Lonewolf22 -- Thanks for your comments, and as for wanting more... wish granted!!
Here we go!...
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Emily sat in the warm bath with her knees bent up to her chest while Willow gently scrubbed her back with a soft, soapy washcloth. The girl had been quiet after leaving Xander’s house, even falling asleep during the car-ride home, having exhausted herself with crying and worry. They had thought about just carrying her into bed for the night, but Willow and Tara both agreed that she shouldn’t go to bed on an empty stomach. So now Willow was helping Emily with her bath as Buffy accompanied Tara who was busy making dinner in the kitchen.
“After this”, said Willow, “you can have some dinner and when you’re finished with that you can brush your teeth and go to bed, okay?” Emily only nodded mutely. “Are you sure?” Willow asked, raising her eyebrows in concern. Emily shook her head. “What would you rather do?” she pried. Emily just shrugged her shoulders.
Willow hated it when her daughter went nonverbal. It was so unlike her and therefore always served as evidence that she was deeply upset about something, and in this case Willow had a pretty good idea what that “something” was.
“You want to, maybe, play a game after dinner?” she offered.
Emily looked up at her Mama, her eyes brightening just a little bit. Willow felt herself start to relax a little at the welcome change.
“Would you like to play a game of chess?” Emily shook her head. “Monopoly?” No. “Candyland?” No, again. “Trivial Pursuit?” And once more, no. “Well, Emily, help me out a little bit here”, said Willow, “what would you like to play?”
“Cards”, came the small reply.
“Cards”, Willow repeated. “You mean like ‘Go Fish’?”
“No”, answered Emily, “the game that Godmommy taught me.”
“The game that…”, Willow started, trying to remember what card game Emily was referring to. Then it came to her. “Uh, sweetie, I don’t think that Mommy would approve if she saw her eight year old daughter playing five card stud.”
“Yes she would”, Emily countered, suddenly gaining some energy, “We’ve played before.”
“You and Mommy have played poker?” the older redhead asked, slightly alarmed.
“Yeah, only it’s not as much fun as playing with Godmommy”, Emily explained.
“Why is that?”
“Mommy won’t let me bet loose change.” The little girl grumbled.
It took all of Willow’s willpower not to let out the large guffaw that had threatened to erupt at the unintentional hilariousness of her daughter’s statement.
“Okay”, said Willow, “you can ask her if it’s okay for you to play cards after dinner. Maybe she’ll want to play too. We can play for points instead of change, alright?”
“Okay”, Emily agreed, though it was clear she didn’t cotton too much to the idea of playing for points.
“Good”, her Mama stated, “Now turn your head so I can clean behind your other ear.”
*****
“Dinner looks great, Tara”, complimented Buffy as she helped to finish laying out the utensils on the dining room table.
“Thanks, Buffy”, she replied, bringing out a large dish filled with steamed vegetables and setting it on the table. “I just didn’t feel like pizza tonight. What did you want to drink?”
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll get it”, said the slayer. “And I know what you mean about not wanting pizza. I’m mean, it’s Tuesday, isn’t pizza more of a Friday thing?”
“I guess”, Tara conceded.
Buffy decided to switch gears a little, “Are you going to let Emily go to school tomorrow?”
Tara paused, halfway out of the kitchen, her hands full with a plate of baked chicken. “I don’t know. Willow and I really haven’t discussed it yet. We’ll probably keep her out of school tomorrow, just so we have a little more time to figure out what we’re doing.”
“What about…I mean, I know it might be difficult to get past the whole religion thing… but”, Buffy wasn’t quite sure if she was phrasing things right. “I mean, private school didn’t sound like too bad an idea. With it being, private, and everything.”
“Buffy, believe me, it has nothing to do with the school being Catholic”, Tara assured her. “It would depend on what their rules are for admitting students. If they have certain… policies… that would prevent the child of a same sex couple from attending, I don’t think that either Willow or myself would be willing or able to ‘go back in the closet’ so to speak with our family life. We’re far too involved in keeping up with Emily’s education, and we like being that way. Plus, money is also an issue.”
“But then why don’t… I mean”, Buffy always feared offending Tara. Deep down the slayer sort of felt that Willow’s wife was a little too… wifely. At times when she visited Willow and Tara’s home, she would feel like she had walked into a lesbian version of “Leave It To Beaver”, of course, now that she thought about it, the sitcom title did seem strangely appropriate.
While Buffy had never thought of herself as a champion feminist, at least she had a job…sort of. Slaying had never really paid the bills, until three years back when Giles had finally been able to convince the council to start paying her a modest salary. It had been quite a struggle, but Giles had finally made the council see that with an older, more successful slayer who is no longer reliant on her family to support her financially there comes a necessity for compensating the slayer for her efforts.
”It’s just that…”, Buffy continued to struggle for words, “Tara, do you know that as long as I have known you… you’ve never…uh…”
“Had a real job?” Tara offered.
“Right”, the slayer exhaled as she blushed deep red.
Tara chuckled a little bit. “Buffy, you don’t have to worry about offending me. What are friends for if not being able to tell someone what you really think?”
“I just didn’t want you to think that I didn’t think you were pulling your weight or anything…”
“I know that’s not what you mean, Buffy”, Tara guaranteed her. “It's not like I had planned on being a housewife”, she explained, “but Willow and I have just settled into our own roles in our relationship. I had planned on working when Willow and I had finished college, back after we had finally gotten engaged, I mean, other than helping out at the Magic Box. But somehow, time just got away, and next thing I know we're married and I’m pregnant with Emily. I had always known that if I ever had kids I would want to stay home with them until they were old enough to go to school, and I had started looking into getting a job after Emily began first grade. But we were doing just fine on the one income and then Willow started working at home full time; it was nice having the place to ourselves for most of the day. We enjoyed the freedom. And now that Michelle has come along, it's sort of back to square one. Willow is still making enough that we can live comfortably and my not working hasn't ever been an issue. I know that Willow would never try to stop me from working if I really wanted to, or even if I had to, I wouldn't balk at the idea.”
“I’m not suggesting that you would”, Buffy clarified.
“I’m not saying that you're suggesting it”, Tara smiled, “Willow and I have a routine and it's functional and we like it. That’s all.”
“I get it”, Buffy smiled back.
Willow entered the dining room carrying Emily on her hip. “Wow, something smells good”, she said, walking over to
Tara and kissing her lightly on the lips. “Thanks for cooking, baby”, she said softly.
“You’re welcome, darling”, Tara replied. She looked up into her daughter’s sweet face as she still clung to Willow’s side, “How are you doing, sweetie?”
“Better now”, Emily admitted. “You didn’t make the drinks yet, did you?”
“Buffy got hers on her own, but the rest of us still need them”, Tara replied as Willow set Emily down. “I set three glasses out on the counter for you to fill.”
“What would you like to drink, Mommy?” Emily asked, eager to play her part in dinnertime.
“I think I’d like some of the iced tea from the fridge”, she answered.
“Mama?”
“Milk please”, Willow smiled.
“Coming right up!” she said and zipped into the kitchen.
“Slow down and carry them one at a time to the table!” Tara called after her.
Buffy laughed quietly to herself thinking,
If this scene were anymore idyllic, they’d have to film it in black and white and sell it to Nick at Nite.
*****
Dinner was pleasant, and after everyone had helped with the clean-up, and Tara had checked to make sure Michelle was still sleeping quietly in her crib, they had all retired to the living room to play a round or two of cards. Willow gave Buffy a particularly pointed look when she saw her friend start to dig into her pocket for spare change when it was announced they would be playing poker.
“Points”, she had said to Buffy, “We play for points.”
“Points?” Buffy questioned initially, then realization dawned on her, “OH. Points. Right. Of course, points is the only way to play. The only and, might I add, correct way to play. I mean, playing for money is just silly and wrong, very, very wrong…”
“Buffy”, Tara laughed, “It’s okay. Let’s just play.”
It turned out that Emily was quite the little card shark. If they had been playing for money, all of them would have been very poor, except for Emily who would have had been able to start a small college fund from her winnings.
“Okay”, Willow announced, “it’s nine ’o’ clock. All little girls named Emily should be in bed.”
“Do I have to?” Emily protested.
“Do I even have to answer that question?” Willow replied.
Emily shook her head, “No.” She got up from the coffee table and started out of the room.
“Brush your teeth first”, reminded Tara.
“I know”, her little girl said, pausing a moment at the hall. “Am I going to school tomorrow?”
Willow and Tara shared a quick glance, the blonde looking back at her, “We’re not sure yet. We’ll let you know in the morning, alright?”
Emily nodded sullenly.
“Baby-girl”, said Willow, “You are not in any kind of trouble and if we were to keep you out of school it wouldn’t be to punish you. We just need you to be safe.”
“I know”, she said again. “Goodnight Godmommy”, Emily waved.
“Night, munchkin. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Night, Mommy, Mama, I love you.”
“We love you too”, answered Tara, “Good night, sweetie.”
Emily gave one final wave and disappeared down the hall.
*****
“Mommy”, Emily whispered, nudging softly at her sleeping mother’s shoulder. “Mommy?” she quietly said again.
Tara opened her eyes to see her daughter standing next to the bed. “Emily?” she said sleepily, glancing at the digital clock on her bedside table. “Emily, it’s three-thirty in the morning. Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“I have to go.”
Tara slumped back into her pillow, “Sweetie, you are old enough to use the bathroom by yourself.”
“No, not that.” Emily answered. “I have to go.”
“Go… I don’t understand”, Tara stated, sleep still fogging her brain.
Emily looked her mother directly in the eye and said in total seriousness:
“I have to go to Avalon. I have to go now.”
*****
TBC...
"Promise me you'll never be linear." "On my trout."
Edited by: DarkWiccan at: 12/7/02 12:05:59 am
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Although I am pleased that updates will be frequent, I'll try and keep up with them. 
to "breast portion" exchange, and poor Buff almost hitting the wall in her attempt to escape further embarrassment. Can't wait to see what happens next!
at: 12/4/02 11:44:45 pm
Monopoly....for some reason I just had to 
