Sarah Alder had been there her whole life up on that pedestal and suddenly without her Tally hadn't been sure how to live in a world without her. Those long, exhausting months on the run put in perspective what they had taken for granted. Tally knew she had screwed up, ruined Sarah Alder's life and everything she had worked so hard to create. And now, now she didn't have the chance to apologize.

To tell her how sorry she was and how naive she had been, Sarah Alder's fall from grace wasn't what she had wanted. The young witch felt so lonely now, everyone had someone and she had no one. And she longed for her again. She missed her almost as much as she had when she was debiddied, maybe more. She hadn't realized her own feelings for the older woman until she was gone.

It felt as if a part of her had died along with her that day and now she was so unsure of herself and the future. She had wanted to give up, she was going to. Right there on that battlefield. That is until she came back into her life. How very Sarah Alder of her to ride in on a horse with her flowing brunette hair dressed like some dashing victorian suitor. Reaching a hand out for Tally to grasp onto and pulling her onto the back of the horse before they rode away.

And Tally was speechless as she stared at the back of the woman's head in, the amount of emotions flowing through her as she tried to process what had just happened overwhelmed her. They rode for what felt like hours, until the sun set and only then did they begin to slow to a stop. Sarah dismounted first and scanned the horizon for enemies. Finding everything was clear she held a hand out to the younger witch who stared at it for a minute before taking it and following down after her.

Tally stared at her, "Are you real? How are you here right now?"

"I am very real, the Mother brought me back."

And for a moment it dawned on her, "You just left everyone else behind!"

Sarah raised her hands in defense, "You need not worry, my friend the Marshal will be gathering them shortly and bringing them along to the safehouse."

"The Marshal? Do you know him? What safehouse?"

"Demanding answers as always. I see some things never change even with my absence. Or perhaps in my presence you are always so demanding?"

Tally opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"You needn't worry Tally Craven, the Marshal is a very old friend of mine. He taught me the work for biddies. As you may have noticed his own? He has a safehouse here in the Cession where you and your….friends will stay," Sarah grabbed the reins from the horse and gave it a light tug as she began to walk with it, Tally following at her side.

"What about you? Everything has fallen apart since the attack on Fort Salem and we need you," the I need you echoing in her mind, "Stay and help us."

"I'm sorry, Tally Craven. I can not, I have to find the stewards of the first song, it's imperative in healing the world," Sarah turned her attention away from the younger witch as she continued, "Besides I do remember very much how you all didn't need my help anymore, you made sure of that."

The wave of guilt washed over Tally again and she knew she deserved it, "We were wrong, I was wrong and I'm sorry for everything I took from you. But please we need you now more than ever."

They reached the edge of a forest and Tally spotted a mansion not much further away and she felt that soon she'd be like a prisoner in it.

"I have my mission and you have yours."

Tally scoffed as she folded her arms across her chest, "And what would that be? Running away and hiding? You know they'll turn us into the Camarilla? I….please don't leave, not again."

Sarah's eyes softened and she held a hand out to cup her cheek before stepping in and placing a gentle kiss to her forehead which caused Tally to whimper and to cling onto her jacket.

"We will meet again, Tally Craven. That I promise you. But please for now stay here," Sarah eyed the men coming to greet them and to take Tally into their safety.

Reluctantly Tally pulled away and tried to put on her soldier face and nodded as she walked towards the men, giving one last look behind her at the woman who only gave her the gentlest of smiles before turning and riding off on her horse once more.

The second time they reunited Sarah had come to gather Khalida from them, another steward of the first song. Tally wouldn't admit she was a little jealous of Khalida at that moment. As Khalida ran to say her goodbyes to Adil and Abigail, Tally just stood there in awkward silence as she stared at the older woman who simply stared back at her.

It only took Tally a few steps before she was in front of the older woman again, "Must you leave so soon again?"

"Careful there, Tally, I'll start to think you miss me."

"I do miss you, I've missed you everyday since….it feels like I've been missing you my whole life," Tally didn't hesitate and wrapped her in a hug that Sarah didn't hesitate to return.

Sarah mumbled into her hair, "How I have missed you too."

"Then stay or take me with you, please."

"I'm sorry, Tally, I can't do that," Sarah stepped back from her grasp, "But we will see each other again."

And Tally watched again as Sarah Alder walked away from her.

The third time they reunited wasn't much longer after that, the Camarilla had come and tried to take them away. There Sarah was or rather many Sarah's and Tally watched in horror as she watched the Camarilla explode and Sarah standing where they once stood. The mycelium wouldn't attack Hearst who ran off like the coward he was.

And as the Sarah's disappeared and the one and only stood there barely and Tally ran to her side and caught her in her arms before she fell.

"You're okay, I've got you," Tally didn't want to let her go and so she just stood there as the older woman tried to find her footing again.

As soon as she was able to, Tally wrapped a hand around her waist and helped her walk to the nearest spot to sit. Tally kneeled in front of her and rested her hand on her knee as if to try and ground Sarah as she caught her breath.

"Is it because of them poisoning the mycelium?"

Sarah nodded as she tried to stand and Tally stood with her, "It's getting worse."

"What does that mean for Raelle?"

Sarah's eyes glazed over with that distant look in her eyes and she collapsed to the ground before she could answer. Tally gasping and falling to the ground and grabbing her head in her hands, "Alder!"

But she didn't wake up, when Adil tried to pick her up to carry her in the house Tally lashed out and wouldn't let anyone near her as she cried and held the woman close. It took Abigail reassuring her she'd be fine, that Adil was just going to carry her into the house before Tally relented and let him take her. But she was fast at his side, never breaking eye contact with Sarah Alder's face.

He carried her to Tally's room, or at least where she had been staying while they were there. He could've just laid her on the couch in the living room but Tally insisted on her bed.

He had looked to Abigail who only nodded and he did as he was told and carried her gently up the stairs to Tally's room where he laid her on the bed and backed away slowly and out the door leaving Abigail to stand in the doorway, "Do you need any help, Tal?"

"No, I've got her."

And with that Abigail shut the door and Tally made her way to her bathroom to get a wet washcloth and sat at her side while she wiped the sweat from the pale woman's face.

"Please be okay."

It wasn't until well after midnight that Tally fell asleep at her side clutching Sarah's hand in her own. She awoke to the feeling of fingers combing through her hair and Tally hummed in delight as she nuzzled closer into the woman's side.

"It must not be very comfortable, sleeping like that all night," came the older woman's gravelly voice.

Tally peaked an eye open and looked up at the older woman, "I don't know, it feels alright to me."

Sarah stopped her hand and put it in her lap which caused Tally to pout and to sit up suddenly realizing how sore she was.

"I have to leave soon."

"But you just woke up."

She looked slightly better but still fatigued as she managed to stagger to her feet, Tally rushing to her side to catch her if she collapsed again.

"I've been gone too long, I have to go, I left them all alone."

Tally pouted with jealousy, "You're leaving me all alone too."

Sarah let out a soft chuckle, "We will-"

"See each other again, I know."

Sarah smiled and kissed her forehead, "Promise," before disappearing again and leaving a sad Tally behind.

The fourth time they reunited Tally really wasn't expecting it but she was standing on the front porch of her childhood home, hands in her pockets, looking all dashing again.

"How? You know what nevermind."

Sarah smirked, "And here I thought you'd be happy to see me, Tally Craven."

Tally smirked back, "You know you can just call me, Tally."

Sarah stood so she was face to face with her and brought her hand up to cup her cheek once more, "I should've known. I always seem to find myself coming back to you. No matter how hard I try not to."

"Gee, I'm sorry," Tally blushed and looked away.

"No need to apologize, this time. I'm here for you. You should've known that shouldn't you? I felt it, you just now found your voice. Your part of the first song."

"Am I only important to you because of the first song?"

"You've been important to me longer than you know. You being a steward has nothing to do with how I feel for you and have felt for you," Sarah leaned in closer and brought their foreheads together, "How would you like to go on an adventure, just you and me?"

"I wish you were talking about a vacation but I get the feeling that this isn't going to be sunny and fun."

Sarah pulled back, "Maybe, someday. But not today. I took it upon myself to bring you some warm clothes because knowing you, you probably aren't equipped with the proper clothing for snow," Sarah grabbed a backpack off the step and tossed it at the Knower.

Needless to say, going on an adventure through the snow in Alaska and camping out in a cave was not on her list of things to do, like ever. But getting to be with Sarah Alder, all alone, that was very much on all her lists of things to do. And huddling for warmth in a sleeping bag, she never even thought of putting that on her list. The warmth of Sarah's breath blowing on her cold hands sent shivers down her spine and there definitely wasn't any absence of heat between them now.

And when Sarah looked up from her hands and met Tally's eyes the pull was magnetic as it always was between them. Her warm lips chasing the cold away from the younger witches. When she pulled back Tally whined, "My lips are still cold."

"Is that so? I could heat you up some hot chocolate, it might be better suited for warming you up."

Tally pulled her in, "You know that's not what I want."

"And what Craven wants, she gets," Sarah smiled into their next kiss and the next and the next.

Yep, having sex in a cave in the middle of winter with Sarah Alder was definitely not on her list but she was definitely not complaining.

The fifth time they reunited was on the battlefield, Sarah had shroom zoomed across the world for the final piece of the first song and when things seemed dire she appeared before them all. Her eyes found Tally's like they always did, but they seemed so sad like they knew something that Tally didn't.

And this, she definitely didn't see this happening. Yes, they sang the first song together, they almost lost Raelle. But noble idiot Sarah Alder took her place. She saved Raelle, saved the world, but at the cost of her own life…again.

And as Tally held her head in her hands and Sarah smiled up at her weakly all she could do was cry, "Please, don't leave me."

"We will meet again."

Tally sniffled and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "Promise?"

But Sarah didn't get the chance to promise back, she closed her eyes and faded away and Tally choked on her sob as she watched her disappear again.

It took her months to get herself feeling somewhat functional again, she didn't return to the army. Despite having been previously banned from the Cession she was given permission to stay and help them rebuild and she just felt like she could do more good there then in the army at the moment.

She stayed in the mansion, occasionally saw Thelma and the Marshal checked in on her, she learned a lot from him about Sarah and when they had first met. How grief stricken she was to have to take on biddies despite how much good she had done for so many because of the Salem Accords. And Tally's heart broke all over again at the thought of how much pain and suffering she had to endure.

When the pain of her absence became manageable, bearable, she found herself getting up earlier and going out to the garden with a warm cup of hot chocolate and watching the world around her come to life.

The sixth and final time they reunited came one morning that was slightly warmer with summer setting in. She took her cup with her and where she normally sat she saw her sitting there, waiting. Tally let out a sob as the woman stood and faced her. Tally quickly set the cup on the nearest surface and ran into her arms holding onto her like her life depended on it.

"How?" was all she managed to cry out.

"The Mother brought me back. I'm sorry it took awhile to heal us both," Sarah kissed the crown of her head.

Tally paused and pulled back and smacked her in the arm, "I thought you were dead!"

Sarah rubbed at her arm, "I'm sorry, I kind of was for a little bit."

"Don't you joke about that, Sarah Alder!"

Sarah smiled, "That's the first time you've said my name."

Tally smiled back, "It won't be the last, unless…are you going to leave again?"

The older woman stepped closer and pressed their foreheads together, "Never. Unless you want me to."

Tally pulled her face into a kiss and clung to her until she had her fill, "Stay and never leave."

"Well, when you put it that way. What Tally Craven wants she gets."

A shyness came over Tally as she looked away, "But is it what you want? Do you want to stay?"

Sarah reached a hand out and tilted the young witches gaze to her own, "More than anything. Where you go, I follow."

Tally beamed at her, "Promise?"

And Sarah smiled back with her entire existence, "Promise."