Part Three (final!)

The redhead wakes to a thunder of chanting and rolls over, trying to ignore the sound. As she moves closer to consciousness she clearly hears her name. Slipping on Mr. Puddlewife's purple fuzzy Care bear slippers she walks toward the window. Just outside the seminary gate a small line of children stand with signs made of blaze orange poster-board.

"Free Willow!" the children chant. "We want her back! We want her back!"

Each unanswered call raises the decibel level. The redhead quickly dresses and runs out to meet the rowdy crowd at the gate.

"Children?" She scolds their presence.

"We had to get you back, Will," Dawn says passionately.

"Why did you leave us?" Anya whimpers.

"Mother doesn't know we are here! We snuck out!" Spike adds with a lisp.

Willow looks at the children and shakes her head, "I didn't think I could stay. Now I realize that was just me being a doofus. Can you guys ever forgive me?"

The children look at her and Buffy pipes up, "does this mean that you're coming home with us?"

Willow nods. "That it does."

Tara is sitting on the deck. Her heart is heavy and she feels ill. She replays the previous night in her head over and over, remembering how close they had been. "I just don't understand it."

Suddenly she hears singing and seven faces appear over the hill.

"Children?" she questions, shocked that they would be there, and then sees Willow behind them. Her heart leaps.

They stop before her.

"Please go inside and practice your yoga," she orders.

The children leave and Willow stands awkwardly looking at her. Neither speaks for a while.

"I'm glad you didn't leave me. Er, us," the blonde says shyly.

"I could never leave you. I'm sorry I even tried," the redhead whispers, making her way towards Tara. "Look, I got you something."

Willow hurries to remove a small charm bracelet from her pocket. "Every charm represents something. That's a computer, that's a hockey stick, that's a walkie talkie for our cool intercom system, that blob there is supposed to represent your African thumb harp, but dagnabbit, they don't make charms of them! The pancakes represent the first breakfast, and this… is a heart… because, Tara," the redhead takes a deep breath, "I think I love you."

The blonde stares, open-mouthed.

"Mother, I'm going to go study with my buddy. At her house this time," Dawn shouts down the hallway.

888888888888

Dawn stands outside the door to the small apartment. She has been mustering up the courage to knock for the last seven and a half minutes.

She can hear voices inside and struggles to make out the words.

"I'm off to the store, Jan," says a woman that Dawn assumes is Janice's mother. "Can you make dinner while I'm out?"

"Sure," she hears Janice say casually. "I've got nothing better to do."

Dawn hears footsteps approaching the doorway and panics. Hoping she'll think up some good reason for being there, she knocks before the woman discovers her.

"Did you invite anyone over?"

Janice acts surprised. "Maybe it's my friend Dawn, dropping off the math homework." She strolls over to the door and opens it. "Hey Dawn, thanks for the fave."

Dawn isn't sure what to say. She smiles hesitantly at the older woman. "Hi."

The woman doesn't smile. "Hello." She pointedly leaves the door open, waiting for the brunette to leave. Dawn just stands there.

"Janice, don't forget dinner, ok? Bye, honey," she kisses her daughter's head and then motions at the door for Dawn to leave.

Dawn is shocked at the woman's rudeness. "I just have to pick up my folder from your room, Janice."

Janice turns to her mother. "Don't worry. I'll show her up to my room and then she'll leave." She sighs exasperatedly. "Trust me, ok?"

Finally the woman leaves.

Dawn and Janice burst into laughter. "Dude, at least learn some subtlety!" Dawn exclaims.

Janice avoids eye contact. "Dawn, sweetie…" she moves closer to her.

Dawn mistakes the gesture as intimate and closes her eyes.

Janice moves away abruptly. "Look, mom isn't as cool about me being a lesbian as I let on," she says slowly. "She is really suspicious about everything I say and do. I can't even watch a show with a gay character if I want to stay in this house, she told me."

Dawn puts her arm around her. "That sounds like a threat. Would she really kick you out?"

"If she catches me doing anything 'unnatural', yes. You saw the way she looked at you. I can promise you she's going to accuse me of homosexual activity tonight."

"I don't know what to tell you. It's not right that you should feel threatened in your house." Dawn's lip trembles. "Hey, if she does kick you out, you'd come straight to me, right?"

"Right." Janice leans over Dawn and holds her tightly.

"We should make dinner. That's not a homosexual activity, is it?" Dawn wants to see her friend smile, but Janice's face is in her lap and she has no intention of moving it.

Eventually they get up and make dinner. The tofu is almost done when they hear a key in the lock.

"Shit."

The woman enters with a collection of shopping bags, an unreadable expression on her face.

She looks at Dawn. "I should have known not to trust you. Please leave my house."

Dawn turns to Janice, who gestures at the door sorrowfully. Deciding that to stay would only tempt fate, she leaves.

As she walks home it begins to rain. Usually she loves the summer rain, finds it refreshing in the heat, but now she can't stand it. She runs down the street and, as soon as she gets home, rushes to her room.

The gangly brunette rips off her wet clothes. She towels off her hair and slumps on the bed. "Janice, what have I done?" she murmurs.

"What have you done?" Tara's voice breaks the weeping girl's pity fest. "I just received a call from Janice's mother. Is there something that you'd like to tell me about your 'study buddy'?"

"Well," Dawn hesitates.

"Yes?"

"Oh mother, I don't even know where to start." She runs into the blonde's open arms.

Tara comforts her. "Tell me everything, sweetie."

"Well, you know how we study together?"

"Yes, Dawn."

"I went over there tonight to do math and her mother was so suspicious about me being there." The brunette looks confused.

"Honey, you do realize that we are in the middle of summer holiday?" Tara suppresses a smile.

"Oh?" Dawn tries to cover her tracks. "We really like math. All that adding and subtracting."

"In high school advanced geometry? I'll bet there's a mountain of first grade arithmetic."

"We like to be together."

"Yes, I know."

"No, mother. I mean we really like to be together." She pulls away from her mother's embrace to continue. "We care very deeply for one another. I think that we're in love."

"Have you talked about this with her?" Tara sits on the edge of the bed. "Have you been dealing with this alone?"

"Up until Willow came here, yes." She notices her mother's questioning glance. "But I'm not confused or anything. I know exactly how I feel and I want to be with Janice. No matter what."

"I understand." The blonde pats the bed, summoning the child to her side. "We'll figure this out, sweetie."

"I really need to call her." Dawn rests her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Dawn, I'm afraid you can't do that."

"Why not, mother?" Dawn springs away in panic.

"She's been taken to the seminary."

Thunder crashes. Lightning flashes. Dawn throws herself down onto the bed. "NO!"

Tara tries to soothe her daughter but she continues to cry.

"I have a plan." Tara has to improvise her words.

Dawn looks up at last.

Her mother looks thoughtful. "I think we should tell the others. You can choose what we do and do not share. I think Willow has a few connections at the seminary. I bet we can help Janice."

At the sound of Willow's name, Dawn thinks of something. "Wait a minute, how did you hear me when I came upstairs straight away? You only ever come up here to say goodnight to us."

Tara stands up. "What are you talking about? Come on, let's get this plan underway."

A smile spreads over Dawn's face. "Let's see, the kids are all downstairs having rhubarb cooking lessons with Estrella. The only person unoccupied is Willow." She looks appraisingly at her mother.

Tara stammers, "she needed help sewing."

Dawn giggles. "Bullshit, you can't even braid hair. Fess up, mother! Something's totally going on there-ARGH!"

She stops as Tara starts to tickle her. The blonde grins. "Hey, Janice's mother wanted me to send you to the seminary too. At this point I must say her offer is tempting!"

When they finish wrestling they go to Willow's room to ask her to join a family meeting, and then assemble the other kids and Estrella.

"People, we have a crisis," Tara reveals. She looks at Dawn expectantly.

Dawn takes a deep breath. "My best friend got into a big fight with her mom. She was put in a seminary because her mom thinks it's the best thing for her. But I know that Janice will be very sad there," Dawn pauses, "and she would be so happy if you helped me get her out."

Everyone exclaims at once.

"The same seminary?" Spike lisps. "The one that we rescued Willow from the other night?"

"Shh," says Cordy, a bit too late.

Tara isn't surprised. "I figured you all had something to do with that. I found sausage in Sven's snow boots and reached that conclusion."

Willow speaks up, looking shy but determined. "I'll definitely help you, Dawn. Miss Heteronski hasn't seen the last of my redheaded temper."

Tara smiles appreciatively.

Estrella flexes an arm. "It's time to show her exactly how cured I am!"

"We've still got the poster-board from the time we freed Will," Dawn remembers.

"But I'm an old lady," Willow whimpers. "They had to let me out. Janice is a minor."

Tara suddenly gasps. "The Baron S.!"

"He's gone, remember?" Sven reminds her.

"Well he's at the pub. That's not exactly gone." Tara explains. "He is the solution to the entire dilemma."

Willow steps to stand beside the blonde. The children notice the manoeuvre and are pleased.

"How can Baron S. help?" Willow's voice soothes the blonde.

"I'll try to sum it up." Tara motions the children to sit on the floor. "You see…

"There was a strange little groupie at a yoga con
the year was 1987
Her hair was streaked with red
And her name tag said,
'Yogi, come show me heaven.' "

Tara twirls her finger beside her ear.

The children respond, "Cuckoo, cuckoo."

"S. Riley rubbed his badge, got a hungry itch
that only Miss Streaked Hair could scratch,"

The children without prompting reply, "Cuckoo, cuckoo."

"274 days later
With a push and a scream
A gift named Janice did hatch."

The children are too shocked to reply. Willow squeaks, "cuckoo, cuckoo!"

Tara looks pensive. "Then he said 'So long. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehen. Good bye'." She waves as she impersonates the Baron S. " 'I hate to go but babies are a fright.' "

Tara pauses, seeing the shock in her children's eyes. "I'm sorry children but yes, Janice was abandoned as a child."

"It's not that, mother." Dawn explains. "Baron S. has a child, and she's my girlfriend?"

"No, Dawn." Anya interrupts. "It's that…

Xander interrupts. "Janice is your girlfriend?"

Dawn looks directly at the boy. "Yes. And Willow is mom's."

"What?" Every jaw in the room drops. Crickets chirp.

Willow looks at the blonde for confirmation.

"Yes, children. I love Willow." She reaches for the redhead's hand. Their fingers interlace and they stand strong together.

"Cool!" Sven bites on his bread roll.

"Great." Tara relaxes as the children approve of her choice.

Willow smiles. "Better then great."

"Perfect." The blonde smiles.

"Okay, if the two of you can stop making googly eyes, can we get back to my girlfriend?" Dawn crosses her arms and gives her trademark pout. "So Baron S. is gonna get her out?"

"I'll call him and see what he'll do to help us." Tara and Willow leave the room.

Dawn smiles and taps her feet happily. "I'll go make some room for her in my closet."

"In your closet?" Buffy smirks.

"Does this mean mother and Dawn are Lebanese?" Anya eyes them curiously. "Like Estrella?"

"Lesbians!" Dawn corrects.

"They are all really gay." Cordy spouts.

"Gay meaning happy?" Sven wipes the crumbs from his sleeve.

"Happy like little bunnies?" Anya squirms.

"No!" Spike rolls his eyes. "Gay like she does it with a girl! My friend Clem told me all about it during one lunchtime." He looks at Dawn with newfound respect.

Tara rushes into the room, cheeks flushed. "Put on raingear everyone. Quickly, or I'll reintroduce this old pal," she takes the thumb harp from her pocket and waves it threateningly. "We have an appointment with Miss Heteronski."

As they leave the house Dawn complains loudly. "Mother, what did he say?" she pleads. "What's happening with Janice? I'm a grownup you know, you have to tell me what's going on."

Tara just smiles and ignores her.

When the group approaches the school they find the Baron S. waiting by the gate. Tara nods at him, a grateful smile on her face. "I really appreciate this, Riley," she says, calling him by name for the first time.

He smiles at her. "There was no way I could say no. Maybe I can never have you," he glances at Willow, "but I honestly do care."

The gates open as they approach.

"It seems they are expecting us," the Baron S. says.

The children eye the big building they had seen a few days earlier. This time they find it intimidating.

Dawn shivers. "This place looks evil."

They stop before the door and Willow knocks. She can hear the inhabitants inside going about their daily routine.

Miss Heteronski opens the door. "How can I assist you?" she asks in a cold voice.

The Baron S. responds with a smile and holds his hand out in way of greeting. "Hello! Baron Sergeant Riley Finn here. You may have heard of me. I am an acclaimed yogi from the Midwest region. I've been teaching since…"

He is stopped by a glare from Tara.

"Oh, er, I have come to retrieve my daughter, Jasmine Fruglontin."

Dawn leans over and whispers in his ear, "Baron Stupid, her name is Janice!"

He opens his mouth to correct himself but Miss Heteronski, having heard Dawn, interrupts. "And why, pray tell, would I release one of my girls to a father who does not even know her name?"

Riley looks at her blankly. "Hey," he says, "we all make mistakes."

Miss Heteronski snorts. "Why should I believe that you are even her father? Have you any proof?"

Riley grins widely. "As a matter of fact, I do!" He pulls out photos of him with Janice's mother in a drunken stupor. "This," he says, smiling, "is a few hours before conception. If you would like to see, I have pictures of the birth and the aftermath."

Everyone present blanches.

"No, no, that won't be necessary!" the matron says quickly. "Come in, all of you"

The group follows her down a long hallway and into a large room.

Miss Heteronski rings a bell and a man sticks his beret-clad head into the room. He smiles gleefully when he sees Willow.

"Mr. Puddlewife, please call Janice. I need her immediately!"

The man turns quickly and leaves.

Two minutes later a uniformed Janice enters. She sees Dawn and looks hopeful.

"You say," the matron begins, "that you want to take Janice away. You'd know, if you bothered to read the fifty-page manual that was sent upon admission, that there are particular guidelines regarding the removal of someone from our care before the date of release. We believe in reinstating the bartering system. No one may leave early without us receiving something in return."

The Baron S stares at her blankly. "So I have to…what? Please clarify for me. We didn't learn such things in yogi school," he says, flashing a winning smile.

Miss Heteronski grimaces. "You must offer something in return for her!"

"Oh, I see." He gazes around the room. "What could we offer in exchange for such a jewel?" he wonders aloud, sizing Anya up.

Dawn glares. "None of my siblings!"

"Ah! Goobers!" The yogi's eyes are glued to the confectionary machine behind him.

"Goobers?" the matron sneers.

"Why yes, what self respecting person would not want a packet of malted milk balls?" The Baron S. walks over to the machine and puts some change into the slot. Out falls a cream colored package which he studies. "C-H-O-C-O-L-A-T-E," he reads slowly.

Tara blinks, wondering if she has made a mistake in requesting his help.

Miss Heteronski glares at him. "Mr. Baron, I must inform you that, one, Goobers are chocolate covered peanuts, and two, they are not appropriate for bartering."

Willow realizes that she may be able to help. She whips out her laptop and logs into the seminary's website, remembering hacking the manual years before. She searches the word barter. "AH HA!" she exclaims. "The bartered item must be, in your opinion, of equal value to the child you are trying to get released. That means that Baron S. can trade anything that he chooses. According to your very own manual!" She grins at Miss Heteronski. "You gotta love those bartering days!"

The matron eyes the redhead as though she were just noticing her presence. "Miss Rosenberg," she says through gritted teeth. "You do realize that you are aiding and abetting, and unless you turn around and leave right now you can never come back!"

The redhead looks at the lady and turns to admire her family. With resolve she declares, "oh, I don't need to come back. I know who I am now and I couldn't be happier." She walks over to Tara and takes her hand proudly.

The matron's face reddens but she remains silent.

"Hello!" an impatient Dawn, having recovered from the touching moment, whines. "Can we do something about Jazzy over there?"

The Baron S., still wearing a goofy smile, holds up his goobers. "Here you go, Miss!"

Miss Heteronski, now the color of a sunburnt tomato, looks fiercely at them all. She takes the goobers and throws them down on the table. "You may get your things," she says to Janice, trying to keep her voice low.

Everyone follows. Willow and Tara bring up the rear.

"Miss Rosenberg," the matron calls to her, "you know that you can never come home."

Willow smiles. "What are you talking about? I am home!"

Tara squeezes her hand and the two women hurry to catch up with their group.

Baron S. stops outside the gate. "And you thought this ribbon was just for yoga." He rubs the silken pink fabric.

Janice throws her arms around the man. "Thank you Baron S., I mean. Father."

"Call me Baron S. child. Let's not get carried away." He flattens his rumpled robe. "You may call me during the three day period just before the full moon. I usually have my mobile phone turned on for 15 minute intervals before meditation sessions."

"Thanks, I think." The teenager waves farewell and walks toward the family.

They make their way back to the Maclay house. Janice settles in to the room adjoining Dawn's. The boys fight over who should get to sleep in the next room. Buffy decides she will not give it up.

Willow stands beside her bedroom window, watching the children play outside. A knock interrupts her. "Come in."

The doorknob jiggles. "I'd like to but it's locked."

The redhead opens it. Her eyes lock on the blonde standing before her. Tara raises the purple four-wick candle. "I brought a candle. It's extra extra extra extra flamey."

"But isn't that the…?"

Tara presses her free hand against the redhead's lips. "Shh."

Willow closes her eyes to the sensation.

The blonde explains. "I've always been alone and fighting to be who I am. The very first job I ever had was for a candle maker. She taught me how to dip hot wax and mold it into light." She pauses remembering the freedom she found in that little candle shop. "This is the first four-wick candle I ever made. I cut the wax from a hive in the forest and melted it over an open flame. I paid for it with my first paycheck."

Willow wipes the tear from Tara's cheek.

"T-t-this candle is a symbol of who I was. Of who I am. When you lit it," she pauses, trying to find the words. "I knew in that moment that we were connected. Like touching for the first time." She blushes. "I'm sorry if I upset you. Seeing it lit for the first time, knowing that people were sharing what I had so closely protected, was very hard."

Willow apologizes through her pressed lips. Tara pulls her hand away. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"You didn't."

"So then are we …?" Willow looks hopeful.

"We are. And we always will be." Tara carefully lights the candle and then pulls Willow toward her and gently kisses her. They dim the lights and move to the bed.

"Climb ev'ry mountain
Search high and low
Follow ev'ry by-way
Every path you know

Climb ev'ry mountain
Ford ev'ry stream
Follow ev'ry rainbow
'Till you find your dream"

The End

(Disclaimer: The snippet we used of 'Climb every mountain' is word for word from the musical BUT, in our defense, is a lesbian-fic's dream!)