Author's Note: Hello all! Just to let you know, this is my first foray into the Whedonverse, so I'm sorry if there's anything terribly off-kilter or canon in a way that's annoying. This little one-shot is a birthday gift for my amazing and supportive friend, Heather Fries. She requested a scene between our two favorite witchy women, and I hope that this little offering suffices. Happy Birthday, Heather!

Bright Blessings,

~Raven Sinead

Tara

"Just a few more steps, sweetie." I encouraged Willow, feeling her slump against me yet further.

I tightened my grip around Willow's waist, biting my lower lip in worry. Giles had given us a ride after we'd left the hospital. I was beginning to think we should have stayed there and taken Willow to the ER. She didn't look so good, kind of pale and sick, and her nose hadn't ever really stopped bleeding.

I knew that the teleportation spell was risky, but she said that she could handle it. I may have grounded the spell, but she completed it, and it was too much too soon. Giles even said so. I wish he were here right now. I have no idea what I'm doing.

I managed to push open the door and help Willow into the bedroom. A small little moan broke through her lips and went straight through my heart like a stake. I couldn't bear to see her in pain, even if it had been necessary. If she hadn't acted, if we hadn't done the spell, then Glory would have killed us all. She'd already put a crowbar through Buffy's shoulder and given Spike a concussion. The rest of us would have fared much worse.

And Dawnie…poor thing. Having to see all of that and still be confused as to what it all means. Just like we are.

Life had changed so fast since finding and joining the "Scoobies," as they had termed themselves. But I had found a home, and I had found a love, but I hadn't found what Willow, Xander, and Buffy all had…the ability to look at the dark and scary and just…deal with it. I was worried sick about Buffy, even though Will assured me that with her Slayer healing, she'd be up and about tomorrow with pretty much just a bruise.

It didn't seem right. This world of magic and beauty and brilliance came at such a cost. The cost of listening to Willow's stilted breathing and occasional moans of pain. She'd saved the day, and now was paying the price. After what seemed an eternity, I got her to the bed. She crashed down on the edge of it, leaning forward, fiery red curls obscuring her face. I flipped the lamp on and knelt down, resting my hands on top of her knees, needing to feel her, to be part of her and one with her and the magic in our hearts.

"Willow?" I asked. "Sweetie?"

After a moment, she raised her head. Her pupils were wide with pain, her face stained from the nosebleed that hadn't stopped. But she didn't need a lecture. She'd known the risks all along. She definitely knew more than me. Had it really been so long ago that I'd been a simple witch escaping a terrible family, out in the real world for the first time? Now I was helping to fight a hell-god on earth, to keep her from the Key that would unleash apocalypse…at least…that's how I understood it.

"My clothes feel all…cementy." Willow mumbled and I nodded, urging her to sit back on the bed a little bit.

"Bad headache?" I asked and she nodded, looking like an adorable bobble-head.

I stood up and sat behind her, helping negotiate her sweater off of her shoulders, smiling as I had to push her back up every time she slumped back against me with that dizzy little smile on her lips. That smile that could cut straight to my heart, and always did.

Willow's shirt came next and a soft smile lit on my lips as I had to hold her limp, exhausted arms in the air and push the material up, inch by inch, before it came free. Willow groaned and the sound went straight to my gut in the most pleasurable of ways. It had never been so easy to be with someone before, in spite of the hell-god looming out there, ready to devour the world. The hell-god who had hurt my friends and lover. This moment was still beautiful, and I took joy in it.

I reached out and massaged the taut muscles of Willow's neck, feeling the knots in them and hoping that I could help alleviate the headache. She groaned and fell back, her head resting on my shoulder, her eyelids fluttering in pure, absolute bliss. I kept rubbing her neck, concerned as I saw another trickle of blood leave her nose and come to rest at the top of her upper lip.

I knew that magic could do damage to the witch's body if they weren't skilled or powerful enough to complete the spell. I knew that some witches had been killed because they overextended themselves. But there wasn't a lot of information in the books about what to do in the in-between places. I just had to do the best I could, and Willow needed sleep.

I moved my hands from her neck and her eyes flared open and her lower lip pushed out in the most adorable pout. I whispered my lips across her forehead as I unhooked her bra and eased the straps off of her shoulders. She sighed, soft, and nestled further back against me. My smile widened as I wrapped my arms around her, hands coming to rest just beneath her high, perfect breasts.

"You just wanna see me naked." Willow slurred. "Hopeless, lusty wench."

I couldn't stifle the small giggle at the un-meant insult. Willow was fading fast, and even though she tried so hard not to show it, I could see the little crease between her eyebrows that meant she was in pain.

"Lie down." I whispered, moving away from her, holding her around the shoulders and guiding her down onto the pillow.

My heart swelled as I brushed the tangled, fiery curls away from her face, but the smile on my face turned to a frown when I noticed the fresh blood on top of the dried, cracking stuff around her nose and lips, on her chin. I brushed my thumb along her cheekbone, examining the circles of exhaustion beneath her eyes.

With great care, I moved my fingers to the snap of her jeans, undoing it and sliding them off, my breath hitching like it always did when I saw her like this. Beautiful. Naked. Perfect and powerful and somehow…somehow mine. I fell in love again as I rose from the bed, watching her nestle under the covers. I went into the bathroom and wet two washcloths, one in cold water, one in warm. Then I pulled a bottle of aspirin from the medicine cabinet and filled a glass of water.

A soft snore met my ears and I paused for a moment before setting everything on the nightstand, thinking about all the forces on this earth that so few knew about. The forces like Glory, like the vampires, like the Gentlemen…who kept good things from existing in this world. Who touched life after life and ruined destiny after destiny.

I help stop that now, I thought, feeling warm all over. And it's all because of her. My willow tree.

I sat down and nudged her shoulder. Willow's eyes fluttered open, settled on me, and she smiled, reaching from beneath the covers and stroking her hand down my arm. I took the cold washcloth, folded it, and laid it over her head, satisfied with the low hum of contentment that left her lips. With the warm one in hand, I began to clean the dried blood from Willow's face, happy to see that no more followed.

Of course, if the little information I'd had was true, the nosebleeds would probably continue for a while until her body recovered from expending so much energy so quickly. I smoothed my fingers through her hair again, hoping that she would get well sooner, rather than later. Her magic seemed to be the only thing that worked against Glory. Buffy wasn't strong enough and there just…there simply wasn't enough information on a god that existed before the written word…before time as humans knew it.

"Less itchy." Willow grinned, sloppy, like she did when she was slightly buzzed.

"Here." I put the aspirin near her mouth. "To help your headache."

"You angel, you goddess, you radiant creature." Willow propped her head up, grabbed the glass of water off the nightstand and swallowed down the pills with the cutest noise of disgust.

She collapsed back onto the pillow again, mumbling something about wherever Glory went. I was glad her eyes were closed, so that she didn't see the shadow of worry that crossed my face. We had no way of knowing where Glory had teleported too…but with how much the spell had taken out of Willow, I felt quite certain that she hadn't been teleported out of Sunnydale. Which meant that she would be back. With a vengeance.

I sighed and stood up, slipping off my shoes and deciding to get ready for a long night of making sure Willow would be okay. She'd felt a little warm to me, but I didn't want to disturb her rest. Or try to remember where the thermometer lived.

"Snuggles?" Willow looked up from the pillow, wearing the expression she knew I could never resist.

I smiled, stripped off my shirt and let my skirt drop to the floor before joining her underneath the covers. It felt so natural to align my body with hers, to drape an arm around that slim, pale waist and pull her close to me, resting my hand just beneath the swell of her breasts.

"Mmmmmm." Willow crooned. "Tara snuggles are best."

I moved closer to her, tickling my nose with her hair and pressing light kisses to the shell of her ear. Everything felt so right, so perfect, but I knew it wasn't. Buffy was hopefully at home, comforting Dawn and recovering from wounds of her own. Spike had a headache and his pride to recover from after taking a beating from Glory. Giles, I knew, was at wit's end. I could see it in his kind eyes. He was trying so hard to keep us all safe but…but even the calm, experienced Watcher was out of his depth.

Anya was terrified of Glory and that…that said a lot. Not much beyond bunnies could terrify the ex-vengeance demon. I tried to hide it, but I was scared. I was surrounded by so much power, and yet we'd been trounced.

"Don't worry, Tara." Willow murmured, reading my mind like she always could. "We'll beat the nasty hell-god and live happily ever after. We always win."

"Always, huh?" I teased, love in my tone, my every action. She was my world.

"Mmm-hmmm." Willow nodded, smearing her hair across the pillow in adorable, tousled waves. "Good track record."

"All right." I nestled against her shoulder. "I'll believe you. Endings can be perfect, right?"

"Yes." she said, tired but emphatic. "But we're not gonna end, right? We're forever."

I kissed her cheek. "I'll always be yours." I promised. "No matter what."