Baby's Coming Back
by willow
Kennedy
[reviews]
Chapter 9: Kennedy
***************************************************************************
About ten minutes later, the ex-couple made their way down the stairs, giggling about nothing in particular. They were just happy to be in each other's company again, even if it was just as friends. When the two entered the dining room, the laughter came to an abrupt halt as they noticed each person at the dining table was staring at them. Dawn, Xander and Anya in shock that the two were so comfortable around each other, Faith staring daggers at them and the potentials looking to Willow with curiosity. Kennedy's jaw had dropped at the hotness of the brunette and Giles was just staring on in disbelief that she was actually back.
Willow smiled awkwardly before letting out a nervous laugh. She stepped backward, trying to avoid the situation, only to be stopped by Tara's arm around her back. Green eyes widened but the witch only gave her a stern look in return that told her she'd have to go through with this sooner or later. Faith, however, looked as though she was about to explode after seeing the contact the two shared.
Suddenly, Giles stood up from his chair and slowly walked over to Willow, his face neutral. Willow shrunk back into herself, preparing to hear the worst things possible to come from her only real father figure. Instead, he did the last thing she expected. He pulled her into a strong embrace, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "Where the bloody hell have you been?!" It was a rhetorical question. He didn't care where she'd been, he was just glad she was back.
"Okay, grubs up!" Buffy said as she entered the room with a tray of garlic chicken in one hand, a bowl of baked potatoes in the other, unaware of the intimate moment she'd just interrupted. The two separated and shared a smile before taking their places at the dining table, Willow in between Buffy and Kennedy, Giles on the end of the table next to Xander and Tara next to Dawn and a pissed off Faith. Joyce followed Buffy a few seconds later with the rest of the vegetables, taking her place at the head of the table.
"Paige fell asleep, so I put some food aside to heat up incase she wakes up," the slayer explained quietly.
"Thanks, Buff," Willow smiled sweetly at her.
"We've put her up in Dawn's room for the night... if you don't mind staying, I mean..." Buffy was about to began babbling.
"No, that'd be nice," Willow interjected squeezing a hand of Buffy's.
Buffy smiled back, mainly at the tingles Willow's hand sent all through her body, before she began to introduce the girls the brunette hadn't met before. She nodded to each one as she said their name. "This is Vi, Rona, Amanda, Molly, Megan, Rayne and..."
"Kennedy," the pretty brown-eyed brunette interjected, holding out a hand for Willow to shake. The former witch politely took it and smiled sweetly as they shook.
"Willow," she replied, looking to the other potentials then back to Kennedy.
Others started to slip into general conversation as Buffy stood up to get something out the kitchen.
"Well, it's nice to finally put a face to the name... especially such a pretty one," Kennedy said with a sly wink. Willow just blushed a deep red.
"Uhh... thanks," she smiled sheepishly. "You, too... uh, pretty, I mean. Not the face to name thing, 'cause, you know... only just knew you existed, well all potentials really, not just you..."
"Oh, and so cute when you babble," she added with a cheeky smile, which only made Willow blush further.
"Gravy?" Buffy asked, forcing herself in between the two, 'accidently' spilling a spot on Kennedy's shirt. "Oops, c'mon, we'll get a damp cloth on that," she practically dragged the stunned slayer out of her seat and left Willow smiling nervously.
***************************************************************************
"What are you doing?!" Kennedy asked once they were out of ear shot.
"What did I tell you before dinner?" Buffy asked calmly.
"That Willow was hot! Good call by the way..."
"No, I said she was gorgeous," Buffy shook her head, trying to get back on track. "Anyway that's not the point, I told you not to be pushy!"
"I'm not being pushy! She was smiling so I continued!" The brunette tried to get a valid point across. It had sounded OK in her head, but came out as a kind of lame excuse.
"She was just being polite," the blonde started to damp a cloth and turned Kennedy around to get the spot of gravy off her shoulder.
"No, she was flirting back," the bratty potential scrunched her eyebrows. "Well... kind of. I think she was a bit nervous,"
"That's understandable, Ken. I mean she's got her ex-girlfriend's current girlfriend trying to stare a hole through her head, a bunch of new people looking at her like... wait!" The last word made Kennedy jump slightly at the tone in the slayers voice. "She was flirting back?" Buffy stopped wiping Kennedy's shoulder and chucked the cloth back into the basin. The potential slayer turned to face her.
"Well, she babbled back..." she began, but was cut off by Buffy.
"Yeah, she's definately just nervous," Buffy concluded, more to herself than Kennedy. "Now, when we go back in there I don't want any more attempted flirting."
Kennedy looked at her sideways through squinted eyes before they widened. "You're jealous!"
"What?" Buffy said, a little more high-pitched than she'd intended.
The brunette smiled knowingly, "You've got a thing for her, don'tcha."
"What? No, of course I haven't. Kennedy, she's my best friend!"
"Uh huh," Kennedy raised an eye brow. "So you wouldn't mind if I asked her out after dinner. No being pushy," Kennedy said before her friend could interrupt. "Just ask her if she wants to meet up for a drink sometime."
"Not at all," she lied, "as long as you don't force her into it!"
***************************************************************************
So, Buffy endured a 2 hour dinner of Kennedy's flirting and Willow's blushing, and even sometimes her flirting back.
By 12, everyone had left, bar Kennedy. She was still having a good time chatting Willow up, and thought that she might have a genuine chance to get the woman to go on a date.
As she saw the former witch try to hide a yawn, she stood up from the sofa. "Well, I should get going," she shared a smile with Willow as all three girls made their way to the door. The potential grabbed her coat, put it on and pretended to check her pockets. "Oh, shoot, I left my keys in the kitchen. Could you get them please?" she asked Buffy.
Buffy raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Sure." She slowly walked to the kitchen, leaving Willow and Kennedy alone.
"Well, it's been really nice meeting you, Willow," Kennedy said taking a step closer to the slightly shorter brunette.
Willow smiled, "You too."
They shared a smile as an awkward silence set in. Kennedy looked at the floor before looking back up at Willow.
"Erm... I was wondering," she stopped mid-sentence.
"Yeah?" Willow asked confused.
"Errr... well... would you like to maybe go out sometime... with me... y'know, like, on a date?"
Willow smiled at how nervous the woman had become. "Kennedy, I'd love to. It's just, well, stuff with Paige... I really need to start getting her into a routine. Plus, I've only just got back and I think asking the guys to babysit already is a little out of line."
"Well, maybe the three of us could go out? We could take Paige to the park or something?" Kennedy suggested desperately. Willow thought about it for a couple of awkward seconds before Kennedy used her puppy dog eyes. "Please?"
Willow sighed through a smile, "Sure."
Kennedy's smile was so big, it could have lit up the room. "Ok, good, is tomorrow ok?"
"Well, I don't see why not,"
"Those were well hidden," Buffy said with amusement, coming back into the hall.
"Oh, were they? I thought I just chucked them on the side?" Kennedy said trying not to blush.
"They were in a box of oreo's!" Buffy exclaimed. Kennedy snatched the keys and turned back to Willow.
"So, I'll see you tomorrow," she said with another big smile. "Shall I pick you up at 10?"
"Sure, see you at 10," Willow smiled back as Kennedy made her way out the door. As soon as it was closed, Willow turned to see Buffy looking at the floor, kicking her feet slightly. She scrunched her eye brows together in concern. "Are you ok?" she asked gently.
"What?" the blonde asked, genuinely startled.
"Are you ok?" Willow repeated, this time taking one of Buffy's hand in her own.
"Yeah, just... don't let her hurt you ok?"
The two shared a smile before Willow pulled her best friend into a hug.
***************************************************************************
I'm back =D
Reviews? =]