed brunette his beeper, Dr Samuel declared, "I'm gone." Leaving the premises.

Having just exited her car, Buffy was barely able to cross the road as she was met by her daughter who was running excitedly towards her from school.

"Woah!" Buffy called, upon the collision. She held the youngster. "How was the last day?" she asked.

"Good. Mom, can we give Tyler a ride with us?" Joyce asked, looking up at her mother and holding onto her friend, who had followed behind her.

"Hi Tyler. Where's mommy or daddy?" Buffy asked the young boy.

"My mom's over there," Tyler answered, pointing over to an approaching Mrs Thompson.

"Sorry to spring this on you, Buffy," the woman explained, reaching and joining the three of them. "I forgot that I was supposed to be giving the teachers here a talk now. Tyler's dad's at the house, so if you would just take him home, that would be so great."

"Can I stay at the Summers' house for a while though, mom?" Tyler interrupted.

"Sure," Buffy answered the question, assuring the boy's mother, "It's no trouble at all."

"Thank you so much," Mrs Thompson appreciated. "I'll be there to pick Tyler up as soon as I can." She turned to her son. "Have a good time and behave yourself, ok?"

Buffy smiled as the child agreed, his mother thanked her again and rushed off.

"Ok everyone, let's go," the slayer announced, unlocking her car and making her way into it. Lifting her cell phone from the passenger seat to allow Joyce to sit down, she saw the message alert flash. Accessing her voicemail she listened as the clinic's secretary begged her to stop by the clinic. Sighing, the blonde slayer announced to those in the car,

"Guys, we have to make a quick stop at the clinic, ok?" as she pulled out from her parking space and onto the main road.

Going through Sunnydale's roads with moderate speed, within ten minutes, Buffy arrived at her workplace, parked her car and letting both her daughter and her friend out of her convertible, and locked it up. She entered the relatively newly built building and made her way to its reception.

"Oh, Dr Summers," Dina greeted with a relieved sigh, upon the psychiatrist's arrival. "I was just about to start panicking."

"What's wrong?" Buffy asked.

"Sorry to just call you up like that but we have a major problem. Dr Samuel just uped and left all his patients without even a word. Dr. Abrams offered to cover, but he has a pretty serious appointment he has to go to today." She continued to explain, "There are lots of patients in the waiting room with no-one to see them."

Looking around with her hand on her forehead, Buffy tried to think of a solution to the predicament, considering she was supposed to be baby-sitting. She turned to her daughter and guest.

"Joyce, Tyler, you two wait here, ok? I'll be right back." She pointed to chairs next to the receptionists table and prompted them to each take a seat before making her way into her office. Sitting at her desk, the slayer picked up the phone and called the homes and cell phones of both Willow and Xander in turn. When met with no reply, she sighed and dialled the number to 'Greener's Gifts'. Preparing what she was about to say, she dishearteningly listened to the store's engaged tone. Buffy replaced the receiver and made another call

.

"Rob, you still on the phone?" Faith asked, walking out into the store from her office.

Covering the receiver, Rob told his manager, "Five minutes, boss, I swear," before continuing his conversation.

Rolling her eyes, Faith faced a customer asking them, "What can I do for you?"

"Just this," the customer replied, handing the brunette a gift she had picked out.

"Would you like this wrapped?" Faith asked her, looking behind the woman to see Dawn entering the shop.

"Please."

Handing the purchase to her assistant, Faith told him,

"Rob, gift-wrap and ring this up."

Telling the person to whom he was in conversation to,

"Hold on," Rob took hold of the photo-frame and wrapping paper, watching with a grin as Faith beckoned a brunette into her office.

Faith closed the door behind Dawn as she took a seat.

"How's it goin', D?" she asked.

"Good," the younger brunette answered. "I spent the day with Buffy today," she stated, going on to add, "All we did was talk about you."

"Why?" Faith asked. "B made it pretty clear to me the other day that it was over between us."

"That's not the impression I got," Dawn replied her sister's ex. "As far as Buffy's concerned, you broke up with her. Now all she's trying to do is get her life back on track."

"Well then I'm not gonna get in her way."

"Faith, don't you see that getting back together with you is getting her life back on track? She knows it too; it's just that she's too damn stubborn to admit it."

Understanding Dawn's aim Faith figured out, nodding, "But I'm not."

"No. You're the clever one, who's going to make the first move and show her the way. Starting with dinner tonight."

"I've got plans tonight."

"Cancel," Dawn pleaded. "C'mon. It'll be just the four of us. A nice family dinner."

"I'll think about it," Faith told her, picking up her mobile phone. "Right now, I need to go and pick up a new battery for this. It keeps dying on me."

"Great, I'll go and get started on dinner. It's going to be great," Dawn tried again, leaving the office and walking into the store.

Faith smiled at the brunette's enthusiasm. "Wait up, I'll give you a ride back to your place," she called to the younger brunette, looking around for her keys.

Covering the bottom of the receiver to the phone on which he was engaged in conversation, Rob leaned over to talk to his boss.

"What would Buffy say?" he asked, smirking and shaking his head.

"About?" Faith returned, busy lifting objects on the counter and searching beneath them.

"You doing that hot brunette in your office."

Looking disgusted at the younger assistant, Faith replied him, "Man, that was B's sister."

Returning her look with one of his own, the blonde exclaimed,

"You're doing Buffy's sister!?!"

Looking at her assistant in disbelief of the magnitude of his error, Faith merely ignored the question, deciding that an explanation would take too long. She located her keys and followed after Dawn.

Buffy huffed as she heard the 'engaged tone' at 'Greener's gifts' for the fourth time. Dropping the phone, she stood up and walked out into the foyer of the clinic to see the children in conversation with Parker.

Turning to follow Joyce's distracted gaze, the brunette turned to face an approaching Buffy.

"Hey," he greeted. "What's going on?"

About to answer, Buffy stopped, her attention diverted to the commotion erupting as the receptionist attempted to calm one of the clinic's patients.

"Hi Liberty!" Buffy called, remembering the patient's name. "You just go into my office; I'll be there in a minute." Watching the patient comply and make her way into her office, the slayer turned around.

"Buffy, what are you doing here?" Parker asked, the stress clearly showing on his colleague's face.

"Dina called me in and told me that there was no-one to cover today."

"What?" Parker asked, looking around and locking eyes with the receptionist.

"I'm sorry, Dr Abrams, I know you asked me not to call her," Dina replied. "But you really do need to get that eye checked out and I didn't want you to have to cancel your appointment if we had another option."

Calming the psychiatrist, Buffy added, "It's ok. Really. I don't mind. It's just that I was supposed to be looking after the kids now and I really don't want to just leave them here for hours with nothing to do."

"Well if you want I could drop them off at your place," Parker offered. "Is there anyone there I can leave them with?"

"No, I've tried there already. But you can leave them with Tyler's dad at number sixteen twenty seven."

"Sure, no problem," Parker told her. "C'mon kids," he motioned.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," the brunette replied.

Buffy watched as he took her daughter by the hand and lead the children outside. Smiling, she returned to her office.

Glancing at the clock, Buffy struggled to focus on her hysterical patient.

"So then when I turned sixteen, I found that I had to get a new pet to keep myself occupied," the woman babbled, forcing Buffy to interrupt.

"Listen, Kayla," the slayer started. "Maybe you should take sometime to collect all of your thoughts. It's just that you're paying for this session by the half hour-"

"Oh, that's ok," the young woman told the slayer. "I really don't mind." When Buffy could find no other excuse, the woman continued. "So where was I?" She asked, continuing on to answer herself. "Oh yeah. Well when I was fourteen, I-"

"We already covered your fourteenth year of life," Buffy was forced to remind her. "Why don't you tell me how your life is now?"

"Now?" Kayla asked. "Well now, it's ok. My brother and I still live together. But he's getting married in spring. His fiancée wants a real spring wedding. I told her that fall weddings were the best. They're always so beautiful and the decor can be real earth tones-"

Her mind on other things, Buffy was alerted when her patient's beeper began to buzz.

Picking it up, Kayla read the message.

"Thank you for seeing me, Dr. Summers. I should leave you to get on with your things..."

Utterly relieved, the slayer stood up from her chair. Standing to go and shake her patient's hand she was taken aback when Kayla rushed out. Too tired to question the rash behaviour, Buffy glanced through her office window, noticing that it was getting dark. Leaving the room and locking up, she walked up to the front desk, calling the attention of the clinic's secretary.

"That was the last one," she told the woman.

"Yeah. Thank you so much. If you don't get doctor of the month this time, you'd better sue."

Buffy smiled. "Bye, Dina."

"Bye," Dina replied. Suddenly remembering to look through the sheet of messages on her desk, she called out, "Oh, a Mr. Giles called. He said to tell you that he should be arriving in town tonight."

"Thanks," Buffy told her, putting on her coat. She left the building and walked out to her car. Entering it and starting the engine, she drove along the dimly illuminated streets, tired from her day's shift. Driving for a while to return to her home in Rovello drive, the slayer parked in her drive-way, locked up her car and walked across the street. Ringing the doorbell of the house bearing the number sixteen hundred and twenty seven, she waited until the door was answered. Faced by a slightly puzzled Mrs Thompson, the slayer greeted the older woman before telling her,

"I'm here to pick up Joyce."

"Hi Buffy. Joyce isn't here," the retired teacher told the young blonde. "Should she be?"

"Oh. Did someone pick her up already?"

"I'm not sure. I only just got back. Let me ask..." her voice trailed off as she made her way inside. "Come in!" she called to Buffy before screaming, "Honey!"

"Yeah," came the reply of a male voice as Mr. Thompson followed the call into the reception room from the kitchen. "Hi Buffy," he greeted. Turning to his wife he asked, "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Do you know who came to pick up Joyce from here?"

Thinking back the man replied, "Er, Joyce wasn't dropped off here. Some guy just came and dropped off Tyler. I haven't seen Joyce today."

"Oh," Buffy uttered, as if mistaken. "That was a friend of mine. He must have dropped Joyce off at my place."

Relieved, Mrs Thompson smiled.

"I'm sorry to have bothered you two," Buffy apologised.

"No problem, dear," she was replied as she was followed to the front door.

Embarrassed, "Bye," was all the slayer could reply as she was let out of the Thompson household. Making her way across the street, she used her keys and let herself into her home. Immediately noticing a large brown envelope which obstructed the door's closure, she picked it up and shut the front door. Subconsciously slipping her key underneath the flap of the brown casing and running it through, tearing the paper, she walked into the lit living room, calling out for anybody.

Hearing her sister's call, Dawn made her way from the dining room and followed Buffy's voice to the living room.

"I made dinner," Dawn announced, causing the slayer to turn.

"Oh. Great," Buffy replied absent-mindedly, while pulling out the content of the envelope in her hand. She immediately recognised the document the envelope had concealed and felt sick as she heard her sister ask a question she dread, "Where's Joyce?"

Part 17: Binding I (of II)

Having finally received a response to her bell-ringing, Faith smiled as the front door was opened.

"Hey D," she chimed, recoiling as the door was stopped from opening by its chain. "Woah," the brunette uttered. "You expecting someone else?"

Melancholy, Dawn unlatched the door and let the slayer inside checking behind her. When finding nothing to put her mind at rest, she told the older brunette, "Something's happened."

"You burn dinner?" Faith replied, making jest of the situation while removing her jacket.

"No," Dawn merely answered. "It's Joyce. She's missing."

Not at all fazed, the slayer asked the younger woman,

"You tried Xander?"

"And the police and every other person that we know who lives in Sunnydale," the twenty-four year old informed. "No-one's seen her."

Her expression now mirroring her concern, Faith entered further into the Summers' household. Trying to articulate, she asked,

"Does B know? Who saw her last?"

"Yeah and Buffy. She didn't tell me much but she said something about letting Parker take her home and now she's missing."

"Parker!?! What the fuck?" The slayer asked. Her hurt masking her reasoning, she continued. "She's known this guy for two seconds and she let him take J?"

"She was working and he was going this way-"

"I don't give a shit what she was doing," the angry brunette returned, pacing. "She shouldn't have let that slimy son of a bitch touch her. And now she's missing?! I can't fucking believe this."

"Look Faith, I might be wrong. Buffy hasn't even been able to speak to Parker yet. They might just be held up somewhere. She's gone to his apartment, they're probably there."

Turning to face the younger woman, Faith told her dryly,

"I don't even wanna think how bad *that* scenario could be. Do you have the address?"

"No, but Faith we can't panic," Dawn tried, adding, "For Buffy."

The brunette slayer attempted to calm herself while continuing to pace.

"We-I can't just stay here," she eventually decided. "I have to do something." Searching around, she grabbed her jacket and letting herself out of the Summers' house, charged across the road to that of their neighbour's. Pressing the doorbell, the slayer waited impatiently for it to be answered.

"Hi Faith," the oldest of the Thompsons greeted when he came to the door.

"Hey Pete. D'you mind if I have a word with Tyler a sec?"

"Actually he's asleep."

"I know, I'm sorry. But you know I wouldn't be here if it wasn't important."

Appreciating this and deciding not to press further, Mr Thompson allowed the young woman inside. Leading her up the stairs, he asked,

"What's going on?"

"I just wanted to have a word with him about today."

Accepting this, Mr Thompson allowed the woman into his son's room. Turning on a dim light, he walked to the child's beside. Shaking him gently, he uttered,

"Tyler. Son, you have a visitor."

Tired, the eight year old opened his eyes and attempted to focus. His eyes adjusting to the light, he gazed up at his father and the brunette at his bedside.

"T, it's me, Faith," the slayer introduced as Tyler woke. "See Joyce hasn't come home yet and I wanted to see if you could help me find out where she is."

"Have you called the police?" Mr Thompson interjected from his position behind her.

"We're waiting to hear back from Buffy first. I'm just trying to get all the facts straight," the slayer replied before returning her attention to the child. "T, did you see where J went after school today?"

Looking wearily at the brunette, Tyler attempted to recall the day's earlier events. He nodded. "Buffy picked me and her up an took us to the clinic 'cause my mom had to stay back at school," he answered.

"Ok, so when you got to the clinic what happened?"

"Buffy had to go to do things in her office and me and Joyce were sitting in the place with the lady who answers the phones. Then... Parker came and he asked Buffy if she wanted him to take me and Joyce home and she said ok."

"So he took you home?"

"Yep. I told him that Buffy said that I could stay at your house for a while but he said that him and Joyce were going somewhere for a while that only two people could go and he knew the way. But he said that he would take me another day. Then he made me get out of the car."

Mulling over the details she had been given, Faith was unable to deduce anything. She pressed further.

"What colour was the car?"

"It was black and shiny."

"Do you know what model?"

Tyler shook his head.

"Was it a big car?"

"Kinda. It was bigger than my mom and dad's car."

"Is it as big as my car?"

"Yeah," Tyler answered.

"Ok," Faith replied, drawing up a mental picture of the vehicle. "Er, when you were in the car, did you see anything weird?" the slayer quizzed further.

"Nope."

"Anything hangin' from the mirror?"

"No." The child paused, recalling the brief ride in the car. "There was a picture on the dash board."

"Yeah? What kind of picture?"

"It was from the Bulls."

"The Chicago bulls?"

"Yep."

"Anything else you can remember?" She tried, encouraging, "Anything at all?"

Tyler shook his head.

"Ok," Faith agreed. She stood. "Thanks T. You can get back to sleep now," she told him, making her way to his door.

"Oh," the child remembered, adding. "When Parker was on the phone he talked code; that was weird."

"What kind of code?"

"He said 'the journey is complete sir' but that was it."

Smiling compassionately, the brunette replied,

"Thanks T. You remember anything else just call me, ok? Doesn't matter what time it is."

"Ok," Tyler replied, tucking himself in and covering his body with his duvet.

Faith let herself out of the boy's room. Thanking the child's father, she descended the stairs and made her way onto Rovello drive. Making her way back to her former home, the brunette tapped on the front door, finding it swung open by her former lover.

"B," was all she could say when faced with the older slayer.

Leaving the door open, Buffy returned to the living room, taking up a battle axe. About to pass the brunette on the way, Faith stopped her.

"Buffy, wait. What's going on? 'Cause I'm only getting a load o' half stories from everyone."

"They have her," Buffy returned. She reached into her pocket pulling part of a document that she had received earlier that evening, handing it over.

Taking it and skimming through the paper, Faith concluded that they must have been the contracts that Buffy was asked to sign, handing Joyce over to the military. At the bottom of the page, she found her suspicions confirmed when she recognised her ex girlfriend's signature lining the bottom.

Looking up to see Buffy near tears and shamefully watching her read it, she immediately tore the sheet in two.

"This doesn't mean anything," the younger brunette concluded.

"It means they've taken her."

"Yeah, but we'll get her back," Faith returned. Thinking, she asked, "D'you have any idea where they might be?"

Buffy shook her head. "I've tried their old place but there's nothing there. I know they're probably still in town just not where."

"How d'you know?"

"My last patient today was this new girl who was transferred to the clinic the same day as Parker," Buffy answered. "I could tell she was stalling me; I just didn't know why. She left me about twenty minutes ago."

"Ok. If they've got what they came for, they've gotta be trying to clear out of here right now. Which means we need to be checking all the places a whole lot of people would be trying to get out from. The airport, airfield...station-"

"Docks," Buffy completed.

"Yeah," Faith agreed.

"The day I met Kayla," the blonde slayer added. "She sent me uptown on some hoax call and there was a surprise party waiting for me-"

"Okay, I know that area pretty well," the taller woman interjected. "I'll head there and do a couple of sweeps."

Agreeing, Buffy decided, "I'll try the docks and the station. Will you call me if you find anything?"

"Of course," Faith assured her. Taking hold of the open door and about to leave, she caught sight of the other slayer's disheartened expression. "Hey," she gently called. "We'll find her. I swear."

When Buffy nodded, the brunette leant in and gave her a kiss meant to comfort the slayer, but ending up being both longer and deeper than usually used to hearten. Pulling back, she locked eyes with the blonde and lightly smiling, left the house ahead of her. Deciding that she would have to deal with the previous event once Joyce'd been found, she dismissed the thoughts that kissing her ex had re-awakened and returned her focus to the missing child, heading for her car.

Bored and lonely, Joyce looked up when the door, to the almost empty room in which she was, opened and Parker entered.

"You changed," Joyce observed, staring at the man in front of her dressed in uniform.

"Yeah," Parker replied. "This is what you have to wear here."

"Why?" the eight-year-old inquired.

The brunette smiled at the youngster. He explained,

"Because you do. When you start out in the army you get given a green uniform. But, and this is really cool, as you grow up and you complete missions, you have silver arrows attached to your arm. See, look." He pointed at the arrows embedded on his jacket. "See these arrows? They mean that you're a Major."

"You're a Major?" Joyce asked, impressed and adding, "*and* a psychatrist?"

"The word is psychiatrist, Joyce," Parker corrected. "And yes, I am."

"Cool."

"Maybe one day you'll be a Major too," he told the impressionable youth. "You wanna be in the army just like your dad was, don't you?"

"My dad was in the army?" the blonde youngster asked.

"Yeah and he wanted you to be too."

"You knew my dad?"

"Sure. He was a great guy. He helped a lot of people and he loved you a lot... It's why he was murdered."

Saddened and with her question almost a whisper, Joyce asked, "because of me?"

Moving to hold her, Parker dismissed, "No. He's not here because someone didn't want him to be there for you."

"Who?" the eight-year old asked, near tears.

Crouching down to be eye-level with the blonde child and peering into her hazel eyes with his blue ones, he asked her,

"You really wanna know who killed him?"

The youngster nodded emphatically, desperate to know the identity of the brute who had robbed her of the man her mother once loved. Looking up at the Major she pleaded,

"Please. Tell me, Uncle Parker."

Part 17: Binding II (of II)

Having been unsuccessful scouring the town in her jeep, Faith pulled up outside a bar that she'd hoped she'd never have to enter again. Leaving her vehicle, the brunette, locked it and walked into the dank public house. Entering, she was immediately hit by odours, a mixture of cigarette smoke and rotting demon skin. Striding up to the bar, she was instantaneously noticed by the bar tender, who nervously shuffled under the gaze of the slayer.

"I already told your girlfriend," Willie started, putting his hands in the air defensively. "I don't know anything."

Grinning, Faith merely looked at the ageing man beckoning him over with her fore-finger.

Complying until just out of arms reach for the slayer, the bar-tender stopped.

"Yeah?" he asked, quivering and feeling himself begin to perspire under the young woman's steel gaze. Startled when she lunged toward him, he let out a small whimper when she grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him towards her, the sound causing an eerie silence in the bar.

As if taking centre stage, Faith coolly explained,

"We both know B has a habit of being too soft sometimes, Will." She reminded the brunette, "Me? Well I have this habit of killing people who don't tell me what I need to know."

"W-w-w-I'm not that kind of people," the bar-tender stuttered, uncomfortable in the position he was being forced to adopt. "Just tell me what you need to know and I'll help you, I swear. 'Cause-"

"What do you know about a group called the initiative?" the brunette asked, cutting Willie's bumbling short.

"The Initiative? They cleared out a while back," he blurted out, his face now turning red from the pressure the dark slayer was applying to his throat.

"They're back and I want to know where."

"I...I don't know," the brunette quickly answered, feeling his consciousness slipping. "I swear. I don't-"

"Think harder, Willie," Faith coaxed.

"Er... I... The docks. You tried the docks?" he spat with little energy, causing Faith to release the pressure on his wind-pipe a little. Taking a needed deep breath the bar-keep continued. "Or the air field. That's where they used to use."

"I've tried both," the slayer informed him. "They're both dead." She tightened her grip on his throat again. "Just like you'll be in seconds, if you don't give me something to go on, Willie." Raising her voice in a condescending tone, she added, "I know you can help me Will, you just gotta use that brain of yours."

Racking his mind, the bar-tender eventually realised,

"The sewers."

Releasing her hold on him, Faith announced, much to his relief,

"I'm listening."

Rubbing his neck, the brunette explained,

"A couple of guys have been coming in complaining that a section of the sewers have been cut off. I didn't think anything of it 'til now."

"Where?"

"Uptown."

Cocking her head, slightly the brunette slayer teased,

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Willie let out an uncomfortable mock-laugh.

Satisfied, the young slayer motioned with her hand, ordering,

"Hand over your piece."

"My what?"

"The gun you reached for when I came in, punk," Faith clarified.

Deciding that resisting would be futile, the bar-tender, reached underneath the bar and bent to search underneath it. Grabbing his double-barrelled handgun, he handed it over.

Thanking him and tucking it into her trousers, Faith left the underground hole and made for her jeep. The journey uptown a short one from Willie's bar, the brunette looked around for sewer access by way of a Man Hole or gate. Finding the former, she parked her car and left it at the roadside. Walking to the concealed sewer access, she easily lifted the large metal disc cover before using the ladder provided to climb down into the sewer. Replacing the disc so that it only half covered the entrance for sake of later convenience, she jumped from the ladder. Landing, the brunette walked a few feet before being faced by a barrier. Grabbing hold of two of the metal bars of the gate constricting entry, Faith prised them apart allowing herself room to move through.

Met with a split in the path, the slayer instinctively walked to the right, her eyes adjusting to the lack of moon-light illumination. Searching around the slayer came across the makings of used for ventilation. The need for ventilation in the sewers alerting her attention, Faith followed the large pipe around finding herself unable to continue when the pipe-end disappeared into a wall. A door beneath this, the slayer pressed her ear to it and she listened to a conversation seemingly between two men. Deciding against charging inside, the slayer found herself at a loss for another option when the door was swung open. Automatically drawing her weapon, Faith aimed her gun at the head of the advancing soldier.

"Inside," she ordered.

Back-stepping, the young man obliged and entered the room.

Without taking her eyes from the man in front of her, the brunette kicked the door shut behind her as she entered the room. She proceeded to scann it, immediately noticing Joyce huddled in the corner. Relieved, she now acknowledged the other man in the room, glancing at him and yelling,

"Keep your hands in the air," raising the gun at her captive's head, in a threatening manner.

Without hesitation the soldier's arms shot up into the air.

Not taking her gaze from the soldiers, Faith uttered,

"J, come here to me."

When receiving no response. Faith looked towards the child, repeating herself again to no avail.

"J," Faith tried again. "Kiddo it's me, Faith." She pressed the gun to the soldier's forehead asking him,

"What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing," the man answered. "She's just a quiet kid."

Not accepting this, Faith rid the man of the weapon in his belt ordering him,

"Walk."

Complying, the soldier took steps backward and towards the child in the corner.

When close to Joyce, Faith bent to look the child in the eyes ensuring she kept her gun poised at the body of the soldier.

"Kiddo, tell me what's wrong-" she started, cut off by the commotion of one of the room's inhabitants dashing out.

A distraction having been created by the rapid exit of his colleague, the captive soldier took his opportunity and delivered a kick to the slayer's ribs, rushing to obtain his weapon.

Reacting quickly, Faith stood, poised her gun and fired two shots into the head of the marine, flooring him instantly. She turned as Joyce violently burst into tears.

Immediately going to hold her, the brunette apologised,

"Kiddo, I'm sorry. But the people here wanna hurt you and keep you away from me and your mom," she explained, qualifying, "I won't let them. You hear me? I love you too much." Upon hearing running footsteps approach, Faith searched around for a way out, spying an air vent. Recalling that it led back to the exit, she moved to it and removed the steel casing. "We gotta get out of here," she informed Joyce as lifted the child into her arms, carrying her to the opening.

Scrambling into the tight opening, Joyce crawled through and found Faith crawling right behind her, the brunette only stopping to replace the cover behind them.

"Kiddo, hurry," Faith told the youngster, realising that both herself and the child were doomed if they spent long in the metal encasing.

Running out of pipe, Joyce stopped crawling along the metal frame looking back at the slayer.

Understanding, Faith told the girl, "It's ok, kiddo, just jump."

Obeying, the eight-year-old threw herself down towards the ground, falling several feet and landing with her leg at an awkward angle, screaming in pain upon collision.

Distressed, Faith quickly followed. Unable to stop to console the child for the fear of being caught by their assailants, she picked Joyce up into her arms running.

"This is fubad," Joyce noticed under her breath, as she heard shots fired behind them.

"Yeah," Faith agreed, trying to remember the tunnel she had used at her arrival. Choosing one, she rushed down it, seeing the barrier that she had dented earlier. Rushing towards it she was startled when a new, steel one speedily emerged from the wall, threatening to block the two of them in. Reacting out of reflex, the slayer set Joyce down and used her arm to stop the barrier from closing. Hearing footsteps rapidly approach, she called out,

"J, hurry!" holding the steel barrier from closing. "Listen to me," she told the blonde as she speedily approached. Putting her foot between the barrier and the door to be able to shrug out of her jacket, Faith replaced her hands in their original position, telling Joyce. "Run...straight through this hole in the bars and then up the ladder." Realising that only the youngster would be able to fit through the now small gap between the barrier and sewer wall, she continued, "My keys are in my jacket pocket... Get into my car and lock yourself in." Pushing as hard as she could, against the steel door's mechanism, she allowed Joyce to squeeze past. Hearing the approaching voices' increased audibility, she ordered, "Hurry!" When the child was through, Faith found herself unable to hold the door any longer, and let go as Joyce escaped through it.

"I'm right behind you kiddo," she assured, no longer able to see her. "Run!" Looking around and deciding that she would have to find another way out. A notion quashed by the crew of fully armed initiative soldiers that appeared in front of her.

Entering the room, Parker walked up to the captive having just been briefed that his officers allowed the Cadet to escape, substituting her with the slayer. Carrying a vile of combination muscle relaxants, he approached the brunette pulling out the syringe from its container.

"Hi Faith," he greeted, injecting her with the bottle's content before dismissing the supervising officer from his post, pointing a long range, gun at the slayer. "Little present from your buddy David Gibbons. He told me to say hi."

Recalling the name, Faith felt as though she was losing control over her limbs. Slumping in the chair on which she was atop, she almost instantaneously felt powerless to do anything other than utter a, "Bite me," to the older man, causing him to laugh.

Looking to the door as it opened, the Major was greeted by a colleague who had come to deliver orders.

"From the General," the soldier informed. "He's not happy that you have a civilian under capture and requests that you release her immediately."

Nodding, the Major dismissed the lower rank before returning to the side of the slightly drowsy slayer.

Fighting to stay awake, Faith looked up at the psychiatrist.

"You heard your boy. Untie me, pussy."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You deaf too?"

"No, I just didn't catch your reference to pussies," Parker replied. Clasping his hand to his jaw, he motioned as if he were putting two and two together. Looking to her Parker suddenly exclaimed asking, "Is that why you're so uptight? 'Cause you're not getting any of Buffy's?" In an attempt to strike a nerve, he answered his own question. "I understand. I mean I wouldn't wanna go without that for too long."

"Go to hell."

"It's ok. I know you don't really mean that. You're simply just angry 'cause I got into your ex-girlfriend's panties."

Pondering the notion momentarily, Faith smiled, sobering.

"Buffy'd never fuck you," she dismissed. "She's got much higher standards than that."

"No?" the psychiatrist asked, his tone one of indifference. "But we were doing it while she was still sleeping with you. Didn't Buffy tell you that she was going to leave you before you went and left her?"

Her grin failing to fade, Faith looked up at the brunette. Her expression one of nonchalance, she merely asked him,

"D'you know why you're such a fucking loser, dick-head? I already had this conversation with B. She told me nothing happened with you and I believe her. So stop with the bullshit and wake me up when your boss kicks your ass for not letting me go."

About to administer a comeback to the slayer, Parker was interrupted by the entrance of a soldier.

"We got her, sir," the man announced. "Picked her up about a block from here."

Turning to see the defeated expression on the slayer's face, Parker smiled. Ruffling her hair he asked,

"You hear that? Joyce is coming with us." Elated, he ordered the lower rank," Send word to the General and let's head out."

"What about her?" the soldier asked in reference to Faith. "The General ordered that the civilian is to be returned, unharmed."

"You tell the General that under section 61, a civilian no longer possesses rights when he/she commits murder. Especially that of one of our team." He turned to the brunette slayer, informing her more than the soldier, "I have plans for our little murderer.

Alerted by the doorbell, a relieved, Buffy ran for the door and threw it open. She calmed, immediately set upon by the arms of her former watcher.

"Oh Buffy, I'm sorry," Giles professed, holding her. "I tried to come as soon as I heard."

"Thank you. I'm glad you're here," the blonde slayer told him in earnest. "We need all the help we can get. We're researching the initiative?"

Bemused, the older Briton asked, "Why?"

"They have Joyce."

"The initiative have Joyce?" the watcher asked Buffy, in shock. "Oh my God."

"Wait," the slayer uttered, turning to face her former watcher. "Then what were you talking about?"

"Me?"

"You said you came as soon as you heard."

"Yes, about Faith," the watcher answered.

Her concern growing the petite blonde asked, "What's wrong with her?"

"Oh Buffy I thought you knew," Giles replied, forcing Buffy to repeat the question.

"The watcher's council phoned me and told me that one of the slayers at the academy was called tonight. I rushed here as soon as I could-"

Taking time to process the information the older man had given her, his meaning finally sunk in. Crying out, Buffy sank to the floor.

Giles immediately ran to hold the fallen slayer, rocking her as tears streamed from her eyes.

Aroused by fluctuations on the ECG monitor, the renegade militia's medical staff rushed to the side of their patient. Peering down at her, they watched as the brunette made subtle movements.

"She's coming to," one of them observed.

"You're lucky. What kind of moron overdoses on Digoxin!?! If she hadn't have woken up, you would have had a hell of a lot of people to answer to."

Faith slowly opened her eyes, trying to take in her surroundings. Looking up to see two faces peering down at her, she abruptly sat up and attempted to release her arms from their restraints, cutting herself in the process.

"Easy," one of them ordered, seeing the blood pour from the fresh tear in the young woman's skin.

"What the fuck is going on?" Faith asked. "Let me go."

Pulling the needle from her hand she lunged at the man, her fist colliding with his face. The slayer immediately recoiled from the pain. Rubbing her fist, she winced as the man got up and nursed his face.

"That actually hurt," he told his colleague. "I don't think you gave her enough."

"Anymore and she'll be paralysed," the woman told him, having already administered the maximum advised dosage of sedatives and muscle relaxants to the brunette that she was allowed to.

"I'm thinking that's not such a bad idea," the other medic returned, still rubbing his jaw. He looked at the brunette, his scowl quickly fading as her expressionless young face staring down at the sheet in front of her, invoked compassion within him.

Faith looked at the face of her captors. Fighting back the tears that were emerging, she lacked the energy to do anything other than lay back and close her eyes. Having finally realised how she faced the prospect of possibly never being able to gaze into the hazel eyes of her heart's keeper again, she chose rather to commit to memory the moments they had shared together, minus the trials and complications that they had faced. The little things having prevented her from true happiness, ceased to matter to her. All that did was for her to strive to live, holding onto the hope that they might, should the fates allow, be united again.

Buffy returned home and smiled at the sight of her one year old child sprawled across Faith's mid-section, the two of them deep in slumber on their sofa. Hanging up her coat, she took a step forward, alerting the previously sleeping younger slayer to her presence.

Waking, Faith turned her head to see her girlfriend stood in the hallway. She smiled as the blonde walked to be at her side, leaning in to kiss her. Pressing her lips against the older slayer's, she could barely form a thought until their lips were parted.

"I thought I'd come and see how you two were doing," Buffy explained in a whisper.

"We're ok," Faith returned. About to speak again, she stopped as the baby atop her shuffled around. Both slayers remained silent hoping the baby would continue her slumber, but were disproved as Joyce woke and began to wail.

Immediately sitting up, Faith cradled the baby.

"Hey..." she shushed, bouncing and holding onto the infant. "Look, mommy's home."

When this piece of information failed to either interest or quieten the baby, Buffy suggested,

"Maybe she needs changing."

"Nah, I just did that," Faith informed her. She looked to the infant, asking her, "You're hungry aint you kiddo?"

Handing Joyce over to Buffy, she stood up from the sofa and walked to the kitchen. Re-heating pre-warmed milk, when she decided it was warm enough, the brunette took it and carried it to the living room. Squirting it into her mouth by way of testing the temperature, the slayer decided it was cool enough and put the bottle to the lips of the infant causing Joyce to change her attention from crying to suckling. The younger slayer released the bottle as the baby's mother proceeded to take over and fed the child.

Lying back, Faith rested against the sofa, tired from spending a day with the temperamental miniature human being.

"Kid's got a great pair of lungs," the brunette stated truthfully. "I'll give her that."

"I know," Buffy agreed, briefly recalling that she had only had two hours sleep that night. She eventually decided. "But it's worth it. We have a mini-person who's ours."

Faith smiled. "Yeah" she agreed, adding, "And we get to raise her together and teach her stuff-" She yawned.

Buffy grinned. Lying on top of the brunette while cradling her child, she told the younger slayer, "Baby, sleep. We'll teach her stuff when you wake up."

Thankful, the brunette kissed her lover's neck wrapping her arms across the blonde's stomach. Feeling truly elated, she settled back and closed her eyes, holding onto the only family she valued in the world and vowing internally that only death would keep them apart.

Continue to Trials & Restorations