A/N: Woohoo you're getting a new chapter early! That's because tomorrow is my birthday so I'm going to be busy. (In lieu of presents, please send me awesome reviews :D)

Chap. 12: Make These Moments Last- February 05

"Hey, Faith," she heard Buffy call out to her from Nevaeh's bathroom, where she was currently doing Nevaeh's hair.

"Yeah B?"

"Will you go get Vaeh's shoes? I'm almost done now and we'll be ready to go."

"Sure thing," Faith answered back, making her way into their little girl's room. The trio were going to be checking in with the Scoobies to see if they'd found any new information. After that they were heading out to spend time together as a family.

Opening the closet doors, Faith squatted down to look for the right pair of shoes. She knew Buffy would send her back in here if the shoes she grabbed didn't 'match her outfit.' Trying to remember what Vaeh was dressed in, she decided on the right pair but didn't see them right away.

Moving things around, her hand hit something that felt hard. Pulling on the object, she found Veah's small purple backpack. The poor thing looked stuffed to overflowing. Opening the zipper, she looked inside to find all of her daughter's favorite toys stuffed inside. Now that she thought about it, the little girl hadn't played with any of these toys for several days. Zipping it back up, she placed it back where she found it, thinking she'd ask her daughter about it later.

Grabbing the shoes she had originally been hunting for, she rolled back on her heels giving her leverage to stand back up. When she reached the bathroom, Vaeh was smiling happily from her place on the counter as she studied her hair in the mirror.

"I pretty, just like Mommy," the little one told her Mama as soon as she saw her reflection in the mirror. Both Buffy and Nevaeh wore matching hairdos, they were braided half way down, but the bottoms where both left free and crimped.

"You certainly are, baby," Faith told her, moving to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Mama doesn't know what she did to deserve to call the two most beautiful girls in the whole world her own."

"Not that you're biased or anything," Buffy tried to tease, but her voice betrayed her real feelings on the compliment Faith had just given both of them. Grabbing her wife's arm, she pulled the brunette to her and gave her a lingering kiss.

"Not with the kid in the room, B," Faith joked, when she saw Vaeh watching them closely.

Buffy laughed and gave her a light slap to the shoulder. "Because she's never seen us kiss before," the blonde said sarcastically. They both knew that soon their daughter would be at that age where any affection between them would likely gross her out. But it wasn't going to stop them from showing their love for each other, even if it someday made their daughter roll her eyes at them.

"We ready to go now?" Faith asked once they'd finally gotten around to putting Nevaeh's shoes on that had almost been forgotten about in all their banter.

"Just a second, Mama," Vaeh answered, jumping off the counter and racing out of the room.

Both women just shrugged at each other, walking hand in hand out of the room to see where their daughter had gone. The preschooler appeared in the hallway a minute later with her purple backpack flung over her shoulders.

"Shoulda known, she's been attached to that thing the last few days," Buffy said quietly to Faith.

Faith hadn't noticed, but then most of the time she'd seen Nevaeh lately was here at home, so it's possible it had escaped her attention, but still she wondered about it. "Wonder why," she thought out loud.

"I don't know, she won't let me even look in it," Buffy said, like it was no big deal. The blonde just figured it was a kid thing. She remembered Dawn getting protective of some of her stuff when they were younger.

With the front door closed behind them, Nevaeh took place between her moms, holding both their hands. Every now and then the two women would lift and swing her through the air, causing Nevaeh to laugh and scream. The walk to the main building was a short one, but they'd only be there for a bit before having the rest of the day to spend together.

"Found anything yet?" Buffy asked, as soon as they walked into the research library where all their friends were busy. They had been working furiously on trying to find the dimension Tarzar was from, hoping it would give them some clue as to what his ultimate goal was.

"Not yet. I'm sorry, Buffy."

"It's okay, Will," Buffy told her friend, moving to place a comforting hand on her shoulder. She knew she could trust them to do what they could. No one in this room wanted to see this situation turn deadly for any of them.

"It is possible that he only looks human here in our dimension," Giles started to explain. "I do wish we knew what kind of demon he was, it would be useful in determining where to look."

"Well I highly doubt he'd be willin' to share that information," Faith spouted.

"Quite right."

"Don't worry, we'll figure something out," Willow told them, trying to be positive. Standing up, she walked over to Faith and discretely handed her the piece of paper she was carrying. "Here's that thing you wanted," she whispered. "Should be safe, even with Buffy's potential situation."

"Thanks, Red," she told the witch, pulling her in for a hug to thank her properly for everything she had done and was doing. "Mean it, I appreciate it."

"We love you too, Faith," Willow told her sincerely.

Not one to let emotions get the best of her, Faith pulled back before too much longer. The Scoobies watched as the small Summers family made their way back out of the library. None of them were the least bit upset that the women were choosing to spend this time together rather than helping them. If this didn't go the way they all hope it would, then they would need this time together.

~BF~

"So where we off to?" Buffy asked, as soon as they were once again outside. Faith had planned today for them. She watched as Faith grabbed a bag she hadn't noticed sitting next to the building before, and throwing it over her shoulder.

"It's a surprise." Buffy rolled her eyes, hating surprises but moved to walk back to their house. "Where ya going, B?"

"Don't we need the car?"

"Nah, got something better," Faith smiled, holding out the paper Willow had given her earlier.

"What is that?" Buffy asked curiously, not sure what her wife was up to. She didn't understand what a piece of paper could have to do with how they were going to get to where they were going.

"You'll see," Faith told her. "Now we gotta all hold hands." She knelt down to look Nevaeh in the eye. "No matter what, don't let go of me and Mommy, okay?" Nevaeh nodded her head to show she understood. As soon as she was sure they were ready, Faith began to recite the words on the paper in front of her.

All three girls felt a pull, and everything became slightly fuzzy, but they all held on to each other like a life line. Before they could even process what was happening, they found themselves standing on a beach.

"Faith, where are we?" Buffy asked as she faced her wife, once she felt she could talk. "What was that?"

"Transportation spell," Faith smiled. "As for where we are, we're on a beach," she said teasingly.

"I can see that, goofball. But it feels much too warm for February, even for California," the blonde stated. They'd been in Ohio for awhile now, but she still remembered what her home state felt like during the winter months.

"That's why we're in Hawaii, Somewhere on the shores of Oahu if I got the location right during the spell."

"Hawaii?" Buffy squealed.

Faith smiled to see Buffy so happy. The older Slayer had always loved the beach, having grown up in California. But since they'd moved to Cleveland, they hadn't had a chance to take a vacation and hit the water. "Figured if we were gonna spend the day on the beach, why not Hawaii right?"

"This is amazing," Buffy agreed. Moving in front of the brunette, Buffy placed a kiss on her lover's lips. "Thank you, baby. I love you so much."

"Love you too."

Walking along the coast, the trio found a small alcove that didn't seem like it got much traffic. They wanted to just spend as much time together as possible and not worry about having to fight or move around people constantly.

Sitting the bag on the ground, Faith began to pull out a blanket and spread it out on the sand. After that came three towels, each with a swimsuit rolled inside, and a life jacket for Nevaeh. Next came a small cooler filled with enough sandwiches, snacks and drinks to last the whole day.

"How did you manage to fit all that in there?" Buffy asked, shocked. It was a fairly large duffle bag, but even still…

"Magic," Faith joked. "Nah, I just know how to pack to utilize space," she told her seriously.

Faith helped an eager little girl get into her suit, while keeping an eye out to make sure no one walked within sight while Buffy did the same. As soon as she was changed, Buffy did the same while Faith slipped into her own bikini.

"Ah, get your butt back here," Buffy told Nevaeh when she tried to race towards the water. "You need sunscreen on first," she told her. "You did bring sunscreen right?" Buffy finished, turning her attention to Faith.

"Of course," the younger woman told her, looking through the bag and pulling out the pink tube.

"Awe man," the four-year old pouted, as she trudged back over to where her moms sat. She sat impatiently, trying not to wiggle as her Mom covered every inch of her body in what she could only think felt like slim.

"Okay, go play," she finally heard out of her Mom's mouth. "But don't go in too deep until we get out there with you," came the order. Nevaeh put her head down, at least she was getting to go play, but her Mom was taking away all her fun. Before any minds could be changed, the little girl took off at break neck speed, heading straight into the water without slowing down.

"That girl is gonna be the death of me," Buffy muttered, as she watched Nevaeh flop into the water.

Faith wrapped her arms around her wife, pulling Buffy into her. "Don't worry so much, B. She'll be fine," she whispered, placing a kiss into the blonde locks.

Buffy sighed, leaning back into Faith, taking comfort in the safety she felt. She smiled as they watched their daughter splash and play in the rolling water in front of them. She knew that today would soon be listed as one of the best days of her life.

Turning to look up at Faith, she put a hand in the brown tresses and pulled her head down to kiss her. It started gentle at first, but quickly picked up pace as they both let themselves just get lost in each other.

Nevaeh took a look at her mothers to see they were too busy with each other to notice her. She contemplated moving further into the water, but she knew if her Mom caught her she'd be in big trouble. She wasn't about to let her fun be taken away from her. She loved the water too much.

Instead, she pretended she was a mermaid, caught between her love of the land and her desire for the sea. She might have watched Little Mermaid one too many times. Every now and then she'd glance at her parents and smile. She might only be four, but she took great comfort in the love they showed her and for each other. Something in her heart told her not everyone was so lucky.

After what seemed like forever, the two women finally joined their daughter in the water. The three splashed each other, and Faith and Buffy took turns throwing Nevaeh further out into the surf, while the other stood close to the projected landing place in case she needed help.

Faith watched Buffy as she played with Nevaeh. The two were taking turns flinging water at each other. Laughing when they managed to hit their target. As discreetly as possible, Faith slipped under the water. Swimming stealthily as she could, the brunette made her way towards Buffy.

At that same time, Buffy was watching and waiting for her daughter's next assault to fly. The two stared each other down, trying to see who would back out first. It was a contest that possibly had no winner, as Vaeh had proved to have inherited Buffy's stubbornness.

What she had failed to notice until it was too late, was where her wife had gone to. Before she knew what was happening, she felt her legs being uprooted beneath her. She barely had time to hold her breath before she was sinking down deep into the water. As soon as the hands that held her let go, she pushed herself back to the surface.

Breaking out of the water, she coughed and sputtered trying to shake all the water out of her that didn't belong. "You are so dead, Faith," she growled once she was finally able to talk again.

Faith, who had been laughing as she watched her wife try to get herself back together, quickly stopped when she looked at the murderous look in the blonde's eyes. Before she could move away, Buffy dived at her, wrapping her arms around Faith's shoulders and pulling them both back under.

Both women were laughing when they finally resurfaced, causing Nevaeh to laugh even harder at their antics. She wasn't sure at first if her Mom was really mad at her Mama, but when they both laughed, she knew everything was okay. She loved watching her parents play.

"Come on, squirt," Faith said, holding her hand out for Nevaeh. "Let's go get some lunch."

Wrapping their towels around themselves to ward off the very small February chill, they seated themselves on the blanket and waited while Faith pulled out their sandwiches. As soon as they each took the first bite, they realized how hungry swimming had made them. Eating in relative quiet, the food was gone before any of them could even blink an eye.

Nevaeh's eyes started to droop some, but she was too energized to sleep. She hardly ever took naps anymore, but today had been a long one and it was tempting. So she didn't hesitate when her Mama told her to come crawl in her lap. She just snuggled in deep, loving the feel of being where she was.

"Baby, what's up with the backpack full of toys?" Faith asked gently, running her hands through the dark curly hair.

"In case we move again," Nevaeh told her around a yawn.

"Awe, sweetheart," Buffy said sadly, quickly picking up on what was going on, as well as Faith.

"Hey, munchkin, listen to me," Faith told their daughter, tilting the girl's head up so she could look into her eyes. "You don't need to worry about that. I told you, you're not moving again. I promise you."

"Mama's right. We're not moving anywhere. We're not sure what's gonna happen with the bad guy, but we know that we won't have to leave like we did last time. Okay?"

"Okay, Mommy," Vaeh said. If both her moms were saying the same thing it had to be true.

"But I do want to talk to you about something," Faith told Nevaeh, pulling the little girl's attention back to her. "Mom's right, we don't know what's gonna happen, but I want you to know something. I want you to know that I'll always be with you, even if you can't see me anymore. I know you won't understand, but I want you to always remember that I love you. I never knew how much I could love something until you were born. So even if you can't see me anymore, remember I'm always here with you," she told Nevaeh, putting her hand lightly to the little one's heart.

"You are so incredibly special. Don't let anyone tell you any different. You are what brought your moms together. And you will do great things in your life. So no matter what, remember that Mama told you how special you are."

"Okay, Mama," Nevaeh whispered, slowly falling into a small nap.

Faith just pulled her tighter into her arms, putting her in a more comfortable position to sleep. She didn't want to look at Buffy, but she knew it couldn't be avoided, and tears filled her own eyes when she caught sight of her wife's.

Buffy moved to wrap her arms around her girls. Placing a kiss on the top of Vaeh's head before placing a light peck on Faith's lips. "Promise me you'll try," was all Buffy could ask for.

"I promise." And she would try to make it out of this battle alive. They both had finally accepted that what was coming was inevitable. They just both prayed for the outcome to be in their favor. But at least for today, they were together. They'd worry about tomorrow when it came.