"Tara."
A hollow shell of a voice called out for the umpteenth time that night. The teenage girl in the room next door shifted under her covers as she tried to hide her tears within the fabric of her blue pillow. Once again the owner of the voice shifted within the confines of her bedding causing her sheets to bind her as sweat dripped down her forehead.
"Tara. Please Tare. please."
Buffy shook her head softly as she watched Willow, eyes misting without her consent. Standing in the doorway to Willow's room, her door was always open these days, she lingered unwilling to complete the return voyage to her bed. The sheet white pale of Willow's face rivaled that of the moon, her eyes tightly squeezed shut, and Buffy slowly, hesitantly took a step towards the now whimpering Willow.
"I'm sorry, so sorry, so, so, so very sorry. I didn't, I couldn't. Tara."
And everything rushed back to Buffy in one foul swoop, the blonde reversed her direction instead heading for Dawn's room as she shut Willows door…..
"Tara."
The sleeping witch sobbed.
.
"We must take action. Her soul is shattering every attempt to alleviate the pain only causes more to grow."
Three adorned in robes stood watching the happenings of mortal life, and therefore watching Willow as she trembled in her bed tucked suffocatingly under the weight of every action that she had chosen to make. Every wrong that she had dealt Tara, every harsh word to Buffy or Xander. The accident, her high, Dawn's broken arm. Every dark spell she had lost herself within.
"Has she not been punished enough?"
The same voice argued in favor for the broken soul of the hour.
"We are forbidden to meddle within the affairs of mortals."
A second voice joined the first, having never glanced at the broken woman visible through the fountain of life. The fog surrounding them thickened and darkened from a gentle robins egg blue, to the hue of hostile thunder clouds threatening war with the land.
" She is hardly mortal, her powers have long since surpassed those of all lesser hell gods. She has touched every darkness, that there is to offer and still fights for the light. We mustn't permit her suffering longer than what was necessary."
The original voice retaliated.
"No! Their souls are forever bound should we interfere who could foresee the consequences? I shall not unbind the universe for petty lustrous affairs that mortals bind themselves to. You would be right to accept the fate that has been dealt. Find a new pair to observe with perversion."
The clouds darkened to black then to an ominous red, and the third one stood to full height at that moment.
"Both of you listen. These mortals have immortal souls and are prophesized to tip the scales to our favor. We have saved the blonde and I do believe that the red head should follow. We can not destroy the strands of this universe however we can send both souls back to alter certain events."
Hearing no shouts of disapproval the clouds again transformed to a light blue once again as the third figure glided over to a glowing sphere of light, and taking it in hand the figure whispered one word.
"Return."
……
"Tara!"
Thud. Groaning and opening her eyes slowly Willow blinked in confusion. Once, Twice. After the third blink, she was sure that nothing was going to change. The problem was that she was very much in her room from high school. Pulling herself off the floor she glanced at the mirror and saw her long hair, shorter figure, and innocence. The look that she hadn't seen from her reflection in months.
Stumbling to the calendar on her wall she noticed the date...
First day of summer, she was going to be a junior once school started back up.
"How?"
Instantly shame overcame her face as she realized that she must have accidentally broken the time space continuum and traveled to the past…where everything was so much lighter. The darkness, her darkness, was overcome with witty comments and invincible friendship. There were no slip ups or shootings…and no dead Tara.
And she felt even worse.
Because she wanted to stay. Sliding to the floor of her room, that wasn't her room, she felt hot tears sliding down her face as she accepted the fact that no matter how bad it was for the universe, for everyone. She wanted to stay, and save Tara sooner, and protect everyone, and even...but thinking that way, wanting to solve everything with magic only made things worse. If Tara taught her one thing it was that, and her stomach churned with guilt as she was once again sobbing.
Uncontrollably.
"Willow! Oh, God! Will, what's wrong?"
Buffy, teenage Buffy, had slipped in through Willow's window wanting to bid her friend farewell for the summer only to find…her Willow in a corner.
"I'll be back soon. I promise, I'll call and write every day! Swear! And, and if it's something Xander did I swear I'll beat him up."
Buffy instantly had Willow in her arms and the read head remembered how much she missed simply being held. She was lucky if someone's arm brushed against her own as she walked by…she was a leper she had the plague. But here was Buffy..but this wasn't Buffy. And Willow amongst her tears winced as her head began to throb.
"No, Will. Please. I'll be back so soon."
Looking at Buffy, Willow remembered. They had planned to have a girls night the previous night but Buffy had opted to find Mr, Tall Dark and Dead. Spending the night with her brooding boy friend who would most likely follow her scent to L.A. Recalling the day, Willow laughed sadly….Buffy had walked in on her crying that time too. The blonde was spending the summer with her father in L.A.
"I promise I'll make it up to you."
Pulling out of Buffy's embrace Will forced a sick smile that resembled a grimace. At least her tears have stopped Buffy thought as she brushed a strand of hair from Willow's face and pulled her friend back into an embrace. Willow crying scared her. She could handle angry redhead or scared hedhead, she was partial to happy quirky redhead, but the way Willow was huddled in the corner struck discord throughout the slayers being.
"I love you. Buff."
And every thought in Buffy's mind stopped. She wasn't one for the whole I cry you cry super big goodbye. But in her line of enforced labor…nothing should be left unsaid.
"I love you too."
And with that Buffy pulled away and exited through the window, before Willow could catch that the vampire slayer's eyes were misted. Xander, Willow heck even Giles seemed to have that effect on her. Alone once more Willow focused on composing herself and returning back to her time line. She wasn't going to betray Tara, not like this. By imposing herself on the blondes past?
Never.
That'd almost be as bad…as bad as what she had done in reality. And as a smart Witch, and recovering dark magic addict Willow was far from an idiot. Anyone could fall into black magic the temptation was powerful…Giles was the only person she had seen recover from such misuse of what should be good, and pure.
"I wont do that again."
.
"Our hesitation lasted far to long."
The clouds were darkening as once again the first voice protested on Willow's behalf. Once again the robe adorned entitles were debating on which course of action would be proper for the distanced lovers.
"Have we not done enough for these foolish mortals?"
The clouds began to overcome the figures.
"We have interfered already, why should we refrain from doing so once again?"
The two were arguing over the image of Willow deep in mediation seeking her answers. The red head looked younger still her aura was tainted with darkness, along with the sheer power one picks up when they attempt to destroy every form of life.
"We shall allow the blonde to remember her time here."
All clouds stopped churning darkness, and two looked at their reserved third.
"We can not reveal ourselves to mortals."
They spoke as one.
"We have already done so. We shall once again. Now I shall converse with the young one and remind her that life can have a happy ending. The one thing that will restore her faith in life is the one whom has already started a path toward her. We merely have to convince her to hold fast until she can once again find her true home."
Silence.
Not a hint of disagreement.
The clouds cleared.
.
Well I don't own BTVS if i did Tara would never have died...alas I am reduced to attempting to ease the burn left on the heart of those who followed this couple. Also
Next chapter....THERE WILL BE TARA!
Also...
i would really love reviews, you know just to see if there are still those out there that believe in LOVE!
----greenlaces