“Stop worrying so much,” Buffy reprimanded him.
“That’s rich coming from you,” he retorted.
She laughed, “I know, right? It’s just that if you worry, I’ll start to worry, and if I start to worry I’ll have performance anxiety and I really want to be able to do this, Will.”
“I know, I just…” He sighed, shut off the water and turned to her; taking the dishes she was drying out of her hands and placing them on the counter. Taking her hands in his, he said, “Buffy, all your life you’ve had Dru worrying about you. Well, now I worry about you and I can’t just shut that off with a word from you. It’s just the way it is, sweetheart. You’re my girl and the thought of anything happening to you is frightening to me. When I saw you flying through the air the other night, I just about had a heart attack.”
Leaning up, Buffy kissed him sweetly, “I know, Will, but it’s going to be all right. This has to be done. And you can’t expect to protect me from everything.”
“I can try.”
“You can, but you’ll fail. Just the way it is. Look. We’re gonna go in there, we’re gonna get Edina out, we’re gonna free my ghosts, and fight her and that thing with everything we’ve got. I have faith in this, in us, and I will protect you with everything I have too, okay?”
He pressed his forehead against hers. “I love you.”
She smiled, “I love you too.”
A knock on the door signaled them that that as far as the snogging session was going to take them, and at the same time they said “Tara.”
“Let the games begin,” Buffy muttered.
“So, basically,” Tara explained, “Last night, what I did was take these two dolls and wrap them up with ribbon while chanting ‘I bind you from doing harm to me and others’, over and over until the dolls were covered head to toe with ribbon. Then I placed them in this box. There’s a crossroads on the way to your house, we’ll bury them there. That’s where binding spells and protection spells have the most power.”
Buffy peered in at the dolls that were bound from head to toe in ribbon and thought ‘Cool.’ Rubbing her hands together, she asked, “Okay, so what else can we do?”
“I have three pentacles that have been blessed by yours truly to serve as protective amulets, three bells to help in banishing the nasty Edina banished, and a chant to release the ghosts from their binding. Do you remember the protection chant I taught you?”
“Yes. Within, without, make a circle all around and all about. So mote it be,” Buffy said.
Tara smiled. “Excellent. Did you get that William?”
“Got it,” William said and tapped his head.
“Okay, and the chant for releasing the ghosts, I wrote down. It’s in Latin. I think we should practice it so that when we say it together at the circle.” She handed out the slips of paper the chant was written on. “Ready?”
William and Buffy nodded, the three took a collective deep breath and began: “Nos unbind vos ex vestri carcer , solvo vos quod paro vos solvo.” (We unbind you from your prison, release you and set you free)
“So, what we’ll do is stand around the circle they are contained in and chant this, imagining the circle they are contained in dissipating completely,” Tara explained. “We’ll use the protection chant before we go in and while we’re there when we feel unsafe. When we’ve freed the ghosts, we’ll explain to them that the bells are to banish the nasty, not them. And we must, must, must wear our pentacles. That will give it all an extra kick,” Tara finished, handing them the silver pentacles on silver chains.
Buffy felt a surge of energy rush through her hand as soon as Tara placed it in her palm. “Whoa,” she murmured.
Tara looked at her curiously, “You feel that?”
Buffy looked up and nodded. “Yeah, a surge of energy right up my arm.” She smiled broadly. “Very cool.”
Tara grinned, “Sounds like you might be more of a witch than you realize, Buffy. Most who start out in the Craft have to learn to sense energy like that, and very few sense it right off the bat.”
“Well…we’ll talk more about that later,” Buffy said, lightly. “But let’s just say it is something I’m wildly interested in learning more about.”
Tara looked quite pleased and William cleared his throat. “Uh, ladies? Could we maybe get going now? I’m really anxious to get this over with.”
Buffy looked at Tara whilst patting William on the back. “He’s a little nervous.”
Tara took a deep breath, “I understand how you feel, William. I’m nervous myself.”
“Come on now, none of that,” Buffy admonished. “I am feeling uncharacteristically positive and I’d like to think that’s a good sign. Take some of my positive energy if you must, but don’t rain on my parade completely here. I want my ghosts free, and I want the chance to love that house the way Dru did. So, let’s get this show on the road and kick some ass.”
William looked at Tara, smiling. “You heard my girl. Let’s go kick some ass.”
It was when they pulled into the driveway after digging a hole at the crossroads Tara spoke of, and buried the box with the dolls representing Darla and Edina, that Buffy started to get nervous. It was Showtime.
She started chanting the protection chant under her breath as they slowly drove down the long driveway, and soon William, and Tara who was now on the floor in the backseat, started chanting it with her. It was amazing to her; she could feel the bursts of energy flowing around them, and inside her. It was exhilarating, exciting, and something definitely worth exploring later on.
The car came to a halt and she looked over at William who smiled bravely, yet nervously. “Ready, pet?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Cold feet now?”
Perish the thought. “Nope. I’m ready.” And she jumped out of the car, making sure her pentacle was tucked safely under her shirt so Edina wouldn’t see it.
William took a minute telling Tara they’d come for her after Edina was gone, and then he came round the car and took Buffy’s hand. “Ready, luv?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
“I’m right by your side, luv. I won’t leave you.”
“I know you won’t, William, I know you won’t.”
Entering the house, Buffy took a deep breath just as Edina came round the corner. “Hello, Miss. I wasn’t aware you were to be out last night with Mr. Giles.”
Buffy feigned a smile, “Sorry bout that.”
“Everything all right?” Edina asked curiously, eyeing her up and down.
“Perfect,” Buffy chirped and squeezed the hell out of William’s hand. “As a matter of fact…care to do me a favor? I need it done now and Edina…I only trust you to do it.”