Good morning everyone. Well, people wanted more of the note, but I think you will prefer this post. A long one and we’re on vacation. Enjoy and write back. Title– W/T Season 3 Y’all – part 14
Author– JustSkipit - Debra
Feedback – Yes please.
Spoilers–Season 3 through Beauty and the Beasts
Rating– Part 14 – R (?) Disclaimer – Willow and Tara and any other character that appeared in the syndicated television show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is property of Joss and Mutant Enemy, I’m only borrowing them and am not making any money off them Thanks.
Summary See parts 1-6 for this note.
Consistency etc. See parts 1-6 for this note.
Thoughts in italics! Willow and Tara took a quick look at the cabin as the carried their belongings in. It was early Thanksgiving Day. The drive out to the Bed & Breakfast was beautiful and Tara drove much slower than usual as they enjoyed the scenery. Checking in they were very pleased with the friendliness of the owners. They were an older couple who just loved the property and visiting with the people who came to stay. They asked both girls to call them Kristine and Tony. Willow giggled repeatedly as she noted that Tara simply couldn’t bring herself to call them by their first names and reverted to “Yes mam” or “No sir” automatically.
Kristine insisted that the two girls join them for Thanksgiving dinner around 6:00. She would be glad to make them a picnic basket on Friday for just another $15. When she asked for id for the wine, Willow smoothly handed over a credit card. Tara was shocked as she noted that the owner appeared to take the credit card as id enough.
Now the girls were alone in the cabin, having brought in their belongings. Both girls had a small travel case and backpack with their study materials. Tara also had a box which was taped shut and which she was very pointedly indicating was a surprise. She assumed that Willow would be childish about presents and surprises and had not been disappointed as the redhead heckled her with questions about hints and when would she get what was in the box and was it animal, vegetable, or mineral and the like.
As Willow stepped out onto the porch she called to her girlfriend, “Hey Tara, come out here for a second.”
“Yeah baby, what’s up?”
“This thermometer says it’s 24 degrees. What’s the deal? I want to go for a long walk with you and it’s freezing,” Willow noted petulantly.
“Well, yeah baby. It’s late fall; the weather gets bad,” Tara laughed.
“Well sure it does, but not in Texas. Isn’t this the land of sun and all that. I got off that train and thought I’d melt. Of course, you were in long sleeves and boots, but that’s beside the point. Why the cold here?”
“Ahhh, poor baby, reality sets in,” Tara teased, “Yes, it gets hot here in the summer and sometimes cold here in the Winter. We have seasons. No seasons in California?”
Stepping inside and pulling the blonde with her, Willow considered it, “Well actually not so much. Pretty constant weather year-round at least in Sunnydale.” Pulling Tara toward the bed, she grinned, “I wonder if we can find something to do to keep us warm.”
After a few minutes of enjoying the hospitality of the large bed, Tara pulled away: “ok, I do feel warm but I think I’ll start the fire anyway. We can do some studying and take frequent breaks before dinner.”
Willow sat up, “Hey speaking of which, what’s the deal on that?”
Tara looked puzzled, “On starting the fire?”
“No, on dinner.”
“Well, they invited us. It’s Thanksgiving. We said yes. We’ll eat too much and lay about like pigs and probably feel sick,” she smiled.
“No, I know what Thanksgiving is. What’s the deal on the word ‘dinner’? Sometimes you say let’s go get dinner at noon and sometimes at 5 or 6 and sometimes you say lunch and sometimes you say supper and I can’t pick up a pattern. Is it Texan for something?”
Tara laughed as she loaded some large logs into the fireplace, “Baby, it’d be easier to understand Y’all I think. Basically lunch is always the noon meal, supper is usually the evening meal, and dinner can be either but usually a big or fancy meal or your major one of the day. My advice is don’t try to figure it out—just eat if someone says ‘dinnertime.’” She turned away from the fireplace, a roaring fire burning already and joined Willow on the large bed to kiss her once again.
As Tara leaned in to kiss the redhead, Willow suddenly got up shouting, “Hey!” leaving Tara to fall forward onto the bed. “Hey, how did you do that so quick?”
Tara looked up from her position across the bed, “What? the fire?”
“Yeah.”
Smiling she waved her fingers in the air, “How do you think?”
“You lit it by magic?” Willow asked. The redhead was almost jumping up and down in excitement. “Are you that powerful? Can you teach me? Can we do spells together?”
Tara laughed before answering, “Of course we can do some spells together. I’d like to work on increasing my power too. But the fire spell is one of the easiest. Do you want me to show you before we study?”
Willow ran to the other room to grab a glass of water, running back toward the fireplace, “Yes. Let’s do it right now. I’ll put out the fire so I can restart it.” Just before she could throw the water, she felt Tara’s hand on hers, “Hey sweetie, I know you’re excited, but don’t wet the wood. Leave that fire burning and we’ll make another one over there ok?”
Willow looked sheepishly about: “Ok, I got too excited I guess.”
Tara got a small metal pot from the kitchenette and put it in the middle of the floor adding some dry kindling. Sitting by the pot, she patted the floor across from her. “Come here Willow. Ok, now you’ve done some elementals I know. I know about the air elemental, what else?”
“Ok yeah, the air elemental and a few times I tried the ice to fire spell but just ended up with spark holes on my bedspread and wet spots where the ice melted.”
Tara laughed, “Ok, and how did you channel the energy?”
“What?”
“Ok, let’s go back. How did you channel the energy for the spells. What were you thinking about or feeling when you did the air elemental?” Tara explained.
Willow blushed bright red: “Uh well, air and lightness and like that.”
“And the blush?” Tara probed.
“Well, ok, I was thinking like air and lightness and beauty and suddenly I had someone with long blonde hair and blue eyes in my head. Then I suddenly had jeans and boots and beautiful laughter in my head. Then on the third try I got it,” Willow explained.
Tara laughed, “woo hoo! I got in your spell. Baby you were definitely in mine that night so it makes sense.” She took a breath before starting to explain: “Ok, now first, I’ve been doing magic for as long as I can remember. My mother was a witch. My grandmother was a witch. I grew up in the Wiccan religion. That means it’s sacred to me. My power, the power of nature which is all the same thing is sacred to me both as a gift and a responsibility. My strongest gift is empathy, kind of emotional healing and support.”
Willow interrupted, “that explains it! I always found that when you touched me I felt better if I was upset. You were using your magics!”
Tara smiled, “Well yes I always use it when I see someone in pain and you were very obviously in pain. Anyway, I was saying: The source of power or magic is nature. The source of everything is nature and everything is nature. That’s where we get the power to do magics. It requires respect and reciprocity to take energy from the earth and give it back. You’re going to pull energy from the earth and create fire from that.”
Willow frowned, “Ok. But Tara, we’re inside.”
“Yes and what’s the building made of?”
“Wood. Oh I get it. It’s all nature.”
“Right. It’s all nature,” Tara agreed. “Now in a minute here’s what I want you to do. I want you to close your eyes and feel your connection to the earth through your body. Allow that energy to pass through you and send it back to the earth. You will feel a sort of tingling or at least I always do. When that has built up, get a picture in your mind of the kindling in the pot. Then get a picture in your mind of that kindling starting to light and the fire starting to grow as it would if you lit it.”
Willow nodded, “Uh ok. What are you going to do?”
Tara smiled, “I’m going to monitor and help you. I’ll see where you are blocked and where your channels are open. If you are actively doing magic, I will have a much easier time tracing you. I’ll guide you and augment your power. Sound good?” As Willow nodded, Tara held out her hands, obviously wanting the two to hold hands.
“Ok, cast the circle for both of us, then close your eyes and start,” Tara directed.
Willow did as instructed. She began to concentrate on the feeling of nature like Tara had instructed. She could feel a tingling on her skin where it contacted Tara’s skin, like a flow between the two that was exciting in more ways than one. She began to feel the flow of nature just as Tara had said and exchanged that flow with the earth.
Tara was instinctively surprised at the power of the connection with Willow. She had done spells frequently with her mother and grandmother before but never had she felt a connection like this. As she analyzed the feeling, a blush crept over her face as she knew why that connection was never as strong with the other women. With a corner of her mind she remembered her mother once making a comment that some women felt very powerful connections on many levels with their spell partners. She felt the moment that Willow attempted to light the kindling.
Willow tried not to give in to disappointment, as she knew instinctively that the kindling was not lit. She redoubled her efforts feel the connection to nature before trying again. She also knew that Tara would help her if she got in trouble.
Tara had to consciously block her emotions from entering the magical connection as she felt shock in her examination of Willow’s power. She felt an enormous energy potential as soon as she began the analysis. The energy was currently mostly dormant but very present nonetheless. She left that center to complete her analysis and then gave a few nudges to her partner to help her with the kindling.
Both women felt shared joy and excitement as they felt and heard the tiny flames grow to engulf the kindling in the pot. They opened their eyes with additional sparkles to share. As Willow uncast the circle, they separated their hands.
Tara spoke quietly, “You did a curse.”
“What?”
“A curse. You did a curse. Why?” Tara questioned.
“What? Are you upset about that? I had to curse Angel. Jenny should have but… well she figured out the spell and I did it. Actually I did it twice. It was amazing, a huge power took over my body and soul,” Will expressed her excitement.
Tara reached out to touch the redhead, “Ok honey. Um I don’t know how to say this but it, um, left something.”
“What?”
“It left potential there. Um, powerful potential but also darkness potential. You see, curses aren’t a part of our magics, of Wiccan magic. That’s dark magic and apparently when you did such powerful magics it left a print on you.”
Willow looked at Tara stricken, “What? So I’m dark? So I can’t do magic? What does it mean?”
Tara brushed the wisps of hair from the other girl’s head, leaving her hand making the contact: “Willow. That’s not what I’m saying. Ok. Let me see if I can explain. When you do things on the computer it leaves a trace right?” Willow nodded. “Ok, this is like that. Every spell you do leaves a trace a footprint on your magical soul. Right now that spell is the most powerful thing you have done and it has a huge mark. But as you progress through your training, you will add more footprints of light magic and healing energy. That mark won’t ever go away but it will not be dangerous. The important thing is always your intention. If your intention is pure, your magic will be too. Ok love?” Willow nodded before pulling Tara in for a desperate kiss.
---
It was late before Willow and Tara made it back to the cabin. They had spent the rest of the day studying for their upcoming exams and then gone to Thanksgiving dinner. The dinner with Kristine and Tony had lasted for hours as their children and grandchildren came and went, eating, playing games, and singing songs. Quickly lighting the fire and getting into bed, the two girls started cuddling and talking.
Tara stroked Willow’s cheek: “What are you thinking?”
“I had too much nog,” the redhead groaned back.
“Oh baby, you want me to rub your tummy?”
As Willow nodded, she placed Tara’s hair behind her ear. “What are you thinking about?”
“My mother and family,” the blonde whispered.
“That’s what I thought,” Willow answered, “what was she like?”
Tara lay down with her head on Willow’s shoulder as Willow ran her hand through Tara’s hair: “Well, she was amazing really, very kind and smart, a powerful witch and healer. She was a midwife and she and my grandmother delivered most of babies in our county. My grandmother was my mother’s midwife. She taught biology at the junior high and had the most amazing singing voice I have ever heard. Amazingly kind and loving.”
“Just like her daughter,” Willow echoed as she embraced her crying girlfriend and stroked her.
The two rested like that for a few minutes before Tara pulled back to look at the redhead, a devious look in her eyes, “So, looking forward to your birthday sweetie?”
Willow smirked back: “Oh yeah. You know the birthday rules right?”
“Birthday rules?” Tara questioned.
“Yep, birthday rules. They go like this: On your birthday you are the queen/king for the day; whatever you say goes. You get the front seat without having to call it and get to pick what’s for dinner or where to go and eat and everyone is nice to you and all of your presents will come wrapped in birthday paper on time with a ribbon and bow.” Willow smiled broadly as she finished the speech to Tara’s guffaw.
“Really, and who wrote these rules?” she questioned.
“Xander and I of course.”
“Mmm hmmm,” Tara considered. “Well, ok, then you will be the queen for the day. I’m pretty excited about it too. Plus which you’ll be 18 which is a big thing. It means that I can …” she leaned down and whispered something in Willow’s ear before continuing, “… without breaking the law.”
Willow gasped in surprise: “Ms Maclay, what language!” She teased, “I didn’t know breaking the law was the reason we were waiting?”
Tara pressed her body down on her girlfriend’s: “Oh it’s not, it was just fun to see the look of shock on your face when I said that.” She kissed Willow deeply for a few minutes as their passion grew.
Willow pulled back, “well that’s good since what you just described will still be illegal tomorrow.”
“How so?” Tara asked.
“Because what you described is illegal in this state,” Willow explained.
“For two women?”
“Anyone of the same sex.”
“Ok, Will, now I know you are shitting me. What’s up?” Tara continued.
Willow laughed, “Seriously, I was reading some stuff on gay rights online. The act you mentioned as well as …” she now whispered in the blonde’s ear “… and …” “are illegal for anyone in this state.”
Tara looked totally shocked, “Wow really. That sucks, no pun intended. People really do that third thing you said?”
Willow again laughed, “They must baby or it wouldn’t be illegal. But I don’t think anyone pays any attention to those laws. I mean everyone around here seems pretty nice and in a pretty good mood and everything.”
As both girls laughed to that bit of logic, Tara again nestled into Willow’s side, rubbing her hand on the redhead’s stomach. As she drifted to sleep she whispered, “I love falling asleep in your arms, love.” Willow just mumbled back, “mmmm baby.”
---
"Last night the tongues of fire circled me around" -- Emily.
Edited by: JustSkipIt at: 3/26/03 7:08:28 pm
Loved the whole note thing! I'm mad it got taken away though! Heh, but i guess that'll teach em! 
I really wanted to see how they finished it too! 
. No, not me. 
and an excellent one at that. Willow and Tara talking... ahem, I mean, whispering... 
*giggles* Naughty!! 
Made me all gooey...
. Oh wait, I know what they said. Yes, right now Will’s intention is pure so it’s all good and she has Tara to guide her. Ahhh, gooey, how cute. Thanks for reading. 
).