The Vampire Slayer Diaries

Pangs

"Of all the duties of a dean, one of the most pleasant is to see a colleague realize a dream. Ladies, gentlemen, students, I present to you professor Gerhardt of the anthropology department." Our Dean of UC said she was standing at the podium making her speech. Professor Gerhardt walked up replacing the dean.

"When I first realized we were outgrowing our current cultural center, I was concerned. Then I realized It was like seeing one's child grow up and move on to better things. In this case, a spacious new facility to be built on this site..."

I stood in the crowd in between Buffy and Anya, Willow was standing beside Buffy.

" Look at him. Have you ever seen anything so masculine?" Anya said looking at Xander. 

"You mean Guerrero or his wife?" Buffy asked.

"I think she means...."I trailed off pointing to Xander who was working on the construction site, thanks to one of his best friends 'cough' me' 'cough'  he was given a job with the crew. It did help that most the construction crew were supernatural not that I tell the gang every time I see one.

"Oh very manly" Buffy said nodding. "Not at all village people, so much sexier than the outfit from his last job."

"Oh I miss the free hot dogs on the sticks" Willow said. 

"I'm imagining having sex with him right now" Anya said

I nearly choked on my vomit, looking at her.

"Anya there's a thing called little too much information." I told her giving her a firm look.

"And that's why it's appropriate that the ground-breaking for the UC sunnydale cultural partnership center is taking place so soon before thanksgiving. Because that's what the melting pot is about-- Contributions from all cultures, making our culture stronger..." The professor said.

Buffy started to clap but stopped at Willow interjected.

"What a load of horse hooey." She said.

"We have a counterpoint?" Buffy said.

"Yeah. Thanksgiving isn't about blending of 2 cultures. It's about one culture wiping out another. And then they make animated specials about the part where, with the maize and the big, big belt buckles. They don't show you the next scene, where all the bison die and Squanto takes a musket ball in the stomach."

"Okay now for some of that you were channeling your mother?" I asked staring at her knowingly.

"Well, yeah, sort of. That's why she doesn't celebrate thanksgiving or Columbus day-- You know, the destruction of the indigenous peoples. I know it sounds a little overwrought, but really, she's...She's right." Willow said.

"Yeah. I guess I never really thought about it that way. With mom at aunt Darlene's this year, I'm not getting a thanksgiving. Maybe it's just as well." Buffy added.

"Well I think that's a shame" Anya said. "I love a ritual sacrifice."

"It's not really one of those." I told her.

"To commemorate a past event, you kill and eat an animal. It's a ritual sacrifice, with pie." Anya said.

"Yeah, I know my family had our own traditions we'd invite old family friends like Athena and Mia's families, we hunters would go out for a big hunting party while Gramma and a few of the women folk would sit around cooking the dinner." I told her shrugging. "But humans have different traditions than us."

Anya nodded in agreement.

"And thus, a symbolic beginning." Gerhardt said walking over to the diggers and commenced with the ground breaking ceremony.