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WOW!! Here I am!! I made it!! ...edited because I got ahead of myself and hit post before I had even pasted in the update.... Okay so... I have been truly, horribly and epically sick.. don't believe me? Ask my beta BethanyB3 and my close kitten pals, Keili, Always E, and Blameburner.... sick sick sick!! So... as a result of me being sick... I haven't even been to the board in like three weeks! But here I am now... and here is the very very very very very very very very very long awaited and very very very very very UNBETA'D!! Epilogue. Enjoy!!! And I promise I will get to all of your lovely responses later... oh... before I get to the thing... to those of you with questions about "The Heart Rules the Mind" I had it pulled and stopped work on it at the request of a friend of mine... sorry... and now for the last time... Here We GO! *********************************** Epilogue… The flames of the great bonfire flicked and danced to the sounds of the drums, pipes and wild fiddle playing of the celebrants. Emily skipped about, clapping her hands to the joyous music as Fiobhadryeal sat on her shoulder while playing on his own tiny flute. Buffy had found herself caught up in teaching a small bunch of pixies (about 4 hundred or so, but when they barely reach your knees in height, they don't seem so many) fighting technique in fending off flying predators. The pixies' many owls and other flying beasts did not seem amused. But knowing that most if not all of the pixies endeavoring to learn from the slayer were no doubt highly inebriated and therefore incapable of remembering anything at all, the feathery flocks chose to sit idly by rather than interfere. Across the fire Ghaena and Gryffldwynn sat together on a small log, hands clasped tightly, temples pressed up against one another. Ghaena was speaking softly so that no one but Dwynn could hear, occasionally she would turn her head and kiss her cheek, or ear and sometimes her lips. After a while they retired, and no one need ask where they had gone. At a great wooden table loaded down with food of all varieties Willow and Tara sat watching the party unfold. Michelle lay napping in a blanket-lined basket the priestesses had provided, and winged sprite-like faeries danced in a flying circle above the wee babe, creating a mobile of tiny living lights. "This place is so... magical", said Tara, at a loss for any other words. Willow, similarly lost, merely nodded and wrapped her arm around her wife, drawing her closer. "I hope you are finding everything to your liking", said Vivianne as she approached the couple and sat down, joining them at the table. "It's been a very long while since we've had any guests." "Everything's wonderful", smiled Willow, "thank you." "It's amazing", added Tara. Vivianne nodded thankfully before continuing, "your rooms have been prepared for you. I trust you'll find them quite comfortable, even though the furnishings are a bit... old. Twelfth century." She shrugged. Willow sat up a little. "Uh, rooms? For the night?" she asked, her tone worried. "Yes", confirmed Vivianne, her brow furrowing slightly, "is that alright?" "It's just that our friends are probably worried about us" Willow explained, "plus Emily has school tomorrow and I've got a really big program due into my office." "I understand", Vivianne sighed, clearly saddened by the development. "If you wish to return home, that can be arranged..." "We'll stay", Tara announced, effectively cutting off any of Willow's attempted protestations. She turned to look at her lover. "Emily can stand to miss a day of school and Willow, your work can wait. It isn't due until next week. At any rate", she continued, turning back to Vivianne, “We have a lot of questions that need answering.” “Yes”, the priestess agreed, “I’m certain you do.” ***** 5 days later…. “Good morning, class. My name is Mr. Gregory and I will be your instructor for the remainder of the year.” The new teacher announced. He was tall, brown-haired and bearded and dressed quite formally with a tie and long-sleeved dress-shirt and dark trousers. His voice was deep and undeniably firm in its delivery. Several of the students gave each other wary glances. “As you know”, Mr. Gregory continued, “Ms. Henckle, your former teacher passed away last week in a car accident on the I-15. I know that you all cared for her very much and her loss is keenly felt. I am very sorry to be assuming her position here under these grave circumstances.” Emily sat at her desk, allowing the teacher’s words to wash over her and filter into her skin, settling with a hard lump in her chest. It’s sort of my fault that she’s dead, she guiltily surmised, rolling a pencil between her fingers. I wonder if she wanted to work for Le Fay… or if she was under her spell or something. She did try to warn us in the end… I don’t want it to be my fault… The small redhead slowly
tuned her thoughts back to Mr. Gregory, still giving his introductory speech.
“As you all know”, he went on, “This is an accelerated class. You are all here because you have proven to be at the head of your class in learning ability and applied knowledge. Because the class is geared toward making you young adults, you are expected to conduct yourselves as such. There will be no talking, note passing, scribbling, drawing, giggling or other disruptions of any kind allowed in this classroom. You
are expected to be here everyday and on time. Tardiness is not tolerated, neither is frequent absenteeism. I am not here, ladies and gentlemen, to hold your hand and coddle you. I am here to teach you and you are here to learn.”
Emily and several other students let out sighs of disappointment with this new instructor. He was certainly not going to be as much fun as Ms. Henckle had been. Mr. Gregory noticed the exhalations and paused, eyeing
each one of the guilty parties momentarily, a single eyebrow raised. Emily felt herself sink under his gaze.
“Because we are still so early in the school year”, he continued after a moment, “I am going to be implementing my own syllabus for this class, rather than relying on the course work outlined by your late teacher.” He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers, dividing them equally between the five rows of desks, the students mutely began taking a copy and passing the rest back. “Every
Tuesday there will be a history quiz. Every Wednesday a math quiz, every Thursday a quiz on your English lesson and every Friday you will be expected to turn in a report on a current event. These reports will be presented orally in front of the entire class.”
At this announcement, a handful of students couldn’t help themselves and let out audible groans. Mr. Gregory paused again. The room instantly quieted, the tension palpable.
Finally he took a breath and went on, “35% of your over-all grade is dependant upon your performance on these quizzes and weekly reports. 25% is dependant on test scores, 25% on your homework and 15% on your attendance and participation in this class.”
Emily felt her mind drifting off again, back to memories only a few days old. She could still feel the heat of the bonfire, the weight of the little pixie Fiobhadryeal on her shoulder, she could hear the wild and happy music filling the air around them and she could see her parents in deep conversation with Vivianne, the High Priestess of Avalon. She knew they were talking about her and her natural curiosity was driving her to listen in.
She set Fiobhadryeal down with the rest of the party’s musicians and then quickly snuck around to a large bush near the table where Willow and Tara sat, hiding amongst its foliage.
“We just want her to have a normal life”, she heard her mommy say and watched her mama nod in agreement.
“And so she shall”, replied Vivianne, “as normal a life as a
child of her remarkable abilities can have.”
“You mean…” began Willow, a trifle confused.
“I mean her greater destiny here is finished”, the priestess
explained. “She will retain her powers and magickal abilities, so her training should continue uninterrupted lest they unintentionally fall out of her control. And she will be expected to become a Priestess of the Goddess… but she does not have to stay here, and becoming a priestess should not inhibit her from pursuing other careers should she desire.”
“So essentially”, surmised Tara, letting out a sigh of relief,
“she’s done.”
“She’s done”, Vivanne nodded in affirmation.
“What about Michelle?” Willow asked hastily.
The High Priestess smiled, seeing the worry in the young mother’s eyes and seeking to calm it. “She will undoubtedly be a very powerful witch. Particularly given her parents… and her lineage. She too will need extensive training to harness and control her abilities… otherwise… her greater purpose is to simply grow up.”
Emily felt herself grow very light with this new revelation. She could be a kid again. It was all she ever could have hoped for. And Michelle was going to be able do magick too! She quickly thought of all the fun she and her little sister were going to have, as they both got older.
“You shouldn’t spy on your parents like that”, whispered Morrigan from behind her, almost causing Emily to jump out of her skin.
“You scared me”, Emily whispered back, clearly perturbed.
“Only because I caught you doing something you knew you aught not to be”, the dark-haired woman softly replied, extending her hand, “come on.”
Emily hesitated, and then accepted the priestess’s hand, the older woman pulling her back toward the crowded revelry. She couldn’t help but skip a little, a trait she had picked up from her mommy. Morrigan noticed the hop in her young companion’s step and smiled.
“You haven’t been sampling the leprechaun’s ale have you?” she asked teasingly.
“Noooo”, Emily giggled in response. “I’m a kid.”
“Of course you are”, Morrigan agreed, “so no drinking until you
are of legal age.”
“No, I mean… I’m a kid”, Emily tried to explain, “I’m just a kid. I’ve never been ‘just’ a kid before. It’s neat.”
“What do you mean?” asked the priestess.
“Well, I was a slayer… or I was going to be… at least that’s what everyone thought”, she stated. “Then I was a….well… whatever I needed to be to bring back Avalon. But now… even though someday I’m going to have to be a priestess like you… for now I’m just a kid.”
“Then you be sure to live your childhood to the fullest”, Morrigan grinned.
The memory began to fade to the recess of her mind, and Emily once again found herself listening to the monotone droning of Mr. Gregory at the front of the class.
“I should not find it necessary to repeat myself often”, he said, drawing to his conclusion, “I will treat all of you as adults, provided that you endeavor to behave as such. Isn’t that right, Miss Rosenberg?” Clearly he had noticed Emily’s attention had drifted off during his oration.
“Maclay”, she finished for him.
“What?” he asked, clearly not appreciating the contradiction.
“Rosenberg-Maclay”, she clarified. “My last name is Rosenberg-Maclay.”
“I’m sorry”, he said congenially, but with no remorse, “the
attendance roster cuts it short. My mistake.”
“Ms. Henckle never made that mistake”, she mumbled to herself.
“What was that?” he queried sharply.
“I said that Miss Henckle never made that mistake”, she reiterated in full voice. “And she never made the mistake of confusing a bunch of nine year olds… and one eight year old… with a group of adults. We’re kids. We should be allowed to be kids. To ‘enjoy our childhood to the fullest’.” Emily sat back, surprised at her own outburst. She had never talked back to a teacher before… ever. She could feel all of her
classmates staring at her and exchanging glances amongst one another behind her back.
Mr. Gregory’s nostrils flared with anger and he clenched his jaw in an effort to keep his temper. “I know that losing your teacher has been difficult for many of you”, he said lowly, “but this is my class now and I expect to be afforded the same level of respect you gave Ms. Henckle when she was here. Is that understood?”
The entire class mumbled their agreement. Mr. Gregory now turned his attention back to Emily. “Is that understood Miss Rosenberg-Maclay?” he asked. “I will respect you as long as you respect me.”
“Yes, sir”, she conceded, sinking even more into her desk.
*****
“Thanks for babysitting, mom”, said Willow as Tara passed a
sleeping Michelle into Sheila’s arms.
“Nonsense”, said the elder Rosenberg, cradling her grandbaby
protectively. “I missed out on this with Emily you know. Watching over her when she was this small, I mean.”
“Well, we were kind of in Seattle at the time”, Willow offered her mother by way of explanation. “Sort of a long commute for a sitter.”
“That and I was still lecturing”, Sheila sighed, “still painfully
oblivious to your life. I hope you’ll forgive me someday…”
Willow took Tara’s hand in hers and the pair shared a brief glance. “I’ve already forgiven you, mom. It takes too much energy to stay bitter…or angry… Especially when it’s obvious that you’re trying so hard.” The redhead paused briefly before adding, “I love you, mom.”
“I love you too, Willow”, her mother replied, eyes watering.
Hating to disrupt the lovely bonding session occurring between her wife and mother-in-law, Tara hesitantly cleared her voice and reluctantly spoke up. “Uh… We should really get moving if we don’t want to lose anymore of the day.”
“Oh, yeah”, Willow answered, coming out of her short reverie and squeezing Tara’s hand a little in acknowledgement. “We’ll be back around seven for Michelle.”
“Take your time”, Sheila smiled, rocking the baby in her arms and cooing a little, despite that the child was still very asleep.
Willow and Tara both nodded and turned down the walkway to the sidewalk. They walked hand-in-hand and in silence for several blocks, enjoying the feel of each other’s nearness, the sounds of the morning birds in the trees, the rustle of the leaves in the fall wind, the smell of the dew on the grass.
“What are you thinking about?” Willow asked, breaking the
quietude.
“Nothing”, Tara replied, adding a small swing to their linked
hands. “My mind is blissfully empty.”
“Really?”
“Mostly”, the blonde smiled. “Occasionally things will flit
through my head.”
“Like what?” Willow was adorably curious.
Tara thought to herself, “Grocery list… the recipe for dinner tonight…does you mother still think that Thanksgiving shouldn’t be celebrated, or can we invite her to dinner this year…images of Avalon… the things you said that night…”
Willow felt her knees weaken for a moment as she too recalled the passionate night they had shared. “Yeah?”
Tara brought them to a full stop and gazed deeply into her lover’s eyes. “Did you mean what you said? Or where they just words spoken in the heat of the moment?” Before Willow could reply, Tara put forth a disclaimer; “Think really hard before you answer that, Will. Because… what you said at Avalon… was big. It would mean a lot of changes in our
life… even more than we’ve already made.”
“I know…”
*****
It was quite late by the time they had retired to the bedroom Vivianne had been so gracious to prepare for them. Emily and Michelle were already in bed in a room just down the ancient stone-worked hall. The bonfire outside was slowly burning itself out and piles of snoring pixies and other partygoers lay nearby its dying warmth.
The priestesses had laid out a pair of sleeping gowns for the two women, but the married couple instinctively knew that they would not need them this night. They disrobed and climbed onto the large feather-down mattress, pulling the great comforter up to cover their naked bodies as they entwined their limbs together. They lay on their sides, facing each other, pushing their bodies as close together as possible, simply enjoying the feel of skin on skin… hanging on.
Their lips fell together in a slow and languorous exchange. There was no rushing here. There was no reason too. Hands began to caress and explore backs, backsides and soft, soft skin. Familiar territory that always felt new. Legs pressed more firmly together, muscles tensing slightly, sending new sensations through old nerves.
Tara felt her pulse quicken, though her movements did not. She knew it was the same for Willow, who now begin to deepen their kiss and she welcomed the gentle invasion. The redhead’s hips pressed forward of their own volition seeking purchase with her lover’s moist center, her own becoming increasingly wet.
They slowly drew out of the kiss, foreheads pressing together, grasping for air, sharing breath.
“I love you”, Willow exhaled, looking deeply into Tara’s eyes,
the depth of her sincerity so great it would have rivaled the deepest part of the deepest ocean and the vastest expanse of sky on the longest horizon.
“I love you too”, Tara replied, equally as heartfelt.
Willow looked down for a moment, drawing courage, before looking up again into her wife’s eyes. “I…I want to make another baby with you”, she said.
“What?” Tara responded, she was clearly startled by this
revelation, but kept her voice low.
“I want to spend the rest of my life making babies with you”,
Willow repeated. “Or at least for as long as we can.”
“Will…”
“I mean…not right away…because, ‘hello?’ Michelle…but maybe when she’s older…”
“Willow, we can’t…”
“Not with magic”, the redhead interrupted her, “I know. But,
there are other ways. More… conventional ways, I mean, conventional as compared to magic… if you’d be open…”
“It’s not a question of me being open to it, sweetie”, Tara
answered, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her lover’s ear. “It’s more a question of ‘what brought this on’? You’ve
never mentioned anything about wanting a large family before. We’ve never talked about it…”
“Yes we have”, Willow countered.
“We have?”
“May 29th, 1999 at 3:13am”, she replied as if it was the most
common knowledge in the world. Tara only looked at her, so Willow went on. “We were staying at my parent’s house while they were out of town…”
“Oh!”, said Tara, “I remember that… but Willow, how could you
expect me to take that conversation seriously? You said you thought it would be neat to be like the ‘Partridge Family’ with a bunch of singing kids and a multi-colored bus.”
“Okay, well… I admit I had been watching a little too much ‘Nick at Nite’ at the time”, the redhead conceded, “But I still think about it… I mean, not the bus or the singing part... but the bunch of kids part. That was a very important night for me.”
“Why?”
“Because it was the night I realized, beyond all of the certainty I had ever felt in my life about anything, that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you.”
Tara couldn’t help it, that remark earned Willow a deep and earnest kiss. A kiss that quickly escalated into something much more passionate. Conversation ceased as they fell deeply into each other’s body, tasting, touching, breathing as one. Always as one.
*****
Willow felt her body temperature rise with the recollection of that night. But the feeling of Tara gazing at her expectantly drew her out of her memory and to the present.
“It was and is a beautiful thought, Willow”, Tara stated softly,
“but I still don’t understand where it came from… evening
counting the conversation we had almost twelve years ago. We were only kids then, not even twenty.”
They began walking again as Willow explained. “When Vivianne told us that Emily had fulfilled her destiny, that she was done and all she needs to do now is be a normal kid and that Michelle is just a normal kid too… it made me think… now we can have normal lives. Or at least as normal as you can have when you’re living on a Hellmouth, your best friend is the slayer and your children are going to grow up as badass
witches.”
Tara looked puzzled. “And having a normal life means having more children?”
“No”, Willow replied, shaking her head a little. “That’s just
one potential aspect… if we want it to be. Think of all the things we’ve put on hold, whether consciously or unconsciously, because we were so busy dealing with our child’s destiny as a ‘chosen one’, whatever we thought that meant at the time. Slayer or otherwise… Am I making any sense?”
“Yeah”, her lover smiled. “I get it. I do. But… I don’t think I’m ready to raise a softball team.”
“It wouldn’t have to be a softball team”, Willow chuckled, “but what about… doubles tennis?”
“A team for each side of the net, you mean?” Tara expounded,
lopsided grin firmly in place.
“Well, yeah”, Willow smiled goofily. “Although... if it’s alright with you, I’d rather not name them Venus and Serena. I mean they’re good names as names go, but… Venus Rosenberg- Maclay?”
“It sort of does lose something the translation, doesn’t it”, agreed Tara.
The redhead added a small swing to their linked hands. Enjoying the wonderful sensation the feeling brought “So, you want to? When Michelle is older… you really want to?”
Tara was silent with contemplation for a moment, really thinking the idea over in her head. “Let’s see where we are in a couple of years”, she said after a moment. “But I think it’s definitely something to look forward to.”
Willow skipped a little bit and Tara giggled at her wife’s excitement. Suddenly Willow looked at her watch and her eyes grew wide. “Oh, we’d better hurry! Everyone will be there already!”
Tara nodded and they quickened their pace.
When they arrived at Sunnydale Elementary School, the rest of the gang was already there in the front lobby. Anya and Xander with little Joseph who was squirming with excitement. Buffy and Dawn discussing the younger Summers’ latest beaux, a strapping young man named Steve with perfect
hair and excellent fashion sense. Tara and Willow secretly worried if poor Dawnie would ever break free of her streak of dating… special… men. Giles was there too in deep conversation with both Morrigan and Ghaena, Gryffldwynn staying close to Ghaena’s side.
“Has she been called up yet?” asked Willow as they approached the others.
“Buffy spoke to the desk lady a minute ago”, Dawn answered.
Just then, a guilty looking Emily rounded the corner of the hall and came to an abrupt halt when she saw her entire family standing there.
Her lip quivered as tears threatened her eyes and she bolted into her mommy’s arms, gripping the blonde’s waist tightly. “I’ll never talk back to a teacher ever again! I promise! I’m sorry, mommy!”
Everyone’s face grew dark with instant concern. Tara gently detached her daughter just enough so that she could kneel down to eye level. “Honey, what are you talking about?”
Emily took a few moments to try and calm her breathing. As she did, Willow similarly knelt to her child’s side. “My n-new teacher…M-Mr. Gregory… he said our name wrong… b-but I could tell that he did it on purpose…so I talked back to him… I’m sorry! I didn’t think that they w-would call all of my parents!”
“Baby-girl”, said Willow, trying not to chuckle, “we aren’t here because you talked back to Mr. Gregory.”
This called Emily down considerably. She took a deep breath, “You aren’t?” Her eyes fell to Ghaena and Morrigan. “Is there trouble again? Do you need my help?” Her tiny brow furrowed with the potential seriousness of the matter.
Tara was about to clarify things when Ghaena stepped forward. “Yes”, she said, quite gravely. “We need your help, Emily.”
“We do?” asked Buffy, clearly confused. The priestess raised a hand to silence the slayer.
“Emily, we need your help in finding another mystical land”, Ghaena went on.
“What’s there?” asked the small redhead, her eyes wide.
“Many amazing things”, said the ancient. “There’s a great castle, and pirates, and an enormous mountain where lives a treacherous and ghastly snow beast.” Emily gasped at the imagery. “So we’d better hurry if we’re going to get there in time.”
“That’s right”, added Morrigan, “this time of year it closes before eight.”
“Huh?” puzzled the little girl, but then a twinkle started to glow in her eyes and smile started to form on her lips. “You mean?”
“That’s right”, grinned Willow.
“Emily Rosenberg-Maclay, you just raised the mythic Isle of Avalon”, Xander quipped.
‘What are you gonna do now?’ signed Joseph, merrily.
“I’m going to Disneyland!” Emily cheered, and was instantly swept up into the arms of her parents and all of her friends…
And she didn’t even care that she was missing the rest of her day at school.
The End.
"Promise me you'll never be linear." "On my trout." Edited by: DarkWiccan at: 1/26/03 6:17:56 pm
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