The room fell silent. All eyes were on the strange woman before them, all ears tuned to her voice. But the lady now joined them in silence and simply tracked her gaze across the room catching each of them by the eye and holding them for a moment.
“E-Emily”, Tara said, her voice breaking the hush, “Take Joseph and go play in the training room.”
“But, Mommy…” The little girl started to protest.
“Please”, Willow said firmly, “Do as your mother says.”
Emily reluctantly stood and guided Xander’s son into the back with her, closing the training room door. She knew something was going on. She knew that the pretty lady in green had been looking at her and she didn’t appreciate being ushered out of the room. But that always seemed to happen whenever anything exciting was going on.
Once the children were gone, Giles moved from his place behind the research table to stand defensively between his family and the woman who called herself a Priestess of Avalon.
“I think it would be a good idea for you to explain yourself”, he said curtly.
“I am here to see a great prophecy fulfilled”, Ghaena explained.
“Oh really”, spoke Xander, not amused, “And what is the ‘Prophecy of the Week’ for this episode?”
Ghaena fell silent again. Clearly sarcasm was not something she appreciated.
Inside the training room, Emily had her ear pressed firmly against the door. Joseph impatiently tapped her on the shoulder.
“What”, she asked, looking at him.
‘What are you doing?’ He signed.
‘Listening’, she answered, before putting her head back to the wood. He tapped her again.
‘What?’ She asked again, a little more exasperated.
‘To what?’
‘To our parents talking.’ She explained. ‘Talking to that lady.’ Emily once more trained her focus on trying to listen through the door. Joseph hesitated a moment, before interrupting her again.
‘What now?’ She asked, her little temper flaring with frustration.
‘What are they saying?’
‘I don’t know. I’m talking to you.’
Joseph let out an angry sigh and moved over to sit on the stack of mats across the room. Crossing his arms in a huff as he sat down. Emily looked apologetically after him before leaning back against the hard wood of the door, trying to hear the exchange on the other side.
In the main room of the Magic Box, Ghaena had finally continued on.
“When good kings fall”, she began, “the mists shall rise and Avalon will be no more. Till three score generations from the first chosen, a child, being born of two mothers twice blessed, shall bring about the restoration of Avalon, the return of the Goddess.”
“Oh!” said Anya excitedly, “I know this story! My mother used to tell it to me when she wanted to bore me to sleep.”
“Bore you?” Questioned the Priestess, obviously disturbed by the comment.
“Ahn, Honey”, Xander said quickly, “Why don’t you explain what you’re talking about before you make the pretty, and potentially dangerous, lady angry.”
Ghaena raised an eyebrow at the woman, almost daring her to go on. Anya never was one to back down from a dare, so she continued.
“Well, the story was about how King Arthur died and then this place Avalon was destroyed or something. But this lady, who had some sort of a Yen for lakes, somehow knew what was going to happen before hand and she prayed for a miracle to keep this little island safe and then two of her followers had a kid and the lady had a vision…” Anya paused, trying to recall more. Coming up empty she shrugged, “This is normally where I’d fall asleep.”
The Priestess stepped down off of the steps into the main room, her cloak billowing around her. “Allow me to fill in some of the blanks”, she said moving to divest herself of her heavy outer garment. Everyone froze, unsure of what she was about to do. “Mind if I sit?” she asked.
“Uh, go ahead”, said Buffy, “Make yourself at home.”
“I thank you”, Ghaena replied continuing the motion of taking off her cloak, revealing her clothing underneath.
Willow and Tara shared a quick look, as did Buffy and Giles, and Xander and Anya.
“Um”, Willow hesitated, “You sure aren’t dressed like a priestess.”
“Really”, Ghaena inquired hautily, “You know how a Priestess of Avalon dresses?”
“Well”, Tara said, picking up where her wife had left off, “the cloak makes sense. B-but, the blue jeans and Alice Cooper t-shirt don’t.”
The priestess let out an exasperated sigh. “Oh these”, she said, tugging at her shirt, “I thought they’d help me blend in. I’ve never been to California before. I guess watching
Valley Girl for research was a mistake.”
“Fashion faux pas aside, perhaps you would now be willing to enlighten us further as to your sudden presence here”, Giles pressed on.
“Certainly”, Ghaena complied, “I am Tara’s great-great-great-gre… an unmentionable number of greats… grandmother. It is because of me that she even exists. For that matter, it is because of me that
you exist as well.” The priestess indicated to Willow.
“Are you saying that you’re my grandmother too?” Willow asked, a thousand naughty thoughts all to do with incest running through her mind.
“No I’m not”, the priestess replied, sensing Willow’s unease, “And even if I were, it wouldn’t be wrong for you and Tara to be together. Goddess sake, there’s more than sixty generations separating us. All of us are related to one another at some point in time.”
“Okay, enough of the family reunion”, Buffy cut in.
“I’m only saying that if it wasn’t for me than this young lady’s ancestors would never have come together and the chain of events that led to her being here would never have happened”, Ghaena finished.
“I don’t understand what all this has to do with Anya’s bedtime story”, Xander said finally.
Ghaena let out a long sigh before continuing. ”I’m going to attempt to make a very long and epic tale as short and simple as possible”, she began, “As Anya said, with the death of King Arthur the mystical isle of Avalon disappeared seemingly forever into the mist. But before this happened, Vivienne, the Lady of the Lake and High Priestess of the Goddess at Avalon…”
“The watery tart!” Xander blurted. Everyone turned and stared at the young man, their faces holding looks of confusion. “What”, he asked, “You guys have never watched Monty Python?” They regarded him blankly. “Sorry to interrupt. Carry on.”
Ghaena eyed him carefully a moment longer before picking up again. “Vivienne suffered a vision where she was foretold of the King’s death and Avalon’s fate. She prayed to the Goddess for protection to keep Avalon safe from destruction. It was not soon after that my lover, Dwynn, was found to be with child. My child…”
“So wait”, Willow stopped her. “You mean you’re…gay? Like me and Tara?”
“What?” Ghaena questioned, chuckling, “Did you think we lesbians didn’t exist until the twentieth century? My girl, we are as natural as the rain. One soul meets another and they match. It doesn’t matter what is or is not between their legs.” Willow nodded and took Tara’s hand, her wife smiling back at her. “The day that Dwynn gave birth to our Adrianna, Vivienne had yet another vision and that vision became the prophecy I first told to you. That the descendant of my daughter would be born of two women, twice blessed, and that this child would restore Avalon.”
“That’s all very well and good”, commented Giles as he cleaned his glasses. “There’s just one problem.”
“Which is?” Ghaena asked calmly.
“You keep using the term ‘twice blessed’”, the watcher continued, “I’m assuming that means that these two women would have to have been gifted with more than one child?”
“Aye, two children total”, Ghaena concurred, “A blessing from the Goddess of their union.”
“Well as you can see”, said Buffy, stepping forward, “Willow and Tara have only got the one. So, um... best go try your prophecy out somewhere else.”
“Buffy”, Willow spoke up, catching her best friend’s attention. “Um…”
“Yeah, Will?”
“Um…” It was taking everything the slight redhead had to muster up the courage to say it out loud. Not only to her best friend, but also to a room full of friends… and one stranger.
“It’s okay”, Tara soothed, “I’m here.”
Willow took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. “I’m, um… gonnahaveababy.”
“What?!“ Buffy cried out, not sure she just heard what she thought she just heard.
Willow tried again, slower this time. “I’m… I’ve been feeling a little pregnant lately.” For some reason she hated that word. The “p” word. She didn’t like the way it sounded, she didn’t like the way it was spelled, she just didn’t like it. It was too naked. It made everything too real. And despite the huge sigh of relief it was knowing that the baby was definitely Tara’s, this whole situation was a reality check she still wasn’t ready for.
“Are you sure?” Asked Giles. He watched as she nervously nodded yes. “Well, I assume congratulations are in order.” He moved over to Willow, taking her into his arms in a warm hug. She allowed herself to relax a little in the older man’s embrace. After a moment Giles gently released her and she returned to Tara’s side. The blonde placed a light kiss on her temple, her quiet way of letting her wife know that everything would be all right.
Buffy also went to give Willow a hug, but the redhead shied away, stepping a little behind her lover as if seeking protection.
“Will?” The slayer questioned, visibly hurt.
“I’m sorry, Buffy”, Willow apologized, “It’s not you. I’m just not feeling very…touch-y… right now.”
“But Giles…” Buffy began.
“Is kind of like a big plush poppa bear”, the redhead finished. “He felt safe.”
“And I don’t”, the slayer replied offended.
“Buffy”, Tara interjected, “Willow is having a really difficult time dealing with this pregnancy. Believe me… and believe her… when she says that it’s not you. “
“Fine”, Buffy said, dejected. “Will, let me know if you need anything.”
“Willow?” Xander said softly. The hacker looked over to him with large, almost wounded, eyes. “This wasn’t planned, was it?” He asked, though it was really more of a statement than a question.
Willow shook her head, “No.”
“Well it’s really understandable that she’s so upset by this”, said Anya in a rare show of support for the hacker. “I mean she’s always been the man in her and Tara’s relationship. I’m sure Xander’s reaction would be the same if he woke up and the stick was blue.”
“I am not the butch”, Willow snarled.
“Oh, Honey”, Tara said softly into her lover’s ear. “Not in the traditional sense, no. But you do kind of wear the pants. Even you said so this morning.”
“I am still not butch”, Willow answered back, her voice equally as low.
“No you’re not”, Tara reassured her.
“We‘ve been over this”, Willow went on.
“Yes we have”, Tara agreed.
“I’m not large with that”, the redhead stated firmly.
“I know”, the blonde mollified. “Definitely not butch.”
Back in the training room Joseph was once again over by Emily’s side, trying to get in on what was going on.
‘What are they saying?’ He asked.
‘A lot of stuff’, Emily explained.
‘What about?’
‘Nothing I can understand’, she replied.
‘You can’t hear?’ Joseph inquired.
‘I can hear’, she said, ‘I don’t understand.’
‘They using big words?’
Emily nodded and tried to listen in some more.
“Okay”, said Tara, turning back to the priestess, “So if Emily is this child. What does that mean?”
Ghaena looked to the blonde, her face serious and solemn. “It means that she must return to the mists with me to begin her training.”
******
TBC...
Edited by: DarkWiccan at: 6/5/02 7:45:31 pm
by fairydust » Tue Jun 04, 2002 9:46 pm 
Nice update
I cant wait to find out more about what all that means for emily, and what's up with Willow's pregnancy 
As for your second post.."sorta solved" Exactly. I have a firm belief that when writing a story of this nature, for every one question I answer, I have that answer create at least two more questions. It's really helpful in keeping the writing process going... and it drives readers nuts 
Okay... well, allow me to make it up to you and respond to a couple more posts 
