The Three of Us

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This Chapter was beta'd by Faerys Delight, many thanks for her help. She also has stories on this site!

Last time I checked none of these Characters belonged to me!
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Faith’s arms stretched for the dash and her eyes slammed shut as the garage door hurtled into view. With a snap her head flew forward and then jolted back into the headrest as the Jeep careened to a halt.

“We’re home!” the blonde chirped at her girlfriend.

“Thank fuck!” Faith whispered. She fought with the door handle, trying to get out of the car.

“What?” Buffy asked as she took in Faith standing outside, gasping for air.

“Just tryin’ to restart my heart.” Faith straightened up and turned to the back of the SUV. Buffy sat in the car with a quizzical look on her face. She turned to look at Faith, who had opened the hatch.

“Are you implying that there is something wrong with my driving?” Buffy could hear the sarcasm dripping off of the reply.

“Nothin’ wrong, B, nothin’ wrong at all.” She pulled her duffel out and one of Buffy’s suitcases. “C’mon, B, we gotta go talk to your mom.” Faith trudged toward the house.

“Umm, do we have to do that now?” Buffy was staring at Faith’s retreating back.

Faith heaved a sigh. “We have to do it soon. I’d like to do it today and get it done with.” She turned to face the blond getting out of the Jeep. “The longer we don’t, the harder it’s gonna be. I don’t wanna lie to your mom, okay?”

Buffy was looking all over the yard. Her hands were twisting themselves into knots. She looked into Faith’s eyes and saw the compassion and resolve. “I’m scared.”

Faith dropped the bags and walked to where Buffy was standing. She reached up and cupped her cheek with her hand. “I know you are.” She bent down and lightly kissed her. “It’ll be easier if we do it now. I’ll be there with ya.” Faith moved her hand to Buffy’s shoulder and rested it there. “It’s hard for me to go in there and tell your mom. I don’t have any idea how scary it is for you.” She paused and gently smiled at her. “Yer mom’s pretty cool. She’s gonna be surprised, and it’ll take some time for her to deal.” Faith rubbed her thumb along Buffy’s neck. “She trusts us, now we have to trust her, okay?”

The two girls leaned forward and touched foreheads. “How did you get so smart?” the blond quietly asked.

Faith smirked at her. “Who said I was smart?”

Buffy sighed and shook her fist at the dark slayer. “One of these day’s Alice, POW, right to the moon.”

“Huh?’ Faith stared at her.

“What, you don’t know The Honeymooners?” Faith just shook her head and turned back to the bags.

“You’ll have to explain it someday. C’mon, let’s go in.”

Joyce walked to the window in her room and looked outside when she heard the Jeep pull up. She watched the interaction between the two slayers, as she listened to Giles prattle on in her ear. “Yes Rupert, they’ve just pulled up. I’ll tell them you want them to call before they go out on patrol.” She raised an eyebrow as she watched Faith cup Buffy’s cheek. ‘They seem to be so close. I think there’s more to this relationship than just being slayers,’ she thought to herself. “I’m sorry Rupert, what was that?”

“I asked how Faith was adjusting to staying at your house.”

Joyce smiled as she watched the two. “I think she’s adjusting just fine.” She gasped as Faith’s head bent down towards Buffy’s. ‘Please God, don’t tell me they just kissed?’ ran through her mind. She quickly turned away from the window. “Umm, Rupert?”

“Yes?”

Joyce bit her bottom lip for a moment. “I need to talk to you about the girls. May I come by this evening?”

“Oh, well, yes, umm, yes, that should be alright? What do you need to discuss?” He was curious now.

She sighed and furrowed her brow. “I just need to talk to somebody that knows them both. I don’t think it’s a big deal; I just need to bounce some ideas off of you. Would that be okay?”

“Yes, of course, anything I can do to help.” He cradled the receiver with his shoulder and started to wipe his glasses. “What would be a good time for you?”

She looked at the clock on her nightstand. “It’s 6:10, I have to feed them, so after that. Say 7:30?”

“That will be fine. I shall see you then.”

“Yes, and thank you Rupert. Oh, one more thing?”

“Yes?”

She quickly looked out the window to see Faith and Buffy starting to walk towards the house. “I’ll tell them I’ve got to go to the gallery. I don’t want them to know I’m coming by.”

“Certainly, Joyce, I’ll keep it private.”

“Thank you, Rupert. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome, I’ll see you then. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Rupert.” She hung up the phone and headed downstairs.

Giles placed the receiver back in its cradle. He looked around the living room. ‘I don’t know why she wants to talk to me? What the bloody hell do I know about teenage girls?’ ran through his mind. ‘Well I do have to tidy up a little. I should get started.’ He picked up the remote for the stereo and hit play. The opening notes of Cream’s ‘White Room’ broke the silence in the house.

Joyce got to the bottom of the stairs as the two slayers entered the house. “Mom!” Buffy was startled to see her mom right in front of her. “Geez, you startled me.”

She smiled gently at them. “So how was your trip?”

“Umm, good. It was good. We uhh, had umm, fun, yeah, lots of fun.” A slight blush started to creep up Buffy’s throat. “It was, umm L.A., so yeah it was fun.”

Joyce’s head tilted to the side as she watched the reaction from her daughter. There was so much not being said. She shifted her gaze to Faith who was staring at the blond like she’d grown a third arm. “Faith?”

“Yeah Mrs. S., we had a great time. Queen C was real nice and the three of us got along great.” She was still staring at Buffy. The blond was looking everywhere but where her mom was standing.

“Queen C?” Joyce asked Faith.

“Oh,” she quickly looked at Joyce. “That’s what I call Cordelia.”

“I see.” She was still waiting for a reaction from her daughter. ‘If I didn’t suspect something before, I do now.' She sighed. “Dinner’s in half an hour, then I have to go to the gallery for a bit. Mr. Giles called. He wants you to call him before you go on patrol. I should be back before you leave.”

“Sure.” Faith pushed past Buffy and headed to the kitchen. “I’m goin’ downstairs; I have some readin’ to do.”

Joyce watched her go. “Buffy?” she asked quietly, turning to look at the blond. Buffy’s head dropped and she groaned.

“What’s wrong?” Joyce was fully focussed on her daughter now.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Buffy whispered. “Faith and I just need to talk about some stuff.” She was looking at her mom now. Buffy’s eyes moved to where Faith had disappeared. She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She turned back to her mom, “I’ll talk to Faith before patrol, and we’ll sort it out.”

Joyce pulled Buffy into a hug. “I’m sure everything will be fine dear. You’re probably blowing this out of proportion.”

Buffy rolled her eyes while she was leaning on her mother’s shoulder. “I really hope I am,” she whispered.

Faith threw herself on the bed downstairs. ‘Fuck,’ she thought. ‘That was a perfect fuckin’ chance to deal with the whole mess and she caves like a cheap tent.’ She sat up and looked at the ceiling above her. ’She knows how I feel about tellin’ her mom, why can’t she deal with it? Course my mom wouldn’t give a fuck, so I wouldn’t worry about hurtin’ her feelin’s or if she gave a rat’s ass.’ She stood and took off her jacket and hung it on a peg. Opening her duffel, she took the dirty clothes out and tossed them in the hamper. ‘Maybe I’ll do some laundry later.’ she thought. Sighing she moved over to her book bag laying on the floor. Crouching down, she rifled through it and pulled a notebook and pen out, followed by a textbook. She lay on her side and started to study.

Buffy sloughed into her room and dropped her bags. Slowly turning, looking at the room, but not seeing anything. ‘Faith’s pissed,’ she sighed to herself. ‘She’s gotta understand how hard this is for me. “Hi mom, I’m gay. Oh and I’m sleeping with Faith and Cordelia. Any questions?” Like that’s going to work.’ She dropped onto the bed and buried her face into a pillow. Different scenarios of her mom’s reaction were ricocheting around in her brain. ‘Maybe I should just concentrate on the worst possible outcome, and then anything else will be positive?’ She rolled over and stared up at the ceiling. ‘Yeah, like that’s going to work either.’ She jumped when the door to her room slammed open.

“Hey Buff,” Dawn chirped as she barrelled into the room and leapt onto the bed. “How was L.A.?”

“Don’t you ever knock?” Buffy huffed as she rose off the bed and stooped to open a suitcase.

“Nope,” was the answer. “So what’d you do?”

Buffy sighed and glanced at her sister. “We went out to a club last night, and today we just kicked back before we came home.”

Dawn tilted her head and stared at her sister. “Are you feelin’ okay?”

Buffy stopped and turned towards Dawn. “Yeah, why?”

“Well you went all the way to L.A. and didn’t go to a single shoe store or a mall? There’s definitely something wrong.”

A small smile crept across the blond slayers face. “Maybe when all this is over, I should avail myself of some major retail therapy.”

“When what’s over?”

Buffy groaned as her chin dropped into her chest and she closed her eyes. She stood still for a few moments, Dawn patiently waiting for an answer. They both knew she wouldn’t let it drop till she was satisfied. “Just a couple of things I have to straighten out over the next few days. Nothing big.” She wasn’t really lying to her sister, she was just being a little obtuse.

“If it keeps you from shopping, I think it’s probably pretty major. So what happened? Did you and Faith have a fight?”

“What?” Buffy’s head snapped up and she focussed on Dawn. “Why would you say that?”

The small brunette shrugged, “Just a guess.” A smile crept across her face and her eyes lit up. “Oh my God! You did, didn’t you?” She started to bounce on the bed. “Did she steal the guy you were trying to pick up? C’mon, tell me!”

Buffy rolled her eyes and shook her head. “No, there were no guys involved and we’re not fighting. I just need to talk to her about a couple of things. Like I said, nothing big.”

“Oh,” Dawn deflated a little. She started to play with the edge of the comforter. “I went over to Janice’s yesterday. Then we went to the mall for a while in the afternoon.” Dawn noticed that Buffy was lost in her own little world. “So then we hitchhiked to L.A. and worked as prostitutes on Hollywood Boulevard, like in that movie, and then after we made a couple thousand each, we hitched a ride back here.”

“That sounds like fun,” Buffy mumbled as she stared into space.

“Buffy!” Dawn leapt to her feet. “You weren’t listening to a thing I said!” She stomped her foot and turned to stomp out of the room. She stopped when Buffy called her name.

“I’m sorry, Dawn, but I’ve got homework and I was thinking about what I have to say to Faith. I have to go talk to her now, so can I talk to you after dinner? Please?”

Dawn looked at her sister for a few moments. “Fine, but you have to give me details about what happened last night.” She watched the blush start to grow in Buffy’s cheeks. She pointed at the blond slayer, “Oh yeah, that blush tells me there’s details!” She laughed and ran from the room, leaving a flustered slayer behind.

‘Like I’m gonna tell HER any details at all!’ The blond thought. She finished her unpacking then looked at the clock. ‘Hmm,’ she thought. ‘I’ve got some time before dinner, I’ll go see Faith and we can call Cordy.’ She picked up the handset in her room and headed downstairs. Joyce was busy at the stove when she walked into the kitchen. “Hey mom, how long till dinner?”

“About 10 minutes.”

“Okay, I have to call Cordy and let her know we made it back. I’ll be with Faith.”

“I’ll call you.” Joyce replied and turned back to the stove.

Buffy picked up the other handset from the kitchen and opened the door to the basement. “Faith?” she asked as she walked down the stairs.

“Yeah?”

“Umm, we have to call Cordy.” Buffy handed her a handset. She pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket and started to dial. Faith closed up her books and tossed them on the floor. Watching Buffy, she scooted back on the bed and made room for the blond.
Buffy raised an eyebrow at the dark haired slayer. “You sure you want me to?”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be offerin’.” Faith had a small smile on her face to entice the blond.

Buffy put the phone to her ear. “It’s ringing.” She sat down on the edge of the bed. Faith reached up and pulled her down across her body. She moved the hair off of Buffy’s face and gently caressed her cheek.

“That better?”

“Yeah it feels good.”

“Hello?” Cordelia answered.

“Hi Cordy, it’s us,” Buffy spoke.

Faith flipped on the handset, “Yeah we’re both here.”

“Good. I assume you made it home safe.”

Faith chuckled, “Barely.”

“Faith!” Buffy hissed, “There’s nothing wrong with my driving!”

They could hear Cordelia chuckling over the phone. “If you say so, Buffy.”

“No fair taking her side Cordy,” the blond huffed.

“So that 12 car pile up on the Santa Monica had nothing to do with you guys?”

“What?” Buffy sat up.

“You’re so easy, Summers.” They could hear Cordelia snickering on the other end.

“Take it easy on her, Queen C, or I’m gonna get smacked.” Faith pulled Buffy back down on top of her. “You ain’t here, and I’m gonna end up takin’ a beatin’ for ya.”

“Thank you, Faith. I’m too pretty, and I’d kick her ass if she tried.” All three of them laughed. “So what are you doing now?”

“I’m just doin’ some studyin’,” Faith answered.

“I finished unpacking and we’re just waiting for mom to call us for dinner. So we had some time to kill and thought we’d call you.”

“Did you tell your mom yet?” Cordelia asked. Faith watched as the blond sighed and closed her eyes.

“No,” she answered quietly. “I had a chance when we walked in the door but I was too scared. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, B.” Faith spoke into the phone. “I know it ain’t easy, but we gotta tell her.”

“She’s right, Buffy, you do need to talk to her about it.” Cordelia added.

“I know.” Buffy looked up at Faith. “She has to go to the Gallery for awhile after dinner, so she won’t be home. Would you be okay with tomorrow after supper?”

“Yeah,” Faith smiled at her. “That’s cool.”

“Call and let me know what happens,” Cordelia said. “I’m sure everything will be alright Buffy. You know we’re both here for you.”

“Thanks Cordy,” Buffy sighed. “That means a lot.”

“Girls,” Joyce called from the top of the stairs. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Coming, Mom.” Buffy called back. “Okay, Cordy, we’ve got to go. Thanks for letting us stay this weekend and everything.”

“Yeah,” Faith piped up. “Maybe next time we can come down on the Friday, and spend an extra night in that huge bed of yours.”

“Faith!” Buffy yelped. “Is that all you can think of?”

“Nope,” Faith smirked at the blond. “There’s food and you two as well. Oh, wait. That first statement did include both of ya. So I guess it’s just sex and food.” She laughed as Buffy smacked her on the arm. Cordelia was laughing on the other end of the phone.

“Have fun you two,” she spoke quietly. “I miss having you guys here already.”

“We miss you too, C,” Faith answered.

“Hugs and kisses, Cordy. Hopefully we can see you in a couple of weeks okay?”

“Yeah, that would be great.” The three girls said their goodbyes and the two slayers went up for dinner.

Giles rose from his chair in the living room when he heard the door bell and went to open it. Joyce waited and smiled when the opened door revealed Giles with a small smile on his face. “Welcome, Joyce, please come in.” He stepped back and allowed her into the house. “You look very nice this evening.”

“Why thank you, Rupert.” Joyce smiled brightly at him. “This is the first time I’ve been here.” She looked into the dining room, then the living room. Giles ushered her into the living room and pointed to the couch. “Please have a seat. Would you care for anything to drink? Wine? Tea, perhaps?”

She smiled up at him for a moment. “Would you have anything stronger?”

“Oh dear,” he sighed. “It’s going to be one of those conversations.” He paused for a moment, and then smiled back at her. “I happen to have a very fine, 18 year old Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch. Would you be interested?”

“Yes, thanks. I’ll take it neat.”

Giles graced her with a warm smile, “A woman after my own heart.” He turned and moved towards the sideboard. He opened a door and pulled out the bottle and two small glasses. Gently he pulled the cork from the bottle and poured two shots, then moved back to the couch. He handed a glass to Joyce, and then sat in his chair across from her. Raising his glass, and smiling, he said “Cheers.” Joyce raised hers in return. They both sniffed the bouquet, and then sipped the scotch.

“This is lovely Rupert; I’ll have to get some for home.”

“Yes, well, every once in a while I need something to relax with, and this is marvellous.”

The two relaxed for a few moments and just enjoyed the flavour of the scotch. Joyce looked at Giles, and turned up the corners of her mouth. “You’re wondering why I asked to come by, aren’t you?”

He blinked, “Yes I am. I’m not sure what help I’ll be.”

She sighed, “You know Buffy and Faith as well or better than I do. I need somebody to talk to about them and I hoped you could help.”

Giles set his drink down on the end table and leaned forward. “I’ll do everything I can Joyce, is something wrong?”

“No, I don’t think so. I’m not sure. I’m just a little worried about a few things, that’s all.”

“What has you worried?” He steepled his hands in front of himself.

Joyce looked around the room, marshalling her thoughts. “Worried may be the wrong word. Concerned might be more appropriate.” She sighed. “I’m not really sure.”

“Well,” Giles replied. “Start with what you know.”

Joyce nodded and looked around the book cases in the room. “What has Faith told you about her childhood?”

“Nothing,” Giles shrugged. “She hasn’t even told us her last name.”

“I see,” Joyce answered. “I had a long talk with her the day after Buffy brought her home. I promised I wouldn’t reveal any of her....” she paused for a moment. “Anything about her past. All I can really tell you was it was not a very pleasant childhood, and she ran away from home when she was eleven.”

“Bloody hell!” Giles eyebrows shot up. “That would explain her cautiousness in trusting anyone.” Joyce nodded. “What else can you tell me? I know nothing of any of this.”

Joyce took another sip. “When she first got to Sunnydale, she was living in a crypt. That’s why Buffy brought her home.”

“Ah, yes.” Giles nodded in response. “Willow and Tara performed a glamour spell on Buffy and she followed her, but she never said where she found her.”

“Buffy said it was a mausoleum in Garden Grove.” Joyce tapped her fingers on the side of her glass. “Buffy told me what happened to her watcher. Does the Council know about Faith?"

Giles shook his head. “No, they know a slayer was called when Kendra died, but they never knew if her watcher found her or not.”

“Why?”

“Her watcher was killed by Kakistos before she could report that she had found her. I asked Faith, but she doesn’t want them to know about her yet.” He reached for his drink and took a sip. “I can sort of see why now.”

“How does Buffy feel about that?”

“I really don’t think that she wants them to know either. You see, if the council knows, they may move Faith.”

Joyce’s head snapped up. “Why would they do that?”

Giles cleared his throat. “Remember, I’m just speculating here, but with two slayers, they can keep one on the hell mouth, and send the other wherever they need her.”

Joyce quietly nodded her head in response. She sat for a moment looking at the glass in her hand. Looking back to Giles again, she spoke softly. “That may not be the only reason they don’t want the Council to know.”

Giles blinked several times. “What do you mean?”

“It’s actually the reason I wanted to talk to you. I think the relationship between those two, is a, ummm, little deeper than what we expected.”

Giles tilted his head to the side, “I don’t understand. Are you talking about their Slayer Connection?”

Joyce furrowed her brow for a moment. “Oh, you mean that they can feel each other when they’re close?” Giles nodded at her. “I think that may have something to do with it, but that’s not what I meant.” She thought for a bit, trying to figure out how to explain it. Sighing, she spoke again. “The feelings they may have for each other are more than platonic, or a part of that connection.”

“Oh,” Giles was thinking. “OH!” he said as it struck him. “You think that they may be involved somehow?” Joyce nodded at him. “I see.” They sat in silence for a moment. “I haven’t really researched the connection, but from what I’ve found out, it may be emotional as well as physical. Buffy told me that she could sense if Faith was happy or sad.”

“They haven’t said anything about that to me.” Joyce paused. “When I was talking to you earlier, I was watching them through the window. It almost looked like Faith leaned forward and kissed her. That’s kind of what prompted me to come by.”

“Really?” Giles arched an eyebrow. “Does that bother you?”

Joyce glanced around the room. She looked into Giles’ eyes again, “Yes and no.” She paused for a few seconds. “It bothers me that she hasn’t said anything to me, but if it makes her happy?” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure if it’s a phase or if it’s the way she is.” Giles nodded and waited for her to finish her thoughts. “I’m comfortable with Willow and Tara, so that doesn’t bother me. I just want her to tell me.” She sipped from her glass again, emptying it.

“Would you like another?” Giles asked. Joyce nodded and held her glass out to him.

“So my question to you,” she started. “Have you noticed anything between them?”

He finished pouring the drinks and turned towards her. “Such as?”

She shrugged. “Thanks.” she said accepting the drink from him. “I don’t know.” The silence hung between them. “Have you noticed them holding hands or hugging, things like that?”

Giles leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. He tapped the arm of the chair with his fingers. Joyce quietly watched him and waited. He lowered his eyes to hers, “I’ve noticed a propensity for them to be close enough to brush against each other, but that’s all. There’s been no really overt displays of affection.” He paused for a moment, “Buffy did tell me that when she touches Faith, it’s, and I quote, a warm, fuzzy, feeling.”

Joyce looked at him quizzically, “I don’t understand.”

“Nor do I.” He huffed. “I sometimes have a problem translating teenage girl into proper English.”

Joyce’s laugh sparkled in the room, “Do I understand that statement!”

A warm smile crept across Giles’ face. “Ancient Sumerian I can do in my sleep, but teenage girl is almost indecipherable.” She smiled warmly at him. “I think what she was trying to tell me is that their slayer connection has an actual physical presence when they make contact. So I always attributed their closeness to that.”

“It makes sense. I wonder if that has something to do with the way they feel about each other.”

Giles shrugged this time. “I don’t think it would hurt. I know if I got the ‘warm fuzzies’ every time I touched someone, I think I would want to spend a large amount of time with them. Wouldn’t you?”

Joyce blushed slightly at his comment, “Yes I suppose I would.” She dipped her head for a moment and then lifted it again. “What does Faith say about their connection?”

Giles smile slowly disappeared from his face. “Not much I’m afraid. She trusts me somewhat, but she hasn’t really opened up about it.”

“Oh,” Joyce sighed. “Do you think she would tell me if I asked?”

“She might, however, she would probably have told Buffy a whole lot more. Maybe she’s the one you should ask?”

Joyce pondered his response for a bit. “She’ll ask me why I want to know and how I know so much. I’d end up telling her I was talking to you and I don’t want to do that until she tells me what’s going on.”

“Aah, the proverbial Catch-22.” The smile was back on his face. “This is one of the reasons I use a good single malt to relax. Another?”

Joyce looked at her glass, “Yes, but this is the last one, I’m driving.”

“Of course,” he retrieved her glass and went to the sideboard. “I’m sure the girls will tell you shortly if there’s anything going on between them.” He spoke over his shoulder. He put the bottle away and turned back to her. “I’m sure they’re just trying to come to terms with whatever they’re feeling, and then they’ll let you know.”

“I hope so,” she took the drink from his outstretched hand. “Thank you.”

As he turned towards his chair, the phone rang. He glanced at the clock, then to Joyce. “That’s probably Buffy; I’ll just be a moment.” He walked out of the room to get the phone.

Joyce stood and started to move around the room. She noticed that the bookshelves and table top were clean. The room was not untidy but not neat either. It looked lived in. The dark oak table with several piles of books on it added a rustic warmth to the room. She could almost feel the heat radiating off of it as she dragged her fingers along it’s carved edge. She looked into the dining room and saw more bookcases against the far wall. She smiled as she realized she felt quite comfortable in the room. Her eyes widened as it dawned on her just how comfortable she felt with Rupert. ‘Oh dear,’ she thought. ‘Where did that come from?’

She was lost in her thoughts and didn’t hear Giles come back in. “Joyce?” he queried.

“Ooh, sorry, I was umm, admiring your collection. What genres are they?”

He smiled, “Witchcraft, Demonology, the Occult.” He was waving his hand at the stakes. “You know, like most collectors.”

She smiled warmly at him. “I see. You do all of your research here?”

“No,” he shook his head. “The only students who really use the Library at school are Buffy, and Willow etcetera. There is a large collection there.” He stood beside her and ran his fingers over the table. “This is my own and my father’s collection. My family collection if you will. The table has been in my family for over 200 years now.”

Joyce raised an eyebrow. “That’s the difference between Englishmen and Americans. Here something gets to be 5 years old you throw it out and get a new one. You don’t see very many pieces with that amount of history. Did you decorate the house yourself?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

She smiled and looked into his eyes. “You’ve done a very nice job with it. I find it very comfortable being here.”

Giles coughed as a slight blush crept up his neck. “Umm, yes, well, thank you, that’s so very kind of you.”

Joyce laughed lightly and touched his elbow. “You’re very welcome Rupert. Thank you for having me. I told the girls I would be home before they went on patrol, so I should be going.”

“No, Joyce the pleasure has been all mine. It’s wonderful to have a conversation without having to translate it from teenager.” They both laughed and headed to the door. He opened the door and held it for her. “Again, thank you Joyce. It has been very pleasant and I’m sure everything will turn out alright.”

She sighed and looked at him for a moment. “It has, Rupert, it’s put some of my fears to rest. I just needed to hear a different take from someone who knows the girls.”

“You’re more than welcome Joyce. It’s no trouble at all.” She stepped through the door and he watched her start to walk away. “Umm, excuse me Joyce?”

She stopped and turned to face him again, “Yes?”

“Would you, uhh, be...” he paused and closed his eyes for a second. Opening them he looked at her, “Would you be interested in joining me for dinner on the weekend?”

She stared at him wide eyed for a moment. “Rupert, are you asking me on a date?”

His jaw flapped up and down briefly, “Yes, well, I would suppose that I am. Is that a problem?”

A wide smile broke out on Joyce’s face. In a low voice she replied, “No Rupert, I wouldn’t have a problem with that at all.” She walked back up the steps to where he was standing. She opened her purse and handed him a business card. “Call me this week, and we’ll set something up.”