Another new one!!!
Geez, I'm just churning them out lately!!!!!!
Read and review. I'll update faster (I promise)!!!!!!!!!!!11
Part 1.
Buffy sighed as she cradled the baby in her arms. She'd seen a lot of horrible things in her life, but a woman abandoning a baby, even though she was a vampire was one of the worst.
She smiled down at him. She hadn't checked, but the blue blanket, hat and jumpsuit all pointed towards the baby being a boy.
She wondered why he'd been abandoned, and how the vampire, scratch that, former-now-a-pile-of-dust-vampire had gotten hold of the baby.
Carefully she ran her fingers over his sleeping face. She had dim memories of Dawn being a baby, but in those memories Dawn had never been this small.
She scooped up her slayer's bag, and the basket full of baby things that had been left with him.
Delicately balancing everything on her right side, she cuddled the baby close to keep him warm.
It was time to head home.
******
When she entered her front door she dropped everything in the hall, exactly where Dawn, Willow and Tara were always telling her not to leave things.
She smiled and sat down on the couch, counting. One, two, three, four...
"Buffy what's all your stuff doing in the hall again? And what's this basket here for?" Willow, Tara and Dawn entered the room, Tara carrying the basket.
Buffy immediately shushed them all, gesturing to the sleeping baby.
"Where did you get that?" Dawn asked, wide eyed.
"I found him, he was in the process of being abandoned by a vampire."
"Don't you mean eaten?" Tara asked.
Buffy shook her head. "He's beautiful isn't he?"
"How do you know it's a boy?" Dawn asked.
"Who'd dress a girl all in blue? Besides he looks like a boy." Buffy answered.
The baby stirred in her arms and began to cry. Buffy stood up and began to bounce him a little as she walked. His cries quieted until they became whimpers.
Willow looked at her in amazement. "Where did you learn to do that?"
"I was around when Dawn was a baby, you know. Plus I have two little god- daughters." she answered. "I didn't know that." Willow replied, "What are their names?"
"Kahlahni and Isabella." Buffy answered.
Carefully Buffy carried him upstairs and laid him on her bed. He didn't wake even as she left the room. The other were silent she moved her slayer bag and walked back into the lounge room.
Willow had her laptop out on the coffee table. "There's no reports of missing babies in California. Boys or girls. There's not even any reports of missing infants in any of the neighboring states."
Buffy looked at her in surprise. "But he's so beautiful and perfect. How could his parents not be missing him?"
Tara perched herself on the edge of the couch. "You said a vampire was abandoning him. If he was kidnapped by vampires his parents might not be able to go to the police."
They sat in silence, considering this.
Buffy yawned widely. "I think I'm gonna head up to bed. I'll get the crib out of the attic tomorrow." With that she picked up the baby's basket and practically danced upstairs.
Willow, Tara and Dawn just watched her.
"Was it just me or did she just..." Dawn began.
"Look happy? Yeah, I noticed that too." Willow finished for her.
They sat in silence a while longer.
The next morning Buffy woke up early. The baby had been a dream throughout the night. He'd only woken once with a wet diaper, wanting to be fed. She'd fed and changed him, now she was sure he was a boy, and then cuddled him back off to sleep.
She was already sitting in the kitchen sipping coffee when everyone else plodded down the stairs.
Willow and Tara smiled gratefully as she poured them both cups of herbal tea. While she did Dawn took a few sips of her coffee. "What's everyone doing today?" she asked in a cheery voice.
All three looked taken aback at her happy, carefree tone.
"I have a chem test today, and my English paper is due. I finished it last night." Dawn chirped, matching Buffy's tone.
"College." Willow and Tara both moaned.
Buffy smiled. "It's not that bad."
"What are you going to do?" Willow asked, sounding more awake than she had.
"I'm just going to spend the day here with Conner. I might even take him to the park later." Buffy answered.
"Conner?" Dawn asked.
"He needs a name. We can't just call him baby can we?" she answered defensively. "When his mom and dad show up they can tell us his real name."
"You mean we're not handing him over to the police?" Willow asked, concerned.
"We can't. What if Tara's right and they can't go to the police. They'll never get him back. Tonight I'll ask Willy if he knows anything, and I'll keep asking around until we find his parents. Besides, he's safer here, with me than he would be anywhere the police put him." Buffy answered.
Willow relented. "You're right. Be careful."
A horn honked outside. Dawn picked up her bag and reached over to kiss Buffy. "That's Xander." Buffy handed her two pieces of toast on a napkin. "Have fun."
Willow and Tara trooped out the door a little later on, leaving Buffy alone in the house with Conner.
She smiled, the house was rarely this peaceful.
Upon re-entering her bedroom, Buffy discovered Conner, wide awake babbling away in his unintelligible baby talk. She smiled and scooped him up, carrying him downstairs to give him another bottle.
He really seemed to like the formula she'd found in the basket. Afterwards she changed his diaper again, and dressed him in a clean jumpsuit, this one navy blue.
Then she carried him back upstairs laying him on her bed, carefully arranging pillows so that he couldn't roll off.
Then she went up to the attic and began looking for the crib she knew was up there.
She dragged it down into her bedroom and removed the dust cover. Still as good as new.
She threw a glance at Conner, who had drifted off to sleep once more, before returning to the attic to find sheets for the crib, among other things.
By the time everyone came home Buffy had set the crib up, taken Conner for a walk to the park, and given him a bath.
Everyone was shocked at the change in her. It was like she no longer begrudged living. Like taking care of Conner had given her a purpose again. And they were all grateful for that, but in the back of Giles' mind when he came around for Slayer training that afternoon, an errant thought persisted. 'What happens when Conner's parents claim him?'
Geez, I'm just churning them out lately!!!!!!
Read and review. I'll update faster (I promise)!!!!!!!!!!!11
Part 1.
Buffy sighed as she cradled the baby in her arms. She'd seen a lot of horrible things in her life, but a woman abandoning a baby, even though she was a vampire was one of the worst.
She smiled down at him. She hadn't checked, but the blue blanket, hat and jumpsuit all pointed towards the baby being a boy.
She wondered why he'd been abandoned, and how the vampire, scratch that, former-now-a-pile-of-dust-vampire had gotten hold of the baby.
Carefully she ran her fingers over his sleeping face. She had dim memories of Dawn being a baby, but in those memories Dawn had never been this small.
She scooped up her slayer's bag, and the basket full of baby things that had been left with him.
Delicately balancing everything on her right side, she cuddled the baby close to keep him warm.
It was time to head home.
******
When she entered her front door she dropped everything in the hall, exactly where Dawn, Willow and Tara were always telling her not to leave things.
She smiled and sat down on the couch, counting. One, two, three, four...
"Buffy what's all your stuff doing in the hall again? And what's this basket here for?" Willow, Tara and Dawn entered the room, Tara carrying the basket.
Buffy immediately shushed them all, gesturing to the sleeping baby.
"Where did you get that?" Dawn asked, wide eyed.
"I found him, he was in the process of being abandoned by a vampire."
"Don't you mean eaten?" Tara asked.
Buffy shook her head. "He's beautiful isn't he?"
"How do you know it's a boy?" Dawn asked.
"Who'd dress a girl all in blue? Besides he looks like a boy." Buffy answered.
The baby stirred in her arms and began to cry. Buffy stood up and began to bounce him a little as she walked. His cries quieted until they became whimpers.
Willow looked at her in amazement. "Where did you learn to do that?"
"I was around when Dawn was a baby, you know. Plus I have two little god- daughters." she answered. "I didn't know that." Willow replied, "What are their names?"
"Kahlahni and Isabella." Buffy answered.
Carefully Buffy carried him upstairs and laid him on her bed. He didn't wake even as she left the room. The other were silent she moved her slayer bag and walked back into the lounge room.
Willow had her laptop out on the coffee table. "There's no reports of missing babies in California. Boys or girls. There's not even any reports of missing infants in any of the neighboring states."
Buffy looked at her in surprise. "But he's so beautiful and perfect. How could his parents not be missing him?"
Tara perched herself on the edge of the couch. "You said a vampire was abandoning him. If he was kidnapped by vampires his parents might not be able to go to the police."
They sat in silence, considering this.
Buffy yawned widely. "I think I'm gonna head up to bed. I'll get the crib out of the attic tomorrow." With that she picked up the baby's basket and practically danced upstairs.
Willow, Tara and Dawn just watched her.
"Was it just me or did she just..." Dawn began.
"Look happy? Yeah, I noticed that too." Willow finished for her.
They sat in silence a while longer.
The next morning Buffy woke up early. The baby had been a dream throughout the night. He'd only woken once with a wet diaper, wanting to be fed. She'd fed and changed him, now she was sure he was a boy, and then cuddled him back off to sleep.
She was already sitting in the kitchen sipping coffee when everyone else plodded down the stairs.
Willow and Tara smiled gratefully as she poured them both cups of herbal tea. While she did Dawn took a few sips of her coffee. "What's everyone doing today?" she asked in a cheery voice.
All three looked taken aback at her happy, carefree tone.
"I have a chem test today, and my English paper is due. I finished it last night." Dawn chirped, matching Buffy's tone.
"College." Willow and Tara both moaned.
Buffy smiled. "It's not that bad."
"What are you going to do?" Willow asked, sounding more awake than she had.
"I'm just going to spend the day here with Conner. I might even take him to the park later." Buffy answered.
"Conner?" Dawn asked.
"He needs a name. We can't just call him baby can we?" she answered defensively. "When his mom and dad show up they can tell us his real name."
"You mean we're not handing him over to the police?" Willow asked, concerned.
"We can't. What if Tara's right and they can't go to the police. They'll never get him back. Tonight I'll ask Willy if he knows anything, and I'll keep asking around until we find his parents. Besides, he's safer here, with me than he would be anywhere the police put him." Buffy answered.
Willow relented. "You're right. Be careful."
A horn honked outside. Dawn picked up her bag and reached over to kiss Buffy. "That's Xander." Buffy handed her two pieces of toast on a napkin. "Have fun."
Willow and Tara trooped out the door a little later on, leaving Buffy alone in the house with Conner.
She smiled, the house was rarely this peaceful.
Upon re-entering her bedroom, Buffy discovered Conner, wide awake babbling away in his unintelligible baby talk. She smiled and scooped him up, carrying him downstairs to give him another bottle.
He really seemed to like the formula she'd found in the basket. Afterwards she changed his diaper again, and dressed him in a clean jumpsuit, this one navy blue.
Then she carried him back upstairs laying him on her bed, carefully arranging pillows so that he couldn't roll off.
Then she went up to the attic and began looking for the crib she knew was up there.
She dragged it down into her bedroom and removed the dust cover. Still as good as new.
She threw a glance at Conner, who had drifted off to sleep once more, before returning to the attic to find sheets for the crib, among other things.
By the time everyone came home Buffy had set the crib up, taken Conner for a walk to the park, and given him a bath.
Everyone was shocked at the change in her. It was like she no longer begrudged living. Like taking care of Conner had given her a purpose again. And they were all grateful for that, but in the back of Giles' mind when he came around for Slayer training that afternoon, an errant thought persisted. 'What happens when Conner's parents claim him?'