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Title: Family Author: Mandy AKA SuperMandy13 E-Mail: SuperMandy_WarriorDM@yahoo.comRating: G/PG Disclaimer: Willow and Tara belong to ME and Joss Whedon, sadly. Don’t sue me! Notes:This one was really long and took forever to write, so I’m sorry if it’s not really all that great. The last part especially didn’t turn out how I wanted it to, so it’s not quite as funny as it was in my head. Oh well.  I really just wanted to finish this one asap, ‘cause I have tons of homework and papers this week, and next week’s finals, so I don’t think I’ll have any time to write until my winter break begins. Oi, and this story was really difficult, ‘cause of the length and also ‘cause of additional characters used in the story. I’m not used to having to write so much dialogue for so many different people.  3-4 is usually about as much as I can handle, but this one had 6. So, yeah, I hope things didn’t get too confusing. I still babble too much! On with the story! -------------------------------------------- Flashback
The early morning chill, not yet dispelled by the gentle rays of the sun, continued to linger in the Rosenberg household as Willow, Tara, and their respective guardians casually puttered around the kitchen together. A large picnic basket sat on the table, slowly being filled with goodies as a cheerful chatter filled the room.
“It’s such a beautiful day today. A picnic is definitely a great idea, Danielle.” Tara’s mother smiled at the elderly woman who was busy dicing up fruits at the sink for a fresh fruit salad.
“Yes, and it’s the perfect time of year, too. Nice and sunny, but not too hot. Once winter comes, though, it’s gonna get pretty soggy here.”
Willow’s face screwed up into an adorable pout. “Ick! Rain’s no fun, ‘cause then it gets all wet and dark and scary. A-and then all the frogs come out and hop around trying to pass their warts on to people!” The tiny redhead shuddered as she thought about the ucky, warty beasts.
Tara restrained her giggles as she affectionately bumped her shoulder against her friend. “Don’t worry, Will, I’ll make sure to keep the frogs away from you.”
The redhead grinned gratefully at the older girl as she playfully bumped back. Sharing goofy grins with each other, they then turned their minds away from icky, warty beasts and concentrated on their task of organizing the juice cartons and snacks inside the picnic basket.
Peering over at her mother, who was sitting at the other side of the kitchen table, Tara examined the stacks of sandwiches that the older woman was preparing. “Ooh, Mama, are you gonna make your special peanut butter and ‘nana sandwiches?”
Before Tara’s mom could answer, Nanna laughed jovially from the other side of the room and flashed the little blonde an amused look. “Oi, kitten, I know you’re getting hungry, but you’re not planning on having me for lunch, are you?”
“Nanna!” The two little girls burst into giggles at the silliness of Willow’s grandmother. “Of course not, Nanna! I’m not a cannonball!”
“Well that’s good! I don’t think it would be much fun to become a sandwich.” The elderly woman winked playfully at the still hysterically giggling girls.
The older Maclay woman chuckled as she affectionately reached over to smooth her daughter’s hair out of her eyes. “Yes, I’m making a stack of peanut butter and banana sandwiches to take with us. And I think you meant ‘cannibal’, sweetie.”
The tiny redhead’s forehead scrunched in confusion as her laughter finally subsided. “What’s a c-can-ni-bal?”
“Though it’s not exactly the kind of thing I’d like to talk about before lunch, a cannibal is someone who eats another of their own species. Like a human eating another human.” Tricia couldn’t help but chuckle at the grossed out look that immediately appeared on the tiny redhead’s face.
“Eww!!! Why would they do that?! Ucky!” Sticking out her tongue, Willow tried to shake the mental image of another person coming up to her and starting to chew on her arm or something.
“I agree. Definitely very ‘ucky’.” A new voice suddenly floated into the room, causing all four occupants of the kitchen to blink in confusion. Turning towards the kitchen doorway, eyes widened as they noticed the source of the intrusion.
Smiling broadly as he casually leaned against the wall, a tall, middle-aged man with slightly receding red hair stood next to a slim, auburn-haired woman with piercing, green eyes. Both wore rumpled, travel-worn business suits, and just behind them a pile of hastily dropped luggage and shoulder bags could be seen scattered over the living room floor.
The woman lifted one eyebrow in amusement as she took in the scene before her. “So... why are we having a discussion about cannibals before lunch?”
Willow’s eyes grew huge at the sight of the couple and she shot out of her chair like a bullet, launching herself at the man as he held out his arms to catch her.
“Mommy! Daddy!” The tiny redhead squealed happily as she was scooped into her father’s strong arms and swung around.
Laughing gaily with his daughter, Ira Rosenberg settled the little girl comfortably in his arms and gave her a gentle squeeze. “Hey, you! How’s my little tree?”
Snuggling happily in her father’s arms, Willow giggled softly at the ‘little tree’ comment as she hugged her arms around the man’s neck. “I missed you, Daddy.” Turning to her mother, who was standing next to them watching the scene with a soft look in her eyes, she held out one arm in the universal ‘I want a hug’ gesture. “Mommy!”
Smiling lovingly, Sheila Rosenberg stepped over and placed a gentle kiss on her daughter’s forehead. “Oh, we missed you so much, sweetheart.”
Sighing contently, Willow closed her eyes as she soaked up the presence of her parents. The faint, floral smell of her mother’s perfume combined with the musky scent of her father’s aftershave soothed her as she reveled in the love they were showering her with.
The other three occupants in the room smiled at the touching scene, remaining silent as they let the family enjoy their reunion.
After a few minutes, Willow giggled as she absently played with the stylish gold pendant that her mother wore around her neck. “So... did you and daddy bring me anything?” She flashed her parents a cheeky grin.
Sheila couldn’t help but chuckle at her daughter, even as she reached up to brush away the few tears that had spilled down her cheeks. “Willow Danielle Rosenberg, you know better than to be so impolite.” At the innocent look she received in response, the older woman could only roll her eyes and tap her daughter on the nose. “You are getting cheekier and cheekier, just like your Nanna... And yes, we did bring you some souvenirs, but!” Sheila had to emphasize the ‘but’ as Willow looked ready to scramble out of her father’s arms and tear through their luggage. “But, you’ll get it later.” The older woman playfully pinched the tiny redhead’s nose as the girl pouted adorably at her.
Remembering that they weren’t the only people in the room, Ira glanced over at the three other occupants who were silently watching the reunion with warm smiles spread across their faces.
Clearing his throat, Ira caught his wife’s eye and gestured over towards the others. Resettling his daughter in his arms, he made his way over to place a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “Hi, Ma. Sorry we just barged in like that.”
Nanna waved off her son’s apology. “It’s quite all right, dear. And it’s your house anyway, so you should be allowed to enter whenever you please. But you should really mind yourself when sneaking up on me.”
Ira smiled teasingly at the older woman. “Why? Do you think I might give your old heart a shock?”
“Noo... but, my self-defense instincts that I’ve been learning from my Aikido class might kick in and you’ll get dumped on your butt.” The elderly woman flashed her son a smug smile as he chuckled good-naturedly.
Quirking an eyebrow in amusement at the interaction between Nanna and Ira, Tricia smiled warmly as she brushed off the long skirt of her dress and stood to greet Willow’s parents. “Hello, Sheila, Ira. It’s great to see you, again. How was the trip?”
Sheila turned and smiled at the older Maclay woman, her voice kind and pleasant as she spoke. “Tricia, it’s so good to see you. The trip was great, but still too far away from home. How have you been?” She took the other woman’s hand in her own and shook it warmly. “I’m sorry we haven’t had much of a chance to see and get to know each other, but Ira and I have been caught up in lectures and papers for forever.”
Tricia shook her head as she patted the other woman’s hand. “It’s quite all right. Hopefully we’ll get to see each other more often in the near future.”
“I would love that. We need to treat you to lunch some time, as a thank you for helping look after Willow.”
“Oh, no thanks are needed. Willow’s a joy to have over and Tara adores her. It’s our pleasure.”
Seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, Sheila glanced down and smiled kindly as she saw the tiny blonde standing behind her mother, trying to remain unnoticed. The auburn-haired woman leaned down to be more at the little girl’s level. “Hello, Tara. It’s nice to see you, too.”
Tara peeked out from behind her mom’s skirt and waved a tiny hand at her friend’s mother. “H-hello, Mrs. Rosenberg.”
Tricia chuckled and gently nudged her daughter forward. “Come on, dear, it’s only Willow’s mom. No need to be shy.”
Sheila crouched down as she smiled warmly at her daughter’s best friend. “Thank you so much for being such a great friend to Willow. She’s been telling me all about your adventures with her and Miss Kitty, and she’s so happy to have you as her best friend.”
Tara blushed and bashfully dropped her gaze down to her feet. “Th-thank you, Mrs. Rosenberg. I like having her as my best friend, too. She’s really cool.”
Sheila chuckled and playfully raised a slim eyebrow at the little blonde. “She hasn’t been too much of a handful to keep out of trouble, has she? I know how much Rosenbergs love to get into mischief.” Sheila glanced over at the three other Rosenbergs in the room who were peeking into the picnic basket and caught in the act of stealing cookies. They each froze and flashed identical, innocent grins at Sheila as they guiltily put the goodies back into the basket.
The tiny blonde giggled as she glanced over at her friend. “Oh, we’ve been really good, Mrs. Rosenberg. Don’t worry.”
“Well okay, then. I’m glad to know she has you to look after her and keep her out of trouble.” Sheila cast an amused glance at Tricia and received an understanding Mom look, both knowing how much mischief their daughters had a knack for finding themselves in.
Straightening back up, Sheila glanced around the kitchen and suddenly noticed the picnic preparations that they had been in the middle of before she and her husband had interrupted. “Anyway, it seems like you all have been busy this morning. What are you up to?”
Willow bounced excitedly, her father having put her down while they were scrounging through the picnic basket. “Ooh, Mommy, we were gonna go on a picnic for lunch! Can we still go? Please?!”
Tara’s mom nodded as she gestured towards the nearly full basket. “We were just going to head to the park for the afternoon. I hope that’s all right with you? And, of course, we can wait for you to unpack and everything so we can all head out together.”
Sheila glanced out the window at the bright, clear sky and smiled. “That’s a wonderful idea. It’s good to get out to enjoy what’s left of this nice California sunshine. And it’s been awhile since we’ve had a nice family outing. Do you need any help with any other preparations?”
“Oh, no, don’t worry. We’ve made enough food to feed a small army. Not even Ira can pack this much into his gut.” Nanna playfully swatted at her son’s stomach.
“Oof! Ma!”
“Anyway, we’re pretty much finished up here. So, whenever you’re ready, we can head on out.”
“Okay, we just need to get changed really quick. We’ll be right down.”
****************
Sitting on the swings, Willow and Tara happily munched on some cookies as they lazily swayed back and forth. The playground was mostly deserted, aside from a couple of kids playing in the sand near the slide, and the girls decided to take advantage of being able to be on the swings for as long as they wanted.
Brushing off the crumbs that had fallen onto the smiling Carebear on her t-shirt, Tara glanced over to where the grown-ups were sitting and chitchatting under a large oak tree. “Today was lotsa fun. Your daddy’s really cool.” Tara grinned, remembering how the older man had chased them around and gave them piggyback rides all afternoon after lunch.
“Yeah! Daddy’s so silly. And Mommy says that I’m just like him!” The redhead grinned happily, proud to be compared to one of her favorite people in the whole world.
Tara chewed on her bottom lip as she studied her friend’s parents. “Hey, Wills... how come your parents aren’t around a lot? I’ve only seen them once or twice, and I’m always at your house.”
“Oh, they have really important jobs that they have to go out and do. They’re... umm... psy-psychics? No, umm... psy-chi-ca-trists... Something like that.” The younger girl scrunched up her forehead as she tried to remember the correct word. “They’re head doctors. They study how people think and try and make people who have trouble thinking all better.”
The tiny blonde’s eyes widened in wonder. “Wow... that’s so cool! That must be a really hard job.”
“Yeah, and so they have to work really really hard. They also teach other grown-ups how to make people better, so they always have lotsa stuff to do. That’s why they travel around a lot.”
“Don’t you miss them a lot?”
A sad look briefly crossed Willow’s face, but was immediately replaced with a smile of pride for her parents. “Yeah, but what they do is important. And I get to talk to them all the time on the phone when they’re away, so it’s okay. And I have Nanna there when I get lonely, too.”
“And me!” A protective gleam flashed in Tara’s eyes as she thought about her best friend ever feeling lonely and sad.
Willow grinned broadly at the older girl. “Of course, you, too!”
Giggling, they continued to idly let their swings sway through the air, enjoying the feeling of the cool air breezing past them.
After sitting quietly for a few minutes, Willow glanced up at the blonde with a questioning look in her eyes. “Tara? I was just wondering... Where’s your daddy? I’ve never seen him before.”
Tara fell silent as she slowed her swing to a stop, the redhead copying her movements as she watched the older girl curiously. The blonde stared at the ground and nervously traced her toe through the sand in agitation. “I dunno... I asked Mama and she said that he went away when I was a baby. She said that he was scared, so he left and went far away.” Tara dipped her head down lower so that her hair slid over to cover her eyes. “I... I g-guess he just d-didn’t want me and Mama... He didn’t w-want to be my Papa.”
Willow frowned and reached over to take Tara’s hand in hers. Twining their fingers together, the redhead gave the hand in hers a comforting squeeze. “Well, then he’s a poopie-head!” Tara glanced up in shock at the redhead’s cursing. “Even grown-ups can be dummies, too, and your daddy was being a huge, king of the dummies when he ran away! ‘Cause you and your Mama are two of the nicest and coolest people in the world! Anybody who doesn’t see that should immediately be labeled a big poopie-head!”
Tara couldn’t help but giggle at the redhead’s use of the word ‘poopie-head’ and glanced up through her hair into adoring green eyes. “Thanks, Willow. But I’m not so sad anymore that I don’t have a Papa. ‘Cause I know I have Mama, and you and Nanna, and your Mommy and Daddy. Me and Miss Kitty aren’t so l-lonely anymore.”
Willow grinned and nodded her head firmly. “We’re family. When we’re feeling lonely and sad, we have each other to run to to make things all better.”
“Always, right?”
“Right!”
As they smiled at each other and hooked pinkies in a pinky-promise, Nanna’s voice suddenly called out to them from where the grown-ups were packing everything away, “Come on, girls! Time to head back before it gets dark.”
Hopping off their swings, they both giggled as they held each other’s hands and dashed over to where Nanna was waiting for them.
Nanna smiled as she held out a couple of warm jackets for the girls to take. “It’s getting a bit nippy, kittens, so you better get bundled up.”
As soon as everything was packed away and everyone was warm and toasty in their jackets, the group slowly walked towards their cars to head back to the Rosenberg home for tea and cookies.
Nanna smiled at the two girls and squeezed their hands in hers as they strolled through the park. Glancing up at the other adults, she thought out loud, “Say, Thanksgiving’s coming up pretty soon. We should all plan something together.”
--------------------------------------------
Present
A slender hand reached over to the table to snatch up a piece of celery, only to drop it with a yelp as a spoon whapped it. “Ow! Tara!” Willow whined pitifully as she pouted at her girlfriend.
The blonde snickered as she took the redhead’s hand in hers and gently placed a kiss over the reddening spot. “Sorry, sweetie. Nanna’s orders. No sampling before dinner.”
Willow huffed as she went back to her task of mixing up the salad dressing. “I thought the perks of being the dinner helpers were that we’d get to try the food as we make it...”
Just as she spoke, Willow’s grandmother walked into the kitchen, chuckling. “Sorry, kitten, but you’ll just have to wait for dinnertime like everyone else.” Nanna playfully winked at her granddaughter as she peeked into the oven. “And this bird’s just about done, so I’m sure a half an hour more won’t kill you.”
Willow simply huffed again in response and sulked as she continued to work. Tara couldn’t help but giggle at her love’s grumpiness, and she leaned over to drop a kiss on the redhead’s cheek. “You’re so cute when you’re being a grump,” she whispered teasingly into the other girl’s ear.
A shiver ran down Willow’s spine as she felt the blonde’s lips brush against her ear. A grin twitched at the corner of the redhead’s mouth as she flashed her girlfriend a sexy look, and she immediately resumed her work with increased enthusiasm.
Just as the three women began to put the finishing touches on the other dishes besides the turkey, Ira casually sauntered into the kitchen and smiled as he breathed in the delicious smells of the cooking food. “How are three of my favorite girls doing? Wow, things smell great in here.” The redheaded man leaned over to grab a piece of potato, only to have his hand slapped away by Nanna. “Ow! Ma!” The older man whined in exactly the same tone as his daughter, causing Tara and Nanna to burst into a fit of amused giggles.
Willow and her father glanced at each other in befuddlement. “What?!”
Nanna laughed as she patted her son on the arm. “Oh, it’s nothing, dear. And dinner’s almost ready, so keep your paws off ‘till then!”
Ira huffed and stubbornly folded his arms over his chest. “But I helped drag that huge bird, as well as all the other food stuff, over here. Doesn’t that entitle me to anything?”
Willow just shook her head at her father. “Don’t even try, Dad. They’re not gonna budge.”
The older man just shrugged and shared a sympathetic look with his daughter. “Well, it was worth a shot.”
A voice coming from the front of the house suddenly called out, “Ira! We need your help carrying this stuff!”
Sighing, the older man trudged out of the kitchen with a weary look on his face. “Why have I been relegated to being the pack mule of the family..?”
The women simply giggled at the silliness of Willow’s father as they watched him walk out of the room. A few minutes later, he walked back in with a large box in his arms, followed by Tricia and Sheila. The redheaded man grinned as he peeked into the box of goodies. “Looks like the Mom brigade baked up a storm, again.”
Sheila chuckled and lightly whapped her husband on the shoulder. “Put it down before you all drool over it, Ira.”
Tricia giggled and smiled contently at the crowded kitchen. “Looks like we’re all here. Is everything almost done?”
Nanna peeked into the oven, again, and grinned as she pulled down the door all the way. “Yep, all set. How ‘bout you guys set up everything while I finish up with this monster?”
Everybody nodded and went about the familiar tasks of setting up the Rosenberg dining room for their family dinner, all of them looking forward to yet another food-filled ‘Turkey Day’.
****************
Ira unbuttoned his pants button as he leaned back on the couch, an empty plate that had formerly contained a second helping of pumpkin pie sitting beside him. “Ohh... I’m stuffed!”
Sheila lightly whapped her husband on the stomach, chuckling as he winced painfully at the pressure on his overfilled stomach. “I think you reached beyond stuffed a long time ago, honey.”
Nanna snorted from her place on her armchair as she took a sip from her wineglass. “I think you set new glutton levels, Ira.”
The man simply shrugged as he placed an arm around his wife. “What can I say, Ma? You’re just too good a cook. How can I resist?” He flashed a cheeky grin at his mother and she simply rolled her eyes at him.
“The food really was delicious, Danielle. You definitely outdid yourself this year.” Tricia entered the room and sat on a nearby chair as she passed around a newly opened bottle of wine.
As her girlfriend took the wine bottle and refilled their glasses, Tara snuggled contently against the redhead’s shoulder and patted her tummy. “Yeah, Nanna, everything was great. And I look forward to the week full of leftovers.” She giggled as she felt her love’s body rumble in laughter beside her. Smiling, the blonde stretched languidly, feeling very much like a content cat as she luxuriated in the sensations of being full, happy, and comfortable.
“Well, I had some great helpers. So, this year, I’m thankful for my wonderful granddaughters who I used as my slaves on this fine day of giving thanks.” Nanna raised her glass in salute to the giggling girls as she winked playfully at them.
Chuckling, Ira rubbed his belly as he said, “I’m thankful for having that extra notch on my belt to move to, ‘cause my belly’s so full.”
Sheila rolled her eyes and flashed her husband a wry look. “Well, I’m thankful for Slim Fast, because that’s all we’re going to be drinking if we can’t fit into our clothes tomorrow.” At the disgusted look she received, the auburn-haired woman could only laugh and teasingly pat him on the stomach.
Willow lounged lazily against her girlfriend as she felt the drowsiness from all the food she ate begin to set in. “Mmm... I’m thankful for a wonderful girlfriend who’ll rub my tummy if it gets all achey.”
“Well, then I’m thankful for being the happy, belly ache reliever.” Tara chuckled as she leaned over to kiss her cute redhead.
Glancing over at her mom, who had been quietly watching the other people in the room with a happy, amused look in her eyes, Tara tilted her head to the side as she curiously asked the older woman, “What are you thankful for, Mama?”
“Me? Hmmm...” Tricia flashed Sheila a devilish grin and received a subtle nod as she pretended to be lost in thought. “Well... you know what I’d be really thankful for?”
“What?”
“Grandchildren.”
Both Willow and Tara nearly sprayed their mouthfuls of wine across the living room. “What?!?”
“Oh, Tricia, you shouldn’t be so hasty.” The two girls sighed in relief at Sheila’s intervention, but were nearly sent into another series of coughing fits as she then added, “They have to get married first, of course.”
“Oh yes! Oh, we must start planning right away! We can’t let our little girls go without the best, most elaborate wedding ever.”
“Can’t you just imagine? A beautiful white wedding filled with lace and roses?”
“Oh, that sounds so lovely!”
As the two women chatted lively about wedding plans, Willow and Tara looked at each other in horror and bafflement as their mothers seemed intent on planning their future for them. “W-wedding?”
As Ira and Nanna broke out into hilarious laughter at the girls’ shell-shocked expressions, Willow immediately launched into a wild babblefest as she flew into a nervous panic. Sheila and Tricia had to fight the laughter ready to burst out of their chests, as Tara had to cover the redhead’s mouth to remind her that oxygen is good and necessary.
As they grinned at each other with looks of mischievous satisfaction, both moms thought to themselves that they were most thankful, of course, for their two adorable daughters who were just too easy to tease.
Additional notes: I hope that my explanation for Willow’s parents and Tara’s dad was okay. I dunno if any of you have been wondering about that, but I have been, so I decided I wanted to write an answer for myself. Sometimes, it’s really good to be the author of the story. 
Btw, the end teasing part was gonna have a huge Willow-babble written in, that I narrated to myself and nearly turned blue from lack of oxygen. My rambling skills can’t compare to the queen babbler’s ones. I wish I could’ve put it in, but I was having flow issues, so I took it out. Oh well.
Oh, and the whole shock about the wedding plans and stuff wasn't about W&T not wanting to get married, of course. It's just... wouldn't it be really weird to have all the romantic hallmarks in your relationship planned out by your parents? Eww...
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at: 11/24/03 5:14 am
And I'm glad you loved that part of the story, 'cause I remember thinking that EVERY SINGLE TIME I went to a friend's party. Oh holy moly, the shrieking... the shrieking! My ears ache in remembrance. But I love 'em to pieces, so I don't fault 'em for their shrillness. 
I love the concept and your writing style. keep up the great work!
Btw, I love this banana smiley. It's so cute! 
