The path was dark, water dripping from somewhere over their heads, but they kept going. Other Slayers were scattered and searching the twisty, turning mass of tunnels, Willow and Faith on the trail of the leader. A new vampire gang had taken to kidnapping children and they'd finally managed to get a bead on them after a frustrating week of finding nothing in the wake of the attacks. Buffy was somewhere in the tunnels with Xander and there were more pairs searching as well. A noise other than the dripping told them that they were on the right track and Willow let Faith take the lead, her power ready to react at her direction.
Faith managed to move soundlessly, even through the inch of water that cover the ground, and she snuck a quick glance around the corner as they reached an intersection, one hand signaling Willow to stay back. A sickeningly familiar sound of a feeding vampire reached their ears over the ambient water noise and the witch frowned, digging her nails into her partner's wrist. She mouthed a silent 'Go' in the dark, sure that Faith could see it. These vampires were bold, especially in a town where they knew multiple Slayers lived, but the Hellmouth under their feet made them stronger and they knew it.
Bold and powerful as he was though, he was still caught off guard when Faith appeared suddenly from the darkness. His fangs were buried in a young girl's throat, his demon's yellow eyes wide in shock. The grisly tableau was frozen for a split second before Faith was running on the attack and he dropped his victim to flee, wisely terrified of the look in her eyes. The Slayer gave chase for a few yards before her pace slowed and she returned to the girl.
Willow was already there, the young girl looking small and frail in her arms. "She okay?" Faith asked, breathless from her run.
"We've got to get her out of here," Willow said. "She's lost a lot of blood."
"Anything you can do?" Faith questioned, frown on her face. There was a noise in the tunnel behind Willow and she shifted to place herself between the new arrival and the distracted witch. She only relaxed when she saw two Slayers, gesturing to send them in pursuit of the vamp.
"Not down here," Willow said regretfully. "We've got to get her to a hospital."
"Come on then." Faith helped her up, the girl secure in her partner's arms. "How old you think she is?" she asked as they moved quickly back the way they'd come, not bothering with stealth this time.
"She can't be older than two," the witch said softly, looking down at the child. "It's a miracle he didn't drain her."
The Slayer scoffed bitterly, shaking her head. "These last few have been real bastards. They like making it last." Her eyes lingered on the kid though, and she sighed. "It's hard to imagine someone so little could make it, though." The statement proved more foreboding than she'd intended, and their steps picked up their pace unconsciously.
Faith called for an ambulance as soon as they reached a level in the tunnels where they could make the call and the hospital responded quickly, an ambulance screeching to a halt at the curb even as they crossed the street to meet it. They were both filthy and the bottoms of their jeans were wet, but the EMTs asked for no explanations and Willow climbed in to ride to the hospital with the child while Faith stayed to follow up with the other teams, the Slayer promising to catch up to her as soon as she could.
The doctors checked the girl over while Willow waited anxiously. They finally announced that the bite on her neck was her only physical wound, though the blood loss was quite severe. They got her started on transfusions, though she would need more of her own type once they arrived at the hospital.
Willow impatiently rolled her sleeve up and stuck her own arm out. "I'm a match," she said. "Give her as much as she needs."
The techs looked a little doubtful, but did as she ordered and hooked up the necessary tubes and wires. It made getting them out of the ambulance trickier, but Willow helped and kept pace with the bed as they wheeled the unconscious girl into an exam room.
She had been disconnected by the time Faith arrived, the Slayer fresh from the shower and in clean clothes. There was a duffle on her shoulder and she put it down softly, trying not to wake up the sleeping kid. "She looks better," Faith observed in a whisper, eyes traveling to her girlfriend's face. "You're looking rough, though." Her eyes narrowed and she focused on the square of gauze taped to the inside of the redhead's elbow. "What happened?"
Willow looked up at her, eyes shadowed and her skin pale. "She needed blood. I was a match."
Faith sighed, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "You're a good person, Willow." She nudged the bag she'd brought with her foot as she leaned back. "I brought you some clothes."
Willow stood up, kissing the Slayer's cheek softly. "You're pretty sweet yourself," she said with a tired smile. "Could you sit with her?" she requested. "It doesn't look like she's got any family coming. The vamps snatched her from an orphanage. The cops have been finding bodies all night," she said, a sad grimace crossing her features.
"That sucks. I'm not going anywhere," Faith assured her. Her brown eyes searched Willow's face, thumb brushing over her cheek. "You look tired," she said softly, her affection and concern clear. "I bet this isn't how you were planning on spending our anniversary."
Willow smiled tiredly, leaning into Faith's touch. "You mean seven year anniversary doesn't traditionally involve vampire nests?"
Faith shrugged. "You know I don't know what's traditional. Probably only if you're celebrating it with a Slayer." She frowned at the dark circles under Willow's eyes, fingertip brushing under her eye gently. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired," Willow confessed honestly. She mustered another weak smile. "It's okay, Faith. I'll catch a nap once I change." She gave her partner a quick kiss. "Promise."
As Willow disappeared behind the bathroom door Faith shrugged out of her jacket and bundled it up for a makeshift pillow. The redhead was quick to return, smiling as she saw the gesture. "Come here," she said softly, pulling Faith to the couch with her. Both hands on her shoulders pushed the Slayer down to sit on the short sofa and Willow sat down next to her, curling her legs up next to herself and resting her head on Faith's shoulder. "This is how I wanted to spend our anniversary," she whispered.
They sat in peaceful silence, Faith's fingers traveling thoughtlessly through Willow's hair while the witch's eyes closed and her breathing slowed down as she fell asleep. Her body sagged limply as she faded into unconsciousness, and Faith shifted her carefully so that her red head was resting against the Slayer's thigh. Her fingers kept moving through Willow's hair while she thought.
The little kid in the bed was all alone and even though she didn't know how it had happed that she'd lost her parents, the Slayer couldn't help feeling responsible for her. Part of her wondered silently how much of that was Willow's influence. The witch was kind-hearted and sympathetic, even after everything she'd been through, everything she'd done, she was still a sweetheart. Faith didn't see herself the same way. She'd done her own fair share of bad, but dealing with it had made her harder, made her stronger. Not that Willow wasn't strong, because she absolutely was, but she'd managed to keep her sweetness. Faith didn't think she'd ever been sweet. Willow liked to tell her that she was, but she didn't see it in herself and was just grateful that Willow could.
She was distracted from her musings as the girl they'd saved stirred from her sleep. Faith carefully lifted Willow's head and replaced her leg with her folded jacket. "Hey kid," she greeted the child, keeping her voice down. "How are you feeling?"
The girl didn't answer, and Faith cleared her throat. "You can talk to me if you want. My name is Faith. What's your name?" She didn't answer and Faith moved on. "Do you remember what happened? Anything?"
The little girl shook her head, curling up as much as she could in the center of the bed, obviously still scared. "You're safe here, trust me. I wouldn't let anything happen to you." She gave her a smile and a wink. "I'm really strong. You don't have to be afraid of anything, okay?" The little girl blinked wide eyes at her and Faith sighed, taking a step back while she contemplated her next move. She didn't know if the kid couldn't speak or just wouldn't, but she took another step back and sat down on the arm of the couch near Willow's head.
The little girl's eyes moved from her to the sleeping witch and Faith glanced down at her girlfriend. "This is Willow. She's been taking care of you today," Faith said, wondering what would get the kid to talk. "Do you need anything? You thirsty?"
The little head bobbed in a nod and curly brown hair fell in her face. "Okay, awesome. Hang on," she said, standing up to cross to the sink. The girl's fingers were sticky when she took the cup from her, the Slayer giving her an encouraging smile.
She finished the water in a few short moments and Faith refilled the glass. The water was half gone before she stopped drinking it and she smiled finally, holding the cup between her knees. "You hungry? I could find some cookies or something."
Hair flopped in her face again as she nodded, breath blown up to get the lock of hair out of her eyes. Faith glanced at either wrist quickly but didn't find what she was looking for until she looked at Willow's wrist. She grinned exaggeratedly as she lifted the sleeping witch's arm and slid the thin hair tie that Willow kept on her wrist off her hand. It got a giggle from the child and Faith wiggled her eyebrows as she lifted it in success.
The child wasn't adept enough to tie her own hair back, but apparently knew that and turned around to let Faith put her hair up for her. The Slayer stepped back when she finished, wiggling her fingers as the little girl turned back to face her. "Better?" She nodded and Faith sat cautiously on the side of the bed. "You want to talk to me yet?" She was met with silence and she tried again. "Just your name? I'm Faith. Can you say that name?"
"Faith," the girl answered slowly, voice barely audible.
The Slayer grinned. "That's me. I'm going to go get you some cookies, okay? Would you do me a favor and stay right there and watch Willow?"
The kid nodded, eyes locking themselves on the witch and Faith tousled her hair with one hand as she went to find the promised cookies and a nurse to check on the girl now that she was awake. Willow was still asleep when they returned and the nurse pointed out an extra blanket under the bedside table, so Faith covered Willow up. Faith handed over the cookies and the little girl cooperated with the nurse's tests, though she kept her eyes on the Slayer. There was a whimper as the two adults stepped away to talk quietly, the girl sitting up on her knees to keep Faith in sight.
Willow woke up just as the nurse left, sitting up and rubbing her hair as she stretched. Faith's attention was drawn as the little girl let out a squeak and pointed, obviously completing the task Faith had given her to keep an eye on the witch. "Hey," Willow greeted her, giving them each a tired smile. The kid was showing the most interest Faith had seen from her and the Slayer went to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Hey, babe," Faith said quietly. "Our little buddy woke up."
"I'm Willow." The witch waved, pushing the blanket off her legs as she sat up.
"How are you feeling?" Faith asked, leaning forward to look at her. "You're not as pale now."
"I'm fine. Thank you," Willow answered, shaking the wrinkles out of Faith's jacket.
Their little companion hit one hand against Faith's back and the Slayer turned her head to look at the girl. She lifted both hands in a clear gesture, and Faith blinked in surprise but picked her up and deposited the kid into her lap.
She looked up at her self-appointed guardian and then across at Willow, waving shyly. "Hi, sweetie. What's your name?"
Faith started to say that she wouldn't tell, but was surprised when the child on her lap answered the question finally. "Joy."
Willow smiled happily, winking at her partner. "Faith and Joy."
"Faith," Joy said softly, leaning her head back against the Slayer's chest to look up at her again. One hand reached up to touch her chin.
Willow laughed, covering her mouth at the warrior's suddenly confused expression. It was clear in a heartbeat that Faith was out of her element, not sure what to do with a kid. It was equally clear that Joy had taken a shine to the Slayer.
The witch's laugh prompted a giggle from Joy and a smile from Faith. "Is that funny?" she asked hypothetically, tilting her head down to make a face at her, drawing more laughs from both members of her audience. Joy yawned after her mirth ran its course, and she curled up in Faith's lap and let her eyes close.
Willow and Faith looked at each other in the silence, the witch leaning back against the couch. "Has a nurse come in?"
"Yeah," Faith answered, keeping her voice down. "They don't have room for her at the orphanage tonight, and it's not super safe there anyway, so they're going to keep her here for a few days until they can find somewhere for her."
Willow frowned. "That's awful." Faith hesitated, obviously trying to think of how to say what she wanted to say. "You want to keep her."
"I don't think a kid should be left here," Faith said. Her dislike of the hospital was famous among the Slayers, though her family history was only known to Willow and the Scoobies. It was obvious why she would have issues with leaving a kid behind on her own. "Even if it's just for a few days, I don't think she should be here by herself. If no one else is coming for her…"
Willow took a deep breath, eyes studying the pair across from her. The girl had relaxed in sleep and was sprawled across the Slayer's lap. "Did you happen to bring my computer?" she asked finally.
Faith nodded without speaking, watching as the witch booted up her laptop and spent a few minutes typing. "What are you doing?"
"Hacking the Social Services database and listing us as approved foster parents," Willow answered without looking up from her screen. "That's what you wanted, right?" Her eyes found Faith's across the space between them and the Slayer glanced down at the girl in her arms.
"It's not right to leave her here," Faith declared, voice hoarse. "Is that going to work?"
Willow nodded confidently. "I'm good at what I do, you know that," she chided teasingly.
"You're good at everything you do," Faith agreed with a grin. "Is this okay with you?"
"Yeah," Willow said. "It's not right to leave her alone, and she obviously likes you." She finished her work and closed her laptop, standing up and moving forward two steps to kiss Faith softly. "I like you too," she said between slow kisses. "You stay here with Joy and I'll get her signed over into our custody."
Faith nodded, shifting backwards carefully to let Joy lay down in the bed, but she didn't go anywhere and stretched out next to her to wait on Willow. Her partner nodded with a smile as she returned a while later and Faith sat up. Joy woke up with a jump as the Slayer moved away from her, eyes wide. "Hey, Joy. It's okay! I'm right here," Faith assured her quickly. Joy hugged her tightly and Faith blinked over her shoulder at Willow. "Hey kiddo, do you think you'd like to come home with us? We can get out of this hospital, and we have a doggy." She wasn't sure what would be able to coerce a kid into wanting to spend time with her, but she figured that their dog was as good a bet as any.
"Doggy?" Joy asked, lifting her head. "A woof-woof?" She looked back and forth between the pair of adults with an excited expression on her little face.
"A big woof-woof," Faith confirmed as Willow pulled out her cell phone and pulled up a picture of their Labrador to show her. The little girl took the phone and turned the picture from side to side, grinning at the dog.
"Whas his name?" she asked curiously.
"Bones," Faith answered. "His name is Bones."
The kid made a face as Willow laughed and took her phone back. "Funny name," she commented, her little face serious.
"Want to know how he got that name?" Willow asked, laughing. Joy nodded as Faith picked her up, yawning in the Slayer's arms. Willow started packing up her computer as she spoke, getting them ready to go home. "We got him when he was little, and we couldn't figure out a good name for him, but then we took him to my friend Buffy's house and let him play out in the yard. And you know what he did?"
Joy shook her head and Faith started walking with her, back and forth at the foot of the bed, while Willow packed her dirty clothes back into the empty duffle bag. "What'd he do?" Joy asked softly, obviously sleepy.
"He brought us every bone he could find," Faith picked up the story with a quiet laugh. "It wasn't an hour before there were a dozen bones on the porch. We think he was taking them from other yards and garbage cans." She glanced at Willow with a grin. "Or else there's something seriously weird going on in B's neighborhood," she commented with a laugh.
Joy giggled, her head dropping against Faith's shoulder. "That's funny. Silly Bones." Her voice was sleepy and her eyes drooped closed.
"What do you say? Want to go home with us and meet him?" Faith asked, voice a whisper. Joy nodded against her chest and the Slayer gave Willow a tentative smile. She was trying to look confident, sure of herself, but she had no idea what she was doing. All she knew was that she felt protective of this girl and she had to do something to help her. Her eyes fell down as Willow took her free hand, swallowing as she looked up to meet her eyes. "You think I'm nuts, don't you?" she whispered, seeking some kind of reassurance from her partner.
"I think you're amazing," Willow said, shaking her head from side to side. "And I love you." She kissed the Slayer's cheek softly, squeezing her finger gently.
"Thanks Will," Faith responded, looking up and around the room. "Let's get out of here. I…"
"I know you hate this place," Willow finished for her, lifting the duffle bag and Faith's jacket. "Just let me…" She looped the jacket carefully around Joy, Faith's free hand rising to hold it in place at her back. "We're good to go," Willow declared softly, adjusting the strap of the bag on her shoulder.
Faith led the way out to their Wrangler, surprised to see a car seat already buckled into the backseat. "Where'd this come from?" she asked even as she climbed in and buckled Joy into it.
"Why do you think it took me so long earlier?" Willow asked with a smile as she put the bag into the floorboard under Joy's feet.
Faith shrugged. "I figured you were doing paperwork, or whatever. I should have known better." Willow gave her a playful grin and Faith hopped out and stepped toward her, pinning the redhead between herself and the side of their car. "I love you, you know?"
"I know," Willow affirmed, tilting her head to the side as Faith leaned in. It was rare that the Slayer was vocally affectionate, but even without the words it was still clear how she felt about the witch. The kiss she gave her made it pretty well clear as well. Her body pressed Willow into the side of the car, hands sliding around her back to pull her closer. Willow laughed into a gap between kisses, hands on Faith's shoulders to push her back. "We need to get home. Bones is going to need a walk, and Joy should get some sleep in a bed."
Faith nodded, kissing Willow a final time. "I'll drive," she said, hooking the keys from Willow's pocket. The witch laughed, rolling her eyes. "You lost blood today. You could be lightheaded or something."
"I guess that means that you're going to walk Bones too?" Willow reasoned, smirking as Faith opened the door for her.
"Sure," Faith agreed easily. "It's not the first all-nighter I've done. This month, even. You can get some sleep with Joy."
Willow took her hand as Faith climbed in behind the driver's seat. "And then you'll join us when you get home?" she checked. "Bones can play outside in the yard while we catch some sleep." She glanced out the window where the sun was rising. "It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day," she commented with a chuckle.
It had, in fact, been a beautiful day, and they'd spent the afternoon out in the yard with Bones and Joy. They were out there when Buffy showed up to check on them, and she came around the house as she heard the laughing and barking coming from the yard. Faith was playing with the dog to the amusement of a little brown-haired girl, while Willow was leaning back in a lawn chair, still in her pajamas.
"Lazy afternoon?" Buffy questioned as she rounded the corner and leaned against the wall next to Willow's chair.
The witch looked up at her best friend, taking a slow sip of her coffee. "Don't we deserve it? Did you guys get the nest?"
Buffy nodded, her arms crossed over her chest. "Yeah, we got them. I heard you guys found something a little different. I had to come see it for myself."
Willow laughed, watching Joy chase Faith while Bones barked and spun in excited circles, happy to have someone new to play with. Their dog was no longer a puppy at five years old, but he was as hyper as he'd ever been. "Understatement, Buff. Her name is Joy. They didn't have space for her at the orphanage, so she was going to have to stay at the hospital…"
"Faith didn't like that."
"No, she did not," Willow agreed. "So I dropped us into the Social Services database and we're keeping her until they can find somewhere else for her to go."
Buffy watched, sliding to the grass beside Willow's chair. "So you've got a kid for the weekend?"
"Pretty much."
"That's a little odd," Buffy observed. "She really seems to like Faith. Which is also a little odd."
Willow was still drinking her coffee and she casually reached her free hand over the edge of her chair and flicked her friend's ear warningly. "I really like Faith too, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah! I'm just saying… Faith and a kid! Even you have to admit that it's… unexpected," Buffy pointed out. "It's not a bad thing. I'm just…"
Willow nodded, shifting in her seat. "Joy really seems to trust her. You can't blame her, though. I mean, she was kidnapped by vampires, fed on, and then woke up in the hospital. Faith saved her, was there with her when she woke up, and she's confident, strong, and can be surprisingly comforting to be around."
"Are we talking about the kid and Faith or you and Faith?" Buffy teased, laughing as she ducked away from another swat. "Kidding, Will! It's good that she likes Faith. It's good that she has someone to trust. It's good that she has both of you looking out for her."
Willow finished her coffee and put the mug on the ground next to her. "I get the feeling that you're trying to say something here, Buff, but you're not quite getting to it. What's up?"
"What's up is this," Buffy started. "You and Faith, you've always been non-couple-y, and I love that, don't get me wrong! You've been together now for, what, eight years?"
"Not quite there yet. Next year," Willow corrected her softly. "What about it?"
"I'm getting there!" Buffy said quickly. "You've said before that you guys don't want kids. You've got Bones and each other and that made you both happy. But this kid, she went through something horrible and she's really bonding with Faith. It's going to hurt when you just return her at the end of the weekend."
Willow looked down at her friend in surprise, but Buffy was watching the playing group on the lawn. "What are you saying, Buffy? You think we should keep her?"
"I'm not saying anything. I'm just pointing out some potential…problems," the Slayer said, glancing up at Willow. "The longer it goes on, the worse it's going to be. For everybody."
The witch was frowning, leaning back in her seat as she thought it over. Joy didn't have anywhere else to go, and had been through a horrible trauma. Her neck was still bandaged, but her blood loss didn't appear to be affecting her further. She was running and playing happily, giggling loudly as Faith swooped her up and flew her through the air. It was obvious that the girl liked Faith, but how would Faith feel if she brought it up? How did she feel?
It had been five years since they'd talked about marriage and kids and she was sure Faith's opinions on getting married hadn't changed - that just wasn't the Slayer's style and Willow was perfectly fine with that. But watching her play with Joy, Willow wasn't sure that her partner would be opposed to the little girl's presence in their home.
She didn't even think of broaching the subject until the next morning, having spent the night tossing restlessly while she tried to think the situation through. Faith slept as soundly as she ever did, demonstrating the Slayers' apparently inherited ability to sleep no matter the time of day, or when she'd slept last. Of course, it was still freaky how the slightest change would wake her up. She'd slept through all the tossing and turning, but the second Willow slid off the bed, she was awake.
"Will? Where you going?" Her voice was rough with sleep and her hair was hanging in her face, but she shook her head as she turned onto her side to get a better look around. "Are you okay?" She also had an uncanny ability to tell what Willow's expression looked like having only seen the back of her head.
"It's freaky how you do that," Willow said, sighing heavily.
Faith sat up, frowning. "What's wrong? What did I do?"
The witch turned back around and sat down on the edge of their bed. "Nothing. You didn't do anything," she said reassuringly. "Don't worry about it."
Faith was still as Willow leaned forward and kissed her forehead, but she caught her wrist as the witch started to stand up and leave. "Bull!" she declared. "Tell me."
Willow hesitated, swallowing hard. "What would you think about keeping Joy?"
The Slayer's eyes went wide and she sucked in a surprised breath. "What? Seriously? Keep her? Like, here with us?"
Willow nodded. "She's an orphan. They're just looking for somewhere to stick her in the system. And we're in the system now. And she loves you." She smiled tentatively. "And I think you're pretty fond of her."
Faith blinked, throat dry suddenly. "You've talked about her, and me, but what about you? I mean, you were pretty adamant before about not wanting kids. We laughed about it, remember?"
"We did laugh," Willow agreed. "But she needs someone. And we could help her."
"But this isn't like getting Bones from the shelter. Joy's a kid. She needs a home, and parents, stuff like… I don't even know what she needs!"
"You haven't said anything we can't be for her," Willow said softly. "But we need to think about it, of course. No pressure or anything. It's just something to think about." She leaned over and kissed her quickly, leaving the Slayer watching her in silence. "Breakfast will be on the table in twenty."
Faith nodded wordlessly, pushing the blankets off of herself with a sigh as Willow left the room. She tried to think, but sitting still and giving herself time to ponder had never been something she'd been good at, and she jumped up from the bed with a huff, hopping on her toes for a moment before she headed for the bathroom. A shower would give her something to do besides think.
Joy was already awake when she made it downstairs, the little girl hopping up from where she was perched on the edge of a chair at their kitchen table and running to Faith, but she stopped before she touched her, just looking at her shyly. "Morning," Faith greeted her, meeting Willow's eyes as the witch turned around with a bowl in her hands. "How'd you sleep?" she asked, turning her attention back to the little girl.
She didn't answer, but she reached forward and took Faith's hand, pulling her back to the table. The Slayer lifted her back into her chair, putting her on top of the phone books that Willow had piled so she could reach the table. The witch put a bowl of cereal in front of Joy, the little girl smiling happily at her Cheerios. She started eating them with her hands, but she was hitting her mouth more than missing, so they let her do it.
Willow returned to the stove to finish their breakfast, sliding two omelets onto plates and leaning back into her as Faith's arms curled around her waist. "You okay?" she asked, leaning her head back against the Slayer's shoulder to look up at her.
"Been thinking," Faith said softly. "We're in the system as foster parents, or whatever, right? Does that mean we could keep her? Like, forever keep her?"
"Technically, no, foster parenting isn't permanent, but it's a start if someone wanted to adopt," Willow answered. She started to question the Slayer, but then Joy was cooing at Bones as he tried to get her cereal, his feet on the table.
"Bones! No!" Faith ordered, grumbling as he didn't respond. Willow whistled sharply once though, and he shrunk back, head hanging. "Bad dog," the Slayer rebuked him, shooting a look at Willow as the witch smirked. Ever since Bones' first day with them he'd been completely obedient to Willow while he mostly ignored Faith's orders or disapproval.
"Outside," Willow directed simply, grinning as their dog let himself out through the kitchen screen door and then yelping as Faith swatted her butt firmly and took her plate to the table.
Joy was laughing at the exchange and Faith made a face across the table at the little girl which Joy immediately tried to emulate with comic results. "Eat up, kiddo," Faith prompted, grateful when someone in her house finally obeyed her direction. "Then we can go out and play with Bones."
Another handful of soggy Cheerios ended up scattered across her face and Willow sent her lover a fond smile as she took her seat, feeling Faith's hand squeeze her knee under the table. "Bones!" Joy called happily and the dog scratched on the door at the sound of his name.
"Down," Willow called, smirking as he immediately obeyed.
Faith's eyes narrowed and Willow felt her nails dragging up her leg until she coughed on her coffee. The Slayer smirked, satisfied with her retribution. "He's got to stay outside while we're eating, but we'll play with him after breakfast, okay?"
Joy nodded eagerly, her spoon splashing in the milk of her cereal. Faith curled her hand around the inside of Willow's knee one final time before she withdrew her hand and went back to eating her own breakfast. By the time she was finished with her omelet Joy had finished her cereal and was just playing with the leftover milk. Willow started to stand up and clean it up, but Faith stopped her, taking her plate and Joy's bowl and returning to the table with a towel to wipe up the spilt milk.
"Ready to go out and play with Bones?" Faith asked, grinning as Joy threw both hands into the air to get picked up. She clapped her hands as Faith set her down on the floor, toddling toward the backdoor with the Slayer in pursuit. Faith opened the door for her and let her run out into the grass, though she paused in the doorway, glancing over her shoulder at Willow. "I'm in," she said simply, meeting her partner's eyes for a moment before she went outside to join the pair playing outside.
Willow knew it wouldn't be as easy as hacking into the database had been, but she knew that it would be worth it. Nothing about her relationship with Faith had exactly come normally, why should adopting a kid be any different? But it had all been good. None of it was anything she could have planned for, but there wasn't any of it that she would change.