Title: The More The Merrier
Author: Elke Tanzer (elke @ elke.slashcity.org)
Characters: Liz & Bethany
Summary: Liz and Bethany enjoy the December holidays together.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Liz and Bethany belong to Kevin Smith. No copyright infringement is intended or inferred.
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In mid-July, Liz was the first to figure out that Bethany was pregnant. She didn't press about who the father was, or if she was seeing either a special woman or a special man, or whether she'd be keeping the baby, so Bethany didn't need to decide whether or not to tell her that she had indeed gone to church and found a third option.

By August everyone in the office knew that Bethany was keeping the baby, and also that she wasn't telling anyone about the father.

In October and November, when Bethany started having really odd cravings, Liz started showing up at her desk with all sorts of snacks, and taking her out for lunch. Even though Bethany teased her good-naturedly about her habit of dating college students, especially the international ones -- Liz had countered with "sometimes
verbal communication just gets in the way, if you know what I mean, and English is such a dull language anyway!" -- Liz did know where to find all of the best hole-in-the-wall restaurants in the area for amazing foods that Bethany could barely pronounce but which satisfied her cravings wonderfully.

Liz joked that she had exes that hailed from all of the continents and most of the major world religions, and that each and every one of them had taught her something about good food and good sex. Bethany just laughed, and enjoyed the latest amazing treats, this time from a fabulous tiny Indian restaurant she drove past every day
on her way to work but had never noticed before.

In early December, Liz invited Bethany over to celebrate Hannukah with her. As usual, they'd enjoyed amazingly wonderful food, and somehow, Bethany felt right at home with her, watching the candles glow and talking about various family holiday traditions which seemed at once to be both mysterious and comfortable. When she asked if the latkes were a family recipe, though, Liz laughed and said, "Actually, yeah. All the women in my family go out and buy them every year rather than
mucking around in the kitchen!"

In late December, Bethany invited Liz over for Christmas dinner. Against her usual tendency to try to do everything the most difficult handmade way possible to have company over, she'd followed Liz's advice and bought most of it at the local deli and bakery, so there was little cleanup work to be done in the kitchen afterward.
She had to admit that Liz's method had its appeal.

They'd relocated to the living room couch to digest, sipping spiced cider and watching the lights on Bethany's little tabletop tree twinkle.

"So there's this twelve days of Christmas thing," Liz said.

"Yeah. Not many people celebrate it like that much anymore, though."

"Still. They should. I mean, holidays are good things. We should all celebrate more holidays."

Bethany laughed. "You do celebrate more holidays. I don't know anyone else who celebrates as many holidays as you."

Liz grinned at her. "That's just because I'm good at finding excuses for making someone else do all of the cooking."

Bethany nodded. "I'm getting better about that. Being eight months pregnant has convinced me that all kinds of things are best done by other people!"

Liz nodded. "Trust me, that's true whether or not you're pregnant. Which brings me to this... here's your Christmas present." She handed Bethany a dark green envelope.

"Oh, Liz, you didn't need to do this. You've been giving me dinner for every holiday I can think of, plus some I'm pretty sure you've made up."

Liz's smile was unrepentant. "It's not every year that I have such a good excuse for spoiling a friend rotten! Just open it."

Bethany opened the envelope, pulled the card out, and began to read. She shook her head, glanced at Liz, and then reread the card again. "You can't be serious. You've bought me twelve college students?"

"Yep!"

"Liz!"

"What? Students are cheap, whether you're dating them or hiring them!"

"Liz!"

"Oh, stop fussing. You know you'll be able to really use the help over the next year or so."

Bethany reread the card again. "Two art majors to paint the nursery and do a mural right away, two fitness buffs to shovel snow this winter, two chefs in training to bring by dinners for the first month after the baby's born, four to help out with the laundry and housework for the next year, and two to do babysitting? Liz, this is
too much!"

"Just think of it as my way of subsidizing education. It's all for a good cause, and besides, you're going to have to admit sooner or later that you can really use the help. Plus, I hand-picked them all myself, and some of them are really pretty... one can never have too much eye candy around! Besides, they're all old enough to be
legal..."

"Liz!"

"...and they're more useful than a partridge in a pear tree, any day."

"You're not going to let me turn this down, are you?"

"Nope." Liz raised her mug of cider, clinking it against Bethany's. "Merry Christmas, Bethany Sloane."

Bethany sighed, "I swear, if you try to give me anything for Kwanzaa, I'm not going to accept it."

Liz grinned. "Oh, I'm giving myself something wonderful for Kwanzaa. But you're going to accept this gift in the spirit in which it was given, yes?"

Bethany laughed. "Yes, all right. Thank you. Merry Christmas, Liz." She shook her head, still grinning. "Remind me to buy you a masseur for New Years. Unless
you'd rather have a masseuse."

Liz grinned right back at her. "Oh, life's short. Let's get one of each."