REFLECTIONS

This story is written by Christina Rosado "Una" and co-written by "Cancion" . . . We do not own the Scooby Gang . . . but the great Joss Whedon does! So don't sue us!! Enjoy!



"Hey! Watch it!" A tall, buff boy whined, as Dawn mindlessly bumped into

him as she hurried to the girl's bathroom. The boy chuckled, "Or you're

gonna get a spanking!" He and his buddies, who were just as tall and buff,

giggled.

"You're too funny, Josh!" The boy to his left chimed as he slapped Josh's

back. All the guys laughed. And as Dawn entered the bathroom, she heard

Josh say, "I know, I know" and muffled laughter behind the closed bathroom

door.

Once inside, she strode to the mirror above the sink and stared at her

reflection. She was confronted with a teary, red and puffy Dawnie face. Her

eyebrows furrowed, and she sniffled, wiping the back of her hand under her

nose. She turned the knob of the faucet, and washed her hands, then splashed

the icy water unto her face. Grinding out the tears, she looked up again at

her reflection and sighed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clink! The sound of his third Budweiser bottle echoed in Xander's head as he

depressingly plumped onto the couch. He was in need, in desperate need of

his true love, Anya. He missed her a great deal. The phone rang. "Merciful

Zeus, who would be calling me this early?" he complained. It was 9:36am to

be exact. He rushed to answer the phone. One more ring was all he needed

for his head to explode. "Hello." The line was silent. "Hello?" Still no

one seemed to answer. "Ahn, is that you?" Xander anxiously hoped that it

would be her. Frantic was he, while he remained on the phone waiting a

response. "Look, if this is you, please. I'm begging you, please answer me."



"I'm sorry..." Xander, the phone pressed against his ear, listened to the

disappointing dial tone. A tear rolled down his cheek when he realized that

had to be Anya. He wanted her back home. He wanted everything to be the way

that they were before the whole wedding incident. He wanted to forget the

whole thing had ever happened. But could he? He loved her, yes, but could he

actually forget how she slept with that soulless thing, that vampire named

Spike? He didn't seem to care anymore. He just wanted her back home. With him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The bright and cheery morning sunlight streamed through the open window unto

a very somber and lonely redheaded girl, lying in bed. The covers were

tangled around her perspired body. Willow trembled as she clutched a pillow

to her chest. . . Tara's pillow. Her scent still lingered on the fabric. Willow

would cry now. . . if she could, but the tears had been shed. The ducts were in

drought season. It was another morning without her beautiful, innocent, shy,

understanding, and oh, so perfect lover. Her Tara was gone. . . forever. Willow

glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It read 9:43am. She looked up at

the calendar on the wall, pushing a moist strand of her red hair, matted to

her forehead behind her ear, and saw it was May 17th. It was one week since

Tara's funeral and one whole week and three days since her death.



Willow turned over, still grasping Tara's pillow and sighed deeply, looking

up at the ceiling. She bit her lower lip, pouted, her throat tightened as

she felt her face contort into a sorrowful look. She remembered the day Tara

died in her arms.



~~They had just finished making love minutes ago, and were finally dressed.

Xander had come to make amends with Buffy, Tara noticed from the window.

Willow had put away a document in the drawer in their room, when Tara walked

over to Willow and pushed a stray lock of hair behind Willow's ear, smiling.

Both girls looked into each other's eyes. "You're so beautiful," the blond

witch whispered. Willow blushed and the two lovers kissed, but parted rather

quickly when Tara chuckled, "Don't you think we should keep our clothes on

being that we took the trouble to put them back on?"



The redhead smiled, "Aw, shucks. Party pooper." Tara giggled and walked

over to the window as Willow combed her hair, then set the brush on the

dresser, when she was done. Tara looked down and saw Buffy and Xander bend

down to sit on the garden's bench.



She turned when Willow called to her, "Tara? I'm. . . I. . . thanks for coming

back." Willow stammered, "Thanks for not leaving me."



"I could never leave you, Willow. Even after this time we were apart, my

body longed for your touch and my soul cried for yours, Will." Tara smiled.



"I was lost without you, Tara." Willow said softly.



"And I found you. I'll always find you Willow."



"Don't leave me." Willow pleads.



"I won't, Willow. I promise. I'd have to be put to death to leave you. I

love you, Will." Tara reassured.



With that, Willow smiled and was the happiest girl on earth. Suddenly,

there was a loud bang. Warm, sticky blood splattered on her neck and shirt.

She inhaled the coppery scent of blood. She saw Tara's confused face. Then

she heard the words fall from Tara's lips, "Your shirt." Tara fell with a

slump, and all Willow could do was call her name and implore for her to get

up.~~

Willow, still lying in the bed, was looking up at the ceiling, tears streamed

down her cheeks. She clutched Tara's pillow, and cried alone in her room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wide awake, Spike sat in his armchair, reminiscing on certain moments in the

past. . . his past, with Buffy. Was it the past? Indeed it was. He loved her.

He still did. "Why me?" He thought. "Ugh. . . I have to stop feeling this way . . .

This blasted chip! Why can't I just be. . . ?" He stopped and realized that she

was just a girl. Girls always come and go. "No!" he argued. "Not this one!

She's something special and different and so. . . human."

"I can't. . . I won't. . . NO. . . I CAN'T FORGET about her.I just can't!" He stood up

from his chair to get something to drink. He needed to cool down. He looked

inside the refrigerator. "Bloody hell!" he sighs while noticing nothing

inside. "I guess we both have something in common ol' pal." He slams the

door and looks down in shame. "Emptiness!"



END OF TEASER

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