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.
Big Sister
By Kristjan Brezovnik
“Where’s Faith?” Willow asked Buffy after she read through some files regarding Faith and discovered something.
Buffy frowned.
“I think she was training downstairs. Why?”
“I need to talk to her,” Willow said and hurried downstairs.
“Faith,” she said when she saw Faith pummeling a punching bag.
Faith stopped and looked at her.
“Yeah?”
“Uh, I was just going through your files, you know, to clear your record. Did you know you had a sister?”
Faith frowned.
“What are you talking about? I don’t have a sister.”
“You do. She lives in an orphanage.” She hesitated for a moment. “And she’s a junkie baby.”
“What? But… Are you sure she’s my sister?”
“Yes.”
Faith thought about it.
“So she’s what, around four?”
“Yeah.”
Faith sighed.
“I had no idea Mom was pregnant. Bitch.”
“Uh, I got her file. Wanna see it?”
“Yes.”
“I want to take care of her,” Faith said when she was through reading the file.
“You do?” Willow said, startled.
Faith glared at her.
“Yeah. You got a problem with that?”
“Uh, no. Sorry, it just surprised me.”
“She’s my family, I can’t just leave her in an orphanage.”
“I know. Sorry.” Willow hesitated for a moment. “Are you sure you can take care of her?”
Faith sighed.
“No.” She hesitated for a moment. “I’m gonna need all the help I can get. I really do want to take care of her.”
“Okay. Let me finish clearing up your record first. Then I’ll see what we have to do so you can adopt Jenny.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Willow smiled a little.
“No problem.”
A couple of days later, Faith slowly approached two girls, one of which was her Jenny. She was a little nervous, because she was about to finally meet her baby sister.
“Um, hi,” she said and squatted beside the two girls. The girls looked at her, the older one hostilely, Jenny curiously. “I’m Faith.”
The older girl put her arm around Jenny protectively.
“What do you want?” she asked defensively.
Faith blinked, startled, and then smiled a little.
“Talk to Jenny.”
“Why?” the older girl asked and pressed Jenny closer to herself.
“I want to get to know her.”
“You want to adopt her?”
“Yes.”
“She’s a junkie baby.”
“I know.”
The girl frowned.
“And it doesn’t bother you?”
Faith smiled a little.
“No.”
The girl looked around.
“Where’s your husband?”
“I don’t have one.”
The girl looked at her with a frown.
“You don’t?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
“And who are you?”
The girl blinked, startled.
“Uh, Marcie.”
“She’s my sister,” Jenny said with a smile.
Faith blinked.
“Really?”
“Yes,” Marcie said defiantly.
Faith stared at them, confused. For a moment, she wondered if Willow had missed something. But then she realized she was silly. She would’ve known if she had a sister Marcie’s age. She guessed that they were probably only pretending.
Then Jenny shivered and hugged Marcie.
“Shh, it’s okay,” Marcie said and caressed her.
“Is she okay?” Faith asked, worried.
“Just withdrawal jitters.”
“Oh.” Marcie soothed Jenny, and Faith realized that blood related or not, they were sisters. “So, um, you’re taking care of Jenny?” she asked Marcie when Jenny calmed down.
Marcie nodded.
“Uh-huh.”
Faith looked at Jenny, who was staring at her shyly, looking like she felt safe with Marcie. Then she looked at Marcie, who was holding Jenny protectively. Marcie stared back at her defiantly, but Faith could see it in her eyes that she was afraid of losing Jenny. She realized that Marcie was probably a lot like her, that she too wanted a family, someone to love her. She sighed and then smiled.
“Then I guess I’ll have to take you both, won’t I?”
Marcie blinked, surprised.
“What?”
Faith looked at Jenny.
“Would you like to stay with Marcie?”
Jenny nodded.
“Uh-huh.”
Faith looked at Marcie.
“You want to stay with Jenny, right?”
Marcie nodded, confused. She had gotten used to the idea that nobody would adopt her. The only reason she had gotten attached to Jenny was because she knew that nobody would ever adopt her either, because she was a junkie baby. And now someone was willing to take them both.
“Why?” she asked.
Faith smiled.
“Because I’m Jenny’s sister.”
Marcie tensed.
“What?”
“Our mom wasn’t the nicest mom in the world as you’ve probably guessed, so I spent most of my time trying to avoid her. I left home around when she got pregnant, so I didn’t know that I had a sister until a couple of days ago when a friend of mine was sorting out my papers.” She smiled. “And since you’re Jenny’s sister, that makes you my sister too.”
“We’re just pretending,” Marcie said, a little unsure.
“Perhaps, but you’re still taking care of her like a real sister and that makes you a real sister in my book.”
“Oh.”
“Would you like to come with me and Jenny?”
Marcie nodded.
“Uh-huh.”
Faith smiled.
“Okay. Why don’t you find somewhere comfortable to sit, I’ll just go tell my friend that I’m going to adopt you as well.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Marcie looked at Jenny.
“Come, let’s go sit on a sofa.”
“Okay,” Jenny said. They got up, and Jenny took Marcie’s hand. “Marcie,” she said as they walked to the sofa.
Marcie looked at her.
“Yes?”
Jenny looked up at her.
“Are we gonna be real sisters now?
Marcie frowned.
“I think so.”
Jenny smiled widely.
“Hi,” Faith said as she entered Mrs Robinson’s office.
“Hi, Faith,” Willow said. “How’s it going with Jenny?”
Faith shrugged.
“Okay.” She hesitated for a moment. “Anyway, um, there’s another girl I’d like to adopt.”
“Another?” Willow said, surprised.
“Yeah. Her name is Marcie.”
“Marcie?” Mrs Robinson said. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Marcie can be handful and she’s a bit of a bully. The only one she gets along with is Jenny.”
“She’s just protective of Jenny, she’s afraid of losing her. She just wants a family, someone to love her.” Faith sighed. “She’s a lot like me,” she admitted, blushing a little. “Anyway, Jenny considers Marcie her sister and I don’t want to separate them.”
“Are you sure?” Willow asked.
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’ll tell Giles to raise your pay a little.”
Faith smiled briefly.
“Thanks.” She looked at Mrs Robinson. “I’ll, uh, be with the girls.”
When Faith got back to the girls, she grabbed a chair.
“My friend will take care of the papers,” she told them.
“For both of us?” Marcie asked.
“Yes.”
Marcie hesitated for a moment.
“Mrs Robinson didn’t warn you about me?” she asked anxiously.
Faith smiled.
“She didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already figure out by myself, namely that you’re a wonderful kid.”
Marcie blinked, startled.
“Really?”
“Sure. In fact, you’re a lot like me. You want people to think you’re tough, so they won’t hurt you, but you’re really a nice girl and you protect those you love in anyway you can.”
Marcie looked at her lap. She had never been praised before and it scared her a little how Faith could read her so easily.
“You know, it’s okay to be scared,” Faith said. “I was scared for a long time, I still am. But that’s okay, it makes me more careful now. But I wasn’t always careful, you know.” Marcie looked at her. “In fact, I was downright reckless, because I didn’t have anyone that cared about me.” She sighed. “People ended up dead because of me and I nearly died too. So many people thought of me as a bad girl that I started believing it too, and then I really started acting like one and people got hurt.” She ran her hand through her hair, shivering a little at the memories. “But I know now that I’m not a bad girl and I know you’re not bad either, just very protective and afraid you’ll lose the only person that cares about you.”
Marcie looked at her lap again and a couple of tears ran down her cheeks, which she quickly wiped.
“Why are you crying, Marcie?” Jenny asked, wide-eyed.
“I’m fine,” Marcie said.
“She’s okay,” Faith assured Jenny with a smile.
“But she’s crying,” Jenny said, confused.
“Not all tears are bad.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You can cry because you’re sad, it helps you relieve the tension, or you can cry because you’re happy.”
“Is Marcie sad or happy?”
Faith smiled.
“I think she’s happy. After all, you two get to be sisters for real now and you get a home. If you want.”
Jenny smiled back.
Marcie looked at Faith with a frown.
“If we want?”
“Of course. If you don’t want to come with me, you don’t have to.”
“Really?”
“Sure. I want you two to be happy. If you don’t feel that you’ll be happy with me, then you better stay here.”
Marcie thought for a moment and then looked at Jenny.
“We don’t want to stay here,” she then said and looked at Faith.
“But do you want to go with me?” Faith asked. “Be honest,” she added when Marcie hesitated. “After all, your future depends on it.”
“I don’t know,” Marcie said. “We don’t know you. But you’re probably the only one that would take us.”
“Fair enough. Listen, my friend will probably need a while to sort out the papers. Do you want to think about whether you want to go with me or do you want us to get to know each other better?”
“I’d like to get to know you better,” Marcie said.
“Okay.” Faith leaned back, thinking. She knew she had to tell the girls about magic and demons. She wished she didn’t have to. “Listen, there’s, um, a lot of weird stuff going on in my life and you’d find out about it pretty soon, but I want you to know about it before you make the final decision to come with me.”
“Like what?” Marcie asked.
Faith hesitated for a moment.
“Well, you heard about magic and demons and stuff, right?”
Marcie frowned.
“Yes.”
“Well, they’re real.”
“Really?”
“Yes. In fact, my friend Willow and I used magic to get here.”
“How?”
“We used the ghost roads.”
“What’s that?”
Faith frowned.
“Actually, I’m not sure how to explain it. They’re some sort of another dimension, I guess.”
“Oh.”
“Anyway, demons are real too. There are a lot of different kinds. Some of them are bad and some of them are not. Some are ugly and some can look like humans. The friend that saved me when I was suicidal and who helped me get back on my feet, he’s a demon too and you’d get to meet him.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” Faith hesitated for a moment. “Me, I’m a Slayer. I kill bad demons who want to kill people or destroy the world.”
“Really?” Marcie asked, wide-eyed. “But you’re just a girl.”
Faith chuckled.
“That’s why a friend of mine keeps saying. She’s a Slayer too. In fact, we’d be living in her house in LA.”
“Are you a mutant?” Jenny asked.
Faith chuckled.
“No.”
“She likes X-Men,” Marcie explained.
“Really? Me too. Which one is your favorite?” Faith asked Jenny.
“Storm.”
“Mine is Rogue.” Faith looked at Marcie. “You like X-Men?”
Marcie shrugged.
“They’re okay.”
Faith smiled and looked at Jenny.
“I don’t have any cool superpowers like the X-Men. But I am faster and stronger than most people. And I heal faster.” She looked at Marcie. “I can teach you how to defend yourself.”
“Really?” Marcie said.
“Sure. And Jenny too when she’s a little older. Oh yeah, don’t tell anyone about demons and magic, okay? They’d think you’re crazy.” Marcie nodded. “So, is there anything else you want to know?”
When Willow came to get Faith, she was surprised to see her engaged in a conversation with the girls. It was a strange sight to Willow, who had never seen Faith so open.
“Faith!” she called. Faith looked at her, and Willow waved at her. “Come, it’s time to sign!”
Faith nodded and looked at the girls.
“Okay, girls. Are you ready to come with me?”
“And if we’re not?” Marcie asked.
“Then I’ll leave my phone number here so you can call me, if you change your mind.”
Marcie frowned.
“We can say no?”
“Of course.”
“I wanna go with her, Marcie,” Jenny said. “Can we?”
Marcie looked at her and smiled.
“Sure,” she said, and Jenny smiled widely. Marcie looked at Faith. “We’ll go with you.”
Faith smiled.
“Okay. Come, I want you to be there when I sign.”
She got up and waited for Marcie and Jenny to join her.
Marcie got up and then helped Jenny off the sofa. Jenny took her hand and they followed Faith to Mrs Robinson’s office.
“Hello, girls,” Mrs Robinson said with a smile when they entered.
Jenny smiled, but Marcie gave her a sour look and stuck close to Faith.
“So, where do I sign?” Faith asked.
After the papers were taken care of, Faith went with the girls to pack their stuff.
“Did you tell them?” Willow asked as they walked down the street toward the closest back alley.
“Yes,” Faith said. She looked at the girls. “Remember the ghost roads? We’re gonna use them to go to LA.”
“Are we gonna see ghosts?” Jenny asked.
Faith smiled at her.
“Perhaps.”
“Are they scary?”
“No. They’re just souls looking for the way to afterlife.”
“What’s afterlife?”
“Where souls go after people die.”
“What’s a soul?”
Faith frowned.
“I don’t know. The energy that binds your body?” she said and looked at Willow questioningly.
Willow shrugged.
“It’s as good an answer as any.”
“Just stay close to me and Willow,” Faith said.
“Okay,” Marcie said.
When they got to a back alley and made sure that nobody could see them, Willow opened a portal to ghost roads.
“Come,” Willow said when the portal opened.
She offered her hand to Marcie, who hesitantly took it, a little nervous.
Willow entered, and the others followed her.
“It’s dark,” Jenny said, frightened a little.
“Are you afraid of the dark?” Faith asked her.
Jenny looked at her.
“A little.”
Faith smiled and gently squeezed her hand.
“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
Jenny smiled.
“How do you know where we’re going?” Marcie asked Willow.
Willow glanced at her.
“The roads know, I guess.”
“The roads?”
“Yes. I can’t really explain it.”
“Oh.”
“Well, here we are,” Willow said when they arrived to LA. She glanced at the closing portal. “The hotel is right around the corner. Come.”
They walked out of the back alley and entered the hotel.
“We’re back!” Willow called.
People started to gather, curious.
“Two kids?” Cordelia asked.
“Yeah,” Faith said. “Call everyone, I don’t want to repeat myself.”
“Okay.” Faith turned toward the staircase. “Faith is back!” she yelled at the top of her voice.
“That’s one way to do it,” Faith said. She looked at the girls. “Come, let’s go sit over there.”
They went to the sofa, and Marcie helped Jenny sit on the sofa. Jenny looked around, curious, and Marcie a bit nervous.
“Hi, Faith,” Buffy said as she arrived.
“Hey,” Faith said. “Yeah, there’s two of them,” she added when she saw that Buffy had noticed the girls. “Wait for the others.”
“Uh, okay.”
“Faith!” Dawn called. “How’d it go?”
“Better than expected,” Faith said with a smile.
“What do you…” Dawn trailed off when she saw that there were two girls. “Uh…”
“Later.”
“Faith?” Giles asked.
“Later, Giles, I don’t want to repeat myself.”
“Uh, okay.”
“Hurry up, people!” Cordelia called.
“What’s going on?” one of the new Slayers asked.
“Faith came back.”
“Oh.”
“Okay, everyone!” Faith called when she saw that everyone had come. “I’d like you to meet my sisters. This is Marcie and the little one is Jenny.”
“I thought you only had one sister,” Dawn said.
Faith smiled.
“So did I, but Jenny apparently adopted Marcie, or maybe it was vice versa. Anyway, I didn’t want to separate them, so I decided to take them both.” She looked at Buffy. “I hope that’s okay with you, since we’ll be living in your house for a while.”
Buffy smiled.
“It’s okay. Though they’ll have to share the room.”
Faith looked at the girls.
“I don’t think that’s gonna be a problem. Right, girls?”
The girls shook their heads.
“Uh-uh,” Jenny said.
“Okay.” Faith looked at Buffy. “Can you take us to your house, so we can settle in?”
“Sure,” Buffy said.
“Great.” She glanced at the girls. “Come, girls.”
Marcie got up and then helped Jenny get off the sofa.
“I’ll talk to Giles,” Willow told Faith.
“Okay. And thanks.”
Willow smiled.
“No problem.”
Faith looked at everyone.
“I’ll see you around, guys.” Jenny took her hand, and Faith smiled at her. “Let’s go, girls.”
During the ride in the car, Faith and the girls sat in the back, Buffy drove and Dawn sat in the passenger seat. The little girls both looked out the window, curious.
“Okay, girls, this is where we’ll live for a while,” Faith said when they got to the house. “This is Buffy’s and Dawn’s house.”
“Dawn, take them in, I’ll get the bags,” Buffy said.
“Okay,” Dawn said. She looked at Faith and the girls. “Come.”
“Come, girls,” Faith said.
They slowly walked to the front door while Buffy got the bags.
Dawn took them straight to their room.
“Okay, this is it,” she said when they reached it. She looked at the girls. “You’ll have to redecorate it though.”
Jenny let go of Marcie’s hand and went to the bed, testing its softness. Marcie went to the window and looked out. Jenny ran after her.
“Marcie,” she said and raised her arms.
Marcie picked her up and they looked out.
“You like the view?” Faith asked as she joined them.
“It’s okay,” Marcie said.
“Why don’t we let Dawn show us around first, we’ll unpack later.”
“Okay,” Marcie said and put Jenny down.
“Come,” Dawn said.
In the evening, Faith let Marcie and Jenny take a bath together. Jenny was delighted, but Marcie was a bit more reserved at first and it took her a while to relax. When they were done, they went to the girls’ room to dress.
“Faith,” Buffy called her when the girls were done dressing.
Faith looked at her.
“Yeah?”
“Come here a moment.”
Faith got up and went to her.
“What is it?” she asked and frowned at Mr Gordo, whom Buffy was holding.
Buffy hesitated for a moment.
“Well, um, I was thinking about giving Mr Gordo to Jenny.”
“You serious?” Faith said, surprised.
“Yes. I think it’s time he got a new caretaker. But, you know, I wanted to ask you first, since you’re their big sister and all. Plus, I didn’t know if you wanted to buy them their own stuffed toys.”
Faith pursed her lips. She hadn’t thought about stuff like that yet. On one hand, she wanted to get the girls their own stuffed toys, but on the other, she appreciated Buffy’s gesture, as well as the fact that Buffy ran it past her first. She smiled a little.
“It’s okay.”
Buffy smiled as well.
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
Buffy’s smile widened.
“Can I give him to her now?”
“Sure.”
Buffy entered the room.
“Hi, girls.”
The girls looked at her.
“Hi,” Jenny said.
“Look what I got here, Jenny,” Buffy said and kneeled in front of Jenny. “This is Mr Gordo. He was my best friend when I was little, but now I’ve grown up and I’ve been neglecting him, so he’s kinda lonely. Want to take care of him for me?”
Jenny’s eyes went wide.
“Me?”
“Sure.”
Jenny looked at Marcie.
“Can I, Marcie?”
“Uh…” Marcie looked at Faith questioningly. Faith smiled at her and nodded. “Sure.”
“Here you go,” Buffy said and gave Mr Gordo to Jenny.
“What do you say?” Marcie asked.
“Thank you,” Jenny said.
“You’re welcome, honey,” Buffy said and got up.
“Can we watch TV?” Marcie asked Faith.
“Sure.”
“Can I take Mr Gordo with me?” Jenny asked Buffy.
Buffy smiled.
“Sure. He’s in your care now, you can take him anywhere you want.”
Jenny smiled back.
“Okay.”
She took Marcie’s hand, and they left.
“They really are like sisters,” Buffy said to Faith when the girls were gone.
Faith looked at her.
“Yeah.”
“I understand why you took Marcie as well,” Buffy said and smiled. “She reminds me of you a little.”
Faith smiled back.
“Yeah.” She hesitated for a moment. “You sure we won’t be in the way?”
“Yes. You can stay for as long as you want to.”
“Thanks.”
An hour later, Marcie was thirsty, so Dawn took her to the kitchen. Buffy was upstairs, so the first time Faith noticed that something was wrong with Jenny was when Jenny hugged her.
“Jenny?” Faith asked as she looked at her and noticed she was shivering.
But Jenny didn’t respond, she just hugged Faith more tightly and started to cry.
Faith realized what was going on.
“Marcie!” she called and picked up Jenny. “Marcie!”
Marcie came running, Dawn following her.
“What’s going on?” Dawn asked confused when she saw Jenny was crying.
“Withdrawal jitters,” Faith said. She looked at Marcie. “Right?”
Marcie nodded.
“Uh-huh. But they’re the bad ones,” she said, worried.
“Bad ones?” Faith said, worried as well.
Marcie nodded again.
“Uh-huh.”
“What do I do?”
Marcie shrugged.
“Hold her.”
“How long do they last?”
“Till she passes out.”
“Oh.”
“What’s going on?” Buffy asked as she came downstairs after she heard Jenny cry.
“Withdrawal jitters,” Faith said.
“Oh.”
“Buffy?” Dawn asked.
“Jenny’s a junkie baby. She’s having withdrawal jitters,” Buffy explained.
“Oh.”
Faith got up.
“I’m taking her upstairs.”
“Okay,” Buffy said. “Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.”
She took Jenny upstairs, and Marcie followed them.
“Is she gonna be okay?” Dawn asked Buffy.
Buffy looked at her.
“I don’t know.”
When she got to the girls’ room, Faith lay on the bed. She was so worried about Jenny, it took her a while before she noticed that Marcie was still standing.
“Come,” she said.
Marcie ran around the bed and got on. Faith opened her arm, and Marcie cuddled up to her after a moment. Marcie then reached over and caressed Jenny. Then she started to sing softly.
When Jenny finally passed out, Faith breathed a sigh of relief. It was hard to watch her baby sister suffer like that and not being able to do anything about it. She hesitated for a moment and then gave her a kiss on the top of the head, wishing she could just kiss the pain away. She looked at Marcie, who had stopped singing but was still caressing Jenny. She saw that her cheeks were wet. She knew that Marcie loved Jenny and she swore to treat Marcie as if she was her sister by blood.
When Buffy came to check up on Faith and the girls before going to bed, they were already asleep. She smiled at the sight, it was strange to see two little girls cuddled up to Faith. But when she got closer, she saw that they all had wet cheeks from crying. She sighed, wishing there was some way to help Jenny. She quickly fetched a blanket and covered them. Then she turned off the light and closed the door.
“How are they?” Dawn asked as she came by.
“Sleeping.”
“Oh. Is Jenny gonna be okay?”
“I don’t know. I hope so. But I don’t envy Faith one bit. I just wish I could do something.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Buffy stepped closer to Dawn and hugged her. Dawn smiled and hugged her back.
When Faith woke up in the morning, she felt a bit cramped, but when she tried to move, she couldn’t. She was worried for a moment, but then she opened her eyes and remembered. She looked at her sisters, who were both still sleeping. She wasn’t the mushy type, but she couldn’t help but find them adorable. And they were her family. She smiled at the thought.
Marcie was the first to wake up.
“Morning,” Faith said with a smile.
Marcie first tensed, but she relaxed when she remembered where she was.
“Morning,” she said.
“Sleep well?”
Marcie nodded.
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay.” Faith hesitated for a moment. “Thank you. For taking care of Jenny. You’re a good sister.”
Marcie’s eyes went wide, she wasn’t used to being praised. She shrugged.
“It’s nothing,” she said and looked away.
Faith smiled, recognizing the response.
“It’s not nothing. You took care of her like an older sister. I hope I can take care of you two as well as you took care of Jenny.”
Marcie glanced at her.
“I didn’t do much.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. You were there for her when she needed you. You didn’t have to be.”
“I couldn’t just leave her alone like that.”
Faith smiled.
“I know.” She thought for a moment. “Look, I don’t have much experience raising kids, especially not little ones like Jenny. You know her better than I do, so I’m gonna need your help.”
“Really?”
“You bet. You know what she likes and what she doesn’t and you know what to do when she has withdrawal jitters. She looks up to you, so she’ll probably more often come to you than to me. But that’s okay. Just don’t forget that you now have an older sister too. I’ll help you take care of Jenny, so you can just be a kid and have fun.” She played with Marcie’s hair a little. “And if you think I’m doing something wrong, I want you to tell me, okay?”
“Okay,” Marcie said, a little overwhelmed.
Faith smiled. She thought for a moment.
“I know we probably won’t always get along, especially after you get in your teens and your hormones start raging. We might even yell at one another. But no matter what, I’ll always be there for you. After all, you’re my little sister. And if you ever need to talk about anything, you can always come to me. Don't ever be afraid to talk to me, not even if you do something wrong.”
Marcie stared at her for a few moments, wide-eyed, and then buried her face in the sheets, not wanting to see Faith just how much it meant to her to have a family. A couple of tears of happiness appeared in her eyes, but she blinked them away.
Faith caressed her and pressed her gently to herself. Then she kissed her on the top of the head. She wasn't a touch feely kind of person, but the touches and kisses of affection were something she had missed when she was a kid, so she guessed that Marcie might miss it too. And she was right. She first felt Marcie tense, but then Marcie hugged her more tightly. She smiled, glad that she was doing something right.
Jenny woke up half an hour later.
“Morning,” Faith said with a smile.
Jenny moved the hair from her face and smiled.
“Morning.” Her smile widened when she saw Marcie was there as well. “Morning, Marcie.”
Marcie smiled at her.
“Hey.”
She reached over and caressed her.
“Sleep well?” Faith asked.
Jenny looked at her and nodded.
“Uh-huh.”
Faith hesitated for a moment.
“Does it still hurt?”
Jenny shook her head.
“Uh-uh.”
Faith breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good.” She thought for a moment. “So, wanna get up or cuddle for a while?”
“Cuddle!” Jenny said, excited.
Faith smiled.
“Okay. But not too long.”
Jenny immediately cuddled up closer to her, and Faith ruffled her hair.
When they finally got up, they all went to the bathroom. Faith let Marcie decide how much she wanted to take care of Jenny. When the girls were done, they and Faith went back to the girls' room to dress.
"Okay, you two can go downstairs now, see if there's anything to eat," Faith said when the girls were dressed. "If not, wait for me, I'm just gonna take a quick shower."
"Okay," Marcie said.
Faith smiled and left.
Jenny reached for Mr Gordo.
"Why don't you leave him here, so he won't get dirty," Marcie told her.
Jenny thought about it.
"Okay." She uncovered the bed a little and then lay Mr Gordo on the pillow. Then she covered him. "Bye, Mr Gordo," she said. "I'll come back later."
Marcie smiled.
"Come."
After the shower, Faith went downstairs to the kitchen. When she saw Buffy feeding Jenny, she smiled. Buffy smiled back, relieved that Faith wasn't mad.
"We're gonna need a baby chair for her," Dawn said.
"Yeah, I guess," Faith said.
"Do you want to continue?" Buffy asked Faith.
Faith shook her head.
"No, it's okay. Besides, she's almost done."
"Okay."
"Hungry?" Dawn asked Faith.
"Yeah."
"Sit down."
Faith sat down and looked at Marcie, who was quietly eating. She smiled at her, and Marcie smiled back a little.
“If you want, I can show you around the neighborhood later,” Buffy offered.
“Sure,” Faith said. “Girls?”
Jenny nodded.
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay,” Marcie said.
“Okay,” Buffy said. “And in the afternoon, we can go shopping.”
“Okay,” Faith agreed.
“Still hungry?” Buffy asked Jenny when Jenny finished eating.
Jenny shook her head.
“Uh-uh.”
“Let’s get you cleaned up then.”
Buffy got up and walked to the sink, carrying Jenny. She opened the tap and let Jenny wash herself. Then she dried her.
“We’ll be in the living room,” she said and put Jenny down.
“Okay,” Faith said.
When Faith was done with her breakfast, she went to the living room. When she saw Jenny sitting in Marcie’s lap, watching cartoons, she smiled. She was glad that Jenny had had Marcie to take care of her. She wished she’d had a big sister like Marcie. She sighed and walked over to the sofa.
“How about we finish watching this cartoon and then go out?” she said as she sat down.
“Okay,” Jenny said.
“Marcie?” Faith asked.
“Okay,” Marcie said.
“Good.”
Faith put her arm around Marcie and smiled at her. Marcie smiled back, and then they watched the rest of the cartoon.
The End