Buffy raced down the stairs Faith perched on her hip and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw who was on the other side.

“Thank God you’re here, Giles would kill me if I was late for another meeting. She’s a bit fussy, I think she’s teething but if she gets upset you can give her a juice popsicle but make sure you put her bib on because otherwise you’ll have to give her another bath. She’s been fed and changed so hopefully you won’t have to change her I shouldn’t be too long. I’ve put Giles’ number on the fridge and Dawn is across the street at Janice’s if you really get in trouble. Oh and if you really can’t get her to go down for the night try playing a little Led Zeppelin it usually calms her down,” she said handing the baby over.

“Okay Faithy you be good okay and I’ll be back soon,” she said leaning over and giving the baby a kiss, “thanks again Spike,” she said before hurrying off into the night.

“Well love it’s just you and me now,” he said holding Faith up so that the two of them were eye to eye, “what says we catch the end of Passions and then pop you off to bed just like the Slayer said.”

“No,” Faith replied her face scrunching up before she started to cry.

“Oh, bollocks.”

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“Okay I’m here and I know I’m late but Faith is teething and she was all grumbley and Spike was running late so that made me late so I’m sorry I kept you all waiting,” Buffy rushed into Giles’ living room stopping short when she saw only her Watcher sitting on his couch giving her an amused look, “and now I realise the we is you, where is everyone?” she asked coming to sit down next to him.

“They haven’t arrived as of yet,” he said handing her a cup of tea both of them looking up as Willow, Xander, Anya and Tara burst through the front door.

“We’re so sorry for being late; we didn’t keep you waiting long did we?” Willow rushed.

Buffy looked at her watch and sighed, “It’s okay Will it’s not like I should be out saving the world or anything.”

“We’re sorry Buff, tell you what next time there’s an apocalypse I’ll write you a note so you won’t get in trouble for being late,” Xander said.

“Yes well everyone’s tardiness aside can we please get back to why I called you all here,” Giles interrupted.

“Get back to Giles we were never at it,” Buffy said.

“Oh, right well the reason why I called you all here is that I’ve been contacted by Absentitus, uh Paul and he would like to speak to us about Faith’s situation,” Giles said.

“What about Faith’s situation?” Buffy asked sitting up.

“He wouldn’t say over the phone, he wants you to meet him in the cemetery tonight to discuss,” Giles said.

“You think he’s going to turn her back?” Xander asked.

“I’m not certain, he did say that it was imperative that we speak with him tonight,” Giles said.

“Well then it’s settled then I’m off to meet me a demon,” Buffy said getting up from the couch.

“Wait Buff, as much as I’m for learning everything we can about what made Faith all tiny and making sure that everything is safe with that, a demons a demon I don’t think you should go alone,” Xander said.

“Wasn’t the whole reason Spike came over the other night was to tell us that Paul is completely harmless. It’s more dangerous for me to walk across the road than it is to go and meet him on my own,” Buffy said putting on her jacket.

“Be that as it may perhaps it would be wise for you to have some company,” Giles interjected.

“Well maybe Tara and I can come with you and then you can walk us home so we don’t have to face the terrors of listening to the soon to be weds being all lovey dovey in the car,” Willow said miming sticking her fingers down her throat.

“Xander I believe that was meant to be an insult about us, say something witty and insulting back,” Anya said giving Xander a shove, “Oh threaten to uninvite her from the wedding.”

“What Ahn no Willow’s my best friend I can’t uninvite her from my wedding,” Xander said facing his fiancé.

“Of course, besides she is your best man and uninviting her would involve finding a new one in just two days and strangely all your friends are girls, why is that? And it’s not like we could use Giles he’s old enough to be your father and that would look strange,” Anya said cutting off when Xander put his hand over her mouth and shot Giles an apologetic look.

“Ahn remember when we talked about tact?” he asked and she nodded, “Well this would be one of those times that it would be used.”

“Okay as much as I’m excited that you guys are getting married and that Will is still invited I’ve got a demon to meet with so if you’ll excuse me,” Buffy said heading to the door.

“If you’ll excuse us,” Willow said taking Tara’s hand and following after the blonde Slayer.

“Call me after you’ve spoken with him,” Giles called after their retreating forms, “I am hardly old enough to be his father and I happen to look very dashing in a tuxedo you would be honoured to have me in your wedding party.”

************************************************************************************************

“Come on Nibblet let’s stop these tears,” Spike said holding a screaming Faith. He had tried everything the Slayer had told him would calm her down. The frozen popsicle had ended up thrown on the ground, the Led Zeppelin CD had calmed her down for a short while but her screams soon drowned out those of the lead singers and no amount of swaying or shushing had calmed her down. He was just glad no one was there to see him do the rocking the baby thing, he still had a reputation to uphold it was bad enough the Slayer had asked him to babysit in the first place.

He had to admit that he had gotten along like a house on fire with the former Rogue when she was adult sized and she seemed to have some sort of hold over him in her baby form. He cringed when she let out another wail and sat them both down on the couch with her resting on his lap.

“Ow!” he cried when Faith grabbed one of his fingers and stuck it in her mouth biting down on it, “Hey I’m the vampire here I’m supposed to do the biting.”

The infant’s tears stopped as she chewed on his finger her whole body shaking as she took hitching breaths. Every so often he winced when his finger caught the edge of a sharp tooth that was poking through her gum.

“Huh guess the Slayer was right about you sprouting teeth and now I’m your vampire sized version of a popsicle, at least my not having body heat is good for something,” Spike said handing Faith Buffy’s stuffed pig which he in a panic had grabbed from her bed in an earlier attempt to calm the infant down.

“Lucky I taped Passions so we can watch it now,” he said settling down deeper into the couch and adjusting Faith on his lap so her back was resting against his chest his finger still firmly in her mouth. He could take the occasional bite if it meant she wasn’t screaming the place down and it let him watch his show in peace. He smirked to himself, he was way better at this babysitting thing than he thought.

*******************************************************************************************

“Hi Buffy isn’t it,” the demon’s hideous visage betrayed by his friendly voice, “I’m Paul and I didn’t get the chance to say it the other night but I’m so honoured to have met you, I’m a huge fan.”

“Nice to meet you,” Buffy said her eyes showing her obvious amusement at the demon in front of her.

“I’m sorry about the beating you thing as well, like I told Spike people usually try and put up a fight when you look like me and try and spray them with purple mist so I find it easier to knock them off their feet and catch them off guard,” Paul said.

“That’s okay, no hard feelings. What did you need to tell me about Faith? Is she in danger? Has the change hurt her or something? Is she going to change back?” Buffy asked him hurriedly.

“No no she’s fine. I asked you to meet me here because I have been contacted by the Powers that Be about the change. You see when you were brought back from the dead there was a huge mystical energy here and I was naturally curious so I travelled here to check it out. That energy led me to you and I was drawn in. I watched you and the other Slayer and I could feel that something was off with the both of you. You were a shell of your former being and she, she was fading into the background, falling into bad habits, she was used to being ignored and wasn’t doing a thing to stop it from happening again,” Paul said stopping when Willow interrupted him.

“We weren’t ignoring Faith,” she said.

“Not intentionally but your interests were better served trying to help Buffy and Faith once again began to feel like she was merely a tool, used for your conveniences. She was torturing herself, reliving her past over and over again and as she watched the way you all rejoiced over becoming a family again she began to miss what she never had,” Paul said and the three in the cemetery with him all hung their heads suddenly ashamed.

“W-w didn’t m-mean to,” Tara said softly.

“Of course you didn’t but I could see it all happening so I decided to step in. The change was to help the both of you, to give Faith the innocence and childhood that she never had and to make you feel something again,” he continued and Buffy could feel the tears shining in her eyes. She had needed something; anything to make her feel and that tiny little person had made her feel more alive than she had in months.

“So now you have a choice, the Powers have decided to give you a reward for all the hard work you have put in. They understand that with your mother’s death that you’re struggling financially and they are willing to make it so that you will never have to worry about money, everything the house, Dawn’s schooling and college even your own college fees should you wish to go back will be taken care of and Faith will be returned to her adult self. Your other choice is for Faith to remain as her baby self and give her the innocence and childhood that she never had,” Paul said looking deep into Buffy’s eyes, “the choice is yours Slayer but keep in mind the offer only stands for twenty four hours, should you not come to me with a decision within the time frame Faith will be turned back into an adult and everything will remain the same as it is now,” Paul finished, “Twenty four hours,” he said again before disappearing in a cloud of purple smoke.