Chapter 21

"Well, Willow, you've mastered everything I've had to teach you. Now, it's time we get some practice in. Are you ready?" Beatrice said.

"I think so. Won't they, uh…freak out, when we suddenly appear?"

"We don't have to be visible to them if we don't want to be. Just focus on what you've learned. I'll be right by your side to guide you."

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September 2007…

"How's Anya?"

"She's great, just tired. Come on, I'll show you the newest member of the Harris family," Xander said excitedly. The group followed him to the nursery, where he pointed out the little sleeping bundle in the corner.

"Another boy!" Buffy exclaimed.

"Yep. Zachary, weighing in at a whopping six and a half pounds. He really didn't want to leave the safety of the womb. Poor Ahn was in labor 16 hours."

"Well, he's very handsome, Xander," Joyce complemented.

"Have Thomas and Lacey gotten to see him, yet?" Tara asked.

"No, they're at home with the babysitter. I told them they could see their new brother tomorrow morning. I'm sure Anya won't mind if you guys say 'hi', but it's going to have to be a short visit. You know how cranky she gets when she's tired."

The others nodded sympathetically, and followed him to Anya's room.

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"Lillian, don't you want to play with your sister outside?" Kara asked.

"No."

"It's a nice day…not too cold, and it finally stopped raining…" Kara prompted.

"It's too bright outside," she replied.

"You can wear one of your sun hats, if that will help?"

"Unh-uh. I want to draw, Mommy. Outside can wait."

"Okay," Kara sighed. "As long as you get some exercise. I'm going to see what your sister's up to."

"Okay." Lillian continued drawing and coloring with her colored pencils. She'd begged for them at the store, until Kara had finally put them into the cart, instead of the usual crayons. The drawing of her mother's horse was rapidly taking shape.

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"Ana…how many times have we told you to stay out of that tree!" Kara said, in her best motherly voice.

"But I can climb it easy, Momma! It's not even big. And lookee!" She dropped backwards off the branch, hanging on by her knees and heels. "I can hang upside-down!"

Kara walked up and grabbed her, sliding her out of the tree. "You can hang upside-down on your jungle gym. The tree is off limits. You know that, Anastasia," she scolded, setting the girl down on her feet.

"But why? Why does it matter what I climb, Mommy?"

"That tree has ants and bugs on it. You don't want to get bit, do you?" her mother replied.

"No…"

"And that's how you've had little red itchy bumps on your legs before."

"The bugs bit me?" Ana's eyes went wide with the new knowledge.

"Yep. You disturbed their home by climbing in the tree, so they wanted to protect it from you. You'd want to protect our house, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Then stay out of the tree!" Kara repeated.

"Okay…am I in trouble?" Ana asked.

"Yes. Do you know why?"

"'Cuz I went in the tree when you and Daddy told me not to?"

"That's right. I'm thinking no juice pops after dinner."

"But…!" Juice pops were her favorite!

"You don't think that's fair?"

Ana hung her head. "Yes, Mommy…"

Kara crouched down and brushed Ana's hair out of her face. "I love you, sweetie. We only want to keep you safe, and punishments help you remember the rules, okay? I think you can handle one night without dessert, but if I find you in the tree again, the punishment will be worse. Do you understand?" she asked gently.

"Yeah…sorry."

"Okay, go wash your hands, and then you can go join your sister and color."

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The loud whine of the motorcycle could be heard coming up the drive, and stopped in the garage.

"Daddy's home!" the girls announced, and ran to the door. They were in the garage before Spike had pulled his helmet off.

"Hey, Bits! How are my girls today?" He set his gloves next to the helmet, then picked the twins up, on in each arm.

"Ana was in the tree again," Lillian tattled.

"Is that right? And did you get in trouble with your mum?"

"Uh-huh…no dessert," Ana pouted.

"Well, then you got off easy, missy. And Lillian, it's not nice to tattle. Ana can tell me things, herself."

"Sorry, Daddy."

He set them down as he entered the kitchen. "Go wash up for dinner." He wrapped his arms around Kara as they ran off to the bathroom in the hall. "Hey, beautiful. That smells delicious." Spike nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck. "And you smell even better."

"Down, boy. We have minors present. You smell like freeway. Where did you go?"

"Just explorin'. I think the 15 South is my new favorite highway. All those off-ramps that lead into the middle of nowhere. No cops tellin' me to slow down," he answered dreamily.

"Please don't tell me how fast you were going. I'd rather live in ignorant bliss. You still have a couple minutes to go change. The chicken isn't quite done."

"The leathers do creak a bit, don't they? Be right back, luv." He sauntered off towards the bedroom, ruffling the twins' hair as he passed them.

Kara leaned out to watch him take the stairs, admiring the tight fit of his black leather pants. Spike had come home with the full leather gear the day after he took the bike out for the first time, saying he had to get something more appropriate for riding a racing bike around town. Of course, it wasn't the type of bike made for two, so she had no problem not owning a set for herself. Even knowing she couldn't die on one, motorcycles still scared Kara enough not to join him.

"Mommy, Daddy messed up my piggy tails," Ana complained, patting the top of her head.

"It doesn't matter, Ana. You'll be taking a bath after dinner, anyway. Hop up on your seats. Your dad will be down in a minute."

"Oooo, chicken!"

"Ana, you can wait one minute to start eating. Put your fork down. Lillian, why are you squirming?" Kara wondered.

"I have to go potty!"

"I thought you just went when you washed your hands."

"That was the other one," Lillian explained.

"Well, go on, you don't have to sit here wiggling in your seat." Lillian dashed off to the bathroom. Ana snuck a bite of chicken, and giggled.

"What's so funny, Anastasia?" Kara asked.

"Nuffin…"

"Riiiight…where'd Lillian go?" Spike asked

"Bathroom break."

"I'm back!" Lillian announced.

"Did you wash your hands?"

"Ooops…" She ran back to the bathroom, clomping her shoes on the floor.

"That girl has no concept of quiet feet," Spike remarked, shaking his head.

"She gets it from you, with all the noise those boots make," Kara teased. "She wants to be just like you, you know."

"Mommy, Daddy's here now. Can I eat my chicken?" Ana pleaded.

"Wait for Lillian, sweetie. We eat as a family."

"LILLI! Hurry up!" Ana bellowed. Both parents cringed at the damage to their sensitive ears.

"I'm coming!"

"Girls…inside voices, please," their father begged.

"Sorry," they chorused.

"Remember when we used to have quiet dinners alone?" Kara said to her mate.

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"The bits in bed?"

"Almost. They're brushing their teeth. I'm taking the opportunity to change out of these wet clothes."

"Bath fight again?" he asked sympathetically.

"What else? We need to start bathing them one at a time. They have too much fun submerging the bathroom."

"Mommy! We're all done. It's time for our story!"

"I'll be there in a minute!"

Spike stood and guided her to sit on the sofa in their suite. "I'll take care of the story. You put your feet up and relax. You've been with them all day."

"I love you," Kara replied gratefully.

"I know." He leaned down for a quick kiss, then left the room to read to his girls.

"Are you both ready for your story?" Spike asked, stopping at the doorway to their room. "Nobody has to go to the bathroom, or anything?"

"Nope." "Nope." "You have to tuck us in, though."

"Ah, you're right." Ana's bed was on the left, Lillian's on the right. They had identical bedroom sets so there wouldn't be any bickering. He tucked the covers around one, then the other, making sure they were snug and warm. Spike then took a seat on the one adult-size chair. "Okay, which story is your mum on?"

"That one," Lillian pointed out.

"Babar the Elephant. Not one I know. Should I start from the beginning?"

"Okay…"

Kara listened to him read through the open doors, his voice softening to the more cultured tone of his youth. She already knew him to be an excellent storyteller, and once the girls were born, an excellent story reader, too. Not that his poker buddies would ever know…

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November…

Willow closed the last book. The very last of the last stack Beatrice had given her.

"I'm finished, Beatrice. Can I go home, yet? It's almost Thanksgiving."

"Well, you still have a test to complete…"

"I know, but after that? I've mastered every skill, practically memorized every book…is there really much more to learn that won't come by doing?" Being cooped up all the time was driving her stir-crazy.

"Patience, dear Willow. We have to wait for a sign from the Powers. They will let us know when it's time to reunite you with your Slayer," Beatrice said calmly.

"The waiting is hard! I could be doing a lot of good out there already, I know it!" Willow insisted.

"I'm sure you could, dear, but part of growing up is learning when you can do the best good, and that is soon, but not now."

Willow sighed, sinking into the plush chair. "Yeah, okay. Not much good trying to leave right now, anyway. We're snowed in."

"In that case, let's see what's on the television, hmm?"

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"Connor…"

"No!"

Cordelia sighed, and went back down to the first floor to greet the guests.

"He doesn't want to come down?" Kara asked, upon seeing the taller brunette.

"No…You know that 6-year-old attitude thing you warned me about? Well, he started early, and every morning's been a struggle for weeks. My sweet little boy has become more broody than his father."

"Hey!" Angel yelled from his office.

"Oh, you know it's true!" Cordy yelled back. "Anyway, there's going to be a delay for this party until he decides to grace us with his presence."

"Maybe the girls can get him to come join us?" Kara proposed. "Ana, Lilli – go on up to Connor's room. He's being a slow-poke."

"Okay!"

"You're evil, girl! He stands no chance against those two on a mission," Gunn said.

"Isn't that the point?" Kara smirked.

Within five minutes, the twins were back with Connor, holding onto his hands and tugging him along.

"We found him, Mommy! Do we get extra cake?"

"I'll think about it. Hi, Connor. Happy birthday."

"No, it isn't," he grumbled sullenly.

"Well! Moving right along…presents?" Cordy interjected.

They all moved into the dining room, where Connor's other friends from school were already waiting. He mumbled 'hello', and took the seat at the end of the table Cordelia guided him to. 'Thank yous' were mumbled, too, until he started to get in the spirit of unwrapping the gifts, and discovering things he really liked. Since it would be difficult to explain to the human guests that the twins were Connor's great-nieces, they were just referred to as 'cousins', the family distance unspecified. It was easier for the kids to understand at this age, too. They knew that Angel and Spike were 'special', but not that they were vampires.

"Cool stuff, guys. Thanks," Connor said softly, finally smiling. Cordelia breathed a sigh of relief, and went to get the cake.

"Happy birthday to you…" It was yellow cake with chocolate filling. Connor blew as hard as he could to take out all the candles at once. The kids cheered once they'd all gone out.

"Just small pieces for the girls, Cordy. They still get amped on sugar."

"Right. I remember the cookie incident."

Most of the kids scarfed down the cake in record time, then made an exodus for the lobby to play with Connor's new soccer ball.

"Angel, make sure they're not going to break anything," Cordelia ordered, shooing him out. Gunn followed, as he actually enjoyed roughhousing with the kids.

"You want some help with the clean-up?" Kara offered.

"Please. You wouldn't expect a quiet kid to have a lot of friends, but every one of the 15 kids I invited showed up today. He's really been thriving at that private school."

"That's good. I know I have a year, still, but I've been checking out schools, all the same. Ana will be fine anywhere, but Lillian still isn't in 100 control of her telepathy. It's in the back of my mind that I might have to home school her for a while."

"It's a tough choice, with a supernatural kid. I keep dreading the day that Connor uses his abilities at school and accidentally hurts another kid, or freaks somebody out. We've made it a priority for him to know he has to be careful, but accidents can always happen. I'm glad he's so close with Ana and Lilli," Cordelia stated.

"Yeah, me, too. I think they'll be able to help each other cope as they get older. Spike and I have to use aging glamours around my family and friends who don't know the truth, so even we don't fit in everywhere. The twins will get to a point where they stop aging, I think, and they'll have to play the camouflage game, too, but, what can you do?" Kara said.

"Exactly. I like my life, though. The rewards have definitely out-weighed the quirks."

"Especially since Angel got his soul anchored," Kara teased.

"Oh, hell, yes!"

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"Time to go, girls. It's getting late." Kara passed them their coats.

"Awww!"

"I know…but we have a long drive, and you still have to be in bed at bedtime. Say goodbye to Connor, and thank you for inviting you."

"Thank you," they chorused. They hugged the boy from both sides, his face wrinkling up in distaste. Cordy failed at holding in a laugh at his expression.

"You're welcome. Bye," he said.

"Thanks for the help, Kara. I'd still be cleaning up, left with just these two," Cordelia said, gesturing to Angel and Gunn. They both tried to protest, saying that they would have helped, but the women just looked dubious.

"You're very welcome. I'll talk to you soon."

"Bye, Kara," they said. Kara herded the twins out the door to her car.

"Is it safe to come out now?" Lorne asked, from the landing.

"Yep, no more kids. Your Gucci loafers are safe from little feet," Cordy teased.

"Oh, good! Anyone want to join me for a drink?"

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Another Thanksgiving, a little more somber than before because of Willow's absence. She'd sent a promising letter to Tara, though, that had arrived that week. She said she would be coming home "soon", so it was with a lighter step that the Wicca came into the Browning household for the holiday meal.

Their hodge-podge family had grown large enough to require a kiddy table now, with the twins and Thomas. Lacey was still in a high chair. Little Zachary had been bottle-fed and put down to sleep in the living room. Kara and Spike had dinner with Clem and his new mate the night before.

Dawn and Michael's new level of closeness didn't go unnoticed by the women of the group. All the extra little touches, innocent enough for public view, still hinted at a new level of intimacy for the couple, and they cornered Dawn between dinner and dessert.

"Something you've neglected to share, Dawnie?" Buffy asked.

"Umm, not that I can think of…"

"Really, 'cause we noticed you and Mikey are extra lovey-dovey tonight," Buffy added.

"Really? I hadn't noticed…must be the holiday spirit affecting us. We are in love, after all," Dawn replied.

"Oh, just admit you've had sex already so we can start gossiping about penis size," Anya interjected. "You two are going to dance around the subject all night, and it's really annoying.

"Anya!" they hissed.

"What? In my day, she'd be on her fifth child by now. About time she lost her virginity. Was he good?"

"Anya!"

"Fine…I have children to attend to…" The ex-demon wandered off.

"Okay, now that we're alone, would you like to do any sisterly sharing?" Buffy asked.

"Nope." Dawn grinned, and rejoined the party.

"We never should have let her move away to school," Buffy muttered to her husband.

"What?" He'd only half been paying attention when she walked up.

"Dawn!"

"Buffy, if she doesn't want to talk about her personal life, you can't force her. She's an adult, capable of her own decisions."

"How can you be so blasé about her probably having sex?" Buffy asked incredulously.

"Because it's none of my business, and I'd rather remain ignorant for the rest of my days. Would you want to hear all about it if Dawn were your brother, instead?" Sebastian countered.

"Eww!"

"Exactly. Now, stop fussing about it, and enjoy the party. Everybody's having a good time, and Willow will be home soon."

"Okay. You're right…" she admitted. Didn't dampen her curiosity, though.

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December, the first week, 2007…

Beatrice sat communing on her bed, in touch with the forces she was responsible for protecting, guiding. Her eyes opened, a single tear running down her cheek. It was time for Willow to take up the mantle.

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Still writing chapter 22, so you'll have to wait to find out what happens next, guys. I hope you'll like the new direction the story is moving towards...