AUTHOR:: Alex_ Vixen
RATING:: probably will get to NC- 17 but for now, I say…R? Probably ‘cause of swearing.
DISCLAIMER:: Oh you know the deal. I don’t own them, if I did, I would have treated them WAY better than they did. Anyway, they belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, etc...I’m just borrowing them for a little bit.
SUMMARY:: The Sequel, people!! The Sequel to Fire and Life that you’ve been waiting for!! Now, to know what it’s about, you will have to read.
FEEDBACK:: Yes, please....but remember, I beg for mercy.
PAIRINGS:: W/T (DUH!) and F/D (DUH!) and a few more others will appear.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:: SUPER IMPORTANT!! Okay, people! I would like to explain that this won’t be a regular one plot-based story as I usually write. Basically, each Chapter is gonna be a One-Shot and I will jump back and forth between different moments in time. How back and how far into the future I will go….depends on how interested you guys are. The idea is to resolve, explain and/or expand some things that I couldn’t do in Fire and Life. Don’t worry, each Chapter will be pretty clear, you won’t get confused. As I said, how far I go into the future depends on your interest. For now I have the first four Chapters written and have ideas and outlines for about 10 more. How many there will be, again, it will depend on your interest. Each Chapter will have its own little summary and notes, to help you (and me) keep track of everything that happens. IF things work out the way I want them to, this will be a wild journey of epic proportions!
Now... I invite you all to start this wild, new journey with me…
*********************************************************************************************
CHAPTER SUMMARY:: this Chapter may seem a bit crazy at first, but just keep reading. There will be a lot of little surprises here that help establish my universe. What is the best moment for family to be together? Birthday parties!
DISCLAIMER:: The song Tale as Old as Time belongs to Disney, I'm just borrowing for a little bit.
CHAPTER 1 – The 20th B-Day Many, many things can happen in twenty years…
The afternoon was warm and bright, a little bit unusual for that time of the year but it was Sunnydale so nothing surprised anyone anymore. The Scooby Gang had prepared everything for a barbeque in honor of two of their members, who were turning 20 that day. The cake was ready, the meat was starting to cook and the drinks were ready to be served. A large wooden table had been set up near the fence so they all could seat and near the grill, two huge coolers and the make-shift bar were ready.
“Hey, Xand-man! How’s the B-B-Q goin’?” A certain dark-haired Slayer shouted as she exited the house carrying a stack of plates, which she left on the table.
The brunette man looked up from the grill and grinned at her.
“Hey, Faith! Meat’s goin’ well. I’d say it should be ready in a couple of hours,” Xander replied and sat on the patio chair he had placed near the grill. He had a cold beer and the day was beautiful. He couldn’t be more pleased.
“Great. I’ll tell Blondie, then,” Faith said as she entered the house again.
Inside the kitchen she found her best friend cooking some side-dishes. The blonde woman was animatedly chatting with her mother, who was sitting on one of the stools peeling potatoes.
“T, it’s all in order out there. The Xand-man said meat should be ready in ‘bout two hours,” Faith told her as she grabbed a knife and set to help her friend’s mother.
“Great. Then all is going according to plan,” Tara said as she wiped her hands clean and pulled out a rubber band from the pocket of her jeans to pull her long blonde hair into a ponytail.
“Amelia, why don’t you let me finish this?” Faith asked the woman who had become the best parental-figure she ever had. Amelia had easily taken on that role for all the Scoobies but she didn’t limit herself to just that.
“Faith, dear, don’t worry. I got this,” Amelia replied with that sweet but firm tone that they were all familiar with.
“‘Kay, ‘kay, you’re the Boss,” the Slayer joked and chuckled.
“And you better not forget it, little Faith,” the older woman commented casually, making them all laugh.
On the other side of the house, Willow was walking down the stairs while fixing her blouse, her hair still a bit wet. She marched right into the kitchen, kissed her wife’s lips and went out to the backyard. Xander, her dear and ever amazing Xander, was waiting for her with a cold beer and a nice comfy patio chair to relax on.
“Nice shower, Willster?” Xander asked her as he handed her a cold beer bottle.
“Awesome shower. I felt all gross and stinky after working out,” the redhead answered with a grin before taking a healthy sip from her bottle.
“Man, I’m so not in the mood for working out. It’s such a great day,” her oldest friend commented lazily.
“It is a great day, my old friend. It is,” Willow joked, trying to imitate a British accent. It was a little joke they had developed over the years.
The two old friends laughed without a care as they started talking about work. An older figure exited the house and slowly approached them. Willow and Xander grinned as they watched Giles trying to sit on the patio chair without spilling the cut of tea he was holding. In the end, Xander held the cup for him and then handed it back.
“Thank you, Xander,” the older man said as he enjoyed his tea.
--20—
The gate that separated the Summers’ backyard and the Rosenberg’s opened and Dawn entered the Rosenberg’s backyard. She couldn’t help but to chuckle when she saw her wife sitting around the grill sharing a beer and joking with Xander and Willow, the three of them giggling like teen boys at a probably dirty joke her Slayer wife had told them. It was always the same with those three. Tara, Amelia, Anya and Giles were by the table, enjoying the little snacks they had prepared.
The now grown-up woman walked straight pass the still giggling frat-boys and sat next to Tara by the table. She snatched a mini-sandwich from the tray, since she was really hungry.
“What are they laughing about so much?” Tara asked, watching the group by the grill with an amused smile.
“They’re probably laughing at some dirty joke either your wife or Faith made,” Anya replied bluntly as usual.
Everyone except Giles laughed. Some things never change and the Watcher still blushed when some things were mentioned.
The side-gate that connected the Summers’ yard and the Rosenbergs’ opened again and a tall brunette boy entered, followed by his twin sister. The boy was obviously annoyed with his sister because he was constantly checking his new black dress-shirt wasn’t wrinkled and that his slightly baggy jeans weren’t stained. His sister whispered something to him and he sighed before smiling at her. He was quite handsome for his young age, he was only 17, and his face lit up with a happy smile when he saw his parents, his entire family, having a good time. His blue eyes sparkled with that happiness and he seemed even younger, a characteristic he clearly got from his Mom.
In direct contrast, his sister was like the living portrait of their Ma. Naturally tanned skin (or maybe their complexion seemed darker because he and his Mom were so pale), chocolate brown eyes and wavy dark hair.
‘And a very annoyin’ attitude,’ he would think sometimes, but in reality, he loved his sister. She was his twin, after all.
Brother and sister made their way to their family, kissed their Ma’s cheek (their Aunt Will’s and Uncle Xander’s too) and went to sit at the table with their Mom. Not before kissing her cheek in greeting, of course.
“You two look fantastic,” Dawn complimented her children as they sat across the table from her.
“Thanks, Mom,” the twins replied at the same time and chuckled afterwards.
“How are you two? I haven’t seen you in a few days,” Amelia told the twins as she served them some of her special juice. “Here you go. Some special juice for our Robin-bird.”
“I’m okay, grandma. Just been busy with school,” Robin said she accepted the glass from her and took a sip. Her dimples came out at full force when she smiled. “One day I’m gonna find out what the hell you put in this thing to make it so good, grandma.”
“It’s my special recipe, not even my daughter knows it. What makes you think I’ll reveal it to you, young lady?” Amelia teased as she poured more juice on a second glass. “Here you go, Bryan dear,” she added as she handed the glass to the boy.
“‘Cause you know I’m your favorite, grandma,” Robin said without any shame and her table companions laughed.
“Hell, no, kiddo! I’m her daughter, it’s my birth right to get her special recipes,” Tara joined in on the playful banter and her Goddaughter winked at her.
“Awww, Auntie Tara! Didn’t your mother teach you to share?” The girl commented and Tara had to hold back her laughter when her mom scolded playfully.
“If my daughter doesn’t share, then I’ll have to turn her over my knee,” Amelia added, as serious as she could.
As the women kept bantering back and forth, Bryan leaned in closer to his grandfather.
“Have you seen Tommy, grandpa?”
“I believe he’s in the living room watching television, Bryan,” Giles replied with a warm smile on his aging face.
“Great! There are way too many women in here,” Bryan joked and left the table to join his cousin inside the house.
“If you’re going to talk to Tommy, then tell him to come outside with us, please,” Xander told him as he walked pass them.
“Sure, uncle Xander. I’ll bring ‘im out in a little while, don’t worry,” Bryan promised.
“Hey, lil’ dude,” Faith called out to her son and Bryan turned around to look at her.
“Yeah, Ma?”
“You look great,” she told him and her son gave her a satisfied grin.
“Thanks, Ma,” was all he said before entering the house.
“It’s kinda funny how he looks so much like Dawnie but always seek your approval more,” Xander commented amused to Faith.
“Guess that shit happens,” the Slayer said and shrugged. “What’d you think, Red?”
But Willow never answered Faith’s question. Xander and Faith looked at their friend and noticed how she was staring at the distance with a love-struck look in her eyes and a tiny smile on her face. They followed her eyes and saw Tara laughing along with her mother and Dawn. Looking back at Willow, the redhead was still looking at her wife as if looking at her first the first time. On cue, both Xander and Faith rolled their eyes in mock-contempt.
“Hey, Red! C’mon! You’ve got the next 50 years to make goo-goo eyes at your honey! Pay attention to us now,” Faith teased.
“Only the next 50?” Willow mumbled, her eyes never leaving her wife. “Make that the next 50 lifetimes or more…”
“‘Kay, whatever. It’s still a shit ton of time. Pay attention to us now,” Faith complained. But she was just teasing.
Xander grabbed Willow’s sleeve and started tugging, mimicking a little kid.
“Will! Will! Will! Will!” He did his best little-boy-voice and kept tugging on his friend’s sleeve. “Pay attention to us, Will! Girls’ got cooties!”
Both Willow and Faith burst out laughing at that and Willow playfully swatted Xander’s hand away.
“Girls’ got cooties? Since when do you feel like that, Xand?” Willow asked, with mock-concern.
“You know… If you have anything you wanna get off your chest, buddy, we’re here for ya. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, there’re lots of grown men who come out of the closet,” Faith joined in on the teasing while Xander turned bright red.
“Yeah! And then we’ll all go together to Pride in LA and we’ll get ya one of those Bear t-shirts!” Willow really tried to contain her laughter but she couldn’t anymore and Faith started laughing with her.
“Too many women. Too many. Damn women,” Xander kept muttering under his breath while he stood up and went to check on the grill, his face bright red and indignant.
“A Bear t-shirt? Great one, Red! I’m so gettin’ ‘im one for Christmas this year,” Faith said low enough so only the redhead would hear her.
Willow gave her a totally evil grin.
“You get him one and I’ll get ‘im one of those penis-shaped lollipops we saw in LA,” Willow said and Faith almost choked laughing.
“He’s gonna shit his pants!” The Slayer cracked laughing again and Willow giggled along.
Minutes later Xander was still complaining about the amount of women in the family and Willow and Faith were still laughing. Bryan and Tommy walked out of the house with a baseball ball and walked to the middle of the yard to throw it around.
“I think it’s a record. Bryan managed to unglue him from the TV in record time,” Willow commented, surprised.
“You know how he is, Will. He gets bored being with us the adults and his cousins are all older than him,” Xander said, explaining his 15 years old son.
“Bry and Rob are only two years older,” Faith contradicted him kindly.
“Yeah,” Willow nodded in agreement. “And Nicky and Bryan are always spending time with him,” the redhead added.
“And I love your boys for that, guys. Seriously,” Xander said and sighed.
“Tommy is a great kid, Xand. Nicky and Bryan love to spend time with him and they always are there for him. He gets bored at these get-togethers ‘cause he’s the youngest so he prefers to be inside watchin’ TV,” Willow said.
“So you’re saying he’s just bein’ a 15 years old,” Xander concluded.
“Totally,” the Slayer agreed. “Your son’s fine, Xand-man. By the way, he’s got a great arm!” Faith added with an impressed look.
“Yeah. He told me Bryan’s gonna help him train for the team’s try-outs next year,” Xander beamed with pride at that.
“Bry told me ‘bout that. Tommy’s got a lot of talent for baseball and Bry thinks he would be great for the team. Also, I think he just loves playing with his cousin,” Faith confirmed with a grin.
“OH Tommy would look adorable with the team’s uniform! And so handsome, like Bryan,” Willow gushed with pride for her two Godsons.
Xander and Faith simply chuckled.
An angry roar broke the peace and the three friends looked towards their left. A leather clad figure entered the backyard on a motorcycle and parked near the grill. The obvious feminine figure turned off the engine and stood up while pulling off her helmet. An 18 years old carbon copy of Willow smiled radiantly at seeing her family together.
“I’ll say this again… It’s freaky how your youngest kid looks so damn much like you, Red,” Faith commented and chuckled.
“I agree. Tommy looks a bit like me. Bryan and Robin look
like Dawn and Faith but Abbie looks like you so much that it feels like I’m lookin’ at you, sometimes,” Xander added his thoughts.
“She may look like me but she
IS her Godmother’s girl,” Willow laughed and from her seat Faith gave her a mock-salute.
Abbie left her green leather jacket on her bike and wiped her sweaty hands on her dark red tank top. She put the bike’s keys inside the pocket of her loose leather pants and grinned at her Mama and Aunt.
“Hey, Mama. Where are the b-day boy and girl?” The younger redhead asked and without warning sat on her mother’s lap.
“Hello to you too, dear,” Willow said sarcastically and rolled her eyes mockingly.
Abbie grinned and planted a big playful kiss on her mother’s cheek.
“Hello, Mama. Now, where are Nicky and Hannah?” Abbie asked.
“Not here yet, baby girl. Should be here in about an hour.”
“Great! Hey, uncle Xander.” Abbie got up from her mother’s lap and kissed her uncle’s cheek.
“Hey, Abbs. What’s up?” Responded Xander and smiled at his niece.
“Nothing, uncle. Hey, aunt Faith.” Abbie leaned to kiss her Godmother’s cheek with a grin.
“How’s my lil’ Charizard?” Faith asked as Abbie sat back on her mother’s lap.
“I’m ‘kay. You?”
“Suuuper relaxed,” Faith replied with a grin and made the girl chuckle at their inner little joke.
“How was school, baby girl? You had computer lab today, didn’t you?” Willow asked her with an excited grin.
“Today’s Friday, so school was okay. And computer lab…” Abbie rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed. “They call themselves nerds but can’t tell the difference between a 1 and a 0.”
“Damn. Are they really that bad?” Willow asked, frowning.
“They so are, Mama. My classmates totally suck,” Abbie confirmed.
Xander chuckled and patted the girl’s knee.
“Don’t forget that not everyone had our genius Will as a mom, Abbs,” Xander said to try to make her feel better and cut her classmates some slack.
“I know that, uncle Xander. But the thing is I end up with three times more work to do ‘cause they screw up their work,” Abbie explained and Willow nodded in understanding. “And I wouldn’t mind if they weren’t so lazy.”
“You’re doing group-projects?” Willow asked and her daughter sighed again before nodding.
“Yeah. And I can’t tell them to go screw themselves ‘cause the final product will be 50% of the final grade but these assholes are more interested in downloading porn or the last SyFy rerun of Star Trek than in doing their job right or fixin’ it. And who has to fix their mistakes? Me!” A lot of frantic hand moments accompanied that mini-babble, making Abbie look even more as her mother. The youngest redhead was obviously very agitated and annoyed.
“Hey, calm down, baby girl. Calm down…” Willow wrapped her arms around her daughter and Abbie leaned her head against hers. “Did you talk to your teacher?”
“I did but he said that there was nothing he could do. Fucking asshole,” Abbie mumbled that last part and Willow placed a motherly kiss on her forehead.
“Watch your mouth in front of your Mom, ‘kay? And try to talk to him again. If he doesn’t do anything, then I’ll go talk to him.”
“He’s just another loser who became a teacher ‘cause he wasn’t good enough at anything so he doesn’t give a fuck about his class,” the younger redhead said and Willow frowned even more.
“Hey, Abbs. Forget ‘bout those losers. Tell me, you had Art Club today, didn’t you?” Faith asked even though she knew Abbie had Art Club every Monday and Friday. Willow shot her a grateful look.
Suddenly Abbie’s face lit up with excitement and the redhead girl started telling them everything about her newest project.
“HEY, ABBS!” Yelled Bryan, waving his gloved hand in the air. “Get your glove and come on.”
“Okay!” Abbie turned to her mother once again. “I’m gonna go and play, Mama.”
With that, the redhead girl jumped from her Mama’s lap and ran inside.
In that moment Tara left the table and walked towards her wife. Willow’s eyes took in the sight of her wife wearing form-fitting jeans, dark blue doc martin’s and a dark purple shirt that clung to every curve.
‘My baby is so gorgeous,’ the redhead thought (a little smug) and opened her arms to receive her wife, who sat on her lap much like their daughter always did.
“Missed me?” Willow asked Tara after her blonde Goddess gave her a chaste kiss on her lips.
“Actually, I kind of did,” Tara joked. “Just a tiny bit, though,” she added playfully.
“For fuck’s sake,” Faith mumbled with mock-indignation. “C’mon, Xand-man. Let’s leave the love-birds alone,” the Slayer mocked as she got up and went to the grill followed by Xander. They both were chuckling.
“Twenty years and we’re still gettin’ teased,” Willow rolled her eyes at that but a grin was still pulling at her lips.
“Who cares,” Tara murmured and gave her wife an eskimo-kiss. “I’m feelin’ particularly happy today,” the blonde added between placing chaste kisses on her wife’s lips.
“Me too,” Willow agreed, as always loving the feel of her wife’s lips on hers.
“Was Abbie okay, sweetie?” Tara asked as she relaxed in her wife’s arms.
“Yeah. Annoyin’ day at school, that’s all, baby,” Willow replied and nuzzled her wife’s jaw and neck with her nose.
“How strange… Becky didn’t come with Abbie,” Tara mentioned.
“Abbs said that she had to take some stuff home but she’d be over in a little while,” the redhead replied as she and her wife settled to watch their nephews throw around the ball.
When Abbie returned, she had put her Yankees jersey over her tank top and was holding her glove.
“Hey, Mom,” Abbie said as she kissed Tara’s cheek.
“Hi, sweetie. You’re going to show your cousins how to throw that ball?” Tara joked and her daughter gave her an evil grin that reminded her too much of her wife.
“You know it, Mom,” was all she said before joining her cousins.
–20—
“Nicky and Hannah will be here in ‘bout half an hour,” Willow said loud enough for everyone to hear her and pocketed her phone.
“There must be traffic,” Tara said as she put down a tray with Russian salad on the table.
“Probably,” Willow nodded and went inside the house to help her wife to bring the rest of the utensils and the other salads.
Tara observed her wife enter their house and sighed contently. They had turn on the lights around the backyard as the sun left and the early evening was looking good, the air was still warm and the sky was clear.
“Hey, T. You cool?” Faith asked and left the juice pitcher on the table. Tara simply smiled at her.
“I’m great. Where are Anya and Dawnie?” The blonde asked and looked around the yard. Giles was with Xander by the grill waiting for the meat to be ready. Abbie, Tommy, Bryan and Robin had dragged the chairs away from the grill and the adults and they were sitting in the corner of the yard talking and joking around.
“Red and D were getting’ the last stuff to bring ‘em to the table. I think Anya went to the bathroom or somethin’ and Amelia was makin’ some more tea for the G-man,” Faith responded and grabbed her beer bottle from the table and swallowed some.
“Oh, great. The twins should be here any minute,” Tara said and looked over the table to see if anything was missing. “Do we have enough ice?”
“Think so but we’ve got some more at home. Want me to go and get it?” Faith asked.
“If you don’t mind.”
“Sure. Right away, Blondie.” Faith nodded and patted her friend’s arm before walking towards the gate that connected to her backyard.
Tara went to enter the house to see if her wife needed any help and crossed Becky, who was on her way out.
“Remember, Becky, careful with those,” the blonde warned her gently but still gave her a pointed look towards the two tall glasses of margarita the 18 years old was carrying.
“Don’t worry, Tara. I’ve got it all under control,” the black-haired girl assured her with a grin. Tara gave her a nod and the girl continued when the blonde walked inside.
“What’ve you got there, babe?” Abbie asked when she saw the glasses.
“Faith made margaritas, love,” Becky replied. She handed one of the glasses to Abbie and then sat on the redhead’s lap.
Abbie wrapped her right arm around her girlfriend’s waist and held the glass with her left hand as her girl settled on her lap.
“Mom okayed it?” Abbie asked she sipped the drink in her hand. “Ahhh, my Godmother makes the best margaritas. Thanks, babe,” she told the other girl and they shared a chaste kiss.
“Wasn’t a problem, Abbie-love,” Becky shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal but she was still smiling.
“Dude, Ma made margaritas?” Robin asked excitedly. “Give me some!”
“Rob, you know I can’t give ya,” Abbie said and sighed. “You know the rule, you gotta wait ‘till you’re 18.”
“Don’t bullshit me, Abbs. You’ve give us before,” Robin contradicted her, mindful of keeping her tone low enough.
“Yeah. And the last time it was my ass who in troubles with MY parents and YOURS. C’mon, Rob, don’t put me in that position,” Abbie begged her cousin and Robin rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed.
“Fine. Whatever,” the 17 years old huffed. Her twin brother rolled his eyes from the seat next to hers.
“We have the same discussion every single time, Robin,” Bryan told her. “At least try to be sneakier.”
“If we were alone, we’d give you some, Robin. But do you really think your Ma won’t notice the smell in your breath? With her Slayer nose?” Becky try to reason with the younger girl.
Robin sighed, resigned.
“I know, I know. But damn! Ma makes awesome margaritas,” Robin chuckled and her cousin and brother (except Tommy) chuckled in agreement.
“I think we all love Ma’s margaritas a little bit too much,” Bryan added with a grin.
“I wouldn’t know so I’ll take your words for it,” Tommy shrugged, his eyes focused on the screen of his phone.
“Just wait, kiddo. Just wait,” Robin teased and reached out to mess up his hair.
“Hey! C’mon, Robin!” The younger boy complained and leaned away from his cousin’ hand.
Robin and Abbie laughed at his scandalized expression. The younger boy shot them a dirty look but the girls laughed again while Becky simply shook her head and Bryan rolled his eyes at them.
Bryan lifted his hand and smacked his sister in the back of her head lightly.
“Hey! Why the hell did you do that for?” Robin exclaimed and frowned at her brother.
“You don’t like bein’ treated like a kid, so don’t treat ‘im like one,” Bryan scolded her and then shot his sister an evil smirk. “Also, I owed you that one from this morning.”
“Asshole,” Robin muttered and punched his arm.
Bryan rubbed his arm, his sister was really strong, but still grinned.
“And you’re a bitch but we’re twins so we’re kinda stuck together,” he teased, knowing it’d make his sister laugh.
“Asshole,” Robin repeated but she was smiling.
“Great. Now that everything is at peace in the Middle Earth…” Tommy intervened and his cousins and Becky laughed at his words.
“Hey, what we laughin’ about over here?” Faith’s voice asked and the kids looked behind them to see the Slayer carrying a huge cooler box with ice.
“Hey, Ma. Want some help?” Bryan asked as he started to stand up but Faith shook her head.
“Nah, lil’ dude, don’t worry. I got it,” Faith replied with a smile. “We’re gonna eat soon so stick around, ‘kay?”
“Alright, Ma,” Robin told her.
“Hey, aunt Faith! Awesome margaritas!” Abbie called out as her Godmother started to walk away. The Slayer simply looked back over her shoulder, grinned and winked at her Goddaughter.
Faith walked up the porch and entered the house to leave the ice-filled cooler in the kitchen. She had seen Anya, Amelia and her wife sitting at the table and rolled her eyes when she entered the kitchen. Willow and Tara sprung apart just as she entered and Tara hurried to re-do the upper buttons of her shirt properly.
“I won’t even bother sayin’ shit,” Faith muttered as she put the cooler down and left the kitchen as fast as she could.
‘Those two won’t ever stop,’ the Slayer thought with a chuckle.
“Damn. We should really stay away from each other tonight,” Willow whispered as she made sure her clothes were presentable.
“Why are we always gettin’ walked on?” Tara muttered and leaned back against the counter with a small frown on her face.
“‘Cause we’re horndogs and can’t help ourselves?” The redhead joked and that got her a giggle from her wife.
“Probably,” the blonde agreed.
They heard shouting and laughter and both women smiled widely.
“I think our twins are here,” both women said at the same time and laughed.
--20—
After a long day at Sunnydale University, Nick and Hannah finally arrived for the birthday get-together they knew was waiting for them.
“You go ahead, I’m gonna park the car in the garage,” Nick told his sister once they arrived to their parents’ house.
“‘Kay, Nicky. Don’t take too long, I don’t wanna face the hungry wolves alone,” Hannah joked before exiting the car and walking around the house.
Hannah grinned when she heard her sister and her cousins laughing from afar. The girl patted her jean’s pockets to make sure she had her phone and house keys. Hannah Anne Rosenberg had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her golden hair brushed her shoulders and flowed in natural waves. Her big eyes, one green and one blue, only made her more striking. Hannah had inherited her Mama Willow’s lithe body (except her boobs) and height so she was very happy about her aspect.
Hanna opened and closed the gate that separated the front of the house and the backyard as she entered and her grin grew even bigger when her cousins and sister rushed to greet her.
“Hey, guys! Missed me?” Hannah joked as her sister and Robin hugged her at the same time. The blonde wrapped her arms around her sister and cousin and grinned. “How are my girls?” She asked them.
“I’m fine. How are you? We didn’t see you in the whole week, bitch!” Abbie said and gave her sister an extra hug. “Happy B-Day, big sis.”
“Thanks, Abbs.” Hannah looked at her cousin with a smirk. “How are you, little birdy?”
Robin rolled her eyes at the old nickname.
“I’m great. Happy b-day, Han,” the brunette girl said honestly and patted her cousin’s back.
“I’m glad you’re both okay, girls,” Hannah let go of her two favorite girls and opened her arms again.
“Happy birthday, Hannah,” Becky said politely as ever and gave the older girl a hug.
“Thank you, Becks,” Hannah told her and then looked at Abbie and Robin. “See?” She pointed at Becky with her index finger. “This is a future sister-in-law who knows how to show respect,” the blonde added with a smug smirk.
“HANNAH!” Abbie yelled, her eyes wide as saucers.
“What?” Hannah asked innocently.
“And this is exactly why I don’t date,” Robin commented under her breath as she walked pass her cousins to go sit in her chair.
Nick chose that exact moment to enter the yard and he grinned when he saw an obviously annoyed Abbie, a red-faced Becky and an innocent looking twin of his.
“Damn, you don’t waste time, do ya, sis?” Nick joked and gladly received the hugs from Bryan and Tommy.
“Happy B-day, Nicky,” Bryan said as he pulled away.
“Thanks, Bry. And how’s our future baseball star?” Nick asked Tommy as he hugged him.
“I’m fine, Nicky. Happy birthday, by the way. And don’t call me that ‘till I make it into the team, dude,” Tommy said and chuckled.
“Thanks, dude. Been training with Bry?”
“Every day.”
“Awesome!” Nick looked at the girls, who had gathered around the chairs and said loudly: “Hey! No hug and kiss for your big brother? I’m hurt!”
As if on cue, both Abbie and Robin rolled their eyes at the same time but then they grinned and walked up to him.
“Happy B-day, big bro,” Abbie said as she hugged him. Nick kissed her on top of her head and squeezed her gently.
“Thanks, Abbs,” he said and then pulled Robin into a hug as well.
“Happy B-day, big guy,” Robin told him as she hugged him He kissed her on top of her head just like he did to Abbie and grinned.
“Thanks, lil’ birdy,” Nick said as he let go of her. “Hey! It’s the future sister-in-law!” He exclaimed when he saw Becky. The black-haired girl simply laughed and shook her head.
“NICK!” Abbie exclaimed, her eyes wide as saucers. Again.
“What?” asked Nick, pretending to look innocent. “You’ve been datin’ the girl for 3 years, lil’ Abbs. It’s time you make an honest woman outta her!”
“Oh, Nick, please do shut up,” Becky practically begged him and gave him a small hug. “Happy birthday.”
Nick laughed as he hugged her and patted her back gently.
“Thanks, Becks.”
“C’mon, big boy. The wolves are gettin’ hungry,” Hannah joked and pulled on her brother’s arm to where their aunts and grandparents were waiting for them.
“Oh, man,” the blonde boy mumbled.
“Hey, where are our beloved mothers?” Hannah asked as they reached the table and everyone stood up to greet them.
“Probably still makin’ out in the kitchen,” Faith said and pointed at the house with her thumb.
“Man, those two never stop, do they?” Nick joked and hugged his aunt Faith.
“Never,” the Slayer confirmed as she hugged her not-so-little-anymore
‘little man.’ “Happy B-day, Nicky-boy.”
“Thanks, aunt Faith.”
Hannah was being hugged by her Godmother, who looked like she was about to cry.
“Happy birthday, Hannah,” Dawn whispered to her Goddaughter and tried very hard not to cry. It was hard, in a way, to accept her little Goddaughter was turning 20 that day.
“Thanks, aunty Dawn,” Hannah said and gladly received a big kiss on her cheek from her Godmother.
Anya gave them a big hug and Xander followed his wife. Giles was a bit less enthusiastic but they were used to it. At last they got to Amelia. They always left their grandma for last. Both Hannah and Nick hugged her gently and kissed her cheek in greeting.
“Happy birthday, my dears. Oh, my little Princess,” Amelia breathed out as she gave Hannah a second hug. “Yu are such a gorgeous young woman, my little Princess…”
“Thank you, grandma,” Hannah said with a happy smile.
“And you, my little Prince…You have gotten so big, look at you,” Amelia told the tall muscular boy as he hugged her gently again. “Nicholas, you better hug me like you mean it. I’m not a porcelain doll,” the older woman warned.
“Alright, grandma,” Nick said with a grin before giving her a bear-hug that lifted her off the ground. Amelia never stopped laughing.
Willow and Tara hurried out of the house and smiled widely at their babies.
“Hey! Look who came up for air!” Faith practically yelled, causing her friends (and their kids) to blush.
“Faith!” Dawn scolded her wife playfully and her Slayer simply winked at her and blew her a playful kiss.
Tara simply rolled her eyes at her friend and stepped forward to take her daughter into her arms.
“Oh, little Princess. Happy birthday. I love you so much,” the blonde told her daughter and hugged her tighter.
“Thank you, Mom,” Hannah said and unconsciously breathed in that safe and familiar roses-scent that Hannah identified with her mom. “I love you too, Mom.”
Meanwhile, Willow was hugging their son. More like Nick was holding his mother a few inches off the ground, really.
“Happy B-day, little man,” the redhead mother said, near tears. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Mommy,” Nick whispered and his lips curled into an Oh so-familiar crocked-grin.
They switched kids, so Hannah hugged Willow and Nick hugged Tara. Just as Xander was announcing the B-B-Q was ready to be served so they all got comfortable around the table in their usual spots. Willow sat at the head of the table with Tara to her right and Faith to her left. Dawn sat next to her wife and across the table Amelia took her place next to her daughter. Giles was next to Amelia and Xander and Anya sat across from him. Tommy, Bryan and Nick took the seats besides Giles while Robin, Abbie, Becky and Hannah sat on the other side. The kids’ seats were arranged in that order a long time ago by their parents because the kids tended to get in troubles, specially if Robin, Abbie and Bryan were left unsupervised.
“Xander, this is delicious,” Willow complimented her friend with a grin.
“Yeah, awesome job, Xand-man,” Faith agreed.
“Really awesome, uncle Xander,” Nick added and nodded, his grin covered in Xander’s special sauce.
“You look like a pig, Nicky. C’mon, clean yourself,” Hannah scolded her brother and handed him a napkin with a completely discussed look on her face.
Nick grabbed the napkin and cleaned his face while rolling his eyes at her.
“There. Happy?”
“Very,” replied Hannah smugly.
She didn’t know her parents were watching them and sharing amused smiles.
--20—
Tara and Amelia wanted to bring out the desserts they had made but on general vote, they decided to wait a little while because everyone was stuffed. So Anya, Dawn, Amelia and Tara decided to take everything back to the kitchen to pack the leftovers (although considering the appetites one Slayer and three boys there wasn’t much left) and wash the dishes so they could serve the desserts and cake later. Xander went to the grill to make sure there weren’t any embers left and the others spread out all over the yard. The kids headed back to their little circle of chairs and the adults hung around the table as usual.
“Oh, man, I can barely move,” Abbie muttered as she slumped on the comfy cushions on wooden chair. “I’m so stuffed…”
“Oh, well, then I’ll sit over here,” Becky said with mock-sadness and went to sit on the chair besides her girlfriend’s.
Abbie quickly grabbed her girlfriend’s hand and pulled her onto her lap, causing the British girl to squeal.
“Noooo! Stay with me,” Abbie pouted playfully and gave her girlfriend her best puppy-dog-eyes. Becky rolled her eyes at her and giggled.
“You are insane, my love,” the black-haired girl whispered so only her girlfriend could hear her as she shifted slightly so she was sitting comfortably on her girlfriend’s thighs.
“And yet, you love me. What does that say about your mental state, babe?” Abbie teased. She pulled her girlfriend closer and wrapped her arms loosely around Becky’s hips.
Becky opened her mouth to reply when a mocking voice interrupted her.
“It tells us that you’re both fuckin’ insane; now give it a rest, will ya? Please? I don’t feel like pukin’ tonight,” Hannah teased and sat on the chair with a tall glass of what looked like margarita in her hand.
“Bitter much, Han?” Abbie asked and rolled her eyes at her sister.
Robin showed up with a small coffee table and placed it in the middle of the circle. Tommy was right behind her holding a large bottle of Pepsi and two glasses. Bryan was already drinking from his glass as he sat down between his sister and Tommy.
“Don’t mind Hannah, Abbs,” Nick said and approached the girls holding three glasses filled with margarita. “She’s in her
‘guys suck. Girls are bitches and I haven’t gotten laid in six months-mode’” the older boy added and handed two of the glasses to them.
“Shut up, Nicky. I’m not like that,” Hannah scoffed and rolled her eyes at her brother.
“You’ve been like this for a while, Han. And you’re gettin’ annoyed at ‘em for bein’ all coupley,” Nick reasoned and got comfortable on his chair.
“Which is so normal, it goes unnoticed by now,” Robin added her two cents.
“Stay out of this, Rob,” Hannah warned and Robin simply ignored her. “I’m not frustrated or anythin’ like that. I’m annoyed ‘cause I called their names like five times and they were too fuckin’ distracted to notice it!”
“Again. What’s new ‘bout that?” Robin asked.
“Everyone, just forget it. ‘Kay?” Abbie said. She honestly didn’t want to argue that night. It was easy for them to start arguing and end up fighting for real, considering their strong personalities. The redhead girl looked at her sister. “I’m sorry, Han. We didn’t mean to ignore you.”
“It’s cool, Abbs. Don’t worry,” Hannah said and gave her baby sister a smile.
“Actually, you’re right, Hannah. We do get caught up in each other a lot and sometimes ignore everyone around us. So I apologize as well,” Becky told her, truly feeling bad about it.
“Don’t worry, Becks. I get it, it’s-”
“For fuck’s sake,” Robin interrupted her cousin loudly. “Are we gonna start the Kumbayas now? Stop apologizin’ ‘cause Her Majesty over there hasn’t gotten laid in a while,” the brunette said and everyone could see that familiar mischievous glint in her eyes.
“Rob, please. Don’t start. Don’t get Hannah started either,” Bryan warned his sister and rolled his eyes at her.
“Oh, c’mon, Bry… Her Majesty knows I’m just kiddin’,” Robin said, taking the opportunity to tease her cousin again.
“Don’t worry, Bry. Our little birdy is right. I mean, I get it. For you she must be a huge pain in the ass but I can handle her at any time,” Hannah bantered back with a haughty look in her eyes.
“You guys know what? The Simpsons rerun is on TV right now. I’m outta here,” Tommy said as he stood up and left the circle, clearly annoyed at their eternal teasing and bantering.
The kids watched him disappear once again inside the house.
“Kiddo sure needs to relax,” Robin muttered under her breath and took a sip from her glass.
“What’s wrong with him?” Abbie asked, not understanding.
“I think he’s annoyed at the constant teasing, mocking and bantering,” Becky replied, nodding because she understood that the group could be a bit harsh sometimes.
“Nah… He’s annoyed ‘cause he’s missin’ a party,” Bryan finally replied after a moment of consideration. At the questioning looks he got, the boy sighed. “His friend’s dad built a cool games room in his basement and he allowed the kids to get together and spend the night there. They were gonna eat junk food and play video games the whole night. Top secret, guys,” he added at the end their code for
‘this doesn’t leave our circle.’ “So why the hell he isn’t with his friends?” Nick asked with a small frown on his face.
“Aunt Anya and uncle Xander were going to let ‘im go but since it was tonight, your b-day, they decided he had to stay and be with the family,” Bryan explained.
Hannah sighed and shook her head.
“They should have let him go. It’s stupid to force him to stay when it’s not somethin’ super important,” the blonde girl said. “They fucked it up.”
“I totally agree, Han. But don’t say they fucked it up. I mean, it
IS your birthday,” Abbie said.
“I’m not sayin’ our birthday isn’t important, Abbs,” Hannah explained. “I’m sayin’ that it’s not a unique birthday. It’s not the most important one. It’s not a Sweet 16 or 18 or a 21 birthday. And I think I can speak for both Nicky and myself when I say that we wouldn’t have minded.”
“Totally! If it was a more important occasion, then of course we’d want everyone here. But it isn’t. Besides, what’d you prefer? Have him happy or have him here sulking? Like now?” Nick added, in complete agreement with his twin.
“But it’s your birthday, guys. It’s always important. And family bein’ together for a birthday is more important than hangin’ out with friends. Always,” Abbie contradicted him gently and shrugged. “I’m not tryin’ to start an argument, I’m just sharing my point of view.”
“Yeah but it’s not wrong to prioritize friends, sometimes, Abbs,” Nick told her.
“Family always comes first, guys. C’mon,” Abbie said.
“Let’s be more realistic, Abbs. Tommy’s 15 years old. Sure, there isn’t much difference between us. But we do have more freedom to come and go whenever we want than he does. We can see our friends at any time. He still has to ask permission,” Bryan said.
“Also, most of us keep our friends out of the house. It’s easier than go around lyin’ all the time to them. Balancin’ our friends and our
‘family secret’ can be exhaustin’ sometimes, dude,” Robin said, adding her thoughts.
“Gotta admit it, you were lucky in that sense, baby sis,” Nick added with a smile.
“What do you mean with that?” Abbie asked, slightly confused.
“Love, who are your best friends?” Becky asked patiently because she understood their point quickly.
“Franky, Friky and you. Why?”
“Abbie, love… Franky is a half-demon and Friky has visions,” Becky clarified for her girlfriend and smiled when she saw realization settle on her girlfriend’s eyes.
“Right. Of course. I never considered that. Never thought of it that way,” Abbie said and nodded.
“You know, for a genius, sometimes you’re a little slow, baby sis,” Nick grinned at her and playfully smacked her knee.
“Yeah, lucky bitch,” Hannah added to the teasing.
“‘Kay. Enough serious talk for tonight,” Nick said as he stood up and left his empty glass on the table. “Bry, I think a nice rerun of The Simpsons sounds nice right now. Wanna join?”
“Yeah, I think that’s cool, Nicky,” Bryan agreed and stood up as well.
“Great.”
The boys left quickly and the girls were left in silence, all lost in thoughts.
“You know, I never thought of our friends like that,” Abbie told her girlfriend and the girl simply smiled patiently at her. “I mean, Franky’s always been around, we’ve been friends ever since I have memory! And Friky’s been my friend for like…ten years and then his brain exploded and… I just never thought of this.”
“Me neither, Abbie,” Becky agreed softly. “But I am glad they’re your friends. Specially your friend Friky,” the British girl added with a little grin.
“Without him we wouldn’t have gotten to you on time and we wouldn’t have met, I know,” Abbie grinned and sighed contently. “I am so glad…”
--20—
“Hey, baby. Should we bring dessert out now?” Willow asked her wife, who was sitting next to her.
“I don’t know…” Tara looked around the table and asked out loud: “Hey, everyone… Want dessert now?”
“I know I do,” Faith replied, grinning. Dawn, who was nestled in her wife’s arms, rolled her eyes at her.
“Me too!” Jumped Xander from his seat.
“You are always ready to keep eating,” the blue eyed brunette commented jokingly to her wife.
“Thought we had this conversation 20 years ago, dear wife o’ mine…” Faith pointed at herself with her index finger. “Slayer…” The same finger pointed at her stomach. “Slayer stomach. Needs food to run.” She shrugged and chuckled.
“Xander isn’t the Slayer but has the stomach of one,” Amelia joked and everyone laughed, including the man in question
“I guess I’m bringin’ dessert out, then,” Willow grinned and stood up.
“I’ll help, Red,” Faith said and patted Dawn’s hip. Once her wife moved slightly, the Slayer stood up to go help her friend.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to help?” Tara asked her wife and Willow grinned.
“Don’t worry, baby. We’ve got it,” was all the redhead said and went inside with Faith.
“I think tomorrow we’re gonna have to work extra hard to lose all the calories from tonight,” Dawn joked as she relaxed in her chair.
“It’s your entire fault, Tare, for bein’ such a good cook,” Xander joked as well with a grin and patted his tummy.
“Of course, it is all Tara’s fault,” Giles responded sarcastically with a small smile on his lips.
“Right. And your own incapacity to keep your mouth shut is not at fault, at all,” Anya said and rolled her eyes mockingly at her husband.
“Good one, Anh,” Xander told his wife and patted her thigh affectionately.
“So…Who’s takin’ care of patrol tonight, if we’re all here?” Amelia asked her daughter while Dawn, Xander and Anya got distracted talking about work.
“The Fang-Gang is,” Tara answered her mother with a smile. “They’re gonna patrol and then come over to bring their presents for the twins.”
“Presents?” Amelia asked, surprised. When they turned 18, the twins had decided they didn’t want presents anymore. But they didn’t reject any money, if people wanted to give them some.
“It’s what Angel said,” Tara shrugged.
“Are they all comin’ or only Angel and Cordelia?”
“No idea, mom. Angel just said they’d be here around 8, patrol for us and then come over,” Tara explained what the Elder Vampire had told her.
“It’s very nice of Angel and his crew to help by taking care of patrol,” Amelia said gratefully. “It certainly makes things easier for us.”
“I believe Willow and Faith arranged it with him,” Giles interjected. “I think that after so many…eh eventful occasions on our end and theirs, they worked out some kind of agreement,” the old Watcher added.
“What kinda of agreement?” Tara asked him.
‘Will never mentioned anything,’ the blonde thought surprised.
“Oh, well, I’m not sure… But I think the point is to make sure that each group has back up for special occasions such as this one,” Giles explained.
“That’s a good idea,” Tara nodded in agreement.
“I thought so, as well,” Giles agreed as well.
A few minutes later Willow and Faith started carrying everything outside. Tara and Amelia had baked two different kinds of pies and some cupcakes with butterscotch frosting. It was one of Amelia’s special recipes and everyone loved it.
“Baby, Amelia, you outdo yourselves every time,” Willow said around a mouthful of chocolate and strawberry pie.
“Yup! Totally awesome!” Xander agreed and shoved a large piece of pie into his mouth.
“Xander!” Anya scolded him lightly.
Xander swallowed hard and quickly apologized for eating like a pig.
“Give him a break, Anya. These pies are just so good,” Willow said in defense of her friend, not aware of the fact that she had chocolate all over her mouth. And a tiny bit on her cheek.
“Will, sweetie, you have chocolate all over you,” Tara said holding back her laughter. The blonde grabbed a napkin and gently wiped her wife’s mouth with all the love in her heart.
“Thanks, baby,” the redhead said with a huge grin before going back to her delicious piece of pie.
“Why is it every time that Amelia or Tara makes a pie, you start behaving like children?” Giles wondered out loud before eating a little piece of lemon pie in a much more civilized manner.
“Don’t forget about this one,” Dawn muttered and pointed beside her with her spoon with even looking.
Amelia had baked a whole lemon pie for Faith because the Slayer a (surprising) weakness and obsession for them. It had surprised them when they had realized that Faith had never tasted lemon pie before (so many years ago) so Amelia had made her one. Ever since then, the Slayer had fallen in love with Amelia’s lemon pies and forgot all kinds of manners when it came to them.
That night wasn’t an exception… Faith was devouring the pie like her life depended on it and she didn’t seem to care about having some smeared on her cheek and all over her mouth.
“You are worse than a kid,” Dawn mumbled. She grabbed a napkin and threw it at her wife. “Clean yourself! Your kids behave better than you.”
“Sorry, D,” Faith murmured as she cleaned her mouth and cheek.
“I honestly don’t get it,” the blue-eyed woman said.
“Dear, there’s nothing to get. It’s just another side of them,” Amelia told her wisely. “We all have something that makes us act like children. You should see this one when Dr Who is on,” the older woman added and nodded her head towards the Watcher beside her.
Giles almost choked on his pie and turned bright red. Amelia grinned and patted his back gently.
“Dr Who is an awesome show! Giles, did ya see the rerun last Saturday?” Willow asked the Watcher excitedly.
“No, I must have missed it,” Giles replied after some hesitation. “Which Dr…”
“Oh! It was a rerun of the 10th. My favorite Dr!” Willow answered, grinning.
“David Tennant made a fantastic job as the Dr. Although I’m partial to Tom Baker,” Giles commented, his embarrassment gone for a moment.
As Willow and Giles started a conversation about their favorite moments, Xander joined them. The rest of the table simple snickered and carried on talking about other things. Willow even moved so she was sitting in front of Giles and they could talk uninterrupted.
“They are adorable,” Amelia said and shook her head fondly.
“If not a bit insane,” Dawn added jokingly.
“Oh, please… One time I said I liked The Lord of the Rings movies more than the Harry Potter movies and you gave me the silent treatment for a whole day,” Faith snorted at her wife.
“And then we agreed that it was a misunderstanding,” Dawn reminded her Slayer wife with a look that clearly said
‘let it go.’ “Yeah, when you realized I was talkin’ ‘bout the damn movies, not the books,” Faith shot back with a smirk.
“We’re surrounded by nerds,” Tara whispered to her mother and they shared a smile.
“It’s just another reason to love them, my dear,” Amelia said and they both sighed contently.
“At least we’re not talking Scooby business,” Tara always saw the positive side though she was half-joking, she truly didn’t mind her wife’s nerdy side. She actually loved her for it.
Tara saw how Willow stood up and motioned her over. So she got up and walked to her wife wondering what she needed.
“What’s up, sweetheart?”
“Come, baby,” said Willow and grabbed her hand before leading her to the porch and back into their house.
“What’s goin’ on, Will?” Tara asked as they crossed the kitchen and headed towards the front door.
“The guys are here,” Willow said excitedly and let go of her wife’s hand to open the front door.
Angel, Cordelia and a fabulous looking Lorne smiled at them when the door opened to reveal them waiting in the front porch.
“Hey, Will! How are you?” Cordelia greeted her as she entered the house first. “Tare, hon. How are you?”
“Nice to see you, Cordy,” Willow said as they shared a friendly hug and the Seer separated long enough to hug Tara.
“I’m great. You, Cordy?” The blonde asked after they pulled away.
“I’m great too. Although I’m not so sure about my shirt, I’ll never be able to get the vamp dust off of it,” the Seer complained and showed her the sleeve of her shirt, where Tara could see a clear stain of vampire dust. It was always complicated to wash it out.
“Remind me to give you a few bottles of my special blend,” Tara told her with a wink.
“It’s nice to see you, Tara,” Angel told her as they shared a friendly hug.
“It’s nice to see you too, Angel,” Tara said back and smiled kindly at him.
Meanwhile Willow jumped with a happy squeal into Lorne’s arms.
“Willow-tree! Darling, it’s SO good to see you,” Lorne spoke happily as he hugged the redhead Witch tight.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you too! I definitely missed you, Lorne!” Willow told him with a huge smile on her face.
“You and Tare-bear should come to Caritas more often, now that your kids are all grown up,” Lorne commented with a discreet cheeky wink as he pulled away. “Ahhh….There’s our Singing Blonde Angel! Tare-bear, gorgeous as always, dear,” he appraised her as he hugged her warmly.
“It’s great to see you too, Lorne,” the blonde said warmly. Tara kissed his cheek and the Host pretended to blush like a school girl, always laughing.
“Why don’t we go to the yard and you guys can say hello to everybody? Also, Cordy, Lorne, have you eaten?” Willow asked the two friends who actually ate food.
“And there’s some blood for you, Angel, if you want any,” Tara told their vampire friend.
“We are already, Will, don’t worry,” Cordelia told them and smiled.
“I wouldn’t mind, though,” Angel told Tara. “But just point me to where it is and I’ll take care of it,” he added, not wanting to make her uncomfortable by having to heat up his blood.
“Nonsense, Angel. I’ll take care of it,” the blonde told him firmly and lead the way to the kitchen.
“Angel-cakes, Cordy, dears, go ahead. I have a little somethin’ to talk about with our witchy-duo,” Lorne told his friends and waved them outside.
“You have something to tell us, Lorne?” Willow asked him and leaned against the counter whole Tara took care of Angel’s blood.
“Is there anything wrong, sweetie?” Tara asked him and put the large travel mug (they kept it around specially for Angel) in the microwave.
“Nothing wrong, dear. I just wanted to let you know that one of my friends absolutely loved your products, Tare. Those creams you sent me and those bath salts… Oh, my! She loved them!” Lorne told them excitedly. “She has her own shop. She sells all that kind of stuff, bath salts, soaps, creams, all natural. And wanted to know if maybe you’d be interested in doing business with her.”
Tara was stunned. Sure, it was something she did and everyone in the family loved them but she had never thought of selling her products, even though Anya had suggested it more than once. It was just a hobby for her.
“Wow… That’s great!” Willow exclaimed, not that much surprised. She knew her wife’s products were amazing.
“Really? She wants my products? Wow… I don’t know what to say,” Tara said, still shocked.
Lorne simply smiled and reached into the pocket of his purple slacks. He pulled out a business card and handed it to Willow because the blonde still seemed too shocked to take it.
“Just think about it, sweetheart. And if you wanna speak with her, just give her a call. Now, if you excuse me, my favorite kids are waiting for their favorite uncle,” was all the Host said and walked out to the yard.
Lorne stood on top of the porch and grinned.
“Now, now, now… Where are all my favorite kiddos?” Lorne yelled as he opened his arms wide with that typical theatrical air of his. He simply stood there, smiling as everyone looked at him. “I believe I asked a question,” the Host sang lightly.
The kids, who were all greeting Angel and Cordy, grinned at the Host when they saw him in all his purple-suited glory. Three very excited girls squealed and ran towards him like little girls.
“Uncle Lorne!” The girls were really excited to see their
‘secret’ favorite uncle.
“OH, my favorite little angels!” Lorne hugged the three girls, who were squeezing him as tight as they could. “Oh, look at you, dear Lord! You all are so grown up and gorgeous!”
“It’s so great to see you, uncle Lorne!” Abbie squealed and hugged him again after her sister and cousin pulled away.
“Let uncle Lorne look at each of you, girls.” Lorne held Abbie at arm’s length and grinned. “My little baby-dyke, you look more gorgeous every day and more like your Mama every time I see you. But with the butch-y style of your Godmother and pulling it off better than both of them,” he added with a cheeky wink and smirk.
Abbie giggled.
“I love you too, uncle Lorne,” the redhead said and tip-toed to kiss his cheek before moving so her cousin could greet him properly.
“My oh my… I keep tellin’ you those dimples may just kill me, one of these days, my gorgeous girl,” the Host teased cheekily as he hugged Robin, who laughed whole heartedly.
“I missed you, uncle Lorne. Are you goin’ to sing tonight? I’ll go get my guitar,” Robin asked eagerly when she let go. She
LOVED singing with her uncle Lorne.
“Only ‘cause you asked, baby-cakes,” Lorne confirmed and nodded.
“Great! Be right back!” Robin squealed and ran to get her guitar from her house.
“Awesome!” Lorne exclaimed happily and then turned to Hannah. “And here’s my birthday girl! Look at you, you gorgeous girl! I told this to your mothers the first time I saw you as a baby and I’ll say it again… Those big eyes and that face are total natural heart-breakers,” Lorne told Hannah and wrapped his arms around her as tight as he could. The girl hugged him back and smiled.
“You were definitely missed, uncle Lorne,” Hannah told him and kissed his cheek. “And thanks for the compliment. You look dashing and fabulous as always. So handsome!” The girl added with a cheeky grin.
“Dear, you’ll make me blush,” the Host scolded her playfully and then gave her a warm smile. “Happy birthday, Hannah, darling.”
“Thanks, uncle Lorne.”
“I want to hear all about college later, ‘kay? Now I’ll greet our other birthday boy before starts to pout,” Lorne joked and winked.
“Uncle Lorne, you’ll make me look bad,” Nick joked and gladly received a warm hug from the tall demon. “It’s great to have you here tonight, uncle.”
“I wouldn’t miss it from anything, baby goy. And are you sure I can’t convince ya to pick an acting career? I know people in Hollywood would sell their own mothers to have you in their films.” Nick simply laughed.
“If I ever want a change, I’ll let you know, uncle Lorne,” Nick said and patted his uncle’s arm.
“I’ll never give up tryin’, my boy,” the Host joked and turned to Bryan. “Aaahhhh…. Bryan, sir, I must say you look remarkably handsome tonight,” he told the boy with a perfect and proper British accent as he shook Bryan’s hand.
“And you, sir. It’s an honor to have you with us tonight,” Bryan said back, doing a great imitation of a British accent.
Finally, they both burst out laughing and shared a friendly hug.
“I missed that, uncle,” Bryan said, still laughing, and his uncle patted his back.
“Me to, my boy. You’re the only one I can joke like that with,” Lorne told him and wiped a tear of laughter from his eye.
“Hey, uncle Lorne,” Tommy said as he approached him. The tall demon’s personality sometimes intimidated him a bit but the boy loved his uncle as he loved the others.
“Tommy, my boy!” Lorne gave him a warm hug and ruffled his hair a bit. “How’s that arm? Super strong?”
“My arm’s great, uncle Lorne. Bry’s helpin’ me train for the next try-outs and I’m feeling great about it,” Tommy responded with a grin.
“That’s great! Our future Dodgers’ star will shine so bright,” Lorne said with a theatrical gesture of his hand. Tommy laughed and patted his uncle’s arm.
“Either the Dodgers’ or the Yankees, uncle,” the boy said.
“Still feel like a part of me should be offended that you kids love the Yankees so damn much,” Faith said teasingly as she got closer and playfully slapped Lorne’s back. “And you encouragin’ them…”
“My beloved Dark Slayer! I encourage their sense of stardom, not their personal tastes…”
Willow and Tara watched from their seats as Lorne greeted the rest of the family with his loud flamboyant attitude and made everyone smile happily. Lorne always was able to put a smile on their faces.
“You know, we could go to Caritas more often now. Lorne’s right,” Willow commented, nested in her wife’s arms, who was sitting behind her. “It’s true, the kids don’t need us to be around all the time. Nicky and Hannah have their own place now and I’m just sure that Abbie would love us more if we were gone every Friday night.”
“And you’re sure about leavin’ Abbie alone every Friday night?” Tara asked with a small smile on her face. “You know, leave her alone with her friends or with Becky?” The blonde asked, somewhat mockingly and Willow snorted.
“Yeah, yeah… Keep mockin’ me, baby. As much as I don’t like sayin’ this…Our kids have learnt the very same silencing spell you and I created so no one could hear us having sex. So I stopped foolin’ myself about their innocence a long time ago. Hell, Abbie and Becky have been datin’ for almost three years now. I have no expectations what-so-ever.”
“Oh, my wife’s so grown up,” Tara teased and kissed her wife’s neck.
“Yeah, yeah…Mock me, baby,” Willow snorted again. “Anyway, I know we can trust Abbie and Becky to stay alone in the house. And their friends, Franky and Johnny, they’re cool kids. They’re just gonna camp in the living room to watch movies or anime,” the redhead added confidently because they had known them for years.
“Besides, Faith’s right next door to keep an eye on things. Right?” Tara asked with a smug smirk and an equally smug smirk appeared in her wife’s lips.
“Yup,” Willow confirmed and giggled. Tara laughed and tightened her hold around her wife.
“You’re bein’ mean, my love,” the blonde teased. “But what about Scooby’s business, Will?”
“As long as nothing major is goin’ on, then everything should be okay. And if magical help is needed, then the kids are around, Robin and Bryan as well. Not to mention Giles and your mom,” Willow easily replied.
“So you changed your mind about the kids participatin’ more actively in Scooby’s business?” Tara asked. Willow hadn’t exactly opposed it before but she and Tara had agreed to keep it minimal. Not because their kids weren’t capable of handling themselves (they had been trained their whole lives) but because the older Scoobies didn’t want the kids to feel tied to the commitment. They wanted their kids to be free to choose to stay away.
“The
‘mom’ part of me still says a big NO. But Faith and I were the first ones to think that the kids needed to be trained. We convinced the rest of you to train the kids from early age so they would know how to handle anything,” Willow reasoned.
“Yes, it’s true, Will. We gave our kids all the knowledge they could possibly need. And made sure that they knew, and they do know, that they’re free to make their own choice. They can stay away from Scooby’s business or they can be part or only help occasionally. They know that, sweetheart,” Tara reassured her wife just like she had reassured her many times before.
“I know, baby. Thanks for reminding me.” Willow sighed and smiled when her wife’s perfume reached her nostrils. “We made a deal with the other Scoobies and the kids. They could only participate fully when they turn 18. The twins are 20 and Abbie’s 18 already. Hell, I think Abbie’s got more field time than the twins and I still don’t get how the hell that happened!”
“I think that happened because our little girl inherited your passion for helping people, your courage, and your talent for magic… And Faith’s attitude,” Tara joked and Willow snorted once again.
“My point was… That they are interested in helpin’. Specially Abbie, Nick, Hannah and Robin. They want to be part of the Scoobies and they understand how dangerous and serious it is. And they are… Tare, you have seen them! They’re incredible! They’re already capable of doin’ a better job than we do. And they take stuff more seriously than we do sometimes,” Willow explained her point while her wife nodded in agreement.
“Do you think that one day…They will take over the Scooby duties for good? And that if they have kids…their kids will continue?”
“I don’t know…Could happen, baby. A lot of different things could happen. A little part of me thinks it would be really cool, ya know? And somewhere down the line, one of them will say
‘these are my great-great-great-many greats-grandmothers Willow and Tara. They were part of the original Scooby Gang…’” Willow joked and Tara chuckled.
“Yeah… It would be kinda cool,” the blonde agreed.
“In the meantime…We can go to Caritas or do anything we want, pretend we’re newlyweds with no responsibilities and have…
a lot of fun. Just you and me, baby,” Willow went back to her original point and gave her wife a very suggestive grin.
Tara simply laughed and planted a big kiss on her wife’s lips. Her redhead was so damn adorable, even when trying to be sexy.
‘Goddess, I love you so much, Will…’ Tara couldn’t help to think as she enjoyed feeling her wife’s lips against hers. It was just a chaste kiss, since they were in public, but it meant so much to them. That kiss spoke of love, and friendship and affection and how much they loved each other.
After they separated, both Willow and Tara burst out laughing when they saw Lorne grab Becky and start to waltz while singing
‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ with his beautiful voice. The British girl was a great dancer and didn’t have any problem following Lorne’s theatrical waltzing. She laughed openly as the Host twirled her around as if she was a prima ballerina. The Witches smiled contently when (after dancing) Lorne, Robin and Hannah started singing, with Robin playing the guitar and Hannah playing the violin.
Willow and Tara were so relaxed, just basking in the happiness in the air, that they never heard Nick asking his twin to sing one of the old songs their Mom always used to sing to them when they were kids.
“Hey, Mom! Mama! Come dance this one with us!” Hannah yelled and started playing the old familiar song with her violin.
Used to their kids’ antics, Willow simply stood up and offered her hand to her wife, who took it gladly. The two Witches walked up to the middle of the yard and simply allowed themselves to become lost in the Oh so familiar melody. Green eyes met blue as Tara rested her forehead against Willow’s.
“Our babies’ song…” Willow whispered happily and received that special Willow-only lopsided smile she loved so much.
‘Tale as old as time
True as it can be
Barely even friends
Then somebody bends
Unexpectedly
Just a little change
Small to say the least
Both a little scared
Neither one prepared
Beauty and the Beast…
Willow and Tara were so self-absorbed in each other that they didn’t notice the couples joining them. Abbie had pulled Becky into her arms instantly and as she rested her cheek on the British girl’s cheek, she glanced at her mothers and tightened her arms around her girlfriend, hoping to never have to let go of the girl in her arms. Faith blushed slightly but still smiled lovingly at her wife as they moved slowly to the music. The Slayer never forgot just how lucky she was. She thanked the Fates every single day for having everything she had…
‘Certain as the sun
Rising in the East
Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the Beast…’
--20—
They finally got the cake out (a beautifully decorated cake made by Tara) and put it at the head of the table. Nick and Hannah were surrounded by their whole family as they all sang
‘Happy Birthday’ to them. Everyone was super happy when they congratulated them and took the mandatory birthday photos.
“Hey, Cordy, you never said why Wesley, Gunn and Fred didn’t come with you,” Willow asked her.
“Gunn called his old gang to man the fort ‘till tomorrow. And Wes and Fred had to stay behind ‘cause little Ellie was feeling a bit under the weather,” Cordelia replied.
“Oh. What’s wrong with Ellie?” Tara asked, referring to the 8 years old daughter of Wesley and Fred.
“Oh, nothing serious. I think it’s just a cold. Other than that, she’s great! Ellie is like a ray of light for us,” Cordy said, beaming with pride for her Goddaughter.
“Yeah, kids tend to do that,” Tara said with a grin, obviously joking.
“Hey, I have an idea! If Wes and Fred agree, they should bring Ellie around on weekends. They’re always fun around here,” Willow suggested.
“Well, Saturday is actually our day,” Cordy said with a slightly mischievous grin. “But if you’re still doin’ your infamous Sunday brunch, then I’ll bring her over myself. I think she could use to spend some more time with you all and your kids.”
“Unless something’s goin’ on, then our Sunday Brunch is a sacred tradition in our house, Cordy,” Tara told her seriously and then broke into a grin.
“Specially now that Hannah and Nicky have their own place. Sometimes we don’t see them during the week and they have personal stuff on Saturdays but they always come over on Sunday for brunch,” Willow added.
“That’s great! Then I’ll talk to Wes and Fred and next Sunday we’ll be here,” Cordy said eagerly.
“Great! Then, we will save a spot for you, guys.”
--20—
After opening Cordelia’s and Angel’s
‘cool’ presents, which had been obviously picked by the Seer (luxury tickets to the next Chargers game for Nick, a very expensive pair of designer jeans for Hannah and a brand new leather jacket for Abbie), everyone just relaxed while Faith delighted them with her mixed drinks. All but Robin, Bryan and Tommy, of course. The latter two boys had gone back inside to watch TV while the rest of the cousins sat in their circle of chairs, away from the adults. The adults all stuck around the table, except for Amelia and Giles, who had retired for the night.
“So, Cordy, how’s everything in LA?” Willow asked the Seer while sipping from her margarita glass. “I mean, is it all clear? You know, with that guy who was givin’ ya guys troubles?”
“Oh, that idiot was such a…ass! If Angel hadn’t staked that jerk I would have bitch-slapped him myself. He was a real pain in the ass,” Cordelia replied and rolled her eyes as she spoke.
“But what did he do? You just mentioned that you had a vamp giving you a hard time, that’s all,” the redhead said.
“He used tis magic-thingy to drive everyone nuts. This object didn’t do anything bad, per se. Only allowed you to
‘live’ a fantasy for an hour. But this jerk was usin’ it to steal and kill people. When he realized we were after him, he started usin’ it on us,” Cordelia explained, exasperated once again.
“What a jerk!” But after thinking about it for a moment, Willow smirked mischievously, decided to mess with her friend a bit. “What fantasies did you
‘live’, Cordy?”
Cordelia gave her an arched eyebrow but Willow could see amusement in her eyes.
“Wouldn’t you like to know, Will…”The Seer finally smiled. “That info will die with me, Willow, so don’t even try.”
“Bet I know what handsome guy was in those fantasies,” the redhead teased with an appointed look towards a certain Elder Vampire who was talking with Xander afar from them.
“Will…C’mon,” Cordelia sighed, almost defeated.
Willow leaned in closer so her words wouldn’t be heard by anyone else and placed her hand on her friend’s arm gently.
“Cordy, you know what I think… I think that you’re both wasting precious time you could be spending together. I mean, Angel’s soul is safe. You can be together,” the redhead told her what she had told Cordelia over 10 times in the past 20 years.
“I know. But… In the end, I’m gonna grown old and die and… He won’t,” Cordelia said, feeling completely defeated by the situation. “Also, Angel’s got a destiny to fulfill, Will. And I can’t get in the way of that. I made my vow to help him fulfill that destiny, not stand in his way…I don’t know, I feel so torn about this whole thing…”
“Why?” Willow asked her softly.
“I feel torn ‘cause…As cheesy as this sounds, I keep hearing your voice, Will, inside my head.” Cordelia actually smiled at the surprised look in her friend’s face. “And your voice keeps repeatin’ the same words, over and over again.”
“What?”
“
‘Love is the only worthy thing is this world…’ Your words, Willow,” Cordelia told her and Willow frowned.
“How…I only said that a few times. And I’m pretty sure that I never told
YOU that phrase,” Willow said, shocked.
Cordelia simply smirked mysteriously and tapped her right temple with her delicate index finger. The Seer winked at her friend and quietly stood up from her place to go and sit with Tara and Dawn, who were talking about a new book.
Willow was left behind wondering if the Seer had a vision of her saying that phrase to Faith or when she said it to her kids.
--20—
Location: somewhere in the universe…“So…you decided to send them a little present from their auntie?” A calm female voice said. The girl who spoke laid back on a comfortable white couch and rested her head on her hands behind her head.
“Yeah. They belong to them. You know I don’t usually like pullin’ this kind of crap but for now, it’s necessary. It’s part of their fate,” the other female said as she approached the couch, the pristine white office sparkling clean behind her. The blonde girl sat right next to the other girl’s waist on the couch and leaned back a little.
“So…the talismans will help them become the best warriors? In the future?” The Asian girl asked, a tiny satisfied smile pulling at her lips because she loved being a human-pillow for her lover. “Is that right, Buffy?”
“The talismans were sent to them because they belong to them. Also, the talismans will help protect them to guarantee they will be safe. They so have no idea their role, their importance for the future of the world and their family…” Suddenly, Buffy face-palmed and rolled her shoulders backwards to try and relieve some tension. “God! I sound like those stuffy Watchers jerks.”
“Nah, you don’t. You sound like my General, that’s all, ma’am,” the Asian girl grinned openly because she knew just how much Buffy loved it when she called her that.
Buffy rolled her eyes at her lover and chuckled.
“C’mon, Satsu. Move that perky ass of yours, we’ve got more work to do,” Buffy said and playfully smacked the girl’s knee.
“NAH! Work can wait for minutes,” Satsu said as her hand grabbed her lover’s arm and pulled Buffy down to the couch with her, causing Buffy to squeal and laugh…
*********************************************************************************************
Okay…this is it. The First Chapter!! I hope that you enjoyed the beginning of this ride and decided to stick around for what’s coming…See you next week, Kittens.