Author's Note: I'm sorry it took so long to get Chapter 3 up! But as you can see, it's longer than the other chapters, and I worked hard on this one. Let me know how you like it, or...if you don't! )
Warmth - Chapter 3
Willow knew as soon as she had seen Tara standing beside Anya and Giles, so real and breathing, that a decision was to be made. She knew that the sudden feeling throughout her entire body was unacceptable while Oz was involved in her life. She would be being terribly selfish to keep them both that close to her heart. It had meant everything to her when Oz had decided to return permanently, just to be with her, but never had she expected to see Tara back, and for it to mean even more to her.
She could feel the beginning of a tremble in her the tips of her fingers before it turned into an earthquake throughout her entire body. Willow looked through tear-blurred eyes from Tara to Oz slowly, letting herself take in the familiar distinctions in their faces. Like the smile lines around Oz's lips and the faint rosy tint of Tara's cheeks. She could feel her insides starting to tear apart in emotional agony; why did things have to change so suddenly?
"Willow..." Oz murmured softly, his voice cracking so painfully that it made her wince.
Willow knew she would never be able to forget the look that was now painted across her boyfriend's face; a mix of fear, torment and sympathy. His beautiful eyes were glassy as he stared into hers. She inhaled deeply looked back at Oz with fake bravery. She quickly thought of something, anything she could say to him, and then rehearsed it a couple times in her head. "Oz, I-I can't..." Willow tried to say, but as soon as words had hiccupped through her lips, she had broken down into muffled sobs worse than this morning's.
She could feel Buffy, Dawn and Xander behind her, still standing, too confused and overwhelmed to move. Anya and Giles were a bit farther away from her, but mirrored them. Everything in the shop was unmoving, except for Oz and Tara, who automatically were at her side in moments.
Willow suddenly felt like a young child surrounded by her parents as cried. The same kind of protective love radiated off of Tara and Oz as they pressed themselves close to her. They didn't care that one of them would someday be hurt by a decision she'd have to make, neither did they flinch at the heat of the eyes watching the scene; they
just held her, together, and suddenly, her tears stopped, as if a touch by the two people she had ever loved was the only key solution.
She let her granny smith eyes wander towards Tara's face. Her smile was just as she remembered from all those years ago, just as warm and gentle. It didn't judge her, or expect her to do anything; it just reminded Willow of her and Tara's time together, and that her love was unconditional. Oz's face was strangely identical, though it was his eyes that reassured her that what he felt was never-ending.
The shrill ringing of the phone made Willow jump in surprise out of her trance. Reality came rushing back. She watched as Anya hurried to the phone and answer in one swift breath. Beyond this sudden episode, life was still buzzing along. People still wanted the abnormal things sold in the Magic Box. People were still window-shopping along the sidewalk, eating ice cream; yawning...It gave Willow an abrupt strength, a sudden hope. She would get through this.
Suddenly, Anya's lovely face turned to look at her, confusion as clear as sunny day obvious in her face. She extended the phone in Willow's direction with a shrug. "It's for you."
Question marks registered into Willow's eyes, but she shakily made her way over to where Anya was by the counter. "H-Hello?"
"Is this Willow Rosenberg?" asked an impatiently voice on the other end.
"Yes, it is."
"Thank GOD!" the girl shrieked so loudly that Willow had to jerk the phone away from her ear to withstand it. "Oh my God, Willow, you have no idea how long I've needed to talk to you."
Willow nodded slowly trying to understand. "I'm sorry," she said, "but who is this?"
The girl cackled. "Ha! I am SO sorry. I can't believe I didn't say sooner. It's Harmony, you know, from Sunnydale High? I was in your classes for forever!"
The gears in her brain began to whirl, trying to remember. Harmony, Harmony, Harmony...Harmony. Anger erupted from inside of her. Of course she knew Harmony, she was the same person who had tortured her emotionally since day one of elementary school, and had not given up until the time she had left Sunnydale as a vampire to live in LA. Willow hadn't even thought of Harmony in years, and now, she was suddenly back in her life, needing her?
"Harmony, hi," she replied uneasily. She shot a look at Anya who just shrugged once again. Buffy tensed from where she still stood by the door, obviously remembering the last time Harmony had been in Sunnydale.
"Listen, I was wondering if we could, you know, meet up." Harmony asked casually, as if they had been the best of friends and had always met up.
"Meet up?" Willow echoed, remembering that she was talking to a vampire. "No! Not while you're all evil and blood-sucky!" Her words made all seven pairs of eyes in the room widen. The redhead raised a hand to assure them that it was all right.
Harmony laughed lightly. "Well, you see, that's the thing," she began. "I was hoping you could do a spell for me."
"Are you crazy?" she shot back. "I don't do spells for evil...things! Not anymore! Y-you should have seen me last time I did magic for evil. No! Not a chance!" Her friends drew closer to her whispering questions that didn't quite reach her ears.
"No, Willow, you don't understand!" Willow felt a sudden pinch of sympathy at hearing the desperation in Harmony's voice. She could tell that the voice at the other end was no way deceiving, but completely truthful. "Please let me explain!"
"Okay, Harmony, you have one minute to explain everything to me." She knew before Harmony had even started her story that she would give in. She had never been able to resist helping anyone in need. And with the sudden new visitor back into her life, Willow knew without question that she would be able to accomplish any spell needed.
--
Tara twiddled her thumbs in her lap as she sat patiently in the back of Xander's car. Buffy was up in the front beside him, not making a sound as she played with the radio's dial. Dawn was beside her, pressed against the opposite door as if she were trying to stay as far away from Tara as she could. The brunette kept shooting nervous sideway glances at her every quarter of a minute as if she were about to be attacked. Tara felt self-conscious once again; hadn't these people been her best friends?
The small Toyota bumped along the pavement until it coughed and sputtered to a stop in a driveway. Even in with the glare of the sun in her eyes, Tara recognized the house in an instant; she had spent so much of her time here and so many of her memories were forever frozen here. To finally be back was like stepping outside to take a refreshing breath of air.
Buffy, Xander and Dawn all exited the car without a word, so she followed, keeping her eyes down; it wasn't like any of them would be looking into her eyes anytime soon.
The time it took for the four of them to make their way from where the car was parked messily in the driveway to the time that they walked through the front door seemed like an eternity. The empty house echoed with their footsteps as they awkwardly and wordlessly removed their shoes and went to settle in the living room. Tara could remember endless moments sitting on the couch with her friends, discussing the upcoming disaster or just their personal lives. They would watch lame horror movies, eat popcorn and dry cereal, and sleep. Dawn would always ask for help with her homework, Buffy would make plans, Xander would tell jokes and make sarcastic comments, Anya would tell stories of her demon days, and all the while, Willow would be sitting beside her holding her hand as they both tried to resist their urge to kiss...
A sudden noise from the second floor jerked her away from her daze, and when she looked to check the others' expressions, she saw that nothing had changed. Buffy, Xander and Dawn all still wore completely blank faces. Xander and Buffy collapsed onto the couch, while Dawn stood in the doorway. Their eyes were glued to Tara as they waited for her to sit too. Tara glanced back up the stairs as she went to sit in the chair across from the couch.
Several more moments slugged by in silence. Buffy and Xander exchanged a few glances every couple of minutes, by no words were said. Dawn was still staring at Tara, daring her with an ice queen gaze.
Tara sighed.
"Maybe you should get some sleep, Tara," Buffy finally suggested. Tara could tell by the way the blonde had said her name that she felt weird saying it.
Tara nodded, suddenly realizing how tired she was. "Okay, sure," she agreed, rising to her feet.
Buffy smiled. "You can sleep in my room. You remember where it is, right?"
"Of course," she said. "Will you wake me when...?"
"As soon as Willow and the rest are back," Buffy finished. "Don't worry, Tara. I don't know how, but you're home again. And you're family."
Tara felt as if a great amount of weight had been removed from inside her stomach. All the knots untangled and for the first time since she had been back, it felt real.
She murmured goodnights to the three others and then climbed up the stairs, dragging her tired feet behind her. As she turned right, the half of the hallway stretched out in
front of her. In her mind, she labelled one doorway the bathroom, one a closet and the last one Buffy's room. She took her time trudging down the hallway, stifling another yawn. Slowly, she cracked open the door.
Along the length of Buffy's single bed, lay the extremely broad figure of what her mind labelled as Angel. He faced her, eyes closed and mouth painted into a straight line. His naturally tanned face showed terrible burns and scars that matched ones on his hands. Tara studied him for a few moments before wondering what to do; she couldn't possibly wake him. So she just stood there, letting the feel of oxygen coming in and out of her lungs distract her.
Until the sound of voices from the bottom level got caught on the air. Tara inched her way to where the stairs began and stood, listening.
"Tara can't stay here!" insisted Dawn's voice. "There are so many reasons why, Buffy, and you know that too!"
"Dawn, you listen to me," Buffy said to her sister through clenched teeth. "Tara will stay. There is no reason. Explain to me why you think you should tear her apart from Willow."
"Because Willow loves, Oz, Buffy!" Dawn shot back desperately. "I love Tara, so, so, much. But she was taken away from us for a reason, and we can't change that."
"She may have been taken away, but she was always given back to us," Buffy pointed out. "Willow also loves Tara."
Dawn sighed heavily. "But now she'll have to choose! Do you know how hard this must be for her?"
The room grew silent, no come-backs coming to anyone's mind. Tara suddenly felt hurt; how could Dawn not want her anymore? Her little Dawny who was almost like a sister? She strained forward so she could hear better.
"Willow's a big girl, Dawny," Xander said quietly, cutting into the conversation finally. "It will be a tough decision, but it's up to her. Willow's strong; she can take care of herself."
Xander's words seemed to dismiss the subject, because Dawn sighed heavily, and quickly exited the house. Buffy gave Xander a small smile crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll go check on her," Buffy murmured, before making her way towards the staircase.
Tara gasped and cursed under her breath; not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. She scrambled to her feet and hurried towards Buffy's room where she should already be sleeping. When she pushed the door open, she groaned in defeat, seeing Angel asleep on the bed in front of her for the second time.
Buffy was behind her in mere moments, casting a shadow next to Tara's. Tara turned to see the blonde's face twisted with emotion. She could sense Buffy's confusion stronger than the heat off of a radiator. She didn't exactly understand Buffy's strange reaction in the presence of Angel; why was she so surprised to see him here? Tara parted her lips to ask the question burning on the end of her tongue, but as if she were physic, Buffy held up a finger to Tara, and let her gaze rest on her. "Tara, go downstairs," Buffy whispered so quietly, that Tara had to think twice to understand what she was saying. But she nodded, and left her friend to be alone with Angel.
While descending the stairs to rejoin Xander in the living room, she couldn't help but look back at Buffy still standing in the doorway to her room, eyes staring straight ahead of her, frozen. Mentally, she compared Buffy's face to Willow's face when she had seen Tara less than an hour ago and how similar they were. She thought of a series of possibilities of the reason for Buffy's surprise; had Angel found somebody else to love? Had he hurt her in a way? Had he once again lurked on the dark side? Had Angel never come back from LA...?
Tara felt a warm hand on the small of her back and she turned to see Xander. He smiled gently and looked into her eyes for the first time after her arrival back in Sunnydale. She instantly felt herself melt into a state of comfort, remembering how much she had missed the tall, dark-haired man.
"Where did Buffy go?" he asked, motioning for Tara to follow him into the kitchen.
She followed him obediently. "She's upstairs..." she began, deciding whether to tell Xander about Buffy's company, "with, uh, Angel."
Xander stopped dead in his tracks. "Ugh," he said, shaking his head. He turned to face her. "That is not very good."
Tara padded across the kitchen tiles to sit at the breakfast bar. "Why not?"
Xander joined her in the kitchen, prodding through the fridge for something to eat. "Well, that excuse for a person hasn't been here since the last Apocalypse."
Tara looked at him quizzically.
Xander chuckled slightly. "Long story. It was about three years ago and even then he didn't stay long. Every time he comes, he always leaves soon after, and it just about kills Buffy every time. She still hasn't let him go, though. Don't know why, I myself have always hated him." He removed an apple from the fridge's crisper, and settled beside her.
Tara frowned. "So you think this will be like all the other times?" she guessed.
"I know so," he replied, nodding solemnly. "It's the same every time. Buff gets all worked up when she first sees him. He apologizes for not coming a lot, she forgives him. They spend the night holding each other and kissing and crying, and then he just leaves. It's happened a lot, except this is the longest he's ever not come back. Maybe she won't forgive him this time."
She shrugged. "Buffy's a big girl, she can figure it out herself." Tara then realized in horror that she had just recited his exact words from minutes ago.
Xander gave her a sceptical look, but mentally shrugged it off. "You're right. If anyone can handle herself, it's Buffy." He took a noisy bite from his apple. "It's just so weird. First Oz comes back, then you, then Harmony and now Angel? It's kind of freaky, actually."
Tara thought about Xander's words carefully. It was weird. It was weird that she had been brought back to Earth from the afterlife at all. She wondered about the purpose of this reunion; fate had to have had something planned ahead. Was there a serious evil coming that needed the return of so many people to defeat it? Or was it all an absurd coincidence? "It is..." she agreed absent-mindedly.
--
All Angel could see was darkness. When he turned to the right and left, the view stayed the same; it was as if his eyes were permanently shut. He tried to remember where he was and how he had got to this alien place, but all that came to mind was fear. What did he have to be scared about? He began to take steps forward, testing this new place. He then took steps backwards before coming to the conclusion that he was totally and utterly lost.
A glimpse of heart-achingly familiar blonde hair flashed in front of him, making all of his senses freeze up with emotion. Angel flailed around, trying to find the owner of the blonde locks, but his hands grasped at cool air instead. He scanned his sombre surroundings; desperation making him crazed, and still found nothing. Frustrated, Angel fell to his knees, hands massaging his temple.
Leave me alone, he pleaded silently.
A cackle erupted from somewhere around him, and echoed on and on for minutes. Angel clasped his hands over his ears to shut it out, but it continued, as clear as ever, as if it were all in his mind. Suddenly, he was standing once again, arms at his side, staring straight ahead into the beautiful face of his tormentor.
Darla stood pleasantly before him, dressed in a simple pleated skirt and white blouse. She smiled warmly, head cocked to the side. "Angel," she practically purred. "It's been a long, long time."
Angel glared at her in part disgust, part hatred. "Just how I like it," he hissed back. "What do you want, Darla?"
She pouted her perfect lips and traced her finger along Angel's chest. "I've missed you," she whined. "Remember when we were together? Those were your glory days."
Angel steamed with anger. "I'm not going to fall for your mind games, Darla."
Darla stomped her foot and the compact of her black shoe and the ground made another echoed throughout where ever they were. "But Angel! You could be so great!"
"I don't need to be evil to be great."
"Oh, but you do." She stepped away from him, eyes soft. "Meet me when you wake up, Angel. Please, find me, so we can talk properly."
Angel was about to nod (though not actually intending on meeting her) when he realized; how could he possibly meet Darla outside of his nightmares when Buffy had staked her years ago...?
When his big, dark eyes went to meet hers once again, she was gone.
Angel woke to a start, breathing heavily, and sweat soaking the bed sheets underneath him. Goosebumps traced along his arms and legs, and he suppressed a shiver. He began to shake, coldness engulfing his entire body, except for one part on the side of his stomach that blazed with the heat of Hell itself. Angel turned his head to the side, and was suddenly filled with the same warmth all over.
Buffy perched on the bed beside him, her flawless face emotionless as she gazed down at him. Her hand was placed on Angel's side where his skin flashed the room openly. Without a word, she raised her other hand to stroke his forehead. He closed his eyes, content for the first time in three years.
"You came back," Buffy choked out.
"I always will," he replied instantly, his voice quiet. He cleared his throat.
"But...why?"
Angel opened his eyes again, to see that Buffy's had filled up with fat, uncontrollable tears. He pulled himself up into a sitting position so he could pull the one person he had ever loved into him bare chest. He decided right there to never let go of her.
Buffy cried softly as he held her, remembering all the other times he had come back without telling anyone. She wished she could believe that it was forever this time, just like she had forced herself to believe each other time. But she didn't let herself cave in this time; she had spent three years building up a wall, and wasn't about to let it fall.
But Buffy didn't let herself make any decisions either. She wasn't ready physically nor was she ready emotionally. She would not let herself be fooled by what she was feeling while breaking down to make any sort of judgements or plans. With the return of Tara, Harmony and now Angel, she really did have a lot on her plate. Buffy told herself to wait until tomorrow; a brand new day, where she could handle all the sudden arrivals.
But for now, Buffy would just let Angel hold her for the first time in an eternity.
End of Chapter 3.
Author's Note: I hoped you liked Chapter 3! Chapter 4 will be on its way shortly. Tell me what you think of how Darla will meet Angel outside his dreams, or what will happen between Willow/Harmony, Willow/Oz, Willow/Tara, Buffy/Angel. Oh, and one more thing. Remember how I mentioned in the summary of a guy named Trevor? His first appearance will be in the next chapter, yay! So yes, please R&R! Thanks!
