Title: Reconcile
Author: CrazyKidBen
Summary: Willow and Tara rethink the events that led to their break-up. Meanwhile, Buffy, Xander, and Anya wonder what to do about the problem with the Troika. Also, Buffy puts Amy in her place! :D
Spoilers/Continuity: This story takes place after Season Six's episode "Gone" and before "DoubleMeat Palace." There are references to many episodes from season six and previous seasons. Main references include "Tabula Rasa," "All the Way," "Life Serial," "Bargaining, Parts One and Two," and "Smashed"/"Wrecked." Other references include "The Witch," and "Dead Man's Party."
Disclaimer: Okay, here's all that fun legal mumbo-jumbo! Buffy and all other characters are copyright Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Twentieth Century Fox, and many other people with much more money than myself. Also, the song that is at the end of the story is by a band from Indiana, USA, named The Common. The song title is "Refrain." Now, on to your feature presentation!
"Reconcile"
Willow shot up in bed, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her bright red hair moist and sticking to her face. She glanced frantically around the room, panting. She'd been having a nightmare. The only problem was, it was getting harder and harder to tell the nightmares from what was really happening after Rack had done a magick whammy on her. The last time she'd done magick, she had conjured up some sort of hairy beastie that nearly killed both herself and Dawn. She hadn't thought he was real, either, until he cut Dawn's cheek with his talon. That night, she vowed never again to use magick and, since then, she had kept to her word, hard as it was to do so. She couldn't handle the pain caused when things went wrong.
Tara left her because of it, and she loved Tara so much. She still missed her, but tried not to think about her too much. Willow's throat was dry like cotton and she slowly pulled herself out from under the heavy comforter and opened the door into the hallway. Heading down the stairs, she turned to go into the kitchen. Passing through the dining room, her blue pajamas glowed in the moonlight, revealing cows and multiple moos all over them. Willow entered the kitchen and took a glass from the cabinet. She ran some tap water until it was cold and filled the glass, then headed over to the fridge to get some ice from the door.
Suddenly, there was a rattling outside and Willow jumped, spilling some of the water on the floor. She'd lived in Sunnydale long enough to know that anything that rattled was more than just a stray puppy or a trash-picking raccoon. Peeping out the back door's window, she saw Spike, having stumbled over the trashcan as he came up the steps to the back porch. "The biggest raccoon I've seen in a while..." Willow said, humored at her little joke even though no one heard it. Spike went to putting the trash back into the can, careful to make any more noise than he already had. Willow opened the back door and whispered, "What's up?"
Spike, having not expected Willow to be standing there, jumped and the trash can flipped over a second time, "Bloody hell, red! You still up!?"
"Not exactly, I just got up to get some stuff from the kitchen, thirsty. Is there something bad going on?" Willow asked.
"No, not really. Why do you ask? Oh, like Spike can't just come over to visit?"
"At two-thirty in the morning?"
"You thought maybe I'd come by at two-thirty in the afternoon?" Spike asked coyly, leaving the trash where it landed. Then, noticing Willow saw he wasn't going to pick it up, he added, "You'll tell Buffy something else did this, right? I really don't want to pick it all up again."
"Right. I'll just say I noticed this giant cigarette-smoking raccoon going through it when I came down for a glass of water."
Spike quickly put the cigarette back in his pocket at Willow's mention. It would be a dead give away if there was a butt left beside the trash, "Right, then, I'll just be on my way again. Good talking to you, Will," Spike said as he walked back into the woods behind the Summers house, slowly fading into the shadows, his duster blowing in the early morning breeze.
Willow closed the door, locked it, and turned back toward the dining room doorway. 'I wonder what he was really here about...?' Willow thought to herself as she turned to go up the stairs.
There was a frantic knocking on the front door and Willow spilt more of the ice water, "I won't have any left when I get upstairs..." Willow looked out the middle rectangular window to see Tara look down the street, then start to knock again. Willow quickly opened the door and said, "Hurry up! Get in!"
"W-W-Willow! Something's chasing me! I-I was going back to my place- -f-from the library--when it jumped out of the bushes. I could get here faster," Tara said, her voice as frantic as the knocking.
"It's okay, Tara. Buffy's upstairs. She's asleep, but she's upstairs. Not that I'm not happy to see you, but you only come by when something's about to kill you?"
"W-Willow... that's not fair. We're not together anymore, remember? I j-just needed help."
"I know, I didn't mean it that way. I just wish we could work this whole thing out, resolve it. We've only argued twice, Tara. Is that really means for a break up? And I haven't used magick for almost a week."
"R-Really?" Tara asked, a small smile crossing her face despite the fear.
"Yeah. Now, hurry, we have to go get Buffy up," Willow said, turning to run upstairs.
"Wait," Tara said, reaching out for Willow's shoulder.
"What? Is it gone?" Willow said, turning back to Tara.
"I'm it," Tara said, her face distorted in a vampiric way. She grabbed Willow and drank from her neck.
Willow shot up in bed, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her bright red hair moist and sticking to her face. She glanced frantically around the room panting. She'd been having a nightmare.
* * *
"Will, can you walk Dawn to school this morning?" Buffy asked, peeking into the room that was once her mother's.
It didn't bother her as much anymore as it had before, but there were still moments when it did. Like when Buffy would think back to times long ago. Like when the entire group had got into an argument upon her return to Sunnydale for their senior year of high school. She'd run off and left them all after killing Angel to stop the end of the world. She still remembered how they'd planned a huge party for her when she thought it would just be the Scoobies. The whole gang ended up thwarting off zombies. Oz and Cordy had got stuck in the closet downstairs. Buffy, Willow, Xander, Dawn, and Joyce had ran upstairs to Joyce's room and barricaded the door. Buffy smiled as she remembered how her mom had forced Dawn into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She always protected Dawn from seeing too much. Buffy eventually had to kill the leader of the zombies by stabbing her in the eyes with a shovel, but that's just a day in the life of the slayer and her cohorts.
"Will, you up yet?" Buffy asked again, this time more concerned, "Will?"
"Yeah, I'm up..." Willow said, Buffy opening the door in reply.
"What's wrong?" Buffy asked, sitting next to her on the bed.
"I just didn't sleep well last night, bad dreams and all," Willow said, sitting there fully dressed.
"How long have you been up?" Buffy asked, noticing how clean the room was.
"A few hours? Maybe since four? I just noticed how messy the room had gotten since I stopped, well, you know, pulling a Fantasia."
Buffy glanced over to the wardrobe and noticed the box labeled TARA still sitting on a chair next to it. "Tara still hasn't come by to get the last of her stuff?"
"Wha--? Oh, no. Maybe she doesn't want to see me..."
"...Or maybe she's hoping she doesn't need to come back and get it. Maybe it's not totally over, Will. I mean, you've been magick-free for, what, a week now? Come on, that's great! Maybe you should go talk to her?" Buffy suggested.
It felt good for Willow to hear Buffy being so supportive. Buffy hadn't exactly been acting herself since they'd brought her back, and to hear genuine sincerity coming from Buffy was a major improvement.
"I don't know... maybe. I'm not sure how things are going to work out..."
"I don't mean to cut this conversation off, but it's almost eight and I was wondering if you could walk Dawn to school?" Buffy asked.
A little put back by Buffy's sudden change of subject, Willow thought, 'Maybe that human emotions thing is still a work in progress.' "Sure, but where are you headed?"
"I'm going over to the Magic Box to talk with Xander and Anya about our frost monster theory. Now that we know Warren, Jonathan, and... that other guy, Tucker's brother, have been doing all the stuff to me, maybe they are behind the frozen guard at the museum," Buffy said, getting up to head down the stairs.
"Okay. See you later, then." Willow said, getting up and heading down the stairs to the kitchen to check on Dawn. The front door closed behind Buffy as Willow descended the final steps to the main level of the house. "Dawny, are you ready?"
"Yeah..." Dawn said, grabbing the letterman jacket off the stool in the kitchen.
"Hey, Dawn?" Willow asked as they walked out the door.
"What?" Dawn asked curiously as she slipped the jacket on.
"Whose jacket is that?"
"Remember that guy from Halloween night?"
"The one that turned out to be a vampire?"
"Yup, that's the one. It's his. I know I shouldn't have kept it, but he really did like me... I think."
"It's fine. Besides, he's all dusty now, so it's not like you swiped it or anything."
Dawn laughed nervously, "Yeah..."
The bell rang annoyingly as Buffy entered the Magic Box. Every time it dinged she was about point-two seconds from tearing it off the hinges. It always reminded her of the time-loop she went through the only day she worked at the shop. She sighed heavily as she said, "Remember to kill those losers for that one..." She noticed Anya and Xander were nowhere to be found and a little concern welled up inside.
"Xand? Anya? Anybody here?"
"Well, I've been waiting for about ten minutes and I can't find anyone..." came a voice from behind the shelves.
Buffy spun around to see Amy standing there, holding a couple candles, some herbs, and some incense, "I mean, is anyone working here?"
Buffy grabbed Amy by the shoulder and got really close to her face, "Amy. I haven't had a chance to thank you for nearly getting my sister killed."
"I did something that serious? What? Was this also when I was a rat for two years?"
"No, actually, this was about a week ago. Remember Rack and all that fun? Well, Will took Dawn with her and they both nearly died. Since you showed the place to Willow, I'd say it's your fault, wouldn't you?"
"Well, I--"
"Did I ask you to speak? Well, technically I did, but I don't really want to hear you right now since what I have to say is much more important. Willow has been slipping for a lot longer time than you could have possibly known about, but when she brought you back, you should have realized something was wrong. You only helped her tap into something far more dangerous than anything she had ever used before. Now, what I really want you to know is that you are welcome to come see Willow at my house at any time, but not on a witchy level or I'll throw you out, and you know I can do it. In fact, talking about normal, college student stuff? That's a big plus on the Make Buffy Happy chart. You know, I thought you would have learned magick was a serious matter after your mom took your body over our sophomore year."
"I'm not evil like she was. I've never hurt anyone intentionally like she did. And I never will. I think I'll be going now," Amy said, leaving the bundle in her arms on the table by the front door.
"I think that's a good idea," Buffy said, turning to continue her search for Anya and Xander.
The basement door flew open and Xander and Anya came tumbling out, redressing themselves. Upon Buffy's look of disgust, Xander said, "I told you I heard the bell!"
"Is that why you left it up!?" Buffy asked in shock.
"Well, yes," said Anya, "Did you want something?"
"I just thought we should go in another direction with our frost monster search. It's probably Jonathan and those other guys, not some sort of demon."
"You think Jonathan the mouth-breather could possibly make a freeze ray?" Anya asked, laughing.
"Hun, he is working with Warren and they did make that invisibility gun," Xander said.
"Okay, we'll look. But, shouldn't we get some magick brewing. Like, some sort of locator for them?" Anya asked.
"Willow got the address--"
"But she isn't supposed to be doing magick!"
"She's not, she used the computer..." Buffy said.
"Oh. Well, I know she can't do magick anymore, but I miss it! It was fun to watch, as long as she didn't use merchandise that she hadn't purchased to do it. And, while I'm at it, I miss Tara! She saved my life from the demons on motorcycles! And with magick, though in that instance it wasn't as fun to watch as much as a relief that I wasn't going to die."
"Anya, we talked about this. Tara isn't around because she doesn't have a reason to be. If her and Willow have split, then Tara isn't going to waste her time around here," Xander said.
"Wasting her time! Xander, are you insane! I'm running a magick shop! Why would it be a waste of her time to stop in!" Anya said, whacking him over the head with a pen.
"I-it wouldn't be," Tara said, stepping through the door.
"Tara! Good to see ya! Now, things I want are happening. Now if Xander would marry me and become a millionaire, I'd be set for life, like that delightful children's game that I always win," Anya said.
Tara smiled a little and stepped down to where the others were standing, "I needed a few candles and, well, where else would I go to get them? There aren't any other suppliers in Sunnydale that also carry eye of newt..."
"How sweet! You aren't getting a discount," Anya said flatly, but also hugging Tara the way she always hugs people.
"It's nice to see you guys... how-how's Willow?" Tara asked, looking at Buffy.
"Better. She hasn't used magick for a week now. You know, some of your stuff is still at the house. I don't mind, but it may be leaving Will with some mixed messages."
"I know... It's just that I haven't completely made my mind up yet. I'm back in my old dorm room for right now, but... everything's so complicated, you know? I tell her not to use magick, but I've used it so many times. Doesn't that make me a hypocrite?"
"Hardly," Xander said, "You know your limits. Willow was spiraling out of control. She didn't know when to stop. Not like she used to..."
"I know, but how do I get her to see that? Any magick use now, and she'd probably go right back to doing everything with magick," Tara said, looking down at the items she had picked up, "Maybe I should spend some time with her, show her I don't need magick either."
"That's a good idea. She walked Dawn to school, maybe she's home by now," said Buffy.
"Okay, I'll go back over to your place and see. Thanks guys, it was nice to see you again," Tara said, sitting her items down on the counter and leaving.
Anya, noticing the other pile by the door, exclaimed loudly, "What!? Does no one buy items anymore!? Maybe I should switch to a 'you touch, you buy' system. Perhaps then I would gain prosperity?"
Willow walked in the front door and crashed on the couch. She was feeling the effects of last night's sleep deprivation. She fell into a deep sleep.
Tara walked up to the front door and knocked. Deciding Willow wasn't back yet, she turned and headed back down the street after waiting for a few minutes.
Dawn walked into the magick shop at around three. Buffy, Xander, and Anya were sitting at the large round table talking and checking books, so she picked up one of the candles sitting by the door and slipped it into her backpack. Buffy had made Dawn get rid of all her candles when Willow had gone anti-magick. After zipping her pack, she headed to the table, "Hey guys, what's up?"
"Nothing really, Dawnmeister," Xander said, "Just the usual fun with circles that involves running."
"How was school?" Buffy asked.
"Good," said Dawn, "I did last night's homework and the teacher's all say I'm improving."
"That's great! Now Buffy won't have to lose you or threaten people to let her keep you!" Anya said cheerfully, "Today certainly is a good day. Dawn's academic progress has improved, Xander and I played 'Shiver Me Timbers' in the basement, and Tara stopped by--"
"Tara was here? Did she want to do something with me?" Dawn asked.
"Not particularly, but she didn't say she didn't want to. She was picking up some supplies, but decided not to at the last minute. She was going to go talk to Willow."
"That's good. They haven't talked for a while and that's probably where their real problem is," Dawn said, looking at the pile of items on the counter. Off everyone's look, she added, "What? I can't have advice sometimes? I'm going to head home, I've got some school stuff to do tonight, too." Dawn said as she left the shop, bell ringing behind her.
"At least she didn't pick stuff up and then lay it back down somewhere else. It's such a drag to reshelf items," Anya said.
"I'm just glad she didn't catch the 'Shiver Me Timbers' reference," Buffy said.
Dawn walked in the front door and saw Willow sleeping soundly on the couch in the living room. Deciding it was best not to wake her, she headed upstairs. After closing her door, Dawn reached into her desk drawer and pulled out the pack of matches she had stuck to the underside of her desk. She sat the candle on her desk and yanked some books out of her backpack, preparing to do some algebra. She lit the candle and turned on her CD player.
Willow woke up after the sun had gone down and decided to head over to the Bronze. Without Amy, she would be less tempted to do some transmogrification, and she could go for a mocha and a buttery croissant. She pulled on her ruby colored coat and headed out the door, leaving a note on the couch.
"Well, once again we got a whole lot of nothing accomplished with this get together, and nobody bought anything today!" Anya muttered, "But today was a good day despite all that, and my good mood is still in tact!"
"Well, goodnight, guys. I think I'm going to swing by the Espresso Pump before going home. Need a little jolt before checking on Dawn and patrolling," Buffy said, heading down Main Street.
"Goodnight, Buff."
Tara headed over to Buffy's house again, this time hoping Willow would be up. She would have tried sooner, but she'd had to get back to UC Sunnydale for a couple more classes. She knocked and was about to turn back around when she saw Dawn coming down the stairs. She waited and Dawn opened the door and greeted Tara, but didn't move for Tara to step inside.
"Dawn, is something wrong?" Tara asked.
"No," Dawn said, moving out of the way, "Why would something be wrong?"
"I don't know, it's just really quiet," Tara said, remembering the last time she and Dawn had been at the house alone and what Willow had been doing.
"Well," Dawn said, heading into the living room, "...Here's a note," Dawn said, reading it out loud, "I went over to the Bronze to relax a little. Slept all day, wanted to actually do something tonight. By myself, though. Be back later. Willow."
"I think I'm going to head over there, do you want to come with?" Tara asked.
"Sure. I have a little more homework, but it can wait for a little while. I need a break," Dawn said, picking up the letterman jacket.
Willow sat at a small table alone, sipping the mocha. The live band played and the song's words really stuck with her.
"Simple days are dead and gone. If they were ever here, it was never for long," the lead vocalist sang, strumming his guitar, "Do you remember summer skies and walking in the sun? Memories lost in the grass. Beauty wasn't built to last. But I would trade anything for one day in the sun with you."
Tara walked into the Bronze for the first time since she had gone with the other Scoobies to save Dawn from the singing, tap dancing demon. She looked around for Willow, Dawn in tow. Dawn saw Janice and another friend from school and went to talk to them. Tara's attention turned to the lyric's coming from the stage as she searched the club.
"Yesterday how could we know today we'd be on our own? The dull knife of experience has cut me to the bone. Write it down just like it was. At the bottom sign your name. As the days go flashing by we'll never be the same."
Tara found Willow sitting alone, tearing pieces from a croissant. She walked over and sat across from her. Reaching out to lay her hand on top of Willow's, she looked deeply into Willow's eyes and smiled. Tara leaned forward and said, "I won't use magick either if it means keeping you."
Dawn's friends had left and she now leaned against a column close to the stage, listening to the band. The letterman jacket was folded neatly over her arm, but she pulled it closer to her chin, burying her face in it. "I've heard it all before, it always sounds the same. We always die alone, and that will never change. I've heard it all before, it always sounds the same. We always die alone, and that will never change.
I've heard it all before, it always sounds the same. We always die alone, and that will never change."
Buffy walked passed the cemetery Spike's crypt was in and kept walking. "I've heard it all before, it always sounds the same. We always die alone, and that will never change. I've heard it all before, it always sounds the same. We always die alone, and that will never change."
Author: CrazyKidBen
Summary: Willow and Tara rethink the events that led to their break-up. Meanwhile, Buffy, Xander, and Anya wonder what to do about the problem with the Troika. Also, Buffy puts Amy in her place! :D
Spoilers/Continuity: This story takes place after Season Six's episode "Gone" and before "DoubleMeat Palace." There are references to many episodes from season six and previous seasons. Main references include "Tabula Rasa," "All the Way," "Life Serial," "Bargaining, Parts One and Two," and "Smashed"/"Wrecked." Other references include "The Witch," and "Dead Man's Party."
Disclaimer: Okay, here's all that fun legal mumbo-jumbo! Buffy and all other characters are copyright Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Twentieth Century Fox, and many other people with much more money than myself. Also, the song that is at the end of the story is by a band from Indiana, USA, named The Common. The song title is "Refrain." Now, on to your feature presentation!
"Reconcile"
Willow shot up in bed, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her bright red hair moist and sticking to her face. She glanced frantically around the room, panting. She'd been having a nightmare. The only problem was, it was getting harder and harder to tell the nightmares from what was really happening after Rack had done a magick whammy on her. The last time she'd done magick, she had conjured up some sort of hairy beastie that nearly killed both herself and Dawn. She hadn't thought he was real, either, until he cut Dawn's cheek with his talon. That night, she vowed never again to use magick and, since then, she had kept to her word, hard as it was to do so. She couldn't handle the pain caused when things went wrong.
Tara left her because of it, and she loved Tara so much. She still missed her, but tried not to think about her too much. Willow's throat was dry like cotton and she slowly pulled herself out from under the heavy comforter and opened the door into the hallway. Heading down the stairs, she turned to go into the kitchen. Passing through the dining room, her blue pajamas glowed in the moonlight, revealing cows and multiple moos all over them. Willow entered the kitchen and took a glass from the cabinet. She ran some tap water until it was cold and filled the glass, then headed over to the fridge to get some ice from the door.
Suddenly, there was a rattling outside and Willow jumped, spilling some of the water on the floor. She'd lived in Sunnydale long enough to know that anything that rattled was more than just a stray puppy or a trash-picking raccoon. Peeping out the back door's window, she saw Spike, having stumbled over the trashcan as he came up the steps to the back porch. "The biggest raccoon I've seen in a while..." Willow said, humored at her little joke even though no one heard it. Spike went to putting the trash back into the can, careful to make any more noise than he already had. Willow opened the back door and whispered, "What's up?"
Spike, having not expected Willow to be standing there, jumped and the trash can flipped over a second time, "Bloody hell, red! You still up!?"
"Not exactly, I just got up to get some stuff from the kitchen, thirsty. Is there something bad going on?" Willow asked.
"No, not really. Why do you ask? Oh, like Spike can't just come over to visit?"
"At two-thirty in the morning?"
"You thought maybe I'd come by at two-thirty in the afternoon?" Spike asked coyly, leaving the trash where it landed. Then, noticing Willow saw he wasn't going to pick it up, he added, "You'll tell Buffy something else did this, right? I really don't want to pick it all up again."
"Right. I'll just say I noticed this giant cigarette-smoking raccoon going through it when I came down for a glass of water."
Spike quickly put the cigarette back in his pocket at Willow's mention. It would be a dead give away if there was a butt left beside the trash, "Right, then, I'll just be on my way again. Good talking to you, Will," Spike said as he walked back into the woods behind the Summers house, slowly fading into the shadows, his duster blowing in the early morning breeze.
Willow closed the door, locked it, and turned back toward the dining room doorway. 'I wonder what he was really here about...?' Willow thought to herself as she turned to go up the stairs.
There was a frantic knocking on the front door and Willow spilt more of the ice water, "I won't have any left when I get upstairs..." Willow looked out the middle rectangular window to see Tara look down the street, then start to knock again. Willow quickly opened the door and said, "Hurry up! Get in!"
"W-W-Willow! Something's chasing me! I-I was going back to my place- -f-from the library--when it jumped out of the bushes. I could get here faster," Tara said, her voice as frantic as the knocking.
"It's okay, Tara. Buffy's upstairs. She's asleep, but she's upstairs. Not that I'm not happy to see you, but you only come by when something's about to kill you?"
"W-Willow... that's not fair. We're not together anymore, remember? I j-just needed help."
"I know, I didn't mean it that way. I just wish we could work this whole thing out, resolve it. We've only argued twice, Tara. Is that really means for a break up? And I haven't used magick for almost a week."
"R-Really?" Tara asked, a small smile crossing her face despite the fear.
"Yeah. Now, hurry, we have to go get Buffy up," Willow said, turning to run upstairs.
"Wait," Tara said, reaching out for Willow's shoulder.
"What? Is it gone?" Willow said, turning back to Tara.
"I'm it," Tara said, her face distorted in a vampiric way. She grabbed Willow and drank from her neck.
Willow shot up in bed, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her bright red hair moist and sticking to her face. She glanced frantically around the room panting. She'd been having a nightmare.
* * *
"Will, can you walk Dawn to school this morning?" Buffy asked, peeking into the room that was once her mother's.
It didn't bother her as much anymore as it had before, but there were still moments when it did. Like when Buffy would think back to times long ago. Like when the entire group had got into an argument upon her return to Sunnydale for their senior year of high school. She'd run off and left them all after killing Angel to stop the end of the world. She still remembered how they'd planned a huge party for her when she thought it would just be the Scoobies. The whole gang ended up thwarting off zombies. Oz and Cordy had got stuck in the closet downstairs. Buffy, Willow, Xander, Dawn, and Joyce had ran upstairs to Joyce's room and barricaded the door. Buffy smiled as she remembered how her mom had forced Dawn into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She always protected Dawn from seeing too much. Buffy eventually had to kill the leader of the zombies by stabbing her in the eyes with a shovel, but that's just a day in the life of the slayer and her cohorts.
"Will, you up yet?" Buffy asked again, this time more concerned, "Will?"
"Yeah, I'm up..." Willow said, Buffy opening the door in reply.
"What's wrong?" Buffy asked, sitting next to her on the bed.
"I just didn't sleep well last night, bad dreams and all," Willow said, sitting there fully dressed.
"How long have you been up?" Buffy asked, noticing how clean the room was.
"A few hours? Maybe since four? I just noticed how messy the room had gotten since I stopped, well, you know, pulling a Fantasia."
Buffy glanced over to the wardrobe and noticed the box labeled TARA still sitting on a chair next to it. "Tara still hasn't come by to get the last of her stuff?"
"Wha--? Oh, no. Maybe she doesn't want to see me..."
"...Or maybe she's hoping she doesn't need to come back and get it. Maybe it's not totally over, Will. I mean, you've been magick-free for, what, a week now? Come on, that's great! Maybe you should go talk to her?" Buffy suggested.
It felt good for Willow to hear Buffy being so supportive. Buffy hadn't exactly been acting herself since they'd brought her back, and to hear genuine sincerity coming from Buffy was a major improvement.
"I don't know... maybe. I'm not sure how things are going to work out..."
"I don't mean to cut this conversation off, but it's almost eight and I was wondering if you could walk Dawn to school?" Buffy asked.
A little put back by Buffy's sudden change of subject, Willow thought, 'Maybe that human emotions thing is still a work in progress.' "Sure, but where are you headed?"
"I'm going over to the Magic Box to talk with Xander and Anya about our frost monster theory. Now that we know Warren, Jonathan, and... that other guy, Tucker's brother, have been doing all the stuff to me, maybe they are behind the frozen guard at the museum," Buffy said, getting up to head down the stairs.
"Okay. See you later, then." Willow said, getting up and heading down the stairs to the kitchen to check on Dawn. The front door closed behind Buffy as Willow descended the final steps to the main level of the house. "Dawny, are you ready?"
"Yeah..." Dawn said, grabbing the letterman jacket off the stool in the kitchen.
"Hey, Dawn?" Willow asked as they walked out the door.
"What?" Dawn asked curiously as she slipped the jacket on.
"Whose jacket is that?"
"Remember that guy from Halloween night?"
"The one that turned out to be a vampire?"
"Yup, that's the one. It's his. I know I shouldn't have kept it, but he really did like me... I think."
"It's fine. Besides, he's all dusty now, so it's not like you swiped it or anything."
Dawn laughed nervously, "Yeah..."
The bell rang annoyingly as Buffy entered the Magic Box. Every time it dinged she was about point-two seconds from tearing it off the hinges. It always reminded her of the time-loop she went through the only day she worked at the shop. She sighed heavily as she said, "Remember to kill those losers for that one..." She noticed Anya and Xander were nowhere to be found and a little concern welled up inside.
"Xand? Anya? Anybody here?"
"Well, I've been waiting for about ten minutes and I can't find anyone..." came a voice from behind the shelves.
Buffy spun around to see Amy standing there, holding a couple candles, some herbs, and some incense, "I mean, is anyone working here?"
Buffy grabbed Amy by the shoulder and got really close to her face, "Amy. I haven't had a chance to thank you for nearly getting my sister killed."
"I did something that serious? What? Was this also when I was a rat for two years?"
"No, actually, this was about a week ago. Remember Rack and all that fun? Well, Will took Dawn with her and they both nearly died. Since you showed the place to Willow, I'd say it's your fault, wouldn't you?"
"Well, I--"
"Did I ask you to speak? Well, technically I did, but I don't really want to hear you right now since what I have to say is much more important. Willow has been slipping for a lot longer time than you could have possibly known about, but when she brought you back, you should have realized something was wrong. You only helped her tap into something far more dangerous than anything she had ever used before. Now, what I really want you to know is that you are welcome to come see Willow at my house at any time, but not on a witchy level or I'll throw you out, and you know I can do it. In fact, talking about normal, college student stuff? That's a big plus on the Make Buffy Happy chart. You know, I thought you would have learned magick was a serious matter after your mom took your body over our sophomore year."
"I'm not evil like she was. I've never hurt anyone intentionally like she did. And I never will. I think I'll be going now," Amy said, leaving the bundle in her arms on the table by the front door.
"I think that's a good idea," Buffy said, turning to continue her search for Anya and Xander.
The basement door flew open and Xander and Anya came tumbling out, redressing themselves. Upon Buffy's look of disgust, Xander said, "I told you I heard the bell!"
"Is that why you left it up!?" Buffy asked in shock.
"Well, yes," said Anya, "Did you want something?"
"I just thought we should go in another direction with our frost monster search. It's probably Jonathan and those other guys, not some sort of demon."
"You think Jonathan the mouth-breather could possibly make a freeze ray?" Anya asked, laughing.
"Hun, he is working with Warren and they did make that invisibility gun," Xander said.
"Okay, we'll look. But, shouldn't we get some magick brewing. Like, some sort of locator for them?" Anya asked.
"Willow got the address--"
"But she isn't supposed to be doing magick!"
"She's not, she used the computer..." Buffy said.
"Oh. Well, I know she can't do magick anymore, but I miss it! It was fun to watch, as long as she didn't use merchandise that she hadn't purchased to do it. And, while I'm at it, I miss Tara! She saved my life from the demons on motorcycles! And with magick, though in that instance it wasn't as fun to watch as much as a relief that I wasn't going to die."
"Anya, we talked about this. Tara isn't around because she doesn't have a reason to be. If her and Willow have split, then Tara isn't going to waste her time around here," Xander said.
"Wasting her time! Xander, are you insane! I'm running a magick shop! Why would it be a waste of her time to stop in!" Anya said, whacking him over the head with a pen.
"I-it wouldn't be," Tara said, stepping through the door.
"Tara! Good to see ya! Now, things I want are happening. Now if Xander would marry me and become a millionaire, I'd be set for life, like that delightful children's game that I always win," Anya said.
Tara smiled a little and stepped down to where the others were standing, "I needed a few candles and, well, where else would I go to get them? There aren't any other suppliers in Sunnydale that also carry eye of newt..."
"How sweet! You aren't getting a discount," Anya said flatly, but also hugging Tara the way she always hugs people.
"It's nice to see you guys... how-how's Willow?" Tara asked, looking at Buffy.
"Better. She hasn't used magick for a week now. You know, some of your stuff is still at the house. I don't mind, but it may be leaving Will with some mixed messages."
"I know... It's just that I haven't completely made my mind up yet. I'm back in my old dorm room for right now, but... everything's so complicated, you know? I tell her not to use magick, but I've used it so many times. Doesn't that make me a hypocrite?"
"Hardly," Xander said, "You know your limits. Willow was spiraling out of control. She didn't know when to stop. Not like she used to..."
"I know, but how do I get her to see that? Any magick use now, and she'd probably go right back to doing everything with magick," Tara said, looking down at the items she had picked up, "Maybe I should spend some time with her, show her I don't need magick either."
"That's a good idea. She walked Dawn to school, maybe she's home by now," said Buffy.
"Okay, I'll go back over to your place and see. Thanks guys, it was nice to see you again," Tara said, sitting her items down on the counter and leaving.
Anya, noticing the other pile by the door, exclaimed loudly, "What!? Does no one buy items anymore!? Maybe I should switch to a 'you touch, you buy' system. Perhaps then I would gain prosperity?"
Willow walked in the front door and crashed on the couch. She was feeling the effects of last night's sleep deprivation. She fell into a deep sleep.
Tara walked up to the front door and knocked. Deciding Willow wasn't back yet, she turned and headed back down the street after waiting for a few minutes.
Dawn walked into the magick shop at around three. Buffy, Xander, and Anya were sitting at the large round table talking and checking books, so she picked up one of the candles sitting by the door and slipped it into her backpack. Buffy had made Dawn get rid of all her candles when Willow had gone anti-magick. After zipping her pack, she headed to the table, "Hey guys, what's up?"
"Nothing really, Dawnmeister," Xander said, "Just the usual fun with circles that involves running."
"How was school?" Buffy asked.
"Good," said Dawn, "I did last night's homework and the teacher's all say I'm improving."
"That's great! Now Buffy won't have to lose you or threaten people to let her keep you!" Anya said cheerfully, "Today certainly is a good day. Dawn's academic progress has improved, Xander and I played 'Shiver Me Timbers' in the basement, and Tara stopped by--"
"Tara was here? Did she want to do something with me?" Dawn asked.
"Not particularly, but she didn't say she didn't want to. She was picking up some supplies, but decided not to at the last minute. She was going to go talk to Willow."
"That's good. They haven't talked for a while and that's probably where their real problem is," Dawn said, looking at the pile of items on the counter. Off everyone's look, she added, "What? I can't have advice sometimes? I'm going to head home, I've got some school stuff to do tonight, too." Dawn said as she left the shop, bell ringing behind her.
"At least she didn't pick stuff up and then lay it back down somewhere else. It's such a drag to reshelf items," Anya said.
"I'm just glad she didn't catch the 'Shiver Me Timbers' reference," Buffy said.
Dawn walked in the front door and saw Willow sleeping soundly on the couch in the living room. Deciding it was best not to wake her, she headed upstairs. After closing her door, Dawn reached into her desk drawer and pulled out the pack of matches she had stuck to the underside of her desk. She sat the candle on her desk and yanked some books out of her backpack, preparing to do some algebra. She lit the candle and turned on her CD player.
Willow woke up after the sun had gone down and decided to head over to the Bronze. Without Amy, she would be less tempted to do some transmogrification, and she could go for a mocha and a buttery croissant. She pulled on her ruby colored coat and headed out the door, leaving a note on the couch.
"Well, once again we got a whole lot of nothing accomplished with this get together, and nobody bought anything today!" Anya muttered, "But today was a good day despite all that, and my good mood is still in tact!"
"Well, goodnight, guys. I think I'm going to swing by the Espresso Pump before going home. Need a little jolt before checking on Dawn and patrolling," Buffy said, heading down Main Street.
"Goodnight, Buff."
Tara headed over to Buffy's house again, this time hoping Willow would be up. She would have tried sooner, but she'd had to get back to UC Sunnydale for a couple more classes. She knocked and was about to turn back around when she saw Dawn coming down the stairs. She waited and Dawn opened the door and greeted Tara, but didn't move for Tara to step inside.
"Dawn, is something wrong?" Tara asked.
"No," Dawn said, moving out of the way, "Why would something be wrong?"
"I don't know, it's just really quiet," Tara said, remembering the last time she and Dawn had been at the house alone and what Willow had been doing.
"Well," Dawn said, heading into the living room, "...Here's a note," Dawn said, reading it out loud, "I went over to the Bronze to relax a little. Slept all day, wanted to actually do something tonight. By myself, though. Be back later. Willow."
"I think I'm going to head over there, do you want to come with?" Tara asked.
"Sure. I have a little more homework, but it can wait for a little while. I need a break," Dawn said, picking up the letterman jacket.
Willow sat at a small table alone, sipping the mocha. The live band played and the song's words really stuck with her.
"Simple days are dead and gone. If they were ever here, it was never for long," the lead vocalist sang, strumming his guitar, "Do you remember summer skies and walking in the sun? Memories lost in the grass. Beauty wasn't built to last. But I would trade anything for one day in the sun with you."
Tara walked into the Bronze for the first time since she had gone with the other Scoobies to save Dawn from the singing, tap dancing demon. She looked around for Willow, Dawn in tow. Dawn saw Janice and another friend from school and went to talk to them. Tara's attention turned to the lyric's coming from the stage as she searched the club.
"Yesterday how could we know today we'd be on our own? The dull knife of experience has cut me to the bone. Write it down just like it was. At the bottom sign your name. As the days go flashing by we'll never be the same."
Tara found Willow sitting alone, tearing pieces from a croissant. She walked over and sat across from her. Reaching out to lay her hand on top of Willow's, she looked deeply into Willow's eyes and smiled. Tara leaned forward and said, "I won't use magick either if it means keeping you."
Dawn's friends had left and she now leaned against a column close to the stage, listening to the band. The letterman jacket was folded neatly over her arm, but she pulled it closer to her chin, burying her face in it. "I've heard it all before, it always sounds the same. We always die alone, and that will never change. I've heard it all before, it always sounds the same. We always die alone, and that will never change.
I've heard it all before, it always sounds the same. We always die alone, and that will never change."
Buffy walked passed the cemetery Spike's crypt was in and kept walking. "I've heard it all before, it always sounds the same. We always die alone, and that will never change. I've heard it all before, it always sounds the same. We always die alone, and that will never change."