Title: Not Even a Mouse
Series: Magic Season (7/12)
Author: Kerry Blackwell-Dustin
Email: magicbox@whitehats.co.nz
Pairing: B/G, W/T, S/Dawn
Further disclaimers etc in part 0
Dawn had nearly had hysterics when she realised she had an extra three, unexpected visitors to put up for the night. The arrival of Wesley and Susan and the children would have filled the house to bursting anyway. Their arrival with two more adults, coupled with Melanie's earlier appearance was enough to make her want to hide in a corner and gibber like a lunatic.
It was Spike who sorted everything out, mostly because he considered it his house too but he didn't feel the same need to play the good host that Dawn did. He simply reordered Dawn's careful arrangements, informed several people who thought they had claims to a bed that they would be sleeping on the floor and took Angel with him to borrow some mattresses from next door.
They returned bearing bedding and an offer from the Davisons that any extras were welcome to stay with them. By mutual consent, everyone had agreed to stay in the same place and Dawn had rung the neighbours to thank them for the offer and politely decline.
It was a squash, Hazel reflected as she lay awake waiting for sunrise to arrive the next morning, but it was better to have the whole extended family together than spread out across the neighbourhood.
She was sharing a room with Joy and Melanie. They had drawn lots to see who got the bed and who got the floor and by some miracle she had been the winner. Despite that, the two young woman on the floor were still sleeping soundly while Hazel was the one who had woken early. Of course, she had been doing that on Christmas day since she was a little girl, and it appeared that even having reached the venerable age of twenty wasn't going to change that.
When the clock on the beside table ticked over to 6:45 she finally gave up the fight and decided to get up. She stepped carefully over the sleepers to the only clear spot on the floor - about three feet square over by the door - slipped on her clothes and crept out the door.
Upstairs was quiet, not even the proverbial mouse stirring, but when she reached the bottom of the stairs Hazel met Miriam. The little girl put a finger to her lips and said too loudly, "Mommy says we have to be quiet."
"As mice," Hazel agreed seriously.
"Mommy's getting my coat," Miri added. "We're going to see the singing."
"That sounds nice," Hazel told her without having a clue what the child was talking about.
Susan, walking down the stairs with Miri's favourite red winter coat in her hand, heard the bewilderment in Hazel's voice and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Hazel."
Miri jumped up from her seat on the bottom stair. "Mommy, can Hazel come to the singing too?"
Susan was about to shake her head automatically when she caught Hazel's raised eyebrows. "I'm taking Miri to morning service," she explained. "She's most interested in the carol singing I bribed her with." She smiled down at her daughter. "My mom took me to morning service every Christmas until I was about fifteen and finally rebelled. I decided Miri is old enough to revive the tradition."
"Come too, Hazel, please," Miriam begged.
"Well..." Hazel looked rather at a loss for words. "I'm not exactly..."
"Christian?" Susan finished for her. "That's okay. You'd still be welcome; all that is needed is respect. But don't let the ragamuffin talk you into something you don't want to do."
Miri looked up at Hazel with wide, pleading eyes and after a moment the older girl capitulated. "Sure, I'd love to come, if you'll have me." She glanced around the hallway. "But I better tell someone where I've gone."
"I think Wes is in the kitchen," Susan offered as she helped Miri into her coat. "He'll pass on a message."
Hazel nodded. "Okay. Hang on a sec and I'll be back and ready to go."
As she hurried off, she didn't hear Miri's whisper to Susan. "Did I do it good, Mommy?"
Not only was Wesley in the kitchen, so were Giles, Spike and Angel. They were having a swift, animated conversation that stopped the instant Hazel walked in. She gave them all a suspicious look, especially when they all switched to giving her too enthusiastic Christmas wishes instead.
She didn't have time to ponder on it just then. She just gave her message and rejoined Susan and Miriam in the hallway. Susan was holding her coat and Hazel slipped it on as they walked across the snow-covered lawn to where Wesley and Susan's car was parked on the street.
*****
Hazel enjoyed the Christmas service. The small church Dawn had found for Susan, while relatively new, was built in a traditional style that still remained warm and welcoming. The service was lovely in its simplicity and the delight in Miri's eyes and smile each time the choir sang was infectious.
Miriam was happily singing _Joy to the World_ as they walked out of the church into the crisp morning. She didn't have the lyrics right, but she was perfectly in tune and Susan was regarding her curiously.
"She can sing," she told Hazel in exactly the same way she might have announced that her daughter had developed purple spots overnight.
Hazel chuckled. "This is a surprise?" she asked. "Look at her father and grandfather. Aunt Buffy can sing too, even if she's not in the same class as Uncle Rupert. Why are you surprised Miri can sing?"
"I don't know," Susan admitted. "I just am."
Hazel just grinned and they went to find Miri, who was now throwing snowballs with a boy about her own age. He was dressed in his Sunday best, which was rapidly getting drenched. Miri was much, much more accurate when it came to aiming than he was.
His mother arrived at the same moment and she and Susan exchanged apologies and Christmas greetings and gathered up their respective offspring.
"I want to play," Miri complained as Susan buckled up her seatbelt. "Please, Mommy."
"What do you think, Hazel?" Susan asked as she closed the back door and walked around to the front of the car. "Shall we take Miri somewhere to play?"
"Um..." Hazel sat in the passenger's seat and clicked her own seatbelt buckle home. "Shouldn't we go home and help Aunt Dawn with everything."
Susan started the engine, speaking as it turned over to keep small ears from hearing. "Wes and I agreed I'd keep Miri away from the house for the morning. There are so many people there now we thought one less six year old was a good idea. I hope you don't mind, but I'd love your help."
They pulled away from the curb and onto the street. "What do you say, Miri?" she asked more loudly. "Shall we ask Hazel to come with us to the park?"
Miri nodded enthusiastically. "Hazel can come and we'll go see the fishes."
"Fishes?" Hazel asked. She flushed and corrected her self. "Fish?"
"We can't go today, lovely," Susan told Miri as she turned the car towards the lake. "Wesley promised the kids we'd take them to Shedd Aquarium. He kept Miri quiet for hours on the way here telling her about it."
"See the fishes," Miri repeated firmly.
Hazel twisted in her seat so that she could look directly at Miri. "Sorry, kiddo," she said apologetically. "The place where the fish live, it's closed today. Maybe we can go tomorrow instead, what do you think?"
"Tomorrow?"
"Sure," Hazel agreed, wondering what she was getting herself into. "We'll go tomorrow. You and me and your mommy and daddy and Jeremy."
Miriam thought about it and eventually nodded. "Where can we go today?"
Susan turned another corner. "Aunty Dawn told me about a special park, just for children," she answered. "It's open today and there are games and slides and swings and lots of other things. We're going there."
"And Hazel will play with me?" Miri asked.
Susan threw the young woman beside here an apologetic look, but Hazel just smiled. "Sure, kitten. I'll play with you."