Note: Nice little fluff inside of an angsty story. Hope you like.
Chapter Nineteen – Ice Cream and Tea
Over the next couple of days, it still was slow going. Faith got her wish and battled some vampires who had set up a nest in a gas station close to the freeway. That settled her down somewhat. Now they just drove on.
Their only plan at the moment was to reach Faith's rendezvous point. Then they'd go from there. Buffy was out there somewhere. Sending Faith alone had been a mistake. Giles obviously didn't know how bad it had become. They'd need an army to find her. But for now, their safety was his first priority.
"You know what I would like?" Dawn called from the second row seat.
"No, what?" Connor answered. Since the big argument, Connor had been very attentive to the girl.
"Ice cream. Hot fudge on it. Maybe some of those sprinkles they give you at the ice cream shop."
Wesley chuckled. He couldn't remember the last time he actually had ice cream. Maybe with Fred or even Cordelia. He couldn't remember.
"Banana split, extra sauce. Love those cherries on top." Faith had entered the conversation. "And whip cream."
Wesley gripped the steering wheel tighter. Ever since their little kiss on the bed when both were injured, he kept imagining Faith in the most interesting positions. He'd have to keep his head about him. Driving was difficult enough.
"HoHos." Connor finally had answered.
"Oh, I like to dig the creamy centers out of those. Used to drive Buff crazy."
Faith snorted beside him. Although she didn't touch him, he could still feel her heat from across the seat.
"Weird. I just eat them whole. Now, Oreos."
"How 'bout you, Wes?" Faith inquired.
"No, no. Wait for it," Dawn stopped him from answering. "All together now."
All three at the same time yelled, "Tea and scones." They laughed and Wesley turned beet red.
"They happen to be excellent, especially the ones I could get at this little shop in Pasadena."
"He's even more British when he talks about it," Dawn chimed in.
"Imagine that," Faith smirked, turning to look at him.
"At least it's not as dumb as HoHos," Dawn pointed out, looking at Connor.
"Excuse me?"
Wesley thought that the two would fight for sure now, until he looked in the rearview mirror and saw Connor's expression. He was grinning from ear to ear. The boy didn't smile enough.
"You heard me."
All he could hear were giggles coming from the back. Connor and Dawn had begun a game of poking, which soon turned into tickling.
They both were still just small children. And when he felt Faith's fingers over his, he was glad that he wasn't.
The group was even happier as the road opened up somewhat. Wesley pushed it because it was good to actually be going at a decent clip.
Faith had withdrawn her hand, staring out the window. He wished he could see into her mind. It would certainly be an interesting diversion than putting the pieces to this bizarre puzzle together.
"Give it up, Wes."
"Pardon?" Did she know what he was thinking?
"It's written all over your face."
"There's nothing to indicate . . . ."
"You're just as confused as I am. More so because that big brain of yours is on overload."
"You know what they say. Big brain . . . ."
Faith sputtered, looking back at the teenagers to see if they'd heard his comment. He really did like flustering her.
"That was so lame. And your mind is in the gutter. You complain about my attention span."
Dawn was telling Connor about the battle with the First. Wesley had her undivided attention.
"We need to get to your rendezvous coordinates as fast as we can. There's not much more of this I can take."
"Sorry, Wes. I didn't know we were a burden.
Damn woman, he thought. "No, no. Those two. They need out of this before something really dreadful happens."
"They're just kids. Who have seen a lot. They'll be OK. But they're not the ones I'm worried about."
"Once we get them to safety, we'll launch a proper rescue mission to find Buffy. I don't know what that man was thinking sending you in alone."
"Weaseled your way out of that one," Faith muttered to herself, but loud enough for him to hear.
"Out of what?"
"Nothin'. Let's just keep truckin' along. And oh shit, slow down."
Wesley had taken his eyes off the road for a second. Thank goodness Faith hadn't. A huge crater enveloped the roadway. There was no way around. They were land locked.
TBC