Part 1

Willow sat under the tree that shaded Tara's grave. It had been months since her murder and Willow's training with the coven. She still missed her but the pain was a dull ache instead of a gaping hole in her soul.

At first Willow wasn't going to return to Sunnydale. She thought the memories would be too much. Everything would remind her of Tara and she wasn't sure she could handle it. Giles had convinced her to come back. He had told her it was seeing Jenny everywhere that gave him comfort after her murder.

Giles had been right, instead of it being horrible reminders of Tara it had been gentle memories. Every place where she saw Tara was a gentle reminder of the love they shared not a horrible ache of loss.

Getting back into the routine of things helped too. After every "adventure" with Buffy and Xander she would come to Tara's grave and tell her what she did.

She knew Tara wasn't there in the grave, that her spirit had moved on and that she was already aware of what Willow did but this helped Willow. A place to come to talk to Tara. She missed their long walks and conversations. She didn't think even with time that she would get over missing that.

Willow had moved on. She had even tentatively begun to date. Both male and female but no one had clicked. She'd had a rebound relationship but that had quickly faded.

A twig snapped behind her and she turned to see Xander standing there.

"Sorry, Wills. Didn't mean to interrupt."

"That's okay. I was just finishing up."

Willow softly touched Tara's name and stood up. She slipped her hand through Xander's arm and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked through the cemetery.

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Xander smiled and put his hand on Willow's. One of the side effects of losing Tara and going on a vengeance spree was Willow's constant need to tell those she cared about how much she cared about them. She didn't want a day to go by without them knowing that she cared. Tara proved that the love of your life could be taken in an instant.

"I think it's been a whole 24 hours. Love you too, Willow."

Willow smiled. "So how's the win Anya back campaign going?" Though she still didn't really like Anya she had to admit she and Xander were very good for each other.

"Took your advice and fixed a romantic dinner for her. We're taking it slow this time. Getting to know each other again. We've both changed and I'm liking the new me and the new Anya."

Willow wasn't sure how the new Anya was different from the old Anya but if Xander saw a difference she was glad.

"So what new big bad is here for the Slayerettes to defeat?"

"It's the dreaded stockroom demon. He's possessed Giles and made him take inventory. Giles has infected Anya to help him in his evil plans. She has craftily made me, against my will, agree to help with the taking of the inventory and I being the good friend that I am enlisted the biggest, baddest Wicca I know to thwart their plans.  Pleeeease tell me that you can help me get out of taking inventory at the Magic Box. You know how boring it is."

Willow started giggling, "Sorry, Xan but even this biggest baddest Wicca succumbed to the evil stockroom demon. Giles already enlisted my help."

Xander hung his head in defeat, "Well at least I'm going into inventory hell with my best friend." He perked up, "Hey do you think I could get out of it if I told Anya that the clusters of dust in the basement are called dust bunnies?"

Willow laughed out loud, "Not if you want to end up dusting for the rest of your life cause she'll refuse to."

"Oh yeah." Xander was depressed again.

Giles looked up at the tinkling of the bell over the door. He smiled when he saw it was Xander and Willow. She had changed since Tara's murder. No longer was she the shell she had become when he had returned to Sunnydale. She wasn't quite the Willow from before but he knew from personal experience that killing changed you. Whether from self-defense or premeditation, killing another human being changed you. Willow was as close to the old Willow as she would ever be and he was happy to see it.

Anya came in from the back when she heard the door open. She felt a twinge of jealousy seeing Willow's hand through Xander's arm and then slowly relaxed. She knew that Xander and Willow didn't feel romantic toward each other but it was difficult seeing them like that. Every time she did she always flashed back to the reason she came to Sunnydale. Cordelia's pain at seeing Xander and Willow kiss. That was one of the reasons she never did warm up to Willow. Not that she didn't like her, it was just she knew that Xander would do anything for Willow and vice versa. Xander standing by Willow's side as she attempted to destroy the world proved that. How do you compete with that?

Plastering a smile on her face she went out to greet Xander and Willow.

"Ready to count things?"

Xander just stopped himself from whining. Maybe if he treated it like extra time to further his campaign with Anya it wouldn't be so bad.

Xander wiggled his eyebrows at her, "All the better to get you alone my dear."

Willow looked over at Giles and rolled her eyes. Leaving Xander and Anya to themselves she made her way through the store to Giles' side.

"Where do you want me to start?"

Giles walked with her to the basement. "Well, we just received shipment from an estate sale you can start there if you'd like."

Giles handed Willow the print out of the inventory that was supposed to have been shipped and pointed to the numerous boxes.

Giles looked down at his copy of the list. "I'll start with these boxes over here and between the two of us it shouldn't take anytime."

"Okay. Do you want to just go through the boxes or go ahead and stock the shelves down here?"

"Go ahead and stock. Kill two birds with one stone."

Willow inwardly winced. She wished he would have used a different metaphor. She sighed and opened the first box.

Willow turned to her fourth box. It was big. And heavy. Willow reached for the box cutter and carefully removed the tape. Peering into the box she could tell there was only one thing in it. She quickly began taking the packing out and slowly revealed an old mirror.

Willow sat back and looked at the list. Nope no mirror listed. Must have been a mistake. "Giles. This one has a mirror in it but it's not on your list. Should I leave it in the box to be shipped back?"

Giles was deeply engrossed in a book that he had found in his box and not really paying attention to what Willow said. "Hmm? What? Oh yes go ahead and take it out." He went back to reading the book.

Willow shrugged. If Giles wanted to pack it back up instead of leaving it where it was so be it. She carefully took the box cutter and cut along the seams so the box fell apart. The mirror was way too heavy for her to lift out of the box.

It was oval in shape and set in a brass setting. Willow walked around the front of it and stopped. Huh? The room was reflected but she wasn't. Wow just like Angel no reflection. Willow knew she wasn't a vampire so what was up with this mirror. She waved her hand slowly in front of her face. Nope still only room and no Willow.

"Giles. Come look at this."

Giles looked up from his book and saw Willow standing in front of a mirror. He wrinkled his brow. He didn't remember a mirror on the list. Why had Willow unpacked it?

"What is it?"

"Something I think you need to see yourself."

Willow leaned in to the mirror and gently touched it. An electrical shock traveled up her arm and there was a bright white flash.

"WILLOW!" Before his eyes Willow touched the mirror at the same time there was a flash of light and then she promptly disappeared.

Giles frantically ran the last few feet to the mirror and in his rush to get to her he hit some boxes. The boxes fell and with a few hitting the mirror. Giles watched in horror as the mirror tilted and in what looked like slow motion fall to the ground.

He closed his eyes in despair as the mirror cracked into tiny pieces.

Xander and Anya came racing down the stairs as they heard Giles shout Willow's name and then a loud crash.

"What! What happened?"

Giles looked up at them with haunted eyes, "Willow."

Xander skidded to a stop, "What about Willow? Where is she?" He frantically looked around not seeing her.

Giles pointed to the broken mirror. "I'm afraid she's in there."

Xander's knees buckled and he fell to the ground. Anya put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Willow touched it, there was a blinding light and then she was gone."

The sight of the mirror falling and his inability to get to it in time would always haunt Giles. He only hoped that it was a portal of some kind and that she hadn't been trapped in the mirror. His brain couldn't encompass the thought of Willow shattered into small pieces.