(AUTHOR'S NOTE:
This is the third of a set. Please make sure you have read Breathe Again, and its sequel I Won't Give Up before reading this one and leaving reviews! Thanks so much! )
Willow was confused. Buffy seemed excited about something all the way back to the Watcher's Council compound. But try as she might, Willow couldn't get a straight answer out of her friend. But there was an awful lot of whispering going on between Buffy and Spike. A suspicious amount, actually. Now that she thought about it, they had disappeared suspiciously too.
Xander had been right behind her, or so Willow had thought. When she turned around he was gone. Which, let's face it, was even weirder than Buffy and Spike disappearing on her. Sighing, Willow made her way to her quarters, feeling left out. It had been entirely too long since she had felt someone's arms around her.
Things with Kennedy had started off great. But the deeper things got, the more Willow had pushed the younger Slayer away. If she were to be honest, it was all because of what had happened to Tara. Tara...just the thought of her name was enough to take Willow's breath away and nearly force the tears again. All her friends knew was that Tara's death had driven Willow dark. What they didn't know, what they couldn't know was the nightmares still came. Nearly every night.
Willow sighed heavily again and sat on the edge of her bed. She leaned forward, resting her head in her hands. A moment later, she heard something. A soft noise, almost like a sighing. Her head lifted. She recognized something about it, but she couldn't put her finger on it...on what was making her heart race about the small, quiet noise.
That was when she saw the light. A bright, blinding light shone from a spot in mid-air. A faint figure began to appear, growing more and more distinct. Finally, she recognized who it was. Tara stood before her, confusion evident, the light surrounding her in an almost angelic glow.
"Tara?" Willow's voice shook with raw emotion. She stood up and moved closer, hand outstretched. She was afraid that the image standing in front of her was a mirage. Or worse, that Tara had somehow gotten stuck on Earth as a ghost. But when he hand touched Tara's wrist, Willow's wall of emotion broke. Tara flinched from the contact, and collapsed. Willow helped her over to the bed, where she covered Tara's shaking frame with a blanket.