Chasing the Girl

Disclaimer - see part one

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Part 15

"Hope Kennedy doesn't mind us taking her car." Faith said, buckling Rosie in the back seat.

"We go for a ride?" Rose asked Faith.

Faith nodded and got into the driver's side, Buffy answered her.

"She's probably more pissed that we're taking her kid." Buffy said getting in.

"Your kid, B. Not theirs, yours. They will have to face that sometime and so will you." She said, looking at Buffy before starting the engine.

"I think Faith's right about controlling ourselves around her," Willow said, picking through her food. "at least until we decide when and how we are going to confront her. And I guess that should be with the rest of the gang here."

Kennedy nodded. "I called Xand."

"What did he say?" Willow asked.

"Pretty much what we thought. You've got to be fucking kidding. No way in hell. Why is she there? You're letting her near Rosie? Are Dawn and Giles really coming? Do you think Faith's stable enough to solve anyone else's problems? They were all pretty much rhetorical questions from there on out. Are you crazy? That sort of thing."

"So he's not coming?" Willow asked.

"Don't think so. He was pretty adamant about it. He said she was a selfish bitch, and that we didn't deserve to be treated this way."

"He may change his mind." Willow said with tinge of hopelessness.

"He may, baby, you know how he is. We should give him some time. Maybe you can talk to him, or Faith."

Willow looked at her food.

"I'm not even hungry." She said before continuing. "I don't think Faith will help, at least not with him. She pulls with him what she pulled with us a moment ago and it may not be pretty. Those two have a tendency to not be able to control their tempers around each other."

"Things change." Kennedy said.

"That's what I keep telling myself." Willow answered.

"Does no one in this town eat at home?" Faith asked bouncing Rose on her lap. They were waiting for a table.

"You should have said first available. It would have been faster than non-smoking." Buffy said, standing beside them.

"We can't smoke around the kid." Faith said looking up at her.

"Oh, I forgot." Buffy added, uncomfortably.

"This thing's buzzing." Faith said, holding the beeper up to Rosie.

"Buzz. Buzz." Rose said.

"That means a table is ready." Buffy said, looking at Faith.

"Oh, thank you, Buffy. I forgot, seeing as I'm a mentally deficient social pariah who never eats out." Faith answered, standing up.

"What?" Buffy asked. "You looked confused."

"That's my smoldering look. You should get them straight. "

"I'm sorry, I'll have to pull out my intricate files on Faith's looks and read up. I'm not current with the Faith lingo anymore." Buffy said, smiling at Faith.

"Well, get them out. These are things you need to know. I'm a complicated girl, and it's good to have notes." She said, following the hostess to the table.

"Wonder when they'll be back?" Willow asked, putting away the dishes.

"They haven't been gone that long, Wills."

"I know, I'm just worried. What if it was all a ruse and now Buffy and Faith are gonna take Rosie off and go do drugs or something. They may join the circus. Don't look at me like that. They're Slayers, they can do all sorts of circus-y things. And you know how much Rosie loves animals. She could ride the horses in the show. We'd never hear from them again. Except when it comes back to town, and they're all dressed up in pink and red sequined outfits swinging from the rafters and stuff. Or they could..."

"Whoa, hold up." Kennedy said knocking on Willow's forehead. "Are you okay in there?"

"I'm sorry, I'm being stupid. I'm a worrier, I know." Willow smiled. "Besides, I think maybe there was some MSG in that food."

"They stopped using that a long time ago, babe." Kennedy laughed.

"Yeah, take all my excuses." Willow laughed back.

Buffy sat down while Faith strapped Rose in a highchair. She pushed the seat over next to Buffy.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked her.

"You wanna sit by mommy?" Faith asked Rose, ignoring Buffy.

Rose just looked at Faith. "I wanna cracker." She said.

"Get her a cracker, Buffy." Faith said, sitting down opposite them.

Buffy unwrapped the crackers and handed it to Rose.

"No, da good ones." She said, pointing at the crackers.

"Oh, ok the good ones." Buffy said, getting another kind. "Here, this better?" She asked Rose, handing it to her.

"Yep." She answered, smiling at Buffy with crumbs all over her mouth.

Faith watched as Buffy wiped the crumbs off of Rose's cheeks and smiled.

They looked at the menu, trying to decide what to order.

"What do two-year olds eat, B?"

"I really don't know Faith, what's on the kids menu?"

The waitress popped in, listening to their exchange. "The spaghetti's good." She smiled down at Rose.

"Ghetti, ghetti." Rose said clapping her hands.

"She'll have the spaghetti." Both girls answered at the same time.

An hour later, Buffy and Faith walked out of the restaurant with a giggling Rose holding their hands.

" 'Oh, the spaghetti's good.' " Faith mimicked the waitress, in a high voice. "Said the sadistic waitress from HELL. Are we idiots or what?" She asked, still wiping her shirt.

"Not sure why you're complaining, Miss-I'm-gonna-sit-across-the-table." Buffy said, shaking her head. "It's actually in my hair. I mean, look, I can feel it."

"Hold me?" Rose said yawning, and looking up at the girls. Faith and Buffy both bent down at the same time.

"Go ahead." Faith said, smiling at her. "She's a little too saucy for me anyway." Faith tickled the little girl as Buffy held her.

"Rosie's saucy." Rose said.

"Looky what I have, Rosie." Faith said, pulling a chocolate mint she got from the restaurant out of her bag.

"Don't you dare." Buffy said, still holding Rose.

"C'mon, B." Faith said, opening the paper and handing the candy to Rose.

"Mmm shoclate, wanna bite?" She held the half eaten candy to Buffy's face, and before she could answer, smushed it on her lips.

"Take bite, B."

"Umm okay, take bite. See?" Buffy said, licking it off her lips. "Dirty trick, Faith." She said smacking Faith on the arm.

Faith was about to answer the giggling girl, when she heard someone.

"Buffy?" They said.

Both girls turned around and Buffy soon got quiet.

"Let's go, Faith." She said, turning back to the car.

Faith still stood there staring at the woman who had called Buffy's name, wondering who she was.

"Let's go Faith, now." Buffy said, slamming the passenger door.

To be continued