“Thanks, mom!” Buffy yells out to her mother as she shuts the door. “Oh! I forgot to tell you, I bought you some of those candy bars you like with almonds, they’re on my dresser.” Buffy sticks her head in the open window, grinning at her mom.
“Suck up.” Faith whispers to the blonde slayer as she shuts the door behind Willow as they all climb out at the mall, planning on spending the day window shopping and going to the movies.
“Gotta do what I gotta do.” Buffy smirks as Faith rolls her eyes at her trying to imitate the Bostonian’s accent.
“Give it up, girl. I got it, and you don’t.” Faith snorts and ducks the swipe at her as she jogs after Willow and Tara, the two witches heading towards the mall entrance after shaking their heads at them.
“You girls have a good time… and try not to get into any trouble!” Joyce yells after the teenagers, laughing quietly having a feeling that telling them to behave is a waste of breath. Eyes twinkling merrily, she puts the Jeep in drive and heads towards Dianna’s house to pick her up. The two women planning on taking advantage of having some alone time and spending the afternoon sunbathing in her back yard and possibly have some adult fun.
***
“Iced tea.” Joyce offers softly, smiling as she eases down onto the blanket beside Dee. Groaning quietly as Dee accepts the glass, and teasingly lets the cold condensation trail over her upper chest before tilting the glass and taking a sip. “You’re a tease.” Joyce grumbles, reaching out to run a finger over the trail of liquid, half tempted to gather it with her tongue.
“I remember a time where you loved to be teased for hours on end.” Dianna chuckles as she sets her glass out of the way before relaxing back onto the blanket.
Joyce sets her glass down besides Dee’s and eases closer to the other woman, smiling at the small smirk crossing the woman’s lips. “I wonder what kind of response we would get now, if we teased each other for hours on end?” Joyce trails a finger over Dee’s upper chest and around the edge of the bathing suit as she contemplates the pale skin. “I remember you driving me to a quivering mass of need in college, Dee. I’ve never been pushed to those boundaries since. I’d love to find out if it’s still possible.”
“I’d love to push you to the edge, Joy. Even past it, but do you think we’re ready to re-consumate our previous relationship?” Dianna question softly, reaching up to cup Joyce’s cheek. “I love you, Joy. I honestly never stopped loving you, but I am still married and you haven’t told Buffy about us. I know it worries you how she’ll react, wouldn’t you rather…”
Joyce leans down and kisses Dianna softly, stopping her words for a few moments before easing far enough away to where she can look into warm, loving blue eyes without them being blurred. “I love you, too Dee. Yes, I am worried about how Buffy will react. But you make me happy and no matter what I’m not willing to let you go a second time. Buffy may end up being confused, hurt and possibly even angry but I’m positive given time she’ll come around to us being a couple. As for you still being married, in your heart that marriage is ended. We don’t need a piece of paper to make it official. I love you, and if… when you’re ready you just have to say the word.”
Dianna exhales softly at the softly spoken words, Joyce not holding anything back as hazel eyes show the honesty and love coming from Joyce. “Oh, Joy.” Dianna whispers, reaching up to cup the woman’s cheek, urging her down into a soft, loving kiss.
Joyce can’t help the low whimper that escapes her lips as Dianna kisses her, the woman seemingly able to put all her feelings into the kiss. Shifting slightly, Joyce settles her body lightly over Dianna’s and cups the witch’s hip, squeezing gently.
Slowly deepening the kiss, Dianna threads her hand through Joyce’s soft hair, their kisses alternating between soft pecks, to deep explorations and everything in between as they mesh into a continuous alternating cycle. Moaning and arching upwards as a long fingered hand makes its way upwards to cup and caress over her breast. “Goddess, Joy.” Dianna pants, closing her eyes at the delightful feel of the other woman’s hand caressing over her body.
Joyce kisses and nibbles her way slowly down Dee’s neck, a small smile crossing her lips as she hits the sensitive spot that always drove the other woman nuts.
“JOY!” Dianna arches her neck uncontrollably, pushing the flesh into the teasing mouth working its way knowingly over the flesh. Her body pounding with want and desire.
“I could so easily make love to you right now.” Joyce finally whispers after giving the area attention for a few minutes, leaning up to look down into heated blue eyes. “But…” Joyce shakes her head and leans down to press a firm kiss to Dee’s swollen lips. “Chocolate qualifies as runner-up.” Joyce pushes away from a bemused Dee and grins at the woman.
“Chocolate? I don’t remember seeing any chocolate in the kitchen earlier.” Dianna pushes up and chuckles as Joyce runs lightly shaking hands through her hair. “Joy…”
Joyce holds up her hand and shakes her head. “Whenever you’re ready, Dee. I’ll never push for anything regarding our relationship.”
“I know.” Dianna smiles softly at the tall woman.
“Chocolate. In need of serious quantities of chocolate and I know just where to get some…” Joyce winks at Dee before hurrying towards the house, musical laughter following her.
***
Buffy unconsciously rolls her eyes before catching Faith doing the same thing, both women laughing at catching each other. Buffy tilts her head in silent suggestion for them to leave Tara and Willow to their giggling as Willow tells Tara about the new boy Oz she’d met at school while they look through the clothes in one of the shops.
Faith strides out of the shop beside Buffy, the two slayers walking almost in unison as they step up to the railing looking down at the lower level of the mall.
Buffy looks at the dark-haired slayer out of the corner of her eye having to admit that though the other girl is definitely rough around the edges she obviously really cares about Tara, smiling as she remembers the big bully that had pushed his way through them when they were walking through the mall earlier and Faith yanking him around to make him apologize to Tara who’d been pushed against the wall. Watching as a frown comes across Faith’s face as the slayer seems to look down and around with a more intent stare, Buffy looks at the teenagers and kids in the mall. It taking her a few minutes to realize that there’re only a few adults, the majority of the mall filled with kids instead.
“B?” Faith questions curiously as she looks around them, only really been to the mall a couple times since moving here, but swearing that there’s usually a hell of a lot more adults around.
“I see.” Buffy agrees, getting a bad feeling in her gut. “Get the witches, and let’s see if it’s just an oddity or if something’s up.”
“Gotcha.” Faith grunts out and jogs into the clothes shop to get Tara and Willow.
Buffy purses her lips and makes her way slowly along, glancing into the different shops, only seeing the very occasional adult. When the rest of the group comes to walk beside her, she picks up her pace.
“I don’t know.” Tara admits, looking around. “Something doesn’t seem right, but…”
“Just… feel, sense or whatever it is ya’ do, Tare.” Faith gently squeezes Tara’s arm before she moves to bracket the women on the other side, effectively putting Tara and Willow between her and Buffy. The redhead unfortunately not strong as a witch, though she has been working with Tara, but the redhead is definitely smart and notices oddities almost as well as she and Buffy do.
Tara unconsciously nods, opening her senses more to anything odd, though knowing unless a spell is being actively caste or there’s a major spell placed on someone, that she probably won’t pick up on a small spell. If she’s lucky, she might sense an oddness and be able to follow it, and that’s what she’s trying her best to do.
“Definitely something has to be going on.” Willow comments as she looks around, the group of girls making their way down the stairs to the main floor of the mall, the lack of adults extremely noticeable, even to the point where some of the stores are unmanned.
“Shit! Let’s head to Giles’, maybe he has an idea.” Buffy notices the same thing Willow does as the group picks up their pace heading towards the exit, glancing over at the table that’s set up outside as they step out of the mall. The group of adults buying the candy bars surprising her but she doesn’t think much about it as they head towards Giles.
Tara unconsciously looks towards the concentration of adults, looking over them curiously, something not sitting right with her but nothing really setting off her senses.
“What the hell?” Buffy stops and stares in disbelief as she notices Giles dressed in tight blue jeans, a t-shirt with a pack of cigarettes rolled up in it and his hair slicked back flirting with this other woman as they lean against the outside of one of the buildings. When he leans in, whispering something and the other woman laughs almost girlishly, she groans.
“I have a feelin’ he probably ain’t gonna be much help.” Faith comments looking to where Buffy’s looking.
“No, but I’m damn well going to try.” Buffy growls, ignoring the other adults running around acting like teenagers as she makes her way towards her Watcher.
“I have a very, very bad feeling.” Willow admits, her eyes wide as she looks around. “They all seem to be acting… acting like us!”
“Yeah, exactly!” Faith snaps her fingers and nods in agreement with the redhead. “They’re actin’ like they’re teenagers instead of adults. What the fuck?”
“But not all of them are acting th-this way.” Tara points out to a few adults that look confused as they hurry away from the other groups. Frowning as she looks around, Tara nibbles on her bottom lip in consideration. “A spell of some sort has t-to be the cause of this, but it seems to be only affecting the majority of adults, I d-don’t see anyone else acting odd.”
“What the bloody ‘ell?” Ripper tries to dislodge the strong hand gripping his arm. “Look, you ain’t me father, and I was about to have me a good time, I was. Now let me go, girly!”
“Shut up, Giles. You’re under some kind of a stupid spell!” Buffy hisses at the Watcher as she pulls the resisting man along with her. “Just look around you! You’re a Watcher and spells and demons are like second nature to you! Don’t you think something’s up?”
“I ain’t no bloody Watcher! Those bunch of stiff-pricked bastards are a bunch of ol’ fogies and don’t have a clue what the real world is like!” Giles growls as he tries to yank his arm away from the girl again, frowning heavily as he can’t budge the diminutive blonde.
“How old are y-you Mr. Giles?” Tara questions softly.
“Ripper, my pretty little one.” Ripper smiles engagingly at the voluptuous blonde. “I’m eighteen, how about you?”
“Oh, God! Save me from my Watcher that’s old enough to be our father hitting on Tara!” Buffy groans deeply and yanks the Watcher away from Tara as he reaches for her.
“Bloody ‘ell! She likes me, she does. Let me go, will ya’?” Giles tries to get loose again, yelping as the grip tightens on his arm painfully.
“Giles, you’re my Watcher, I’m your slayer, along with Faith and there is some kind of spell screwing with the majority of the adults here in town. Now, we need to figure out whom or what is doing this so we can undo it! UNDERSTAND???” Buffy hisses loudly at the Watcher as she drags him towards his apartment. “And so help me, if you flirt with Tara again, I may rip your tongue and eyeballs out.” Buffy snarls extremely softly under her breath, besides the feeling of sickness she’d felt, she’d also had a serious streak of anger and jealousy going through her at the sight.
Faith barely keeps from snorting at Buffy’s added little comment, keeping her eyes on anything but the other slayer as they make their way to the Watcher’s apartment.
Ripper’s mouth opens and shuts a couple times as he looks down at the small blonde, not believing what she’s saying until the rest of the group look at him, the seriousness on the girls’ faces making him re-think everything he’s been told. “You’re not yankin’ me chain?”
“No, G-man, we ain’t.” Faith growls deeply. “Somebody’s fuckin’ with the adults in this town makin’ ‘em act like kids. We gotta find out who and how they’re doin’ it so we can stop it.”
“And why.” Willow points out as they finally arrive at Giles’ apartment.
“And why.” Faith agrees with a sharp nod of her head as they enter the Watcher’s apartment, moving to the couch, she flops down in a corner and throws her feet up on the coffee table. “So what’s we gonna do?”
“Research.” Tara and Willow answer at the same time even as they split up to grab books that might help them find out what kind of spell is being used.
“You mean I still end up followin’ in ol’ dad’s footsteps? Bloody ‘ell!” Ripper exhales loudly and shakes his head in disgust. “Could use a pint.” He grumbles already having a gut feeling there’s no beer in the apartment, even though he doesn’t know it for sure. “Alright, I guess I got to trust you. You wouldn’t know what you do else-wise.”
“Then help us find out what’s going on.” Buffy finally releases the tight grip she had on his arm ignoring the fact that he’s rubbing the place quickly with his other hand.
Faith grunts and glares at Tara as the witch tosses a book in her lap.
“Research.” Tara ignores the glare and settles on the couch beside the slayer, opening another book and leaning over it to try and figure out what’s going on.
