TDWP: On a Wing and a Prayer pt. 7
The crystal is swept up, the hole in the floor is very hole-like. Willow is bent over, hands on thighs in not quite a crouch. "Well, it does give us a chance to test out the spell," she offers.
"I'll call the repair person," Anya says. She's not inclined to risk a magical blow back just for experimentation's sake.
"We'll isolate the spot." Tara reassures her. "If we make it worse, we'll pay to get it fixed."
"Or just have Xander do it." Buffy suggests. "Then no one has to pay for anything other than materials."
"Xander. I like the Xander option. I love him and he loves me enough to do this for free. Yes."
"Sure, be practical and spoil a perfectly good magical plot," Willow says, unbending. "I guess we'll just have to skip practice and move right into fiddling with the house."
"Not opposed," Tara replies.
Buffy grins and leans against the cashier counter. She looks at Andy, who is now seated where she had been. "So?"
The brunette appears a little flustered. "That was mom."
"And."
"Miranda is going to be calling. She gave her my number."
Andy stares at the phone, holding it in both hands. Buffy moves closer, bracing her arms around the writer. "It's a good thing, right."
"She blocked my calls. Not that I used her number, but to Runway. And it's not entirely personal, just the usual thing she does when an employee quits. It went into effect after I got my stuff from the office. I kept the numbers anyway, for the longest time. Until I moved. Then I got a new service provider and number. I decided not to port the addresses onto my phone. I don't even know where the sim card is."
Buffy realizes Andy isn't asking for a solution, just needing comfort. She touches the writer's face, caressing it softly. "Different day, Andy. Time has passed."
"Mom didn't say when she'd call."
"Don't worry about it. Don't have to wait by a phone that you carry with you. No need to let it wreck your schedule or you."
Andy looks up, gaze glistening. Then she kisses Buffy softly. "Thanks."
"Been there. Breakups and make ups can be very hard. I learned a bit."
-TDWP & BTVS-
The four women make their way to the hardware store. Supplies are needed for the spell, symbolic objects that can be consumed without too much loss; tools like hammers, a fistful of nails, boards. While there, they look around. They are all, in their own ways, inveterate shoppers. Buffy notes the price of dowels have gone down again. It is so much easier to make stakes when you have a proper wood to start with. "I can make six Mr. Pointies with that."
Andy grabs several and puts them in the cart. She wants Buffy to have as many Mr. Pointies as possible. She wants her well armed. Oddly, being in the store makes her think of weapons and how to make them.
Before her thoughts can really get going on the topic, her cell phone rings.
This time all she has to do is reach into her pocket. "Sachs."
"Where are you?" The demand is delivered with familiar crispness. Andy can not believe how much she has missed it.
"Bill's Hardware on Jefferson." Andy answers automatically, then puts a hand to her forehead and shakes her head in amazement. She mouths, "Miranda!" to her companions.
Willow extends her hand. "Gimme!"
She makes that order at the same time as Miranda says, as if she actually has patience, "Andrea. Try again."
"Oh. Right. Sunnydale. Willow wants to talk to you."
"Willow." Miranda sounds as if she is tasting the name and trying to guess which one that might be.
Andy wonders if it is cowardice that has her handing off the phone so quickly, but then there was also the redhead's expression, which hinted at urgency.
"Miranda. Hi. Have you gotten out of L.A. yet? No? Good. One Oh One has got some heckalacious repair work going on and you can bet it'll be three hours before you even see the welcome sign and that's without rush hour traffic. So instead head toward Santa Monica and get onto One and just enjoy the scenic route by the water. It's technically longer, but you'll get here faster. Call when you see 'Welcome to Sunnydale,' and we'll get you to Andy or Buffy's house, or wherever we're at. You should be here before dark, so that will be good. Oh, and no hotels. You'll stay with us. Even if you aren't ready to … uh... well...it's just safer. Okay? Okay. Right." Willow extends the phone back to Andy. "She wants to talk to you now."
Andy takes the phone back and glances at it with more than a touch of trepidation. Then, screwing up her courage, she puts it by her ear. "Hi, Miranda."
"You and I have much to discuss." Andy can tell, it's not just about how one does not leave another person's employ. It's about that other thing, about how dreams have crossed over into real life and somehow, she, Andy, has brought Miranda into a very strange circumstance. She knows the editor likes to instigate change, but she also is a woman of order. Her world has been shaken, but the good news is that she is not alone.
"I figured." Andy replies, not feeling up to sharing all those notions just yet. "I'm open to discussing. Among other things." She's really, really open to the other things right now. Has been since this morning, where she's been left in "slow-burn" land. She glances at Tara, who offers an empathetic glance back.
"Why are you in a hardware store?"
The problem with not working for Miranda now is the "professional" filter is no longer there and her personal filter when it comes to the woman is a sieve. "Were getting dowels for stakes and tools for a spell. Gotta expand the bedrooms." Again, Andy slaps her hand to her forehead again. This time her silent words are, "What is the matter with me?!" She is aware they are in a public space, yet the words just came right out.
Buffy sighs and extends her hand. At the same time she offers a reassuring non-smile at Andy. She knows they are in Sunnydale, where magical discussions and events tend to get glossed over by those who pass by and ignored. She's been holding public discussions of magic with Willow and Xander for years.
"Buffy wants to talk to you now."
"Buffy?" Andy can almost hear the wheels churning in Miranda's head. She wonders what she is thinking.
"Yeah. Don't let the sweet name fool you." She teases gently. "She is stronger than she looks."
"Pass it!"
"Passing the phone now."
Buffy shakes a finger at Andy as she grabs the phone. "Hi. It's better to be warned than dead, so sorry, just take what I say as gospel for now. We have vamps here, with long teeth and craving for blood. We have other critters too, but I try to keep them to a minimum. We also have a big bad. Do not pass go with her, as she's not a trifling woman and tends to eat brains. We'll explain more when you get here. Willow was serious on the safer at our house part."
Miranda exhales. She remembers abruptly that she has heard the name of the town, but could not envision it until now. The magical block around the area is very effective. "I see. Sunnydale is special then. An attractor of things dark and dangerous." It's not the only city that is like that, but now she has a better idea of why Andy would be dabbling.
"You're taking this very calmly."
"I've seen a lot over my time. You're very young, aren't you." Miranda is contemplating how this will possibly fold into her life, she hasn't got the full picture yet, but feels the necessity building.
"I'm old in slayer years. But we're all of legal age, if that's what you're worried about. All of us, including Andy, are in college. Andy is the oldest, which you have probably guessed."
"Dear God." The words are husked in a near whisper. Perhaps she should consider re-opening her contact with Hugh again. Apparently they now have something in common. The only thing missing is a hot-tub, as bedrooms have already been mentioned.
"I could put the flirty spin on this, and well other kinds too, I suppose, but we don't know each other well enough yet. Soon though. I can feel you coming. I look forward to it too."
Miranda, despite herself, is charmed. "Naughty."
"Hopefully as often as possible. See, flirty spin. You'll like us. You'll see." Buffy's voice holds hope as well and expectation. The older woman finds it oddly soothing.
She wishes urgently she had the names before she'd made the call. A part of her whimsically considers putting in a work order to Morpheus. But names have never been his strong suit. "Is the other one there too."
"Tara?"
"Tara." Once again Miranda tastes the name, weighs it. Remembers the dream. Could it be? "As in, the Tara."
Buffy was sure the she wouldn't have understood the inflection the woman had put in the witch's name before today. "I don't know. We don't know. She's just Tara to us."
"I am beginning to get a broader picture, however. Yes. Let me speak with Tara, please."
Buffy extends the phone.
Tara, who had managed not to stutter all day, is at a temporary loss, "H-hello?" Shyness is a strong beast to conquer sometimes, even when one has powerful motivation.
"Tara, I thought, as I'd spoken with the other two, it would be remiss for me not to at least say hello. Did you have anything you'd like to say to me?"
"Hi." Tara decided to keep things simple and true. "Be safe. We need you."
Miranda is warmed by the simplicity. Tara is, apparently, a woman of fewer words. She can appreciate that. She considers pressing for more, just to get a stronger feel for the young woman, but then decides she has enough to work with for now. She has a location, she has directions, and she has forewarning. Really, this has been a very efficient call and it says much about them, that they would be concerned for her safety and that they are not playing games of denial. So unusual.
"I shall." She reassures her Tara, letting her voice warm. "I will be there soon."
The phone goes quiet and Tara realizes that Miranda has finished the conversation.
"She doesn't say goodbye?"
"She never has. I don't think she likes saying good bye." As soon as the Andy articulates the thought, she experiences an epiphany about her former boss. One that causes her to stop in her tracks. "Wow. She really doesn't." For some reason, she finds that one small thing very reassuring and endearing.
-TDWP & BTVS-
They decide to start with Buffy's house, because it's closer. This time, the ceremony will be inside the house. They move the furniture in the front room so they have a wide space to work with. Tara carefully arranges the tools and some important other components. Willow makes two or three rewrites. Some spells have to be spoken exactly as written and passed down, but others, like the one they will be attempting, require that one innovate, because each application is unique. She wants this one to be, not just perfect, but fantastically awesome, especially given who is going to be arriving soon. Others may not know this, but she's a fan of Runway. She doesn't live by it, like Buffy does, but she has always enjoyed looking at the magazine; great articles and beautiful women. What's not to like? She wants to make a gift of the spell, to her new bond-mates and to welcome Miranda properly. So she bends her considerable intellect and wit to the task.
When she's done tweaking, she hands the written work to Andy for a quick once over. The brunette reads, rereads and says, "Ooh, this is nice. Needs illumination and a bridge, let me..." Willow hands her the pen, then wanders over to check with Tara and Buffy. The slayer is reclining on the sofa, watching everything with a quiet intensity. Tara is standing, hands on hips, considering whether they have everything. She snaps her fingers. "Salt. We need salt."
"Kitchen. They have kosher and sea salt."
"Perfect," Tara says. She pauses on her way to give Willow a tender kiss of thank you.
The redhead smiles and sees that Buffy is crooking a finger at her. So she makes her way to the couch, and then with comfortable aplomb slides onto the couch and into Buffy's arms. A day ago, this would not have been possible, she thinks. For her, this one thing makes it all worth it. "Hi," she says to her friend. "You wanted to see me."
"Among other things," Buffy says with a tease in her eyes. She leans forward, pressing her lips against the redhead's. Then she pats her bottom softly. "I really just wanted to do that. It's nice to be able to."
Willow's grin is always transforming. Buffy enjoys watching it form.
-TDWP & BTVS-
Again they find themselves at the corners, though this time, their hands are immediately connected. This time they each have a line to say, somewhat memorized. It's more context than perfection, however. They're just shooting for a better home for them.
Again, Tara is their start. She invokes the names of goddesses of the hearth and home, starts the blessing and then opens the spell. It follows their previous round, each speaking their part, saying it strongly and clearly. At the center of their small circle is a small incense stick, burning its slow way down. It is the symbol of the hearth. With each new spell-line added, smoke billows and wafts. A sweet, comforting scent fills the air. Each woman is visualizing, thinking of what they are striving for. Each idea of it is unique, however, each want or need. Their visions blend with the words.
The atmosphere around them feels thicker and more tangible. The women continue to say their piece, with careful deliberation. The air around them gets thicker and whiter, until they can't see each other. They can only feel each other and hear each other. Their words seem to slow, but really, they are saying them as fast as they were before. It's just power has gathered, a lot of power, and it's literally flooding the room and them.
And then, it's the last four lines, the last connecting details, the summary conclusion. Where moments ago even saying the words was a burden, as each new word is spoken there is a loosing, a freeing, a sense of amazing release. The light falls in at first, seeming to collapse and then it explodes outward, flashing to and through the women, the house, the area.
Andy shakes with it, gasping in ecstatic surprise, as a secondary effect flashes through her. "Oh my!"
She's not the only one.
This time, however, they do not faint with it. They ride the wave of it instead, surfing on the crest of power, until it eases.
It's not until that sensation finishes that they each realize that their eyes had been closed. When they peek, carefully, at each other, they are relieved to see that they are alright, if slightly giddy and sated.
Andy quips, "Well, I feel better. How about you, Tara?"
This brings out a round of laughter, which leads to hugs, which leads to soft, affectionate and slightly relieved kisses. It's after this, that they begin to look around themselves.
Willow expresses what is most on their minds next. "Wow."
-TDWP & BTVS-
Miranda is infinitely glad she had the forethought to engage the privacy window. Her body is flushed and she can till feel the trembling waves of energy tingling through her. She knows she looks a bit discombobulated as she's slid down the seat some. She covers her eyes with her hands, but does not stifle the giggle that starts. She can't believe they've done this again in less than twenty-four hours.
The giggle turns into an outright laugh, something she hasn't done in it seems like forever. The laugh rumbles through her whole self, amusement and trepidation combined, until it finally slows enough that she can compose herself.
She is tempted to call them, but instead, decides to call her children while the sense of mirth is upon her. It's been awhile since they've heard her laugh too, and she wants to share.
-TDWP & BTVS-
"This room looks exactly the same. Are we sure this worked?" Buffy says, head cocked and hands on her hips.
"It worked," Tara replies firmly. "This is the public face, a front room. It is a little larger though and it makes sense that it's..."
"Come see!" Willow had not lingered, but had barreled out of the room, through the hall and back. She returns to the open double frame that leads to the front room and is grinning very widely. "We've got more doors! And I haven't even been upstairs yet." She makes a motion with her fingertips. "Some of the doors have little drawings on them. Like labels. I'm opening one." She whirls back around, heading down the hall again.
She stops at one of the doors and looks at the little icon that is just a little less than eye-height to Andy. It's a square with a triangle on top, looking very much like a drawing of a house. Curious. She grasps the handle as the other women finally arrive. With a smile, she turns it and opens the door. Then her expression pinches.
"It's just a closet," she says with disappointment. "There's not even a rail to hang things on."
"So. Storage space," says Andy. "People always need storage space."
"I guess." Willow shakes her head. "It's just, I imagined it'd be more space than this." She steps in, opening her arms wide. The room goes dark, as if the door has been closed. "Hey. Not funny." She turns, feeling for the wall, the door, a handle. She's not panicking. She's... OH. Oh, there it is. She is so going to have a talk with the pranksters. So going to... She pushes the door open, intending a really good what-for and stops and stares. She steps out and looks. "Andy's place," she whispers. She turns and looks at the outside of the door and there's a little house icon.
"Oh! Oh, I get it. I get it now." She looks at Andy's house, which she realizes feels larger and more expansive.
Then, because she realizes the others might be worried, she steps back in.
They were. They were getting ready to do something hasty. She can tell. She smiles at them, warmly, especially since she sees that the door is still open. "Andy's house doesn't need the spell anymore. It's done."
-TDWP & BTVS-
Two doors, one which they've already opened, have the house icon. "I wonder where this one goes," Buffy says. She opens the door, but doesn't try to step through because a slayer is naturally cautious that way. Like the other space, it looks just like an ordinary closet. "Let's find out," Willow says, willing to volunteer now.
She strides, and something pushes her back. She doesn't even make it through the door frame. Her eyes widen and she puts her hand against an invisible pressure. "Whoa. A force field. I can't go through."
"Maybe a person can only go through a portal once a day?"
"Not likely, but..."
"Let me try," Andy says.
"Be careful. The closet was dark on the other side. The door was closed." Then Willow blinks. "Oh, and I think I left it open."
"How about you go close the door and come back and then try this door again, so we can rule out the doors must be closed theory and the only one time theory all at once."
"Right. Be right back."
They shut the door, while Willow opens the other one and then she goes through again, and disappears.
"Still freaky," Buffy says.
"But at least now we know where it goes."
"Doesn't change the freaky."
"That's a point," Tara agrees. "It will take some getting used to."
Willow reappears with a smile. "All done. Oh, and the door closes automatically behind us, I think. It was closed when I got there. But I made sure to shut it on the way in this time too," she says.
"So we try again?"
"I will," says Andy, as Buffy opens the door. Like Willow before her, she impacts a solid nothing. "Won't let us through."
"But why?"
"Maybe it's not connected to something yet."
"You three live here, and that door is to my house," Andy muses, "so, maybe this one is supposed to lead to Miranda's townhouse."
"So, why can't we go through?" Buffy asks.
Andy shrugs, but Tara has a thoughtful expression. "Miranda is something more, than just a part of us. I think she has to be here to actively make the connection. The four of us were willing, we knew what was what going in, but Miranda doesn't. The placeholder and the force field may be the magic's version of giving her the final choice."
They gaze at each other, then at the open space within. Buffy silently closes the door.
-TDWP & BTVS-
Whimsically, having made the discovery that they can step back and forth between two houses, they play with the option, splitting up to take turns exploring the changes and then returning to one of the few rooms that have remained mostly the same, which is Casa de Summer's front room, which they realize makes it a "front," for appearances sake. It seems to be a common theme.
"The front of Andy's house looks just the same," reports Willow.
"But my backyard is... is...," Andy is finding the whole thing boggling.
"It's grown a bit," Willow says. "The grove is older and more trees. There's a creek that kind of goes nowhere. It runs through and then... stops at the neighbor's yard. Except it doesn't. That stop is an illusion. If you're right there, you can follow the creek. We did that for a little bit, but not far, because, well, don't know where it goes and didn't want to get lost ... And when you look at the back from the outside, it looks like it did before. Really kind of fascinating, actually."
"Like this house, the front room is the same, except larger. The kitchen is still the kitchen. Things were sparkly, but stove, microwave, sink, the usual."
"Same with the dining room. Bigger table, more chairs, more dishes in the dish cabinet. But it looks like the dining room."
"Bathroom though..."
"Downstairs. Very nice. Roomy. Guest appropriate roomy though. Nothing to give away the game, really. Mostly. I thought the towel warmer was nifty."
"Upstairs." Andy pauses as if trying to form the words. Then starts to say something and then stops and then starts again. "Sybaritic. Amazing. Wow. Not just the bathroom. The whole floor is... there are a couple of doors. I mean, the hallway is there, but..."
"Big rooms. Big Beds." Willow grins. "Comfy beds. Inviting. Tempting."
"But some work rooms too, just like before; a study. A library. Family room. That was new. But it's there."
"Big TV. You didn't have a television before," Willow glances at Andy.
"Didn't need it. Was a distraction. I guess it's not gonna be now."
"Or it will be. We'll find out, I guess."
"How about you guys?"
"The front yard, the same as before. The backyard. It's... You know, It looks the same. Swimming pool, but a little broader. The hot tub was fixed."
"You have a hot tub?"
"Came with the house."
"Cool."
"The basement is deeper than it was before," offers Tara. "The stairway looks to be about twice as long. And it sounds like it's also a lot bigger."
"Spooky."
"Yeah." Buffy says. "I plan on taking a sword with me when I go down."
"Nice. But I don't think you'll need it. Consecrated, remember. Whatever is down there is for us, not against us."
Buffy blinks at her. She is so used to preparing for the worst that it never occurred to her that the dark might not be a bad thing.
Andy redirects her attention. "But upstairs?"
"Like yours. Nifty rooms, and," now Buffy grins widely, "nice wide beds. Bouncy."
"You jumped on one without me?" Willow blinks.
"Well. Tara jumped with me."
"Oh. Well, that's alright then. You can't jump the beds alone. Your mom said."
They all pause as a moment of respect passes for Joyce-mom. Then Andy says, "Want someone to go down with you. I mean, to the basement."
Everyone starts to giggle, despite themselves. Buffy says, "Yes, Andy. Come with. You got my back."
"Always."
-TDWP & BTVS-
The stairwell, which is well lit once the light switch is hit, goes down a flight, hits a platform and then it turns and goes down another flight. The walls follow, right up until the last few steps. So a random person looking won't see what is downstairs.
They arrive at the bottom and both pause and frankly stare. "That's a lot of space."
"Growing room."
"Is that... a weapons rack?"
Buffy suddenly grins. All her practicing has been at the Magic Box, but she's never had a place at home to really let loose. There was never enough space, and the walls had always been vulnerable to breakage.
"Mine!" She says. She practically skips to the center. Against the same wall as the currently empty weapons rack, is an equipment locker. "This is very cool."
Andy starts to grin. "Yeah. It is." She joins Buffy at the center, turning to look. She spots what looks like a couple of rooms. "Look, the laundry room. I wonder if there is a chute. We might have to consider putting a washer dryer set upstairs."
"Take a look?"
Andy does, opening the door and glancing in. It looks like a nice, white laundry room with all the pieces and parts. "Your washer and dryer got updated and you can fire the clothes down from somewhere. There's a hamper."
"Coolness."
They open the next door. "Ah. Now that's the storage room. Check out those shelves. Lots and lots. Buffy, people would pay out the nose for those shelves alone, in any place but Sunnydale. Houses are cheap here."
"Which is why you moved here?"
"Yeah. And I liked the name."
Buffy started to giggle. "I think that gets a lot of people. It's a shame really, because it could be a great town. It has everything a bigger city has, but..."
"... it comes with things that go bump in the night."
"Yeah."
"Last door?"
"Probably more storage."
"Won't hurt to look."
It's a good thing they do. This door has an icon. It's a tree.
They stare at it for a minute. Finally Buffy says, "It's not going to open itself."
"Should we get the others?"
"Eventually. Open it."
Andy obeys.
Daylight filters into the room, bright and pleasant. They hear the soft sounds of the outdoors. They see a tiny, tiny hallway with an upslope. "Oh wow." Andy looks at Buffy and says, "I think this may be your expanded back yard. Your real one."
"Think there is a creek?"
"Can you hear it?"
"Yes."
"Then yes. I think so. I think it may be the same one. Who knows, maybe if we'd followed it from my place, going in the right direction, we would have found this place."
"I want to go look. Coming with?"
"Heck yeah."
-TDWP & BTVS-
