Chapter Forty-Six

The scar

A/N Last one for this, hope it all makes sense. It's sappy because I get to see my girl tomorrow and can't help it. I'm oozing the love too it seems.

Sunnydale, the world without shrimp 2003

Dawn was laying on the couch, well sitting up really, her muscles still heavily aching from being paralysed but gradually she was able to move again. Only to find herself posed into funny positions by Anya and Kennedy who were standing in front of her sniggering at how they'd managed to get her hand to stay up like she was the statue of Liberty. Her hand out the side now holding the tv remote Anya had just added as the next layer of the joke.

Buffy walked through the house slowly, taking everything in with each step - ignoring the laughter coming from Anya at Dawn's unfortunate state. Xander was watching the potentials with Spike and Andrew was attempting to try and cook something. Tara and Willow were upstairs, Kennedy had agreed to sleep downstairs in the living room in order to give them some space. When Buffy strolled into their room, she leaned calmly on the door before knocking gently, trying not to disturb them but to inform them of her presence. Willow and Tara were sitting opposite each other on the bed, legs crossed, backs straight, eyes closed and hands entwined. They were clearly concentrating on something and Buffy would've come back but she needed to say what was in her head.

"Sorry is now a bad time?" Buffy asked quietly, they'd both looked towards her after her slow knock. "I can come back." She really couldn't. What was on Buffy's mind right now was important, she needed Willow to know where they stood, where she stood with both of them. After the summer they hadn't really talked about it, and Buffy had decided talking was the thing they needed, even if she had so many things to do, her friends were still people she loved and she needed to care for and protect them.

"No - Buffy stay, come in, sit down." The reply came from Tara who gestured for Buffy to come over to them, Willow softly opened her eyes and instinctively grasped at her stomach when the trance keeping her from the pain broke and it came flooding back into her. Tara gave her a gentle smile with her eyes and squeezed her hand tightly. Buffy was about to ask whether she was ok, but the connection between them seemed to confirm it.

Buffy sat and just watched them for a bit, their loose meditation and glances towards each other seemed to be healing Willow faster than rest and fluids. She'd come in intending to seek forgiveness at her own doubt, but seeing them together, it made her want to sob and smile at the same time. "How do you guys do that?" She asked softly, forgetting her original question and just looking at them.

Willow and Tara both looked at her confused. Both blinking with wide eyes and trying to surmise an answer to what Buffy had said. "Do what?" Willow said, glancing back at Tara - their hands still wrapped around each other. Fingers stroking lightly over soft skin, gentle caresses over the surface - loving touch.

"Well I mean that you guys have like this thing between you. You always connect, without talking, and I know we have the whole telepathy thing but this is different, it's like I can feel your love for each other." Buffy replied a little sheepishly, it kinda felt like when she was with Angel but different, not hers to feel. It was her best friend, she couldn't explain it, she just knew how much they loved each other. It was weird, all that time, weeks had gone by and Willow hadn't been in the house and Tara would trudge in and out at all hours. Buffy had often found herself asking why she didn't just sleep in their room or take a break from taking care of Willow? But seeing them today, seeing Tara in tears bent over a Willow she couldn't see. It put everything in perspective.

And she'd seen it before, the summer before when the world had almost ended (again) and Tara had cried. It hadn't dawned on her what it meant before, what it meant to give yourself to someone. She hadn't with Angel - not completely, well she had but he'd left, she'd still had the strength to kill him, to push him away. But Tara hadn't done that. She'd stuck by Willow no matter what, even if Xander had gotten hurt, she always had her priorities. And by the time she'd got to Riley she was emotionally shutdown, like a widow in her old age - she had no time for him, no care to make him a priority, confide in him when she was down. That's why he'd left. That's why Spike had done what he had, he couldn't get through to her, it didn't make his actions anymore justified but it did give him a reason.

Willow and Tara pondered this question for a few moments, eyes locking as the thought about it, before Tara gave a final look down at their hands and answered. "It's always been there. The moment our hands connected, that night in the laundry room - the night we were running from the gentleman." She gave Willow a glance and smile before continuing. "We-" But Willow squeezed her hand lightly as if to say 'baby, I got this.'

"We touched for the first time." Buffy gave a raised eyebrow but allowed her to continue. "Not like that." She gave her a light smack on the arm and went on, not before catching the smirk on Tara's lips. "Our hands connected, linked together for the first time and I felt it. Well we felt it, together. I didn't let go afterwards, just get on gripping onto her because she felt like home even though we'd just met. I don't know, there was always something there that was more than magic, the magic amplifies the love we already have. And I just know that I would do anything for her." Tara looked down and blushed at this which Willow caught and prevented.

Willow took hold of her chin and lifted it back up so that their eyes lock as the tips of the redhead's fingers stroked her skin and cupped Tara's cheek. "I mean it, you take so much time to look after me and care for me and I'm so grateful and I so love you." Willow had pretty much began to ignore Buffy's presence in the room, as they just stared at each other. Love oozing.

"I'm just gonna go." Buffy said, finally standing and gesturing with her thumb that she was leaving the room, but the whip of Tara's face towards her stopped her steps. She hair flipping outwards as her fingers grasped around the slayer's forearm and pull her back slightly - trying not to seem violent but needing the other girl's attention.

"No Buffy wait, sorry we didn't really answer your question. There's no big secret, just communication and honesty." Tara said just catching Buffy's arm as she walked away from them smiling. She looked back at her best friend - best friends she realised that someone was getting it right. And she was happy for them, happy Willow was back in the house and happy Tara would have someone making sure she was ok again.

"Thanks guys, you're the ones who make me believe love can exist in times of evil. And I have to thank you for that because what we're about to face, and what we're about to go through together when we face this thing. I'm not going to be able to tell you how much you guys mean to me, and how you help me and how much I need you. So I need to say it now so you know." And with that Buffy turned her back to the witches and left the room leaving them entangled and in love and living in each second separately because they knew very soon it's all going to get worse. End of the world worse. I know, another apocalypse huh?