Title: For a Penny
Author: Meghan
Email: meghanreviews@hotmail.com
Summary: Little blonde girl in NYC with her dad, runs into a bum.
Disclaimer: Pretty please someone get me the deed to the shows...
contacts of the actors and then we'll talk.
Rating: PG but eventual NC-17
Spoilers: umm none, this is rewriting the show from the very
beginning.
Timeline: Well Buffy's like little here and before Whistler...
Paring: BA
Feedback: is yummy!

The little girl skipped down the pavement with her father in tow. A
black briefcase in his left hand and a cell phone in the other. It
was obvious that her idle chatter was being ignored by the man
walking beside the little ray of sunshine. So innocent with her
little blonde curls that whisked around her face in the wind.

The sunlight was painful to his eyes, but he forced himself to watch
that little girl as she danced along without a care in the world. He
saw her stop to pick up something on the ground, a penny perhaps. She
tucked it into her dress' pocket and ran on spindly legs to catch up
to her father, who hadn't even realized that she wasn't right next to
him.

Careless of the man. His daughter could have been snatched without
his knowing. That thought bothered him without him knowing why. Maybe
it was her cheerful manner and seemingly angelic attitude. Looking
down at his grimy hands, he knew just how pathetic he must appear.

Shrinking back into the shadows of the overhang, he hoped to escape
their notice from across the street. The darkness haunted him, and he
didn't understand why he was here, he really should turn back. Look
away.

But he couldn't.

That little girl pulled his gaze like a magnet. Her lavender
headband, dress, and matching shoes seemed to glow with her essence.
Dazed, he saw the penny fall from her hand and roll into the street.
The sound of an approaching car, grabbed at his senses in a horrified
manner.

The dad wasn't even paying attention! He saw the car coming closer,
his glanced back to the girl, she was squatting on the curb, reaching
out her little arm, stretching all the way to the tips of her fingers
in hopes to retrieve that penny.

No!

He hadn't realized that he had shouted out loud, but the sound of his
voice had caused the girl to stop reaching and she fell on her butt.
Safe. Her blue eyes caught his and she smiled, leaning over to pick
up the penny once the car had passed by.

This time she looked both ways, and ran quickly across the street,
her hair flapping in a little bob. She only slowed when she had
reached to the other side… by him. Jesus! He had taken that all in
without recognizing what was happening, his mind to focused on the
accident of broken little limbs… all because he was a worthless son
of a bitch.

Damn the sun to hell and back again.

A slight tug on his shirt, caused him to look down, and for the first
time he realized that she was safe. She was here! Stumbling further
back up the steps away from her and the light, he reached the brick
wall, and felt trapped.

Her little hand opened to show him the penny that she had indeed
collected from the sidewalk. With an encouraging gesture, she
motioned for him to take it. He just shook his head. This couldn't be
happening.

A slight frown marred her pretty little features, as she gestured
again for him to take the penny. That blasted penny that nearly got
her killed. Glancing down at her small hand he saw lavender polish
coating each little nail on her precious little hand.

"Take it, you need it more then I do."

He even knew it was true, but her voice had captured his mind,
engraving upon it all her little words. Shaking his head roughly, he
managed a guttural no. Her face became purple as she got angry, and
she stomped over to him with her lower lip in a pout position.

No waterworks. Please. Oh please no tears.

There weren't any, but she did grab a hand from behind him and
because his mind wasn't keeping up it was lax within her own. Firmly
three little fingers placed the penny into his open palm and held it
there.

"That's for saving me from the car."

It wasn't a voice that grating on his nerves. It wasn't annoying. It
was sweet and soft and a little shy.

The blonde motioned to him, telling him to lean down towards her.
Carefully he sat on his haunches and stared at the blue eyed wonder
in front of him. Little white teeth flashed in a smile, and she
quickly pressed a kiss to his lips.

Wide eyed he looked down at her awaiting countenance.

"What was that for?" he managed through a clogged throat.

"For being a hero. The girl always gives the guy a kiss. Then they
live happily ever after."

Choking, he let out a laugh. The girl was adorably unbelievable.

"I'm not a hero sweetheart. You should go back to your daddy."

"Why? He doesn't know I'm gone. You would though. You'd know if I was
gone."

Shaking his head in an affirmative, he ran a hand through his unruly
locks of oily hair. He was a sight he knew, and didn't look like he
ate right. You'd get that from living off of rats, but it ensured his
sanity.

Her being here was crumbling it slowly. In a good way.

"You're a good person. He was bad."

Startled, his brown eyes flew to hers and stared deep within them,
searching. Searching for something, anything. Who was she?

"Who was- ?"

"Your twin. You're not him. You're nice."

Those soft spoken words from this shy little girl, began to mend his
broken heart. Whether she knew what she was talking about or not,
he'd just take the words at face value.

To this little girl dressed in lavender he was good. He was nice. To
her he was worth something… even if it was a penny… the penny was all
she had to share. She'd already given to him her heart, he saw as he
drowned in her blue eyes.

"Elizabeth Anne! Get over here right now!" An angry voice shouted
across the street, as the man stalked over to her. Grabbing her hand
harshly he pulled her away and back onto the other side of the
sidewalk.

"Don't you ever! Ever! do that to me again! Do you hear me?"
He watched the father pull her away, out into the sunlight where she
belonged. He met angry hazel eyes and saw the warning. Looking down,
he saw the little girl's eyes well up in tears. Saw her little lip
begin to quiver, and wished he could go and hold her.

Looking down, he unfolded his palm and saw the bronze treasure still
there inside his palm. Slightly warm still from her own flesh. When
he looked up, the man was still pulling the girl known as Elizabeth
Anne roughly down the pathway.

Her little whimpers reached his ears, and he distinctly heard her
muffled cry.

"But daddy! I want to marry an Angel!"

He didn't hear the man's reply as they stormed around the corner, but
her words resounded in his mind. She wants an Angel. She had even
bought him for a penny. Noon was coming, he'd need to find shelter,
but for a penny Elizabeth had also bought a burnt heart… maybe she
could make it shine again.