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. There is some subtext in this story. If this kind of stuff is not legal where you live, if you're under 18 or if you don't like the notion of two women being in love, then you should find something else to read.

Thicker Than Blood
By Kristjan Brezovnik

The two-year-old Faith finally gathered the courage to go explore the coast of the pond. She didn't like hanging out at home, because her family kept yelling at her that she was under foot and calling her nasty names. So she spent most of her time out of the house, so that nobody saw her. But because it was summer now, her family also spent most of their time outside. Faith didn't like it when they yelled at one another or at her or at the people on the other side of the pond, it confused her and scared her.

She hugged her stuffed teddy bear tighter and walked down the barely there path. She had never been that far away from home and she was a bit scared. The pond was surrounded by thick bushes and Faith hoped to find a place where she could get to the water and throw stones in it. She used to do that closer to the house, but her father didn't like it and he kept yelling at her.

When she suddenly spotted a girl about her age, she stopped, unsure. She didn't know the girl and she was a little frightened.

The other girl finally noticed her and got up. Faith could see that she was apparently scared. They stared at one another for a few moments.

"Are you from that house?" the other girl asked and pointed toward Faith's home.

Faith nodded.

"Uh-huh."

The other girl stared at her, obviously thinking about something.

"Are you alone?"

Faith nodded again.

"Uh-huh."

The other girl relaxed a little.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to throw stones in the pond."

The other girl frowned.

"Why?"

"I like to watch the waves," Faith said, less afraid now. "Sometimes they skip," she added excitedly.

"Why don't you do that at home?"

Faith tensed a little.

"Daddy doesn't like it. He says I'll damage the boat."

"Oh."

Faith noticed that the other girl was making something with the sand.

"What are you doing?" she asked, curious.

"Sand castle."

"Really? How?"

"I pile the sand and shape it."

Faith hesitated for a moment.

"Can I watch?"

The other girl shrugged.

"Sure."

Faith smiled and went closer.

"What's your name?" she asked as she squatted.

"Buffy."

Faith smiled.

"That's a pretty name," she said, and Buffy smiled. "I'm Faith."

"How old are you?"

"Two."

"I'm three."

"Where are you from?"

"There," Buffy said and pointed toward her house.

Faith looked at the house. She frowned. She looked toward her house and then toward Buffy's again.

"Daddy says the people across the pond are bad and mean. And he uses lots of bad words."

"My daddy says the same about you."

Faith's eyes went wide.

"I'm not bad," she said, her lower lip quivering. "Am I?

Buffy shook her head.

"Uh-huh."

Faith smiled, relieved.

"You're nice."

Buffy smiled as well.

"You too."

"Can you show me how to build a sand castle?"

"Sure."

Three years later, Buffy and Faith were best friends. Since neither liked hanging around their home, they spent most of their time together, away from their yelling and feuding families. Since it was summer, they built sand castles together, played in the water and looked at some old magazines and children's books they'd found at their houses.

One day, they were playing in the water, spraying each other, squealing and giggling. They had lots of fun, until a boat started heading their way.

"That's my daddy," Buffy said, scared.

They quickly got out of the water and put on their pants and shirts.

Then the boat hit the shore and Buffy's father got out.

"There you are, slut!" he yelled and grabbed her hair. "Fraternizing with the enemy, huh?"

Faith stood still, not sure whether she should run away or help Buffy.

Buffy's father grabbed Faith's hair as well.

"Well, what he we got here?"

Faith screamed.

"Don't hurt her, Daddy," Buffy begged.

"You little ingrate!" He let go of her and backhanded her hard. "We take care of you, raise you and you go and make friends with the enemy." He kicked her in the stomach. "Bitch."

"Don't hurt her!" Faith begged with tears in her eyes.

Buffy's father looked at her.

"Right now, I'd be worried about hurting you," he said and slapped her.

Then another boat closed in.

"Shit," Buffy's father said when he saw it was Faith's father.

Since he'd left his gun in the boat, he knew that he wouldn't be able to get to it in time, which meant that his boat was lost to the enemy. He cursed and pushed Faith toward the water. Then he picked up Buffy and ran away.

When Faith's father landed, he got up and grabbed Faith by the arm.

"You let him catch you, bitch?!" he said and slapped her.

"No, Daddy!" Faith screamed, terrified.

"Get in the boat! Now!" he father yelled.

Faith quickly obeyed.

Her father then tied Buffy's father's boat to his own and they went home.

A couple of days later, when she could finally move without it hurting too much, Buffy decided to run away. She waited until everyone was out of the house and then quickly stuffed some clothes and a blanket in a bag. She considered getting some food, but then her mother returned. Buffy hid and waited. When she heard her mother was busy in the kitchen, she sneaked out. Her whole body still hurt a lot and she was afraid she would pass out, but she didn't want to stay at home anymore. She bit her teeth and went to the hideaway.

After a couple of days of waiting, Faith was getting worried about Buffy. Because of her father, she was forced to stay close to the house, but she did sneak away each day to check their hiding place. On the fifth day, she finally found her.

"Buffy," she said, relieved. "Are you okay?"

Buffy turned, and Faith's eyes went wide when she saw the shape of Buffy's face.

Buffy mumbled something, and Faith thought it sounded as though Buffy said she'd ran away.

Faith quickly went to her and hugged her, tears welling in her eyes.

She'd gotten punished too, her father had used the belt on her back and her behind till she passed out. It still hurt when she sat, but Buffy looked much worse. In fact, Faith noticed that Buffy was still wearing the same clothes as the day they got caught.

"Can you move?"

Buffy nodded.

"We need to clean you up."

Joyce Summers was a wanderer. Ever since her parents died in a car crash, she traveled around, taking up temporary jobs. She'd dropped out of high school, which she regretted, but she liked her independency and she didn't want to be raised by a foster family. Fortunately, she was twenty-eight now, old enough that she didn't have to worry about the authorities putting her in a foster home anymore. She'd taken the GED, which sometimes enabled her to get a better job. When she had the time, she also studied. She wanted to go to college someday or perhaps get a degree in some other way. First, however, she needed to save enough money.

Since summer had started, she was often on the road, looking for farms that needed help. She'd been on the road for a while, but the three farms she'd been to so far didn't need help. It was close to midday and the closest town was at least an hour away, so she decided to rest at a pond she'd spotted, maybe catch some fish.

When she got to the shore, she spotted two houses on the opposite sides. She briefly considered going to one of them, but she decided against it, the houses were way too secluded for her liking.

She looked around for a grassy spot to put down her stuff, and noticed remains of a sand castle. She smiled briefly and then went to the closest grass patch and put down her stuff. She stretched and then took off her shoes. She went into to the water till she was kneed deep, and just stood still for a while, wiggling her toes occasionally.

Finally she went back to her stuff and took a blanket from her bag. She spread it on the ground and lay on it. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the silence and the sun.

Suddenly she heard a whimper. She opened her yes and listened. Just when she thought she'd imagined it, she heard another. She sat up and looked behind her. There were thick bushes there, so thick that she couldn't see through, especially now that they were blooming.

"Is anybody there?" she asked. There was no answer. She hesitated for a moment and then got up and went closer. "Hello?"

She lifted the branches and tried to look through. She heard movement, so she followed the sound. She got closer and heard whispers and more movement. Finally, she saw the cause. Her eyes went wide when she saw a brown-haired girl with a blue eye standing defiantly with a stone, ready to protect her lying blond friend. She backed off a little.

"Hi," she said and smiled softly. "I'm Joyce. I'm sorry I scared you. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the brown-haired girl said. "Go away."

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."

"Faith?" the blond girl moaned.

The brown-eyed girl, Faith, turned.

"Buffy?"

Joyce looked past Faith and her eyes went wide when she saw that Buffy was in an even worse state.

"My god. What happened to you two?"

Faith looked at her again.

"Nothing."

"Look, honey, you need to get medical help."

Faith shook her head.

"Uh-uh."

"Let me at least check your friend. I promise I won't hurt her. I just want to help you."

"Why?"

Joyce frowned.

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to help us?"

Joyce smiled.

"Why not? And you two look like you could use some help. May I?"

Faith hesitated for a few moments, uncertain.

"Okay," she said and stepped aside, lowering the stone.

Joyce slowly approached Buffy and gently ran her fingers across Buffy's face, probing the bruises.

"Who did this?" she asked, glancing at Faith.

"Her daddy."

"Why?"

"He caught us playing together. And then my daddy came and her daddy had to leave his boat behind."

Joyce looked at Faith.

"Did your daddy beat you too?"

Faith looked at her feet, nodding.

Joyce reached toward her, but Faith backed off, wide-eyed.

"I'm sorry," Joyce said, "I didn't mean scare you." She smiled. "Look, how old are you?"

"Five. Buffy's six."

"Okay. No matter what you did, your parents shouldn't have beat you up like that."

"But…"

"No buts. Parents or not, they had absolutely no right to beat you." She smiled. "Listen, I got some medical stuff in my bag. Why don't you go and get it and I'll see just how bad Buffy's been hurt. Okay?"

Faith hesitated for a moment, not used to people being nice to her.

"Okay."

"Good. The medical stuff is in a separate bag, you won't miss it."

"Okay," Faith said and left.

Joyce then uncovered Buffy and saw that she was naked underneath. She saw that there were bruises on her stomach. She leaned over and gasped when she saw the state of Buffy's back.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered, angry. She gently ran her fingers down Buffy's back, and Buffy whimpered. "Sorry, sweetie."

She heard Faith making lots of noise and she went to look. She was surprised to see that Faith was dragging her whole backpack.

"I only wanted the bag, sweetie," Joyce said with a smile.

"Someone's coming," Faith said, scared.

"Oh." Joyce quickly crawled closer. "Go get my shoes and my blanket and make sure there are no traces," she said and grabbed her bag.

"Okay."

Faith quickly crawled outside, and Joyce pulled her bag into the hiding place. Joyce opened the bag and took out her medical bag.

"He's here. He's here," Faith whispered, scared, as she quickly crawled to Joyce.

"Okay, don't move," Joyce whispered.

Faith let go of the shoes and crawled close to Joyce, who smiled at her encouragingly.

They listened quietly and soon heard footsteps. Joyce looked at Faith and saw that she was terrified. She wanted to hug her and console her, but she was afraid to startle her. They soon saw the shadow of the man, and Faith started to tremble. Joyce felt sorry for her. A child this young shouldn't be this afraid, especially not of her own family.

The man soon turned around and went back to where he came from. Joyce waited for a minute or so and then slowly reached toward Faith and caressed her. Faith gasped and looked at her, wide-eyed.

"It's okay, sweetie," Joyce said with a soft smile, "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." She glanced at Buffy. "Why is Buffy naked?"

Faith looked at her friend.

"She was dirty and bleeding and I had to clean her," she said.

"You did well," Joyce said. She opened her medical bag and took out a tube. "I'm going to put this on Buffy. It will speed up the healing process."

Joyce slowly and carefully started to apply the salve on Buffy's face. Then she slowly lifted Buffy's left arm.

"I need to take care of the bruises on your front, sweetie," Joyce said softly when Buffy whimpered.

She squirted some of the salve on Buffy's chest and gently spread it around. Then she let go of Buffy's arm and took care of her back. When she was done, she covered her with the blanket. Then she looked at Faith.

"Okay, your turn. Come here." Faith hesitantly approached, and Joyce applied the salve to Faith's face. "Okay. And the rest of the body?" Faith looked down, nervous. "Sweetie, there's no need to feel ashamed. You did nothing wrong. In fact, you can be proud of yourself for taking care of your friend."

Faith bit her lips for a few moments and then took off her t-shirt.

"My god," Joyce said when she saw her back. "Did your father do this?"

Faith nodded.

Joyce sighed.

"Take off your pants and lie next to Buffy."

Faith hesitated for a moment and then took off her pants.

"Are you hungry?" Joyce asked when Faith's stomach rumbled.

Faith nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"How long have you been here?"

"Two days."

"Without food?"

Faith nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Joyce sighed.

"I have a couple of sandwiches left. You can have them when I'm done with your back."

She started to apply the salve to Faiths' back.

"Why are you helping us?" Faith asked.

Joyce smiled softly.

"Because you need my help."

"But you're a grownup."

"So?"

"Grownups are mean."

"Do you think I'm mean?"

Faith thought about it and then shook her head.

"Uh-uh."

"Actually, most adults are not bad. You just had the bad luck to be born to the worst of them. Don't worry, I'll take you to the police and they'll…"

"No!" Faith said, terrified. She quickly covered her mouth, worried that whoever had been outside before might hear her. She shook her head. "No police. They're mean."

Joyce frowned.

"They hurt you too?"

Faith nodded.

Joyce sighed. She thought for a moment.

"How about if I take you to another town?"

Faith shook her head.

"Uh-uh."

"Honey, you can't live by yourselves. You need a family. Not your own, obviously, but there's social services and they can find you a new family."

Faith shook her head.

"No."

Joyce sighed again, not sure what to do. She quickly finished with Faith's back and then put her medical stuff away. She took the food back from her backpack and took out two sandwiches.

"Here," she said and gave one to Faith.

Faith took it and sat on her knees. She unwrapped it and moved closer to Buffy.

"Buffy? Look, I got a sandwich."

Buffy tried to take bite, but she was too week.

"Wait, let me," Joyce said. "No, no, you eat that one," she told Faith when Faith wanted to give her the sandwich. "I'll give her this one." She unwrapped the sandwich and then tore off a small piece and gave it to Buffy. "Here, sweetie."

Buffy opened her mouth, and Joyce dropped the food. Buffy then slowly chewed. While she waited for Buffy to swallow, Joyce took out a bottle of water.

"Here, take a few sips," she told Faith.

Faith did so and then gave her back the bottle.

When the girls were done eating and drinking, Joyce put the wrappers away.

Faith lay on her stomach and looked at Buffy.

"Buffy?" she asked. Buffy looked at her. "Are you okay?"

Buffy nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Joyce quietly observed them for a while. The girls could use some medical attention, but any doctor she called would immediately notify the police. For some reason the girls were afraid of police. She decided to stick around for a few days until the girls recovered.

"Girls," she said, and the girls looked at her. "I'm going to town to buy some food and some more medical stuff. I'll be gone a couple of hours."

"No police?" Faith asked, scared.

Joyce smiled.

"No police."

"Promise?"

"I promise. You two rest now. I'll leave my stuff here. Okay?"

"Okay."

Joyce smiled again and caressed her. Then she wiped her feet and put her boots back on.

It took Joyce three hours to get to town, buy what she needed and then get back. When she approached the girls' hiding place, she first looked around for a while, making sure she wouldn't be seen.

"Girls, it's me," she said when she entered the bushes. She crawled through. "Hey," she said with a smile when she saw Faith was looking at her. "How is Buffy?"

"Sleeping."

"Good. I bought some medical stuff that will help her heal faster than what I had before. And I brought some food. But first, let's take care of Buffy's back. Remove the blanket."

After Buffy's back was taken care of, Joyce took care of Buffy's face and front. Then she took care of Faith's back and her blue eye. Then she gave Faith another sandwich and something to drink. While Faith was eating, Joyce spread her sleeping bag and took off her shoes.

"Are you girls warm enough at night? I got another blanket."

"It's warm," Faith said.

"Okay." Joyce looked around and saw that there was only one backpack there. She also noticed two stuffed toys and some old books and magazines. "Whose backpack is that?" she asked.

Faith glanced at the backpack.

"Buffy's. She said she's not going back home."

"And you?"

"I'm going with Buffy."

"You didn’t get your stuff?"

Faith shook her head.

"Buffy was hurt, so I had to take care of her."

Joyce smiled.

"You're very brave. Buffy's lucky to have a friend like you."

Faith smiled a little, not used to being praised.

"Mommy and Daddy say that Buffy's family is bad and Buffy says her mommy and daddy say my family's bad, but Buffy's not bad and I'm not either," she said.

"Of course you're not, sweetie." Joyce thought for a moment. "So, your family and Buffy's family hate one another?"

Faith nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Joyce smiled.

"And yet you two are best friends."

Faith nodded, smiling.

"Uh-huh."

Joyce hesitated for a moment.

"Have your parents beat you before?"

Faith tensed.

"Uh-huh."

"And Buffy's?"

"Uh-huh."

Joyce sighed.

"They had no right."

"Mommy and Daddy say I'm a bad girl."

"Nonsense. They're bad persons. You listen to Buffy."

Faith smiled a little.

"Uh-huh."

Joyce nodded at the books and magazines.

"Can you read yet?"

Faith shook her head.

"Uh-uh. We just look at the pictures and make up stories."

Joyce smiled.

"Want me to tell you a story?"

Faith's eyes lit up.

"A story?"

"Yes."

Faith nodded.

"Uh-huh," she said excitedly.

Joyce's smile widened.

"Why don't you finish eating first. Then we'll lie down and I'll tell you the story."

"Okay."

"Easy, slow down," Joyce said when Faith started to eat faster.

It took Buffy two more days before she recovered enough to talk normally and another week before she was able to move. In the mean time, Joyce told them stories, and Faith told her the stories she and Buffy had made up while looking at the pictures. She'd also sent Faith home to get some clothes for herself, preferably the prettiest. Finally, however, the time came to make a decision. Joyce knew she couldn't take them back to their parents and the police was out of the question as well, because according to Faith, they were friends with her parents. She needed to get the girls away from there and maybe take them to social services in a larger town. And she needed money.

"Girls," she said after lunch, "I'll have to move on."

The girls' eyes widened.

"Can't you stay?" Buffy asked.

Joyce smiled.

"Even if I could, we couldn't live in the bushes for the rest of our lives."

"Can we come with you?" Faith asked. "We'll be good, we promise."

Joyce caressed her.

"I know you will. But, you see, you're little and if police finds out you're not mine, they'll take you back to your parents."

"We don’t want to stay here," Buffy said, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"Uh-huh," Faith agreed.

Joyce sighed.

"Look, let's make a deal. You come with me and you stay with me for the summer while I work. When the summer's over, we'll go to a large town and we'll discuss you getting a new family."

"We don't want a new family."

"Not all families are bad."

"Uh-uh," Faith said, shaking her head.

"Look, we'll discuss it, okay? In the mean time, you'll get to meet other families and see that they can be nice. And if you don't want it, we'll think of something else, okay?"

The girls looked at one another.

"Okay," Buffy said.

Joyce smiled.

"Okay. Today, we're staying here, but tomorrow, we're moving on. First, we'll go to that town up ahead and get us a breakfast. I've already asked where I might get a job, so we'll go looking later. We'll do lots of walking."

"Okay."

The next day, they went to the town and ate breakfast. Joyce also bought them sunglasses, so their swollen eyes wouldn't be visible, and they avoided the main roads. In the town, the girls looked around curiously, because they had never been there before.

After breakfast, they started looking for a job. There were three large farms, but none of them needed Joyce. So they returned to the town and got a room for the night.

The next morning, Joyce bought them bus tickets to another town. They didn't have any luck there either, but in the next town they finally found a farm that was willing to take them.

"But I only got one more room left," Mrs Williams said.

"That's okay," Joyce said. "The girls can sleep on the bed and I'll sleep in my sleeping bag."

"Okay then. And the girls won't be in the way?"

"No. In fact, they can help me clean."

"Very well then. Come."

They went upstairs to their room.

"This is it," Mrs Williams said. "The bathroom is over there."

"Very nice," Joyce said.

"Why don't you unpack. Then come downstairs so I can show you around and tell you the rules and your duties."

"Okay. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Mrs Williams said and left.

"Okay, girls, let's put our stuff away," Joyce said.

"Where do we put it?" Faith asked.

"Put your toys on the bed and the rest in the closet."

"Okay."

The girls took their stuffed teddies out and then put the bags in the closet.

"Okay, girls, come here," Joyce said when they were done. The girls came to her. "Now, remember, keep your shirts on at all times, you don't want people to see the welts and start asking questions. As for the bruises on your faces, we ran into a drunk biker, who hit you. Okay?"

"Okay," the girls said in unison.

Joyce smiled.

"Good."

"Can we call you Mommy?" Buffy asked.

Joyce blinked startled. She thought about it for a moment.

"I suppose, since you're supposed to be my daughters."

Buffy smiled.

"Cool."

Joyce smiled as well and caressed her.

"Okay, let's go see Mrs Williams now."

"Okay."

The girls took her hands and they went downstairs.

In the evening, Joyce helped the girls wash and afterwards she applied the salve to their welts. After they put on their night t-shirts, Joyce took a shower herself. When she returned to the room, the girls were quietly chatting. She smiled at them and then put on the t-shirt she was using as nightshirt.

"So, what do you think?" she asked as she kneeled on her sleeping bag.

"It's nice here," Faith said.

"And they have animals," Buffy added, excitedly.

Joyce smiled.

"Yes. And if you behave and stay out of the way, I'll see if Mrs Williams will let you help her with them."

The girls' eyes went wide.

"Really?"

"Yes. But Mrs Williams has to see that you're responsible girls first. Okay? That's why I want you to stick close to me and help me with my work."

"Okay."

"And guess what, I'll give you a part of my earnings."

The girls' eyes went wide.

"Really?" Faith said.

"Yes. I mean, you will be helping me, which means you will earn that money. It's only fair, don't you think?" The girls nodded, agape. "Good. Oh yes, in the afternoon, I will continue to teach you how to read and write. And other stuff." She smiled. "Now get under the covers, we have a long day tomorrow."

The girls quickly moved, and Joyce covered them.

"Night, girls," she said and caressed them both.

"Night, Mommy," Buffy said.

"Night, Mommy," Faith said.

Joyce smiled, a part of her wishing that there was some way she could adopt them. She turned off the light and turned in herself.

A month later, Joyce found out she was pregnant. While she didn't mind having a baby, she was a bit worried as to how to take care of it. Plus, she was a bit shocked, because she thought that her pills worked. Obviously they didn’t.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" Faith asked when she saw her thoughtful face.

Joyce smiled at her.

"Nothing's wrong. Where's Buffy?"

"Buffy!" Faith called.

Buffy came running.

"Yes?"

"Come here, girls," Joyce said.

The girls went to her and sat on the bed. Joyce put her arms around them.

"What is it, Mommy?"

"I'm pregnant."

The girls' eyes went wide.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"How do you know?" Faith asked, looking at her belly.

"Well, my period is late and I bought a pregnancy test."

"What's a period?"

"I'll tell you about it when you're older."

"How did you get pregnant?" Buffy asked.

Joyce thought for a moment.

"Well, uh, I had sex with a man before I met you."

"Oh."

"Did he hurt you?" Faith asked.

Joyce smiled softly.

"No, he didn't. We both wanted to have sex."

"Oh."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Buffy asked.

"It's still too early to tell."

"When will you know?"

"In a couple of months."

"Can we babysit?" Faith asked.

Joyce smiled.

"Of course."

"Cool," Faith said, excited.

"Can we tell Mrs Williams?" Buffy asked.

"Sure."

The girls ran off, excited. Joyce sighed and went after them, hoping Mrs Williams knew where she could get a job for the winter.

"So, I hear the girls are getting a little brother or sister," Mrs Williams said with a smile when Joyce came downstairs.

Joyce smiled.

"Yes."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks." Joyce hesitated for a moment. "Do you know where I could get a good job for the winter?"

Mrs Williams thought for a few moments.

"Well, I might have something for you here. I'm not sure yet. And I'll ask around."

"Thanks." She looked at the girls. "Come on, girls, time to study."

"Can you tell us more about babies, Mommy?" Faith asked.

Joyce smiled.

"Looks like we're doing a biology lesson today," she told Mrs Williams, who smiled as well. "Sure," she told the girls. "Come."

Later in the afternoon, when Joyce was downstairs and Faith was in the bathroom, Buffy was looking out the window.

"Faith! Faith!" she called, wide-eyed, when she saw two women kissing outside.

"Just a second!" Faith called.

"Come quick!"

A few moments later Faith came running from the bathroom.

"What is it?"

"Look," Buffy said and pointed through the window. "They're kissing."

Faith looked, curious as to see what was so special about it. She had seen men and women kiss before. But when she saw it wasn't a man and a woman, her eyes went wide.

"They're both girls!" she said, surprised.

Buffy nodded.

"Uh-huh." She stared at them for a few moments. "It's pretty."

Faith smiled at her.

"Uh-huh."

"Something wrong, girls?" Joyce asked as she came in.

The girls looked at her.

"They're kissing," Buffy said.

"And they're both girls," Faith added.

Joyce went to the window and looked out. She smiled when she saw two of the season workers kissing.

"Yes."

"But they're both girls."

"So?"

Faith frowned.

"I thought only boys and girls are supposed to kiss."

Joyce smiled again.

"Actually, girls can kiss girls and boys can kiss boys," she said.

"Really?" Faith said and looked out again.

"Yes." Joyce thought for a moment. "Remember the biology lesson about babies?" The girls looked at her, nodding. "Well, only a man and a woman can make a baby together, but two men or two women can also fall in love, although they can't make a baby together."

"Oh," Faith said. The girls looked outside again. "They're in love?"

Joyce glanced at the women.

"Probably, yes."

"Are they gonna get married?"

Joyce shrugged.

"Who knows," she said, ignoring the fact that gay marriage was not really an option at the moment.

"Cool."

Joyce smiled.

Finally, the D day arrived, the Dawn day. Joyce already knew it was a girl and she had decided to name her Dawn. She didn't want to give birth in a hospital, because she was worried about the girls, so she arranged to give birth at Mrs Williams'. She had a midwife run the show, but she'd told Mrs Williams to ask the midwife to involve the girls as well. The girls were more than excited that they could help deliver their baby sister.

Finally, after seven long hours of labor, Dawn decided to come out. The midwife wrapped her and cleaned her, and then gave her to Joyce.

"Thank you," Joyce told the midwife. She looked at her baby girl. "Hey, Dawnie," she said and caressed her with a finger. Dawn yawned and grabbed the finger. "Tired, huh?" Joyce said with a smiled and kissed her.

Now that the birth was over, Mrs Williams helped the midwife clean up, because the girls were busy staring at their little sister, wide-eyed.

"Come, say hello to your sister," Joyce told the girls with a smile.

The girls quickly came closer.

"Can we touch her?" Buffy asked.

"Sure."

The girls carefully reached out and gently touched Dawn.

"She's soft," Faith said.

"And warm," Buffy added.

"She's cute."

"Uh-huh," Buffy agreed.

"Yes, she is, isn't she?" Joyce said with a smile.

"Okay, girls, your mommy needs to rest now and the baby is likely to fall asleep as well," the midwife said.

The girls backed off, and the midwife took Dawn and put her in the crib that Mrs Williams had provided.

"Can we watch her, Mommy?" Buffy asked.

Joyce smiled at them.

"Sure."

The girls ran to the crib.

Five months later, one of the new workers told Joyce he knew the girls weren't hers. He was trying to blackmail her into sleeping with him. Joyce, who had actually liked him, called his bluff. But the man wasn't bluffing, as she found out later that same morning.

When two police cars approached the farm with their sirens on, the girls ran to Joyce, scared.

"Shh, it's okay," Joyce tried to calm them, hugging Dawn tighter, suddenly very worried.

Mrs Williams came out to see what the racket was all about. When Joyce saw her point towards her, she swallowed hard.

"They're coming here," Faith said, terrified, and hugged Joyce's leg tighter.

"Girls, don't panic, okay? Everything's gonna be okay."

"Joyce Summers?" the Sheriff asked as he and his deputies came closer.

"Yes?" Joyce said. "Is there a problem?"

"Well, we got a report about you."

"Let me guess, from Roy Boone."

The Sheriff blinked, startled.

"Uh, yes."

"You can tell him to shove it. I'm not going to sleep with him," Joyce said, trying to avoid the reason why they came.

"Yes, well, I'm sure he's figured it out by now," the Sheriff said. "But we still need to investigate. Are the girls yours?"

"Of course they're mine."

"Do you have any papers?"

"Only Dawn's, because she was born here."

"I see. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to come with us to the station until we can clear this up."

Joyce tensed as she felt the girls hug her tighter.

"Can't we stay here? You could leave a deputy here."

"I'm afraid not. Let's go."

"Look, the girls are afraid of police," Joyce said, suddenly very worried when two of the deputies went after Buffy and Faith.

"Mommy," Buffy said quietly, scared.

"It's okay, sweetie. Faith? Faith?" Faith just clung to Joyce's leg, breathing shallowly. She was terrified. "Buffy, see to Faith, please."

Buffy was about to respond when the two deputies got to her. She screamed. A moment later, Faith screamed as well.

"Sheriff, please!" Joyce said, worried, trying to keep her balance as the deputies tried to separate the girls from her. "They're terrified."

"Not so rough, guys," the Sheriff told his deputies.

"Sheriff, really," Mrs Williams said, shocked, as she came closer.

The deputies finally tore the girls away. The girls screamed and tried to break free.

"Let them go!" Joyce said and started after the deputies.

"Miss Summers, please," the Sheriff said as he restrained her.

"Can't you see they're scared?" Joyce said angrily. "Let them stay here, I'll come with you. Please."

"We have to follow the procedure, Ma'am."

"Then at least let them ride with me."

"Can't do that."

"Sheriff, is this really necessary?" Mrs Williams asked, worried about the girls, as she watched the deputies put them in one of the cars.

"I'm afraid so, Ma'am." He looked at Joyce. "Come, Miss Summers."

Joyce sighed and followed him.

When they got to the station, the girls screamed and tried to get to Joyce, but the deputies picked them up and carried them inside.

"Girls! Calm down! Please! It's gonna be okay!" Joyce called after them. "Could you please tell them to be gentle," Joyce told the Sheriff, worried.

"They're trying, but the girls are hard to handle."

"Of course they are, they're scared."

They went inside and Joyce was taken to the cells. Fortunately, nobody had tried to take Dawn away from her. She could hear the girls scream for a while longer, but then they stopped.

A few minutes later, the Sheriff came by and took her statement.

An hour later, a woman came by.

"Miss Summers?"

Joyce looked at her.

"Yes?"

"I'm Natalie Ross. I'm a social worker."

Joyce got up.

"How are the girls?" she asked as she approached the bars.

"They're scared."

"Where are they?"

"They put them in the interrogation room."

"What?!" Joyce said, upset. "Are they crazy?"

"Ma'am, please, I need some help."

"With what?"

"The girls. I've tried talking to them, but they just huddle in the corner and stare at me."

"First of all, keep the police away from them, they're terrified of them, especially Faith."

"Do you know why?"

Joyce thought for a moment.

"The girls never spoke about it, but I got the feeling that some police officers molested them, at least Faith."

"Oh. I see."

"And get them in a better room. An office or something."

"I will." Miss Ross thought for a moment. "I read your statement."

"Then you know why I didn't go to the police or take them to the closest social services," Joyce said, guessing what Miss Ross wanted to ask, because the Sheriff had asked her the same thing.

"I see."

"I'd like to adopt them."

"I'm not sure that's possible."

"Why?"

"Well, for starters, they have their parents."

Joyce snorted.

"Those people are no parents, they're animals. Tell them to show you their backs and you'll see what I mean."

"We'll see. In any case, they've been notified that…"

"Are you crazy?!" Joyce said, worried. "They'll kill them."

"Miss Summers…"

"Don't Miss Summers me. Those people are crazy."

"I'll tell the Sheriff to be extra careful."

Joyce sighed.

"And when you see that they're not good parents? Can I adopt them then?"

"You have no permanent address and no steady income."

"I'm sure I can get a permanent job at Mrs Williams' farm. Which means I'll also have a permanent address."

"We'll see. I'm only trying to figure out what's best for the girls."

Joyce snorted.

"Everyone keeps saying that, but no one's doing anything about it."

Miss Ross stared at her for a few moments awkwardly and then left.

Half an hour later, Mrs Williams finally came.

"Joyce."

Joyce looked at her.

"Mrs Williams," she said and got up.

"How are you, honey?"

"I'm fine. Have you seen the girls yet?"

"No. I'm on my way to see them now. Here, I brought you a nappy for Dawn."

"Thank you," Joyce said as she took it. "The social worker, Miss Ross, she said the girls are scared. They put them in the interrogation room."

"What?" Mrs Williams said, appalled.

"I told her to move them and to keep the police away from them."

Mrs Williams sighed.

"They asked me to talk to them. Apparently Miss Ross didn't have any success either."

Joyce sighed.

"Tell them I love them. And to be brave."

Mrs Williams nodded, smiling.

"I will." She hesitated for a moment. "I see you really love them."

"Of course, they're my daughters," Joyce said. "Maybe not by blood, but they're still my daughters."

Mrs Williams smiled.

"I'll try to calm them down."

"Thank you."

After Miss Ross told her what she wanted, Mrs Williams entered the office into which they'd moved the girls.

Her heart broke when she saw the girls huddled in the corner behind the sofa, tears streaming down their cheeks.

"Hello, girls," she said.

"Mrs Williams," Buffy said.

Mrs Williams quickly went to them and hugged them.

"Shh, it's okay."

"We want our mommy," Buffy said in a small voice.

"I know, sweetie, I know."

"They took her and Dawnie away."

"Don't worry, she's okay."

That got the girls' attention.

"You saw her?" Faith asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes. She's fine, and Dawn too. She sends you her love."

"Can we see her?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid. The police first want to hear your story, so they can verify it."

"And then they'll let us see Mommy?"

"I hope so, sweetie." Mrs Williams sighed. "So, I hear she found you in your hideout."

Buffy nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Why were you there?"

Buffy hesitated.

"Our daddies beat us."

"Why?"

"We were playing together."

"Playing?"

Buffy nodded.

"Uh-huh. We were building sand castles."

"And throwing stones in the water," Faith said.

"I see," Mrs Williams said. "And they beat you for that?"

The girls nodded.

"We weren't supposed to play together," Buffy said.

"Why not?"

"Daddy said Faith's family was bad."

"And my daddy said Buffy's family was bad," Faith added.

"But we're still best friends."

"And now we're sisters."

Mrs Williams smiled.

"And what happened when she found you?"

"She took care of us," Faith said.

"Took care of you?"

Faith nodded.

"Uh-huh. Buffy was feeling really sick, but Mommy put some medical stuff on her back and it made her heal faster. And she put it on my back too."

"Can I see?"

The girls tensed.

"Do you have to?" Buffy asked.

"It would help a lot."

The girls looked at one another and then slowly got up. They raised their t-shirts and showed Mrs Williams and Miss Ross their backs.

"My god," Mrs Williams said when she saw the welts. She moved aside to let Miss Ross see. "Thank you, girls," she said after a few moments. The girl lowered their t-shirts again and turned around. "Why don't you two sit on the sofa, it's more comfortable there." The girls did so. "And what happened after you two were okay?"

"We went to town and had breakfast," Buffy said.

Faith nodded.

"Uh-huh. Mommy tried to find a job, but she couldn’t, so we went on a bus and went to another town. She couldn't find a job there either, so we went to another town and found you."

Mrs Williams smiled.

"Thank you." She looked at Miss Ross. "Anything else you want to know?"

Miss Ross thought for a moment.

"Was that the first time your parents beat you?" she asked.

The girls tensed and shook their heads.

"Uh-uh," Faith said.

"Why did they beat you before?"

"They said I was bad," Buffy said.

"Me too," Faith said.

"They were mean."

"Uh-huh," Faith agreed, nodding.

"Well, thank you," Miss Ross said, thoughtfully.

Mrs Williams smiled at the girls.

"Listen, girls, I have to go back to the farm right now, but I'll come back later and bring you some pie. Okay?"

"Okay," Faith said.

"Will you go see Mommy?" Buffy asked.

"Yes. I'll tell her you miss her."

Faith nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"In the mean time, Miss Ross will keep you company."

"What about the police?" Faith asked, wide-eyed.

"Don't worry, they won't hurt you."

"Promise?"

Mrs Williams stared at her for a moment.

"I promise." She hesitated for a moment. "You don't like the police?"

Faith tensed and shook her head.

"Uh-huh, they're mean."

"Did… Did they do anything to you?"

Faith looked at her hands, and Buffy put her arm around her protectively.

"They… They touched me and called me nasty names and they made me touch them."

"And what did your parents do?"

"They laughed."

Mrs Williams caressed her.

"Don't worry, they won't do that again." She thought for a moment. "Would you like to draw some pictures for your mommy?"

Faith looked up.

"Pictures?" Buffy asked.

"Sure. It would help you pass the time."

"Okay."

Mrs Williams got up and looked at Miss Ross.

"Will you get them something to draw with?"

"Sure. Can you stay here a minute longer, I just need to speak with Sheriff Watson."

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you," Miss Ross said and quickly left.

"Joyce," Mrs Williams said when she got back to Joyce's cell

"Did you see them?" Joyce asked.

"Yes."

"Are they okay?"

"They're scared, but not as much as before. I got them to draw some pictures for you."

Joyce smiled a little.

"Thank you."

Mrs Williams hesitated for a moment.

"I got them to tell me their story."

Joyce sighed.

"And?"

"Miss Ross seemed satisfied."

Joyce snorted.

"Bitch," she murmured.

Mrs Williams smiled for a moment.

"Anyway, I got Faith to tell my why she's so afraid of the police."

That got Joyce's attention.

"Why?" she said, having a bad feeling she already knew.

"Her parents let some police officers molest her."

Joyce sighed.

"I was afraid of that."

"Anyway, Miss Ross is keeping the girls company. Seems seeing the welts on the girls' backs convinced her that you did the right thing."

Joyce nodded.

"I only hope she'll let me adopt them."

Mrs Williams smiled.

"I already gave the Sheriff my statement and if you ever need another one for Miss Ross, let me know."

Joyce nodded.

"Thank you."

"I have to go back to the farm, but I'll come back later."

"Okay."

Two hours later, Dawn needed a nappy change, and Joyce convinced the Sheriff to let one of the female deputies take her to the ladies room. She was just wiping Dawn when she heard yelling outside.

The deputy went to the door and looked out.

"What's wrong?" Joyce asked.

"Just some people getting upset over something," the deputy said.

"Oh."

"Wait here," the deputy said and left.

Joyce glanced toward the door and then finished wiping Dawn. She threw away the dirty paper towels and then put on the new nappy. She dressed Dawn and picked her up.

"Feeling better, sweetie?" she asked her and kissed her on the nose.

Dawn babbled something, and Joyce smiled.

She waited for a while and then shooting suddenly started. Joyce suddenly had a very bad feeling about it. She went to the door and looked out. She could see some dirty people shooting around and hitting one another, occasionally even shooting at one another. She realized that they were Buffy's and Faith's parents.

Then she noticed an office door open and quickly close. She briefly saw a head and she guessed it was Miss Ross. As she considered what to do, she saw a woman with a rifle approach that office. She realized the girls were in danger. She quickly ran outside and body-slammed the woman away from the door. Then she quickly entered the office and looked around.

"Girls?"

"Mommy?" came from behind the sofa.

"Girls," Joyce said, relieved, and ran to them.

"Mommy!"

Joyce hugged the girls.

"Shh, it's okay." Then the door crashed open. Joyce glanced toward it and saw the woman aim the rifle at her. "Get down!" she called and lifted herself a bit so that she was covering the girls completely.

There was a loud bang and she felt pain in her left shoulder. Then she heard a click. She glanced toward the door and saw the woman reloading.

"Hold Dawn," she said and gave the baby to Faith.

She got up and ran to the woman. She grabbed her rifle and they struggled for a few moments. Joyce finally gave the woman a head butt. The woman shrieked and let go of the rifle. Joyce grabbed the barrel and swung the rifle. She hit the woman in the head, and the woman went down without a sound. Joyce quickly looked out and saw that Sheriff and the deputies were driving the crazy people away. She dropped the rifle and closed the door. Then she hurried back to the girls.

"Is everyone…" She trailed off, wide-eyed, when she saw blood on Dawn and Faith. "My god!"

"It's okay, Mommy, they're not hurt," Buffy said.

"You sure?" Joyce asked and checked them out.

"Uh-huh," Buffy said, nodding.

"Thank god," Joyce said and hugged them.

The girls hugged her back and started sobbing.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay."

"That was my mommy," Faith said in a small voice.

"Oh." Joyce sighed. "I missed you so much."

The girls burst into tears, and Joyce just quietly held them.

When the girls finally calmed down, Joyce let go of them.

"Are you gonna stay with us now, Mommy?"

Joyce sighed.

"I hope so, sweetie."

"Mommy, you're hurt," Faith said, wide-eyed.

Joyce suddenly remembered the pain.

"Oh," she said, looking at her shoulder. She lifted the sleeve of her t-shirt and took a closer look at the wound. It was a surface wound, but it left a nasty gash. She felt a little dizzy. She looked around. "Buffy, get me that roll of paper towels."

Buffy ran to the fetch the towels, and Joyce sat on the sofa. Faith joined her. She had some trouble getting on because she was holding Dawn, but Joyce helped her.

"Shh, it's okay, Dawnie," Faith then said softly as she tried to calm the crying Dawn. "Mommy's okay."

Joyce smiled.

"Here, Mommy," Buffy said as she returned with the roll.

Joyce moved to the edge of the sofa.

"Roll it around the wound," she told Buffy.

Buffy did so. She was a little awkward at first, but then she got used to it. She kept wrapping the towels until no wet patch could be seen.

"Okay, that's enough," Joyce then said and tore off the rest of the roll. She looked at Faith. "Faith, give me your scrunchie."

Faith took off her scrunchie and gave it to Joyce.

"Buffy, hold the towels, please."

Buffy held the towels, and Joyce tolled the scrunchie up her arm, so it held the makeshift bandage tight. Joyce then leaned back and closed her eyes, feeling a little week.

"Mommy?" Buffy said, worried, as she sat next to her.

Joyce opened her eyes and smiled at her.

"Just feeling a little weak," she said as she put her arm around her.

Buffy leaned on her.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Faith asked, worried.

Joyce looked at her.

"Yes, it's just a small wound," she said and carefully put her wounded arm around Faith and Dawn, who had calmed a little.

"It didn't look small."

"I know."

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes, somewhat."

"Oh."

Then Miss Ross looked from behind the desk. Joyce gave her an angry look.

"You were supposed to protect them," she said, upset.

"I…" Miss Ross started, feeling ashamed.

"Are you convinced now that I didn't kidnap them?"

"Uh, yes."

"Can I adopt them now that their parents tried to turn this station into OK Corral?"

"I.. Uh, I need to check out the paperwork first."

Joyce rolled her eyes.

"Bureaucrats," she murmured.

Then the Sheriff looked in.

"Everyone okay?" he asked.

"I got shot in the arm," Joyce said.

The Sheriff looked at the makeshift bandage.

"Is it bad?"

"I'll probably need stitches."

"Okay. The doctor's on his way."

"Okay." Joyce hesitated for a moment. "Can I stay here with the girls?"

The Sheriff looked at Miss Ross, who nodded.

"Sure, why not. And besides, you'll be a free woman once I do the paperwork. Considering what these rednecks just did, there's no wonder the girls ran away."

"Is everyone okay?" Miss Ross asked.

"Deputy Marley got killed."

"Oh," Miss Ross said. "I'm sorry."

The Sheriff sighed.

"Stay here while we clean up."

"We will."

The Sheriff left.

"Can you get me some water?" Joyce asked Miss Ross.

"Uh, sure."

"Two cups, please."

"Okay."

Joyce looked at the girls.

"You thirsty?"

The girls nodded.

"Uh-huh," Buffy said.

Miss Ross quickly returned with two cups of water.

"Thank you," Joyce said as she took one with her right hand. "Give the other to Buffy."

"Here," Miss Ross said and gave the other cup to Buffy.

"Thank you," Buffy said.

"Can you get two more, please?" Joyce said.

"Sure."

Miss Ross left and by the time she returned, Joyce was done with her cup.

"Give the other one to Faith, please," she said as she took one of the cups.

"Here," Miss Ross said and gave the other cup to Faith.

"Thank you," Faith said.

Half an hour later, the doctor came in.

"Which one of you got shot?" he asked.

"Me," Joyce said and stopped hugging the girls.

"Well, that's a first," the doctor said, eyeing the makeshift bandage, as Joyce sat on the edge of sofa.

"It was the first thing that came to mind," Joyce said and took off the scrunchie. "Here you go, sweetie," she said and gave it back to Faith.

The doctor carefully removed the paper bandage and examined the wound.

"Messy, but not critical. You'll need stitches though," he said.

"I know."

"Here, hold the skin together." Joyce did so. The doctor took out a spray. "This'll disinfect the wound. It'll also numb it somewhat, so it won't hurt as much," he said as he sprayed the wound.

Joyce bit her teeth.

When the doctor was done bandaging Joyce's wound, Joyce leaned back.

"Thank you," she said.

"No problem. You'll need to have the wound checked in a couple of days. And you'll need to change your bandages as well."

"I know." Joyce glanced at the girls, hesitating. "Can you check their backs?"

The doctor looked at Buffy and Faith.

"Were they hurt?"

"Not in the shooting." She looked at the girls. "Girls, show him your backs."

"Do we have to?" Buffy asked.

"He may be able to do something about the scars."

"Okay."

Joyce took Dawn from Faith, and the girls got up. They turned around and showed the doctor their backs.

"My god," the doctor said, surprised. "Who did this?"

"Their parents."

"I see." He ran his fingers across the girls' back, making them tense. "This is old. When did it happen?"

"About a year ago."

The doctor sighed.

"Well, this has healed as much as it's going to."

"You can't do anything?"

"I'm afraid not. Except for a skin transplant there's not much anyone can do."

Joyce sighed, disappointed.

"Okay, girls, you can lower your shirts now."

The girls lowered their t-shirts and climbed back on the sofa.

"Do you want me to hold Dawnie, Mommy?" Faith asked.

Joyce smiled at her.

"Sure," she said and turned to her.

"Joyce," Mrs Williams said as she entered, relieved, when she saw Joyce and the girls were okay.

"Hello, Mrs Williams," Joyce said and decided to hold Dawn for a while longer when she saw that Mrs Williams had brought the promised pies.

"Are you okay?" Mrs Williams asked, worried, when she saw the bandage.

"I'm fine, just a bullet wound."

"Bullet!"

"Yes. I'll be fine."

"And the girls?"

"They're okay."

"Good," Mrs Williams said, relieved. "Look what I got, girls," she said with a smile, and approached the girls.

"Pie!" Faith said, excited.

"Yes," Mrs Williams said and gave her one. She gave the other to Buffy. "Here you go."

"Thank you," Faith said.

"Thank you," Buffy said.

"Haven't they fed them?" Mrs Williams asked as the girls dug in with gusto.

"No, I don't think so."

"You?"

"No. I think the only one who got fed was Dawnie." Mrs Williams smiled. "Could you please get us some water."

"Sure," Mrs Williams said and left.

Joyce looked at the girls.

"Not so fast, girls," she said with a smile.

Mrs Williams quickly returned with three cups.

"Here," she said and let Joyce take the first one.

"Thank you," Joyce said.

Mrs Williams gave the other two cups to the girls.

"Thank you," Buffy said.

"Thank you," Faith said.

"The Sheriff said he's letting you go," Mrs Williams said.

"Yes," Joyce said.

"Good. I'll wait here then."

"That won't be necessary. I'm staying here with the girls."

Mrs Williams frowned.

"Here?"

"The social services still have to decide what to do with them."

Mrs Williams looked at Mrs Ross.

"Surely you can let them return to the farm with their mother," she said.

Miss Ross sighed.

"I'll call my superior, see where she stands."

"Okay."

Mrs Williams looked at Joyce.

"I'll go call Jennifer and tell her that I'll be a while."

"Okay," Joyce said.

"Here we are," Mrs Williams said as she stopped the car when they got back to the farm.

The girls quickly got out and then ran to the passenger door to help Joyce.

"Thank you," Joyce said with a smile as she got up.

"Girls, why don't you run to the kitchen and see if Jennifer has lunch ready," Mrs Williams said.

"Okay," Faith said, and then she and Buffy ran in.

"They must be starving," Mrs Williams said with a smile.

"I'm starving," Joyce said.

"Yes. Anyway, I want you to rest today and tomorrow you can sleep in. I'll also see if I can find something easier for you to do. I imagine you might have some difficulties cleaning with a wounded arm."

"Thank you," Joyce said.

Mrs Williams hesitated for a moment.

"What do you want me to do about Roy? I don't trust him much."

Joyce sighed.

"I don't either." She thought for a moment. "I don't know. I mean… No, I don't want him around the girls."

Mrs Williams nodded.

"I'll take care of it."

"Thank you."

In the evening, Joyce and the girls turned in early.

"Mommy, will you sleep with us?" Faith asked as Joyce tucked them in. "Please."

"Uh-huh," Buffy agreed, nodding.

Joyce smiled.

"Okay. Buffy, move over."

Buffy quickly moved to the other side of the bed. Joyce lay next to her. She waited for Faith to lie down as well, and then covered them all. She turned off the light, and the girls cuddled up to her.

"Night, girls," she said and gave each a kiss on the top of the head.

"Night, Mommy," Faith said.

"Night, Mommy," Buffy said.

The next morning, Joyce was the first to wake. When she found the girls cuddled up to her, she smiled and gave each a kiss on the top of the head. Then she closed her eyes and lay still until the girls woke up.

Faith was the first.

"Morning, sweetie," Joyce said with a smile when Faith yawned and stretched.

Faith opened her eyes and smiled.

"Morning, Mommy."

"Feeling better?"

Faith nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Then Buffy woke up as well.

"Morning, sweetie," Joyce said.

Buffy smiled.

"Morning, Mommy."

"Feeling okay?"

Buffy nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"Good. How about we get up now."

"Okay."

"Good morning, Mrs Williams," Buffy said when they got to the kitchen.

"Good morning," Faith added.

Mrs Williams smiled at them.

"Good morning, girls."

"Morning," Joyce said.

"Good morning, Joyce. How is your arm?"

"Much better."

"Hungry?"

"Uh-huh," Faith said with a nod.

"Why don't you sit down and I'll get you your breakfast."

Joyce and the girls quickly sat down, and Mrs Williams served breakfast.

"Thank you," Joyce said.

Mrs Williams smiled.

"No problem," she said and sat down as well. "By the way, Jennifer has volunteered to take over your duties until your arm gets better."

"Really? What will I do?"

"You can help me in the kitchen."

"Okay."

"What do we do?" Buffy asked.

Joyce thought for a moment.

"You can help Jennifer."

"Okay."

In the afternoon, while the girls were napping after lunch, a visitor came. Mrs Williams went to meet him.

"Hello," she said when the man approached the door.

"Uh, hello. Is this the Williams farm?"

"Yes."

"I was told I could find Miss Joyce Summers here."

"By who?"

"Sheriff Watson."

"I see. And you are?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the man said and reached into his pocket. "Daniel Royce. I'm the attorney of Miss Summers' grandmother."

"Grandmother?" Mrs Williams said, startled.

"Yes. Could I speak with her?"

"Sure. Come in."

The attorney entered and followed Mrs Williams to the living room. Mrs Williams then went to fetch Joyce.

"Joyce, you have a visitor," she said when she got to her room.

Joyce looked at her.

"Me?"

"Yes. It's your grandmother's attorney."

Joyce frowned.

"My grandmother's?"

"That's what he said."

"I didn't know I had a grandmother."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Come, he's waiting downstairs."

Joyce put away the book, looked at the girls, who were all napping, and then followed Mrs Williams downstairs.

"Hello," Mr Royce said when they returned.

"Uh, hello," Joyce said.

"I'm Daniel Royce, your grandmother's attorney."

"I didn't know I had a grandmother."

"Yes, I'm aware of that. I represent your mother's mother, Mrs Janice Bell."

"How come I never heard of her?"

"She and your mother had a… a fallout over her choice of husband."

Joyce frowned.

"My grandmother didn't like my father?"

"Yes. Mrs Bell had tried to make up with your mother several times, but it seems your mother was too mad with her. Anyway, after your parents' death, Mrs Bell tried to find you, but you'd disappeared. The only lead we had was when you took the GED. That is, until you'd been arrested yesterday."

"Oh. What does she want?"

"She would very much like to meet you. She's hoping you would come back to her."

Joyce thought about it for a few moments.

"Is she wealthy?"

Mr Royce frowned.

"Yes."

"I have three daughters. Would she mind if I bring them along?"

Mr Royce thought for a moment.

"Well, I suggest you ask her yourself, Ma'am," he said and took out his cell phone.

"Now?"

"Sure. That way there won't be any misunderstandings."

"Uh, okay," Joyce said uncertainly, glancing at Mrs Williams.

Mr Royce dialed the number.

"Hello?" Mrs Bell answered.

"Hello, Mrs Bell, it's me."

"Daniel! Good news, I hope."

"Yes, Ma'am, I found her."

"That's wonderful! How is she?"

"She's fine. In fact, she would like to speak with you."

"She's there?" Mrs Bell said, excited. "Put her on."

Mr Royce handed the phone to Joyce.

"Uh, hello?" Joyce said, a bit nervous.

"Joyce?"

"Yes."

"It's so good to finally hear your voice. I thought I'd never find you. Are you okay? I heard you'd been arrested."

"I'm fine."

"Talk to Daniel about the legal stuff, he can help you."

"I'm not in jail anymore."

"You're not? That's wonderful. Oh, Daniel said you wanted to speak with me."

"Yes." Joyce hesitated for a moment. "I have three daughters."

"Really? That's wonderful," Mrs Bell said, excited. "I can't wait to meet them."

Joyce thought for a moment.

"You want us to move in with you?"

"If that's okay with you. The house is big enough. Too big. And I'd love to have children around."

Joyce breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay." She hesitated for a moment. "I still need to adopt two of the girls. Can Mr Royce help?"

"Yes, of course." There was a brief pause. "The girls, they're the reason you were arrested?"

"Yes."

"But you've been proven innocent?"

"Yes. The social services have decided not to give the girls back to their parents, but they're not sure yet whether I can take them."

"I see. Well, just tell Daniel, he'll help you."

"Okay. Thanks."

"No problem, honey. I'm glad I can help."

"I'll, uh, talk to you later."

"Okay. Give me Daniel, please."

"She wants to talk to you," Joyce said as she gave Mr Royce the phone.

"Yes?" Mr Royce said into the phone.

"Daniel, I want you to help Joyce adopt those two girls and take care of any paperwork."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Thank you. And keep me posted."

"I will."

"Good. Good bye."

"Good bye, Ma'am." Mr Royce put away the phone. "You need my help?" he asked Joyce.

"Yes. Sit down, I'll fill you in."

"Would you like something to drink?" Mrs Williams asked them as they sat down.

"Just some water," Joyce said.

"Coffee?" Mr Royce said.

"No problem," Mrs Williams said and left.

When the girls woke up, Joyce was just breastfeeding Dawn.

"Sleep well?" she asked with a smile.

The girls nodded.

"Uh-huh," Faith said.

Joyce hesitated for a moment.

"I got some great news, girls," she said and waited until they were sitting. "Soon after you took a nap, I got a visit from a lawyer. He told me that my grandmother was still alive and looking for me."

"Really?" Buffy said.

"Yes. I talked to her and she said we could move in with her."

"Where does she live?" Faith asked.

"In LA."

"Where's that?"

"On the west coast."

"Is that far?"

"Pretty far," Joyce said with a smile. "Anyway, the really good news is that he talked to Miss Ross and convinced her to let me adopt you. Now I'm gonna be officially your mommy."

The girls scrambled off the bed, squealing, ran to Joyce and hugged her.

Joyce caressed them, smiling.

"Does that mean they can't take us away from you anymore?" Buffy asked.

"Exactly. But we still have to stay here a couple of days, until Mr Royce takes care of all the paperwork."

"And then we go to your grandma?" Faith asked.

"Yes."

"What is she like?"

"Well, I hadn't met her yet, but she sounded nice. And guess what, you can now go to school."

"Really?" Buffy said, excited.

"Yes. And you'll both go to the same class too."

"Cool," Faith said, excited.

Joyce ruffled her hair, smiling.

"Does Mrs Williams know?" Buffy asked.

"Yes."

"Oh."

"How about you two go freshen up and then make a list of what you'll need for school."

"Okay!"

A week later, Joyce was finally officially Buffy's and Faith's mommy. Mr Royce took care of the girls' papers, so they could fly to LA.

When they arrived to LA, the girls stuck close to Joyce and looked around curiously. Since they didn't have any baggage to pick up, they were out quickly. They only had to wait for Mr Royce for a few minutes. Then he took them to a limo, which took them home.

When they arrived to the estate, Mrs Bell came to greet them.

"Joyce!" she said with a smile when Joyce and the girls came out of the limo.

"Uh, hi," Joyce said.

Mrs Bell smiled at Buffy and Faith.

"Hello."

"Hi," Buffy said shyly as she and Faith pressed themselves closer to Joyce.

"So, these are your daughters," Mrs Bell said to Joyce.

"Yes," Joyce said with a smile. "This one here is Buffy and this one is Faith. And this munchkin here is Dawn."

Mrs Bell came closer.

"She's adorable," she said, looking at Dawn. Then she looked at Buffy and Faith. "And so are you two," she said, making the girls smile.

"Are you Mommy's grandma?" Faith asked.

"Yes. You can call me Grandma."

Faith frowned.

"But you're Mommy's grandma."

"Yes, but calling me Great Grandma would be too long, don't you think?"

"Oh."

"Come on inside." She looked at Joyce. "I'm sorry I didn't come to meet you at the airport, but I was busy getting your rooms ready."

"Yes, Mr Royce said so."

"Is this your house?" Buffy asked as she looked at the house.

Mrs Bell smiled at her.

"Yes."

"It's big. Like Mrs Williams' farm."

"Uh-huh," Faith agreed, nodding. "Are there any animals here?"

"Only birds."

"Oh."

They entered the house and the girls looked around, wide-eyed.

"Nice house," Joyce said.

"Thank you," Mrs Bell said with a smile. "The bedrooms are upstairs." She looked at Mr Royce. "Daniel, please wait here, I'll be right back."

"Yes, Ma'am."

They went upstairs.

"Well, this is it," Mrs Bell said when they got to the rooms. "This room here used to be your mother's, so I thought you'd like to have it." They entered the room. "I didn't change much, I only added the crib for the baby, I thought you'd like to keep her in your room for a while."

Joyce nodded.

"Yes. Thank you."

"That's the bathroom over there."

Joyce looked at the door.

"I have my own bathroom?"

"All rooms do."

"Oh. Wow."

Joyce went to the crib and laid Dawn in it.

Mrs Bell looked at the girls.

"The room across and the next two rooms on either side of the hall are for you. I put the baby stuff in the one across the hall, but we can move that. Why don't you go pick your rooms now."

"Okay," Buffy said.

"Thank you," Joyce said when the girls ran out.

Mrs Bell smiled.

"No problem." She hesitated for a moment. "I hope we can sit down later and talk about your mother. I'd like to hear more about her and I bet you'd like to as well."

Joyce nodded.

"Yes, I'd like to."

"Okay. I need to talk to Daniel now."

"I'll go see what the girls are doing."

"Okay."

Mrs Bell left, and Joyce went to see where the girls were. She found them in the room beside hers.

"Found the room you like?" she asked them with a smile.

The girls nodded.

"Uh-huh," Faith said.

"Can we sleep together?" Buffy asked.

"Sure," Joyce said. She looked around. "You'll stay in this room?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay. Get your stuff from my room and unpack then."

"Okay," Faith said, and they ran to Joyce's room.

Joyce followed them to unpack her own stuff.

When they were all done, Joyce took Dawn and they went downstairs, where Mrs Bell was just saying goodbye to Mr Royce.

"Ah. You picked your rooms?" she asked the girls, who nodded.

"They've decided to share it," Joyce said. "The one next to mine."

"Ah. Okay," Mrs Belle said.

"I'll need some sort of baby phone."

"I knew I forgot something," Mrs Bell said. "Come, let's go to the living room."

They went to the living room and sat on the sofas, Buffy and Faith on either side of Joyce. Mrs Bell smiled at them.

"You like it here?"

The girls nodded.

"Uh-huh," Faith said.

"If you want to change something in your room, just say it."

"Okay."

Mrs Bell looked at Joyce.

"Um, Daniel filled me in on the whole business with your arrest, so I'd like to hear about why you disappeared after your parents died."

Joyce thought for a few moments.

"I wasn't of age yet and I didn't want the social services to take me, so I packed and left."

"But you could've returned when you became of age."

"I know, but I kinda liked the traveling."

"I see." She smiled at the girls. "So I take it your traveling days are over now?"

Joyce smiled at the girls.

"Yes, looks like it."

"Oh, what happened to the personal belongings of your parents? When I got there, it was all gone."

"I put it in a bank safe."

"Oh, good. I was afraid it was lost or stolen."

"No."

"Anyway, I rented out the house. When you didn't come back after a few years, I thought it would be a waste to let it be empty. I didn't sell it, because I thought you might want it."

"Oh."

"Anyway, the rent from the money is on my account. We'll go to the bank tomorrow and open an account for you."

"I already have a bank account."

"Oh. Then we'll transfer the money to your account."

"Okay." She glanced at the girls. "And we can open the accounts for the girls."

"The girls?" Mrs Bell said, startled.

"Yes. They earned some money helping me at Mrs Bell's farm."

"I see. Good. We'll go to the bank first, and then we'll go shopping. I bet the girls would like some new clothes."

"And school stuff," Buffy said excited.

Mrs Bell smiled.

"Are you looking forward to going to school?"

The girls nodded.

"Uh-huh."

"They're both going to the first grade?" Mrs Bell asked Joyce.

"Yes."

"Okay. Now, tell me about your mother. And your father. I wasn't too thrilled over him, as you probably know, but I didn't get to know him very well."

In the evening, the girls were so excited that they almost didn't want to go to bed. Joyce let them stay up a while longer, but when they started to yawn, she ushered them upstairs to their room. The girls quickly got in the bed, and Joyce covered them. Joyce then sat on the edge of the bed and caressed them both, smiling softly.

"Are you happy?" she asked. The girls nodded, smiling back. "Good." She gave each a kiss on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, girls."

"Night, Mommy," Faith said.

"Night, Mommy," Buffy said.

Joyce smiled and went to the door. As she turned to look at the girls one more time, she saw that the girls had already cuddled up to one another. She smiled again and then turned off the light.

The End