25th June 2001

"Do you ever wonder what would have happened if Glory had of won?"
"I try not to, but yeah I do." Tara sighed slightly as she finished, and Willow reached forward to touch her cheek gently.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to remind you about what happened." She stared at her lovers face for a few seconds, thinking "You so don't have to answer this if you don't want to, and just tell me where to stick it if you don't and I'll never bring it up again, but… What was it like? In that place I mean."
"It's okay, honestly."
"Are you sure." Will leant back on her pillow, "Oh, I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm sorry."
Tara turned onto her side, leaning her chin on one hand, and bringing the other to drape across Willow's trunk, gently stroking the arm furthest from her.


"I wanted to tell you before, and I'm sorry if I haven't. I didn't want to be going on about me when we had so much else to think about." She smiled reassuringly before continuing, "It… it was awful. I could see out of my eyes and hear and smell and feel everything, but I couldn't respond. I was screaming sometimes to be heard, but there were so many other, strange voices screaming inside my head with it that I couldn't tell which one I had spoken aloud. There were two voices though that I heard clearly, one was yours, and the other was a voice inside me, that never stopped asking 'willow, where's willow? Where is she?' It wasn't mine, because you were always there, that I'll always remember. There was a pain, the pain of being lonely and dirty and scared and alone, and nothing would numb that pain, but if I could feel you close it made it slightly easier to bear, and I thought, that even if I'm like this for the rest of my life, I could put up with that pain, because of you. I'd do that."
"Oh Tara!" Willow took her into her arms and held her tightly. "I'm so sorry I couldn't get there in time. That dragon, that stupid dragon, I kept blaming it on the dragon, but it wasn't; it was my fault. I'm so sorry you had to go through that because of me."
"But I'm not in that place anymore. Because of you. I was so lost, but you found me."
They pulled back until their faces met in a deep kiss, a renewal and confirmation of the love that had been declared between them over the last year and a half, and finally came to rest, arms embracing the other, and their foreheads touching.
"I told you; I'll always find you."

By ten that morning the pair were up and dressed and eating a late breakfast in the magic box with Dawn and Giles. Giles was eating a large muffin and looking over some account books for the shop, willow was nose deep in a book, and Dawn and Tara were pouring over a glossy magazine. Suddenly Giles looked up and smiled, laughing slightly through his nose.
"What?" Willow asked, intrigued.
"Nothing. It's just so quiet. It's hardly ever this quiet. It's nice." Giles, said, relaxing back into his chair.
"Doesn't quiet usually mean that something bad's gonna happen?" Tara asked quietly.
"Ooo. She's right, especially if somebody happens to point out that it's quiet." Dawn added, and they all suddenly glared at Giles.
"Oh for goodness sakes girls. You can be so superstitious."
"Yeah I suppose that being wary of the supernatural is a bit ridiculous, especially when you're living on the hell mouth!" Dawn grinned at the unfortunate irony.
"Really Dawn; you sounded just like…" he went quiet for a minute and removed his glasses awkwardly, "you sounded just like Buffy then."
"Sense of humour must run in the family then mustn't it?" Dawn said, and smiled weakly at Giles.
"Indeed." Giles said simply, and stood up to put the accounts back in it's place behind the counter, but as he turned back, the back door suddenly opened and three archers walked calmly into the store, aiming crossbows at Giles and the girls.

"Stay exactly where you are." The tallest of the three growled. He was the only male of the little ensemble and appeared to be in charge. A scar tore across his face, leaving him with a harsh look, and a deep squint in his left eye, and the wound appeared to be recent. The two females stood on either side of him, looking equally serious, and all three appeared to belong to some kind of army like uniformity.
"What exactly do you think you are doing?" Giles asked, trying desperately to keep a cool head.
"We're looking for the slayer."
"Well I'm afraid you won't find her here. The slayer is in jail for murder and won't be leaving for a very long time thank god." Willow said, glaring at the trio. "Now if You don't leave and go back to where you came from you will have to deal with me." She levitated a vase from it's stand near the centre of the room and sent it hurtling to the wall above the intruders where it smash dramatically, spraying fragments over them.
Just at that moment the entrance bell rang and everyone turned to see Anya and Xander standing in the doorway.
"What the hell…" Xander began, but was quickly cut off by the twang and whooshing of a fast speeding arrow, released from the scared man's crossbow, that was heading straight for Xander, but was suddenly stopped short. Xander winced, awaiting the pain that would follow the arrows impact, but as the seconds ticked on and the pain failed to arrive, Xander sneaked open his eyes and looked, as did everyone else, in amazement to Dawn, who was standing, shocked and holding the arrow in question in her raised right fist.



tbc - part three coming very soon… REVIEW ME!!!!!!!!! please