Thanks for the feedback
Sorry it took me so long to write the next chapter. I'm still new to all this. Hope you enjoy
Chapter 2:Anya stood by the counter and chopped up some carrots. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tara bouncing up and down while trying to cut a potato. "You are gonna hurt yourself doing that?"
"What?" Tara was jerked out of her thoughts and sure enough... "Ouch," she dropped the knife that just sliced her skin and stuck her finger in her mouth.
"Alright Miss Vampire come here," Anya put down her knife and lead Tara over to her handy supply kit. "Having a 4-year-old comes in handy. Oh speaking of him," Anya grabbed Tara's finger and inspected it. "Can you go over to Tanner's and pick him up? I want him to be with us when we greet everyone."
"Yeah I... ow," Tara pulled her hand away.
"Oh don't be a big baby," Anya grabbed the hand back.
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"Tara," Tara turned her head in the direction she heard her name and saw Randy coming up to her.
"Oh great," she mumbled. She forced a smile as he approached, but did not slow her pace down. "Hey Randy."
"Hey um well look earlier uh Miss er I mean Anya kind of interrupted us..."
Oh no."So um was it a yes or a no," Randy looked at her with such hope that Tara actually contemplated going with him. Just as friends. Of course he probably wouldn't see it that way.
"Yes or no to what?" came a little voice.
Tara looked over to see a very short, very small, very brown haired boy, hands on hips staring at them. "Hey Alex."
"Yes or no to what?" Alex's grey eyes narrowed as he stared at the two adults.
"I uh asked Tara to go with me to the um welcome home party tonight," Randy looked at Tara and smiled then looked at Alex and his smile dropped. The boy stared at him with such a look that he wasn't sure what was going on. "If that's uh okay with you little buddy," Randy smiled and shrugged his shoulders up.
"I am NOT your little buddy," Alex snapped.
"Alexander Lavelle Harris Junior," Tara said. "You don't talk to someone with that tone. It's not nice and he didn't do anything wrong."
"So you will go with me?" Randy perked up and smile so big at Tara.
"How stupid are you?"
"ALEX!"
"What?"
"There you are," a young blonde woman came running up to the trio. "He went out of my site for 2 seconds," she said to Tara.
"It's okay," Tara smiled at her. Then she squared her gaze at Alex. "I know he is a handful sometimes."
Alex crossed his arms. Let out a hmpf and turned his back on everyone.
"Oh Alex," Tara walked up to him and swooped his up. To her relief she got giggles as she spun him around. She stopped and cradled him in her arms. "You know I love you."
"And I love you," he replied. "Which is why you are MY" he narrowed his gaze at Randy for a split second before looking back up at her "date tonight."
Tara giggled. "Well Randy it seems I am spoken for," she looked up at her friend. "I really am sorry."
"It's okay," he replied. Although he didn't look okay at all. "Maybe you can save me a dance?"
Tara just nodded although she didn't intend to follow through. She just wanted him off her back.
"Great,' he smiled. "See you tonight." And with that he walked off.
"Dang. Dude can't take a hint," Alex said.
"I've got him from here," Tara smiled at the woman. "Thanks Monica."
"No problem," Monica smiled back. "Be good," she pointed at Alex before she walked off.
"Yeah, yeah," Alex said and wiggled his way out of Tara's arms. "So are you excited Willow is coming home?" he asked as he grabbed Tara's hand and they stared to walk.
"I'm excited everyone is coming home," Tara smiled down at him.
"But mostly because of Willow right?" he looked up at her with a look and a smile she wasn't quite sure of.
"Well she is my best friend," Tara smiled trying not to let the amount of joy she had for Willow coming home to show.
'And you love her."
"What?" Tara stopped.
"I said and you love her," Alex smiled.
"Well I mean uh of course I do she is my best friend."
"Uh huh well my best friend is Tanner, but I don't look at him the way you look at Auntie Willow," he smirked.
Tara was caught off guard. "Um how do I look at Auntie Willow?"
"Like daddy looks at mommy," And with that said, Alex let go of Tara's hand and took off in the direction of his house.
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"We are almost home," Giles called from the front of the wagon.
Willow's stomach turned. She always got huge butterflies in her stomach when she was going to see Tara. And when she was with Tara. And when she thought of Tara. "That's a lot of butterflies."
"Excuse me?" Xander said.
"What?" Willow looked up to find everyone staring at her.
"Butterflies?" Buffy looked around. "I see no butterflies."
"Are you alright over there red?" Faith asked.
"Yeah, sorry. Just um thinking a lot."
"About.. butterflies..?" Xander questioned slowly.
"Just forget it," Willow said. "I'm hungry."
"For butterflies?" Xander's eyes grew wide.
"No," Willow shouted.
"What is wrong with you?" Buffy asked her best guy friend.
"Nothing," Xander threw his hands up in defense. "She said she was thinking about butterflies and that she was hungry."
"So if I'm thinking about puppies, but I'm horny does that make me want to fuck puppies?" Buffy asked.
"I beg your pardon," Giles said. Everyone was looking at her oddly.
"That sounded a lot less odd in my head, but you get my point."
"And there are our gates," Giles said with a smile. Everyone gathered to the front and smiled at the only barrier between them and their home.
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"And everything is ready," Anya smiled at all the prepared food.
"Yummy," Alex licked his lips and stared at all the food in front of him.
Just then a bell sounded. The three people in the room looked at each other with huge smiles on their faces. "Grab something and let's go," Anya said. Each grabbed a dish that was to be taken to the welcome home dinner and ran out of the house to join the rest of the town.
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The gang was overwhelmed when they stepped out of the wagon. Trying to say hi and greet everyone they could while looking for the people they wanted to see the most.
"Welcome back Xan," Tom, a working friend of Xander's, greeted him.
"Hey Tommy," Xander gave him a hug while his eyes roamed the crowd.
"Daddy," came a voice he knew all to well. His eyes looked down and finally he saw him. "Daddy," Alex cried as he flung himself into his dad's arms.
"Hey buddy," Xander said as he fought back tears. It had been almost a month since he has seen his family.
"I missed you daddy," Alex buried his head in his father's neck and clung tightly to him.
"I missed you little buddy. So much."
"What about me?" Anya smiled at her husband.
"Oh so much," Xander said and leaned forward to his wife who threw her arms around her two men.
Willow smiled at the exchange of her brother and his family. She felt two arms wrap around her waist and she knew instantly they were not the arms she wanted around her.
"Well hey there beautiful," Michael whispered in her ear.
"Hey Mike," Willow turned to try to free herself, but instead found herself in a face to face embrace with the man.
"Miss me," he smiled down at her.
"Um," Willow didn't know what to say. She had missed him as a friend. Like she missed most people in town. But Mike was so close. She was scared if she said yes he would kiss her and that was the last thing she wanted to do.
"Mike!" Faith shoved the two apart and hugged the older man.
"Uh hey Faith," Mike looked confused as was Willow.
"So good to see you," Faith said as she stepped back. "How are you?"
"Uh good," he replied. The confusion never leaving his face.
"Have you seen Matt?" Faith asked him.
"Oh um well no."
"Damn," Faith said. "Well thanks." She turned to Willow. "Help me find him?" Before Willow could answer she was being drug away. "You looked really uncomfortable in his arms," Faith finally said. "Thought I would help you out."
"Thanks," Willow smiled at her colleague. Faith and herself had never really been close, but there was always an awkward friendship between them that was well.. just plain awkward.
"I see him," Faith said waving. Willow followed her gaze and her heart might have skipped a beat. Standing next to Matt was the thing she had longed for. The smile that grew on Tara's face when they locked eyes was enough to send chills down her whole body. Her mind got jammed up of things to say, but before anything could come out Tara lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the redhead's neck. Instantly Willow's arms were around the blonde's waist and she was finally home.