"I am beginning to think that Buffy was right," Kennedy interjected into the conversation. "We need to go back to the vineyard."
Faith began to explain why that was not a great idea, but Xander began to speak instead.
"No," Xander said. "Not without more information. It's not tactically sound."
Willow started to say something, but Kennedy beat her to it. "Tactically sound? Who do you think you are now? GI Joe? Besides this doesn't concern you. You aren't a slayer."
"Neither are you." Xander added not missing a beat.
Kennedy just glared at him, as Willow, Giles, and Faith discussed Faith's idea to capture a bringer.
When the meeting was over, Kennedy was the first to leave the room. "That . . . Man is so aggravating. He always does that to me. Everytime." She said as she punched a door. "He's impossible!"
At the same time, Xander just sat in his chair, muttering, "Why can't she see? She is so short sighted. Aggravating, she thinks she knows it all. She is impossible!"
Faith grinned when she saw Kennedy get upset. Thinking to herself, 'Boytoy's snagged another one.'
Dawn watched Xander mutter to himself, grinning to herself, 'he sure never does anything the easy way does he? Hopefully, Willow isn't to attached to this one, no one can resist the Xan-man, except my dufus sister.'
Willow was worried. She didn't like that her best friend and her lover didn't get along. Granted she didn't see Kennedy as a forever type of love, but she was here and now. Something she needed. Perhaps if she got them to spend sometime alone together they could work out their differences?
"Willow are you ready to go to the store for groceries?" Kennedy asked. It was their turn to do the shopping.
"Oh, it's our turn? I can't I have to work on the spell." Willow answered trying to look surprised and ashamed for forgetting. She turned to Xander. "Xander, would you go for me?"
"Wills, I really don't . . ." He began.
She looked at him with a small pout.
He looked at Kennedy, he would put up with her for Wills, "Fine."
"Great!" Kennedy began. "You do it and we will stay home."
"Ah, Kennedy." Willow said biting her lip. "Xan can't drive yet. You need to drive him."
Kennedy looked at Xander. The last thing she wanted was to spend an afternoon together alone with him, but Willow was giving her that look. "Fine."
Willow gave them both a dazzling smile. "Thanks!" She practically bounced out of the room, certain that they would work things out between them.
Kennedy looked to Xander, "well, come on." She grabbed her keys and walked out the door not waiting for him.
"Oh, this is going to be fun. Couldn't I just fight the First by myself rather than spend an afternoon with her?" He muttered, grabbing his jacket and following Kennedy out the door.
Giles stood in the doorway having been unnoticed by any of them. "I hope Willow knows what she is doing. Her plan may work better than she ever thought." He grinned. "Only if they don't kill each other first."
"Who kill each other?' Dawn asked as she reached him, only having heard the last part.
"Kennedy and Xander. They have gone marketing together." He explained as he removed his glasses and began to polish them.
Dawn just grinned mischievously. "Oh."
Kennedy was driving and Xander was sitting looking out the passenger side window. Total Silence.
Willow began to walk up the steps to her room.
"I hope you know what you are doing, Red."
Willow turned to see Faith leaning against the bottom post.
"What do you mean?"
"Sending the X-Man and your GirlToy out together, not exactly your finest moment." Faith grinned.
"Oh, don't worry," she responded missing the point, "they won't kill each other. They'll work things out." She turned and continued up to her room.
"Oh, I just bet they will."
They arrived at the market. Xander grabbed a cart and Kennedy walked ahead of him.
She started grabbing everything that struck her fancy and putting it in the cart.
"Hey, now we are on a budget. We're not made of money you know." He said as he followed behind her putting most of the things back.
She looked at him, "I'm sure Giles can afford it."
"Maybe he can, but he doesn't pay for the food. I do." Biting his lip, to prevent a nastier reply. She gets on his nerves like not one, no one since perhaps Cordelia.
"You? But I thought you just mooched off Buffy and Willow?" She was surprised. "I mean always eating their food and just hanging around."
"Ah, that would be a no. Willow has never had a job and Buffy, well she and money just don't get a long. It is a hate-slay relationship." He tried to explain.
Kennedy was surprised, she had always thought he was just a hanger on, but he contributes? She looked at him for a moment before turning away.
She continued to grab things that weren't needed and he continued to put them back.
"Do you have any problem with Twinkies?" She asked waiving a package in his face.
"No," he grinned for the first time since he left home, err the Summers' house. "Twinkies and I have an excellent relationship."
"Oh." She put a few packages in the cart. "You know Willow doesn't like Twinkies." Kennedy was trying to be civil.
"I know. One of her few flaws." He agreed.
"I can never find Twinkies at the house."
"None of the Scoobies eat them but me. . . and I guess you." He looked at her briefly before he had to stop and pay attention before he ran over a display of M&M's with the cart.
They continued to shop, being much more civil towards each other. Still, Willow would not be pleased with their progress. They checked- out and loaded up the car and left to go back to the house.
"Ah, Kennedy not to be a side seat driver, but why did you turn here?" Xander asked.
"It's a short-cut, trust me." She told him. He's seconding guessing me again, oh the man.
"No, it isn't."
"Yes it is or would you rather drive. Oh, I forgot you can't."
Xander just growled lightly. She was exasperating. Know it all . . . can't ever be wrong. "Fine, I have only lived in Sunnydale all my life and you've been here for what? A month? You know better than I do."
He settled down in his seat and closed his eye. Maybe he would sleep until they got to the house. He fell asleep, just as she started to blare some group on the radio he didn't know.
The road took them to the outskirts of Sunnydale, some of the areas were quiet deserted.
The car started to sputter and came to a halt.
"What? Now?" He said waking up. All he wanted was away from her.
She looked at the gages. "Well it seems we are out of gas." She said almost sheepishly.
"Out of gas?" He raised an eyebrow. "How could you not notice the tank was on empty?" He tried hard to say it calmly.
"Well," getting defensive. "I have had other things on my mind."
"Other things?" He shook his head and reached in his right breast, jacket pocket for his cell phone. It wasn't there. He checked his other pockets. It wasn't there. He looked a Kennedy who was watching him. "Seems I don't have my cell, we'll have to use yours."
"Why don't you have your cell? You always need to be taken care of don't you?" She grumbled as she grabbed her phone. She tried to turn it on, "seems mine is dead."
"Oh great!" He hit his head on the dash. "Now what?"
She just stared at him.
"I guess we walk and find a phone or a gas station, I mean we are in Sunnydale how far can it be." He suggested.
"Don't you know, Mr. I-Grew-Up-In-Sunnydale?" Kennedy bit out.
"No, I was sleeping and this doesn't look familiar, but then again my visual perception is still a little off." He spat out. "Don't you remember? You were driving, you should know when you last saw anything."
"Well, I wasn't paying attention. I was enjoying the music." She said looking away. "Willow usually drives."
"I can't believe you!" He started to yell, he really had lost all patience with her. "How can you be so irresponsible?"
She got into his face. "Me? Irresponsible? I am not the one who got his eye-poked out by the big bad!"
Now he was mad, she of all people had no right to bring it up. He moved even closer into her space. In a low calm voice, "I got it 'poked-out' stopping him from killing you."
She looked into his eye and saw something she hadn't noticed before. Steel.
They were leaned against each other, both angry and flustered. "Are you as turned on right now as I am?" She asked.
"More," he looked back at her.
She placed her hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down into a kiss. He responded immediately and placed his arm around her. They didn't break apart until they needed to breathe.
They just stared at each other. Only one word on their mind, "Wow!" Well actually two words the second being, "Willow." They backed away from each other both trying to compose themselves.
"Ah, why don't you go find help and I will stay and make sure nothing happens to the car." Xander said hardly looking at her.
"Good idea." She said as they both quickly turned away from each other and went in opposite directions.
Kennedy did find a gas station just up around the corner. They refilled the tank and made it back to the house without further incident and without any talking.
As they pulled in the driveway, they noticed Faith sitting on the front steps. She stood and walked over to help them unload the car.
"I was starting to get worried that you two got lost." She grinned at them.
"We did." They said together, each glancing at each other before quickly doing something else. A move which Faith didn't miss, but she also didn't comment on.
Willow heard them arrive and went down to the kitchen to help them unpack and to find-out how things went between them. What she saw surprised her. The tension seemed thicker than before. They wouldn't even look at each other. How had the plan backfired? She would just have to try again.