Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy, but I do own Sophie :)
In the early afternoon two days later, the RV carrying the Scoobies and their friends arrived in Tara's hometown. Tara stared out the window as they drove around town, heading for the small motel that they had booked rooms in.
"This does bring back a lot of memories."
"Bad ones?" Willow asked. Tara shook her head.
"Not all of them." A familiar lopsided smile spread over Tara's face, and she pointed at a small ice-cream parlour. "My Mom always used to take me there when Dad and Donny weren't around. We should take Sophie while we're here." She turned to look at the little girl, who was brushing Cordy's hair. "Would you like that kiddo?"
"Uh-huh" Sophie replied, nodding furiously. "Grandma telled me that place has the bestest ice-cream in the world!" Before either Tara or Willow had a chance to respond to this, Xander, who was driving, called out from the front seat.
"We're here!"
--
After a little while spent gathering up their bags and some minor arguments over who was bunking with who, such as "I'm twenty years old Buffy, I'm sharing a room with my boyfriend!" and "No way in hell am I sleeping in the same room as Deadboy!", everybody was checked into their rooms. Buffy finally gave in and let Dawn room with Connor, and Xander agreed to share a room with Andrew, while Giles roomed with Angel.
"So, when are you guys thinkin' of headin' off?" Faith asked Tara while she and Buffy sat in the 2-bed family sized room being shared by Willow, Tara, and Sophie. Tara knew that Faith was talking about when they were going to visit her mother's grave.
"Well, Sophie's pretty worn out after such a big trip" she replied, gesturing to her daughter. The little girl was half-asleep, eyes drooping as she leaned against Willow, one arm wrapped tightly around Tara Bear, her favourite bedtime buddy. "We'll probably go tomorrow morning."
"Sounds like a plan" Willow agreed, nodding, as she carried Sophie over to the children's bed on the other side of the room. Faith nodded too, then leaned over to grab the phone and menu from the bedside table, grinning.
"So, who wants to go all-out on room service with the Watcher's Council credit card?"
--
The next morning as planned, Willow, Tara, and Sophie headed off to the cemetery where Tara's mother was buried, stopping to buy flowers on the way. Tara wasn't surprised when Sophie took the lead.
"Its this way, isn't it Mama Tara?" the little girl smiled, tugging on both her mother's hands as the three of them walked through the cemetery. "Grandma telled me where it was." Tara nodded, letting her daughter lead her on a path she still knew by heart, and soon enough, they had reached her mother's grave, all three of them kneeling in front of it.
"Hi Mom" Tara whispered, feeling tears begin to prick at the corners of her eyes.
"Hi Grandma" said Sophie, just as quietly. Baby Lily kicked at that moment, as if to say her own hello. Willow wasn't really sure what to say, so she just leaned over and kissed her wife's cheek, tasting the slight saltiness of her tears.
"You okay baby?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine." Tara laid the flowers on the grass, then reached out to pull some of the weeds that had began to push up around the tombstone, suddenly hearing a familiar voice behind her.
"Tara?"
The Wicca turned around, and froze. It was Donny.