Willow brushed her teeth, getting ready for bed. She glanced down and noticed the bin was almost full again. She frowned, sure she had emptied it just yesterday morning since garbage day was tomorrow. On top was the wrapper for Tara's sanitary napkin. Tara still bled regularly after having Dani, so nothing strange about that. Willow recalled this day last month minus two days or so and the fact slotted into its logical place.

Being preoccupied with more immediate thoughts of an issue with one of her current work projects and a fundraiser at Kera's school, it took a moment before the additional consequences of that fact began to register. Willow slowly lowered her toothbrush, deliberately rinsed it under the tap, shut off the cold water, and replaced the brush in the holder at the back of the counter.

Her brow furrowed as she stood very still, taking mental stock. Her eyes widened as it sunk in that only Tara's wrapper was in the bin, and that it was for a pad rather than the tampon each would use for their heavier days, so Tara was at least three, possibly four days into her cycle. Willow was at least three, possibly four days late.

They hadn't had sex in almost a week, which was no big deal. The lulls in their lovemaking were regular, two to three days a month that neither sought out the other because of the extra messiness, but also, ten years and three children together, intimacy was as much cuddling and served almost or just as well as the full-on triple-X graphic horn-dog sex that had often been on their minds and marked their sheets as new lovers. So it hadn't occurred to Willow to press the issue with her partner when the other woman just went to bed the past few days with just a kiss goodnight.

She took a deep breath. After the complications with Dani's delivery and its effects on Tara's reproductive health, they had come to accept Dani would be their last. As Tara had carried all their girls, even when they had very deliberately tried the other way with Lily, she supposed they just assumed… Dawn used to tease them mercilessly about it, referring to Willow as Studly McStud Stud, especially after all her daughters had given her the title of da-da when each began to talk.

The facts began to compound to make the impossible kinda sorta possible. Of course, she could just be late, although ever since she could remember, excepting Tara's pregnancies of course, she and Tara had been regular as clockwork, once their cycles had synced after just four months living together.

Somehow she found herself sitting on the edge of the bed and thought back to over two weeks ago, and her homecoming. The timing was right, and the day and a half of almost constant lovemaking…

Logically, Willow supposed the only thing to do was to pick up a home pregnancy test and take it when she could. There was no point in voicing her concerns with Tara, until she was sure, especially not this early.

Because, again, maybe it was nerves, because now that the thought entered her brain, there it was and there was no un-thinking it. Really, a freakout was pretty inevitable given the subject matter and her natural tendency to over-react, pretty much about anything, much less something potentially huge like this. Or maybe it was something she'd eaten. She never brought it up with Tara, but sometimes she worried about what the seven years or so in a hell dimension had done to her (and Faith's) long-term human constitution. She also painfully reminded herself that in the past, being a big brain didn't preclude her from being a big dummy and shooting her mouth off first, which regrettably had sometimes led to awful results, including, she was ashamed to admit, Tara in tears. This time, she'd be patient and wait to the take the test first, get some empirical information to form an accurate analysis, then come up with a plan of action accordingly.

She looked again down her body. Her hand was unconsciously still pressed against her flat belly, almost cradling it. The more she thought about it, the stronger the feeling grew…

Tara would look back at the day Willow told her, and laugh.

It was pretty amazing when you thought about it. For a couple who could never naturally have a child together, somehow they had managed four. Or, at least soon enough four. All their daughters were, to some extent, unexpected.

Kera, accidentally made from a haphazardly chosen spell when the two witches were only friends and Willow was still straight and heart-broken from Oz leaving.

Falling in love and making a commitment to each other came after, but once there, everything seemed to fall in place. Tara was technically in her third year at UCS, having lost a semester to have Kera while Willow had graduated early and worked from home as a freelance programmer. They redid the spell reversing their parts and tweaking it with some really good sex, thinking Tara could finish her last year and graduate while Willow had the baby. Only it hadn't worked the way they planned, for whatever reason. At least Lily was a comparatively easy delivery. Tara eventually graduated the year after (from UC SD since UC S was by then underground after Buffy defeated the First). Then a year later, Willow was taken…

Dani came into being while Willow was locked up in the hotel basement cell in Los Angeles that Team Angel had set up for the rare occasions when their boss lost his soul and had to be restrained until it could be restored. Funny how these situations arose often enough around Team Angel and Team Slayer to fall into the "plan ahead" category. But it had come in handy. Willow was physically and emotionally struggling with her restored, tainted power, unable to master it as it filled her with fear and anger and turned her eyes and hair black, to the point of begging Tara to take the kids and run from her darkness. It had taken a lot of coaxing from Tara, and the recreation of a past loving moment when magic was the weaker of the elements that made Lily, to finally belie the doomed life Willow felt she was left with.

And now… She watched as Willow, unaware of her attention, lay her hand cautiously on her belly. Tara's reaction was immediate and joyful, somehow knowing in her gut that this was a really good thing. Unexpected, but shouldn't they be used to that by now? But Willow, even upon receiving the confirmation from their long-time ob-gyn, had remained anxious and doubtful. It was, in a strange way, a little similar to how she had reacted to the first time Tara had given her similar news, with Kera. This time, though, there wasn't the associated hurt brought about by Willow's doubt, since no way would either of them be alone or feel alone ever again like she had felt that night when Willow, brow furrowed, had asked for some time alone to think about the unexpected turn of events.

Really, Tara understood. The idea that Willow could become pregnant hadn't entered either of their heads after their experience with Lily. Even Dr. Wyzneiwski had looked puzzled, but prior experience with this couple being what it was, she just shrugged and started a new file, this time with Willow's name first.

For the most part their family, minus Sheila and Ira, took it in stride. Willow's parents were still in the need-to-know or not-until-it's-already-obvious-and-further-denial-wasn't possible camp that they had resided in in Sunnydale. Willow still handled them with some caution though Ira especially had warmed to Tara. But their other immediate family were super-supportive. Dawn had squealed with pleasure, while Xander, in typical Xander-like fashion, had at first looked confused, blurting, "aren't you always the baby-daddy?" earning him a powerful glare of displeasure from Tara even as it caused Willow's brow to furrow. He immediately went into protective big brother mode after, though. Giles was Giles, congratulating them and offering his help in any manner he could assist, yet again. When they were a little further along with this one, they would call LA and share the news with their extended family there.

In fact, it struck Tara that relatively speaking, Willow took the longest to adjust considering she had known first. It had taken some patience, some debate both logical and emotional, and plenty of hand-holding to get Willow to the place Tara had been almost from the moment Willow hesitantly said, "I just peed on this," and showed her the familiar white plastic mini-paddle with the vibrant blue plus sign.

"Tara, what if—?" "We didn't do the spell…" "I wasn't remembering… Were you?" There was no accusation in Willow's tone, just consternation that her logical mind was having a hard time with this.

"Baby, no. I wouldn't without talking it over with you, and even then, after Dani—"

"I didn't mean—"

"I know."

Willow was quiet a long moment, deep in thought. Then she mumbled something.

"What did you say, Will?"

"Kinda funny this happens just after we redo all the kids' bedrooms and the office…" Willow said. She affected (but didn't really pull off) a small eye roll and huff. The smile on her lips was cautious…

There hadn't been a spell, to the best of their knowledge. But you just never knew with what lay beyond the logical. They were both incredibly powerful witches, particularly Willow. They could probe all they wanted, research was nothing new, but the test confirmed the remaining fact of the child growing inside her, regardless of the power that made it possible. At the end of the day, what did it matter? Just as important was the fact that they had their own kind of magic that had nothing to do with spells or demons or divine powers. No spells, but plenty of love. And maybe a touch of dildo sex.

"You know, since we weren't together-together when we had Kera, I don't have a point of reference to track ground zero," Willow tentatively offered.

Tara stayed patient despite the rare reference to their life before that other-magic-filled night Willow revealed she thought she might be gay, and wanted to try being gay with Tara.

"Did your boobies get permanently bigger from what they were before? 'Cause I could totally use a boost in that department."

Tara laughed. She knew there was real anxiety there about body image and pregnancy, but Willow being Willow, her lover was easing her way into facing those fears with humor.

Tara smiled, then laughed again as the realization on Willow's face positively lit her up. "Here we go again?"

It went without saying, but Tara said it anyway. "As long as it's together, love."

end

AN - I've here and there alluded to a detailed AU back-story that I created from the original launch-point of an unexpected mystical pregnancy, just to provide a plot skeleton to map this in my head against the backdrop of what was happening with the U.S. and world economy from 2008-12. I might revisit that back-story in the form of one-shots in the future, depending on whether I get stuck with writer's block again or if anyone is interested. If you want to send me a prompt for that you are totally welcome to do so and I'll see what I can do. Since the story's already in my head I think I could bang out a one-off pretty quickly and easily, and it would help me keep my momentum if it does stall out again.