The month before baby Gabrielle was born a lot happened in both Sunnydale and the lives of the group of teenagers that were part up the core of her family. Every day seemed to bring a new revelation.
"The old busybody across the street is a professional busybody." Faith announced a couple days later as the three other teens gathered at her's and Diana's for the baby shower. "The agents came by and arrested her just a couple hours ago. Diana just got back from checking her place for Magic crap."
"A professional busybody?" Jesse tried to joke. "Is that anything like a professional pack mule, a not real job title for a not real job?"
"Oh, it's a real job." Faith answered. "It's just usually called a spy. The Mayor was paying neighbors to watch us. Like six or seven people around town whose job it was to report on anything they saw us doing. Us, as in the hunter team and Xander and Jesse and us, as in Diana and me and apparently since Halloween, Mr. Giles. They knew the hunter team and Diana worked for the Watchers Council and they know I'm the Slayer and kept the Mayor informed on anything they saw us doing. Including me riding on a centaur on Halloween. They weren't following us around, just peeking out their windows whenever we were around."
"That's creepy." Cordelia said flatly. "Were any of my neighbors watching me?"
"Cor, you live on a five acre plot of land that borders Miller Woods." Xander reminded her. "They'd need a telescope to watch you. And that's a different level of creepy, because than they'd be able to see into your bedroom. Please tell me none of them were that creepy!"
"None of her neighbors names appeared on the Mayor's version of a neighborhood watch list." Diana assured them. "And there really isn't a whole lot they can charge these guys with, but they hope to get some answers to questions at least which might lead to more arrests. They're just mostly opportunistic bottom feeders."
"Like Snyder." Faith reminded them that Vice Principal Snyder, along with several members of the School Board had also been arrested. "Snyder's the one who made sure we especially had that damn magical tracer on us on Halloween. I'd like a minute alone with him to explain my feelings on him endangering my baby. And time to demonstrate how skillful I've become with a chakram since then." She finished grimly.
"Or how Mr. Giles has been helping me develop my skills with a staff." Cordelia stated in solidarity. "The skills are great, the danger wasn't."
"Enough." Mason said firmly. "Let's put the investigation out of our minds for now and have a party. We all brought presents and Diana baked a cake. This is Gabrielle's first party, even if she's not out yet to appreciate it."
"One more month and she'll be here." Aaron grinned. "And as much as I'd like to get back out on the road because Sunnydale's becoming decidedly empty of both vampires and corrupt humans, I am going to miss you guys. But we'll be back to visit, promise."
"Maybe a new hangout club will be open by then." Stephan suggested. "Since the Bronze was shut down after the owner and his wife were arrested."
"Yeah, for putting extra doses of that Bezoar drug crap in pretty much everything they sold!" Jesse exclaimed. "Plus other stuff, I know Diana said it's because as teenagers we kept burning through it, but what if it accumulated, there could be long term affects. They were feeding us demon crap, that can't possibly be a good thing. Well, for the other kids anyway, we haven't been to the Bronze ourselves in months."
"It's a legitimate concern." Diana agreed. "But I agree with Mason, let's not dwell on things like that right now and try to enjoy the party. Gabrielle deserves to be the center of our thoughts right now."
"And I want to open presents!" Faith said excitedly. "I've had one Christmas and two birthdays of my own with Diana and I'm looking forward to many more, but today is about Gabrielle. So give me those presents!"
"Mine first!" Xander insisted, excited. "I'm her Dad!" He handed Faith the wrapped gift and one by one Faith worked her way through all the gifts, finding soft baby blankets and clothes and a mobile and decorations for Gabrielle's rooms, both of them, one at her's and Diana's and the other at Mason and Xander's, where a crib and rocking chair had also already been set up. Both of them were nervous about the first time they'd get to rock her to sleep, but it was an excited nervousness. Mixed with a little fear, and maybe a lot of hope, that they'd get it, all of it, right and not mess up their kid like the parents that had raised them had messed them up.
A couple weeks later was Xander's seventeenth birthday and in between more arrests happened in Sunnydale. The police, which meant the Governor had to arrange for temporary replacements until a newly elected city government could hire new police officers. Xander remembered the feeling he'd had that Detective Stein was bad news when he heard about it.
Outside Sunnydale carefully crafted news stories hid the supernatural element of the arrests as more family members from several families from Sunnydale were arrested, including Xander's other Uncle and a few cousins.
Inside Sunnydale it was going to be awhile until the Mayor's drugging of the population with a demon drug would wear off and by then it would all be old news.