Chapter 31
By Halloween, Kara was 6 months along, and definitely showing. The Bronze was having its annual party on the night in question, and she was having a hard time finding a costume to wear. The tiny top and skirt from last year were definitely out.
"Oh!" Kara stopped walking, placing a hand on her belly.
"What is it? Are you alright?"
"Yeah…I'm fine. One of the girls just kicked. Here." She grabbed Tara's hand and placed it where she had felt the foot.
"How do you know it was a foot?"
"Just felt like it, you know? I've felt them rolling around for a while, but they've never kicked me before. Oooh, she just did it again. Did you feel that?"
"Yeah, like she was trying to make my hand move. Does it hurt?" Tara asked.
"No…feels more like a tap. I need to call Spike." She dug out her cell phone and dialed home. "Honey! Wake up and get to the machine. One of the girls just kicked! Tara put her hand on my stomach, and she felt one, too. Spike…okay, I guess you can't hear this 'cause you're upstairs still. I'll try again later. Love you." She closed the flip phone and put it back in her bag. "He's going to be so pouty that he missed the first kick. Well, we can't be next to each other all the time. Do you know where a vintage store is?"
"Yep. Willow and I check it out once a month. It seems to be popular, as they're always getting new stuff."
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Halloween night…
Spike insisted on being the one to drive whenever possible, citing that it was dangerous for Kara if there was an accident, since her stomach was so close to the steering wheel now. She was carrying all out front. Becoming a father-to-be had really brought out his protective streak, his over-protective streak, and Kara thought it was sweet, but he was also starting to get on her nerves. He was wearing his usual all black ensemble. She had managed to find a dress that would flow over her stomach, and had a wreath of flowers in her hair, which was down tonight.
At The Bronze, Kara slipped off to the ladies' room once they were inside, while Spike found the group.
"Where's Kara?" Tara was the first to ask. She was dressed as Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz", pigtails included.
"In the loo. Did the ruby slippers come with that?"
"Of course!" She wiggled a foot out from under the table to show off the sparkly red platform heels she was wearing. "You guys are the first to show up. You know how Willow is with being on time, so we've been here for about 20 minutes already. She went to order our drinks."
"Hey, Dorothy! Sexy shoes," Kara said, sidling up to her mate. Spike pulled her in front of him, wrapping his arms around her bulging tummy.
"Thanks. This costume ended up being more 'Dorothy at 18 and legal', than the movie version. That dress really does look great, Kara."
"Yeah, I'm glad you convinced me to buy it, even though my boobs barely fit in this thing. I'm afraid to take a deep breath."
"I think it fits perfect, kitten," Spike murmured in her ear.
(That's because from your angle, you're seeing right down my top.)
(And that's a bad thing? You've got a great rack, luv. Might as well flaunt it.)
(Ha, you say that now. Wait until every other guy in the room takes notice…)
(They touch you, they lose a hand) he growled possessively.
"Are they doing the talking in the head thing again?" Willow whispered to Tara.
"Mmm-hmm. You make a very sexy Peter Pan, baby."
"You think so? I felt a bit weird picking it, but there wasn't much left at the costume shop."
"Much better than the giant chicken," Tara affirmed.
"Hey, I think the Wizard of Oz idea was catching," Kara commented, pointing towards the door. Xander had just walked in dressed as the Scarecrow. Anya, on the other hand, must have been going with 'naughty nurse', as she was in a little white outfit that was barely legal in public, provided it didn't hold together.
"Hey, all! How goes life?" Xander said in greeting.
"Pretty good, Xan." "School's tough." "The babies are kicking now."
"May I feel?" Anya blurted out to Kara. "I've never had a pregnant friend before."
"Uh, yeah. Just give me your hand. One of them is tapping with the music, right here."
"Hm, interesting. May I compliment you on your recently increasing cleavage? I imagine it's a very welcome side-effect to the male partner of a pregnant woman."
"Ahn…!" Xander pleaded with his wife.
"What, Xander? It's perfectly natural. No need to be embarrassed, right, ladies."
"Oi, Whelp! Eyes elsewhere!" Spike barked.
"Sorry! Anya pointed them out, and…sorry…uh, I'll be at the bar?"
"See!" Kara said to Spike.
"See what?" Buffy asked, joining the table.
"Nothing. That's cute!" she replied, pointing to Buffy's outfit. The Slayer was dressed as a black cat, complete with furry ears on a headband.
"Oh, thanks. And I checked for spells before I bought it."
"I did, too!" Willow added.
"Oh, right. You lot were turned into your bloody costumes in high school. Fun night," Spike reminisced.
"Heh, not so much. You tried to kill me, Spike," Buffy said with disdain.
"Long time ago, Slayer. I don't hold it against you," he teased, smirking.
"Me! How is it my fault you tried to eat me?"
"Well, I wouldn't have had the chance if you hadn't dressed up for the Poof, now, would I?" Riling her up was so much fun when she couldn't do anything about it.
"Okay! Enough with the bickering. Buffy, he's just yanking your chain; so don't give him more ammunition. Spike, be nice. We all know that you and Buffy view the past differently, but there's no reason to rehash it. We're here for fun, yes?" she asked them both.
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Buffy soon became aware that this was the first time in forever that she didn't have someone to dance with at The Bronze. She had no shortage of offers, thanks to the black spandex cat suit she was wearing, but no boyfriend. Now, everyone was coupled, and she was feeling like 'third wheel Buffy' again. Well, actually, it was 7th wheel tonight, but the numbers didn't matter. What mattered, was that her friends were all in love, and she was alone.
Sebastian managed to write often, though he didn't get her letters until weeks had gone by from when she'd replied. She'd sent pictures after one harried letter where it appeared he was running on no sleep, and expressed that he was having a hard time remembering what all of them looked like. Oh, she was sure he knew the technical details still, but the pictures in his head were fuzzy. She wanted to know what he was facing, fighting for, but his letters were always vague in that area. He mentioned only little things that wouldn't matter to any agency working against them. The best letters Buffy received were the ones responding to one of hers. He seemed to come to life with his comments on her news, and the questions he posed in relation to it.
A guy she recognized from UC Sunnydale asked to buy her a drink, and Buffy tried to forget about kind gray-blue eyes and a winning smile.
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Meanwhile, Dawn was at a crowded party with kids from school. She'd left the house in an angel costume, which promptly got stowed behind a bush as soon as she was out of sight. Down came the hair, add a few shell necklaces, a lei, and her hula girl costume was complete. She grinned to herself while dancing with Janice, imagining how her mom would flip if she saw her around boys in just a bikini and a grass skirt.
"Gotta say, Summers, I expected you to come lookin' all innocent tonight, like you usually do," Janice commented.
"It's Halloween, and I'm 16, so why not? I don't know what my mom's worried about. It's not like I'm my sister."
"She was the wild child?"
"In some ways. All this dancing's made me wicked thirsty. You want anything?"
"Nah, I'm good."
"'Kay."
Dawn crossed the room to the drink table and fished a Coke out of the ice. She dried off the can, and popped the top, taking a long swallow.
"I wish Michael was here."
"You're still pining for him, Dawnie? The guy's, like, a thousand miles away. You need to find a local boyfriend. People are stating to talk," said Alicia.
"So, let them. It's only temporary," she stubbornly countered.
"What did ya come dressed up for if not to attract a new hottie? You've gotta be at least a little friendly, Dawn, or no one's going to ask you to the dances this year," Janice advised.
"It's gotta feel natural, guys, or I'm just not into it. Don't worry about me," Dawn insisted. "Let's just enjoy the party."
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"Did I ever tell you that you're a good dancer?" Kara wondered, snuggling into her mate's arms.
"Maybe."
"Well, I'm telling you now. This is nice."
"That, it is. Thinkin' about the time we won't have in a few months?"
"Mmm-hmm. Note to self: avoid fast music for the rest of pregnancy. She hasn't stopped wiggling and kicking the whole night. That has to come from you," she teased.
"Which one?"
"On my right. You'll feel it if you touch me. All I can say is thank God she doesn't have super powers, yet."
He rubbed Kara's belly soothingly where he felt the thumping. "Shhh, Bit. Mum needs a break for a while."
"Keep doing that, she's slowing down. No fair, having the magic touch," she pouted.
"Can't help it if she's Daddy's girl, luv," he smirked.
"Then Daddy gets the feeding at 3 AM, 'cause I'm not waking up."
"Whatever makes my girl happy," he murmured, then swooped in for a slow, gentle kiss that curled her toes.
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"Aren't they cute?" Tara asked Willow, nodding to Kara and Spike.
"Yeah. I'll admit to having…reservations about how good together they would stay, but Spike's really changed over the years. It's hard to believe he once shoved a broken bottle in my face, or tried to eat me."
Tara smiled at her lover. "All he needed was a chance. Spike likes to come off as a loner, but he's really just looking for a group to belong to, or some one. I think he's done as much good for Kara as she's done for him."
"How so?"
"She doesn't pretend to be on top of everything anymore. He's given her the confidence to be softer, to let her guard down."
"Like how you center me when I get all rambly."
"Yep. You can always find peace with me, Willow. You know, we're going to have to make plans for after graduation…start looking for our own place."
"I think Miss Kitty Fantastico would like that," Willow replied, grinning.
"Uh huh, and with a kitchen, I can make you pancakes every morning."
"Oooh, sounding even better."
They swayed along with a new slow song, whispering plans and dreams together.
