DaddyCatALSO: Ima is Hebrew for mother, Oma is German for grandmother. Glad you enjoyed Lila and Willow's conversation.
JustSkipIt: It always means a lot for me to see your feedback. Thanks.
Laragh: Thanks for all of the support. Glad you like Lila. I do too, and I do think of her as a little Willow.
Zampsa1975: Glad you are enjoying it.
This is the second to last installment of this story, I am going to be sad to end it.
Title: Atlantic Antics
Author: willowntara4ever
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Josh Whedon owns the characters. I just imagine different lives for them .
Feedback: Please . This is my first attempt at fan fiction
Notes: Love story with a little child created angst
Spoilers: None
Note: Words I got off the internet as part of a handfasting ritual are in italics and bold, words I wrote for them to say are in bold. Links are provided to give credit for where I got the ceremony parts.
Chapter Thirteen: Provincetown Wedding.
Tara and Willow’s parents did not meet until the day before the wedding. Mr. & Mrs. Maclay had made several overtures to get together, but the Rosenbergs were always out of town or had other plans. Willow knew this evasive tactic of her parents well, and it grated on her, but she was as helpless to change them now as she had been when she’d been younger. Willow somewhat enjoyed watching the discomfort on her mother’s face when Mrs. Maclay enveloped her in a big hug the first time she met Sheila. As Tara watched this interaction, she too was surprised that such a warm woman as Willow had been raised by such cool parents. Willow always reminded her that she had gotten her warmth from her grandparents, as well as, her best friend Buffy’s mother Joyce.
Willow was so excited to see her friends Buffy, Dawn and Xander. The three had almost missed the ferry between Boston and Provincetown, and for about an hour, Willow had feared that she was going to have to drive to Boston to pick them up. Willow was glad once all of the wedding guests were safely checked into their hotel rooms. Despite all of their prior planning, it seemed to both Willow and Tara that there were hundreds of little details that they needed to attend to the days before the wedding. Each night, they fell into the bed of their cabin, exhausted. Mr. and Mrs. Maclay tried to be as helpful as possible, and they tried to keep the children busy, but most of the logistics of preparation and entertainment required either Willow or Tara.
Finally the wedding day came. It was a clear day, and the weather forecast predicted beautiful weather. Both Willow and Tara were relieved that the weather was going to cooperate, because they found the banquet room of the hotel to be rather drab, and they didn’t want to have to spend any of their wedding indoors.
It was chaos the afternoon before the ceremony. Both Lila and Anna were excited about the matching new red dresses that Tara and Willow had bought for them. Their dresses matched the red flowing red gauze skirts and white shirts that their mothers were wearing as their wedding clothes.
After much deliberation, Anna had finally come around and requested to be a part of the ceremony. They decided that the girls would be their attendants.
It was an hour before the planned ceremony. Willow was in her parent’s cabin putting the finishing touches on the flower garland for Lila’s hair. Lila had been buzzing around in excitement. Willow was pretty sure that it would be a miracle if the garland lasted until the actual ceremony.
Her parents were sitting in the living room of their cabin reading. Willow could sense the stiffness of her mother, and could feel how difficult it was for the woman to be privy to the nurturance that was occurring between Lila and herself. Ira had announced at the beginning of the day that he would just stay out of the way, and he had been sitting on the deck reading for most of the morning and afternoon. Willow could see that her father was very excited, but didn’t know how to temper his excitement with his wife’s discomfort.
Willow reviewed her vows that she had written out, and questioned if words were even capable of expressing her feelings for the woman she was going to bond with.
In the Maclay cabin things were a little less tense, but there was a frenetic energy buzzing around them all. Neither Grandmother nor her mother had been able to have a traditional handfastening as a part of their weddings, so they wanted to make sure that they were able to do the ritual justice. The entire Maclay clan was either in the cabin or just outside, so there was a lot of noise and excitement.
Soon the time came. The sun was beginning to set. The friends and family all sat down in the seats provided, and Tara and Willow came from their respective cabins on the arms of their fathers.
Great-grandmother slowly cast the circle on the sand.
Then Mrs. Maclay said the invocations to the Four Elements.
"Since ancient times, people have communed with nature to learn more about themselves by example. Since it is within nature that we all do abide, we ask for Tara and Willow the blessings of Nature’s Elements, Air, Fire, Water and Earth. We do this that they may fully come to understand the lessons each element has to offer. The attributes of which are examples of those aspects they mirror not only within divinity but within ourselves as well.”
“We ask the spirits of Air to keep open the lines of communication between this couple. May their future be as bright as the dawn on the horizon. As Air flows freely to and from and through us all, may their hearts and minds and souls come to know the world and each other in this manner. Seeing not only with their eyes, may they together grow wise with wisdom.”
“Spirits of Fire, we ask that Tara and Willow’s passion for each other and for life itself remain ever strong and vital, fortifying each day with a vibrancy rooted in boldness, and courage. As Fire clears the way for new growth, may they know that this power is theirs: to create change and bring about the richness and quality that comes with a true love of life.”
“We ask the Spirits of Water, that their love for each other and the comfort of loved ones, like the serenity of the deep blue ocean, be the oasis that forever surrounds Tara and Willow. May they be well loved, and love well, letting the surety with which Water makes its journey to the sea, flowing over rocks or around trees, even turning into vapor and riding a cloud, ever serve as a reminder that with love all is well and will endure.”
“Spirits of Earth, we ask that you give unto those you see standing before you this day, the rock solid place to stand and fulfill his destiny. May their journey mirror the vast planes and fertile fields, expansive and alive. May they find the right seeds to sow to ensure a bountiful harvest. And when they look up at the Northern Star, may they know that it is as bright and constant as their love for each other as well as the love of the divine is for them.”
“
Father, Mother, Divine Spirit whose presence is felt in all things and at all times we ask your continued blessings upon this couple, upon their union and upon their family and friends who have gathered here to celebrate this joyous event with them. May they become one in truth and forever revel in the magik that is love.” Taken from:
http://www.handfastings.org/officiantlist.htm
Willow then began her vows.
Tara. I thank the goddesses everyday for allowing you to reenter my life. You are my soulmate and my chosen partner. I have loved you since I was young, and I will love you until I am old. You are my rock, you are my touchstone. I vow to be true to you, to love you, to take care of you, and to allow myself to be taken care of by you. I promise to love your family as my own. I promise to treat you with loving respect and to defend and support you. I promise to admit to mistakes and forgive your mistakes. I vow to communicate honestly with you. So mote it be.
Tara then said her vows.
Willow, you often say that the universe takes care of us as long as we don’t get in the way. I thank the universe for bringing you back into my life. I thank the goddesses for watching over us. I love you more than words can say. I will support you, nurture you, and take care of you for the rest of my life. I promise to be true to you and to never allow pride to get in the way of our communication. I promise to respect you. I promise to love your family. So mote it be.
The Priestess then said
“I will now wind the ribbon around your joined hands to symbolize your union
Once for the maiden,
Twice for the mother,
And thrice for the crone”
She wound the cords around their hands and said:
This cord is a symbol of the lives you have chosen to lead together. It has been woven, by your own hands, to symbolize the intertwining of your lives. Up until this moment you have been separate in thought, word and action. As these cords are tied together, your lives become intertwined. As the right hand is to the left hand, may you be forever one, sharing in all things, at home and abroad, in love and loyalty for all time to come.”
“
But you cannot always be physically joined,”
She removed the cord without untying it and handed it to Sheila.
Therefore the exchange of rings is one of the deepest symbols of a marriage. It is a constant reminder, a shared touch between two people. The circle is a symbol of the eternal. To give a ring to someone you love is to say that your love has no beginning and no end.”
Lila handed Willow her ring, and Anna handed Tara hers. First Tara put the ring on Willow’s hand and then Willow put the ring on Tara’s.
Then they joined hands and each spoke to the other’s child.
Willow said,
“Anna, I know that this has been a difficult transition for you. I know you have been feeling divided loyalties and a fear that you would lose the most important person in your life. I promise to respect you and cherish you, I promise to treat you as my own while honoring your relationships with your other caregivers. I look forward to seeing you grow and to watch you blossom into a beautiful, caring, smart young woman. I love you.”
Willow put a necklace around Anna’s neck that had a similar Celtic knot to the one that she had given her mother.
Then Tara said,
“Lila, you have an openness and wealth of love that everyone should learn from. You are an incredibly sweet young lady and I have treasured getting to know you. I promise that I will take care of you and support you throughout your life. I will treat you fairly and respect you and your relationships. I look forward to seeing the woman that you will become. I pledge to love you forever.”
Tara put a Celtic knot necklace around Lila’s neck. The four of them took each other’s hands and acknowledged that they were now one family. Then Mrs. Rosenberg and Mrs. Maclay came up and took the grandchild to sit with them.
The priestess continued,
“This bond I draw between you: that though you are parted in mind or in body, there will be a call in the core of you, one to the other, that nothing and no one else will answer to. By the secrets of earth and water is this bond woven – unbreakable, irrevocable; by the laws that created fire and wind this call is set in you, in life and beyond life.
Above you are the stars, below you are the stones; as time passes, remember...”
“Like stones should your love be firm. Like a star should your love be constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your marriage; let the strength of your wills bind you together, let the power of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Be close, but not too close. Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they pass quickly.”
Be free in giving affection and warmth. Have no fear and let not the ways of the unenlightened make you uneasy for the Goddess and God are with you always. Ever love, help and respect each other and then know truly that you are one in the eyes of the gods.
May the blessings of the Lord and the Lady be with you now and always, Blessed Be!!” http://www.handfasting.info/hand7.html
Willow and Tara then said together:
“The light of the goddess within me recognizes and honors he goddess within you.”
To which the priestess said
“May you hold your mutual well-being foremost in your hearts and minds. You are now wedded in the sight of the Gods, and those gathered here who represent your human community for as long as love shall last. So Mote it Be
You may kiss to seal your pledge.” (
http://www.handfasting.info/slh.html)
They kissed.
Tara’s parents then held a broom for Willow and Tara to jump over and Willow’s parents presented them with two wrapped wine glasses to crush.
There was a collective cry of “So mote it be,” “Amen” and “Mazel tov”
The entire family held hands and went up to the deck and had dinner and cake. Willow found herself flitting between her parents, friends, and the Maclays. She felt like she had hardly been able to spend time with Tara except for a few quick check ins and kisses.
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Thank you so much for writing this story, it was a pleasure to read it.
