“I have a basement?” Buffy asked, surprised.
Tara grinned, “I’m guessing you do. I’m afraid I don’t know too much about the layout, but it is conceivable.”
Buffy shook her head in wonder. “I have so much to learn.”
William chuckled. “Give it time, pet. You will.”
“So,” Buffy continued. “How do we go about finding where they are? Is it just a matter of scouring the house?”
“I can help you with that. We could do it that way, or I could use my ‘witchy’ skills to find them,” Tara said, smiling.
“Does that entail feeling them out?” Buffy inquired curiously, leaning forward slightly.
“Right. Stretching out your feelers so to speak.”
“So, would that be the same as how I was able to feel them before, and then not feel them suddenly? By ‘stretching out my feelers’ is that just another way of saying that I concentrate really hard on sensing them?”
“Exactly. It’s all about sensing the energy and the shifts of energy in the air around you. By focusing your intent, you’ll be able to feel when they’re close,” Tara told her.
“My girl is so brilliant,” William observed, grinning.
“Oh, I’m definitely coming with you,” Buffy said enthusiastically. “It’s just a matter now of how to get Edina out of that house long enough for us to do this.”
“I vote for not a very detailed plan,” William suggested. “If you make it too intricate, she’ll catch on and suspect. I say you make it as simple as asking her to go out and get something…like groceries. Tell her you’re planning on having a dinner party and there are certain items you need that you only trust her with. In that you’re playing to her inflated ego that only she can do this right, not to mention her feelings of importance and superiority. But you just have to make it clear to her that only she has to do it because you only trust her.”
“I’m going to have to apologize for yelling at her last night,” Buffy mused.
“But you can’t go over the top and suck up to her either,” Tara joined in. “Otherwise, she’ll be suspicious. Maybe throw in a mention of getting more samples or having a decorator come over and would she like to be part of it? That way she’ll know you’re still planning on something for the house, and she’ll just think you’re incredibly dumb for continuing on with the plan in light of what she did to you.”
“She can’t control that ghost without being there, right?” Buffy asked, worried.
“No, she can’t. That ghost can do nothing without her direct direction. They need to be close in order to communicate.”
Buffy sighed, “All right. I want to do this soon. Like, now.”
“How about you let me gather some supplies first?” Tara suggested. “I can get some things in order to protect us and help us do this.”
“May I be part of that?” Buffy asked. “I want to learn how to do some of this so I can protect myself if need be,” she looked to William, “As well as others.”
William smiled. “Perhaps it’s something we can all do together?”
Buffy blushed and Tara readily agreed.
“Where are you staying?” Buffy asked suddenly.
“I’m staying with a friend a few towns over.”
“How are you doing, Tara? I mean…despite everything?” Buffy asked, seeing the sorrow just behind the witch’s eyes.
“It’s been tough, I won’t lie,” Tara admitted. “My aunt is going crazy, my cousin is encouraging it, my mother is sick, I’ve lost my shop, and I took a hit because of my sudden closing of it.”
“I want to help,” Buffy told her.
Tara looked at her, stunned. “What?”
“You’re helping me, I want to help you.”
“Buffy, really, you don’t have to do that. You don’t even know me—“
“I know you’re helping me free my ghosts, one of them being my sister. I know you’re going against your aunt to do it.”
“There are right ways to do things, and then there are wrong ways. She is going about it in all the wrong ways,” Tara explained.
“I can’t help but feel somewhat responsible.”
“Kitten,” William interjected, “You’re not.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Buffy murmured.
Tara stood. “I am going to gather materials and I’ll be by tomorrow.”
Buffy and William stood as well and Buffy held out her hand. Tara took it and Buffy gave it a firm shake, smiling. “We strike tomorrow.”
“I tell you how much I love you today?” William asked Buffy once Tara had left.
Buffy turned to him, pressing her back against the door. She smiled. “No.”
He held out his hand and she took it, allowing him to pull her into the circle of his arms. He kissed her soundly. “I do,” he whispered, “Love you so much.”
“What did I do?”
“You’re just…you. You have such a big heart, so generous and kind.”
“I guess I am sort of like Dru after all, huh?”
“But still my Buffy.”
“Of course.” And she hugged him, feeling a rush of sadness rush through her. “I miss her.”
William rubbed her back, “I know, baby.”
“I wish . . . I wish I hadn’t shut her out.” Her voice was clogged with tears, picturing Dru’s face in her mind; she felt the ache of the loss of her beloved sister.
“She understands, Buffy. She didn’t hold it against you. Though, she did say you were stubborn.”
Buffy laughed a wobbly laugh of trying to hold back tears.
“Oh. This might help. Do you remember the first night you were there and you went down to the kitchen to get something to eat, and the lights came on as you went down there?”
Buffy pulled back and looked up at him. “How did you know about that?”
He smiled. “Dru, of course. That was her. She was there with you, Buffy.”
Buffy nodded and buried her face in William’s chest. “She never could relinquish much control over taking care of me, not even in death.”
“Well, now it’s my job to take care of you…I have a feeling you’ll see her again after this is all over.”
“I hope so. I just want to tell her how much I love her and tell her how sorry I am for being so stubborn…”
“Buffy, she knows you love her.”
“I know, but it would still make me feel better to tell her that.”
“I gotta admit…I’m worried about tomorrow, Buffy.”
“Which part?”
“Edina.”
“Will, you don’t have to do this—“
He pulled back and looked at her imploringly. “Yeah, right. You think I’m gonna let you do this alone? Buffy, I don’t care what she does to me; I’m worried about what she’ll do to you.”
“She won’t lay a hand on me,” Buffy said, dismissing the notion.
“And if that thing does?”
“I’ll…I’ll kick its ass; its dead ass,” she giggled. “Besides, you’re going to jinx us with all this talk. We have a plan for her to leave the house, remember?”
“Yeah,” William drawled, “And you know what they say about the best laid plans?”
“Ssshhh,” she pressed a finger to his lips, shushing him. “How about we talk about something else?”
“Like?”
She grinned wickedly. “Like ‘laid’ of another sort.”