A/N: I'm back from the beach and ready to write!!! Hope you guys and girls enjoy this next chapter, sort of inspired by my trip away.
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Dawn's study date with Brendon had passed relatively uneventfully. There had been an incident with glue and Faith trying to join in with their science project but Brendon had assured them that the pacifier that was stuck to his jeans would come off in the wash. He had only stayed for a couple of hours, his brother had a soccer match that he was coaching so he had to leave but nobody failed to notice the hug he gave Dawn as he left and she was trying her hardest to ignore the teasing comments they threw her way.
Willow had returned home bursting with excitement a plastic bag held firmly behind her back and she was making them take turns guessing what was in it.
"It better not be those latte in a sachet things you discovered the other week. Will you remember what happened last time, poor Giles couldn't look at you and Tara for a whole week," Buffy cautioned her friend.
"Oh. It's not from any shop that I should not be here for the explanation for is it?" Dawn grimaced.
"What! No Dawnie I would never, no. And you guys have officially ruined my big reveal I was so excited because look how cute," Willow said brandishing the bag in front of her and holding it out to Buffy. Looking in the bag Buffy's heart melted when she saw the smallest pair of pink bikini bottoms she had ever seen covered in brightly coloured flowers. Pulling them out she handed them over to Dawn who squealed in delight and cooed at how cute they were. Looking in the bag again the blonde pulled out a small pink sun shirt which had matching flowers on the sleeves.
"Where did you find them?" Tara asked coming over to run her hands softly over the small bathing suit.
"Well I was at the mall because I wanted to pick up some basil," Willow said only to be cut off by Buffy.
"Basil? Why would you be looking for some basil? Or is this something else that Dawn should be leaving the room for?" the blonde Slayer asked her hands hovering near her sister's ears.
"Ew no Buffy, what could we use basil for, wait nevermind I'm not even going to go there. No it's perfectly Dawn rated I needed it for some spells Tara and I were practicing," Willow flushed, "Anyways I walked past this clothes store and saw them in the window and I felt all squishy on the inside and had to get them for, wait where is Faith? You didn't lose her again did you Buffy because she's very tiny and it will take us ages to find her and hey why aren't you trying to find her babies can get into all sorts of trouble when they're all lost and on their own."
"Breathe," Tara said softly putting her hand on her girlfriend's arm, "she's upstairs taking a nap."
"Oh," Willow breathed a sigh of relief, "just checking because it wouldn't be the first time Buffy lost her."
"Hey!" Buffy said, "She's pretty quick and I didn't lose her, she was momentarily out of my sight."
"And right into destroying all of my things," Dawn pouted.
"Which I said I would replace," Buffy reminded her arms crossed over her chest.
"Anyways, I was thinking we could take Faith to the beach or something when she wakes up from her nap. I'm sure she would have fun and it's been ages since we've all been," Willow suggested.
"Yes, Buffy please, let's go. I love the beach and Willow's right we haven't been in so long," Dawn pleaded her earlier annoyance over her destroyed makeup forgotten.
"It sounds fun, and these are just too cute," Buffy smiled holding up the small bathing suit, "great idea Will."
"All we have to do is wait for her to wake up and we'll be hitting the sun and hopefully avoiding as much of it as we can so I don't end up completely fried," Willow said happily.
"And speak of the devil," Buffy said as Faith's cries started from upstairs indicating that she was awake, "I'll get the two of us ready while you guys get changed," the blonde Slayer said heading towards the stairs.
"I'll give Xander and Anya a call see if they want to come with us," Willow said. Buffy smirked as she heard Dawn's voice drifting up the stairs asking if they should invite Giles and then Willow's disgusted cry about seeing Giles in a bathing suit.
Faith was standing up in her crib her hands wrapped around the top to keep herself upright. Her wails stopped as soon as Buffy entered and she plopped back down onto the mattress and held her arms up to the blonde Slayer.
"Hey baby," Buffy said softly running her hands over Faith's wispy hair, "Did you have a nice sleep?"
Faith babbled back bouncing a little where she sat in her impatience to be picked up. Scooping her up into her arms Buffy gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before taking her over to the makeshift change table they had set up on her desk.
"We're going to go to the beach now Faithy. I don't know if you've ever been you've never told me but it's going to be heaps of fun I promise you'll enjoy yourself," Buffy said changing Faith out of the pink and brown striped onesie she had been wearing and into the bathing suit. Faith stared up at her expectantly from where she lay on the change table her brown eyes hiding nothing. Buffy smiled down at her as the baby grabbed a hold of her feet trying hard to put her toes in her mouth. Moments like these where she could simply touch the soft skin of the infant and look upon her with love, because that's what she felt for the baby, is what she knew was missing from Faith's first childhood. The infant was loveable and Buffy had a hard time looking at her now and thinking how anyone could have treated her in anyway other than kindness, especially her own mother. Faith gave an indignant cry when Buffy placed her back in her crib so that the blonde could get changed into her own bathing suit and summer dress and clung tightly to her when she picked her up again kissing away the few tears that had started to fall down chubby cheeks.
"No more tears baby we're going to go have some fun."
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"I think you should give up Buff," Xander smirked as his blonde haired friend pulled Faith's hand away from her mouth. The infant had been eating sand the whole afternoon and Buffy had been trying in vain to get her to stop but there was just no stopping her.
"I don't know why she keeps doing it, it can't taste good and she has to be full from lunch," Buffy whined grimacing when Faith's hand found its way into her mouth again. They were all sitting down on the cool sand by the water's edge where the small waves rolled over them barely deep enough to cover Faith's small feet had she been standing. The infant was sitting in a hole that Xander had built and with every wave that rolled over the edge the hole would fill with water up to the baby's waist and then dissolve into the sand so only a little remained. They had left Dawn up on drier sand where the teenager had insisted on sunbaking even though her fair skin didn't always agree with that much sun exposure. Willow was snapping pictures on her camera determined, like Dawn that they had a record of Faith's time spent as a baby.
"Da," Faith said offering Xander a handful of sand.
"No thanks Faithy that one's all yours," Xander laughed as Buffy winced when the baby smushed the sand against her face. Faith giggled and splashed her hands happily in the water only she got too excited and toppled over so she was lying on her back. They all burst into laughter at the shocked expression on the infant's face and Tara helped her sit up again. Once she was seated Faith managed to crawl out of the hole and climbed up onto Buffy's lap, giving the blonde a gummy smile as she plonked her ocean soaked body onto her legs.
"Having fun baby?" Buffy asked pulling Faith's sun shirt down so that it covered her protruding baby belly. Faith giggled and turned around in Buffy's arms using the blonde's bikini top to pull herself up. The extra weight pulled on the small strings and Buffy soon found herself squealing as she juggled holding her top up and making sure Faith didn't fall. The infant who was oblivious to the havoc she had just caused wriggled her way out of Buffy's grasp and plopped to the sand enjoying her freedom and crawling off towards something shiny she had spotted in the sand.
"Thank goodness I'm no longer a seventeen year old boy or that little display would have had serious side effects," Xander said earning him a slap on the arm from Anya and Willow and a glare from Buffy who would have slapped him if her hands hadn't been busy retying her bikini top.
"You didn't see anything and oh runaway baby," Willow squealed pointing to Faith who was crawling quickly down the beach.
"I'll get her so I can get away from all this abuse," Xander said getting up and running off down the beach after Faith.
"Say nothing," Buffy said to her red headed friend.
"Hey I'm the same as Xander, I saw nothing," Willow smirked pulling Tara up.
"Guys I want to go and check out the rock pools," Dawn said joining them.
"And this would have nothing to do with that group of beefy guys playing football oh so close to said rock pools right," Buffy teased putting her arm around Dawn's shoulders.
"Nah Dawn doesn't need those guys, she's got Brendon remember," Willow teased as Xander joined them holding Faith's arms so she could walk on her own.
"You know we probably shouldn't be surprised that baby Faith is trying to encourage nudity considering what she's like in adult form," Xander said swinging Faith up and onto his shoulders holding onto her legs tightly so she couldn't fall. Faith laughed and clapped her hands before holding on tightly to his hair causing him to wince a little as she pulled.
"Xander I find it highly inappropriate that you are talking about Buffy's nudity when you shouldn't be thinking of anyone else in that way except for me," Anya pouted.
"Ok, what did I miss?" Dawn asked confused.
"Just Faith undoing my top and making me flash the entire beach," Buffy flushed.
"Beebee," Faith squealed from her position up on Xander's shoulders.
"Yeah I'm talking about you," Buffy pointed up at the baby tickling the bottom of her foot. Faith giggled and banged her hands on top of Xander's head.
"Okay Bam Bam contrary to popular belief my head is not made of rock and that hurt," Xander said swinging her down and resting her on his hip.
"Willow take a photo of that, Xander looks handsome holding a baby and I want something to hold onto until we have children of our own," Anya said poking the redheaded witch who took the photo hiding her laughter at Xander's paling face.
"A long long long time from now," he said, "a long long time."
The little group walked over towards the rock pools Xander, Anya, Willow and Tara leading the way with Buffy and Dawn walking arm and arm behind them. Faith had wriggled up in Xander's grasp so her chin was resting on his shoulder ensuring she had a clear view of the blonde Slayer as they walked towards their destination. Buffy pulled faces at the baby making her smile as she listened to Dawn chatter on about the science project she had been working on with Brendon.
They spent hours at the rocks showing Faith all the creatures that dwelled in the salty pools of water. Buffy was currently bending over holding Faith on her hip with one arm and plucking a hermit crab from the water with the other. She held it up for the baby to see the creatures legs squirming outside it's shell. Faith's smile was huge as she reached for the creature but Buffy made sure she kept it just out of her reach. Faith wriggled impatiently on her hip trying in vain to grab at the crab.
"No," she cried her cheeks reddening.
Sensing an oncoming tantrum Tara handed the infant a swirl shell she had picked up. Faith grabbed at the shell immediately putting it in her mouth her face screwing up at the salty taste that came with that action. She dropped the shell back to the sound and buried her face in Buffy's shoulder.
"Aw baby that didn't taste good did it," Buffy laughed hoisting the infant up on her hip and rubbing her back. Their laughter stopped when a huge wave came up over the top of the rock face, the spray covering them all in salt water. They squealed, in a manly way in Xander's case and jumped out of the way of the next wave.
"My hair!" Dawn squealed, "this is why I stay away from the ocean," she said pulling stringy strands away from her face.
Faith didn't seem to mind getting covered with the water. Buffy thought she might burst into tears but the infant shrugged it off her face breaking into a wide smile grabbing a fistful of wet blonde hair and shoving it in her mouth.
"Think that might be our cue to leave," Willow said wringing out the white caftan she was wearing. The blowing wind made them all shiver and they all quickly agreed gathering up their things and hurrying to Xander's van.
"Did you have fun today?" Buffy asked Faith softly pulling the infant against her chest in the back of the car. Wrapped up in a big towel so only her head was sticking out Faith looked up at Buffy with drowsy eyes her breath warming Buffy's cold skin.
"Well that's another thing we can cross off the show Faith the good things in life list," Xander called from the front seat.
"How much more do you think we can show her before, you know, the aging process begins," Willow said.
"Y-you really think we just have to s-show her things and s-she will turn back?" Tara asked.
"It's just a theory," Buffy said smiling down at a yawning Faith, "something that Giles said about finding what they lost."
"How much do we have to show her?" Dawn asked from the back seat.
"I don't think it's so much as showing her things, it's more like giving her something she never had, like family, love," Buffy finished quietly absently rubbing her fingers through Faith's baby soft hair.
"For how long?" Tara asked handing Buffy a pacifier.
"I don't know," Buffy said gently pulling the now slumbering infant's hand from her mouth and replacing it with the pacifier when Faith stirred, her eyes drooping closed again as she sucked on the pacifier, "I really don't know."
A/N: So I'm back and I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. Reviews are always more than welcome and even encouraged.