-X-
One week later:
Tara had already stayed much longer than she had hoped. She had originally thought that she would only be there for a week max. But then another week went by, and another. She was getting anxious. She'd gone to every one of her therapy sessions, written in the dream journal, and done all the exercises that the doctor had suggested. But she was still there. And so she found herself in another group talk, going around the circle and talking about their messed up lives.
She could hear someone talking, but the words that were being said just went in one ear and out the other. Her brain was focused on Willow. She could see her face in her mind, each freckle, the way her eyes shone with that fire that was so distinct to the young red-headed witch, the way her hair looked when she woke up in the morning. Tara smiled softly to herself.
"And finally-" a loud voice boomed, breaking through the thoughts. "We will be saying goodbye to one of our newest members. She has made a speedy, but excellent recovery during her time her with us."
Tara sighed internally. In her three weeks of being there, she had seen at least six other people leave, two of which had arrived after she did.
"Tara!"
Tara glanced up, wide eyed. She pointed at herself. "M-me?"
"Yes Tara. We are very proud of how far you've come here. You used to wake up every night with terribly nightmares about the young man who tried to kill you. And now you hardly wake up in the night at all." The doctor said proudly. "You can return home as soon as tomorrow evening."
-X-
Tara rushed back to her room and picked up the phone, dialing the only number she knew by heart. "Please pick up, please, please." She pleaded in a whispered.
"Hello?"
"Willow?" Tara said, smiling widely.
"H-hi Tara." Willow said. Tara could hear a tone of slight shame enter her voice.
"Willow, baby. I'm coming home." Tara exclaimed.
"What, when?" Willow asked.
"I can leave tomorrow night. I can be there the next morning." Tara said excitedly.
"Tara, baby, that's great!" Willow responded. "I can't wait to see you!"
Tara smiled. "I missed you. I missed your voice." She murmured softly into the receiver.
"Tara, baby I'm so so-"
"Don't you dare," Tara muttered quietly. "I understand. I really do. And we can talk more about it when I get home, okay?"
"Okay." Willow said softly.
"And Will?" Tara murmured.
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
-X-
Willow got up the next morning and began cleaning every inch of the apartment. In the three weeks that Tara had been gone, it had turned into a disaster zone. Willow had thrown her dirty laundry all around the apartment, there were take-out containers and pizza boxes everywhere, and the bathroom was an entirely different story. She threw all the laundry in the wash, and carried every piece of garbage she could find out to the dumpster, and scrubbed every surface with the appropriate cleaner. She threw the laundry into the dryer and ran off to the store to get the ingredients for the perfect dinner and desert for when Tara got home the next day. She carried the groceries home and put them away, finishing up the laundry and putting everything in its proper place. Lastly, she set the table for their dinner, so that all she needed to focus on was making the meal the next day.
After she finished everything, she took a seat on the couch and sighed, glancing around her. Everything was clean, and it only took her the entire day. She laughed softly to herself, shaking her head before she grabbed one of her books that was resting on the coffee table, flipping it open to where her bookmark rested. She read for half an hour before falling asleep on the couch, her head resting on the arm.
She woke to a knock on the door. Puzzled, she stood and made her way over, glancing through the peep hole. She excitedly unlocked it and threw it open, smiling widely. "Tara! You're home early!" She said, throwing her arms around the other woman's neck. She pulled her inside, shutting the door behind them. "You must be hungry. I'll get you something." She said, smiling as she opened the fridge. "I was planning on making an entire meal for tomorrow. I had to do some cleaning before you got back, so the place looks fairly nice, but I must look like a mess." She closed the fridge, startled as she saw Tara standing right behind her. She smiled, slightly nervous. "Here, put these on the counter." She said, handing Tara a jar of pickles.
She let go of the jar, jumping as Tara let the fall to the floor. "Are you alright, baby?" Willow asked. She glanced back to the door, her brow furrowing slightly. "Tara, where are your bags?" She watched as Tara looked her up and down blankly, blinking slightly. Willow edged herself away from Tara, finding herself backed into a corner. "Tara-?" she whispered.
Tara lunged at Willow, who ducked under her arm and ran for the door. She threw out a barrier spell, knowing it would only hold off her attacker temporarily. But the Tara-imposter managed to grab a hold of Willow's ankle, causing her to fall to the floor, most of her weight landing on her head and knocking her out.
-X-
Tara paid her cab driver and grabbed her bags off the sidewalk, staring up at the building. She took a deep breath, taking in the familiar scent and practically ran up the stairs. She unlocked the security door, climbing the stairs to the apartment she shared with her girlfriend, and opened the door. "Willow?" She called out, closing it behind her. "Will?" She dropped her bags on the floor, glancing around. The apartment looked great, Willow must have used her entire day to clean. Tara walked in, making her way towards the bedroom. "This place l-looks great." She said, rubbing her hands together nervously. "You must have spent the whole day on this." She opened the door, turning on the light to find a perfectly made bed, and no Willow. "Willow?" She called again. She sighed softly, heading towards the kitchen, stopping as she stepped on a small pickle. She peered around the counter, finally noticing the mess. Glass was everywhere, brine covered the floor, and on the edge of the tiles lay a small pool of red blood.
-X-