Spoiler: "All The Way"

Disclaimer: Joss and a whole lot of other folks own BTVS. I'm just a lowly po' college student who returns the toys she borrows.

Couples: W/T

IWD: Wait

Willow stretched in the bed rolling her shoulders and arching her feet. Giggling to herself she rolled over, unconsciously hoping she was going the right way and didn't roll off the bed instead of facing her lover. Well, she thought, I didn't fall off so that's a plus. "Hey," she said, voice hoarse and eyes closed against morning's light, "I don't think my feet are cold anymore." There was no answer.

"Tara? Tara?" Willow opened her eyes, suddenly afraid. "Tara," she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the blond. "Why didn't you answer me. I was worried."

"You thought you could do it to me too?"

"Huh? What?"

"You thought you could make me forget? You thought you could control me? Own me?!"

"No, Tara," Willow said emphatically. This was going all wrong. "It was nothing like that. I just wanted the fight to be over."

"The fight would have been over when it was over, Willow!" Tara threw off the bedcovers flushing with anger. "What did you think you were doing? Were you thinking?"

"Tara, of course I was--"

"You think you're so powerful you think you know so much. You think because you hurt Glory you're invincible. You are not powerful. You know nothing!"

Now Willow was angry. "I am powerful, Tara. Yeah, I hurt Glory. I saved you. If, if it hadn't been for me you would still be in some loony-bin freaking out! I was the one who raised Buffy--"

"You shouldn't have done it, Will."

"Excuse me, weren't you the one who encouraged me in the first place?"

"It was wrong. I shouldn't have let you do it."

The redhead smirked. "You didn't let me do anything. You couldn't have stopped me if you tried."

They were both kneeling now, facing each other, both as angry as the other. Tara stood, looming over her lover. "Who do you think would be more powerful, someone who stumbled onto Wicca or a natural witch?" she asked coldly. "I come from a line of witches. Every firstborn woman in my family is a witch. Who are you Willow? Who were you before I found you? Who would you have been if you hadn't found me?"

Willow stood. "Who would you have been?" she threw back, hot with anger. "You were a shy, sniveling little--"

"SILENCE!"

Willow fell back against the pillows. Instantly her fear returned. "T-Tara?" On her lips, she could see, were the beginnings of a spell.

"You have tampered with things beyond your ken."

"T-Tara?" The air around them began to shimmer and in the space between was an unfathomable heat. "TARA!"

ยงยงยง

"What?! What? Willow are you okay?"

Willow sat straight up in their bed panting, hot and covered in sweat.

"Honey, are you okay? You screamed."

"Did . . . Did I? Oh. I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," she answered staring straight ahead.

Tara gently laid a hand on Willow's shoulder. Hissing, she flinched. "Um, how . . .how 'bout I get you something to drink, okay?"

"Tara, wait, I'm sorry." But she was already out of the bed.

"No," she said turning, "it's okay, you need something to calm you. I don't mind getting it."

Willow could still feel the heat from the Dream Tara's spell. Twice in one week she had been nearly killed in her dreams first by Angel and Spike now by Tara.

Flopping onto the bed she wondered what was going cosmically wrong.

Fin