Chapter One Hundred and Forty Seven

New Moon

*Flashback* Sunnydale, the world without shrimp - 1999

Willow and Miss Calendar stood in the library, the open book on the table and Amy's small furry body between them. Giles was hiding out in the staffroom to try and avoid any consequences that might befall them, should the spell go wrong. But Willow was pretty certain they'd get it right this time, they'd been testing out different things for weeks, and with Miss Calendar's input, they had to get it right this time. She'd been using her free periods for this, for Amy, she couldn't just leave her as a rat. And subject her to a rodent-future forever.

Willow took a step back and braced her arms, Jenny mirrored her, staring up at the ceiling as they began to chant the incantation. "Hecate we call upon you, hear our plea. See the turmoil that has been caused and put it right, change the balance. Restore what was once rat to her rightful form." They called to the spirits around them until their eyes were flashing black and air started spinning. A whirlwind formed around Amy until her limbs were twisting and turning and she was growing and growing until there she was, naked and sitting on the table.

"Oh honey, you might wanna cover up." Miss Calendar said, her eyes flicking back to normal as the room stopped spinning. She handed Amy a blanket as she picked herself up.

"What is happening?" She asked very confused as to what she was doing naked in the school library. "How did I get to school?"

Willow stepped forward, picking up the spell book and the various equipment and handing them over to her teacher. "Amy, you remember anything about being tied to a stake?" She asked bluntly, having not thought about how she was going to break this news to her formerly rodent friend. Amy nodded, waiting for her to go on. "Well, you turned yourself into a rat to try and escape, and well, you got stuck. And we couldn't turn you back. Until um, now." She was rubbing the back of her head as Miss Calendar did the rest of the clearing up.

Amy took the news pretty well, admitting to Willow that this had in fact happened before, she spent a week off sick stuck as a talking rabbit, but that time she'd managed to fix it herself. "I guess, thanks for helping me out, not sure what I'm gonna say to my dad but it'll be fine." Willow just sighed and watched her go, thanking Miss Calendar for helping and secretly wishing Buffy was here. The weirdness for the day had only just started, but at least Amy wouldn't have to live in her habit-trail anymore.

San Francisco, the world without shrimp - February 2007

Willow was staring out of their kitchen window, her hands in the sink washing the dishes. Over the last month a lot of old memories had surfaced, and she often found herself thinking about the campus witches, the little wicca group coven they had. And by extension - Amy. They didn't exactly have the best track record, they were friends once upon a time, a junior high eating brownies together kind of friendship. But then magic got between them. But that was a long time ago, Willow wondered where Amy was now, what she was doing. Whether the campus witches ever managed a proper spell. Maybe she should call.

She spent the next hour looking through the phone book, then another hour scouring online for Amy's presence. She didn't find a whole lot but she did start to piece together what happened. Memories from back then tended to be a little hazy, there was a lot of magic and a lot of things going on that didn't follow a pattern. It was like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle. Jenny was out of control, and Amy kept coming round occasionally for little things, ingredients, ideas for spells. And they'd spend the evening together, going through it. She'd even helped her and Tara fight Jenny, get her to back down, stop her kidnapping crusade. The trio were just the start of her victims. Willow thought Amy wouldn't go back to magic after she was taken, but then she showed up again, out of the blue. The campus witches in tow, trying to make her into something she didn't want to be. They'd forced her to go into a dark, magic addicted version of herself. Something she'd never quite gotten over. A possible future that'd haunted her. How could Amy have done that to her?

Well, the answer was simple, Willow let Amy get kidnapped and tortured by their old computer science teacher and Amy blamed her for it. Tara argued that it wasn't her fault, but Willow felt bad, she felt like she had to make it up somehow. That was when she let Amy back into her life the last time and she broke her trust. So why did she want to risk doing that again? Because everybody deserved a second chance. The coven had taught her that. So she found a contact number and called her, hoping she'd answer, and hoping she'd forgive her.

She picked up the phone and left a message hoping to hear back from her soon, her mind starting to plan the first meeting of her coven. Her own group of young witches to lead and teach. She wanted the best for them, for Calliope to learn something. She felt like she had at school helping Jenny with lesson plans her senior year, like she was being useful but also like she still had so much to learn about herself.

As the light faded from the city the subtle glow of the candles shrouded the circle of women. Willow sat at the head, the leader. The humble group of witches before her were the ones under her command. She was leading the incantation, the others repeating after her, their eyes closed, their lips whispering in Latin. Phrases and verbs that were old friends to some, and new curiosities to others. They held hands, their palms resting together as the energy flowed around the circle, strengthening the magicks. Willow bowed her head and opened her eyes, glancing around the room; Tara was on her left, dressed in navy, a mare of colour that deepened her eyes. Astra was next along, a piece of quartz around her neck, for protection. Calliope and Linda joined them too, sitting cross-legged like teenagers. Then there was a friend of Tara's called Imanya, her hair a rainbow of colours, collecting in layers around her shoulders. Lastly, Amy Madison and her friend Vaughne Morley from the campus coven sat at the edge of the circle. Willow had reconnected and told her to come along tonight. Amy and Vaughne were roommates now that they'd graduated from college, and currently Amy was tutoring some kids at the local school whilst she waited for jobs to come up.

Let us attune our minds, Willow 'said' to the circle. Calliope looked up a little startled at the intrusion to her mind, but quickly closed her eyes again. Let us breath as one, think as one, speak as one. Willow continued, trying not to break the link between them. And it was working, she could feel the energy pulsing through her. From her fingertips gripping Tara tightly, to her toes flexing inside her boots. We call upon you Gaia, goddess of the earth, to grant us connection, and energy. We make a plea for your blessing. Please oh goddess, bless us.

Willow stopped abruptly, like her voice had been taken right out of her throat. She felt a heat entering the room, it tickled the back of her neck and over the others until it stopped behind her. Stabbing into her heart it made her lunge forward and gasp, the air in her lungs suddenly expulsing. The other women tried not to react, Willow had explained this was part of the welcoming spell, a test on her heart, to see if she was truthful or not in her request. The goddess was thorough, Willow felt the heat running through her veins and all over her. And she found herself not needing the air, like she was one with the energy, one with the magicks. Her hands shook, but produced no sweat. Her mouth fell open and the spirit flew out, gliding around the room and assessing the surrounds, the magical bounds of the room. Would it be enough? Willow had voiced her fears to Tara earlier, but she'd been given the full vote of confidence by the group. Now was the result of those fears - the spirit soaring like a playful ghost around the apartment until it flew into the floor and disappeared. It's essence filling the space around them, and all felt its warm glow inhabit them.

Willow's eyes opened slowly, along with the rest of the witches. The room slowly came back into view. Willow held her head between her palms, it was heavy, so so heavy. Everyone turned to look at her, "I'm alright guys, I promise. Just a lotta energy in here." She waved her arms around and then fell onto Tara's shoulder, letting out a deep breath she'd been holding. A bubble of activity began, mainly because Calliope began excitedly babbling about the spell. She reminded Willow of herself, how excited she'd been when she discovered she could float a pencil just using her mind.

Everybody picked themselves up off the floor and tidied away the alter cloth and the candles and the sand and the sage and sat at the table. Tara boiled the kettle and made several different cups of tea, various remedies for each person, serenity and contemplation, patience for Calliope. Truth and courage for Willow. Astra took hers with honey and Amy picked a few mint leaves off the plant in the corner. The women settled into various chairs around the room, most starting up small conversations with the others and trading spell jars and lockets.

Willow and Tara sat on the window sill, Tara's arms around her from behind, pressing kisses into her hair as they watched the moon waning away. "Do you think I did it properly? Got all the magicks to the right places?" The redhead asked, taking her girlfriend's hand and squeezing.

"I think you did it perfectly," Tara said humbly, stroking the ends of her hair. Willow looked round at her, "no I mean it. I felt it, you were powerful. We were powerful, all eight of us, together." She looked down and fiddled some more with Willow's fingers.

Willow watched the room, as if seeing it for the first time. Astra and Vaughne were deep in conversation about something to do with cauldrons, and Linda was rolling her eyes as Calliope showed Imanya pictures of their cat. Everything seemed peaceful, complete. Maybe this would be it, this would be the beginning of a new way. The first day in a whole new stream of life, and magic was the river, the life blood. Magic connected everything. "Thank you," she said to Tara, looking up at her and kissing the side of her face lovingly. "For being here, for doing this with me. I couldn't do it without you. I don't think I could do anything without you."

Tara didn't say anything, not for a while. She just kept her hands around Willow, and her chin resting on the top of her head. It was late, pretty late for small talk. Willow climbed off the sill and gave everyone a hug and thanked them for coming, making sure they all had her number and the arrangements for their next meeting. Tara sent everybody off with their own jar of personalised tea, labelled and tied with twine. Blessed Be.