A/N: Greetings and salutations, my dudes! This is my first story on this site, so sorry in advance for any formatting mistakes or mistakes in the story itself. I have attempted, to the best of my ability, to use this new site and I hope it worked out. (Also, I'm aware the whole "bad foster home" thing is a bit cliche, but just work with me here. XD)

Chapter One ~ Babe's the Name

Babette knew that she wasn't going to have a normal life the second that the caseworker dropped her off at a tiny house in the middle of Mission City. The young, raven-haired girl might only be five years old, but she was already aware that her circumstances were not what one might consider normal. Besides the fact that she was, well, being dropped off at a foster home, she also apparently had a photographic memory. It had yet to actually be of any use to her, but she was also five so she wasn't really sure what she would actually need to remember so badly at this age.

This young girl had been abandoned by her parents at the age of two after they had to go on the run, having been caught running an illegal smuggling ring. She was then kicked out of her foster home at the age of five for "mouthing off" to her new "parents." Honestly, Babette didn't realize that explaining to her foster parents why she didn't want to eat her vegetables, in a manner that might be considered more diplomatic than the average five-year-old was capable of, was considered "mouthing off." Besides, she had only done it a few times. But, her foster parents weren't the kindest of people so, here she was standing on the steps of this small house and holding her teddy bear tight against her chest.

The caseworker stepped out of the car, small suitcase in hand, and then walked up the stairs to where Babette was. She set the suitcase next to the five-year-old and then patted down her hair in what was supposed to be a reassuring gesture, but only served to remind Babette of how helpless she was in her own situation. The caseworker knocked on the door and then pushed Babette forward as the door opened to reveal a tall man with a shiny, completely bald, head.

"Oh, hello. You must be Babette." The man crouched down and rested his hands on his knees so that he could speak to the girl at eye level. His actions seem kind, but his eyes shone with annoyance. "Welcome to our little home."

Babette gave a squeak of indignation as the man called her by her first name, but she chose not to say anything as she shuffled into the house. She continued to hold the teddy bear tightly, using it as a barrier between her and the rest of the world. The man stayed outside for a moment longer to speak with the caseworker before he came back inside, Babette's small suitcase looking even smaller in his large hands. He set the suitcase down by the stairs and then walked over to the young girl.

"Why don't I introduce you to the other kids?" He looked over at her for a moment before whistling loudly, and rather harshly, to get the attention of the house's eight other occupants.

Babette tucked her teddy bear under her chin as the sound of feet came thundering down the small flight of stairs. She brushed her black hair over her face, attempting to hide as one of the three girls walked up to her. The other girl had a mop of red hair that stuck up at random angles and she gave Babette a crooked-toothed smile as she approached.

"Hello there. I'm Carla." The ten-year-old bounded up to Babette and patted her on the head with a laugh, acting as though she were petting a puppy. "What's your name?"

Babette glared at the older girl and ducked away from her hand without dignifying her with a response. The five-year-old went over to the staircase that the man had set down and quickly ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. She finally reached the top of the stairs, quite a feat for her little legs, and then curled up against the wall in a raven-haired heap. Several minutes passed, during which Babette could hear the shiny headed man yelling downstairs, and then she heard the sound of footsteps pounding up the steps.

The man slid down the wall next to her, any traces of kindness disappearing from his face as he tightly grabbed the back of her neck. His eyes were glowing pits of fury, at least, that's what they looked like to the young girl as she sniffled and rubbed a small hand over her face. She had no idea why he was so angry, but she just hoped that there was something she could say to him to get him to stop being so angry.

"Sorry, Mr. Shiny Head." Babette sniffled as she sat up and tucked her teddy bear against her chest. "Was gonna go to my room. Couldn' find it."

He shook his head and stood up, pulling the little girl up by her arms. He then dragged her down the hall and toward a small room at the end of the hall. The man shoved her into the room with a grunt before tossing the suitcase next to her and slamming the door. Babette crawled over to the edge of the small bed before pulling herself up onto the ratty mattress. She laid back with a quiet sniffle as she hugged her teddy bear and slowly pulled the thin blanket over herself, not even bothering to change out of her clothes. The little girl's eyes slowly drooped shut as the lights around the rest of the house were beginning to shut off.

The next day, Babette had decided that she would spend as little time in the house as possible and so, as soon as she had finished eating her measly bowl of oatmeal, she shuffled over to where the tall man stood. She pulled at his sleeve as she held her teddy bear tucked under one arm. He looked far less angry today, something which Babette thought would certainly work to her advantage. As she looked up at him, she smiled widely in the hopes that would work to convince him.

"Mister, could I go outside, please?" Babette pulled at his sleeve again as she bounced on her toes, teddy bear bouncing with her as she moved.

The man glared at her for a moment before a small smirk stretched across his face. He nodded slowly and then placed a hand on her shoulder to lead her toward the door. "What a wonderful idea. Why don't you walk to the park down the street?"

"Thank you!"

Babette smiled widely and then ran over to the door. She pushed it open and began walking quickly down the street. The five-year-old didn't stop to think that she had no idea where the park was, so she simply continued on in a random direction. She walked for a few minutes and, just by pure luck, came across the small park. The park was completely empty except for one other person, a blond boy, who was sitting on the empty swing set. Babette walked over to the swings and pulled herself onto one, her stubby legs barely reaching the ground.

The blond boy looked over at her, blue eyes watching the much younger child with curiosity. The boy couldn't be any older than fifteen, but the five-year-old was certainly under the impression that he was much, much older than her. She turned to look at him, brown eyes meeting blue. She smiled at him, stubby legs swinging back and forth as she tried to make the swing move.

"Hello." The boy spoke very quietly as he glanced over at Babette. He blinked rather slowly, seeming as if he were thinking something through, before speaking again. "I'm Mac, who are you?"

Babette was startled by the boy's sudden question and she almost didn't give him a response. She was mostly shocked, but also a bit frightened by the stranger that was suddenly talking to her. After a second, though, she gave a small nod and began to speak softly. "I'm Babette, but I don' like it."

"It? Your name, you mean?" The boy, Mac, swung closer to the five-year-old as he tilted his head in curiosity. "I don't like my name either."

"Mac isn't bad," Babette said with a small frown as she kicked her legs back and forth, barely moving the swing. "Why don' you like it?"

Mac laughed as he looked over at the toddler with a small smile and said, "Mac's just my nickname; short for MacGyver. My actual name is Angus."

Babette giggled as he said his name. She kicked her legs out to move the swing again before she glanced at Mac, still giggling slightly as her swing began to move back and forth. "That's funny."

"Yeah, it is kind of funny." Mac gave a smile and nodded slowly as the toddler continued to giggle. He too began to move the old swing he was sitting on, although he chose not to move it very fast so that he could still talk to the girl.

"Why's that your name?" Babette stopped laughing suddenly and then looked over at Mac, head tilted as she questioned him.

"Guess my parents just liked it. I don't know." He shrugged and then poked at the toddler teasingly. "At least it's not Babette."

Babette stuck her tongue out at him before giving a slight laugh. Normally she didn't like it when people made fun of her name, but he seemed nice and so she didn't mind that much. Besides, he was funny. She grinned at the thought, giggling softly as she swung her legs back and forth on the swing. The swing squeaked loudly as it moved with the toddler's rocking and she couldn't help but giggle once again at the sound, only silencing herself when Mac spoke again.

"Hmm… What do you think of Babe for your nickname?" He glanced at the toddler, waiting for a response. She gave a quick nod, flashing him a toothy smile as she continued to swing.

The two sat on the swings for a while, Mac mostly rambling about a treehouse that he had built in the forest and Babette grinning as he told the story. She asked him a lot of questions about the treehouse, but she mainly wanted to know when she could go to the treehouse. Mac simply shook his head, more of an indication that she would have to wait and less a negative response, and then went to continue the story. He only stopped when he was interrupted by a loud shout from the sidewalk.

Mac whipped his head around as he heard the shout, looking for where it was coming from. The blond boy looked out at the street and saw a tall man standing on the sidewalk. The man continued to shout at the two of them loudly until Babette hopped off the swing. She frowned, looking at Mac for a moment before she turned to shuffle over to the man that was standing on the sidewalk.

"Goodbye, Mac." She looked over her shoulder at Mac and gave a small smile, moving her fingers up and down in a small wave. As she walked up the man, he clasped a hand around the back of her neck and began leading her back in the direction that he came.

Mac returned the wave, a dumbfounded expression on his face at the toddler's almost carefree response to this man's rather rude way of leading her away. He watched them until they had turned the corner and he couldn't see them anymore. After a few more moments on the swing, he shook his head and hopped off the swing. His grandfather would be angry if he was late for dinner... again.

Babette stared at the floor and a single tear rolled down her cheek before she quickly brought a hand up to her face, stopping it from falling with a bit more force than necessary. She knew that the man couldn't have been telling her the truth when he said that she could go to the park, but she had believed him and now she was grounded for the rest of the week. How was she ever going to survive a whole week in her room?

The week crawled by for the five-year-old at the pace of a snail. Each day brought the same bowl of boring cereal (it didn't even have any marshmallows in it!) for breakfast, a burnt grilled cheese for lunch, and a bowl of soup that was a striking yellow color. Babette surely wouldn't have been able to survive the week, had it not been for Mac sneaking small letters through her window to entertain the young girl. He had felt bad for her and had decided to find out who that man was so he could see where the child was staying.

The man knocked on Babette's door and then opened it without waiting for a response. As he entered, he shot her a slight glare and said, "It's noon. You can leave."

The toddler grinned as she hopped off her bed and pushed past the man who was still standing in the doorway. She hurried down the steps, attempting to jump them two at a time until she got to the bottom and found her way to the kitchen. Stepping into the kitchen, she stopped short as she saw a small group of girls crowding around the counter. The girl shook her head and began to back away slowly until she was out of sight and could make her way to the back door of the house. She walked along the side of the house until she came to the front yard.

She walked up to the bushes that lined the front yard, coming to a stop as she saw a familiar face popping out from behind one of the bushes. The bushes were meant to act as a fence that kept the children in and everyone else out, but it didn't seem to be doing its job all that well. Babette smiled and gave a little squeal as she ran over to greet the fifteen-year-old that was crawling out from under the bush. Several scratches lined his arms, but he paid them no notice as he finally got out from the bushes.

"Hey there, Babe." Mac greeted her with a wide smile as the girl flopped down on the grass next to him. He ruffled her hair as she sat down, eliciting a giggle from the five-year-old. "I heard you were being let out from the prison today."

Babette nodded quickly as she leaned against the blond boy, letting out another small giggle. She began to bite the inside of her bottom lip as she tucked her legs in under her small body. The two sat in relative silence, the only sound that could be heard was that of Babette's soft giggles and, if one could hear smiles, then the sound of the one that had found its way onto Mac's face might be making quite a loud noise as well.

Mac looked over at the little girl with a smile and then nodded in the direction that he came as he said, "Come on. I want to show you something."

Mac waved a hand, directing her to crawl under the bush and that he would follow after her. Babette nodded, a grin appearing on her face as she began to crawl under the bush. She gave a loud "Ow!" as she finally got out from under the bush and Mac quickly climbed out after her to see what was wrong. He found Babette holding her arm and sniffling quietly. He frowned and grabbed her arm lightly, examining the small scratch on her forearm that was starting to bleed slightly. He hummed in thought before he swept the toddler into his arms and stood up.

"Don't you worry. I'll fix this up and you'll be good as new." Mac looked down at Babette with a small smile as he poked at the girl's side. "How does that sound?"

Babette sniffled and tucked her face into the crook of his neck, small hands twisting in the fabric of Mac's shirt as he began to walk. She began to trace the pattern on the pocket of Mac's jacket and Mac shook his head, although a small smile appeared on his face. Continuing down the street, he eventually turned and the two found themselves at the edge of a small forest. Babette began to wiggle in Mac's arms, wanting to be let down. Mac looked down at the squirming toddler and shook his head slightly.

"You can't go down yet. I don't know what's out there, so I'd feel safer if I carried you."

She frowned but chose not to protest Mac's statement as she once again tucked her face into the crook of his neck. Mac began to trek through the underbrush, gaining the sneaking suspicion that the toddler had fallen asleep as he continued to walk. He stopped as he reached a small treehouse and shifted the sleeping toddler so that she now rested against his shoulder. Holding her with one arm, he began to climb up the ladder with the other. He reached the top of the ladder and climbed onto the small porch that was built on the front of the treehouse. He sat down and shifted the toddler once again so that she now sat on his lap.

"I break you out of your house and what do I get? I get to carry a sleeping toddler around," Mac said teasingly under his breath as he patted the girl's back gently.

Babette began to stir, blinking her big brown eyes open slowly as she looked up at Mac. She chewed on the inside of her lip, looking around for a moment before glancing up at Mac again. She pulled at the collar of Mac's jacket, using it to pull herself into a seated position. She then dropped her hand, head tilted to rest against Mac's shoulder. She hummed, smiling as Mac gently rubbed her back and then wrapped one arm around her.

"Hey. Welcome back, kiddo." Mac smiled at her, placing his hands at her shoulders so that he could move her. He turned her around so that her back was against his chest and her little legs were hanging over the edge of the porch.

"Treehouse?" She rubbed at her eyes and yawned widely before she looked over the edge of the platform. Babette grinned, tilting her head all the way back so she could look up at the trees that stretched past them.

"Yeah, treehouse." Mac ruffled her hair and then slowly stood up so that he could step inside the treehouse. Still holding Babette, he stepped inside and walked over to a small shelf that was hung up on the back wall of the treehouse. He opened up a small box and then pulled out a bandaid.

"Look, just like I promised." He opened the bandaid and then lifted the toddler's arm so that he could see the scratch better. He placed the little purple bandage over the scratch and then tapped Babette on the nose. "Good as new."

Babette giggled softly and began to wiggle in his arms. Mac shook his head, laughing faintly in amusement as he let the toddler down and then kneeled in front of her so he could look her in the eye. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and then said, "It's going to be time to head back to the house soon, okay?"

Babette stuck her bottom lip out in a pout and crossed her arms across her chest. She shook her head quickly and then flopped down to sit on the floor of the treehouse. She was only sitting for a few moments before she rolled onto her back, looking up at Mac with a defiant glint in her eye. Mac smiled down at her, head tilted slightly as he moved to sit next to her and then laid down on the floor as well.

"We have to go before it's too dark out." Mas rolled onto his side and then poked her side with a smile. "Come on now."

Babette huffed in annoyance and then sat up, watching as Mac followed suit. As he stood up, he looked down at her and chuckled as he watched her lift her arms up. She bounced where she sat, asking for Mac to pick her up. High sighed, more teasingly than in actual annoyance, and then picked the toddler up. He held her against his chest and then moved toward the ladder. Mac began to slowly climb down, careful not to jostle the five-year-old.

Mac reached the ground, pausing for a moment to shift the toddler in his arms before he began his trek back through the underbrush. He hugged the toddler close to his side, attempting to block out the cold that had begun to set in with the quickly setting sun. He frowned at the girl's lack of jacket but realized that it probably wasn't her fault that she didn't have anything better to wear. Babette had begun to shiver as the two of them reached the small house and Mac set her down, quickly pulling off his jacket. He wrapped it around her shoulders and then tapped her on the nose.

"You keep that. I bet it's really cold in that house."

Babette smiled, hugging the mountains of fabric against herself with a giggle. She bounced up and down, watching as the large jacket moved when she did so. Mac smiled, ruffling her hair again before he straightened into a standing position. He gave a small laugh as he watched her begin playing with the sleeves of the jacket that were far too big for her.

"It'll be your early, or late, birthday present." Mac tapped his chin, a look of thought crossing his face before he spoke again. "Actually, when is your birthday? So I can get you a real gift next time."

Babette's tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth before she held up five fingers and said, "It was five days ago. November… 20th."

"Really? You were trapped in your room on your birthday?" Mac asked with a frown.

"I did get an extra sandwich for my birthday," Babette said with a small smile, still distracted by the mountains of fabric. She giggled as the sleeves flopped up and down with the movement of her arms.

"That's it?" Mac placed a hand on top of her head, patting down a loose tuft of hair that stuck up on the back of her head. "That's not a very good birthday."

Babette shrugged, flopping the sleeves up and down again. She looked up at Mac after a moment's silence. "And your card! I liked all the cards."

"That's good." Mac smiled at her, shaking his head slightly as the toddler continued to play with the jacket. "I've got to go now. Alright?"

The girl nodded, shuffling toward him to wrap her arms around his leg in a hug. She smiled as Mac ruffles her hair and then peeled her off his leg. The fifteen-year-old gave a small wave and then headed down the street in the direction of his home. Babette watched him go before turning and crossing the front lawn. She opened the front door and then slipped inside, attempting to be as quiet as possible. The man with the shiny head didn't like it when the children came inside after dark. He usually just locked them outside, but maybe he'd forgotten to lock…

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" There was nothing to warn Babette of the man's sudden appearance at the bottom of the stairs, and she was definitely not prepared for the rough hold on the back of her neck as the man stepped behind her.

She bit down hard on her bottom lip as the man began to lead her toward the back door. He pulled the door open and then pushed the toddler out of the house, causing her to stumble down the steps and onto her knees. She began to sniffle slightly as the cold concrete cut into her knees through the thin material of her pants. The man stood at the door, arms crossed against his chest. He glared down at the toddler for a moment before going back inside, slamming and locking the door behind him. The frame reverberated with the force of the slam and the man grinned to himself as he walked up the stairs.

Babette bit her lip again as she stood and moved slowly toward the side of the house. She looked over her shoulder every few seconds as she passed the house and eventually entered the front yard. The raven-haired girl then crawled under the small wall of bushes that surrounded the house, pulling the over-sized jacket around her shoulders. The toddler paused for only a second in the patch of dead grass that served as a yard before she quickly made up her mind, moving slowly down the road in the direction she had seen Mac leave a few minutes ago.

Mac was nervous. He wasn't exactly sure what had him worrying so much, but he had the sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with the five-year-old he had slowly become friends with over the past week. He began to fiddle with the sleeve of his hoodie as his mind began to spiral. Picking up a stray paperclip from the table in front of it, he attempted to twist it into some shape but couldn't seem to do anything besides unfold and refold it. He had left her at the house only thirty minutes ago and he was already worried that something had gone wrong. Mac knew there was no reason to be worried, but he couldn't help but feel slightly anxious.

A loud knock at the front door pulled Mac from his thoughts and he arrived at the front door just as his grandfather was opening it. Mac walked over to his grandfather, hands in the front pocket of his hoodie as he looked over his shoulder. He still had the paperclip in his hands and he began to twist it apart as soon as he saw who had knocked on the door. Two police officers were standing on the small porch and as Mac looked down, he could see the reason for their sudden visit.

"Babette? What's going on?"