Chapter 6
December 25, 2003…
Kara was getting dressed, when she heard someone being sick in the bathroom next door. Concerned, she slipped out of the bedroom and quietly knocked on the door.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Not really," came the choked reply. The door was unlocked and pushed open a smidge. Kara took the invitation and slipped inside.
Anya was pale. She splashed some water on her face, then brushed her teeth.
"I'll take the leap and say that's not food poisoning," Kara said, keeping her voice down for privacy.
"I would be so lucky," Anya muttered. She plopped down on the floor and leaned against the wall. "How long does this last?"
"It's different for every woman, though the doctor can help, if you can't eat enough. Have you told Xander, yet?"
Anya shook her head. "No…wasn't quite ready to admit it to myself, yet. I got the confirmation last Friday. I had a plan! This wasn't scheduled, yet…didn't my uterus know that!"
Kara sat down next to her friend. "Nope, it really doesn't. Mine didn't," she chuckled. "It's okay to be freaked out, Ahn. But, you guys have a good marriage, and Xander loves you to pieces. He'll probably freak, and then he's going to be thrilled about a little combination of the two of you."
"How am I going to be a mother, Kara? It's been years, and I'm still figuring out how to be a human. How can I teach a little person how to be human, too?"
"You'll figure it out. I was totally scared to be having twins, and not have my mom around to teach me how to take care of a newborn, but I have friends I can call when I'm lost for the answers, and you do, too. And hey, both my girls like you, and Lillian doesn't just like anybody."
"That's true…so, is it really as painful as they say?"
"Worse. Most women sugarcoat it. You can always ask for drugs, though," Kara said honestly.
"Oh, good! I'm going to throw up again."
"That's okay. Want me to hold your hair back?"
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"Hey, everybody! It snowed last night!" Dawn exclaimed in the hallway. She hopped down the stairs on one foot, then limped to the sliding glass door to look out on the backyard. No one else was out of their rooms, yet. "Geez! You people are so lazy!"
"Have a little patience, Dawn. Some people haven't had their coffee, yet," Giles grumbled, coming out of the downstairs bedroom.
"Merry Christmas, Scrooge," she teased.
"Ha, bloody, ha…"
"Sweetie, could you come in here for a moment?"
"Sure, Mom." Dawn hobbled into the bedroom and plopped on the bed. "What's up?"
"I wanted to talk to you about something. You see…well, Rupert and I have been together quite a while, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, with Buffy almost never home, and you going away to college later in the year…"
"Mom, whatever it is, I can take it. Just spit it out."
"Don't get cheeky…what I'm trying to say, is that I asked Rupert to move in with us, with me, and he said yes…as long as you girls don't have a big problem with it, but even if you do, I'm still the mom…"
"Mom, you're rambling. It's cool with me…really…Giles is at our house more than his place, anyway. So, not really changing much, right?"
"Yes, honey. There will just be a few more of his things around. We might do some redecorating, to mix ours and his…and you can help with that, if you want."
"That's cool. Mom, I've rooted for you guys the whole time, so if you're really happy, then that's what I want."
Joyce hugged her daughter. "Oh, you've grown up so much. You're not really my baby anymore!"
"Mommmm! Don't get all mushy…we haven't even had breakfast, yet!"
"I'll be 'mushy' if I want to. I'm so proud of you girls. Okay, let's get breakfast going, and then it's time to put in the turkey."
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"Oooo, pancakes!" Xander exclaimed, coming down the stairs. Dawn placed the first stack on the table and went back into the kitchen to continue helping.
Willow and Tara got the juice out, and glasses for everyone. Willow sat next to Xander, while Tara lent a hand on breakfast. Buffy and Sebastian were next, holding hands the whole way.
"Aren't they so cute it makes you sick?" Xander teased.
"Ah, leave 'em alone. They're still in that everything's new and rosy stage," Willow replied.
Buffy stuck her tongue out at him. "Yeah, so there!"
"Buffy, don't show your tongue at the table," Joyce automatically scolded.
"Yes, Mom." How did she know? Her back was turned!
"Your mum knows you well," Sebastian whispered in her ear, giving her waist a squeeze.
"Good morning, all."
"'Morning, Kara." The twins were placed in the playpen while Kara warmed up their milk.
"Hey, where's Ahn?"
"Bathroom," Kara replied. "She'll be down in a couple minutes."
Idle chatter commenced, Tara and Joyce finished placing food on the table, and Anya had just sat down, when Willow blurted out:
"Tara and I are moving!" "Huh?" "I accepted a really cool job, and we're moving from Sunnydale…"
"When?" Buffy asked.
"January?" The whole table looked to how Buffy was going to react.
"Well, I guess we'll have to throw a moving party…where are you going?"
"20 minutes past Kara's, actually," Tara added, wanting to take the focus solely off Willow.
Buffy giggled, surprisingly. "All my friends go south for the winter."
Xander grinned. "Yeah, I suppose we do." That got the rest chuckling (and sighing in relief).
"Really, Wills…if you're happy with the new place, then I'm happy for you. As long as you promise to come back if you're miserable."
"Deal!"
"Any other announcements?" Xander joked.
"Mom and Giles are moving in together," Dawn replied. "Huh?" Buffy responded.
"Dawn…"
"What? Xander asked…"
"I'm pregnant!"
The whole table fell silent and looked at Anya. Kara nodded encouragingly.
"Ahn…what did you say?" Xander asked slowly.
"I'm pregnant?" Her large brown eyes were begging him not to freak out in front of everyone.
"Really?" he asked, shocked. She nodded, smiling a little.
"Congratulations," Giles finally said, when no one had spoken for a while. Anya was still waiting for Xander's reaction, but he seemed to be struck dumb.
"Anya, maybe you two should talk in private?" Joyce suggested.
Anya stood and took her husband's hand. He followed her in a daze up to their room.
"Wow," Buffy said, once they were gone.
"Yeah," Willow added.
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"Xander? Xander! Can you say something already!"
"You're having…our baby?"
"Yes!"
"Ahn…wow…wow…uh, do you feel okay?"
"Well, there's the morning sickness, but otherwise…yeah. Are you okay?"
"Yeah…I'm just surprised…how long?"
"Have I known? Friday. I missed two periods. You're not mad, are you? I know we hadn't planned on starting a family for a few more years, so this throws the whole schedule off…"
"Anya, I'm not mad. This is just big news, and I'm trying to wrap my brain around it, which means I'm probably going to stick my foot in my mouth any time now. Us – parents…I can't possibly ever top you for Christmas gifts now."
"This isn't funny, Xander! It's pretty scary!"
"See?…Anya, sit. The pacing is making me dizzy. Okay…yes, this is scary, but it's also exciting, and probably a miracle that we managed to get here at all. Who'da thunk a vengeance demon and a carpenter would have kids, huh?"
"I guess the odds were a bit steep," she conceded.
"Yep, and yet, we're doing this amazing thing. And I get to do it with you. That's pretty cool, in my book."
"Oh, Xander…shoot! Now, I'm leaking again!"
"You look beautiful," he professed, caressing her cheek.
She smiled, as she said, "Liar."
"Shut up and kiss me, woman."
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"Giles…umm, you're moving into my house?"
"Your mother asked me to."
"And if I don't want you to?"
"Your mother will just insist, anyway. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Buffy, but I don't see where this will change things much. You're not home very often, and I'm rarely at my flat, as it is."
"True…I guess I just never thought about where you and Mom were headed. And I certainly don't think about you sharing the same bedroom, 'cause, eew!"
"Quite," he agreed, with a shudder.
"Of course," and here's where she showed a sly grin. "You could always make my mom an honest woman, since you're already movin' in with her."
"Eh, er, um…well…"
"Later, Giles!" Buffy darted back inside, leaving a flabbergasted Watcher behind.
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"It's snowing again!" Dawn announced.
"We're going to have to dig our way out, at this rate," Spike remarked.
"Wanna see! Wanna see!" the twins chanted, running towards the window. They pressed their little noses to the glass to watch the flakes fall.
"Do you think Xander and Anya will be down anytime soon?"
"We'll let them be until dinnertime," Joyce replied.
"So – movie?" Buffy suggested.
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"Well, we certainly have much to celebrate this Christmas. I'm so glad we could all take this week and catch up. Will and Xan – it's been four and a half years since high school, and we've really come a long way, huh? Giles – I bet you never imagined this!"
"Certainly not, Buffy, though I'm certainly not disappointed with the results."
"I thought, as a Slayer, that I'd be losing along the way…but instead, we keep adding to the group, somehow, and becoming a family. I have no idea what the new year will have for us…where we'll be next Christmas…but I'm thrilled to be making the trip with you guys. So, what I really wanted to say, is, well, you get what I mean!" Buffy raised her glass, then sat down before she embarrassed herself further by rambling. Sebastian gave her free hand a squeeze, and she smiled gratefully.
"Right back atcha, Buff," Xander added, with a wink.
"Okay, let's eat before Buffy makes herself any redder," Joyce said, teasing and moving conversation along at the same time.
Giles sliced the turkey and started passing down slices. The twins could eat some of the vegetables, since they were soft. Spike took the bowl from Kara and insisted that she eat with the others, since food actually did something for her. Dawn asked Sebastian how he had usually celebrated Christmas, and got him started on different stories of the places he'd been in various Decembers.
Once they were all more than stuffed, the dishes were cleared, the bigger items left for later, and it was time for presents. The twins got to open theirs first, so Kara could put them to bed right afterwards. They didn't have the attention span to sit through everyone else opening their gifts, anyway.
The big hits for the night were Duplo building blocks (Anastasia), and puffy books (Lillian).
"Say thank you to everybody," Kara whispered to her daughters.
"Tank yoo!" they echoed.
"Alright, time for little bits to be in bed," said Spike, picking up Lillian.
"Nooo!" Ana complained.
"Yes, Ana. Say good night, sweetie." Kara handed Ana up to Spike, who carried them upstairs. Ana could just be heard starting to cry when he closed the bedroom door.
"Sorry about that. She's just tired."
"It's alright," Joyce sympathized. "Is anyone ready for dessert?"
"Not yet. I'm still stuffed," Dawn replied.
"I could take some," Xander said.
"Has Xander ever turned down dessert?" Buffy teased.
"Not that I know of," Willow added.
"It's never happened at home, either," Anya agreed.
"Hey! Gang up on someone else!"
"Giles never turns down rum cake," Dawn said helpfully.
"And Sebastian has a weakness for coffee ice cream," Buffy added.
"We seriously need more guys around here!" Xander protested.
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Gift opening, round 2…
"Here, Mom. This one's from me and Dawnie." Buffy handed her mother a fairly large box. Inside, was a set of three pans.
"To replace the ones we ruined," Dawn added.
"Thank you, girls. This is very appreciated."
Dawn resumed her traditional 'elf' duty to distribute the gifts to everyone. Kara and Spike were sitting in front of the fireplace. Tara and Willow had the loveseat. The Summers' family was on the sofa. And, Xander and Anya had the oversized armchair. His arm was around her middle, his hand splayed over her flat-for-now stomach.
(Seems the Whelp accepted the idea pretty well.)
(Yep. That was us, in the beginning…)
(You mean the mix of overwhelming joy and paralyzing fear?)
(That's the look! They're going to be fine, though.)
"Hey, enough with the telepathy and pay attention!" Dawn demanded, handing them a stack of boxes. "Geesh!"
"A Compendium of Ossirian Lore…thank you, Kara!" Giles had just opened one of his gifts.
"As far as I know, no other Watcher owns a book from Ossiriand, Giles. You're the first."
"I'm honored."
"Oooh, a longer lens for my camera! Thanks, Mom and Giles!" "Oooh! New leather!" "Xander, why do I need another waffle iron?" "'Cause I broke the other one?" "Thank you for my sweater, baby…it's so fuzzy!" "New sharpening stones…always appreciated…" "Pet, these are original vinyls…!"
"Oh, there you all are! Goodness, it took a while to track you down." The image of a woman had suddenly appeared, standing in the middle of the coffee table.
"Althanea! What are you doing here?" Willow asked.
"Happy Christmas, Willow, Tara…Rupert. Oh, Kara, you're here, too. First, this is just an astral projection of me, hence being able to pass through the table. I'm so sorry to interrupt Christmas, but we need your help. Willow, Tara, if you could come to the Coven as soon as possible, it would be greatly appreciated..."
"Althanea, what is so urgent? Has something happened?" Giles interrupted her.
"We're not sure…and I don't feel safe giving you the details here, in an unshielded location. You probably have messages for you waiting at home, Rupert. My time is short. I can't maintain this link too long over such distance. Again, Happy Christmas to you all." She faded out of the room, leaving a worried and puzzled group behind.
"Damnit! Can't Evil take a holiday when the rest of us do?" Buffy exclaimed.
"Buffy, language!"
"Sorry, Mom…it's just not right, interrupting Christmas with another crisis. At least it's not on the Hellmouth."
"Well, I guess Tara and I will be leaving in the morning. Sorry, guys."
"It's okay, Wills. The greater good, and all that. Let's get back to enjoying the rest of the evening, okay? We still have tonight," Buffy replied.
Festivities resumed, each member hoping that trouble wouldn't find its way closer to home.