Paradise

AN: The character of Kadin is played by Michelle Rodriguez. (SWAT, Fast and the Furious, new character on ABC’s Lost this season…) Look her up for photos.


Once Kennedy fled the bar, Layla watched her go with growing annoyance. She sat back with a huff, ignoring the amused expression on the bartenders face. “Can it, Aly. I get hungry when I’m cranky.”

The girl shook her head and let the almost-a-subject go. “What can I get for ya this morning?”

“Fresh meat,” the vampire growled, her eyes once again traveling back to the door where Kennedy’s form had retreated to. “But that’s a missed chance now.”

Sliding off of the stool, she swaggered back into the corner of the club, settling down on a leather couch between two of her followers. “So, tell me boys…a slayer shows up in town with a witch on her arm, and nobody bothers to tell me right away…why, again? I mean, after all, we *aren’t* just talking about some little goddess-wannabe…the redhead is packing some serious power. These two could be what we’ve been looking for.”

“With all respect, your most wonderful one,” the minion apologized with a bow of his head, “but we were not aware of the witch's power until recently. We have only just found out that it is she that performed the scythe spell that awakened all the slayers. Including your new little...object of affection.”

Layla growled at him, but left the comment alone. “Well, it’s only a matter of time before the slayer comes running back to me, anyway…by the time I’m finished, she won’t even remember the witch’s name. And if she does, well…it’ll be a little late.”

A dark smile crossed her features and her mind mulled over what needed to be done. “All I need to do is separate them from each other, and they’ll play right into my hands. A slayer’s blood, and all the magic we can ever need, the spell will be done.” She chuckled to herself. “Maybe I’ll keep this Kennedy around as my own little…‘toy’ once I’m finished. Taking just enough blood to keep her barely conscious while she watches the witch die should be more than plenty for what we need.”

“Yes your excellent one,” the other minion replied with a smile. “And then we can feed from her, right? Slayers last a lot longer than any mortal.” He ran his tongue over the tips of his fangs. “Slayer blood...” he growled with a smile. “Ain't nothing sweeter.”

With a loud snarl, Layla grabbed the other vampire by the back of the head and morphed her own face. “*None* of you lay a single hand on her. There are plenty of other slayers out there for you to snack off of. This one remains *mine*, got it, lover boy? Or would a pile of ashes be more convincing to the others?”

“N-no your most evil one,” the minion stuttered. “That won't be necessary. Message received: No sucking of the slayer. Loud and cl-clear.” He smiled nervously and let out a deep breath when the vampire released him.

“Well, gee,” a low, husky voiced suddenly drifted from behind them, “I just hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but if any of you so much as *look* at this slayer *or* her witch the wrong way, you'll be begging to be dusted.”

One of the minions growled at the smell of fresh blood. He turned and began to leap over the back of the couch, but a hand suddenly came down against his chest, stopping his momentum. He barely had time to look down at the silver stake protruding from his heart before he instantly exploded into dust.

Kadin Van Helsing stepped up out of the shadows and smiled. “Damn. I love this job.” She let out a sigh and hopped over the couch, eyeing the other minion. “Care to see if you're any faster than your buddy here?” She nodded to the pile of dust now resting at her feet.

The minion laughed nervously before quickly jumping up and disappearing back into the shadows. She smiled and propped her feet on the table. She let out a long, satisfied sigh and turned to the female vampire seated next to her. “Long time no see Layla. How ya been?”

With a roll of her eyes, the blonde sneered at Kadin. “Better without you,” she replied in a sugary tone. “What brings you back to this neck of the woods? Get sick of trying to avenge daddy dearest and realize the loser that you really are?”

“Something like that,” Kadin answered in a tense voice, averting her eyes, but the sudden change in her mood only lasted a moment. The somber reflection was soon replaced with a knowing smirk. “And you Layla? Still chasing down the 'ultimate power' and trying to sink your claws into something you ain't never gonna get? And a *slayer* no less.” The hunter reached down to the table and picked one of the grapes from the bowl, popping it into her mouth with a smile. “Who's the loser now?”

“What would you know about power, Van Helsing? You aren’t a slayer, you aren’t a vampire. Your ancestors held the power, and you’re just tryin’ to hold up the family name. Great job, by the way,” Layla added with a smirk.

In a bored, almost disinterested tone, she continued, “Why would you give a damn about the slayer and her whore, anyway? What are they to you?”

“Whore?” Kadin repeated with a raised brow. “That wouldn't happen to be the slightest hint of jealousy I detect, would it?” The hunter smiled. “Not that its any of your business, but they happen to be...acquaintances of mine, and you should know, I don't like it too much when people bad mouth my...acquaintances.” Kadin leaned into the vampire to whisper in to her ear. “I'd really hate to have to kill you over this, Layla, but I'm warning you, you try to tear those two apart, and I'll be the least of your worries.”

Layla chuckled, seemingly unphased. “Oh please. One look and I had the slayer all thralled-up. If it’s that easy to get into her mind, she can’t care for the witch too much.”

Kadin eyed the vampire cautiously for a brief moment before sighing and turning away. “Suit yourself,” the hunter replied, standing up to adjust her duster. “Please, thrall away, but don't say I didn't warn you.”

She turned back to the blonde and leaned over her, placing her hands on the couch on either side of the vampire's head. Staring deeply into the blue gaze, she began to speak in a low voice, “When the slayer comes for you, after you've destroyed all she has and left her with nothing...well, lets just say I hope vampires have a very high pain threshold.” Kadin cracked a small smile. “'Cause if you think for *one second* that she doesn't love that witch with all her being...then I've obviously given you too much credit as the evil mastermind that you are.”

The hunter slowly pulled back and reached down to pop another grape in her mouth, smiling between chews. “See ya around Layla.” She turned to leave, but stopped suddenly and brought her gaze back to the vampire's . “Oh, and try not to kill anyone, hmm? I hear the rats here are very...tasty.” The hunter smirked before turning and slowly walking away.

Layla’s eyes burned as she watched Kadin leave. Snarling to herself, she turned back around and crossed her arms in an angry fashion.

“Bitch…”

***

Kennedy lifted the witch's hand to her lips and kissed it gently. She smiled across the table at the redhead as they sat waiting for their dinner, secluded from the other members of the restaurant.

“This is nice, huh?” The slayer smiled as her eyes shined in the candlelight. “Warm breeze, moonlight, soft music...you.”

“Don’t forget about the food,” Willow teased with a small smile. “If this bread roll is any indication, then you have extremely good taste at eating in foreign countries.” It was nice, also, being away from all of the other guests. Somehow her girlfriend had secluded the entire restaurant patio for themselves.

“So, how’d you manage to get us this little private party? Tip the waiter in advance?”

“Not exactly,” Kennedy grinned, but the grin slowly faded when she received a patent raised brow from her lover in return. “I-its nothing *illegal* or anything...” A slow smile framed the slayer's face. “I just told him that I had the world's greatest girlfriend and that I wanted to give her the world's greatest dinner.” She softly ran her fingers over the back of the witch's knuckles. “Plus I tipped him in advance,” she finished with a smirk.

Willow shook her head with a chuckle. “Well, I’m not complaining, that’s for sure.” The witch closed her eyes briefly and inhaled the warm ocean breeze blowing in from behind them. She let out a soft sigh. “We should vacation together more often,” she said while giving Kennedy’s hand a squeeze.

“I have to agree,” the slayer replied as her eyes drifted up to the night sky. “After everything we've been through, I say its the least we deserve.” Her brown gaze slowly drifted back to her lover. She was mesmerized by the soft glow of candlelight in the witch's emerald eyes. “Speaking of what we deserve,” the slayer softly smiled as she released the witch's hand and reached into the pocket of her jacket.

Green eyes looked into brown with curiosity. “Kenn?”

The slayer didn't respond. She just pulled the tiny box from her jacket and placed it on the table. “Open it,” she whispered with a smile.

The redhead was a little surprised when there wasn’t a loud ‘thud’ing noise when her jaw hit the floor. She looked at the slayer with wide eyes. “Ke…Kennedy?” she asked a second time, uncertainly, then tentatively reached forward and picked up the small box. She looked back up at the slayer again, as if for confirmation that yes, she was supposed to open the box.

“Anytime this century would be nice, Will.” The slayer grinned smugly.

With a slight nod, Willow used her thumb to push up the lid.

Kennedy swallowed back nervously at her lover's furrowed brow. “Is it okay?” She leaned across to bring her face closer to her lover's. “I mean, I know you were probably expecting something more...traditional, but as soon as I saw this one, it made me think of you.”

Kennedy reached out and pulled the silver ring from the box. The small heart shaped diamond in the middle glittered in the candlelight, and the tiny emeralds lined along the top of the band seemed to only further bring out its shine. The slayer trailed the tip of her finger over one of the emeralds, smiling softly. “They reminded me of your eyes.”

After a moment of shock, Willow gingerly reached over and brushed her fingertips over the ring, grazing Kennedy’s hand in the process. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered, still in a state of disbelief. A small smile lit her features as she stared at the slayer’s hand holding the ring. “It’s perfect.”

“It's yours,” Kennedy added, and extended the ring out to her lover. “Even if you don't wanna...you know. I still w-want you to have it.” She felt her heart pounding in her ears. Her throat was as dry as the Sahara and her hand trembled as she waited for the other woman's response. “One perfection deserves another.” Even through her nervousness, she still somehow managed to force the words out.

She watched Kennedy carefully, feeling the other girl’s nervousness pouring off her in waves. Willow sat forward off of her chair, leaning over the tiny table to pull Kennedy into a soft, loving kiss. She let it linger for a minute, one hand cupping Kennedy’s cheek as she finally did pull back.

“Of course I want to…” Willow whispered softly, brushing her thumb over Kennedy’s cheek. She glanced back down at the ring and smiled, before looking back up at her girlfriend again. “I want everything attached to the meaning of this ring. With you.”

“Whew,” Kennedy let out an exaggerated breath. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that.” She glanced down at the ring in her hand before softly smiling up at the redhead. “But, just to make it official...”

The slayer pushed her chair back and walked the small distance around the table before falling to one knee. She reached out and took her lover's hand into her own, lifting the ring box with the other. “Will you marry me?”

For a moment, Willow said nothing, and just gazed down at Kennedy. Then, “Yes,” came out barely above a whisper, her heart feeling like it was turning into a flock of butterflies.

An expression of pure, joyful contentment passed over the slayer's face. “I guess you wanna try on your ring now, huh?” She smiled as she pulled began to pull the object from its box.

Willow waited until Kennedy had slipped the small piece of silver onto her ring finger before grabbing the slayer’s face and kissing her deeply.

“Mmm,” the slayer moaned in pleasure as she pulled back from the kiss. She rose to her feet and kissed the witch's hand before slowly making her way back over to her seat. She held onto the delicate hand and smiled as she watched Willow's eyes fixate on the ring. “Happy?”

The look she received in return read nothing less than ‘duh’. Willow giggled, sitting back in her seat, unable to take her eyes off of anything but either the ring or the woman that gave it to her.

She remained silent for a moment, running the last few minutes through her mind over and over again. Finally, she glanced back up at Kennedy. “Kenn, I stand by what I said, I want this with you, m-more than anything. I just…” She swallowed hard, not wanting the other girl to take this the wrong way. “I don’t want to…rush it. As much as it would be absolutely beautiful to get married down in South America in the next few days, I just…” She hesitated, but reached over and held Kennedy’s hand again. She shook her head and sighed slightly. “I don’t know if I’m wording any of this right, I’m sorry, but…let’s not rush it, okay? Let’s take our time, wait until the absolute right moment.”

The slayer's face fell. “Oh, o-okay,” she nodded weakly. “I mean, yeah. I see what you're saying. I don't wanna...rush into this either. 'Cause its important to me, really important to me, that you have the wedding of your dreams,” she finished a little more strongly. The sullen expression on her face lifted, a slow smile easing in to replace it. “If not South America, maybe...Paris? Bucharest? Sweden? Or my personal favorite...Rome?”

Willow smiled over at the brunette. “Well, if we really wanted, we could always come *back*,” she pointed out with a sly grin. She gave Kennedy’s hand another squeeze. “Please don’t take it as me not wanting this, ‘cause I do. Really, really do. But we’re young, there’s no rush.” She interlaced her fingers with the brunette’s.

Smirking slightly, Willow quirked an eyebrow at her slayer. “So, you the tux type, or will I finally be able to see those gorgeous legs of yours in a dress?” A pause. “Though, I guess technically I still couldn’t see them in a white gown…”

“You really gotta ask?” Kennedy replied with raised brow. “The last time I wore a dress was when I was six. My dad forced me to be a flower girl in my cousin Ella's wedding. Let's just say...he never forced me to wear one again,” Kennedy finished with a smile. “I just don't like the things, but...I promised you the wedding of your dreams, and if that's what you want...”

Willow was unsuccessful in suppressing a giggle. She could just picture a mini Kennedy, in an adorable flower girl outfit, pouting around and looking miserable as everyone fawned over her. The mental imagery made her laugh a little harder, but she stifled it upon the look she received from her girlfriend.

“S-sorry, I just…” She shook her head, still grinning widely. “Baby, I want whatever you want. We could wear Greek togas and I’d be happy.” Then quickly added, “But we’re not. And I’m not getting married naked, either, before you ask. I would like friends and family to show up.”

“Damn,” Kennedy sighed. “That was gonna be my next suggestion too.” She smiled playfully. “But seriously, I want our friends there too, and if we absolutely, positively *have* to, I guess we could invite family. I mean, there's no reason to delay the inevitable meeting of the in-laws.” She rubbed her thumb over the back of the redhead's hand slowly. “So, you really mean it? I can show up all rugged and James Bond-y in a tux and you'd be okay with that?”

“Just as long as you show up,” Willow teased. “Don’t go taking any leaves from Xander’s ‘How to NOT Get Married’ guidebook. And besides, the James Bond look is sexy. I had a crush on Pierce Brosnan in high school.” The witch shrugged at Kennedy’s look. “What? Didn’t always know I was gay, ya know.”

“As long as you know it now,” Kennedy smiled softly. “That's all that matters to me.” She leaned across the table, bringing her face closer to the witch. “I promise you baby, you don't have to worry about me not showing up. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that all I ever wanted was to be by your side. Now that I've got you, I ain't never lettin' go.” She smiled softly again before leaning in even closer. “Besides, if there ain't a wedding,” she paused and ran her tongue over her bottom lip suggestively, “then there can't be a wedding night.”

With a roll of her eyes, Willow placed her hand on Kennedy’s chest and playfully shoved her back into her seat. “Slayers…” she shook her head. Then a crooked smile came into place. “Seems to me we’ve had a ‘wedding night’ every evening this week…and morning…and afternoon…”

Kennedy smirked. “Funny. I didn't hear you complaining.”

“Who said I was?” Willow stuck out her tongue playfully, then spotted the waiter approaching from inside. “Ooh, incoming food.” Her stomach gave a loud rumble. “Y’know, at the rate we’re going *now*, we’re gonna starve to death on our honey moon.”

***

It wasn't until later that night that Kennedy finally got in some slaying action. After going back to the hotel to change, she and her lover decided to see what kinda baddies inhabited the foreign land.

“This is wicked cool,” Kennedy smiled as she held her favorite stake in on hand and her lover's hand in the other. “I've never killed any vamps in Rio before. Wonder if they're any smarter than the ones back home? I could really use the workout right about now.” She emphasized her point with a roll of her shoulders.

Willow swung their hands a little as they walked, taking in their surroundings. Even the dark, creepy parts of Rio were beautiful at night. And as it was more than warm out, jackets and sweatshirts definitely not needed.

“What, I haven’t been giving you enough of one lately?” She pretended to pout for a moment. “Maybe I should step it up a notch next time we’re feelin’…snuggly.”

Kennedy shook her head with a smile. “Oh no baby, you got that area good and plenty covered.” She looked alert as her eyes scanned the darkness. “There's another kinda workout a slayer needs. It's kinda hard to explain...and even if I could, I doubt you'd understand.” She paused when she felt the tug on her hand. She stopped her eyes from scanning their surroundings to turn and face her lover, meeting the intensely annoyed look on the redhead's face. “Come on Will, you know I didn't mean it like that.”

The wiccan huffed. “Yeah, I know, I know…that whole ‘slayers only’ attitude was bound to set it at some point.” She sighed in annoyance and dropped Kennedy’s hand to cross her arms. “You all tend to think no one else ‘gets it’, but if you’ve been hanging around *the* chosen one for seven years, you manage to understand the slayer thing pretty damn well.”

At Kennedy’s wide-eyed, caught-off-guard look, Willow sighed again and dropped her arms, offering a small smile. “Sorry. Touchy subject. You can blame Faith for part of it.”

“No need to apologize baby,” Kennedy tucked the stake into the back pocket of her jeans and reached out to take the witch's hands in her own. “If anyone needs to be sorry, its me. Sometimes, my brain and my mouth don't exactly communicate very well,” she smiled. “I didn't mean it how it sounded. I mean, you're the only person in this whole world that understands me, that gets what I'm all about. So, I'm sorry if it sounded like I didn't think you understand the slayer part of me, 'cause I know you do. Maybe even better than I understand it myself.”

Kennedy lifted their entwined hands to her lips and kissed the back of each of the witch's. “After all, its you that made me a slayer in the first place. You gave me the two greatest gifts in the world, baby. Your power made me a slayer and your love made me a believer.”

The witch just looked at Kennedy for a moment, then shook her head. “How do you do that?”

“What?” Kennedy asked with a furrowed brow.

“Make it humanly impossible to stay even remotely huffy at you.” Willow grinned and reached upward, pinching Kennedy’s cheeks. “Just so damn *cute*,” she squealed in a voice similar to that of the scary, overbearing aunt. “And romantic,” she added as an afterthought.

“I am *not* cute,” the slayer stated firmly, reaching up to pull her lover's hands away from her face. “Alluring, seductive, sexy...but most definitely *not* cute.” She reached out and placed her hands on the witch's hips, pulling her forcefully against her own body. “But I won't argue with you on the romantic bit.” She smiled suggestively at her lover. “What can I say baby?” Her eyes hungrily raked over the older woman's body. “You bring out the best in me.”

“Aww…” Willow was unable to help it. “See? Cute!”

Kennedy pretended to pout for a moment, then the pout turned into a mischievous smirk. The slayer slowly brought her hands around from the witch's hips to rest on her tummy. She let her fingertips gently tease the firm muscle she found there. She raised a brow when the redhead's breathing became slightly laboured.

She trailed her left hand down around the witch's side to rest on the small of her back as her other hand discreetly started to travel southward.

Kennedy kept her eyes locked on her lover's as her right hand slowly, but surely made its way between the redhead's thighs. “So, still think I'm cute?”

“A-among other things,” Willow swallowed. “Lots and lots of other things…” She leaned further into Kennedy’s embrace, her eyes half closing as the slayer’s hand continued to tease her. “I thought we were supposed to be patrolling, not…honeymooning. Again.” The thought made the witch chuckle lightly.

“Just trying to prove my point, baby,” the slayer whispered before pulling away. She smiled at the pout she received from the older woman. “Patrolling, remember?”

Kennedy reached around and pulled the stake from her back pocket. “I just wish it wasn't so, well...alive out here,” she sighed absently. "Where's the cocky, and annoyingly stupid undead when you actually *wanna* fight?"

“We can keep looking?” Willow suggested. “I know you wanna get your slay on, and though I’d offer to be your sparring partner, I feel like having my own teeth for a few more years thank you very much.”

“Will?” Kennedy asked a little upset. “You really think I would...that I could hurt you like...that?”

“What? No!” Willow shook her head quickly, her footsteps stopping as she turned to her girlfriend. “Baby, I was just kidding. I know you would never hurt me…” She tried to smile reassuringly. “We all know that I’m too shrimpy and sideline-y to fight, so I was mocking myself. I tend to do that at regular intervals.”

The slayer let out a long sigh. “You don't give yourself enough credit Will. I think we both know that if it came down to it, you could and would hold your own.” She averted her eyes awkwardly. “But um, I don't wanna sound all macho or anything...” She paused and slowly trailed her eyes back up to her lover's. “But I really don't want you fighting Will. At least not physically. I really don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I just can't stand the thought of someone or something putting their hands on you like that, *hurting* you like that.”

Kennedy reached over and tucked a strand of loose auburn behind the witch's ear. “I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I ever let anything happen to you. I really don't want it to sound like I think its my 'manly duty' to protect you or anything, but, I'm a slayer, my body was built to take on the physical stuff. If it means me sporting a few bruises or some broken ribs to know that you're safe and unharmed, then I say bring 'em on.” She finished with a nod. “So, its not that I don't think you can fight, its that I don't want you to.” She eyed her girlfriend wearily. “Do you hate me?”

“Of course I don’t hate you,” Willow replied softly. “Flash back to the ‘completely irresistible’ conversation we had two minutes ago.” She smiled, and stepped closer to the slayer. “I understand. Believe me, I do. And I’m not a huge fan of me fighting, either. Or, you for that matter…” She hesitated for a moment before continuing on. She wanted to get this out before Kennedy interjected. “I know that you’re a slayer, and stuff is gonna happen. Sometimes not so fun stuff. And… yeah, I’ll worry, every time you go out on patrol, every time there’s an impending apocalypse. But I’ve already learned to accept that as a part of who you are. And it’s one of the things I love about you, your heart when it comes to protecting people.” She locked her arms around the brunette’s neck. “So, I promise to stay out of the fist fights and hex bad guys from afar, if you promise to be careful when you’re smashing their faces in with your fist. Okay?”

“Slayer's honor,” Kennedy smiled as she reached out and placed her hands on the witch's hips. “See? That's what I meant earlier when I said you understood me. You get how much the slaying means to me, and yet you know that there's nothing that means more to me than you.” She paused with another soft smile. “I'm glad you worry about me, but you still understand that its something I have to do, something I *need* to do, and I can't begin to tell you how much I love you for that. I can't promise to never get hurt, but I can promise you that there is nothing, and I mean *nothing* on this planet, in this universe, that would *ever* keep me from coming home to you.”

Willow nodded, suddenly feeling a nervous twisting of knots in her stomach at just the thought of something happening and Kennedy not… “Right. Gonna hold you to that.” She didn’t want to finish that thought, thinking about it was too painful. “’Cause, home, us, meaning two…without you, wouldn’t be much of a home. So…” She paused, not wanting to go on a babble-ramble. “Right. You, careful, me, careful, we’re all being careful. Good. This is good…”

Kennedy smiled at her lover's babble. “Will, baby? Just breathe.” She leaned in and kissed the witch gently before pulling away with a contented sigh. She smiled at the blush on the redhead's cheeks. “Good to know some things never change,” she teased lightly before a look of sudden seriousness clouded her features. “S-speaking of our home,” the slayer began nervously, “you got any thoughts were you'd like to settle down after the big day? And after the honey moon of course. I mean, I didn't know if you'd want to stay in Cleveland to be with your...our friends or if you wanted to move away, start fresh?” She stopped at the sudden look of confusion on the witch's face.

“Forget it,” she shook her head. “It was stupid, and I don't know why I'm even thinking about that stuff right now. I mean, we haven't even gotten married yet and I'm already all with the life plans and stuff.” She shook her head with a sigh. “Next thing you know I'll be asking how many kids you wanna have...” Kennedy's eyes widened and she swallowed back nervously. “*Not* that I think you should be poppin' em out left and right or anything. I mean, just cause I've always wanted a big family doesn't mean...okay, shutting up now.”

“Huh?” Willow stared at Kennedy for a moment, a little overwhelmed, then let out a bout of laughter. She pulled the slayer gently into a hug, running her hands over the girl’s back. “One thing at a time, sweetie. You’re starting to sound like me.” She grinned softly, then pulled back a little to study her girlfriend’s face.

After a thoughtful moment, she bit her lower lip and shrugged. “I-I don’t know, I guess I haven’t…well, I *have* thought about where we’d be going now that Sunnydale’s gone, but…all I kinda assumed was that wherever it was, it would be with you.” She smiled again, blushing despite herself. “I mean, we *could*, since there’ll be a bunch of slayers around for you to patrol with and stuff. Not that you need protection,” she quickly added before Kennedy could object. “Just that two slayers are safer than one when dealing with situations, ones with lots of hair. And plus, the others being there and all, but…” She paused for a moment to tilt her head to the side. “What about you, sweetie? I mean…h-have you had any thoughts of moving back to where your family is? I-I never really asked.”

“Willow,” the slayer smiled with a sigh, reaching out to run her fingers through the soft auburn hair, “I woulda thought with that incredibly huge and sexy brain of yours that you woulda had it figured out by now.” Kennedy took the witch's hand in her own and ran her fingers over the back of it softly.

“You're part of my family now, and wherever you are is where I wanna be. Don't get me wrong, I miss my dad and my sister, but...that's what holidays and summers are for. I don't know...” she paused to shake her head with a sigh. “I guess, well, I guess that I'm just selfish. I kinda want you all to myself...at least for a little while, and with my family always hounding over us, we'll never really get the chance to be those crazy in love newlyweds everyone's always talkin' about.”

The slayer smiled playfully. “But don't think that means you get to *totally* dodge the bullet that is the in-laws.” The smile slowly faded from Kennedy's face. “Oh God, I've never even *met* your mother. What's she gonna think when she finds out we're engaged?!”

“Uhh…” That brought a guilty, and slightly terrified look to the witch’s face as well. “Um, well…s-she *does* know about you, ended up telling her I was seeing someone important before I made her and dad leave town…” Willow smiled sheepishly. “I guess we kinda skipped the ‘meet-the-parents’ portion of our relationship, huh?” She thought for another moment. “We’ll just have to tell them and see what happens. Maybe meet them first, spread the news later?” She shrugged meekly. Dealing with parents and relationships together was never an easy thing.

Then, suddenly a thought entered her mind. “What if your dad doesn’t like me??” came blurting out before she realized what thought her brain had formed.

Kennedy's brow raised suddenly and she smiled. “You're kiddin', right?” She let her eyes rake over the redhead's form, taking in every inch appreciatively. “Beautiful, intelligent, kind, caring...sexy as sin...” the slayer moaned. “What's not to like?”

Willow arched an eyebrow. “Okay, it’s the fact that we’re talking about your father that disturbs me,” she replied with a slight slap on the brunette’s arm. “I know *you* like me, b-but I’m not, y’know, I-I haven’t finished college yet, a-and I don’t have any real achievements, and he might not think I’m good enough for-“

“Whoa,” the slayer suddenly interrupted with a raised hand. “Let's just stop that insane thought train right there.” She looked at her lover a little confused, but still smiling. “You? Not good enough? For me?” Kennedy clarified, pointing to her girlfriend, and then to herself. “Believe me baby,” the slayer chuckled, “if he's gonna think one of us isn't good enough for the other, its gonna be me not good enough for you.” She shook her head at the redhead's stunned look. “You don't know my dad, Will. He's a hard ass, but I know deep down, he only wants the best for me. He wasn't always cool with the whole 'gay thing', but once he got use to it, then he started on my choice of girlfriends.”

The brunette paused with a sigh. “Looking back, I can't remember a single one he thought was right for me. He always wanted me with the brainiacs, told me they could teach me a thing or two, but I was a teenage girl, doing anything but what my father wanted was my life's mission.” Kennedy met the other woman's eyes with a smile. “When he sees me walk through the door with you on my arm? After he gets over the initial shock, he's gonna wonder just how in the hell I ever managed to bag such a beautiful woman as you with the heart and the brains to boot.”

“Believe me, Will,” she continued the soft smile, “You'll have him eating outta your hand by dinner.”

“Really?” Willow asked, somewhat meekly. She let out a fake sigh, pretending to look stressed. “Well, if you insist…I guess this means we have to meet the in-laws. We’ll need to start making plans, before we tell them about the whole, y’know…engagement thing.”

Wow. Engagement. Every time she said that word, it seemed almost surreal. Willow was positive her friends would be bewildered, and the questions of “aren’t you moving a little fast?” would pop up, but…after losing Tara, Willow realized that she didn’t want to wait forever. She loved Kennedy, with all of her heart, and knew she would continue to as long as the slayer kept caring for her, so what difference would a few years make? She would still love and be with her slayer. She was done with waiting. She loved Kennedy, and that was all that mattered.

“So,” Willow stated as she interlaced her fingers with Kennedy and they started to walk again. “As for my own parents, well… I know they’ll for sure like you, but my mom, she’s kinda, well…” Willow sighed deeply. “Lets just say that when she starts talking to you about statistics on gay marriages and your opinions on what a colleague told her and how you voted in the last election and why…just smile, nod, and eventually she’ll start to be a normal person. She still does that stuff to me, even.”

“Right, check,” the slayer nodded with a smile. “Crazy insane mother-in-law can be easily placated with polite smiles and well timed nods.” The slayer looked over at the redhead nervously. “You know, *not* that I think your mother is really insane o-or...anything. Just sayin'...that uh...” she trailed off and looked away with a light blush.

Willow smirked at the slayer. “You’re cute,” she repeated.

“Don’t worry, no offense taken. She is kinda nuts sometimes…but she means well, I guess. Her and my dad were always out on business trips and stuff, so it was hard to steer away from the business talk the few odd times a year they *did* see me…” She shrugged, though a part of her still wished her parents had been around more when she was a kid. “Don’t think they knew how to talk to a teenager,” she half joked.

“Sorry to hear that,” Kennedy smiled softly as she looked over at her lover. “I guess it just proves that it is true that we all have to suffer our own private teenage hells, huh? No matter what your family is like, your parents are bound to monumentally screw you over one way or another.” She grasped her girlfriend's hand a little tighter. “Guess we're pretty damn lucky we got each other to bitch about it with, huh?” she teased with a light smile.

“Don’t know what I’d do without ya,” Willow replied with a grin of her own, though the words were said sincerely. “Now, back to the subject of the whole moving thing…” She hesitated, furrowing her brow. “We should at least get a temporary apartment before we figure out our plans, and see where everyone else is going. Then we can make family-visiting plans, so you get to see your dad and your sister, and if my parents are in the country and haven’t completely forgotten the whole ‘I’m alive’ conversation we had several days ago…”

“Sounds fun,” Kennedy interrupted again, noticing the slight drop in her lover's voice. “But as far as the apartment thing goes...got any place in particular in mind?”

Willow bit her lip thoughtfully. “I guess…well, maybe we should stick around Cleveland, help everything get set up before we take off anywhere?” Cleveland wasn’t exactly on the top ten most fascinating places of the world, but it was a hellmouth and Giles was setting up shop there. She felt obligated to help. “That’s not to say we have to stay forever. I mean, I’m sure there’s other cities that have their fair share of creepy things crawling and bumping in the night.”

“Don't remind me,” the slayer sighed. “But I guess I was kinda hoping you'd say that,” she smiled shyly. “I mean, I was just startin' to settle in with the others, you know? Faith's pretty much the coolest and Buffy's not so bad once you get passed the annoying speeches and self righteous 'I'm The Slayer' bull...”

Willow let out a little laugh. “I think it’ll be good for the girls to get to know her out of ‘slayer’ mode. Now that it’s post-apocalypse, and she isn’t the only slayer around anymore…”

Then she frowned, fidgeting a little bit at Kennedy’s words about Faith. Though she, of all the Scoobies, could really identify with the whole ‘dark side’ thing the brunette had gone through, they still weren’t exactly on…even ground. “Wouldn’t suppose your opinion on Faith could change if I told you she nearly broke my jaw and held a knife to my throat, would it?” The witch was mostly kidding. Mostly.

Kennedy looked over at her lover sharply. “She did? I mean, I know she did some pretty messed up stuff back then. She kinda filled me in on her 'wicked days' as she liked to call 'em...but I guess she thought it better to leave out the whole 'knife to my girlfriend's throat' thing.” Kennedy sighed and shook her head. “Its a shame too. I was kinda hoping I'd have a slaying buddy when we got back home, but now...looks like I'm gonna have to kick her ass all the way back to Boston.” Kennedy shook her head sadly.

Damn. Now that just made her feel guilty. “No…well,” Willow nearly reconsidered, then “no, don’t do that…she’s changed, much as I hate to admit it. Buffy seems to trust her again, and I…” The redhead shrugged her shoulders, absently staring at her fingernails. “Well, seeing how I had my own bout of evilness, ten times worse than what she did…I can’t really be one to judge. She helped a lot in Sunnydale. And didn’t kill anyone, so yay, bonus!”

“Will,” Kennedy sighed, stopping their walk to turn to look at the redhead. “Haven't we already been over this whole 'Evil Willow' thing?” She eyed her lover with a raised brow. “Thought I told you I didn't wanna hear those words in the same sentence come outta your mouth ever again? I was only kiddin' about the ass kickin' thing anyway. I know Faith's not the same person she was back then, and neither are you. That whole 'evil' thing was just a fluke. You are *not* evil. Understand?” The slayer gave her lover a stern look.

Willow gave her slayer a wide eyed look in return. “Whoa, since when did you get so good at scary resolve-face? Thought that was my move.” She managed a grin and lightly squeezed her lover’s hand. Though the guilt would never truly go away, she finally knew she was passed that stage, and that it would never happen again so long as she could help it.

They were approaching a park bench placed next to a memorial fountain, and Willow tugged the slayer over to it. She hesitated for a moment, letting out a heavy breath. She knew she should just drop the subject, but her conscious needed to say it. “Back in Sunnydale, when we were above the hellmouth, I…” the witch trailed off, glancing away from Kennedy.

“You...?” Kennedy encouraged her lover to finish as they sat back onto the bench. “Come on baby, you can tell me. Whatever it is...I'm here for you.”

“I know you are,” Willow replied quietly, glancing up to smile briefly before looking down again. “I just, I think…I came really close t-to, y’know, l-losing it again…when I started the spell.” She sighed, visibly deflating at the shame she felt sweeping over her. “I felt fine, like I could do it, and then this sudden…feeling of dread, a-and fear, that I couldn’t do it came over me. That…darker part of me started to come out, and it was only for a second, but I almost couldn’t hold back. And then the scythe activated and I was fine, but just for that moment…”

She swallowed hard and looked up at Kennedy. “I know what I said freaked you out, but…if something like that ever happens again, y-you can’t let me…I mean, we’re gonna have t-to…you can’t let *her* hurt anyone, okay?”

“Will,” Kennedy released the witch's hand and ran her own back through her hair, sighing as she dropping it to her lap. “We've been over this already too.” She looked over at her lover with sadness in her eyes. “I promise you, that as long as I'm living, I won't ever let it come to that. I once told you that I'd be your kite string, that I'd keep you grounded, and I will.”

The slayer reached over and placed her hand on the redhead's thigh. “I swear to you baby, I'll never let anything happen that would make you all...veiny again, but you've got to know that I love you too much to ever think of letting her hurt anyone, and if it ever came down to it, I promise you...I *swear* to you...even thought it'd break my heart, I'd sooner drive a stake through hers then to let her destroy you like that.”

Willow let out a ragged sigh, nodding her head slowly. “Thank you,” she whispered softly, before leaning over and resting her head on Kennedy’s shoulder.

A moment of silence passed, in which she stewed in her own juices, before sighing and letting out a small chuckle. “So, back to the less-depressing apartment talk,” came out in a half-joking tone. “This may be an odd question, but…you sure you wanna live with me? I’m kinduva neat freak sometimes.”

“Guess that works out perfect then,” Kennedy chuckled as she leaned her head down to place a kiss on the witch's temple. “'Cause I can be a pretty big mess when I wanna.” A small smile formed on her lips. “'Specially if I got my very own wife to clean up after me...cook me dinner...wash my clothes...hey, I'm really starting to like the sound of this whole 'married' thing."

Willow pulled back from Kennedy and raised an eyebrow. “Remind me to purchase a dog house for you to sleep in,” she replied with a slight grin. “And a doggie dish. And a hose…”

“Damn,” Kennedy shook her head with a smile. “Guess that came out kinda 'Me Tarzan, you Jane', huh? 'Cause I didn't mean it to sound like I expected you to stay home keepin' up the house and birthin' the babies while I'm out conquering the world.” The slayer sighed. “I just meant...I've waited my whole life to find the one woman I'd wanna grow old with and I can't imagine my life without you, neat freakiness and all,” she finished with a grin.

Willow leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on Kennedy’s lips, before pulling back a little bit and asking “Blue or red dog house? I’ll let ya pick the colour.” She grinned wickedly, and kissed the slayer again.

She pulled back thoughtfully after a moment, snuggling up to Kennedy’s side and looking at her thoughtfully. “I have to say, Kenn…I wasn’t really sure at first if you would be the maternal type, but lately I’ve just been seeing…” She smiled, nudging the slayer in the ribs. “You’d be a great mom. I have a feeling a bit of a pushover, but great none the less,” Willow teased.

“M-mom?” The slayer repeated nervously. “Me? Oh no, I'm not the 'mom' type,” she continued, shaking her head. “I'd probably let 'em eat candy for breakfast and never make 'em do homework. They'd be overweight and have the IQ of peanut brittle before they reached puberty.”

Kennedy looked over at her lover suspiciously. “Where'd this 'mom' stuff suddenly come from anyway? I thought we were talkin' about me and how much hot water I was in?”

The witch eyed Kennedy and gave her a funny look. “Sweetie, you’ve mentioned kids and family four times within the last hour. What’d you think you were talking about? I’d have ‘em and you’d just be the cool aunt or something?”

“Not exactly,” the slayer sighed. “I mean, its not like I expect you to do *all* the parenting...I was thinking you could handle the 'mom' stuff and I'd just be there to play catch or tea party...or whatever...” Kennedy trailed off and looked away awkwardly. “I mean, its not like I really remember much about my own mom...” Her sad expression was soon replaced with a soft smile. “But before my dad got remarried, it was like I was the center of his universe. I remember all the summers I spent with him playing catch, ridin' dirt bikes...fishing,” her smile widened as she looked back over to her lover. “I always promised myself that if I ever had kids, I'd never let them have to wonder what it was like to have *both* parents.”

“Kenn, we’ll handle the parent stuff *together*. I mean, I don’t exactly claim to be an expert on raising anything above gold fish, but that’s where you learn from experience. They will have two parents, *us*. Two moms. You’ll do great, baby.” Willow cracked a grin, then froze up, furrowing a brow. “Wow. That’s the first time I’ve thought about that in a while…the kid stuff, I mean.”

“You mean...you've thought about it before?” Kennedy tried to clarify shakily. “Is that a good thing? I mean, the wanting to have kids w-with me. Its not...it isn't a pressure thing, is it?”

Willow immediately shook her head. “No, no pressure thing. From either side. I guess I’ve always wanted a family with the person that I love, whoever that was gonna be. I wanted to be a mom, and I wanted to be there for my kids every step of the way, not off on…business trips or anything.” Willow shifted so she could gaze up at Kennedy from her position of resting against her shoulder. “I’m not saying we should dive right into it, though. Not right now, not immediately…but someday, when we’re both ready, yeah, if you wanted, I’d want to have a family with you.” She smiled at her slayer. “Besides, who says I have to be the one poppin’ out the babies all the time?” She arched an eyebrow, slightly amused at the pale look her girlfriend took on.

“You're jokin', right?” Kennedy laughed nervously, but when her lover didn't budge, any sense of amusement drained from her face. “Please tell me you're jokin'. You can't honestly think I'm gonna walk around as big as a house for nine months just to go through hours and hours of painfully intense labor...” She trailed off with a sudden look of nervousness. “Uh...not that I think you should suffer it all by yourself. I mean, I'd be there right by your side, every step of the way...”

“Uh-huh,” the witch replied with a bemused eyebrow raised. “Glad to know I shall be the bearer of pain and sacrifice.” She elbowed Kennedy in the ribs. “I’ll be reminding you of this conversation when you complain because I send you out for pickles and ice cream at three AM, not to mention going through hormonal fits where I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

Kennedy grinned at the other woman's playful jab. “H-hormonal...fits?” The smile slowly faded from Kennedy's face as she thought about her lover's words. “P-pickles and ice cream? At three AM? Do pregnant women really eat that stuff?” She furrowed her brow as she began to think about it.

“Mm-hmm,” Willow mused, giving Kennedy a ‘you asked for it’ kind of look. “Not to mention the number of times you’ll have to tell me I don’t look like an ugly beached whale that should be put out of its misery for the sake of man kind. Good luck talkin’ me outa that one.”

Kennedy pondered the image for a moment before slowly dropping her eyes down to the redhead's waist. She studied her lover's body intently for a long moment before letting out a sigh. “I don't think you have to worry about me losing interest. Even pregnant, something tells me you'd still be incredibly sexy and irresistible.” Her eyes clouded over and a light smile played on her lips. “Then again, I always think you're incredibly sexy and irresistible.”

“Uh-huh,” was repeated. “You’d *better* not lose interest, or you actually *will* have to face the wrath of Darth Rosenburg, as Andrew so fondly named me…” She rolled her eyes at the brunette. “C’mon, hornball. Let’s finish this patrol and get you back to the hotel.” She tugged the younger girl to her feet, interlacing their hands together.

Another sudden thought came to mind. “You do realize that the majority of the nine months we won’t be having sex at all, right?”

Kennedy stopped in her tracks, a sudden pull on her lover's hand stopped her too. “What? Why?” The slayer asked confused. “But....but...I thought that pregnant women are all...hormonal and hot all the time? But really, no sex?” Her eyes furrowed and a little pout formed on her lips. “Not even a little bit?”

“Hey, you knocked me up, so don’t complain!” Willow grinned. Then she stopped to ponder for a moment. “Well, I’ve heard that there’s the occasional time where you really, really crave a good round of sex, but it only happens for a short time. Otherwise it’s pretty much on my time, when I want it.”

Unable to keep from laughing at the expression on her lover’s face, Willow pulled Kennedy closer to her. “Sweetie, I’m also having a hard time imagining you’ll actually *want* to have sex with a beached whale when the time comes.”

“I thought I told you baby,” Kennedy smiles softly as she places a kiss on her lover's lips. “It doesn't matter to me what you look like, just as long as its you. Don't get me wrong, I love your body,” the slayer paused to reach down and squeeze the witch's backside with a grin. “But its not the only reason I'm with you, and its definitely not the only reason I love you.”

Kennedy smiled at the soft look she received. “I told you before baby, I don't think they'll ever be a time when I'm *not* attracted to you. Even when we're old and gray, sitting in our rocking chairs on the front porch, I'll look over at your beautiful face and see those deep green eyes, and I won't help but think, you're still as beautiful and sexy as the day we met.”

The couple were nearing a small grove of trees, just off to the side of the memorial fountain. In the shadow of the trees, an unwelcoming and familiar face leered at them from the darkness.

Layla’s face remained human, but the disgusted look upon it could only be that of a demon. “Make me lose my appetite… get ‘em, boys.”

TBC...