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[Laragh]

Tara's nose crinkled.

"W-what...where's it gone?"

"Uh...guys...?"

Dawn lifted her arm slowly to point out the windscreen.

[taranwillow4ever]

Which was positioned on the edge of Willow’s kneecaps, still upright and hopefully safe.

[Dub]

Willow opened her eyes "I was aiming for the trunk. Guess I don't know cars well."

“You did that?” Dawn lowered her arm. “Neat.”

“Aww, you gave the marshmallow snowmen mini marshmallow snow-babies.” Buffy’s stomach grumbled. “I’ll go get the box off the hood.”

Willow unbuckled

[shirrey]

and leapt from the car as the Gingerbread House disappeared.
“What the?” Buffy yelled. Willow saw her back away.
The house was back in the box- the 4 Gingerbread people scowling icing eyebrows at the Slayer, candy canes raised like swords.

[Dub]

“This cos of the whole grumbly tummy deal?”

Cars blared their horns along with drivers offering expletives.

“Let’s get it back in the car.” Willow slid back in the car as Buffy restarted the engine. “Tara, the design might have slightly, definitely, kinda, moved in transit.”

[Laragh]

Tara frowned.

"D-Did you put an enchantment on it, Willow?"

[Dub]

“No. I just willed it not to be in the car.”

A candy cane stabbed through the side of the cardboard box.

“You didn’t did you?”

Tara lowered her head allowing her hair to shroud her face. “M-maybe a little Hellebore powder in the baking.”

[shirrey]

Willow’s eyes widened in shock, “Hellebore is highly toxic! This isn’t what is meant by knock em dead”

Tara shook her head, “I only added a pinch. Not enough to- I w-wouldn’t do that! It was just to protect it Make sure it got there safe.”

[Dub]

Tara bit her lip. “There’s a protection charm etched on the baseboard.”

Another candy cane burst through the box, too close for comfort near Willow’s hand.

“Why?”

“Air holes?”

“Not what I meant.”

“You care so much about it. I didn’t want. It doesn’t matter.”

[Laragh]

"Well whatever witch-fu you two put on this thing, it looks like I'm going to have to slay it!"

Buffy swatted a candy cane.

Dawn gasped.

"Buffy! Don't hurt the little gingerbread man! He has a gingerbread family!"

Buffy's face set.

"He's about to have a gingerbread coffin."

[Dub]

The car swerved.

“Drive! No slay. We’ll deal with this, you focus on the road.” Willow pushed the box away from her abdomen, she didn’t need a candy cane insert straight to the guts. She looked to Tara in a panic “Got milk?”

[Laragh]

Tara's eyes widened.

"Willow, you can't! What about the competition?"

"Kinda more worried about my organs right now," Willow retorted right as a candy cane launched itself at Tara.

Willow relied on every Karate Kid memory she had to reach out and snap it with her hand.

[Dub]

As her hand made contact the world slowed. Her mind pure, picturing sitting up late with Buffy and Xander.

“That’s an illegal move!” Buffy exclaimed

“Yeah but good guy win. yay.” Xander chimed in.

Willow’s focus came back into the real world. “We can still win the competition.”

[Laragh]

Tara's heart was beating fast as the shards of sticky red and white fell into their laps.

"How?"

Willow reached across and placed her palm on Tara's.

As their fingers entwined, Tara knew exactly what WIllow meant.

[Dub]

Rule 1 – Karate for defence only.

Wax on, wax off.

Sand the floors.

Paint the fence.

Paint the house.

It was all house maintenance. All they had to do was show that they were not a threat. The gingerbread only wanted to protect the house.

Apart from the one braiding Dawn’s hair.

[Laragh]

Dawn giggled at the little creature on her shoulder.

"Did you learn to french braid from a macaron?"

[Dub]

Her new hair stylist gave a wink.

Buffy gave the rear view mirror a glance to see two witches holding hands while seasonal confectionary curiously prodded them.

“Freaky.” Buffy decided it was best to keep her eyes on the road. “Dawn you have frosting in your hair.”

[Laragh]

Dawn rolled her eyes.

"God, Buffy, you don't understand fashion."

"I-It's a built-in snack for later," Tara smiled softly and Willow giggled.

"I have my built-in snack sitting right here," Willow whispered to Tara and waggled her eyebrows.

[Dub]

Frosted eyes thinned to narrow slits and sharpened candy canes pointed towards the red head.

“Oh err, not you. I was talking about, er. Tara?”

Tara’s eyes widened as words failed to form. “W-w-w”

“Slayer hearing!” Buffy announced as she pulled the car over at their destination.

[Laragh]

"Oh thank the goddess," Tara whispered under her breath

"Gingerbread men, er, assemble," Willow tried an authoritative tone, but no one moved, "Oh and, um, gingerbread women."

Tara glanced between her girlfriend and the figures

"I-I think technically they're all...non-binary?"

[Dub]

“Gingerbread people. Get in the box.”

Begrudgingly Dawn’s hairdresser let the locks fall from its grasp. They knew the frosted tip look was in.

Others huddled up in the foot well contemplating their next move.

“There’s a ginger ale in it for you.”

They marched back into the box.

[Laragh]

Tara giggled.

"Willow, I think you're their ginger boss."

"You made them a ginger wonderland," Dawn added with a grin.

"Ha, ha," Willow replied, rolling her eyes.

"Ooh, ginger snap," Buffy snapped her fingers.

Tara gave a half smile.

"That's the way the cookie crumbles."

[Dub]

Frantic banging at the window offered a small relief to the newly appointed ginger boss.

“Is that it? A cube with holes in? Oh, is it one of those orgy cubes from the star walk?”

Breathy condensation was wiped from the window, followed by Anya’s face pressing against it.

No relief.

[Laragh]

"Her, you can attack," Willow said, pointing furiously a the window.

"Willow," Tara clicked her tongue, "D-Don't command your minions like that."

She picked up a ginger-person running at speed for the window.

"Fine," Willow agreed flatly, "But I make no promises about...him."

[Dub]

Willow tried to open the door to no avail “Do you have the child safety on?”

“Oh yeah.” Buffy released the lock. “Had to make sure those cute marshmallow babies got here safe.”

“What about the human passengers?”

“I’m not asking for gas money.”

“Thanks for the ride.” Tara chimed in.

[Laragh]

"Can I come with you guys?" Dawn asked with an eager grin.

"Sure, Dawnie," Tara smiled.

"Have her back by sundown!" Buffy called after them before turning the engine back on and jerking forward, "Whoops. Always forget which one is the accelerator."

[Dub]

They watched as the jeep joined the road to the chorus of car horns.

“Ever think if she didn’t need a stake, she’d drive at night?” Questioned Dawn.

All of them murmured in agreement.

“You have frosting in your hair. Is that why their house looks dry?”

“It’s in the box, Anya.”

[Laragh]

"Well excuse me for not getting your ludicrous expression of art! Do you really think you're going to beat Epps with this thing? He made flashing lights out of fondant and lemon power!"

An angry flush rose up Willow's neck and right through her face.

[Dub]

“Yeah well, we’ve got animatronics. Completely edible.”

Tara took Willow by the shoulder and turned them away from their company.

“We can’t enter them, we have to fix it first.” Tara kept her voice low.

“We will. They can do a little show and we’ll swap them out for others.”

[Laragh]

Tara frowned.

"I-I don't know. It doesn't seem ethical."

"Ethics-schmethics," Willow scoffed but quickly cleared her throat, "I mean it's fine...as long as they consent, right?"

A little ginger-person popped out of Willow's pocket and waved. Willow grinned smugly.

"See?"