Title: Happily Ever After
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon.
Part 29
Buffy burst through the kitchen door of the Rosenburg-Maclay house, frantic.
"Where's Willow?" She asked rushing over and grabbing Tara by the shoulders.
"She's in the office. Buffy what's wrong?" Tara asked, but Buffy was already rushing out of the room. "Jesse, could you..."
"I know, watch the kids," Jesse said as Tara followed after Buffy.
"Willow," Buffy said throwing the door to Willow's office open.
"What's going on? Vampires? Demons? Apocalypse?" Willow asked jumping out of her chair ready for action.
"He's gone," Buffy said plopping down in a chair, dropping her head into her hands.
"Who's gone?" Willow asked thoroughly confused.
"Brett, he's gone. We had a big fight last night, but we always fight, and I stopped off at home before coming over to pick up Michael and Katey and he was gone, just some stupide little note left on the fridge," Buffy said, her tone somewhere between desperation and rage.
"Are you saying he left, left?" Willow asked still not entirely grasping the conversation.
"Yes," Buffy said breaking down. Both Tara and Willow went to her side to comfort her.
"I'm sure he'll be back, it was just one fight," Tara said rubbing Buffy's back.
"No he won't. It wasn't just one fight, it was a lot of fights," Buffy said trying to control her sobbing. "I guess he just couldn't handle me being the slayer after all."
"You don't know that he's gone for good," Willow said. "Maybe he just needed a break, some time to think. It isn't like there were divorce papers with the note, there weren't right?"
"No," Buffy said sniffling, "but he pretty much said they'd be coming in the mail. I don't know why I'm so surprised. I thought it was coming to this, and what about Michael and Katey? What if he wants them? No court is going to award custody to the slayer," Buffy said breaking down again.
"All you are to the court is a sixth grade English teacher," Tara said, rubbing Buffy's back again to soothe her.
"Not if he tells them," Buffy said, switching from sad to furious in an instant.
"Do you think he would?" Willow asked. The thought had never occurred to her that Brett would tell Buffy's secret, and if he did it would be hard to give custody to her.
"Even if he did, it just makes him sound crazy. Do you think a judge would award custody to a man who said there were vampires and demons running around Sunnydale, and you were the one destined to protect the world from them?" Tara asked, both Buffy and Willow smiled at that. Leave it to Tara to remain calm and focused during something like this. "See, no worries. We'll help you with anything we can. We'll always be here for you."
"Thanks guys," Buffy said, drying her eyes, and hugging her two friends.
"Hey, do you want to stay for dinner, I'm cooking," Willow said.
"What are you making?" Buffy asked, skeptical of Willow's cooking ability.
"Well, I was thinking I would call for pizza. Oh, we can have a slumber party, like we used to. We can pig out on pizza, and junk food, and watch movies. Me, you, and Xander," Willow said excitedly.
"That does sound like fun," Buffy said cheering up a little bit.
"What about me?" Tara asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"Well, you could come, but I'm not sure that Xander can handle you and I sharing a sleeping bag," Willow said, then leaning in close to Tara she whispered, "Plus every time we do, certain things seem to happen."
"Slayer hearing," Buffy said smiling. Tara blushed from head to toe.
"Okay, so Anya and I will have our own slumber party upstairs," Tara said recovering from the embarrassment.
"Anya is so not sleeping in our bed with you," Willow said.
"Will, we've been married for fourteen years, and we have six children, what do you think is going to happen between me and Anya if we share a bed?" Tara asked.
"Nothing, but that doesn't mean I want icky Anya germs in our bed," Willow said pouting. Buffy was cheering up even more watching the interaction between Tara and Willow, it was just so cute.
"Just for this one night, could you please grow up," Tara said placing a kiss on Willow's forehead to help soften her words.
"No," Willow said. "Anya can stay in our room, but she better be sleeping on the floor, and I'm gonna go upstairs and check," Willow said stalking out of the office toward the kitchen.
"She's cute isn't she?" Tara said watching her wife go.
"I'm not even gonna respond," Buffy said following Tara out of the office.
"Are we getting take out?" Summer asked as the three women walked into the kitchen. "Cause if we are, I vote speed dial number seven."
"NO, we had that last time it was Mom's turn to cook," Jesse said. "Get number five."
"We're getting pizza," Tara said.
"Can Alex come over?" Jesse asked.
"Yes," Willow said, "and while you're inviting him, invite the rest of the family cause we're having a slumber party."
"Even Anya?" Jesse asked.
"Unfortunately yes," Willow said.
"Will," Tara said chastising her wife.
"We're having a party," Rupert said excitedly.
"Yes," Tara said trying to move around the kitchen to check for snacks and beverages. "Okay, everybody who isn't named Willow, Buffy, Rhiannon or Tara, outside," Tara said. It was hard to do anything when the whole family gathered in the kitchen, there just wasn't enough room.
"What if your name is Winnie the Pooh?" Soleil asked giggling.
"Summer, take Winnie the Pooh here outside and keep an eye on her," Willow said smiling at Soleil. Sometimes the strangest things came out of her mouth. She didn't remember any of the other children being so weird at her age.
"Dinner for 15 people, should be fun," Buffy said smiling.
"It's more like dinner for 13 because Rhiannon can't eat pizza yet, and Christopher is only 17 months, so he isn't going to eat much," Tara said.
"Okay so dinner for 13 people, it's still a lot of people," Buffy said.
"Or a typical night at our house," Willow said smiling. Picking up the phone she called and ordered the pizza. As she was hanging the phone up, Xander opened the kitchen door carrying two sleeping bags, a suitcase, and a diaper bag.
"The Harris family has arrived," Xander said holding the door open for his family.
"Good," Willow said. "Are you driving or am I?"
"Driving where?" Xander asked confused. He didn't even have a chance to sit anything down before she was trying to make him leave again.
"To get the pizza," Willow said. Anya had walked past her, sitting Christopher in the play pen with Rhiannon, and then sitting down at the island so she could chat with Tara and Buffy. Alex had walked by and headed up the stairs, presumably to Jesse's room. "She's outside," Willow said.
"I'm just putting my stuff down," Alex called from halfway up the stairs.
"I'll drive," Xander said finally catching up to the conversation. Willow tossed him the keys to her SUV, and in his attempt to catch them he dropped all the stuff he was holding. "I'll just leave that there. So what are we getting?"
"We got a large pepperoni for Buffy, Michael and Katey, a large meatlovers for you and Alex, a small mushroom, garlic, and anchovies for Anya, two large cheese for me and Tara, Jesse, Summer, Harris, and Rupert, and breadsticks for Soleil," Willow said all in one breath. "And as long as we're all down here now, we need to discuss the rules."
"Rules?" Buffy asked.
"Yes, rules. Anya and Tara will be upstairs in our room, Anya sleeps on the floor," Willow said giving the ex demon a look of death, "Buffy, Xander, and me will be in the family room. Under no circumstances is there to be any sex had in this house tonight," Willow said looking directly at Anya again, "and if you two could keep the kids upstairs that would be really helpful, just in case we get a little rowdy, and start discussing things children shouldn't hear."
"I agree with those rules," Buffy said.
"We'll do our best," Tara said laughing. "If you're going to get movies too, you better go now."
"You're right," Willow said. "I mean it Anya, no sex, and no sleeping in our bed."
"I understand," Anya said sticking her tongue out at Willow. "Xander give her money for our food."
"No, we invited you, we pay," Tara said.
"Sounds good to me," Xander said putting his wallet back in his back pocket.
"Alexander Lavelle Harris," Anya said, "no sex, if you don't pay." Buffy doubled over with laughter, almost falling off the stool she was sitting on. Willow and Tara too found themselves laughing uncontrollably.
"No, that's not what she meant," Xander said as Willow ushered him out the door, still laughing. "She didn't mean it like that," he kept saying and reminding them of it all night long.
-----------------------------------------------------------
~Spencer~
"Too bulky, I prefer my women in spandex."
-Xander- season two, Halloween
*snort* Summer's teacher hitting on Tara! Oh lord that was good!
YIPEE! 
. I like Summers reaction to her teacher hitting on Tara 
I'd go nutty having to do all that every morning, I have all I can do to get myself ready and out the door to work 
hehe. Loved Summer's reaction to Tara gettin' hit on by the teacher 
MEN!! 
I Love how Willow acts all protective against Tara and Anya sleeping in the same room. She is too cute! 
And good ol' Winnie The Pooh
I love the plot as well as the names you've picked for the kids. 
I mean screw the bet ya gotta do what ya gotta do!! 
So Losin $100 bucks isn't so bad if yer gettin some! 
at: 11/2/02 8:00:23 pm