Chapter 29

Christmas morning, 2009…

"PRESENTS!"

The twins were down the stairs and looking under the tree at 6 AM. Kara rolled out of bed and went after them. Left alone, they'd have everything open with their names on it, and there would be nothing to take along to the Giles' to open there.

"Girls! Pick one box. The rest get opened at Joyce and Giles'."

"Awwww, Mommy!"

"One, plus your stocking. That's the rule every year."

"Yeah, we know…"

"I want Daddy to watch," Lillian announced.

"You can try to wake him up, sweetie, but you'll have to deal with it if he's grumpy."

"Okay!" Lillian ran up the stairs as fast as her 4' frame would carry her.

She hopped up on the bed, then slowly crawled over to her sleeping father. "Daddy…" (Daddy…) Spike was sleeping on his back, so she sat on his chest and patted his face lightly with her tiny hands.

"Whatcha doin', Bite-size?" he grumbled.

"It's Christmas morning, Daddy! We want you to watch us open our presents!"

"Lillian…" he started to complain, still not opening his eyes.

"Pleeeease?" She batted her ice-blue eyes once his opened a crack.

Bloody hell. She's pulled out the pout. "Alright, Lilli. Go on back downstairs, and I'll be there in a minute."

She bounced on his chest where she sat. "Yay! Thank you, Daddy. You're the best!" Lillian planted a big kiss on his cheek, then scrambled off the bed and down to the living room again. "Ana! He's coming!"

Spike heard them both squeal in excitement, and rolled out of bed to find some pants. Wouldn't do to have his daughters see him starkers. He found a pair of sweatpants and tugged them on.

"My, look at all that loot under the tree. You must have been good little girls this year."

"Uh-huh! Mommy told us we can only open one now. I don't wanna wait, Daddy!" Ana whined.

"That's the rule when we're not having Christmas here, sweetheart. You know that. Go pick out your one pressie before Santa decides to take 'em all back 'cause you're bein' ungrateful." He plopped down on the sofa next to Kara, leaning into her shoulder. (God, it's bloody early! How many more years are they going to do this?)

(Oh, at least four, until they start resenting early mornings…but even teenagers can still manage to get up early on Christmas.)

(Wonderful. Well, as long as they stop wakin' me up along with the soddin' sunrise, I don't care.)

Kara reached over to run a soothing hand through his curls. "Awww, poor baby. You can go back to sleep for a few hours as soon as they're done."

"What time are we leaving?"

"1:30. It will take us at least an hour to get to the hotel, then we spend a little time there, another hour or so to Sunnydale, and we eat at Joyce and Giles' at 5 pm. So, you can sleep until 12:30."

------------

The Browning family walked into the Hyperion to see a surprise.

"Oh, my gosh, I didn't know you guys would be here!" Kara exclaimed, rushing forward to hug Wes and Fred. "And this must be Matthew." She bent down to be face to face with the three-year-old. "Hi, Mattie. I'm Kara, and these are my girls, Anastasia and Lillian."

"Hi," he said shyly, then hid his face in Fred's leg again.

"He's just a little shy until he gets to know people. I know Simone's around here somewhere…" Winifred added.

"She's keeping Connor busy until Angel comes down. Cordelia's upstairs waking him up," Wes filled in.

"You could have helped carry in the gifts, luv," Spike complained, as he kicked the door open. His arms were full with a stack of boxes.

"And leave your daughters to run in here unattended? Yeah, right. Look who decided to join us for Christmas, honey."

Spike peered around the boxes as he walked towards the tree. "Watcher, Tex…long time no see." He joined the group and shook hands with Wesley. "I see you're working on number two."

Fred caressed her small bump, and beamed. "I'm five months along. We're gonna wait to be surprised, this time. The kids are pretty excited."

"I want a liddle sister," Mattie said.

"Girls are cool," Anastasia said in response. "Mommy, are we ever going to have a little brother or sister?"

"Uh…"

"Yeah! I don't want to be the youngest anymore," Lillian added.

"You two are already a handful. You think we have time for another one?" Spike asked his daughters.

"We'd help!" they offered.

"Merry Christmas!" Cordelia interjected, sweeping down the stairs. She was dressed in designer best, her silk blouse and wool pants impeccably tailored. "Good, you're all here. Now where did the others go? I'm so glad I'm having dinner catered. I had no help this morning at all!" She crossed the room and hugged Kara. "CONNOR!"

"Delia, do you have to yell?" Angel asked, joining the group.

"Well, yes, until you get that intercom system installed. How else is he going to hear me in a place this big, hmm?"

"I'll look into it," he conceded.

"It's like we never left," Wesley whispered to his wife. Fred giggled and nodded.

Connor and Simone came back to the lobby, and Gunn and Lorne were found, so the gift exchange commenced over sweets and coffee. The kids got spiced cider.

Angel unwrapped his gift from Spike, and looked up in shock. "You got me Barry Manilow tickets?"

His grandchilde shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Well…it's the only thing I know you like that didn't involve killing someone. And she said I had to be nice." Kara smiled at her husband approvingly.

"Uh, thanks…"

"Yeah…don't mention it."

The group rolled their eyes at the awkward display, and moved on to other topics.

Ana studied Angel like she was trying to come up with the right question. Finally, she said, "Angel, you're related to us, right?"

"Well, I'm basically your great-grandfather," he answered honestly.

She screwed up her face, considering. "Aren't those supposed to be old?"

The other adults chuckled and waited for him to answer.

"Well, I am…technically. It just doesn't, uh, show…"

"Will it show someday?" she asked next.

Kara showed pity on him. "Ana, it's not polite to question people about aging. Why don't you kids go play until it's time to go?"

"Okay, Mommy."

"Thanks, Kara. We're not quite sure how to explain the whole vampire thing, yet," Cordelia said.

"Yeah, we haven't gone into detail on it, either, since they're only six. I get enough questions whenever we go to Ossiriand," she replied.

"You've been dimension hopping with them already?" Wes asked.

Kara nodded. "For over a year. They need to understand their Immortal heritage just as much as their human background, and it's quite safe."

"Everyone over there's enamored with 'em," Spike added. "I still say we're going to run into trouble with the Bits being called princesses all summer."

"It's not all summer…" Kara denied.

"How do they do with school? It's always a thought for me that we won't always be able to keep Connor in a human school," Angel said.

"Well, we're just taking it as it goes. They're only in first grade, and we've taught them to not use their abilities at school since pre-school, so all we can hope for is that they'll be careful and remember. I'm not too concerned about Ana, and Lillian is getting better with controlling her telepathic ability."

"And they can always go to the Academy if they need to," Spike added.

Kara chuckled. "Which Ana keeps begging for, anyway…"

"Well, this kid-free dude is going to hop over to the shelter for a while," Gunn said.

"What about-?"

"I'll be back for dinner, Cordy. I promised Anne I'd stop by and help out for a bit, is all. Merry Christmas, folks." Gunn kissed Cordy on the cheek, then left.

"Don't take too much offense, kiddies," Lorne said to the visitors. "It's pretty certain that he's sweet on the gal. There's only so long a man can stay away from his lady, which reminds me, my glass is empty."

------------

The kids were playing hide and seek. Lillian took the extra advantage, and made herself invisible. She moved through the hotel, trying not to giggle at her own cleverness. Her wandering eventually led her to the back entrance. She carefully pushed open the door, trying not to make a sound, and spotted Angel's car.

They'll never find me in there, she thought. Lillian placed a rock between the door and the jamb so she wouldn't be locked out, and crept over to the car. No one was around, so she returned to her normal state, and tested the door handle.

"Such a big toy for a little girl," a woman said.

Lillian turned towards the shade and spied a lady in red velvet, with dark hair. "I know you," she said.

"You're a very clever poppet. Would you like your Christmas present, dearie?"

Lillian cocked her head, curious, and extended her mental powers to test the woman's mind. She sensed no deceit, so she walked forward until she was within arm's reach of the pretty lady.

"Now, before you get the pressie, you must promise to keep it secret. Can you do that, little flower?"

"Of course! I'm a big girl."

The woman chuckled. "You'll be one soon…well, since you've been such a good little girl, and promised, here it is." She handed Lillian a small box, which the girl opened to see a chinnoiserie lily pendant. "Made just for you."

"It's very pretty. Thank you."

"You're welcome, precious. Run along, now, before the others catch up."

"Okay." Lillian ran to the door, then stopped to turn around. "Happy Christmas, Grandmum." The lady in velvet was no longer in sight, but she was sure that she heard.

-------------

"Girls! Time to go!" Kara called to the twins.

"Here, Mommy!"

"Grab your coats and thank everybody for your pressies, Bits. I'll go pull around the car, luv." Spike picked up as many boxes as he could without dropping them, and walked out.

Lillian and Anastasia gave hugs to everybody, including the little boys. Connor huffed and shuddered about "girl cooties".

"Can I pretend that he'll always feel that way?" Angel whispered to Cordelia. "It would be so much easier if he never wanted to date."

"It's going to happen sooner or later, bub, so you better start reading up about how to give 'the talk'," she replied. He paled, and gulped, genuinely disturbed.

"Thanks so much for having us over, Cordy. I think the kids had a lot of fun. With any luck, they'll fall asleep early once they have full tummies," Kara said, after hugging her friend.

"We can all hope! Christmas doesn't end until midnight, after all." Cordelia winked at her vampire, and the other couples shared knowing looks.

Simone voiced a quiet "ewww".

"Lovely time, all, but we've got to hit the road if we don't want Joyce on our asses for being late. Ana, Lilli – in the car!"

"Yes, Da'!"

Kara shrugged, grinning at her husband's impatience, and hugged Fred and Wes before leaving.

-------------

A full house, a delicious meal, and presents shared – another Giles-Pierce-Summers-Harris-Rosenberg-Maclay-Browning-and-Long family Christmas. There were two surprises for the evening.

One was the announcement of Dawn and Michael's engagement.

And the other came in an envelope for Sebastian.

"Just open it," Buffy said impatiently. He rolled his eyes, and slid a finger through the seal of the envelope.

TEST RESULTS FOR: Elizabeth (Buffy) Pierce

PREGNANCY – POSITIVE

"You're…really? As in now?" he stuttered.

"Uh-huh. Six weeks," she murmured to him. The couple was over in the corner by the tree, the others busy exchanging gifts, so they had a moment of privacy. "What are you thinking?" she asked.

"This is bloody marvelous…See, I told you, you just needed to relax."

She scowled and punched his shoulder. "Shut up! It's the doctor's tips that did the trick. I need to send her a big gift certificate. You're really happy?"

"Buffy…this is the best Christmas present I could ask for. You know I've wanted children with you," he insisted. "Hey, everyone! Pipe down! Buffy and I have something to tell you," Sebastian yelled.

Buffy blushed at the sudden attention, earning an adoring grin from her husband.

"Well, get on with it, man. What did you want to say?" Giles inquired.

"Well…how do you and Mum feel about being grandparents?"

Joyce had the look of shock for two seconds, before she shrieked in happiness and raced over to hug her eldest daughter.

"My baby's having a baby?"

"Uh-huh," Buffy answered happily. Dawn joined them, and the three Summers women bounced in a huddle, shrieking with glee again.

"Oh, good Lord…" Giles muttered. He got up to refill his glass of sherry, gulping it down before rejoining the group in the living room. His Slayer-cum-daughter was now surrounded by the rest of the women in a congratulatory hug. The men in the room had been entirely forgotten.

"Hey, Grandpa. How you holdin' up?" Xander asked.

"Well, we've been waiting for it for quite a while, I suppose, but the announcement is still rather a…surprise, when it comes."

"I think he's in shock," Michael teased.

"Don't fret, Rupes. This is a normal thing to happen at your age. At least you and Mum got through the past years without a surprise bundle of your own," Spike added.

"I'm quite happy being just an uncle or grandfather, thank you very much! Perish the thought! At least I can still send the little darlings home in the evening," Giles replied.

"Good recovery, old chum. Perhaps we should retire to the kitchen for refreshment until they need us again?" Sebastian suggested.

The others nodded in agreement and made a hasty departure.

Brianna Joy Summers-Pierce (Buffy's idea) was born a month early. She was a tiny baby with bright green eyes and dark hair. Lilli and I affectionately came to refer to her later, in private, as "The Brat".

------------

2010…

New Year's Eve was celebrated with the kids at the Academy. They had noisemakers, and confetti, and punch, watching the ball drop in Times Square on the big screen.

The twins' 7th birthday party was quite a production, now that they had so many kid friends and family. It rained for half the day, as it was wont to do in February, which left the adults scrambling for inside games for 25 children on sugar highs.

Two more gifts arrived from some obscure location with script on the box Kara now recognized as Drusilla's. By now, she just inspected the items thoroughly, then gave them to the girls if it was appropriate. So far, Dru had only sent dolls or old-fashioned toys. Spike thought it was harmless since she never came near the house, but it still creeped Kara out. Today's box held two wooden puzzles in bright colors.

Fred and Wesley had a little girl in April, named Faith. Matthew was thrilled he got his wish, and Simone fell for her new surrogate sister immediately. She happily helped out with the kids, still living at the Wyndham-Price house even though she was now past 18. With their encouragement, she was taking courses at the community college, too. Her classes even held some friendly demon types as fellow students.

Sebastian and Buffy's first daughter was born in July. Buffy fretted over her endlessly, her first few weeks of life. Brianna had to spend an extra week in the hospital until the doctors were satisfied she was gaining weight fast enough. Buffy blamed herself, of course, and it took a long time before she could be convinced that she had done nothing wrong during her pregnancy. "Some babies are just impatient to come out," the obstetrician had told them. Sebastian left the summer care of the Academy with the others for those first few weeks so he could bond with Brianna, and help Buffy as much as possible.

-------------

The orb on Lillian's nightstand glowed softly as she dreamed. She dreamed she was a princess, and a handsome prince had come to her lonely castle to take her away, and they would live happily ever after. He was handsome, with a silky voice, and she felt special every time it got to the part of the dream where he took her hand. They would climb up onto his horse, and ride through the countryside, talking about dreams.

She never told Ana about those dreams, though they shared everything else. Lillian was always glad when she awoke that she and her sister had received separate rooms for their 7th birthday.