Which then turned into a quiet thought…

Willow stared pacing and murmuring to herself as soon as the front door closed behind the others. The Buffy-bot was deactivated and seated in a chair. She'd been researching and studying for weeks now, trying to make sure she had every possible objection answered, and tonight was the night she'd chosen to present Tara and the others with her plan.

Her fingers played absently with her color coded note cards, still rehearsing. She was alone in the house, Dawn spending the night at a friend's house and the others out on a patrol. Tara had been suspicious when the redhead hadn't protested her going out with Spike and Giles but was too grateful that Willow seemed to be relaxing to question it.

If Willow hadn't been so anxious about her proposal, she'd have found it funny how silly it was to be practicing to an empty sofa. On a turn to pace the length of the living room again she noticed the bot. She froze, staring at it. She'd always been able to keep the robot separated from her own memories of Buffy. The thing wearing her face was not her best friend. That was the whole point. Buffy was irreplaceable. And if she was in hell, being tortured, they needed to get her back. At this moment though, her stomach sick with anxiety and her mind whirling with confused plans and arguments, all she wanted was to talk to her best friend.

She had switched on the bot before she realized what exactly she was doing, the hazel green eyes popping open to meet her own. "Hello Willow!" the bot greeted her cheerfully.

"Hi," the redhead murmured, sitting back on her heels.

Buffy's eyes surveyed her, frowning. "Are you okay?" she asked, voice soft and concerned and Willow choked back sudden tears.

"Yeah," she answered. "I miss you," she said, voice shaky and hoarse. She looked up, mustering a shaky smile.

"I don't understand," the bot said. "I've been here for eighty-three days."

Willow laughed weakly, nodding. "Yeah," she agreed. "We haven't talked in a long time though."

"That is true," the robot agreed, frowning deeper. "We should speak more often."

"We should," Willow agreed, wiping a tear away. "Hopefully we can talk more often soon."

Buffy-bot's head bobbed as she nodded. "Would you like to talk now?"

"Yeah," Willow said hoarsely. "I would." The Buffy-bot nodded but didn't speak, waiting for input from her, exactly the way she'd been programmed, and it was a sharp reminder that this wasn't Buffy, the Slayer who'd interrupt and make jokes with her, but a robot wearing her friend's face. "You know what, now's not the best time actually," she changed her mind. Her mind was already made up about the conversation she wanted to have with her friends and this had only strengthened her resolve.

"Okay," the robot said, voice cheerful again. "Are there any vampires I can slay?"

Willow shook her head, smiling. "Thank you, but no. You can shut down." Buffy-bot slumped immediately in the chair, eyes closing. Most of the programming was repaired and operational, but she hadn't finished testing the strength upgrades she'd written in. Warren had had no idea what a Slayer really was, the sheer power that went with the title, and he'd underpowered the robot, making it useless in a solo fight against a vampire. They'd been testing it for weeks, using Spike as a testing dummy, but the Buffy-bot had to be lengthily convinced to fight him every time.

She was just climbing to her feet when the others came in. Tara gave her a frown, one hand rubbing at her own elbow. "Sweetie?"

"Are you okay?" Willow interrupted to ask, crossing the room in a second to inspect her girlfriend's elbow herself.

Tara combed hair back from Willow's face, shaking her head. "I'm fine, I just knocked my funny bone," she said, smiling embarrassedly before her expression dropped back to the frown. "How's the bot?"

Willow glanced over her shoulder at it, grimacing at almost getting caught in her moment of weakness. "Oh, I was just checking some stuff, no issues," she fudged, biting her lip. "What did you knock your elbow on?" she asked, lifting Tara's arm to look closely at the reddened skin.

"Just a tree," the blonde answered. "It just tingles," she promised, her hand sliding back into Willow's hair and around her neck, guiding the redhead's eyes up to her. "Did you get your work done?" she asked, the pair lingering just inside the front door while the others spread throughout the house, getting drinks and snacks.

Willow nodded, swallowing. "Yeah," she agreed with a tired smile, though less tired than it had been in weeks. She'd laid off the energizing spells and was trying to limit her coffee intake, relying on her metabolism and the nightly shot of adrenaline from patrolling to keep her awake long enough to get her tasks done.

They'd gotten Dawn registered for school and their own schedules made up at the college, Tara keeping her dorm room for scholarship purposes, while Willow was registered as a commuter from Buffy's address. The vampire populace was under control, but there were starting to be whispers, rumors, about the Slayer's prolonged absence which was increasing Willow's desire to make sure the robot was finally combat ready. They'd brought it along in the car to Dawn's registration to give the school administrators eyes on Buffy so no one there would have suspicions roused, claiming that the teen's older sister had errands to run while Willow and Tara took care of getting Dawn's classes registered. So far, everything had been running as smoothly as could be expected since their vacation in L.A.

"Yeah," she repeated, rubbing at her eyes with the heel of one hand. "Just one more thing I need to do."

"Good," Tara responded, voice low and she stepped forward to press her body against Willow's, giving the redhead something to lean against. Willow took the coaxing willingly, leaning into her girlfriend. "Maybe we can make it to bed at a reasonable hour tonight," she proposed hopefully.

"You're still sleeping dream-free, right?" Willow asked, her voice muffled as she didn't lift her head from Tara's chest.

Tara let out a deep breath, hugging her. "Mostly. I had a little one the other night," she confessed quietly.

Willow dragged her head up wearily, meeting her eyes. "How come you didn't wake me up?" One hand rose to Tara's cheek, thumb smoothing under her eyes.

Tara shook her head against Willow's hand, smiling reassuringly. "It wasn't bad," she said. "I'd have woken you up if it had been bad."

"Okay," Willow agreed. They'd come to an understanding about their sleeping patterns after their return from Los Angeles, between seven and eight hours in bed for Willow, while Tara was to wake her up if she had a nightmare.

Willow had been almost beside herself with anxiety when, following their vacation, Tara had had a dream about Buffy every night for two weeks, waking covered in sweat, sometimes screaming. Willow had held her, comforted her even as her mind raced with theories, more fuel for her growing certainty that Buffy was still alive and trapped in Hell. Dawn had heard the screams, knew there was something going on, but was doing her best not to ask. She depended on Willow, they all did, and Willow depended on Tara. Her supporters were doing their best to keep her life stable, often at the expense of their own life together. They were all doing the best they could, and it had gotten better. Better, but not good.

"We can try and get to bed early," Willow agreed. "Try for another restful night."

Tara nodded, her hands sliding down Willow's back and finding the redhead's hand, squeezing it gently. "Have you eaten dinner?"

Willow shook her head, letting Tara pull her toward the kitchen. "Just kind of nibbled." They found Xander and Anya scrounging for food in the kitchen, Giles seated at the kitchen island, covering a yawn with one hand. "How'd it go? Besides the funny bone incident," she teased, bumping Tara with her own elbow.

"Staked two of two," Xander answered for the group, leaning back against the counter. Anya handed him half of the sandwich she'd been making. "Giles, you alright?" he asked, leaning over to look the older man in the face.

"Yes," the Watcher answered tiredly. "Just a bit winded."

Anya leaned back beside Xander, speaking around a bite of her sandwich. "Of course you are. You're old," she said plainly. Giles' head turned to stare at her, but she didn't surrender to his glare, just continued eating her food, not phased in the slightest. "Running is hard on the joints," she added in an attempt to be helpful. "Humans are fragile," she pointed out, shrugging.

"Thank you for having us, but I do believe it's time I was heading home," Giles commented, pushing himself to his feet.

Tara gave him a sideways hug and a smile. He gave Willow a wave, the redhead silently rejoicing at her good luck. She didn't want to tell Giles about her idea until she talked it over with Tara and Xander first. Anya would be the easiest to convince, the one most familiar with hell dimensions. If she could convince Xander that Buffy could still be alive his love for Buffy and his faith in Willow herself would do the rest, bring him around.

Tara was the one who'd need the most convincing. Her partner was the only one of the three who knew what would be involved in bringing Buffy back, the struggle it would be for Willow to cast the spell. She hadn't completely narrowed down the best way to do it, but she had done extensive research and knew what she would need to do the spell. She could only hope Tara wouldn't know too many details or she'd be against it from the start.

And it was out of the question to tell Dawn. She couldn't crush the teen's heart again if anything went wrong. She wouldn't bring up the possibility that they could get Buffy back only to have something happen and have to take it back, subjecting Dawn to losing her sister again.

Equally as necessary to be out of the loop was Spike, the vampire still too involved and emotionally wrecked by grief to be rational if she said anything about it to him. The way he'd been acting the whole summer, sullen and depressed, she wouldn't be surprised if he attacked her for suggesting it. Or else he'd thank her and be grateful, something almost equally unappealing from him.

No, Tara was the deciding factor. The others would follow where Willow led. She'd become their impromptu leader following Buffy's death, as she had the summer after their junior year when Buffy had abandoned them to deal with losing Angel. She had slipped back into the role thoughtlessly, doing what had needed to be done to keep from collapsing, to keep them all from collapsing. They trusted her and would follow her decision.

She heaved a heavy sigh, looking around as the front door closed behind Giles. "Hey," she spoke up softly, hesitating as nerves struck again. "Can I…? I had something I wanted to talk to you guys about." Xander and Anya exchanged glances, both looking at Tara but the blonde just shrugged, no idea what Willow had in mind.

Willow swallowed thickly, taking the plate of leftover lasagna Tara had heated up for her. She poked at it with a fork, still standing up. Tara put a hand on either of her shoulders, pushing her gently into a seat at the island. "Eat your dinner. We'll wait," Xander agreed, giving her a smile. Willow nodded, returning his smile as Tara took the seat beside her to eat her own dinner. The blonde's free hand landed on her leg, thumb moving over the outside seam of Willow's jeans.

The redhead gave her a sidelong glance, the touch serving to relax her. Tara gave her a smile, not sure what Willow wanted to talk to them about but knowing that her girlfriend was anxious was all she needed to know to offer her comfort. Xander and Anya wandered into the living room, leaving the witches to their dinner. Willow didn't offer an explanation and Tara didn't ask. The redhead picked at her food slowly, eating a small portion before she gave up, tracing Tara's hand on her thigh repeatedly.

"Is everything okay?" Tara asked finally, voice soft. "You don't have to tell me what's going on, but just tell me you're okay."

Willow nodded, biting her lip. "Yes, Tara. I'm okay," she whispered. "I promise. I just…I need to talk to you, all of you." Tara nodded and Willow leaned over to put her head against the blonde's shoulder.

"Alright," Tara agreed, tightening her hand on her girlfriend's leg. "Let's go talk," she prompted, giving her a tight smile as Willow lifted her head.

Willow nodded again, swallowing in an effort to wet her throat. Her free hand found a cup on the kitchen island, gulping water thankfully. "Okay," she agreed, voice hoarse. They didn't speak again, just joined Xander and Anya in the living room. Tara moved to the armchair, surprised when Willow squeezed her hand but didn't sit down with her, beginning to pace instead.

The other three exchanged looks, none of them sure what Willow wanted to talk to them about. They had all noticed that she had waited to bring it up until Giles had left and Dawn was out of the house. "So, what's up, Will?" Xander started when Willow didn't speak, his arm curling around Anya's shoulders.

"Buffy," Willow answered without stopping her quick walking.

They each froze, staring at her. "Um, I mean," Xander stuttered, stiff against the cushions of the couch. "What about Buf…her?"

Willow stopped abruptly, facing the fireplace and standing at the far end of the room from the other three. "I think she could still be alive." She could hear their sharp, surprised breathing behind her and she counted to three before she slowly turned to face them, meeting their eyes one at a time. Anya looked surprised but accepting, Xander horrified and suddenly scared, but Tara's expression was simultaneously knowing and resigned, her unasked questions answered suddenly. Their eyes met and locked, Willow's pleading for understanding while Tara's were begging for an explanation.

"Why would you think that?" Anya asked, voice uncharacteristically tense. She knew what was at stake if it were true.

Tara sighed heavily, slumping back in her chair. "I've been dreaming about her," she answered the question, covering her eyes with one hand as Xander and Anya turned to look at her. "For months now. She's always in hell, fighting for her life." She let her hand slide down her face, rubbing at one shoulder.

"I'm sure it's horrible, but Tara…" Xander started, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, voice sympathetic. "Could it have just been a dream?"

Tara nodded, then shrugged, then shook her head. "I don't know," she confessed honestly. "Glory was in all of them though."

"Was she in any of your other dreams?" Xander asked, watching her for any signs of distress. Tara could just shake her head speechlessly. His gaze turned to Willow. "And what makes you think they're real?" he asked, voice growing hoarse and rough.

Willow let out a deep breath, her eyes lingering sympathetically on Tara. "They were connected. Tara and Glory." Tara looked up at her just then and she almost stopped, but Buffy's voice was echoing in her head and she couldn't do it. "Only the dreams with Buffy in them had Glory there too. The dreams, those dreams were always…they were harder on her," she said, locking her eyes on Xander so she didn't have to see Tara's look. "Sorry, sweetie, but they were," she protested as she looked at her girlfriend finally.

Tara nodded, swallowing thickly and fighting back tears. Willow took two hesitant steps toward her but Tara waved her back, giving her a tight smile. "I'm okay," she croaked hoarsely. "Keep going."

Willow nodded, frowning. "Okay, so the dreams that had Buffy in them also had Glory in them, and Tara was connected to Glory before she was gone, she was the only one of us who was, but Buffy jumped into the hell portal, and it was Glory's hell portal. It didn't go only to her hell dimension, but it didn't go anywhere good." Her voice was getting quick and high, racing toward frantic. "Will you at least admit that it tracks?" she requested, her hands brushing down the sides of her pants.

Xander nodded slowly, eyes traveling between Tara and Anya. Neither of the women was speaking and he swallowed, his throat dry. "Yeah, okay, it tracks, but is there a way we can figure out if it's true?"

Willow started pacing again, her head down. "Not that I've been able to find. I've been looking, since we were in L.A. I can't find any way to prove it. I just…if she's in hell we have to save her. She'd do it for any of us."

Xander was still leaning forward, his knee bouncing unconsciously. "She would. Will, we don't know she's in hell. Or if she is and we pull her out, what happens to Dawn?"

Willow shook her head preemptively. "Dawn's not going anywhere. I know that for sure. If Buffy is in some hell dimension any ritual we used to get her out wouldn't do anything to Dawn. She's not the Key anymore. She's just a kid." She gave him a strained smile. "I made Buffy a promise. I wouldn't even bring it up if there was a chance it would hurt Dawnie. She wouldn't want out of hell if it meant Dawn took her place, or was the Key again."

"You're right," he agreed, eyes tracing invisible patterns on the floor. "You really think…?"

Willow nodded, her arms crossing over her chest. "I had thought of it before the dreams, but it seemed too horrible. And then the dreams started and it looked more possible, and… Xander, it's Buffy."

He nodded, looking up to meet her eyes. His next question was directed at Tara though. "Could it be true?" he asked sincerely.

Tara took a moment to answer, her eyes traveling between Willow and Xander. "The dreams…they're intense. I don't know if it is, but it feels real. They always feel real," she said, voice quiet and it was enough to draw Willow to her, the redhead squeezing into the chair beside her and curling both arms around Tara protectively. The blonde leaned gratefully into her girlfriend's support, resting her head against Willow's shoulder, both hands curling up over the redhead's arms, holding them tight around her.

Xander looked over as Anya rubbed his back soothingly. "So, you really think Buffy might still be alive?" he asked, looking at each of the three.

Anya nodded immediately. "It's possible," she conceded. "I don't know anyone from Glory's dimension, but I could try and find someone…"

"Anya, no! That could be dangerous," Xander protested. "Will, there's no way to find out?"

The witch shook her head, shifting to give Tara's head more space on her shoulder, her cheek pressed to the blonde's hair. "Nothing I've been able to find," she said regretfully.

"Well, suppose it's true, what can we do?" Xander asked, rising from the couch to take Willow's place pacing the room.

Willow hesitated, already feeling Tara tense in her arms. "We can bring her back," she stated quietly, lifting her eyes to meet his.

"You can do that?" he asked, surprised. "Because I can't do that."

Willow shook her head. "I can't do it yet," she clarified. "But I have a place to start, and I want to…I need to try, Xander." She swallowed, meeting his eyes steadily. "It's Buffy. If she's still alive, we have to save her."

He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "I get that, Will. But is this even possible?"

"There's a way," she agreed.

"Tara, do you know anything about this? Have you guys talked about this?" he asked, letting his arms drop to swing at his sides before crossing them over his chest again and stopping to look at the blonde.

"No," Tara said softly. "This is the first I'm hearing of it. She's right, though. I've heard rumors, myths…"

Xander started walking again while Anya leaned back on the couch. "So, if we're doing this, and I'm not saying we are, what is the next step? Where are we standing with this?"

Willow swallowed, her fingers moving slowly over the fabric of Tara's shirt, still holding the blonde tight against her. "I've got the spell, but I'm going to need some supplies and more power to perform the ritual. I've been working on it, but I'm not ready yet," she answered honestly.

"And how long would it take you to get ready?" he asked. "Again, not that we're going to do it."

Willow knew he was still protesting, but she also knew him better than anyone. He was giving in. He wouldn't fight her if she insisted. "Not that we're going to do it," she agreed, "but I could be ready in a month, maybe a month and a half." She sighed. "It depends on how quickly we can get the bot finished. And by 'we' I mean 'me,' since I'm the one working on it, but I think we're getting there. It should be ready for a fight if Spike tells me these latest upgrades are strong enough."

Xander nodded. "Okay," he said, running one hand through his hair as he walked. "So, you're serious about this," he mused to himself. "And Buffy could be alive. And we might all be crazy," he added.

Willow pressed a kiss to Tara's temple before sliding out from behind her, stepping into Xander's path. "I'm not crazy, Xander. I've put a lot of thought into this," she assured him quietly, both hands holding his elbows. She met his eyes, silently pleading. "I need you, though. I need your help."

He stared at her, meeting Tara and Anya's looks over the redhead's shoulder. "Willow…" He let out a deep breath. "You know I'm with you," he acceded. "Just tell me what to do."

She smiled gratefully, nodding as she let go of his arms. "Thank you." She glanced over her shoulder at Anya, the former demon nodding.

"I miss Buffy," she said in her simple, honest way. "And Dawn needs her sister."

Willow gave her a tight smile, brushing both hands over her legs as she turned her attention to Tara. The blonde met her eyes, but didn't speak and Xander moved to help Anya to her feet. "We're going to go," he declared. "Let you guys talk." He knew that things had gotten better between the witches, but there was still an undercurrent of tension in the house. He didn't want to get in the middle of whatever came next.

They left quietly, the click of the door behind them giving Tara the signal to exhale deeply. Willow remained standing, holding her breath as she waited for a word from her. "Tara…"

The blonde held up one hand to stop her, shifting in her chair to sit up straighter. "You…y-you've been p-planning this for a w-while."

Willow moved toward her compulsively as she heard the stutter, dropping to her knees in front of Tara's chair. "Yes, and I know that we've talked about hiding things from each other and I didn't want to, but I wanted to get everything straight in my head, and I knew you wouldn't like it…"

"It's dark magic, Willow," Tara interrupted, her voice firm. "You…y-you've never d-done anything like…"

Willow shook her head, one hand finding Tara's knee. "No," she cut in. "Nothing like that. And Tara, you know I would never do anything like this if it wasn't Buffy." She swallowed, eyes pleading for understanding. "But it is Buffy. And she's my best friend. And she's in hell, fighting. I have to help her, Tara." She paused, leaning forward to rest her forehead against the blonde's knee. "But I need you with me."

Tara stared down at the back of her girlfriend's head, her hand sliding into red hair without thought. Willow shifted into her touch and Tara leaned over to press a kiss to the back of Willow's neck. "I'm right here," she assured her. "But I'm n-not s-sure about t-this," she continued, trying to be honest.

Willow's head lifted at the stutter, eyes wide. "Tara, honey, please don't be afraid of me," she pleaded, scared herself suddenly. She moved forward as much as she could, her stomach pressed to the bottom of the chair while her hands slid up Tara's legs, fingertips grazing over her sides and finally reaching up to hold her face. "Please, Tara."

"No, Willow," the blonde objected. "I'm n-not scared of y-you. I'm s-scared for you. That s-spell, e-everything I've h-heard, it's d-dangerous."

Willow leaned up in sudden relief, pressing a frenzied kiss to her girlfriend's lips. "I'll be careful," she promised against her lips, eyes closed. "I swear!" She wrapped both arms around Tara's neck, leaning her forehead against the blonde's neck.

"Will you…?" Tara started to ask, hesitating. "I w-want to see w-what you've b-been studying. I-I want to h-help."

Willow nodded against her, her fingers playing with the back of Tara's hair. "Yeah, of course. But nothing dangerous. I don't want you in any danger."

"But it's fair for you to put yourself in danger?" Tara asked dryly, leaning back to meet her eyes.

Willow bit her lip, ducking her head. "I don't…Tara…"

Tara hushed her with a kiss, letting Willow in with no prompting. They kissed softly, Willow leaning forward more until she overbalanced herself and fell forward into Tara's chest. She pushed herself back up with an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry, I'm a little clumsy," she apologized sheepishly.

Tara gave her a tight smile. "No problem," she whispered, realizing as she spoke that she was still tense, withdrawn and frightened. "Kiss me again," she directed softly.

Willow blinked in surprise, her smile growing slowly. "I can do that," she agreed quietly. She moved forward carefully, tilting her face to meet Tara's lips. Neither pressed for anything more, Willow's hands sliding slowly over the tops of Tara's thighs, separating slowly as she slid her palms down the blonde's legs. Willow's hands came to rest on Tara's knees, squeezing gently as she smiled softly. "Was that okay?" she teased quietly.

Tara laughed quietly, nodding. "Better than," she agreed. "Not enough to make me forget that I want to see your research, though."

Willow shook her head, willing her smile not to slip. She'd hoped to have a chance to double check the work she'd done so far, make sure there was nothing too scary involved, something that might drive Tara to withdraw her tentative support for the plan. She couldn't think of anything off the top of her head that might push her girlfriend to the breaking point, but she wanted to be sure. "Yeah, I know. Of course I wasn't trying to…" She glanced at the clock, thumbs moving slowly over the blonde's knees. "Could we do it in the morning?" she asked. "I'll go through it with you word-for-word, I promise. I just…I'm, I got myself all worked up to tell you guys about this, and now I'm kind of beat…"

Tara nodded, her hands finding Willow's wrists. "Sure, baby. We can go to bed," she agreed, smiling. She yawned suddenly, covering it with one hand. "I'm kind of tired myself."

Willow stood up, stretching her knees as she pulled Tara to her feet. "Snuggles?"

"Of course. It's not a good night's sleep without snuggles," Tara agreed, holding one of Willow's hands. "Dawn's at Janice's, right?"

"Yeah," Willow said. "I'll call and check on her before we go to bed." Tara raised an eyebrow at her without speaking and Willow grinned. "And I'm realizing that that's now, so I should call now."

Their young ward was safe at Janice's house, settling in with her friend and a Brad Pitt marathon, so they felt more comfortable as they climbed the stairs to what had become their room in the long months since they'd moved in. The night passed with no trouble and Willow managed to wake before Tara and start looking though the spell research she'd done. She was leaned against the headboard, lap full of papers, and she jumped when a hand trailed up her leg under the blankets. She dropped her paper, her breath huffing out.

"Tara, you scared me!" she said, one hand smoothing through blonde hair even as she spoke.

Tara yawned, stretching against the pillows. "You're up early."

"Just reading," Willow answered, shifting the stacks of paper and leaning over to put the piles on the floor carefully. Once her lap was clear she guided Tara's head to her leg, resuming running her fingers down the length of the blonde's hair. "You slept okay, right?"

Tara nodded, letting her eyes slide closed. "If you keep playing with my hair I'm going to be sleeping okay again in a minute," she agreed, voice soft.

"Okay then," Willow agreed, smiling to herself. "Feel free."

Tara curled one hand over her leg, letting out a soft sigh. "I want to stay awake," she disagreed. She pulled on Willow's leg. "Come down here with me," she prompted, eyes still closed. Willow didn't need more encouragement than that, sliding down onto her back when Tara lifted her head. The blonde settled back onto her shoulder, arm curling around her waist. "Much better," Tara murmured in satisfaction. Willow turned her head to press a kiss to her hair. They were silent for a long moment, Tara speaking up again quietly, "Interesting reading?"

Willow nodded, swallowing. "Yeah." She'd found a few things that were likely to worry Tara, but the papers she had out were vague to the details.

"Tell me?" Tara requested. "About the spell."

"Okay," she agreed hesitantly. She tried to keep the details vague, but Tara caught what she was doing and demanded more details. Willow explained what she knew about the spell's required 'struggle and sacrifice,' grateful that she hadn't discovered yet what was going to be necessary during that portion. Anything that kept Tara from shutting down her efforts would need to be covered, hidden, or explained away. She felt bad about intending to deceive the blonde, but it was all for Buffy.

"What are you thinking?" Willow asked as she finished, Tara silent.

There was a pause, Tara thinking it over. She could tell that Willow was holding back from her, keeping everything just on this side of the line she'd be willing to let her get away with. "I'm thinking that this is going to be a big risk." She took a deep breath and held it. "Willow, I know you feel like you have to do this for Buffy, but I need you to be alright at the end of it too."

"I will be," the redhead interjected.

"I mean really okay, Will," Tara continued, burying her face in Willow's neck. "You've never pushed yourself as far as this spell will call for you to go. I just want to be sure you're coming back to me at the end of it."

Willow swallowed, squeezing her eyes closed. "I will," she promised, voice hoarse suddenly. "Tara, I'd never leave you."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Tara responded. "This spell is dark. I don't want to lose you."

"You won't," Willow said, curling toward Tara. "Hey, look at me," she prompted. "You won't," she repeated firmly. "I'm yours, remember?"

"I remember," Tara affirmed. "And I am, you know?"

Willow felt her heart beat faster and she wondered if Tara could hear the rapid thumping in her chest. Her silent question was answered as the blonde's head moved against her chest, her ear flat on the pulse. "What?" she asked.

"Yours," Tara finished.

Willow pressed a kiss to her hair, leaning her cheek against the top of Tara's head. "And it's going to stay that way," she promised. "It's going to take a lot more than some dark magic to keep me away from you."

Tara sighed. "I just need you to be careful."

"I will be," Willow stated. "Everything is going to be okay," she promised. And for the first time since the Slayer's death, she meant it.