Disclaimer: I own nothing…

Summary: After her parents divorce, when she is only seven, Buffy’s father becomes abusive… The only other person she is willing to entrust with this information is her childhood best friend, William Giles… Can he save her before it’s too late? (***WARNING*** Deals w/ issues of child abuse).

Spoilers: None… It’s Fantasy/AU…

Rating: R

Author’s Notes: I am sooo sorry I’ve been gone for so long. Senior year in high school. College search (I’ve finally decided!!!) Graduation plans… It’s been completely crazy. And I thought I was gonna have it easy this year… Anyway, I figured it was about time I got this one out At the beginning of this week, I promised myself it would be out by Friday… And I did it!! I turned 18 today, so I figured I’d celebrate by finally finishing this. Not like I could go out anywhere tonight… I’ve got prom tomorrow, so I’ve been preparing… Anyway, I’m not going to lie to you, it’s probably going to be quite awhile before I get the next one out. I’ve got a huge project coming up that’s required for graduation and I’m not gonna have much time on my hands. This story means a lot to me, so I refuse to rush it. Especially since I’m not at all satisfied with this chapter… Well, hope you like it and thanks for reading…

Distribution: If ya want it, take it, just give me credit… And, if ya could, let me know where it’s going.

Feedback: You can send it to brock3005@aol.com or otownfan1520@yahoo.com.

~*~*~*~

“So, mom…” Buffy began as she moved into the kitchen in order to confront her mother, who was situated on one of the stools at the island. “Why is it that I woke up this morning with Spike still lying next to me? Shouldn’t you have gotten us up or something? Ya know, sent him home?” she questioned, feigning innocence as she opened the freezer and pulled out a half pint of ice cream before grabbing a spoon and taking a seat across from her mother.

Without so much as glancing up from the papers she was going over, Joyce simply shrugged her shoulders. “I figured there was no reason to disturb the two of you. You looked so peaceful. I just couldn’t bear to wake you.”

“Oh, don’t give me that.” Buffy objected through a mouthful of ice cream as she pointed the spoon at her mother accusingly. “You never let Angel stay over… Come to think of it, Angel was never even allowed in my room.”

“Buffy, you know I never really trusted Angel with you. Spike, however, I trust.”

“First of all, they’re brothers, mom. They’re not all that different.” When she caught her mother’s incredulous look, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, okay, so they are that different. It’s still not the point. You know as well as I do that you’re still trying to get Spike and I together.”

“Oh yes, because becoming a grandmother when my only daughter is still just seventeen herself is at the top of my to-do list.”

“Mom, you know I’m not stupid enough to go out and get myself pregnant. It’s just not something I’d do… With anyone.”

Joyce sighed lightly. “That’s what you say now, Buffy…”

“What do you mean, ‘that’s what I say now’? It’s the truth!” Buffy defended, slightly hurt that her own mother believed her to be so naïve.

“Buffy, honey, I know you’re a very intelligent young woman and you do your best to make the correct choices in life… But the fact is, when you’re actually faced with the situation, you don’t always think about things like protection. And you are certainly not ready to become a mother right now.” Joyce explained gently, hoping to lessen the slight anger she saw reflected in her daughter’s eyes.

“Okay, let’s just drop the subject, alright? I’d like to get back to the whole Angel and Spike, thing.” Buffy replied, waving her spoon in the general direction of her mother. “Why exactly is it you trust Spike more than Angel? I mean, you’ve known them both for like all their lives.”

Joyce gave her a look. “Buffy, any twenty-one year old man who’s willing to date my sixteen year old daughter is not someone I trust. And, besides that, the two of you couldn’t stand each other for most of your lives. Spike, on the other hand, you have always adored. From the first time he came in for the summer with Rupert, the two of you have been completely inseparable. You used to scream and cry for hours every time he left to go back to London… Now, yes, I do like the idea of you and Spike as a couple, but that does not mean I want you two sleeping together.”

“So then, what was up with letting Spike stay in my bed with me last night?” Buffy asked, slightly confused.

Joyce sighed before locking eyes with her daughter. “Buffy, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you look happy… And an even longer time since you’ve had a peaceful night’s sleep.” she explained as she reached over to give her daughter’s hand a light squeeze. “Last night, with Spike, you were happy, and both of you were sleeping peacefully. Buffy, I just didn’t have the heart to disturb you. I swear that’s all it was.”

“Alright, I believe you.” Buffy sighed, after pausing a moment to study her mother; trying to determine whether or not she was being honest. “Well, I’ve gotta get going.” Buffy handed the remnants of her ice cream over to her mother as she stood and grabbed her bag from the counter. “Gonna meet Spike over at his place. He wanted to talk about the party… This’ll be fun.”

“Is it just me, or was that sarcasm?” Joyce questioned playfully, taking a bite of the ice cream Buffy had left to her.

“Uh… Yeah.” Buffy nodded to her mother before turning to leave.

Shaking her head lightly, Joyce went back to the ice cream in her hands as the front door slammed shut, announcing her daughter’s departure.

~*~*~*~

“Spike, you swore to Dru that you’d go to this party with her. So what if Riley broke off our date. I’ll just… I don’t know, I’ll go alone.” Buffy told him as she plopped herself down beside him on the bed.

“Buffy, would you really have fun at something like this alone?” His eyebrow was raised in question as he studied her intently, not at all convinced.

“I’ll be fine…” she objected, falling back into the pillows and locking her hands behind her head; mirroring him. “I don’t wanna be third wheel. Dru would be incredibly pissed. Besides, it could be fun to go alone. Maybe I’ll meet somebody.”

Simply the way he was looking at her made it obvious that her argument wasn’t going to hold up. “Like who?” he questioned skeptically. “You already know everybody who’s going.”

“How do you know?! I could meet somebody…” she objected, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. She absolutely hated it when he foiled her plans.

“Buffy, you’ve lived here your entire life! Who’re you gonna meet that you don’t already know?”

He was right. She knew it.

“Fine.” she rolled her eyes. “You’re right. But all my friends are gonna be there… I’ll have somebody to hang out with… And if you must object so vehemently to my going alone to this party, then what about Faith?”

“What about Faith?” he questioned, confusion obvious on his strong features.

Shaking her head, she gave him a ‘duh!’ look. “Well, she’s gonna be in from L.A. next week, right?” she asked.

“Yeah. Your point?”

“My point is, I could go with her. It’d be fun. We could hang out. Scope out guys. Make fun of you.” she teased lightly, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

“I don’t know, Buff.” he replied cautiously.

“Don’t know about what, Spike? Faith and I get along great… Well, except for that one time on the camping trip, but that was a totally different situation.”

“I know the two of you get along well, Buffy, but that’s not really what I’m talking about.”

“Then what are you talking about?”

Spike let out a heavy sigh. “Let’s just say, I doubt Faith’ll be there to ‘scope out the guys’.”

“Huh?” she questioned, surprised by the implications of his statement.

“Look, Buffy,” He sighed as he took a seat beside her on the bed. “Faith’s had a lot of problems with men in her life. Mainly her step father. He abused her mentally, physically… and sexually. I know you’ve been through a lot, too, but at least you had a loving mother and family who wanted you around. For a long time, Faith didn’t have any of that…”

“But I thought Faith was the whole reason your parents divorced?” Buffy asked curiously.

“The affair was the whole reason my parents divorced. Dad could only lie to mom about it for so long. So he told her and they split. I stayed with dad in London, Angel stayed with mom in L.A. Darla had long since left town and she never told anyone she was pregnant with dad’s kid. So then, eight years later, Darla moves back to L.A. with a deadbeat husband and a seven-year-old little girl. Mom saw her in the grocery store one day, with this little girl by her side, and she figured out that the timing was right… And she noticed how Faith cowered there next to the cart, eyes constantly on the floor, and the bruises on her cheeks. Eventually, she figured out where Darla lived, talked to her, found out Faith was dad’s and asked her to sign over her rights. She agreed ‘cause she wanted to keep Faith safe; give her a better life. Mom adopted Faith, and we proved paternity. We chose to keep Faith here with mom, partially to keep the amount of sudden change she had to endure at a minimum, and partially because of her trust issues with men. So, rather than live with us, she got to see dad every time he was in town. Still does… But, for the most part, even now, the only men she trusts are family.”

“Which is understandable.” Buffy nodded, with a sad smile. “And so she’s more interested in women, huh?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “You particularly.”

Buffy gave him a curious look. That had certainly taken her by surprise. “You mean she’s got a thing for me?”

He nodded in affirmation. “Which is why I think you may be a little uncomfortable going with her.”

“Actually, it’s kinda flattering.” Buffy disagreed.

“Excuse me?”

“Look, I’m not saying I’m gonna go out and sleep with her or something… All I’m saying is, she’s very attractive, I’m sure she could have anybody she wants, man or woman, and yet she’s interested in me… It’s a little flattering, is all.”

“Right…” The word was drawn out, his expression questioning. “So what’re you--”

As she rolled her eyes at him, Buffy cut him off with a half-playful slap to the back of his head. “I am not a lesbian, Spike. You of all people should know that.”

~*~*~*~

“Hey guys. Sorry I’m late.” Buffy smiled brightly at the group seated around the table in the small café as she slid into the booth beside Willow. Really, she hadn’t meant to stay so long at Spike’s… But they had gotten to talking and once they started, it was hard to stop.

“Where were ya?” Xander questioned, popping a French fry into his mouth.

“Over at Spike’s.” she confessed, making herself comfortable. “He was trying to get me to tag along to this dance with him and Dru ‘cause Riley dumped me. I wasn’t gonna go at all, but he did manage to convince me…”

“So you’re gonna go and play third wheel?” Willow asked, surprised. Normally, Buffy wasn’t one to ‘tag along’. Especially where Spike and Dru were concerned.

“Are you kidding me? Of course not. I’m gonna go with Faith… Hang out.”

Suddenly, Xander was far more interested in the conversation. “Really?” he questioned. “Hey, has she mentioned me at all lately… ‘Cause, ya know, the last time she was here, there was totally chemistry…”

Exchanging a look, Buffy and Willow had to bite back a laugh. For a long time, Xander had had a crush on Spike’s little sister. In fact, that was probably the only reason he even tolerated Spike. Despite the fact that Faith was only sixteen and Xander was nineteen, he had never been shy about his attraction to her. The poor girl was probably traumatized for life by now.

“Xander, there was no chemistry. She’s not interested, and I’m pretty sure you freaked her out a little the last time she was here.” Buffy informed him; rolling her eyes when Xander simply stared at her, a blank look in his eyes. “Look, Xan, you’re too forward. Faith’s a bad ass. She’s more interested in the chase. When you’re around her, you’ve always got this ‘Take me, I’m yours’ look on your face… She doesn’t want that. She wants a challenge.”

“And when did you become an expert on Faith?” he questioned grudgingly.

“She’s Spike’s sister!” The exclamation came from both Buffy and Willow, simultaneously, as though it were the most obvious answer in the world. Which, in truth, it was.

In answer, Xander just rolled his eyes, as if asking the heavens what exactly it was he had done to deserve this. In the process, however, he caught a glimpse of the young blonde woman who had just walked through the door. Immediately, his eyes locked on the young woman who stood nervously just inside the door, her eyes searching the tables for a familiar face.

“Don’t even think about it!” Willow objected as soon as she realized exactly who his target was. “Trust me, Xander, she’s not interested.”

“How would you know?” he questioned, a little angrily.

“You remember my cousin Tara? The one I was telling you about?” Willow questioned. Eyes never leaving the blonde, Xander nodded. “Yeah… That’s her.”

After a moment, Xander’s mind managed to process the information Willow had just given him. His eyes got wide and his mouth dropped open as he turned to face the two girls sitting across from him.

“No…” he shook his in disbelief and Buffy just couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “I’m glad you find this so amusing, Buffy.”

“Sorry.” she choked out between giggles. “It’s just… Well, it’s funny.”

Willow, too, couldn’t help but giggle a little as she slid out of her seat. “I’ll be right back.” she told her two best friends, trying her best to hide her obvious amusement. “I’m gonna go get her…”

After a few minutes, Willow returned with Tara at her side. “Guys, this is Tara” she introduced. “Tara, meet Buffy and Xander.”

“Hey.” Buffy greeted, smiling brightly and giving Tara a little wave before glancing at her watch quickly. “Look, I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta get going.” Buffy told them regretfully. “It was nice meeting you.” she told Tara, before running off.

“What was that all about?” Xander questioned, looking to Willow for an explanation.

“She’s probably going to meet Spike and Faith…”

~*~*~*~

With a soft knock, Buffy poked her head through the Giles’ front door. Neither Spike’s nor Giles’ cars were out front, which usually meant that no one was home. “Hell-o… Anybody home?” she sing-songed, slipping the rest of the way inside and kicking off her shoes. Home or not, Giles and Spike certainly wouldn’t mind if she made herself comfortable while she was waiting… They never had before, anyway.

At that moment, Giles appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, which was directly in front of her. “Hello, Buffy.” he greeted cheerfully.

Buffy, however, nearly jumped out of her skin. “Giles!” she exclaimed, hand to her heart. “I didn’t think you were home…”

Chuckling lightly, he asked, “Why wouldn’t I be home?”

“I dunno.” She shrugged. “Your car wasn’t out front… I figured maybe you went to meet Faith and Spike at the airport. When’re they coming home, anyway?”

“My car’s in the shop.” he explained, moving toward the living room and beckoning for her to follow. “And they should be home any minute now.”

“Cool. I can’t wait to see Faith. How’s she been, anyway?” Buffy asked as she followed Giles into the living room and took a seat in a large leather armchair.

After letting out a sigh, Giles crossed his arms, looking as though he was considering his answer very carefully. “She doing alright.” he finally replied, his voice not at all convincing.

“What is it?” Buffy inquired, suddenly concerned.

“Buffy, did William tell you that Faith is going to be staying with us permanently from now on?” When Buffy shook her head, he continued, “She’s been having a lot of trouble at her school in LA. Getting into fights, slacking off on her schoolwork, late night parties… Until Jenny and I decided to move her here, she was seriously considering dropping out of school.”

“Why?”

“I wish I knew.” Giles told her, his mind obviously wandering to his daughter.

“Giles, I’m sure she’ll be okay.” Buffy tried her best to reassure him, her eyes full of sympathy for the man who looked so worried for his only daughter. “She’s probably just going through a tough time right now. I’m sure it’ll all pass. Just give it a little time.”

Giles smiled gently at the young girl before him; the girl he considered to be nearly the equivalent of his own daughter. All her life, she had been the same way; one of the most caring human beings he had ever met… The type of girl who would do anything and everything for someone she cared about. “We’re just hoping that the move will help.”

“I’m sure it will.” Buffy reassured him, letting a small smile slip over her lips.

Just then, they both heard the door creak open and the sound of Faith’s laughter fill the room. A moment later, they appeared in the living room doorway. As soon as Faith saw Buffy there, she became noticeably self-conscious. With a soft smile, Buffy took in the figure of the fidgeting girl before her, and there was certainly no reason for her to be so unsure of herself.

Faith was beautiful, plain and simple. Apparently she had ditched the bad girl look… For today at least. Her long, chestnut locks had been straightened, aside from a few loose curls throughout which gave it a wavy, elegant look. The top she wore was an adorable, silky white tank with tiny, light pink roses adorning it. A straight, light pink skirt, which ended a few inches above her knees, covered her tanned legs. To top off the look, Faith wore cute pink and white thong sandals with a clear, two inch heel, her toenails painted a pretty pink to match her outfit. The girl was absolutely stunning.

“Hey, Buffy.” Faith greeted nervously, shuffling her feet and avoiding the blonde’s eyes at all costs.

“Faith.” Buffy smiled excitedly as she moved from the arm chair to catch Faith in a friendly hug. “God, how have you been? It’s been so long… You look amazing.”

Smiling shyly, Faith glanced down at her outfit for a moment after breaking from the hug. “I’m still getting used to it.”

“I bet.” Buffy smiled lightly, letting her eyes shift toward Giles for a moment, as if questioning whether or not it was for her father’s sake. When Faith gave an almost imperceptible nod, Buffy’s smile grew. “You look good.”

“Thanks.” Faith replied, before shifting her attention to her father. “Daddy!” she exclaimed excitedly, before hugging him tightly.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Faith.” Giles told her gently, hugging her back. After pulling away slightly, Giles locked eyes with her for a moment. “Is everything alright with you?”

“Look, dad, I’m sorry about the whole dropping out thing.” Faith told him, breaking away and moving to sit on the couch. “I don’t think I ever would’ve actually gone through with it, it’s just… I’ve been so stressed lately. Because of everything and… It’s just been really hard.”

For a moment, Giles’ face hardened just slightly. His daughter’s apparent rebellion was certainly a sore point for him. After a moment, though, a gentle smile settled on his lips. “We’ll talk about that later, Faith.” Then, he turned to Spike, motioning to the bags that now cluttered his floor. “Will, would you help me with these?”

Nodding in agreement to his father, Spike moved to grab a few of his sister’s bags; Giles doing the same, before proceeding up the stairs to her room, leaving the two girls alone.

Since the moment Faith had walked in, Buffy had been watching her, and the second those last few words to her had left her father’s mouth, Faith had looked about ready to break. From the time she had finally grown to trust Giles fully, she had clung to him. Giles had been the first man who had ever shown her any type of fatherly affection, and she wallowed in it. Faith was definitely daddy’s little girl, and, although she knew she did it often, she hated to disappoint him more than anything… Which was exactly what she had done this time.

The poor girl looked as if she was about to break into tears.

“Faith?” Buffy questioned, her voice gentle and sympathetic.

“He hates me.” Faith murmured, trying to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes. “He’s never gonna trust me again, Buffy.”

“Don’t say that.” Moving to Faith and sitting beside her, Buffy took the younger girls hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You know that’s not true. He’s just worried.”

“Did you see the look in his eyes?” Faith questioned, her eyes full of fearful desperation. “He hates me, Buffy.”

“Faith, I promise you, as soon as you sit down and talk with him, everything’s gonna be alright.” When the younger girl simply shook her head in denial, Buffy squeezed her hand once again in an attempt to comfort her. “Look, why don’t you come with me to this party tomorrow night. It’d be fun. Get your mind off all the bad stuff happening…”

“Yeah, right.” Faith laughed bitterly, wiping at the tears that clung to the corners of her eyes. “Like dad would let me go now.”

“He will… You’re gonna be with me. Giles knows I’ll take care of ya. Come on, Faith. It might cheer you up.”

Glancing over at Buffy, Faith smiled. The blonde looked so pitiful… She was pouting. “Fine. I’ll go.” Faith reluctantly agreed, laughing at the older girl as Buffy threw her arms around her and hugged her tightly.

“You won’t regret it, Faith, I promise.” Buffy told her, giddily.

~*~*~*~