Thanks to General Mac, bloodstainedsteel, RabidReject, and RunningStorm for supporting this story.
Chapter 32
Beep!"What is it! I'm in a meeting!"
"Ma'am, Ms. Taylor has just been spotted shopping here in L.A."
"Gentleman, I'm going to have to take this. Can we continue the meeting later?" She ushered them out her office door, then had a seat back at her desk. "Do you have her on live feed right now?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Patch it to my computer…Well, well…no wonder you haven't been out on the streets in a while. Oh, this is just too delicious!" She pressed the intercom button for her secretary.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Have one of the medical doctors sent to my office immediately. I need them to look at something," she demanded authoritatively.
"Of course, ma'am. Right away."
"What are the odds your child won't have superpowers, too, hmm, Ms. Taylor?" she said to the monitor.
Knock, knock. "You called for a doctor?"
"Yeah, get in here. I want you to tell me how pregnant this woman on the screen is."
"Well, size is not an exact science for determining the age of the fetus. If we could run some tests-"
"Just make an educated guess, Doctor. Humor me," she said, arms crossed over her chest.
"Uh, I'd have to say…at least 7 months, unless she's having a large baby. Like I said, though, it's anything but exact. Some women grow very rapidly…"
"Yes, yes…That's all, Doctor. You can go." He scampered out of the office as fast as possible, intimidated by the powerful woman. "So, January, huh?" she mused.
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"Thanks for coming with me today, Joyce. I'm having such a tough time picking a crib. Am I being too picky? They've all just looked…nice."
"Ah, here we are. Do you know what styles they carry?" Joyce asked, pulling up in front of the specialty store.
"Nope, only that it was recommended if you were shopping in L.A." Kara slid out of the SUV, and waited for Joyce to lock the vehicle and come around to the sidewalk before heading into the store. Baby clothes were in the front – boys on the left and girls on the right. Joyce glanced at the tag on a tiny dress and nearly had a heart attack.
"Hi! How can I help you?" the sales associate asked. "We just got in a wonderful shipment of cashmere baby blankets."
"I'm just looking for a crib," Kara replied.
"Oh, right this way. They're towards the back. We make sure all of our cribs have the finest mattresses. Support for the back is important even at such a young age. Were you looking for something in a particular color or wood grain?"
"A natural finish. The rest of the furniture is oak." Kara wove through the aisles of cribs, sliding her hands over the rails, checking out the details. She started to feel silly putting so much thought into this. The girls would only be using it for two years before they'd be big enough for a child's bed.
"Kara, do you see anything that interests you?"
"No…," she replied in a bored tone. "I'm going to stop worrying about it, and go looking with Spike later. Let's get to our Christmas shopping before traffic gets bad."
"Alright." They left, leaving the sales woman disappointed she wouldn't be getting her commission.
"Ugh! Another month, and I won't fit in any car," Kara complained.
Joyce laughed as she got in the driver's side. "It always feels that way. You aren't too big, though. How much have you gained?"
"25 lbs and holding. I'll probably add at least another 10 by delivery, though. I can't see my feet when I look down anymore. If he's awake, I get Spike to put my shoes on me."
"Lucky you! Hank was always working, so I had to manage on my own. I only wore slip on shoes past the 7th month. Of course, that was easier with Dawn, since it was summer and hot. Flip-flops were a Godsend, especially when my feet were swollen. You should be thankful that your biggest part is in winter. It is miserable to be 9 months pregnant in August!"
"I'll bet! I'd never intentionally plan to be pregnant in summer. You can just head to the Mall, if you want. I'm almost tempted to do all my shopping by catalog this year, just to save my feet. Ow! Hold still in there. Mommy likes her ribs where they are, thank you." Kara rubbed her stomach where the baby had kicked.
"Ah, I remember that. Buffy was the most active baby. I guess it makes sense now, though. Have you thought about names?"
"Well, we've argued about it. Spike wants to wait and see what comes to us when we see them. I want to pick ahead of time, and just assign the names as they come out. Which ever's first will get one name, and the second girl gets the other. Makes it easy. He's more…free-spirited about the whole thing. How did you choose 'Buffy'?" Kara asked curiously.
"Well, her birth certificate actually says Elizabeth, but she was 'Bethie' for the first few years. When she entered pre-school, she was having a tough time with the 'th' sound vs. the 'ff' sound, so she'd say her name as 'Beffy'. Her best friend at the time had a cocker spaniel named Buffy, and – she'll kill me for saying this – the girl thought that's what Buffy said her name was. They were thick as thieves, around each other all the time, and pretty soon, the name just stuck with all of us. It was an easy word for Dawn to say as she learned to talk, too."
"So – (Kara was giggling) she's named after – a dog? Does Buffy remember that?" Oh, that was too good not to laugh.
"I don't know. She was only 3 when it started. Please don't say anything, Kara, especially to Spike. I love William, but he can be truly horrible when it comes to making fun of my daughter. He's not reading your mind right now, is he?" Joyce asked anxiously.
"No – no, it's not like that. He can only eavesdrop if I want him to, or if I'm broadcasting a thought so overtly that I can't help but send it over to his mind. He's still asleep, anyway, dreaming about…whoa, okay…not telling you that one. So, Thanksgiving this year…who's hosting?"
Joyce smiled to herself about the sudden subject change, before replying, "Actually, Anya asked if she could have it at her and Xander's."
"Really? What's that about?"
"Well, she said something about newlyweds hosting family, and wanting to show off their place…and that there would be pie. I asked her if she was sure, since cooking for everyone is a big task, and she insisted she can handle it. I think we all should support her attempt, since I think every woman ends up hosting a major holiday at least once in her life."
"And bring back-up food just in case?"
"You betcha."
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November 28th, Thanksgiving Day…
Kara put together a quick dessert in a baking dish, then stuck it in the freezer before getting dressed in the morning. Anya said they were eating at 3 pm., so they would need to leave by 1 pm to not be late, traffic as it always was on this day. She teleported upstairs. Her hair now fell across her shoulder blades, instead of past her waist. Spike had not been thrilled, but Kara had felt cutting it now was good for two reasons: 1) it was easier to take care of, in her more awkward state, and 2) her salon was doing one of those charity drives to gather hair for making wigs for cancer patients. They now had two feet of thick hair to use.
She dressed in a v-neck sweater and long skirt, saving the boots for later. Xander and Anya's condo was close to the ocean, so the breeze coming in a night would be pretty cold. Kara poked her slumbering mate. She wanted to wake him early enough to get in some blood and coffee. He would insist on driving, like always now, and she didn't want him groggy. Spike still preferred to sleep through the day, if he could.
"Come on, honey. It's 11:30. You have enough time for a nice, hot shower, and a good breakfast." His only response was to burrow under his pillow. "Uh unh, mister, not today. It's Thanksgiving, remember? Joyce is bringing blood pudding…you know…I'll just drive myself, if you don't get up. It's only an hour…"
"I'm up…crazy bint. You aren't getting behind the bloody steering wheel of a bloody car until the Bits are born, and that's final….," he growled.
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before. At least you're awake, now. I don't know why you want to drive today, anyway. I can teleport us there in seconds."
"Told you…don't like magic," he grumbled, heading for the shower stall.
"It's not 'magic', Spike, it's an innate power. Like you going into game face." She trailed a nail along his arm as he reached in the cabinet for a fresh towel. "Does the Big Bad get queasy?" she teased.
"Vampire, luv. Doesn't happen."
"Uh-huh…and dimensional travel didn't make you dizzy the first time, either. Honey, it's perfectly safe. The only danger lies in a miscalculation of free space at the destination, leading to the traveler appearing inside someone else's body. Gamers call it 'tele-fragging', 'cause you blow up the person you land in. But that only happen when inexperienced witches try to teleport before they're ready. If you let me teleport us, you can go back to bed for a couple more hours…"
Sleep was very tempting. "We can't use traffic as an excuse to leave early, then, though," he countered.
"True…but no one can stop us poofing out of there in an instant, either. I made an ice cream dessert. Even in a cooler, it's going to melt in the car. Not a worry with teleportation." Practicality usually won out.
"Fine…when are we supposed to be there?"
"2:30."
"Wake me at two." Spike shuffled back to the bed and collapsed on it face down.
"Thanks, baby," Kara said, before leaving the room. She had some cleaning to do, then more work on the little afghans she was crocheting for the girls.
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Tara and Willow were the first to arrive.
"Hi! Welcome to Casa Harris!" Anya said, a bit too loud. She pulled the Wiccas inside after looking over her shoulder. "Thank D'Hoffryn you're here! You – keep Xander out of the kitchen. You – come with me," she whispered. Willow was pushed towards the living room, while Anya dragged Tara through the swinging doors to the kitchen. "I started everything at once, thinking it would be easy to from this to that to this, but I'm running out of time! Help!" the ex-demon said, panicking.
"Anya, calm down. I'm sure we can straighten this out in no time. Okay, the turkey's been baking, right?"
"Yes. I put it in for the exact time on the package according to when we are supposed to eat. It's the other things that are supposed to bake at the same time that-"
"Well, let's look at what you have here. The stuffing is in the bird, and all these other vegetables can be done on the stove. The only thing that has to bake is the pie, and we can put that in when the turkey comes out. It will be done by the time we finish dinner, so there's nothing to worry about."
"But what about the marshmallow topping on the yams? It's supposed to be 'browned and firm'!"
"Did you happen to receive one of those caramelizing torches as a wedding gift? If not, we can use a lighter."
"No, I don't think so…Oh, this whole thing will be ruined! I wanted to show Xander I can do this…and…" She hiccupped, starting to cry. Tara immediately moved over and wrapped an arm around Anya's shoulders.
"Hey…nothing's ruined. You just got a little overwhelmed, that's all. It happens to all of us. You're nearly done, anyway, Anya. Has the table been set, yet?"
Anya shook her head. "No…I've been too busy in here."
"Why don't you go do that, give yourself a breather, and I'll keep an eye on this stuff, okay?"
"Okay." Anya grabbed the plates and flatware, and slipped through the door to the adjacent dining room.
Tara breathed a sigh of relief that she had diffused the crisis fairly easily, and set about testing the readiness of the dishes Anya had prepared.
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Joyce, Giles, and the girls were the next to arrive. Giles was urged to go sit and watch sports with Xander, while the women checked out the kitchen.
"Everything smells great, Anya," Joyce complimented. "Where can I set this blood pudding?"
"Up on the pass-through is fine, thanks. Please, go sit. My kitchen is too small for all of you."
"Right. Girls?" Buffy and Dawn jostled about before finally going back the way they came, and letting Joyce out. They joined Xander, Willow, and Giles in the living room.
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Kara teleported herself and Spike to right outside the Harris' door. She rang the bell and smiled at her mate, who was shaking his head in an attempt to clear the feeling of travel.
"I'll get it!" they heard Joyce say. She opened the door with a welcoming smile. "Happy Thanksgiving! Anya and Tara are still in the kitchen, so you've got plenty of time…," she said, moving back into the apartment.
"Uh, Mum? Little thing called an invite?" Spike murmured.
"Tell Evil Undead he can come in as long as he doesn't drink all my beer," Xander bellowed. The barrier fell away, and Spike stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
"Wouldn't touch your beer, Whelp. You drink cheap crap." A lot of the same insults were still exchanged these days, but the tone behind them had mellowed considerably. "Got a dish, here, needs to go in the freezer, Mum."
"I'll take it in the kitchen, and check on their progress," she replied. "Anya, is there room in the freezer for this…?" Joyce could be heard saying, as the door closed.
Kara and Spike made their way into the living room after hanging up their coats.
"Hey, guys. Has the game started, yet?" Kara asked.
"Nah, this is just arena football. The pro game doesn't start until 3:13. Here, Kara, take my seat," Xander said, vacating his recliner.
"You sure? I don't want to put you out."
"It's no bother. Besides, you can rock yourself back out of it when it's time to eat. That couch is going to swallow you," he teased.
"Hey, just because I swallowed a beach ball…eh, who am I kidding? Sofas are the bane of my existence these days," she countered, settling into the chair. Kara popped the footrest out to elevate her feet. "Oh! I have new pictures!"
"Beer?" Xander asked the other two.
"Definitely," replied Giles. They followed the young man into the empty kitchen, where he grabbed three bottles out of the fridge and fished out the bottle opener.
They only got a minute of reprieve before Anya was back and shooing them out, followed by Tara, to prepare all the dishes for serving.
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"Ah, ah! Put those forks down. We need to say some kind of blessing. Isn't the point to give thanks?" Anya said sternly.
"Uh, sure, honey. I'm sure we're all thankful to be here today, healthy and in one piece. Off the Hellmouth, too, and the food looks and smells delicious. Here's to no apocalypses for another year," Xander replied.
"I'll second that," Buffy emphatically added. It produced a chuckle, and Anya seemed pleased, so the group started to eat.
"You did a great job on the turkey, Anya. It's very moist."
"Thank you! The butcher at the market, he's half demon and we've had some lovely chats…anyway, he gave me a few tips on cooking large fowl. American ritualistic feasts are quite different from the ones I knew in Arashmahar, let me tell you. Much less bloody, and with better dessert. I should check my pie!" Anya zipped off to the kitchen with a smile.
"Great pudding, Mum. Shame you only make it twice a year?" Spike hinted, turning innocent and hopeful eyes on Joyce.
"Well, it's not exactly the most pleasant dish to make…but I'll see what I can do."
Giles gaped at his girlfriend, then scowled at the vampire who'd so easily gotten his way. Giles had been trying for over a year to get Joyce to make blood pudding more often. What is it about Summers women and their soft spot for vampires? It was bloody annoying.
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The pie was served as the group took their seats in the living room again. Someone happened to mention the first Thanksgiving most of them were together, and the story was told again. Which led to Xander teasing Spike about being tied to a chair while arrows were flying about, and his fear of the bear Buffy made.
"You try dodging things when you're tied to a bloody chair. I could've helped."
"But would you have, if I'd untied you?" Buffy asked.
"Nah – I would have used the confusion to escape, but it would have kept the arrows out of my hide."
"Aww, poor baby. Well, at least you don't scar," Kara teased.
"I think we all learned a valuable lesson from that story: don't let Buffy host a holiday," Dawn quipped. The chorus of agreements had the Slayer pouting.
"Hey! It wasn't my fault. Xander disturbed the Indians! No more digging holes, Xand."
"That's what I have employees for, Buff. Not that I worry about angry Chumash spirits down here."
"Yes, we have an excellent, non-lethal, non-haunted community, with lots of money to spend. Have you looked out from our deck? You can see the ocean!" Anya pointed out. This led to a full tour, and a description of the amenities the complex provided. The ex-demon could go into real estate, if she ever decided to give up on The Magic Box.
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As everyone was getting ready to leave later that evening, Giles stepped forward to help Kara on with her coat.
"You look radiant, my dear. I'm happy for you," he murmured quietly.
Her face softened, and she smiled. "Thank you, Giles. Happy Thanksgiving."
"And to you."
