While Xander and JJ were coaching Spike and Dani on the finer points of American football as the Cowboys battled the Redskins on the telly, Buffy went looking for Annie – they needed to talk.
“Ready for more dessert yet?” Buffy asked as she sat down at the homework/snack table in the ‘bat cave’ next to her eldest daughter, placing a chocolate brownie and a glass of milk near her.
Annie rolled her eyes and gave her mom a small smile as she took the offering, sliding the papers she’d been working on out of the way.
“Whatchya doin’?” Buffy asked, looking at the dark TV and empty room. “Trying to escape the madness that is your family?”
Annie laughed and shook her head. “I know there’s no escape…”
Buffy laughed and ran a hand gently down Annie’s hair, pressing some stray locks back behind one ear.
“I was just taking a break and working on translating that language in that book about the Gem that Aunt Willow sent,” Annie offered, waving a hand at the papers on the table.
“How’s it going?”
Annie shrugged. “I think it’s a demon language, not human … and Aunt Will was right, it’s also scrambled in some kind of code. We’re missing the decoder ring that goes with it, soooo … not too well so far.”
“Well … just do your best, honey. Don’t stress out over it, we’ll figure something out about the Gem one way or another,” Buffy assured her.
“Did you just come down here to fatten me up or was there something else?” Annie wondered, breaking a piece of the brownie off and popping it into her mouth.
“That obvious, huh?” Buffy asked with a smile and Annie rolled her eyes.
Buffy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “What my dad said … that’s not how it was at all,” Buffy started. “He’s pretty much an ass and he had no idea what he was talking about.”
Annie shrugged and took another bite of the brownie.
“The monks created you to conceal the Key, they gave you to your dad and me to protect and love, and somehow they knew we would – together. They knew that we were meant to be together, even before we did ... and that together we could keep you safe,” Buffy explained softly. “Not because you’re the Key, but because you’re ours. Because we love you with our hearts and souls.”
Buffy had reflected quite a lot on that night over the years … the night the monks had made Spike alive, borrowed her life force and gave it to him in that moment to create their daughter, and hide the Key. It was also the night she admitted her love to Spike – so very unlike her to do. No, that wasn’t like her at all, at least not like that; not that quickly, not to another vampire, ensouled or not … it just came out of her lips before she even knew the words were forming. Then, when she had the dream and realized what the monks had done, she wondered if they had done something to her to make her say that, feel that.
Even when Spike came back to the mansion after she found him with Harmony and told him about the baby, that feeling of uncertainty nagged at her, to say the least. Was that really her talking? Did she really love him? As time went on though … as they fell into a comfortable camaraderie, protectors of the Key, allies against the demons, lovers, and friends, she realized that it was her heart talking, not any spell. What the monks had done was simply taken the walls down … cut a small slit in her cautious heart’s protective cocoon, and let her recognize that feeling which stirred deep within her soul – true love.
She wasn’t sure but thought perhaps the seed of her affection might've been planted months before when she first saw him in that alley behind the Bronze. Why else had she let him walk so many times? Allowed him to escape from the 'Vampire-Wannabe' club her friend Ford had lured them all into rather than go in with a flamethrower or flood the place with holy water once he and Dru and the rest of the vamps were locked in there. And that wasn't the first or last time she'd given him a pass - or him her, for that matter. William the Bloody, who would rather dust than turn away from a fight, backed down and ran away from her more in a few months than he'd done in the entirety of his existence since meeting Dru. Whenever it started, she was sure that it was true and it was her, not something the monks had created when they created Annie.
Annie had heard this before, the story about the Key and the monks. Despite her young age at the time, she even had some horrific, fractured memories of the fire escape and the confusing time after her mother’s death. Sometimes she wondered if they were her memories or if they were planted in her mind later after hearing some stories about that fateful night from the adults. She didn't really have any video of it in her mind, they were more like feelings or impressions than actual, full-fledged memories with pictures and sounds, and she tried not to dwell on them, although they sometimes crept into her nightmares. It was hard to keep the power of her blood a secret from her when every scrape or cut was a cause for alarm. Luckily, the blood only opened portals that already existed … that someone else had created; it didn’t create new ones all on its own just by falling on the ground. Apparently such portals weren’t all that common, although Annie had learned over the years to be extra careful with her blood.
“My father makes Darth Vader look like the world's greatest dad. He's a user … he likes to manipulate situations to his own benefit, make the people around him feel small so he can feel bigger. He did it to me my whole childhood, he did it to my mom … I’m so sorry that I let him do it to you,” Buffy apologized.
Annie nodded and took a sip of the milk to wash the brownie down, her gaze glued down to the tabletop.
“Your father married me because he loved me – the same reason I married him. We weren’t trapped … you weren’t some big ball and chain hanging around our necks – you were a miracle and we both loved you from the very moment we knew you existed,” Buffy assured her daughter.
“You never thought about maybe … getting an abortion?” Annie pondered softly. “You were pretty young ... and ... ummm ...” Annie hesitated, looking down at the table before finally lifting her eyes again to her mom. "... it would've probably gotten rid of the whole Key problem and avoided the whole Glory thing..."
“No, never,” Buffy assured her sternly. “I was scared … I admit that, I think your dad was too … but I never once considered not having you and I’ve never once regretted it, and neither has your dad. When Spike realized that I was really pregnant and it was really his ..." Buffy shook her head slowly and gave Annie a smile. "He was so happy ... I'd even say joyful. You have no idea.
“Annie, I don't regret one thing - not the being young when I had you - not even the dying. I love you with every fiber of my being. You’re a special girl, you’re growing into a lovely young lady, and one day you’re going to be an extraordinary woman. Don’t ever let anyone tell you any different,” Buffy urged her.
Annie nodded, there were a couple of bullies at school like that – Annie figured Buffy’s dad must’ve been one of those kids when was young. It was best to just ignore them, not let them get to you or goad you into an argument, that seemed to take their power away.
Annie pushed the plate the brownie was on towards Buffy. “Want some?” she offered her mom, finally looking up and meeting her eyes.
Buffy smiled and patted a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “If you insist…”
**~**
Later that night, 7:00pm:
“Where are you going?” Buffy questioned her husband as he got his duster down off the coat rack by the door and pulled it on.
“Work,” he replied with a shrug.
“But, it’s Thanksgiving!” she whined. “I thought we’d all watch ‘Elf’ and eat leftover turkey and pumpkin pie tonight…”
“Sorry, pet … got a feelin’ ‘bout tonight – lots a’ lonely, drunk sailors just waiting to part with their pretty green paper…” Spike apologized.
“Plus, I don’t think I could fit one more speck o’ turkey in and I really can’t afford to miss the overtime …” Spike explained. “You’re gonna stay home t’night, right? No patrol, no shopping … nothing like that, yeah?”
Buffy looked at him a little quizzically. “No … it’s Thanksgiving!” Buffy pointed out again.
“I know, pet. Which means that Peeping Tom dressed in red’s supposed to be showing up soon – need to get all the money I can,” Spike offered.
Buffy sighed and her shoulders slumped. “But you’ve been up all day – how are you gonna work all night now?” she argued.
“NoDoz and Red Bull, pet …” Spike replied, grabbing his keys off the hook by the door. “I want you to stay ‘ome, though … don’t go out without takin’ Faith with you.”
“Why … what’s going on?” she questioned.
“Nothin’s going on … it’s just … uhhhh … demons stuffed with turkey and dressing can be unpredictable. Just promise me you won’t go out alone,” Spike admonished her.
Buffy rolled her eyes. “Oh, you think they’ll snore me to death?” she quipped. But at his insistent look, she agreed, “Sure … whatever. I wasn’t planning on going out anyway,” she reminded him, walking closer.
Spike wrapped his arms around her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll try not to be too late, luv.”
“Okay … please be careful, I’m not sure what the side effects are of mixing NoDoz with tryptophan … it could be dangerous,” she quipped.
Spike snorted a laugh and squeezed her tighter. “I’ll stay away from all heavy machinery…” he promised.
“Did I thank you for what you did today?” Buffy asked, looking up at him.
“What’d I do?”
“Tried to tell me to be … ‘Don’t-Care-Bear’, saved dinner, said grace … made real potatoes and stuffing and … master basted …” she teased with a sly smile.
Spike bit down on his bottom lip to smother a saucy grin. “No … I don’t believe you did thank me properly for that,” he informed her with a smirk.
Buffy shrugged, a shy smile still on her lips, and ran her hand teasingly up and down his chest. “Well … I’ll have to remedy that when you get home … I mean, assuming you’re not experiencing any detrimental side effects from overdosing on that dangerous drug cocktail of turkey and caffeine.”
Spike leaned down and captured her lips with his. She tasted of brownies and gravy and a hint of whiskey and Buffy – another dangerous addition to his illicit drug cocktail. His body screamed at him to stay … lock her away in their room with the pumpkin pie and find out what adding her sweet nectar to the mix in his blood would do. But the head on his shoulders and their empty bank account finally won out and he reluctantly released her.
“Gonna hold you to it,” Spike purred against her lips before he grudgingly pulled away.
“I’m counting on it.”
**~**
After getting the kids to bed, 9:30pm, Thanksgiving:
“Okay … that’s got it,” Buffy told Willow as she snapped the lid closed on the Tupperware plate which held a full Thanksgiving dinner, stacked another plate of desserts on top of it and taped a small note on the top of that.
“I thought you said she was small … petite…” Willow questioned, looking at the football-player-sized servings of food Buffy had prepared.
“She is … but … she might be hungry, or have friends! It would be rude to eat in front of your friends and not have enough to share,” Buffy defended.
Willow shrugged. “I guess that’s a point…” she agreed as she lit three candles and placed them in a triangle with the plates of food in the center. With the candles and food in between them, Willow joined hands with Buffy and they both closed their eyes before the red witch recited the spell…
“Ancient wise ones link to my will,
“My greatest desire you now fulfill,
“Separated by time, separated by space.
“Send this mother’s endearment to Bess’ current place.
“So mote it be.”
There was a bright flash of light and when they opened their eyes, the platters of food were gone.
“Did it work?” Buffy asked.
“Theoretically … I’ve never sent anything, mostly I’ve just tried drawing things to me. Hopefully it won’t end up … you know, inside a wall or on the handlebars of the Harley at eighty miles an hour,” Willow explained.
“She’s been in the same place a while, I don’t think she’s on the road,” Buffy offered. “Hopefully it got to her and didn’t turn into mush or the plastic didn’t melt or anything like that.”
“Hopefully…” Willow agreed. “I wonder if that lifetime warranty on Tupperware applies to being melted by magic.”
Buffy laughed lightly and blew out the candles. “I hope she brings it back with her – those dishes aren’t cheap!”
“Buffy the thrifty miser … I keep waiting for the world to start spinning the opposite direction or something,” Willow teased. “Next thing you know your father will show up on your doorstep…”
“Yeah and Spike will become a Catholic priest, right after saying grace over Thanksgiving dinner,” Buffy quipped back.
“And Faith will take a vow of celibacy … and mean it,” Willow added, rolling her eyes.
“Oh God, three out of the four signs of the apocalypse have already come true … I better make sure Spike stays wickedly naughty.”
“It’s your sacred duty, your Calling,” Willow agreed with a serious nod. “You should debauch him tonight … don’t take any chances!”
“Oh, the sacrifices a Slayer must make,” Buffy sighed dramatically. “So demanding and thankless … but I’ll soldier on as best I can.”
The girls laughed as Willow gathered up the candles and put them back in the sideboard.
“Remember, not a word to Spike about this,” Buffy reminded her friend. “He says we shouldn’t help her or contact her … but, I just can’t help but feel like she must be wondering if we’re even thinking about her or missing her.”
Willow drew an imaginary zipper across her lips with her fingers. “Your secret’s safe with me, Buffy. You just worry about keeping the impending apocalypse at bay … at least until after Christmas. I got Eddie the cutest little teddy bear! I can’t wait for his first Christmas!”
Buffy gave her friend a mischievous grin. “I’ll tie Spike up and ravish him all night long if I have to, for his own good and for the sake of teddy bears and Jewish Christmases everywhere … of course.”
“Of course, what would the world be without Jewish Christmases and teddy bears?” Willow agreed with a firm nod of her head.
**~**
{{Click here to hear “Hungry Heart” by Bruce Springsteen on YouTube }}
Got a wife and kids in Baltimore jack
I went out for a ride and I never went back
Like a river that don’t know where its flowing
I took a wrong turn and I just kept going
Everybody’s got a hungry heart
Everybody’s got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and you play your part
Everybody’s got a hungry heart
I met her in a Kingstown bar
We fell in love I knew it had to end
We took what we had and we ripped it apart
Now here I am down in Kingstown again
Everybody’s got a hungry heart...
Everybody needs a place to rest
Everybody wants to have a home
Don’t make no difference what nobody says
Ain’t nobody like to be alone
Everybody’s got a hungry heart...