"You're gonna be a Momma again."

Eight Months Earlier

"Happy Birthday to you…Happy Birthday to you…Happy Birthday dear Robyn…Happy Birthday to you!"

Robyn slammed her fist right into the frosted '1' on her birthday cake just in time for Willow to snap a picture and for everybody else to laugh. Robyn giggled as she brought a purple frosted finger to her mouth to taste, then used the rest to add a highlight to her hair.

Willow passed out slices of the second, non-smashed up cake, which Tara had wisely baked for the occasion, while Tara cleaned Robyn up and set her down on the ground in their back yard. Robyn started cleaning her sticky hands with her own spit and blades of grass.

There were quite a few people standing around enjoying cake and conversation but Robyn was quick to step up on her two little feet and toddle over to her favorite person in the world — her big brother.

She mumbled some 'b' sounds and JJ put his foot atop his soccer ball to stop it. He looked over at Alex with a grudging look.

"I gotta let her play. It's her birthday."

He kicked the ball to her gently and she rolled herself over it, giggling.

Tara weaved through the party-goers and made her way back through the sliding glass doors into the kitchen where she cleaned up her own sticky hands from all of the cake-handling. She cut what was left of the smashed cake into slices to fit into a Tupperware container for Robyn to have later (or, far more likely, for Willow and JJ to think they were sneaking it until it was gone).

She stepped back out onto the patio and craned her head around to see if any of the food or drink needed to be refreshed, then made her way across the grass to where Xander and Anya were sitting in lawn chairs, cooing over their very newborn daughter on one of her very first outings.

Tara sat with them on the third empty chair that the diaper bag had been sitting on and brushed a finger over the soft-as-silk tuft of blonde hair atop the baby's head, casting a peach-ish glow around her locks that almost looked pink under the high summer sun.

"How's little Megan doing today?"

"You mean Pixie," Xander interjected in a doting voice toward his daughter.

"No, she means Megan," Anya snapped in Xander's direction, "I said you could give her a middle name, I didn't say you could use it in front of everyone!"

Alex came running over then and started staggering around the place like he'd been attacked with something.

"Dad! She hit me with her pixie dust! The unicorns are coming!"

Xander jumped to his feet, picked Alex up under his arm and flew away with him making galloping sounds.

Tara smiled at the exchange but Anya looked less than impressed.

"They took my daughter and tricked me into giving her some kind of ridiculous, geeky name!"

Tara put an arm around the back of Anya's chair, in a move meant to impart sympathy.

"Do you need a break? I'll hold her for you."

Anya immediately passed the baby over in her blanket to Tara's more than welcoming arms.

"Thank you," she said, looking around the yard for some kind of cooler, "Where's the beer?"

"It's a one-year-old's birthday party," Tara replied but almost immediately backed down upon Anya's look, "In the fridge."

Anya walked off and Tara settled the baby, smiling at her little yawns and feeling that swell in her heart when she gripped Tara's finger.

"Hello Miss Megan Pixie Harris," she clucked in that sweet and soothing voice only baby fever could inspire, "I'm glad you're in our family. I'm glad we have a little cutie like you."

The baby yawned and made some of those newborn mewing noises that could melt a stone heart. Tara looked over at her little baby waddling around and could hardly believe it.

It seemed like yesterday she was holding Robyn the way she was holding Megan now; watching her searching eyes and tickling her rosy cheeks.

The year had flown in, even more than JJ's first year had, and Tara wished she'd savored it more. She loved watching her baby grow into a little girl but it tugged at the heartstrings too.

After a little while of baby-gazing, a shadow appeared over her. She looked up and her vision was blinded for a moment from the sun, but she eventually recognized Becky.

"Hey Becks," she greeted, "You looked like Cousin Itt for a moment there in the sun with all the brown you have on."

"Surprisingly, not even the worst thing I've been called this week. Kids can be very, very cruel. The ones I teach, not yours," Becky replied, smoothing a hand out over her shirt, "We're going to head home. Sorry to be a buzzkill, I've got cramps."

"Time of the month?" Tara asked sympathetically.

"Cursed uterus," Becky joked, but Tara could see she was in pain and deflecting.

She stood and gave a sidelong hug so as not to squish the baby.

"Thank you so much for coming, and for your gift. She loves bath toys. Want to bring some cake home? There's a bunch of Tupperware on the island in the kitchen, just grab one on your way out."

Becky smiled in thanks and Brian came up with her summer jacket, helping her into it. He gave a hurried goodbye and they headed off back through the house with Brian's hand rubbing Becky's back.

Tara smiled at how in love they were, even though she'd been so shocked when she first learned they were together. Then again, their extended family structure was nothing like she could have guessed it would be when she and Willow were still just a twosome in Boston.

Tara was contemplating whether she needed to move into the shade or if her body was giving enough cover to the baby, when Xander came by again, staying a safe foot away.

"Put on baby duty?"

Tara looked up, then down at the baby fondly.

"I offered."

"So I don't have to graciously offer to take her off your hands?" Xander asked sheepishly.

Tara's lips curled into a smile on one side and she nodded toward their boys abandoning the soccer ball and picking a football out of the mess of outdoor toys laying on the lawn.

"Looks like the boys might need some teammates."

Xander offered a salute of gratitude and started to move away.

"Hey," Tara called, "Let Robyn score one."

Xander gave a thumbs up and went to grab Jesse to give the game some volume.

Some of the neighborhood husbands started to join in, grateful to have something to do at a party most were dragged to by their wives. Angel, Xander, Jesse and the boys formed their team against the others.

Buffy often both participated and annihilated everyone else playing, but she was busy amusing herself with a NERF gun this time, pulling Willow into her antics to 'get' as many people as they could without anyone seeing them.

The neighborhood wives seemed to be the main target, as they all clumped together in their little clique to chat.

Willow and Tara weren't particularly close to any of the neighbors, but they were friendly and the kids played together so it was understood that party invites would be extended around the block.

Tara was generally in charge of maintaining neighborly relations and things like the PTA, so she had to negotiate who should be invited where. Since Robyn wasn't in school she had stuck to their core group of the friends and just the surrounding block of neighbors, as well as the doting grandparents of course.

Ira was staying out of the game but did take a knee to offer JJ his best tips and to cheer from the sidelines.

Xander stayed true to his word and passed the ball off to Robyn during a quieter play.

Robyn had to use her entire arm circumference to hold onto the ball, which she did, hugging it to her chest. She looked around at all the large people staring down at her and squeezed the ball tighter, taking a wobbly step back.

"Come on, Robyn, this way!" JJ called encouragingly, standing in the end zone, "Bring me the ball, Robbie, you can do it!"

The men parted so she had a path to walk down and JJ kept calling and encouraging her down. Robyn started to toddle, getting faster and faster on her uneven feet until she was right in the center of the end zone and everyone was cheering for her.

Robyn let go of the ball and squealed in delight, promptly bouncing down to sit on her diapered butt. She clapped her hands, then rolled over and crawled to hug JJ's leg, cuddling it like it was her blankie.

JJ blushed but discreetly gave his sister a hug, under the guise of dragging her off to the side so the rest of them could keep playing.

Robyn seemed happy to revert back to being a spectator, clapping for JJ and playing with the grass.

Willow passed by and plucked her up, not liking her quite so close to the action. She squealed indignantly to be put down but forgot about it a moment later when Willow put her with Ella and Alice making daisy chains.

Willow chatted to Alice for a moment, then moved up the yard to Tara, falling into the lawn chair beside her.

"Great party, baby. Everyone is having lots of fun."

Tara looked at her witheringly.

"I saw what you were doing with those foam gun things."

"We were just messing around," Willow replied with a shrug, "Who said toys were just for kids?"

"I didn't want him to get that NERF stuff in the first place and now you're playing with it," Tara replied with a clucking tone.

"Chill out, honey," Willow replied, standing again to avoid a lecture, "Smell some baby head or something."

Tara frowned at first, but then took the advice and held the sleeping baby at an angle that she got a good sniff of that inimitable newborn smell. The baby stirred, so Tara stood and started to pat her back and bottom rhythmically as she walked around.

She said hello and exchanged some niceties with people who weren't engaged in any of the games until the baby was soothed back to sleep. She decided to go and sit with Michelle instead of on her own again.

They shared a greeting and Michelle looked over the baby for a minute or two, appreciating her smallness. Tara took her back, getting quite comfortable holding her, and shook her head as she watched Willow run around the yard pretending to be a ninja with Buffy and those NERF funs again; a game that was turning heads away from the football.

"Remind me, do I have two or three children?"

Michelle placed a hand on Tara's shoulder.

"That's why you love her."

"Mmm," Tara lamented.

JJ and Alex were the first to abscond the football to take up NERF guns, crossing team lines at the same time as Anya returned.

"Thanks, Tara. I'm sufficiently inebriated to deal with the demands of motherhood now."

Tara smiled almost sadly as she passed the baby back.

"She slept the whole time."

Anya held the baby in the crook of her arm and covered her with the blanket as an evening chill started to set in.

"I bet the brat will wake up as soon as I touch her," she said, having to wait exactly three seconds before the baby started to cry, "Told you."

Tara smiled despite this; the affection in Anya's tone couldn't be misplaced – she knew it well herself. She excused herself and went into the house to get a drink.

She got a bottle of flavored from the fridge, twisted the cap off and let the cool liquid fall down her throat in all of its mandarin and pineapple goodness. As she secured the lid back on, two hands slid over her eyes and a perky voice spoke in her ear.

"Guess who?"

"My wife-child?" Tara asked, but without any animosity.

Willow leaned in so her lips were right on the curve of Tara's ear.

"The person who loves you more than anything in the world."

She dropped her hands and greeted Tara with a smooch when she turned to face her.

"Did it really bug you that much that we were having fun?"

Tara sighed self-deprecatingly and held Willow's face in her hands.

"No. It bugged me that I was worried about what the neighbors would think."

Willow held Tara's wrists loosely.

"Hun, we're already the neighborhood gays. I would have thought we learned a long time ago not to care what the neighbors think."

Tara leaned in so they were forehead-to-forehead.

"That's why it bugged me that I was worried. I should know better. I'm sorry I got frustrated at you."

Willow just smiled and picked up some stray confetti on a nearby surface and flung it over Tara's head.

"It's our daughter's first birthday party. Don't worry about it. Don't worry about anything."

Tara could only smile and took Willow's hand to walk back outside with.

There, they were greeted with an unexpected scene – almost everyone, including the neighborhood wives, had flipped to the NERF game and had split into teams to have enough equipment to go around.

Tara was stunned.

"Did I just walk into the Twilight Zone?"

Willow stood up on her tiptoes in excitement and took a foot forward.

"Buffy needs cover!" she exclaimed, then looked back and offered her hand, "Are you coming?"

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, Tara figured and took Willow's hand as they ran across the warzone to tumble in behind Buffy.

The party went on until nightfall came and the kids all started to get tired. Everyone rounded their clan up and departed to their houses or cars.

"Great party, Tara," Barbara, the most high-brow of their neighbors said as they were leaving, "Maybe you could host our Labor Day get together."

"Maybe!" Tara replied with a bit of a forced smile as she thought of ways to get out of it. She gave the obligatory hug as they parted, "Thanks for coming."

She ended her hosting skills as pleasantly as she'd begun them and everyone left smiling. She walked into the kitchen where Willow had Robyn on her hip and JJ was sitting on a stool at the island, both demolishing a grilled cheese sandwich.

"Habe own—" Willow started to say, then blushed and finished the mouthful, "Have one here for you baby."

Tara came toward them, stopping to put an arm around JJ.

"Hey," she said, and stole a cheek kiss before he could object, "Thanks for being such a great big brother."

JJ blushed and avoided reacting, but was smiling.

Tara sat beside him and watched how mother and son ate in the exact same, hurried way. Even Robyn was taking the bites she was offered with gusto. It made Tara smile. She loved how they'd all found each other.

A couple of hours of cleaning and winding down later, Tara finished the major tidying and decided the rest could wait until morning. She went into the living room to be met with the flurry of wrapping paper that Robyn had torn and chewed on earlier, so she decided to get that gathered up too.

A few minutes later, Willow came down the stairs from tucking in JJ, still with a party hat on and a grin on her face.

Willow came up, intending to give Tara a quick peck, but the party hat fell forward over her nose and thwarted her.

"Whoops!" she said, taking the string from around her face and setting the hat down, "It was a great day, Tara. I know you did most of the work, but she loved it."

Tara stuffed the last of the gift wrap into a trash bag and put it by the door.

"I had a nice day, too."

She sat down next to Willow on the couch, who was looking through the photos taken that day.

"She's getting so big."

Tara watched the pictures go by, then put her palm on Willow's forearm to gently lower the phone.

"Let's have another one."

"Another party?" Willow asked, confused.

Tara shook her head softly.

"Another baby."

Willow laughed, but then she noticed Tara wasn't. Her head reeled and her eyes slowly widened.

"Whoa," she said, clearly shocked, "Where did that come from?"

Tara's brow furrowed for a moment.

"Where does it ever come from? A place inside, a place in your heart. We always talked about another one someday."

Willow made a flippant gesture with her hand.

"Yeah, someday."

Tara was beginning to feel very rejected and scooted a little bit away whilst looking down.

"I'm not getting any younger."

Willow looked at Tara and offered a slow nod.

"Oh. You want a baby," she said with realization and a little chuckle, "Is this because you were holding Pixie all day? She's a cutie, I have to admit. Clearly didn't get Anya's genes."

Tara looked over to Willow, hurt spreading across her face.

"When you wanted a baby, I asked how could we do it. But when I ask, you talk down to me like I'm a child who doesn't know their own mind?"

"Tara, are you serious about this?" Willow asked in disbelief, "Adding number three is a whoooolllle different ball game to adding number two. The space, for one! We're out of bedrooms!"

"We always talked about remodeling the attic," Tara suggested, but Willow was already up and swinging her hands about in a negative fashion.

"Tara, this is…it's too soon."

Tara seemed heartbroken by the exchange and could only repeat when she felt inside.

"I want a baby."

"We have a baby!" Willow snapped, "Upstairs, right now!"

Said baby chose that moment to start shouting down through the baby monitor. Tara stood up, snatched it from the coffee table and turned it down.

"I know we have a baby, I love her more than anything. All I wanted was to tell you my feelings but clearly, they don't matter."

She walked off and up to Robyn's room, where Robyn was standing in her crib, shaking her half-full bottle around.

"Omm-mee!" she greeted Tara with a gurgling smile.

"Hello my sweet girl," she said as she approached, "It's night-night time."

Robyn lifted her arms out and produced a pout she most certainly learned from her other mother. Tara was fruitless to resist.

"Okay, one more story. It is your birthday."

"Stow-ee," Robyn cheered as Tara picked her up and went to sit on the chair in the corner with her.

Tara settled Robyn in the crook of her arm with her bottle and rocked her gently.

"Why don't I tell you about the night you were born?"

Robyn looked up at Tara with those big, bright turquoise eyes that stunned everyone when they first saw her. Tara brushed some messy strawberry blonde locks from her daughter's face and smiled when she remembered the first time she saw her.

"Well you surprised us, that's for sure. We didn't know you were coming until you were already almost here. Like when you crawled for the first time and scared Momma half to death just showing up in the kitchen."

Robyn smiled around the teat of her bottle as if she understood she was mischievous, but it was really just in response to hearing 'Momma'.

"I saw your head start to come out and I realized you were really on your way," Tara continued, reminiscing for herself but in her soothing 'Mommy' voice for Robyn, "And then you were just here; perfect and pink and my little angel. And okay, maybe a little gooey too."

Tara was helping Robyn keep her bottle up as her sleepy hands loosened their grip. Tara hummed as she watched her daughter's eyes close.

"I sang to you that night too…"

She quietly put the bottle off to the side and held Robyn to her chest, patting her bottom with a calming rhythm.

"Happy Birthday…to you. Happy Birthday…to you. Happy Birthday…Happy Birthday…Happy Birthday…to you."

She felt Robyn's even exhales against her breast and gently kissed her temple.

"Mommy loves you."

She brought Robyn over to her crib and laid her down gently. She gave one last brush over the messy head of curls that neither Willow nor Tara could bring themselves to cut and turned to collect the empty bottle and go back downstairs.

She went straight into the kitchen to sterilize the bottle and planned to slip right back up to the bedroom, but Willow caught her wrist as she fled across the hall and stopped her.

"I remember. The longing inside."

Tara paused and turned her head to offer Willow a look to continue. Willow kept hold of her hand.

"And I remember the…yearning looks you had when I was breastfeeding Robyn."

Tara's glance fell and Willow silently brought her back into the living room to sit down. She took both of Tara's hands in her lap and exhaled before speaking.

"I shouldn't have dismissed your desire. I know you're not just broody from a day with the newborn, this is obviously something you've wanted for a while like I did. And you were really supportive; I want to be that for you too."

Tara's eyebrows rose in surprise, but Willow was in there before she could respond.

"So here's what I think. We rushed into it last time because we had the luxury of doing so. And like I said, number three is a whole different challenge. So…" she paused to take a breath, "Let's do the attic remodel. Let's get you on some prenatal vitamins. And in a few months when we're physically prepared to add another one, we can decide if we're mentally ready too."

Tara's face broke out in a slow smile.

"Really?"

Willow nodded shyly.

"I always wanted to see you carry," she admitted, then retrieved the baby monitor from behind the cushion, "And I kinda listened in just then. You're so beautiful with her. And you were so beautiful with him. My heart is so there. Let's get the logistics in order so my mind can be too."

Tara held her hands in front of her.

"Can we do it like we did last time?"

Willow seemed surprised.

"You mean…you want to use my egg?"

Tara nodded keenly and Willow was stunned into silence for a moment.

"Yeah…yeah, of course, we can," she eventually replied, touched and now already almost ready to jump in tiny feet first.

Tara threw her arms around her wife.

"Thank you," she gushed, kissing Willow's cheek repeatedly, "I love you, Willow."

Willow closed the embrace and gave Tara a tight squeeze. She was nervous, but it was hard to deny her wife's joy.

"I love you too, Tara. I love you too."