Dawn’s guests used pieces of bread to soak up every last drop of her homemade spaghetti sauce. Even Spike, who didn’t technically need to eat, consumed a healthy portion. The quantity of sauce that ended up on her face was evidence that Joy had thoroughly enjoyed her dinner. But, thanks to her Auntie Dawn, none of it marred her costume which was protected by a full apron.
“Mama,” Joy said, as the adults started clearing the table, “could you ask Auntie Dawn to teach you how to make her sketti sauce? Then we could have it whenever we want.”
Buffy froze as all the adults turned to look at her, waiting for her response. “Okay, Joy-Joy,” she replied slowly. “But you do remember that I only cook breakfast. Papa does all the other cooking.”
“I know, Mama,” Joy said, “but Auntie Dawnie said that her sauce is a Summers’ family secret. I don’t know if she’ll teach it to Papa.”
Dawn laughed. “I’ll teach your Papa how to make it, Joyster. He’s family too, you know.”
“But he’s not a Summers,” Joy said. “He’s a Bennet.”
“You’re right, he’s not a Summers, but he’s your Papa,” Dawn explained. “That means we’re all related to him through you. So it’s okay for him to know the secret recipe.”
“Oh, good,” Joy sighed with relief. “I really like it. I like it so much I would eat it for breakfast if you couldn’t teach Papa.”
When the laughing subsided, Buffy reached to help Joy out of her chair. “Come on, Joy-Joy, let’s go wash your face. You’ve got so much sauce there’s no room to draw on your whiskers.”
Willow waited until mother and daughter were safely out of the room before she spoke.
”When do you think Joy’s going to figure out that waffles, pancakes and toast are all her mother will every learn to cook?”
Spike was preparing to leap to his wife’s defense when he heard something in the living room. “Bit, I think you’ve got more company,” he said, sweeping out of the kitchen in a blur of black. Spike found Giselle standing in the front hall where she had emerged from the portal just a moment earlier.
“Where is she?” she asked, not bothering with any pleasantries.
“She’s here, she’s fine. She’s just in the bathroom washing her face,” Spike answered. “You did know that I found her, right?”
Spike could see Giselle’s body relax with the news. “I heard,” she said. “But I had to look for myself. Can I see her?”
“Sure, Gigi, she’s right down the hall,” Spike said as he turned to lead Giselle to Joy. But before he could, the door to the bathroom flew open and his daughter came galloping across the living room and into the arms of her nanny, hugging her tight.
“You’re just in time for trick-or-treat, Giselle,” Joy said, still clinging to her. “You can go with us!”
Giselle wore her distinctive bizarre grin, but fat tears were streaming down her face. “I was worried so badly,” she said. “I’m so happy to see you are still my happy Joyous!”
By now Willow and Dawn had joined everyone else in the living room. Buffy greeted Giselle with a hug and while the women exchanged stories about their recent ordeal, Joy worked her way over to Spike and tugged on his shirt. Looking down, he immediately scooped her up onto his hip where her eyes were level with his. “What’s up, Widget?” he asked, touching the tip of his nose to hers.
“Can we go trick-or-treat now, Papa?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, smiling broadly. Then raising his voice so it could be heard over the four women, he said, “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”
Following a flurry of intense activity, most of Joy’s trick-or-treat entourage finally assembled at the front door. The one exception was Spike who was searching for a bag strong enough to hold a lot of candy. Dawn wore a Tinker Bell costume she’d borrowed from the costumes created for her dance school’s recent performance of Peter Pan. Willow’s glamour transformed her into an elegant sorceress, complete with pointed hat and flowing velvet robe. Buffy was decked out in a perky Sunnydale High cheerleader’s uniform, accessorized with clownishly large, fluffy pom-poms, her hair pulled into pigtails. Giselle used her shape shifting abilities to create her “costume” by closing her eyes for a few moments. When she opened them again her skin had darkened to a deep plum and her eyes glowed golden.
“How is this, Joyous?” she asked. “Am I a good Halloween creature now?”
Joy squealed with delight. “Oh, Giselle, you’re so pretty!”
“Thank you,” she said, her cheeks turning orange as she blushed. “This is my favorite color.”
Spike emerged from the kitchen holding a plastic shopping bag with handles. “This should do it, Widget,” he said, holding it out to her. “If it’s any bigger you won’t be able to lift it when it’s full.”
Joy opened her eyes wide as her lower lip began to quiver. “I c-c-can’t carry the bag, Papa,” she stammered. “I have to carry Mr. Pig. I promised I’d take him with me.”
Spike had always been a sucker for a quivering lip. “No worries, love,” he said quickly. “I’ll hold Mr. Pig while you ring the bell and get your candy. Then I’ll carry the bag until we get to the next house so you can hold Mr. Pig. Okay?” Seeing his brave little girl nearly crumble at the prospect of carrying her own trick-or-treat bag made Spike smile. "She’s still just a little girl after all," he thought," like her Mum when I first met her. She was brave enough to save the world over and over again, but she was still just a girl." Spike caught Buffy’s eye, and they sighed in unison, the strange magnificence of their lives brought home to them again.
Joy’s eyes were brimming with tears but she managed a tight smile and a quick nod. “Okay, Papa,” she said, taking a deep breath to pull herself back together and hugging her pig to her chest.
“Let’s go then, Widget,” he said, scooping her up into his arms. “There are buckets of candy out there waiting for you!”
Dawn was just reaching to open the front door when the doorbell rang. As she swung the door open, the costumed visitors on the porch let loose a rousing chorus of "trick-or-treat.” But rather than a single person with a bowl of candy, the four trick-or-treaters found themselves face-to-face with an even larger group of Halloween revelers. When Joy blurted out, “Trick-or-treat to you, too!” everyone burst out in laughter. Much mutual admiration of costumes ensued while Dawn darted into the kitchen to retrieve the forgotten bag of candy she’d bought. When she’d dropped a few pieces into each bag, the polite trick-or-treaters all said, “Thank you,” and proceeded to the next house.
Closing the door slowly, Dawn looked at her guests. “I completely forgot about answering my door,” she said. “Somebody has to stay here and give out the candy or we’ll come back to a house covered with raw eggs.”
“Don’t worry, Dawnie,” Willow said. “We can leave the candy out on the porch. And just in case that’s not enough, I’ll use a spell to secure your house against tricks.”
Dawn shot a quick look at Buffy to see if she approved. It had been many years since Willow’s abuse of her powers had led her to take a walk on the dark side. All of Dawn’s recent experience of Willow’s magic had been in the context of Council business, but no one who was around then could forget how close Willow had come to destroying the world. Buffy shrugged in a reassuring way and Dawn smiled. “Thanks, Willow,” she said. “That would be great. I don’t want to miss Joy’s first time trick-or-treating.”
Only a few minutes later, the crew of five adults and Joy were once again poised to go.
They left a basket of candy was centered on the door mat. An aura of protection surrounded Dawn’s house with a faint glow as the four-year-old and her attendants started down the block to their first stop.
Joy, still perched on Spike’s hip, whispered something in his ear. “Okay, Widget,” he said. “But remember not to squeal, my hearing is even better when I’m in game face.” Joy nodded her agreement as he winked at her and instantly shifted into his vampire visage.
Joy clamped her hand over her mouth the keep from breaking her promise not to shatter her father’s eardrums with a happy screech. But the grin on her face said it all -- she loved him, man and demon both.
“Papa,” she said, affectionately tracing his brow ridges with her fingers, “your costume is the best!”
Tbc…..
I know that not a whole happens in this chapter. The adventure is over, now it's just warm fuzzies for Joy and her parents. Please review.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
This one's winding down now. Just a few more scenes to go.