Unexpected Consequences: A Willow and Tara novel.
Please read the Disclaimer before continuing to remain in the site or reading the stories. These stories contain adult material with scenes of women loving women. Consider this story to have an R rating. If this is illegal in your state or you are underage, please go to a more appropriate site now.
Please do not archive, link or reproduce without Author's Written Permission
Disclaimer: I don't own any Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters. No copyright infringement is intended. Original characters are mine.
Pairing: W/T... eventually
Angst Rating: Highest rating... buy stock in Kleenex
Rating: PG 13 for adult themes and eventual W/T goodness.
Unexpected Consequences
© December 2001
By Lisa Countryman
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Amy hurried across the street toward the bus station. She only had a few of her things stuffed into a paper bag, but she wasn’t about to take the time to pack more. She wanted to be out of town before Rack realized she’d crossed him.
"Spare some change?" an old man with scraggly hair asked as Amy walked toward him.
"As if." Amy shoved him out of her way. "I’ve got my own problems."
"Yes, you do," Rack said as the old man mophed into the foreboding form of the magic dealer. "Like betraying me."
"Rack!" Amy spun and her entire body quivered with fear. "I … I was just looking for you."
"Yes, and the bus stop is certainly the first place I’d look for me." He smiled at her, enjoying her fear.
"Well, I did find you," Amy pointed out timidly.
"You certainly did." He thrust his hand out and clenched his fist in the air and Amy dropped to the ground clutching her throat. "You’re a runner, Amy." He patted her head as her face flushed bright red. "You get scared and you scurry off."
Amy opened her mouth, but no air could reach her starving lungs because his mystic grip was crushing her throat.
"Should I kill you right here?" he asked thoughtfully. "Leave you here dead in the street?"
Amy shook her head and her eyes bulged.
"I think you’re right," Rack said as he smiled.
The malice in his eyes made Amy wish he would just kill her.
"No, you don’t get away that easily." He loosened his mystical grip.
Amy fell forward and rubbed her throat as she gasped. Her lungs ached as she took in deep breaths. "I did everything you asked," Amy said in a pleading tone.
"I don’t remember asking you to save the blonde bitch." Rack brutally grabbed a handful of Amy’s hair and yanked her to her feet. "I’m gonna’ have to thank you for that favor," he said sarcastically.
"Please, Rack, please." Amy cringed as he walked swiftly away, dragging her along by her hair. "I didn’t help her. I just broke the spell a little early." She cried out when he tugged her hair sharply. "Okay, I helped, but Caedo should have been able to kill her anyway."
"He’s going to pay too." Rack tilted his head back and he and Amy disappeared in a shimmering flash of green light.
*****
"Tara, what do you mean?" Willow looked at Brianna and then back into Tara’s enchanting blue eyes. Suddenly staying in the idyllic setting sounded like a wonderful idea.
"Hold her." Tara stood and handed the child to Willow.
"Oh, goddess." Willow’s chest filled with love as she cradled the precious bundle. Brianna nuzzled against Willow’s small breast looking for another meal. Willow giggled. "Oh, sweetie, that is an exercise in futility. No snackage there."
Tara closed her blouse as she moved past Willow and spooned her from behind. "Nothing is futile here, darling." Tara reached around Willow and cupped her pert breast. When she pulled her hand back, not only had Willow’s blouse somehow changed to a button down shirt, but her breast was also exposed and full of milk.
Brianna latched on and began nursing.
"I don’t want to ever leave," Willow whispered. She watched in awe as her body fed the child that she’d created with Tara. It was primal, natural, and the most rewarding feeling she’d ever known.
"We’re a family," Tara whispered in Willow’s ear. She squeezed her lover tighter and rested one hand on Brianna’s back.
"Tara, you can’t stay here," her mother said from behind her. "You have to go back or she’ll never come to be."
"Mama, I can’t leave her," Tara said without turning, unwilling to release her lover or their child.
The conversation sparked something in the back of Willow’s mind. She pulled away from Tara and faced her. "We aren’t supposed to be here," she said slowly. She spun and looked at the rolling mountains and the dense vegetation. The only thing missing from the perfect setting as a playful doe scampering across the meadow. "Oh, goddess!" Willow exclaimed when a tawny deer trotted out of the trees and bounded across the clearing. Willow turned back to Tara. "Are we in heaven?"
"No," Tara’s mother said in a lyric tone. "That’s why you can’t stay." She tried to take Brianna, but Willow quickly backed away. "I will watch over her, nurture her soul until it’s her time."
"But she’s with us," Willow continued backing up.
"We can’t leave her, mama." Tara held out her hands to Willow and smiled. "My turn."
Willow reluctantly handed over her daughter and discretely covered her breast. Seeing the fire haired child in Tara’s arms was almost as fulfilling as holding the child herself.
"You’re running out of time," Tara’s mother cautioned.
"We have all the time in the world." Tara walked toward the lake humming to Brianna.
"Wait, you have to convince her to go back." Tara’s mother took Willow by the arm. "She’s getting weaker. The magical attack took so much out of her."
Willow’s eyes widened as she remembered …. Tara was lying in a hospital bed in Sunnydale. She’d been sent to retrieve her.
"I will be with Brianna until it’s time for her to return." Tara’s mother smiled and caressed Willow’s cheek. "She’ll be happy and loved beyond anything you can imagine."
"But how?" Willow asked. "She didn’t know the ‘refero.’"
"She did," Tara’s mother explained. "Now, go to her. Convince my stubborn child to go back or Brianna will never be born."
"But the spell. She’s gonna’ return." Willow’s pulse raced as she was pulled back to the realities of her world and away from the perfection of the mystical holding place.
"If Tara stays here, her body will die." The older woman’s eyes were shaped liked Tara’s, and they were a shade paler, but they were just as expressive. "Brianna can only be born if the two of you conceive her again."
Willow nodded as she took in the words. It made perfect sense, and it had symmetry, and yet something was bothering Willow. She looked over to check on Tara and her green eyes shot open.
Tara was running through the ankle-deep grass. The sun was shinning down on her and she was laughing as she ran from Brianna. The child that had been an infant moments before was now at least five-years-old.
"Lift me, mama!" Brianna pleaded. She held out her lithe arms and squealed when Tara scooped her up and spun her through the air.
Tara’s deep laughter carried across the meadow and Willow couldn’t help but run toward her lover and their child. She stopped and smiled when Tara fell into the grass and held Brianna above her.
"Again!" Brianna begged.
"You’re wearing mama out." Tara lowered her daughter onto her chest and hugged her. "How ‘bout mama-snuggles instead?"
Brianna allowed the embrace but then she wiggled free. "Come on, mama." She tugged on Tara’s hand. She turned and saw Willow and the child’s slate blue eyes lit up. "Mommy!" she shouted and sprinted toward Willow in a tangle of gangly arms and legs.
Willow knelt and held out her arms. It was the most natural thing she’d ever felt. "Hi, baby," she whispered emotionally. "Oof!" she said in a puff when Brianna leaped into her arms. "Oh, goddess." Willow closed her eyes and absorbed the sensation of holding her little girl. She stood, bringing her child with her, and then chuckled when Brianna’s spindly legs wrapped around her waist. ‘I’m a mommy,’ Willow thought. "How are you, baby?" she asked huskily.
"I wore mama out," Brianna said proudly. "Spin me, mommy."
"Just for a minute." Willow spun her round and round and then put Brianna onto the grass and knelt in front of her. She traced her child’s face, marveling at the miracle that could have combined her features with Tara’ so perfectly. Brianna definitely had Tara’s eyes and her smile, but when the copper haired child rolled her eyes, the expression was pure Willow.
"Mommy," Brianna said with a giggle. She seemed amused by her mother’s fascination with her face. She allowed the scrutiny, but then squirmed free and ran over to a butterfly on a nearby wildflower. She dropped carefully to her knees and bent down until she was face to face with the tiny creature, but she made no move to touch it, content to visually inspect the insect.
"She has your nose," Tara said as she spooned Willow from behind. "And your curiosity." She hugged Willow tightly. "Of course, the hair goes without saying," she added as she nuzzled into Willow’s auburn tresses.
"We have to go," Willow said as she held back tears. Tears seemed wrong in the perfection of the mystical place.
"I can’t leave her; we can’t leave her." Tara made no move to release Willow.
"Tara, darling…" Willow spun in her lover’s embrace and looked into her eyes. "If we don’t go back, Brianna will never be born." She used the word ‘we’ because she wasn’t leaving without Tara. If the blonde stayed, Willow would too. Their fates were as intertwined as their hearts.
"She’s happy here," Tara said as she looked over at Brianna. She smiled fondly as they watched their child galloping along behind the butterfly, mirroring its erratic path across the meadow.
"This isn’t life," Tara’s mother said as she moved beside Tara.
"She’ll never get hurt here," Tara said as she stuck her jaw out defiantly. She would never defy her mother, but she wasn’t about to see Brianna hurt.
"And she’ll never experience the greatest joys of life here." Tara’s mother rested her hand on Willow’s shoulder. "Your soul mate came to get you, to bring you back to your destiny." She moved her hand to Tara’s shoulder. "Baby girl, as wonderful as it is to see you and talk to you, this isn’t your destiny."
"I don’t want to leave her, mama," Tara said as tears formed.
"I know, baby girl," Her mother pulled Tara from Willow’s arms and hugged her. She rubbed Tara’s back and hummed for a few moments until Tara calmed down. "She’ll come back to you. Then you can experienced everything with her as it’s meant to be."
"Um, Mrs. um, mother spirit lady, uh…" Willow struggled, not knowing how to address the ghost of her mother-in-law.
"You can call me mom, if you want to," Tara’s mother said as she continued holding her daughter. She looked over Tara’s shoulder and smiled at Willow.
"Yeah, well, mom, can you tell me where we are? Will Brianna stay here? Is this heaven?" Willow didn’t process that she was calling a ghost ‘mom.’ It was too much at the moment.
"This isn’t heaven." She eased out of Tara’s arms. "It’s a kind of limbo, created by the most powerful witches thousands of years ago. It’s the waiting place for souls in jeopardy."
"For babies waiting to be reborn after the refero?" Tara asked as she went to Willow and draped an arm around the lithe redhead.
"Sometimes," Tara’s mother said gently. "It was created for witches who were between worlds. Some areas are for witches in comas. Those allow their mystical selves to heal along with their bodies. This meadow is for unborn children."
"Then we can stay while my body heals." Tara smiled and turned her head toward Brianna. The curious child was now climbing a small tree to get a better look at a squirrel.
"No," her mother said firmly. "This is the holding place for children waiting to be born. You don’t belong here. It took incredible power for you to get here, Tara. Power you can’t spare right now."
"How did I get here?" Willow asked curiously. It had been a simple journey for the redhead.
"All you had to do was find my wayward daughter," Tara’s mother replied with a smile. "You two always find each other."
Willow held tightly around Tara’s waist. "Is it my fault we lost Brianna?" the redhead asked. "Because of the dark magic and the resurrection spell?"
"Willow … sweet, logical Willow." Tara’s mother stepped closer and caressed Willow’s cheek. "No. Your addiction and losing Tara was your price." She sighed and shook her head. "Miscarriage is never a punishment, never. It’s one of the oldest laws in the magical realm. When someone loses a child, it’s a tragic accident, fate." She looked over at Brianna and sighed. "That precious soul is here because Rack is evil. Tara was allowed to use the refero spell because the goddess agrees that you two deserve a second chance with her."
"We have to go back, Tara." Willow began walking toward Brianna, bringing Tara with her. She needed to see her child again, one last time.
"Will, I can’t leave our baby." Tara’s gentle heart was breaking. She clung to Willow’s arm in desperation. "I can’t lose her."
"It’s only for a while," Willow promised. "She’ll be born to us someday." She stopped and faced her lover. "Honey, when the time is right, we will make a conscious decision to get pregnant again. We’ll do the spell together and we will have Brianna with us."
"Swear to me," Tara asked, her voice was cracking and her eyes spilled a steady stream of tears.
"I swear it," Willow said solemnly. She turned to Tara’s mother. "Will you be with Brianna while she waits?"
"Absolutely," Tara’s mother swore. "Just like my great grandmother was with Tara.
A slow smile spread over Tara’s face as a long forgotten memory returned. "I was here with nana Trudy. I remember!"
"Yes, baby girl. You spent almost a year with her here." She reached out and took Tara’s hand. "That’s one of the reasons you’re so wise. You learned from her."
"But I just now remembered," Tara pointed out.
"It doesn’t matter," he mother told her. "Your soul never forgets."
"Will Brianna be wise?" Tara asked as she glanced over at her child. Brianna was tossing blades of grass into the air and watching them shower back down on her.
"She and I will get to know each other very well," Tara’s mother said cryptically. "She will understand her craft long before she is ever born."
Willow let relief fill her. With a deep, soul-seated understanding of Wicca, the odds of Brianna succumbing to dark magic were slim.
"Can we say good bye?" Tara asked.
"Of course, baby girl." Tara’s mother took Tara’s hand and gently squeezed. "I’m so thankful I had the chance to see you again."
"Oh, mama." Tara fell into her mother’s arms. "I love you so much. I miss you everyday."
Willow left the two alone to make their own farewells while she walked toward where Brianna was now sitting at the edge of stream staring into the water.
"Shh," Tara’s mother cooed as she continued holding her. "It’s okay." She patted Tara’s back as she kissed her cheek.
"It’s not." Tara sobbed as she shook her head. "Mama, how do I leave her?" She bit her lip and buried her face against the only woman other than Willow who had ever made her feel safe. "It hurts," she whispered. "It’s like leaving my heart."
"Of course it is," her mother soothed. "That’s because you are." She stroked Tara’s hair. "She’s your heart and Willow’s."
"Was it like this for you?" Tara asked with a sniffle.
"Oh, baby girl, it was so much worse." She eased Tara away from her. "Darlin’, I didn’t get to come here to see you. I did the refero spell and had to trust that you were safe and that you’d return to me."
"How did you survive?" Tara asked in a tiny voice.
"Faith." She caressed Tara’s cheek. "In the goddess, and in you." She smiled and moved her hand to Tara’s temple. "You are so strong. You have no idea the power you possess."
Tara blushed and dipped her head.
"You are strong," her mother cupped Tara’s chin and lifted her head. "Tara, you have always had it, and you always pushed it down and hid it."
"D-daddy," Tara said shamefully
"Your father doesn’t understand magic. He never has." She looked into Tara’s eyes and held her gaze. "You’re not betraying him by using your power." She intensified her gaze. "You’re being true to yourself."
"But…" Tara started to speak.
"And you’re being true to the goddess," her mother interrupted. "Baby, you have a gift. Use it."
Tara smiled shyly and nodded.
"Now, give me another hug before you go home."
"I love you, mama," Tara whispered as she hugged her mother. She held tight, torn between staying in the safety of the loving embrace and going to be with Willow and Brianna. She eased back; Willow was her safety. "Take good care of my baby girl." She lifted her mother’s hand and pressed it to her cheek.
"Always," her mother swore.
Willow stood behind Brianna and smiled. Her little girl was hunched over the small creek intently watching the water and its aquatic residents. After a moment, Brianna leaned back onto her heels and looked up at Willow.
"Hey," Willow said as she waved her fingers.
Brianna sat onto the warm earth and looked down at the water. "You and mama are gonna’ leave me, huh?" Brianna asked glumly.
"We don’t want to." A stab of regret made Willow’s heart ache.
"I know." She looked up at Willow with the same sadness in her eyes that Tara got when she had to do something she didn’t want to. "But I have grandma." She gave a half grin and then looked down at the stream.
"Do you like it here?" Willow asked as she sat next to her daughter and draped an arm over her tiny shoulder. She wondered how a child could fill her heart and break it in the same beat.
"We have tadpoles," Brianna said as if that explained everything. "And there’s a falcon … and grandma says its feathers are the same color as mama’s hair.
"That must be a beautiful falcon," Willow said
hoarsely. She was so choked up her throat felt like she’d
swallowed sand. "And the tadpoles, they’ll turn into
little froggies soon." She squeezed her daughter closer.
"You can watch ‘em hop all over the place."
"Yeah." Brianna smiled and looked up into Willow’s eyes. The child’s expression was completely earnest. "Will you and mama send for me soon?"
"As soon as we can, baby." She kissed Brianna’s forehead. "And we’ll think of you every day."
"Good." The tiny redhead hugged Willow. She squeezed tightly; her head rested on Willow’s shoulder and their hair mingled. The color and texture were so similar, only the length differentiated them.
Tara came over and sat next to Brianna on the opposite side. "Tadpoles!" she said excitedly.
"They’ll be froggies soon," Brianna said sagely. "And I can follow them as the hop everywhere."
"You sure can." Tara wrapped her arm around Brianna under Willow’s arm. They sat there for some time, just watching the stream and the tadpoles under the water.
"You have to go," Brianna said sadly.
"Yeah. We don’t want to," Tara said as she leaned over and kissed her child’s ear. "But we have to."
"I know," Brianna said with a quirky smile. "But I’ll come soon. Only I’ll be a baby and won’t remember us being here with grandma." She tilted her head to one side and crinkled her brow. Her tiny lips curled up on one corner exactly the way Willow’s did when she was deep in thought. "When will that be, mama?"
"As soon as possible, baby girl," Tara said using the same term of affection her own mother had use throughout her life.
"Be good for grandma," Willow said as she hugged her little girl.
"We’ll miss you," Tara added. They hugged their daughter between them and cried. "We love you, baby."
"We love you so much," Willow said huskily. "You’re our everything."
"I love you too," Brianna said.
A white light engulfed Willow and Tara. It surrounded them with swirling clouds and tossed them in every direction. Bright sparks flashed in front of their eyes and made it impossible to see anything other than the streaks of light.
The air around them became thick like tar. It was difficult to draw in a breath and then suddenly everything wet black.
Willow opened her eyes and gasped as oxygen filled her lungs. She looked down at Tara in the hospital bed and let out a relieved sigh. "Tara, we’re back," she whispered. She leaned forward but a wave of dizziness made her grab the arm of her chair.
"Easy," Diana said as she rushed to Willow’s side and knelt. "You were out for a while." The doctor pressed her hand to Willow’s forehead checking for a fever, but there was none. "Did you find her?"
Willow nodded and rested her face on the bed next to Tara’s hand as she continued taking deep breaths.
"And?" Diana asked anxiously.
"She came back with me…" Willow lifted her head and stared at Tara. The blonde was motionless on the bed. She reached out her hand and ran her knuckles down Tara’s cheek. "Baby?" she asked quietly.
"You’re sure she came back?" Diana went to Tara’s side.
"She was with me!" Willow insisted. "We came back. I felt her energy with me!"
Diana lifted one of Tara’s eyelids and used her penlight to check the pupils. She smiled. "Her eyes are reacting to light. Thank the goddess."
"That’s good, right?" Willow asked.
"That’s very good," Diana said with a smile. She lifted Tara’s wrist and felt her pulse. It was strong and steady. "She’s here, Willow. She’s just resting."
"Thank you," Willow whispered as she leaned down and kissed Tara’s temple. "Thank you for coming back."
"Stay with her," Diana said as she rubbed her hand down Willow’s back. "You’re the best medicine for her right now." She leaned down and kissed the top of Willow’s head. "I need to go check on my other patients. Cass will be by soon, sweetie."
"Thanks," Willow said sincerely. She scooted her chair closer and cradled Tara’s hand, constantly caressing it. The subtle contact soothed Willow’s nerves, and it reminded her that her soul mate was with her. "It’s over, baby. Everything’s gonna’ be okay now."
*****
Rack appeared in his lair with Amy on her knees at his side. The dark haired witch was sweating profusely, both from her withdrawal from Rack’s magic and from her own fear.
"You found her!" Caedo said as he jumped up from the couch. "She betrayed you. She’s why the witch got away."
"You’re a trained assassin," Amy accused. "You couldn’t kill one helpless witch?" Amy crawled away from Rack and stumbled to her feet. "I did the spell. I bound Tara … just like you asked," Amy stalled.
"We already covered this," Rack said in a bored tone. "Amy, you betrayed me." He smiled dangerously. "And I will deal with you." He turned toward Caedo, leaving Amy to imagine dozens of horrible things Rack might do to her. "Caedo … underworld famous killer," Rack sneered. "You couldn’t kill one little pregnant witch."
"You could have killed her anytime," Amy said quietly. "Why didn’t you?" she asked with a confused scowl.
"Yes, murder her lover with my own hands," Rack said sarcastically. "That would get Willow back to me."
"Willow won’t care if you did it yourself or ordered it," Amy said logically. "She’d still blame you."
"Well, we’ll never know, now will we?" Rack demanded. "I asked you two to kill one witch and you couldn’t even pull that off."
"But I—" Caedo began.
"Silence," Rack said in a hushed whisper. His eyes flashed red for an instant and then Caedo’s throat glowed briefly.
Caedo continued moving his lips but no sound came out. His eyes widened and he strained his throat as he tried to yell.
"Now…" Rack said as he took a relaxing breath and watched Caedo fighting to speak. "You failed me." Rack rubbed his hands together as he thought. "The question is, do I kill you? Or do I give you another chance to fail me?"
"He gets a second chance?" Amy said incredulously. "I just screwed up a spell; he failed on a blood oath assignment."
Rack raised an eyebrow and Amy.
"I’ll shut up," Amy said quickly. "No need to steal my voice." She smiled and pretended to lock her lips closed.
"I have something much more interesting for you, little Amy." Rack laughed deep in his throat. He turned to Caedo and waved a hand at him. "Cattus Mutatio," he said calmly.
Caedo’s eyes went wide and then his pupils dilated. He tensed and his rounded pupils stretched and elongated. His nose flattened and then his body shrank and dropped to the floor. He transformed into a small back cat. The cat looked up at Rack and hissed, then let out a feral growl.
"What?" Rack asked innocently. "I gave your voice back." He chuckled as Caedo paced. "Now, if you want to get your own body back, I have a little job that’s right up your alley."
The cat hissed but sat at Rack’s feet.
Amy watched with a curious sense of fascination. She’d spent years as a rat, and seeing a cat made her adrenaline pump wildly.
"You’re an assassin," Rack said as he knelt down in front of the warlock-turned-cat. "So … kill." He turned his head toward Amy and smiled. "Mus mutatio."
Amy shrieked as her body transformed. Her screams became more high pitched as her body dropped to the ground and continued getting smaller until her cries were squeaks. She crawled around the ground in the familiar form of a rat. She sat up and gripped her tiny rat forepaws together in a position of pleading.
"Begging won’t help either of you." Rack on the couch and watched the two creatures in front of him. "I was nice enough to let you keep most of your wits. Most of your brains are intact." He looked at the cat expectantly. "Well, I gave you a job. I won’t be nearly as forgiving if you fail me again."
The rat screeched and bolted to the window and scurried away.
"Tick tock," Rack said cruelly to the cat.
The cat growled and leapt out the window and ran down the alley after Amy.
"Now then," Rack said to himself. " I’ve got a witch to kill." He cracked his knuckles thought about Willow. She would never return. Now all that was left was revenge, and the best way to hurt Willow was to Kill Tara. "Paging Doctor Rack," the warlock said as he shimmered and then disappeared.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Amy jumped from the window and ran across the rough surface of the alley. Her tiny rat feet sank into a shallow puddle, but since she was now only a few inches tall, the stagnant water covered her legs completely. ‘Okay, yuck,’ Amy thought as she shivered.
She hurried past a pile of discarded litter and stumbled. She was still trying to move like a human, and in her rat form that wouldn’t work. ‘Just great,’ Amy thought. ‘All those years as a rat and now I can’t remember how to run like a rodent.’ She concentrated on her years spent spinning on the tiny wheel and her speed increased instantly.
She heard a set of slight feet hit the ground and she knew Caedo had followed her. ‘You’re a rat, you’re a rat ... a rat being chased by a cat,’ Amy thought as she scurried behind a garbage can. ‘A rat being chased by a cat? Oh, god, I’m having a Dr. Suess death scene.’
Caedo leapt from the window and growled as he landed in a heap. ‘I thought cats landed on their feet.’ He scanned the alley and tried to cast a spell but nothing happened. ‘Damn it. My powers won’t work while I’m not in human form.’ He trotted clumsily down the narrow alley but he didn’t see any sign of Amy. He crinkled his nose as the smell of garbage filled his hypersensitive nostrils. ‘Cat senses,’ he realized. He inhaled deeply. ‘Now, if I just knew what a rat smelled like, I could find that bitch.’
‘A rat?’ Amy thought. ‘Why did it have to be a rat?’ She scurried behind some battered garbage cans and let out a terrified squeak when she came snout to snout with another rat. ‘Ew!’ she thought as she backed away.
The other rat fluffed its hair and took an aggressive stance as it held it’s ground over a piece of discarded, and quite rotten, hot dog.
‘You know what? You go right ahead,’ Amy thought as she backed away. ‘Not really a hot dog gal, and well, that whole moldy meat thing you’ve got going on? So not my style.’ She bumped into a trash can lid and it wobbled loudly. ‘Uh oh.’
‘Got you!’ Caedo thought as he awkwardly trotted toward the sound behind the garbage cans. He was still trying to move as if his front legs were his arms, and he couldn’t get into a smooth rhythm. He saw two rats and tilted his head to one side. ‘Okay, now what?’ he thought as he looked back and forth between the two rodents.
The real rat twitched its nose and spun its head around. One look at the feline Caedo was enough. The rat bolted under a dumpster and scrambled away.
‘Oh shit,’ Amy thought. Her beady eyes bulged and she looked for an escape. She wasn’t sure if following the other rat was a good idea. After all, it had looked pretty angry that she was in its territory. She didn’t want to risk running into its lair and having it attack her. ‘Or worse yet,’ she thought with a cringe, ‘It might decide I’m an available mate.’ She shivered. ‘Let’s just not go there.’
Caedo edged closer, studying Amy. He pounced, but his aim was off and he flew past her and hit the dumpster. Amy squeaked and ran down the middle of the alley as fast as her four tiny legs would carry her. She heard Caedo growl and then she heard his paws hitting the pavement in uneven footfalls. She risked a look back and saw that he was running after her. He was awkward, and clumsy, but he was gaining on her. ‘Karma really sucks,’ she thought as she darted into a pile of spilled garbage. She wriggle under some stained newspapers and burrowed deep into the trash from an Italian restaurant. ‘Great. How exactly do I get rancid clam sauce outa’ my fur?’ She lifted her head and sighed. There was a string of linguini wrapped around her neck and it smelled worse than the bait sinks at the Sunnydale pier.
Caedo paused at the edge of the garbage pile. He could see it moving slightly as Amy tunneled deeper. He poked the pile and yanked his paw back and cringed. ‘Disgusting,’ he thought as he shook his clawed foot. There was something sticky wedged between the pads of his foot and he didn’t think he wanted to know what it was. He went around the pile and waited. Amy would tunnel her way through soon enough, and when she came out, he’d be waiting. He glanced up the alley and saw cars passing on the cross street. ‘With my luck, some dogcatcher will take me to the pound and neuter me,’ he thought glumly.
*****
Cassie sat in the waiting room holding the crying young blonde. She held her, rubbing her back as she sobbed. After a few minutes, the blonde pulled back.
"Where is Cletus?" Anya asked. "Is she cold? You don’t have her in one of those morgue drawers, do you?"
"We took the remains to the morgue," Cassie explained gently. She had already figured out that Willow and Tara’s unusual band of friends called the fetus ‘Cletus.’
"But she’ll be cold," Anya said plaintively. "We can’t leave her on that cold metal drawer. It’s just not right."
"I’m not sure what Willow and Tara want to do with the remains," Cassie explained as delicately as she could. Some parents who miscarried had services for the child, but many left it up to the hospital to ‘dispose’ of the fetal material.
"Well, she can’t just sit down there freezing," Anya insisted. She yanked off her cashmere sweater and wadded it up and handed it to Cassie. "Can you go wrap her in this?" Anya asked even as she shivered. She had been wearing only a light silk shell under the sweater. "I can’t do it," Anya admitted. "I can’t see little Cletus all dead and cold but I can’t just sit here while she’s down there all alone."
"I’ll make sure she’s wrapped and warm," Cassie promised as she looked down at the sweater. It was designer cashmere, and probably cost at least 250 dollars. She studied Anya. She hadn’t been able to get a reading that made any sense. "You do know Clet— the baby’s essence is gone, right?"
"Yes, the body is a shell, the soul moves on, nothing but an empty vessel." Anya waved her hand at Cassie. "Well, I don’t want Cletus’ shell getting cold, okay?" she cried harshly.
"I’ll take care of her." She paused and looked at Anya’s aura again. The young woman’s aura was complex and confounding. She looked like she was only a few years old, yet her aura had more baggage than anyone Cassie had ever read. "What are you?" she asked as she tilted her head to one side.
"Believe me, you don’t want to know." Anya waved her toward the door. "Go. Cletus is cold."
Cassie nodded and left the waiting room.
Anya stood and rubbed her arms. She went over to the table and picked up a canned milkshake. It was empty and she was not pleased. She spun and went to find Xander. It was his job to make sure she always had what she needed, and right now, she needed another overly sweet canned milkshake.
*****
Willow sat at her lover’s side and held her hand. Now that she knew Tara was no longer running amok on the mystic plane, Willow could rest a little easier. She yawned and shifted her weight in her chair. She wanted Tara to wake up. She needed to see the blonde’s eyes to really believe Tara was all right.
The door opened and Buffy came wandering in. "Hey," the Slayer said as she waited at the end of Tara’s bed. "Doc Diana says Tara should wake up soon. You must be relieved." Buffy smiled, but her eyes were full of sorrow. "I’m really sorry about the baby, Will."
"We’ll get her back," Willow said with absolute certainty.
Buffy’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"Oh!" Willow exclaimed as she carefully put Tara’s hand down and then rushed over to Buffy. "She did the spell, the refero. Brianna will come back to us."
"Um, how and when?" Buffy asked skeptically.
"Well, the how is kinda’ personal," Willow said as she blushed. "We’ll probably use the same spell we accidentally used, but we can decide that later." She looked back and Tara and frowned. "The when is more complicated. I’m pretty sure Tara will want to carry her again, so we need to wait until she’s fully recovered, and we might want to wait until we’ve graduated but that just seems so far away and all I really want is to have her back right this second. And again … I really don’t want to explain the ‘how’ in detail, because I don’t think you’re really ready for that kind of information about how Tara and I make love and what we do and how we—"
"Willow!" Buffy spun the redhead to face her. "I meant, how and when did Tara do the refero spell?" She smirked as she watched Willow’s entire face turn crimson.
"Oh." Willow bit her lip and cleared her throat. "She got the refero spell from her mom’s book of shadows and she used it right after Amy released the binding spell."
"Wow, lucky thing her mom’s book had the spell." Buffy still felt deep sorrow over the loss of the child, but now it was because Cletus’ arrival had been postponed, not denied.
"Tara’s mom is really nice," Willow babbled. She looked around, as if checking for anyone who might overhear. Once convinced that it was safe, she tugged Buffy aside. "I met her mom, and I met Brianna." Willow’s eyes filled with every wonderful emotion in the spectrum of sentiments. Love, caring, pride, and joy were the most visible, but the others were present. "She’s so beautiful, Buffy. She has my hair, and Tara’s blue eyes and she’s so curious!"
"Okay, hold on there." Buffy’s face looked like her brain had blown a gasket. "I’m still stuck on the ‘you met Tara’s dead mother’ part, and then you add in the ‘I just met my unborn daughter’ part." She shook her head to clear her mind. "Rewind and start over."
Willow smirked and pulled Buffy to the side of the room so they wouldn’t disturb Tara. "Tara was on the mystic plane, with Brianna. Tara’s mom was looking out for Brianna in this incredible place."
The blonde witch’s eyes fluttered open briefly and then closed. She was waking up, but for the moment she needed to rest a few more minutes. It was difficult to inhale fully, so she carefully drew in small breaths. She listened as Willow continued telling Buffy about the mystical meadow where Brianna was waiting to be born. Tara smiled, enjoying the excited lilt in her lover’s voice as she described their child.
The door opened and a male doctor started into the room. He barely started over the threshold when he was tossed back into the hall. As he slumped down the wall, his appearance changed.
"Rack," Buffy said with a growl. "You are so dead," the Slayer said as she started toward the door.
"He’s mine," Willow said as she rubbed her hands together and asked the goddess for strength.
"Your barrier won’t hold me long," Rack sneered. "This is a public place. You can’t uninvite me without some serious power. " He closed his eyes and felt the mystic barrier with his mind. "Impressive," he complimented. "But not enough." He pointed his fist at the doorway and a flash of red energy hit the barrier and it flashed brightly as the two magics clashed.
"Willow," Tara called out from her bed. She held out her hand to her lover. "Come here, please."
Willow faltered. Her body ached to rip Rack’s heart out of his chest, but her own heart had to heed Tara’s siren call. She went to the bed and took Tara’s hand.
"Buffy?" Tara said in a warning tone. She held up her other hand to the Slayer.
"Oh, man!" Buffy whined as she went over and took the blonde witch’s hand. "Couldn’t you have slept a few minutes longer so I coulda’ kicked his ass?"
"How touching." Rack stepped into the threshold and was tossed back again.
"Swear to me, both of you, swear you will not raise a hand ... or a spell to him," Tara ordered.
"Tara!" Willow and Buffy cried in unison.
"He’s evil," Buffy reminded the blonde witch. "And I kill evil. It’s what I do, pretty much killing is the job description."
"Hence the name Slayer," Willow added. She continued watching Rack, her hands burning to cast a spell. "How can you ask me to let him go?" she asked her lover.
"I’m not," Tara said as she focused on Rack. "The goddess will deal with him." Her eyes glowed gold for a brief instant and then returned to normal.
"Coward," Rack taunted. He moved toward the door.
Tara raised her head in a quick jerk and Rack was thrown against the wall of the hallway.
"Nice trick, but it won’t be enough." He raised his hands when Tara glared at him. "But, I can wait until you’re out of here … ‘til you go out for a walk unprotected…"
"You son of a bitch," Willow said ferociously. She desperately wanted to cast a spell, but Tara had other plans and Willow would have to trust the blonde.
Rack studied Tara with renewed interest. "You’re strong," he said with a smile. He drew his finger through the air around him and tasted it. "And sweet. I’ve been wasting my time trying to kill you." He looked over at Willow and waggled his eyebrows. "I should be taking her on a dark magic carpet ride. She can give me things you only dreamed of."
"Be careful what you ask for," Tara warned. Her eyes were hard and cold, but her expression was calm, too calm.
"So sad about the baby. I should have just waited and had a second generation junkie." He disappeared in a flash of light.
"Why did you stop me?" Buffy yelled. "He so needs to be dead!"
"I won’t lose you or Willow," Tara said as she pinned Buffy in an accusatory glare. "I don’t want you running off and getting killed."
"But…" Willow pointed at the door.
"You’re not strong enough," Tara said firmly and then winced.
"Oh, goddess!" Willow panicked. "Buffy, get Diana."
"I’m okay," Tara said even as she cringed. "Okay, I’m sore." She reached for her side and moaned. "Very sore."
Buffy sprinted out the door.
"Baby, don’t move." Willow put her hand over Tara’s. "You just had surgery. Easy. Goddess, you shouldn’t have been fighting Rack."
"Surgery?" Panic filled Tara’s eyes. "Willow, did they…"
"No, baby." Willow kissed Tara’s forehead "They took out your spleen, but everything else is okay." She eased away so she could look into her lover’s eyes. "You can still have children. We can."
Tara closed her eyes and blew out a breath. "Thank the goddess."
The door flew open and Diana came rushing in with Buffy close behind. "Let me check her," Diana said harshly. She pushed past Willow and pulled a small crystal out of her pocket and pressed it to Tara’s forehead.
"Never seen one of those on ER," Willow said quietly.
"I’m checking to see if Rack’s magic reached her." She studied the clear crystal, then nodded when the color remained the same. "Good, the barrier held." She frowned and pulled the crystal away and held it in her open palm. It was now hot to the touch. She quickly stuffed it into her pocket.
"What?" Tara asked.
"Nothing to worry about." Diana pushed the stray strands of hair out of Tara’s face. "Now, let me examine you."
"Okay, that’s my cue to go," Buffy said nervously.
Tara and Willow both smiled at the Slayer’s discomfort.
"Let’s see how you’re doing." Diana lifted Tara’s gown. "That drain needs to be emptied."
Willow’s entire face went white.
"Maybe you should wait outside," Diana suggested. She paused with her hands over the bloodstained bandage covering Tara’s side. "I need to check the incision, and with the heparin, it’s gonna’ be a little bloody."
"No, I wanna’ be supportive gal." Willow swayed to one side. She was used to seeing carnage, but seeing it on Tara’s body was too much for her.
"Go find Buffy," Tara said gently. "I’ll be fine."
Willow hesitated and then nodded and leaned forward and kissed Tara’s cheek. "Thanks, baby." She paused, cupping Tara’s face on the opposite side. "You looked so beautiful feeding our daughter," she whispered, then eased back.
"We’ll talk when you come back, darling." Tara blinked rapidly to stop the tears that formed as she thought of Brianna. "We have a future to plan."
"Yeah, we do." Willow kissed her fingers and pressed them gently to Tara’s lips. "I love you."
"I love you too." Tara tilted her head to one side and frowned. "You’re pale. Get some juice or something."
"I’ll have a snack with Buffy. I promise." Willow nodded and spun to leave, feeling a stab of grief at the mention of juice. Only a few days earlier, she had been making unbruised juice for Tara’s cravings. She took a deep breath as she pushed open the door and went into the hall.
Tara leaned into the pillows and closed her eyes. She was also remembering the unbruised juice.
"Did I miss something?" Diana lifted the edge of the bandage and blood ran down Tara’s side. She frowned and reached over and pressed the nurse’s call button.
"What?" Tara asked. She opened her eyes, sensing Diana’s concern.
"The incision is seeping." Diana smiled reassuringly. "That’s normal. We had to put you on some heavy-duty blood thinners. I just want your dressing changed."
"Oh," Tara yawned. She watched as Diana continued checking her injuries. "There’s something else, isn’t there?"
"You’re wounds look good." Diana stalled.
"And the crystal?" Tara inquired.
"Caught that, did you?" Diana smiled wryly.
"Diana, please." Tara was exhausted, and her eyes felt like they had stones pulling them closed.
"Your mystic power has increased," Diana said as she pulled a chair to the side of the bed and sat. "A lot."
"Then why am I so tired?" Tara asked.
"That’s your physical body." Diana picked up Tara’s hand. "You have a lot of healing to do, sweetie. That mystical energy would be a whole lot more useful if you quit sparing with warlocks." She squeezed Tara’s hand. "Focus that energy on getting better."
"There needs to be balance." Tara yawned and her eyes drifted shut. "The scales need to be balanced."
"Tara, that’s insane. You know better that to take revenge, and you’re not in any shape to enter a spelling bee, let alone cast combat spells."
"Revenge is dark magic," Tara said as she groaned and tried to get comfortable. "I would never do that."
Diana brushed her fingers through Tara’s bangs. "I’m glad to hear that, sweetie." She stood and kissed the young witch’s forehead. "Go to sleep. Hopefully you’ll sleep right through the dressing change."
"Okay…" Tara nodded and mumbled.
Diana left quietly, though Tara was already sound asleep.
*****
Willow found Buffy and the others in the cafeteria. Giles was scowling into a cup of tea while Buffy was leaning over an ancient text intently reading. Anya and Dawn were thumb wrestling while Xander sat in a fatigued heap next to his lover.
"Will?" Xander asked as he blinked and sat up. "How’s Tara?"
"Fine." She smiled tiredly. "She’s getting an exam, and it got a little gory."
"Doctor Diana ran Buffy out with the overly naked and bleeding exam, too." Anya glowered at Dawn. "Are you cheating?"
"No, you’re just not paying attention." Dawn smirked as she pinned the former demon’s thumb. "Got ya."
"Oh, shut up." Anya yanked her hand back. "I let you win."
"What’s with Buffy doing a Giles impression?" Willow sat next to Xander and looked over at the Slayer.
"I do know how to read," Buffy reminded her best friend. She turned the page in her book and continued reading.
"What is that?" Willow demanded as her curiosity took over. She grabbed the book and spun it around so she could read it. "Hey … this is magic," she whispered the last word. "What are you doing with this?" She pulled the text to her side of the table.
"Well, I was reading," Buffy said testily.
"Yes, and it’s best you not interrupt," Giles said with a tiny smirk. "It’s a rare occurrence, so I’d rather you left her to her research."
"This is a history of light based magic." Willow flipped back to the contents and scanned the chapter titles. "How come I never saw this in the shop?" she asked.
"Maybe because you only read the forbidden books upstairs," Anya said casually. "Which is a little like an alcoholic reading a wine review."
"I haven’t been upstairs in months," Willow said defensively.
"You lost my place." Buffy grabbed the book back and began thumbing through it looking for the chapter she had been reading. "I was reading about those mages."
"Why?" Willow asked.
"Well, someone has to figure out if Tara’s gonna be one," Anya said as she rolled her eyes. "Pretty ironic that you were off chasing the big dark high when you had a magical powerhouse at home. You chased away the very thing you were craving."
"I don’t love Tara for her magic," Willow said angrily.
"That’s not what she meant," Xander interrupted. "Now, how about we just make peace over some Jello? Everyone loves Jello."
"Jello isn’t the answer, Xander. Cletus is dead because Willow used dark magic," Anya said as she broke into tears. "She’s dead and she’s not coming back."
"Anya!" Xander was shocked. He jumped to his feet and pointed to the door. "I think we should go."
Buffy’s eyes widened as she realized she hadn’t told Anya the good news. She had explained to Giles and Dawn, but Anya and Xander had been at the shop picking up herbs for another protection spell for Tara’s room.
"Don’t get mad at me," Anya whined. "I know Willow feels awful, but that’s her punishment."
"No, it’s not." Willow smiled sadly. "We lost Brianna because Rack was evil. The goddess doesn’t take children as a punishment."
"Are you quite certain?" Giles pushed his tea away and gave Willow his full attention.
"Yes," Willow said as she turned Anya. "I know you’re being all mean and Anya-like because you care. Thank you."
"Why are you in such a good mood?" Anya asked with a sniffle.
"Tara’s gonna’ be okay, and we’re gonna’ get Brianna back someday." Willow smiled. "I’m sad cuz we have to wait, but someday we’ll be a family again."
"Cletus is coming back?" Anya leapt to her feet. "Oh, my god! That was the refero spell Tara did!" She grabbed Xander and kissed him soundly. "Cletus is coming back!" She grabbed Willow and started to kiss her but then stopped when the redhead gave her a withering glare. "Congratulations," she said as she took a step back.
"Thank you." Willow said sincerely.
"Little Cletus … coming back?" Xander’s smile was so huge his cheeks ached, but he didn’t care. "Yes!" He grabbed Willow and squeezed her in an enthusiastic bear hug. "Yes! The baby Wiccan is down, but not out!" He rocked Willow in his arms, making her legs swing like spindly pendulums.
"X-X-xander," Willow said when he began jumping for joy with her still in his arms. "L-lit-tle b-bumpy."
"Oh. Sorry." He gently put her down. "I’m just a little happy."
"It’s okay," Willow said tolerantly. "I'm still jumping up and down inside." She crinkled her brow as she looked at Buffy. The Slayer was avidly reading again. "I’ve never seen you so bookish, Buffy. What’s up?"
"These mages kick ass," Buffy said as she nodded at the book.
"Indeed," Giles agreed. "Mages have been known to take on the darkest of forces."
"And defeat them, right." Willow smiled proudly. Tara was from a line of mages and Willow was honored to be apart of her lover’s family.
"Not always," Giles said. "And often at great cost."
"I thought the mage chicks were all powerful?" Xander asked.
"A mage had incredible personal power at her disposal," Giles said as he pointed at Buffy’s book. "And when they harness the power of the goddess, their power rivals the most powerful dark magic available."
"But?" Xander asked.
"But, often a mage dies in her quest to destroy the evil doer." Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them. "It is a mage’s duty to fight the good fight, even if it means her destruction."
"So, Tara’s granny was like a 96-year-old Slayer?" Buffy asked.
"In a way." Giles smiled and put his glasses back on. "The point is, they’re powerful, but not invincible."
"I’ll have to take that book to Tara when you’re done," Willow said. "She’d like to read it."
"Maybe she’ll be a mage someday," Dawn said. "That would be cool."
Willow shook her head. "No, not cool." She continued shaking her head. "Dangerous and so not good."
"Calm down, Willow." Giles reached over and patted her hand. "The possibility of Tara becoming a mage before her twenty-first birthday are beyond remote."
"Well, there have been young mages," Buffy pointed out. "This book said Joan of Arc might have been a mage." She scowled grouchily. "Stupid rules. The book said a mage can only use her powers against a human if they’re attacking with magic. Damn priests burned her alive and she couldn’t lift a finger."
"Wait, Joan of Arc was way younger than Tara is." Dawn’s eyes widened.
"Tara is not a mage," Giles said moderately. "We don’t need to look for trouble Dawn."
"Yeah, it finds us just fine," Anya chimed in cheerfully.
*****
Tara opened her eyes and blinked to clear her vision. Something was wrong. She looked toward the closed door and saw a ball of green light appear. She pressed the call button and shifted so she could face whatever was coming. Unfortunately, she had a pretty good idea what and who is was.
Rack appeared and brushed his shoulders as if knocking dust from his tattered robe. "That protection spell was tougher than I thought." He smiled dangerously. "Well, well. Alone at last."
"You don’t want to mess with me," Tara said as her eyes narrowed. Pain shot through her side as she twisted her waist. She wondered how secure the stitches were.
"Oh, but I do," Rack said. "And when I’m through draining you of every ounce of magic, I’ll start on Willow."
"This ends now." Tara inhaled deeply. ‘Goddess, be with me,’ she asked in her thoughts. ‘Forgive me for what I must do.’
"Does it hurt?" Rack asked sarcastically. "Don’t worry, you won’t have to suffer for long." He held out his hand and sparks danced on his skin.
"Enough," Tara said with a growl. She thrust her hand at him with the palm toward him. He was thrown across the room and pinned to the wall as if she was physically pressing his body with her hand.
"What the…" Rack struggled. He hadn’t expected Tara to have any energy after all she’d been through. "Let me go," he demanded as he struggled.
"Make me," Tara said with a cold smile. She flexed her arm and the warlock cringed as his body was crushed into the wall. "You may have broken the barrier, but the protection spell still weakens you." She shoved her arm, wincing as another stabbing pain shot through her side.
Rack couldn’t take a breath. His lungs were crushed and he realized what a huge mistake he had made taking on Tara somewhere he didn’t have the upper hand. Every bone felt like it was about to be pulverized.
The door opened and a nurse came into the room. "You called me?" She saw Rack suspended against the wall and screamed. "Oh, goddess."
Tara lost her concentration and Rack dropped to the floor.
"Next time, I’ll be ready," Rack said. He shimmered and disappeared.
"The barrier didn’t work?" the nurse asked. She had helped Diana cast the spell.
"There isn’t gonna be a next time," Tara said as she relaxed into her pillows and closed her eyes. ‘I’m ready to face my destiny,’ she told the goddess with her mind. Tara’s body stiffened and then went slack.
"Tara?" The nurse rushed to the side of the bed and grabbed Tara’s wrist. The blonde’s pulse was slow and steady. "Poor dear, all that excitement." She shook her head. "You rest. I’ll sit with you ‘til your Willow comes back." She assumed Tara had fainted. She was wrong.
*****
Rack appeared in his lair and screamed angrily. "That bitch!" He kicked over a low table and threw a flash of energy into the wall. "Damn it! Damn her!" He paced, kicking over every piece of furniture in his path. He was ripping a couch pillow in half when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He spun and his eyes widened.
"We’re not done yet." Tara was standing in the room completely healed, and she did not look happy. Her blue eyes narrowed and she flexed her fingers like a gunslinger ready for a showdown.
"You’re on my court now." Rack smiled and faced her.
"It won’t matter." Tara moved forward and her hair fluttered with static electricity.
Rack thrust both hands at Tara and a wall of flame engulfed her.
"Congelo." Tara didn’t flinch. The flames froze and fluttered to the floor as bizarre, glowing snowflakes.
"Nice. You know a few parlor tricks." He stepped closer, only now realizing Tara was fully healed. "What the hell is this?" He pointed at her as it registered that she was also fully dressed. Even if she’d been faking her injuries, he couldn’t imagine her having time to put on jeans and a flowing tee shirt in the few seconds before she followed him.
"I have an offer for you," Tara said calmly.
"Oh?" He raised one eyebrow and leered at her.
"Leave Willow alone," Tara ordered.
"And?" He was intrigued by what she thought she had to offer.
"And I’ll let you live." Tara looked around his dilapidated room. "You’re finished in Sunnydale. Leave now and never come back, and I won’t kill you."
"Tell you what." He edged closer and inhaled as he tested the raw power around her. "Let me have you, and I’ll let Willow go." He held out his palm and white sparks flickered over his skin. "I haven’t had a sweet thing like you in years. Give me your light magic and I’ll leave your junkie girlfriend alone." He licked his lips. "But you can’t hold anything back from me."
Tara smiled dangerously. "Deal."
*****
"Hey!" Buffy choked on her soda. She was reading the history of light based magic while Willow and Xander were discussing her job offers.
"Yes?" Giles turned and gave Buffy his full attention.
"How come mages get to be in two places at once and I don’t?" Buffy whined. "That would really come in handy. I want an astral projector!"
"Trust me, you most certainly do not want to astrally project," Giles warned. "Your physical body is helpless while you project and if any harm comes to your astral self, you will die."
"Yeah, and you’d just be all ghosty and see-through," Willow pointed out. "You couldn’t even lift a stake."
"A mage could," Buffy said with smirk. "They can physically manifest and do battle."
"Yeah, but that’s usually a battle to the death," Anya pointed out. "And that’s how most of the mages end up dead."
"You know, I’m really glad Tara isn’t a mage, Dawn said wearily. "I don’t need another superhero to worry about."
"No worries." Willow smiled and took the young teen’s hand. "Tara’s not going anywhere, not physically and she’s certainly not getting any astral frequent flyer miles."
"Thank goodness," Giles said with a smile.
The others nodded in agreement and then went back to their lunches.
End Part Eleven