GOODBYE TO YOU

*Contains spoilers for unaired episodes*

Willow Rosenberg woke up happier than she'd been in months. She and Kennedy, one of the potential slayers from England, were growing closer every day. They hadn't been together yet, but the witch felt such a strong connection to the foreign woman. But the more they bonded, the guiltier Willow felt. The hole left in her heart by Tara's savage death had yet to heal and she wasn't sure it ever would completely. She looked across her bedroom to the spot where Tara had been shot, where Tara had taken her last breath and Willow's grief felt new again.

She dressed quietly and headed down the hall, passing Dawn Summers as the teenager hurried into the bathroom. As Willow descended to the first floor of the house, she was greeted by Kennedy's smiling face. "Morning, Beautiful," the English woman told her new girlfriend. Her smile faded when she saw Willow's troubled expression. "What's wrong, Willow?"

"Can we talk?" The American woman's words frightened the future Chosen One.

"Sure." Kennedy took Willow's hand and led her into the living room, until to remember that it was full of sleeping potential Slayers brought to Sunnydale to be protected from The First Evil.

They headed outside and sat on the porch swing. Kennedy moved to kiss Willow but the witch drew back. She immediately saw she'd hurt her new love. The woman looked down at her feet. "You don't want to be with me, do you? Is it because you're afraid The First will kill me like Warren killed Tara?"

The mention of her beloved and the man who'd torn her away from the world sent a torrent of emotions crashing through Willow. She took Kennedy's hand in hers, stroking it gently. "No, that's not it at all. I am afraid of losing you, but I still want to be with you more than anything."

Kennedy's happiness soared and she moved to kiss Willow. This time, the witch accepted and the two women shared a deep and passionate kiss. When it ended, their faces remained touching until Willow pulled back, seriousness hanging over her green eyes.

Fear returned to Kennedy's. "Will you please tell me what's wrong?"

Willow sighed. "Before things go anything between us, there's someone I have to tell about us."

The potential slayer looked confused. "Who, Buffy? Xander?"

Willow sighed again and locked eyes with Kennedy. "No. I have to tell...Tara."

"Willow, Tara's dead."

Kennedy sat on the bed watching fearfully as Willow prepared her spell. The witch carefully made a circle of white candles and lit them. Rifling through a small jewelry box, she placed blossoms on the flaming candles and sat in the circle.

"Wait!" Kennedy pulled Willow's head back and kissed her with desperate passion. As they parted, she whispered, "come back to me." She moved back on the bed.

Willow began the ritual. "Osiris, keeper of the dead, lord of the Underworld. Hear my prayer; allow me to cross over into your land. Allow me to move among your disciples and commune with the one I seek." A cold wind blew out the candles and the witch fainted. Kennedy cradled her head in her lap, praying she would return soon.

Willow opened her eyes to pure white and a near-physical sense of joy. She walked through the clouds, reveling in the bliss that surrounded her. "Willow?" She turned and was surprised and somewhat disappointed to come face-to-face with Joyce Summers. "What are you doing here? Were you killed?"

Willow hugged the older woman and shook her head. "No, I'm not dead. I did a spell and I'm here to see Tara," she explained.

"I'm afraid I don't know where Tara is. There's so much joy and so many souls here that I've only seen her a few times. But she's happy. Very happy."

"I'm glad. Thanks, Mrs. Summers." With that, the mother of the Slayer disappeared in a flash of light. Willow continued on her quest. "Tara? Tara? Tara, are you here?" She called for her lost love through the ecstasy.

Suddenly, she felt a rush of familiarity and great love. She turned to see Tara Maclay, the love of her life, in a white dress and smiling. Willow nearly burst into tears of joy at seeing the woman she'd loved for two years. "Tara, oh God, I can't believe it's really you. I've missed you so much." The lovers hugged and shared a tender kiss.

"Willow, what happened to you? What killed you?" Tara's overwhelming exaltation was dampened by the thought something had killed Willow as she had been killed.

Willow held her fellow witch close. "I'm still alive, baby. I just had to see you, talk to you, touch you," she delicately ran her hand down the angel's glowing face. The white clouds around them swirled and the two women found themselves sitting on a grassy bank beside a pond. "This is my favorite place," Tara explained. "It's where I come to think of you, remember what we shared before--"

"Shh." Willow put a finger to Tara's lips. "Let's not talk about that now." She leaned forward and kissed her departed love with great passion. They lay together on the grass holding each other close.

After what seemed like hours, they sat up smiling. As Willow looked at the pond, an image appeared in the water. It was Kennedy holding an unconscious Willow looking very frightened. An image came back to Willow's mind: holding a dead Tara in her arms in that very same spot crying for the lost love that she was with now.

Remembering why she had crossed over, Willow turned to the woman who had changed her life. "Tara, there's something I have to tell you. There's someone new in my life, someone I care for very much."

Tara pointed to the image of Kennedy in the water. "Her?"

"Yes. Her name's Kennedy and she and I have been growing closer--"

Tara put a finger to her living lover's mouth. "I know, sweet. I come here and I watch you. I've seen her feelings for you grow, and yours for her."

Willow was worried. "Are you mad?"

Tara shook her head adamantly. "No, sweetie, God no. The two years I had with you were the best years of my life. If I had to choose between dying after two years with you or living 100 years without you in my life, I'd choose the two years with you."

Willow began to cry. "Really?"

Tara kissed her and Willow felt the great love Tara still felt for her. "I still love you Tara, but I love her too."

"I know."

"God, can't I just stay here with you forever?" Her tears came faster now.

"No, your destiny is yet to come, and Kennedy is part of that. Go, live, and remember me."

"Always. You will always be with me, no matter what. I swear." Willow clutched Tara and the women shared a final hug. "You'll always be in my heart."

Tara smiled as she cried. "And you will always be my heart. Goodbye." She pulled from Willow's desperate arms and backed away up the bank, smiling. With that, she was gone.

"Tara! No! Please come back! Please!" Willow dragged herself up the hill, trying to catch Tara. Collapsing in tears at the top, she sobbed, "goodbye, my love."

Kennedy squealed with joy when Willow opened her tear-soaked eyes. "Oh God, I was so afraid you weren't coming back," Kennedy cried.

"I had to be with the woman that I loved," Willow said, stroking Kennedy's face.

"Oh, I understand. Tara is the woman you love," Kennedy couldn't hide her pain.

"I will always love Tara, but she isn't whom I meant." Willow looked up to the Englishwoman's hopeful eyes and they kissed passionately. She took Kennedy's hand and the two women climbed into bed.

It could've been the wind, but the witch thought she heard Tara's voice saying, "Be happy, darling."

"I am," she replied, kissing Kennedy deeply.

END

Read and Review! ~ SS