Surprise Circumstances

Summary: It's been a year since Tara had died and everything had gone ok. The gang beat the first but didn't make Sunnydale cave in. Tara came back however because of Willow and everything was going good again until a familiar God comes back to disrupt their future.

Chapter 1

Xander and Buffy were talking in the backyard when Warren walked in.

"You think you can just do that to me? You think I'd let you get away with that?" Warren throws his arms up in the air. "Think again."

As he said this he brought a gun up and fired five rounds before running away. One hit Buffy in the shoulder while another went up to Willow and Tara's room and hit Tara in the heart.

Tara looked at Willow and furrowed her brow. "Your shirt?" She fell to the ground dead.

Willow fell to her knees. "Tara?" She cradled her dead lover in her arms crying.

"No!" Willow woke up screaming with tears streaming sown her face like a river.

Kennedy sat up looking worried about her lover. "Willow, what is it?"

Willow ran out of the room without answering Kennedy and went straight for Buffy's room. She ran over to the bed and sat down shaking Buffy to try and wake her up. "Buffy, wake up. I had the dream again."

Buffy woke up and saw a very sad looking redhead. She sat up and put her arms around Willow. "Ssh Will, did you have the dream again?" All she got was a nod from her friend. "It's ok Will, it was just a dream. I am here for you." Buffy rubbed Willows back for support not knowing what to say.

Willow had been having the same dream over and over again about Tara's death but this one was different, this one had shown Buffy getting shot too. "It felt so real though, and this time it showed you being shot too." Muffled Willow as she put her head in the crook of Buffy's neck.

"I'm fine Willow remember, you saved my life. You got the bullet out of me and I am fine." She tried to sooth her friend by how she helped her but she knew it wasn't enough.

Willow brought her face out a bit to look up at Buffy with tears still present. "Why couldn't I do that for her? Why couldn't I save her?" Willow put her head back down in Buffy's neck letting out a new set of tears.

"Will, you know you couldn't. The doctor said she was dead in an instant. You told me all she was able to say was 'your shirt' and then she fell. There was nothing you could do." Buffy kept cooing her with loving words for a couple more moments. "Why don't you sleep with me tonight? Don't worry, I will keep you safe." Willow nodded and got under the covers with Buffy and got her to rap her arms around her like Tara use to. "Just think of happy times Will, like remember when you told me how you went to her dorm room and brought her an extra flamey candle because the power was out. Good night."

"Thanks Buffy, you are always here for me." Willow tried to sound clearly but the emotion she felt had something to say against it.

Buffy gave a weak smile. "No problem, I love you."

"Love you too." With that, they both went to sleep. Willow tried to think of the good times she had like Buffy told her to and it kinda worked, she didn't have the dream again.

The next morning Willow was feeling a little better. Buffy finally got her to eat some breakfast because she hasn't eaten very much since Tara died which was about a year ago.

Kennedy came down and saw Buffy and Willow sitting together at the table eating so she decided to join them. She looked over at Willow and gave a small smile. "How are you doing Will?"

Willow looked up at Kennedy. "I think I am ok, just another bad dream. I am sorry I ran out last night, I needed to be with Buffy."

Kennedy nodded. "I understand, she can help you." She looked down at her hands. "Me, not so much."

Willow frowned and grabbed one of Kennedy's hands. "No, no you help too it's just…"

Willow was stopped by a knocking at the door. "I'll get it." Buffy stood up and went to the door, when she opened it her mouth dropped. "Oh my god."

Willow heard this and got up to go and see what was up. When she got to the door she stumbled back a couple steps and stared at the person in front of them. She looked up and down the blonde haired woman with deep blue sapphire eyes. She opened her mouth but nothing came out so she closed it, after a few moments she finally got the word out. "Tara?"

When Dawn who was sitting in the living room reading heard Willow, she got up and went for the door. She looked at the girl standing in the door way.

Buffy studied the person in front of her who she recognized as her best friend and her best friend's lover. She moved forward and looked deep into the girl's eyes. "Tara, is that really you?"

Tara nodded. "Yes Buffy it is." She looked around at everyone and smiled at the familiar face, but one who had her arm around willow didn't seem so familiar. "Hey everyone." She gave a weak smile and gave a small wave.

"Tara? The one who you keep having dreams about?" Kennedy asks directing her question to Willow.

Willow nodded her head but then looked over at Tara. "How do we know it's really her, this could be the first and it came back to give me more nightmares."

Buffy stepped closer to the blonde and touched her shoulder but her hand didn't pass through. "Nope, she's real alright."

Tara smiled at all of them when she figured a way to convince them. "Ok, ask me anything you want."

Willow stepped forward leaving Kennedy behind and got close to what looked like her lover. "What did you say to me when you came to my room to get back together?"

Tara smiled at the memory. "Do you want me to say it or act it out?"

Willow furrowed her brow. "Act it out."

Tara put her hand up to say 'lead the way' and willow led everyone up stairs to Willows room. Willow laid on the bed like last time as Tara stayed in the hall way waiting for her cue. Buffy, Dawn, and Kennedy stood out of the way just waiting to see how the two actually got together since no one ever told them. Willow told Tara to start and Tara walked in and leaned against the door frame.

"Things fall apart… They fall apart so hard." Tara said as she looked into Willows eyes.

Willow sat up and straightened out her skirt that she coincidentally happens to be wearing. "Tara?"

"You can't ever… Put'em back the way they were."

Willow furrowed her brow. "Are you ok?"

Sighing, she walks into the room. "Sorry it's just… You know, it takes time. You can't just have coffee and expect…"

"I know." Willow interrupted just like she did before.

Tara stands in the middle of the room reliving the best memory she could think of besides first getting together with the redhead. "There's just so much to work through. Trust has to be built again on both sides. You have to learn if… If we're even the same people we were. If you can fit in each other's lives. It's a long important process… And can we just skip it? Can you just be kissing me?

Before anything could happen Kennedy stands up. "Ok, why don't we stop there."

Buffy looks at the two women staring at each other. "Wow, that's how you guys got back together, boy am I glade I wasn't in the house." Buffy giggled a bit.

Willow kept staring at Tara. There was a silence in the room before Tara broke it. "So what do you think, I did it word for word with the gestures and everything. Do you believe it is me or do you have more questions?" Tara asks. She wants to get back with Willow but she needed to make sure that she knew it was her. Tara did find something going on with Willow and Kennedy but didn't think anything of it.

Willow couldn't think of anything else to ask so she looked around to try and find something. When she looked at Dawn she had a smirk on her face. She looked over at Tara. "When you came out in just a sheet, how did Dawnie react when she found out we were together again."

Tara giggled a little bit and looked over at Dawn who was also giggling. She looked back at Willow and smiled. "She got so excited that she started to jump up and down saying how she is going to go down to the basement and watch TV really loud so she won't hear anything that has to do with us in our room. She also said she loved us."

Dawn noticed the past tense that Tara used and corrected her. "I still do love you guys."

Buffy looked over to her younger sister. "You actually did that?" She giggled while she asked.

Dawn nodded and they both looked at willow to see if she approved. Willow had one more question. "One more and if you answer this then I know you are Tara because only me and you know this. Where can you find the big pineapple?"

Tara giggled and looked at everyone else. "Sorry guys but this is kinda our thing." She walked over to willow and whispered the answer in her ear.

When willow heard this she looked into Tara's eyes when she pulled back. "Tara, it's really you." Willow started to cry as she hugged her long lost lover.

Buffy furrowed her brow. "Ok, hold on. I have a question for ya." She went over to Tara and waited for them to stop hugging. Tara looked at Buffy and waited for the question. "What did I ask you to do for me when I told you that Spike could hit me?"

"You asked me to umm… See if there was anything wrong with you when we brought you back from the dead. Which there was not but you still didn't believe me." Tara said with a smile playfully swatting Buffy on the arm.

Buffy pulled Tara into a hug and started crying. "Tara, it's really you."

Willow furrowed her brow. "Wait, you never told me that." She looked over at Tara.

Tara frowned a bit. "Sorry sweetie, it didn't seem that important and I kinda forgot about it since we got back together."

Willow nodded her head. Dawn who was sitting there quietly ran over to Tara and pulled her into a big hug. "Your back, we missed you so much."

Tara smiled as some tears ran down her cheek. "I missed you guys too."

Kennedy was sitting on the chair in the corner of the room when it dawned on her. She stood up and went over to the group. "Wait a minute. How did you get back anyway?"

Everyone realized that they never asked her that so they stood back waiting for the answer. Tara looked around at everyone and smiled. "Well I am a reward for Willow."

Willow furrowed her brow. "Wait, the people up there do know that I killed someone right?" Willow shivered at the memory but was a little weirded out.

Tara nodded. "Yes they do know, but they also know that you are a goddess so they gave me to you as a gift. I asked them why me, they said that they were going to give you the thing you wanted most, which happened to be me."

Kennedy frowned and grabbed a jacket. "I think I'm gonna take a walk, you obviously need to talk." Kennedy walked out of the room kinda upset.

Willow noticed Kennedy's mood. "Kennedy!" She tried to call out for her but it was no use, Kennedy ran off crying.

Willow was about to go after her when Buffy put her hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should let her cool down. She needs to think this over for herself, I mean you soul mate just came back. This has to be hard for her."

Willow nodded. "I know." Willow looked around and then looked back at Buffy. "Buffy, can I talk to you alone for a sec?"

Buffy nodded and they walked into Buffy's room and shut the door. Buffy turned around to look at Willow. "What's up?"

Willow looked at Buffy and gave a weak smile. "I think I am going to set Kennedy free. I mean she doesn't need me and I am just holding her down and I was going to do it anyway but I never had a reason but now that Tara's back I finally do have a reason and…"

Buffy put her hand over Willows mouth to get her to stop. "I like Willow-babble, I really do but are you sure?" Buffy removed her hand to let her answer.

Willow looked down and then back up. "Yeah, I just don't feel for her and I haven't ever since we got together but I felt that if we got together then it would help me but it didn't. I just feel now that Tara's back then we can get together while Kennedy finds someone who can actually be there for her and love her the way that I love Tara. I love Tara Buffy, not Kennedy."

Buffy nodded. "I know, how are you going to tell Kennedy?"

"Well, I was going to take her to the Bronze and buy her a drink, then tell her. It's were she got me to go with her on a date." Willow said.

Buffy smiled at Willow. "So Will, how does it feel to have Tara back in you life?"

"Like I died and gone to heaven." Willow said dreamily.

Buffy laughed. "Ok, let's get you and Tara together while we get you and Kennedy apart. I think you should break up with Kennedy first though, then take Tara to get some coffee. Maybe she'll do that little speech again." Buffy giggled.

Willow and Buffy started to walk out the door. "Yeah maybe, I love it when she does that."

Buffy gave a mock look at Willow. "Willow, did you make her do it again?"

Willow gave a big grin. "Only that last part when she say's 'can you just be kissing me now', nothing big."

They both started laughing as the made their way back into Willow's room were they saw Tara and Dawn talking and giggling.

It was midnight out at the old construction site when a sharp wind picked up. Out of no were a purple, blue, and black spiral portal got bigger and bigger in the middle of the site under a big tower. The portal closed and left a naked girl that had curly dirty blonde hair.

She looked up and looked around at her surroundings. "What the hell?"

Buffy, Willow, Dawn, and Tara were in the living room talking about what they all did while Tara was dead. Buffy and Dawn sat on the floor while Willow and Tara sat on the couch kind of close but not touching. Kennedy walked back in and went straight up stairs.

Willow saw Kennedy and looked at Buffy. "Do you think I should do it now?"

Buffy nodded her head. "Yeah just go easy on her." Willow nodded her head and went up to her room.

Dawn looked at Buffy. "What is she doing?"

"She's going to break up with Kennedy." She looked over at Tara. "She was going to do it anyway but now that you're here she has a reason to. She really does love you Tara, always has."

"I know, I love her too but I don't want her doing something like this because of me." She looked worried.

"She really isn't actually, she doesn't feel a connection to her like she does with you. She thought that if she had someone, she would feel better but really she didn't. She has been having the same dream over and over again about how you died and she ends up sleeping with me instead of Kennedy." She starts giggling. "Tell you the truth, I think Willow loves me more than Kennedy."

Tara started giggling. "Well, as long as this has nothing to do with me being back then I am fine with it. Willow needs someone she loves, not someone she likes."

"She loves you." Dawn stated. They all looked at the stairs waiting to see what would happen.

Back up in the bedroom Kennedy sits on the bed and lies down. Willow leans on the door frame and looks at the brunette on the bed. "Kennedy?"

Kennedy sits up and looks at the redhead. "What?"

"Do you want to go to the Bronze with me? You know, like on a date?" Willow asks as she sits on the bed.

Kennedy furrows her brow. "What about Tara?"

Willow smiles. "I need to talk to you and I want to by you a drink. Frost nectar on me, what do ya say?"

Kennedy smiles. "Alright." They both grab their coats a go down stairs.

Everyone is looking at them. "We're going out, we'll be back soon." Willow said as they walked out the door.

They each look at each other. "Bum, bum, bum, and the drama continues." Buffy said. They all giggled and went on with their night waiting to see what happened.

They got to the Bronze and found a secluded spot to sit and talk. Willow got them some drinks and started talking about their relationship. Willow looked up at Kennedy. "What do you think about our relationship?"

Kennedy looked up from her drink. "I think its fine, why?"

Willow sighs. "It just… I don't think I am good enough for you."

"What do you mean? You are perfect for me." Kennedy said.

Willow grabbed Kennedy's hand and squeezed it. "Kennedy." She stopped to get a breath. "I feel I am not good enough for you because I am holding you back. I don't really love you, I am keeping you from a real relationship and I can't do that. Before you say anything this is not about Tara, I was going to do this before but couldn't get the nerves." She looked down and then back up into her eyes. "Can we still be friends? You can still live in the house, just not in my bed but I am sure there is somewhere." Willow raised her hands to emphasize. "Oh, you could sleep in the basement. It's like having your own room."

Kennedy looked down after taking a sip of her drink. "Yeah, I kinda figured there was something wrong with us but didn't want to hurt you." She looked up into Willows eyes and grabbed her other hand. "Of coarse we can still be friends and it would be fine with me to sleep in the basement. But before we break up, can I have one more kiss?"

Willow smiled and nodded her head. She went over to the other side of the table and gave Kennedy one last lingering kiss. Neither really felt anything from the kiss but it was like a goodbye to there relationship. Willow pulled away and smiled, she grabbed Kennedy's hand and they each walked out of the Bronze and walked home talking.

They walked into the house and found everyone sitting at the dinner table playing cards. They both walked in with smiles on their face and sat down at the table. Buffy looked at each of them. "So I take it, it went well?"

Willow nodded. "Yeah, we both felt the same way and we decided to be friends. She said she would stay in the basement so she doesn't have to go out on her own."

Buffy smiled. "That's good, now you and Kennedy can find someone that makes you happy and still be friends." She looks at Kennedy. "Do you have anyone in mind?"

Kennedy shakes her head. "Not yet but I am sure there is someone for me. I have heard so many stories about Willow and Tara that I really want my relationship to be like that except the getting attached to magic and dieing. I can do without the dieing." She giggles.

Buffy looks over at the redhead and the blonde. "What about you two?"

Willow looks at Tara. "I don't know. I don't want to rush into it after I just got off of a relationship and haven't been with her for almost a year. I think I am going to take it slow." She takes Tara's hand. "You wanna go out with me tomorrow night?"

Tara smiled. "I would love to."

Buffy smiled. "Now you see, that is perfect." She looked over at Willow and got her attention. "I trust you won't be running in my room anymore crying."

Willow shook her head. "Hopefully not, maybe now that she's back then I won't have the dream anymore." She crossed her fingers. "Here's hopin."

They all smiled. "Well, I will go slow too but I don't want to be hearing about these dreams anymore ok, I can't handle you dreaming about me dieing anymore. I am here so no more bad dreams." Tara said in a firm yet playful voice.

Willow smiled and squeezed her hand. "You got it."

Buffy looks at both of them. "So, where is Tara going to sleep?" She gives a sexy grin.

"Ummm…" Willow didn't really want to push but she did want to sleep with Tara again.

"You know it might help your dreams if it were her arms rapped around you instead of mine." Buffy said with an even bigger grin.

"Buffy!" Willow looked wide-eyed at her.

Buffy shrugged. "What? It might."

Tara decided to stand in. "If Willow doesn't want me in the bed with her then I will sleep on the couch. It's really no problem."

"It's not that it's just… You don't have to sleep on the couch, you can sleep with me but only if you want to." Willow said.
"I am totally fine with it, I missed you to much. Well, now that we got that done what are we going to do? I have pretty much got up to date on everything." She turned to Willow. "Someone actually came to you and said that I was talking to you?"

Willow nodded her head. "Yeah, she sounded real at first but after a while I started to get it. Could that actually happen?"

Tara shook her head. "No, we couldn't talk to our loved ones. If we could don't you think you would have seen me a lot before?"

"Yeah, I guess your right." Willow said.

Dawn got up and yawned. "Well, I am going off to bed." She walked over to Tara and gave her a hug. "It's great to see you again."

Tara smiled. "You to sweetie. We need to go out sometime, how does that sound?"

Dawn smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that a lot. Just like we use to." Dawn walked up the stairs and went to bed.

Kennedy stands up. "Yeah, I should get to bed too." She looked over at Tara. "It was good to finally meet you Tara. You mean a lot to everyone around here."

Tara nodded her head. "Well, I am sure you mean a lot to everyone else too. It was good to meet you too."

Kennedy walked downstairs into the basement to go to bed. "Well, what's going on tomorrow?" Buffy asks.

The other two women shrugged. "Don't know." Willow got and idea. "Why don't me, you, and Tara go out and walk around to show Tara what changed and what is still the same. Like the college, the park, and maybe we could show her the espresso pump. Hell, while were there we might as well get some mocha goodness." Willow giggled.

Buffy shrugged. "Sounds good to me. I've only been around the grave yards. It would be nice to walk somewhere else for a change."

They each looked at Tara. "I think that would be fun. I wonder if any of my friends are still at school. I miss them." Tara frowned.

Willow went over to her and put her hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry sweetie, I am sure we will see them, they told me how much they missed you. They were at umm… Your funeral."

"Oh how was it? You guys didn't cry to much did you?" Tara looked over at Willow.

Willow coughed. "Well, I wasn't umm... I wasn't actually there."

Tara furrowed her brow. "How come?"

Willow looked at Buffy. "You didn't tell her did you."

Buffy shook her head. "I didn't really want to bring it up. I thought we would tell her later but I guess now is as good a time as any."

Tara looked at each of them. "What's going on?"

Willow and Buffy took a chair and went to sit in front of Tara. They both looked at each other and Buffy decided to start. "Well, when you died as you could guess, Willow was pretty devastated. Well, she got so angry that the black magic took over her and her hair and eyes turned black and she had blue veins all over her face, and she was wearing all black. I thought it was pretty cool until she started kicking mine and everyone else's ass.

Willow laughed. "Hey, you didn't give me an easy time either."

Tara furrowed her brow. "I don't get it. I died, you got totally sucked in by black magic, and Willow turned into a goth person and you kicked each others asses."

Buffy and Willow looked at each other and then at Tara. "That's not all. It gets worse." Buffy said. "Umm, Willow was so mad that she found the person that killed you which happened to be Warren and umm." Buffy couldn't say it.

Willow looked down at her hands in her lap. "I killed him."

Tara went wide-eyed. "You killed a person?"

Willow looked up. "Well, he killed you and I wasn't myself. I also tried to destroy the world. I didn't have any emotions until Giles got me to take his magic and gave me emotion. Then I started feeling and your death hurt so much that I couldn't take it anymore. I started feeling everyone's pain and I decided to end it for everyone so they didn't have to feel the pain. Then Xander kept getting in my way and then he kept saying he loved me and I finally cracked and started crying in his arms and my hair turned back to red and my eye's back to green… You guys are suppose to stop me when I do that."

Tara stood there open mouthed. "I have to think about this. I'll be back later." She ran out of the house.

"Tara!" Willow yelled but got held back by Buffy.

"This is also something you should let her handle by herself." Buffy said sympathetic.

"But what about the evil?" Willow said in a worried voice.
Buffy got up and got her jacket. "I'll go keep her safe and talk to her. You stay her and get to bed, we'll be back later." Buffy walked out of the house and search for Tara.

Tara was walking through the cemeteries and found her grave. She looked at her tomb stone and a tear fell down her face. She stood there just looking until she was knocked over. She fell on her stomach and turned around to find a vampire standing above her. The vampire all over a sudden turned to dust and Buffy was standing behind him. She put out her hand to help Tara up. "How did you find me?" Tara asks.

"I kinda figured you would come her. I came to my grave a couple of times after I died. Look Tara, I know we put this on you kinda hard but she is all better now. Giles took her to England right when Xander stopped her, that's why she wasn't at your funeral but when she came back Xander brought her here, that's what the stones are from." She pointed to a few stones on the tomb stone.

Tara looked at Buffy. "Buffy, did Willow actually kill Warren because he shot me on accident?" When Buffy nodded she sighed. "I don't know if I can do this. Tell me again, tell me everything that happened after I died."

Buffy nodded her head and they found a tomb stone to sit on and talk. "Ok, When Warren came into the back yard he shot me in the shoulder and you in the heart. I went to the hospital and Willow got into dark magic, she went to the Magic Box and got all of the books from the second floor and sucked them dry. She came to the hospital and got the bullet out of me, by this time her hair, eyes, and clothes were all black and she had blue veins on her face. She went after Warren and found out that he built a robot of himself, when she went out to find the real one me and Xander tried to stop her and ask her why she is doing this. She told us about you and left us behind, dawn is the one that found your body in the bedroom and she stayed there until I found her. Willow went to Racks place and sucked him dry and killed him, dawn met her there and tried to talk her out of it but Willow started to say mean things to her and I came in and there was another fight. She finally found Warren in the woods and she took the bullet from me and made it go really slow into Warren were it hit you. She then took off his skin and then set him on fire. She was going after Andrew and Jonathan until we got them and made them run away while there was another fight in the Magic Box. Giles came back with the intension of her taking his barrowed magic and that made her feel. She felt everyone and decided she would end it all. She got me out of the way and started to destroy the world until Xander kept saying he loved her and stopped her. She went to England with Giles right away and she took classes and got help from a lot of people and was sent back here. She learned how to control and she also is a talented witch or now goddess. We have all forgiven her for what she has done, we know that she did it out of love for you and if my true love and soul mate was killed I would have done the same thing. Tara she loves you." Buffy took a breath and looked at Tara.

Tara nodded her head. "I love her too, it's just hearing her kill somebody kinda gave me a scare."

"I know how you feel, just be lucky you didn't smell it. It was so disgusting." Buffy laughed.

Tara laughed to. "I guess I can forgive her for that. To tell you the truth, I might have done the same thing if Willow died."

Buffy nodded. "Well, how about we get back home so you can get all snuggly with Willow." Both Buffy and Tara laughed as they made their way back home.

She gets off the floor and starts walking around not really caring that she was naked. She walked around a little bit and found a woman walking down the street. She quickly sucks her brain, takes her clothes, and starts walking again. She is soon greeted by a little man with bumps all over him, he is like a hobbit with leprosy.

He knelt down in front of the woman. "Oh, splendiferous one. We are glad you are back, if you come with me we have your place all ready for you."

She just smiled. "What would I ever do without you Jinx?"