Second Chance, Chapter 2, by Salix Ardens

Author's note: OH MY GOD, AMBER BENSON SINGING "Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me" is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOT!!! Which is why I'm spazzing while writing this. Oh well. On to the fic.

*****

Willow woke the next morning tangled up in Tara. Her love's arms and legs were intertwined with her own, and Willow feared she couldn't move without waking her. She looked at Tara's sleeping face, her eyes closed, pupils moving behind the lids. *I guess she's dreaming,* Willow thought.

Tara's mouth curved into a smile. "Willow, but the cat...no, frogs won't fly the...I thought you had the broccoli?" Her sleepy mumblings were just too funny, and Willow had to stuff the sheet into her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing. Willow shook with silenced mirth as Tara continued. "Willow...oh Goddess..."

*I think I'll like this dream better!* Willow decided. Tara tightened her grip on the redhead and began to move slowly under her. *But I'd rather she be awake and get the real thing.*

Willow slid up Tara's writhing body and kissed her softly on the lips. "Tara, honey, wake up."

Tara's eyes fluttered open. "Willow? How did you get up here so fast?"

"You were dreaming, sweetie. Although, I believe that we should try to fulfill our dreams to the best extent we can."

Tara smiled. "You're like my own personal inspirational poster."

Willow grinned naughtily. "UPS just dropped me off. Wanna unwrap me?"

"Well I'd like that very much, hon, but you're already unwrapped."

Willow looked down at her naked form. "Oh yeah."

"But that's the way I like you."

They met in a heated kiss, but before things could escalate any further, there was a rap on their door.

"Knock knock! Wake up, lovebirds, I made breakfast!"

The two witches shared a disbelieving look. "Buffy made breakfast? Buffy, like as in Buffy Buffy?" Willow couldn't understand or process this information.

"I'd better get set for damage control," Tara said as she got up and slipped into a robe.

"Yeah, cause we all know you won't kill us with your cooking. Buffy, on the other hand, is...another hand. But I'll eat anything you cook. Or I could just eat the cook."

Tara glared jokingly at her girlfriend. "Willow! You're so dirty."

"Just wait until we take a shower."

*****

Breakfast turned out to be "made by Buffy" in the sense that she had set the table and had bought bagels and doughnuts.

"It counts..." Buffy pouted contritely. "I made the toast!"

"Buff, you burned the toast."

"Shut up Xander. Why are you even here?"

"Oh, Anya had some money-rolling-in to do at the Magic Box, wanted to get an early start. So I came to see my bestest buds!"

"And have food," Willow added. "Can't forget the food."

"Of course not," Tara added with a deadpan expression. The two witches laughed together once Tara's face couldn't deal with the strain and cracked into a huge grin.

"Yeah, speaking of eating, have you two been engaging in any sort of- OW! Buffy! Stop hitting me!"

"Well you stop being such a...such a..."

"Man?" Willow supplied helpfully.

"YES!" Buffy smacked Xander again for good measure and went back to scraping the burned parts off her toast.

"So what are we going to do about the Legion of Dim?" Willow loaded cream cheese onto a bagel and gave Buffy a concerned look. "I mean, Warren did try to kill you."

"Well, he has to be in the hospital for quite a while, considering what I threw at him. And Jonathan and Andrew, besides being the most idiotic of the three, are in jail for attempted robbery. I'd say we'll be okay."

*****

The rest of the day was spent in leisure activities, and yes, that was a euphemism. As the sun went down, Buffy yelled in the general direction of the upstairs that she was going patrolling. She picked up a few stakes and a crossbow and headed out the door.

A few minutes after Buffy left, Willow and Tara heard a knock at the front door. They both dressed quickly as the knocking grew more insistent. They went carefully down the stairs. Willow grabbed a stake and motioned Tara behind her as she threw open the door. A tall man stood there, with short brown hair and a lot of stubble.

"Willow..." he said, with a British accent.

"Uh, hi. Are you a vampire?"

"It's me, Wesley."

"Um, no, cause Wesley was all girly and, and had glasses!"

"I've changed a bit. It's been a few years."

"Yeah, but..."

"Willow, it is me. If I had time, I would prove it to you, but just trust me."

"What if you're vampire Wesley, and that's why you're cool now?"

The man stepped over the threshold. Willow raised the stake threateningly. "Okay, not a vampire."

"Willow, I think he's telling the truth. His energy doesn't seem like he's lying." Tara put a hand on Willow's arm and took the stake. "It's okay."

"Fine. In that case, hi Wesley!"

"You just take her word for it?" Wesley was confused. He had never seen this blonde woman before, but Willow seemed to trust her unconditionally.

"She'd never lie to me. She's my girl." Willow smiled and took Tara's hand. Tara blushed, and Wesley grinned.

"Are you two...?"

"Yes, got a problem?" Willow glared at him.

"No, no problem. Is Buffy here? Is she okay? We came up to see-"

"Yeah, she's fine. She was actually attacked yesterday, but good prevailed, and stuff."

"Was there a gun involved?"

Tara frowned. "How did you know?"

"It's a long story."

Over the next half-hour, Willow, Tara, and Wesley cleared up the story of Cordelia having visions. Wesley explained that she had seen Buffy get shot. He had come from Los Angeles to warn them, but it seemed Fate had taken a different turn than they had expected.

"The visions tend to be correct, though. She didn't know when it would happen, but she said it was soon. Maybe yesterday's attack wasn't it?" Wesley scratched at his stubble, trying to think of a reason for their confusion.

Willow and Tara were also trying to figure out the puzzle, and as one they straightened in shock and turned to each other. They shared a look and then faced Wesley simultaneously.

*Well that was rather unsettling,* Wesley thought.

"It has happened! Well, it hasn't, but it was going to, and then it didn't." Willow began babbling excitedly. "Warren-he's this really mean loser guy-tried to shoot Buffy yesterday, like I said before, but he didn't cause she threw a bench at him and he couldn't get the shot off and it broke a lot of his bones and he's in the hospital and wow I think I need water."

"And possibly mouth-to-mouth respiration." Wesley smiled sadly. He hadn't realized how much he missed Willow's rather odd way of speaking.

"Tara can take care of that." Willow smiled at her girlfriend, who blushed.

"Oh my God. Your name is Tara?" Wesley's face hardened. He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but Cordelia also saw a broken window, a bloody blue shirt, and heard Willow screaming 'Tara!'"

"Oh God. I was wearing that blue shirt yesterday." Willow moved closer to her girlfriend and squeezed her hand. "I think when Warren came into the yard you were standing in front of the window...and I was in front of you..."

"If..." Tara realized what Willow was saying. If a shot had come through the window, breaking it, she would have been hit, and the blood would have sprayed over Willow.

"I'm sorry," Wesley said again.

"No, it-it's okay, it didn't happen. It didn't." Willow was shaking like a leaf. She stood up abruptly. "Do you want anything? Tea?" Before Wesley could answer, she ran into the kitchen sobbing.

With and apologetic look at Wesley, Tara got up and ran after Willow. She found her curled in a ball on the kitchen floor, leaning half against the refrigerator, her body racked with sobs. "Willow, honey..." Tara knelt down next to her and Willow fell into her arms.

"Tara...I almost lost you! I just got you back and he almost took you away from me again and I would have died too, and Tara I love you, I love you forever, oh God Tara I love you so much, I can't, I can't..." Willow's voice dissolved into hiccups as she continued to cry.

Tara wrapped her arms around Willow even tighter and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'll never leave you, Willow. I am yours in every life, in every dimension, in every possible reality."

Wesley came into the kitchen and went to the stove. Tara looked up at him questioningly, tears shining in her eyes. "Tea," he explained softly. Tara smiled and wiped her eyes.

Willow's sobs quieted as Tara rocked her back and forth, the two half-lying on the kitchen floor, as Wesley busied himself with his patented English cure-all. Eventually, the pot whistled and Willow sat up, surprised at the noise. "Tara?" She seemed so confused that Tara just pulled her gently to her feet and wrapped her arms around the redhead again.

They stood, bodies pressed together, supporting each other as Tara whispered soft comforts in Willow's ear and Willow cried out her love into Tara's hair, gripping her tighter and tighter as if to let go would result in the end of the world.

Wesley finished making the tea and set it on the counter, taking a cup for himself. Tara looked over Willow's shoulder at him and mouthed "Bed." He nodded in understanding, and Tara smiled. She and Willow, who was still crying softly, walked slowly up the stairs and into the bedroom. Tara lowered Willow onto the bed and pulled the comforter over her. Willow closed her eyes and Tara turned to sit in the chair, when Willow grasped her hand and pulled her back. Tara turned.

"Sweetie?"

"I love you, Tara."

"I love you too."

Willow smiled and closed her eyes again. Tara forewent the chair and cuddled next her on the bed, wrapping her body around the redhead's as they both drifted off to sleep.

Wesley sat downstairs with his tea. "I probably shouldn't have told them that."

*****

In the graveyard, Buffy was battling a particularly feisty vampire. He leapt off a tombstone and tried to tackle her, but she fell back and kicked him in the chest as he reached her, launching him over her and slamming him into the Alpert mausoleum. He groaned in pain.

"All right, Slayer, you're going to die now." He tried to get up, but Buffy slammed him into the wall again.

"Um, now has officially passed. I'd say you were lying, and lying is bad. I'd give you a time-out, but-" Buffy staked him quickly. "I think this makes a bigger impression." She stood there, proudly surveying her handiwork and commenting herself on her wit.

Suddenly another vampire jumped Buffy from behind. She tumbled to the ground with the wind knocked out of her. The vamp laughed and whipped out a knife as Buffy jumped back up. The vampire leapt at her, and as she was still off balance, he managed to slash her in the ribs. She fell back with a cry of agony.

He stood over her, smiling evilly. "Goodbye, Slayer." Buffy squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see Death as it came. The vampire leaned down and laughed.

His laugh was cut off abruptly as he was staked, his ashes blowing over Buffy's face.

"Buffy?" said a voice, thick with honey and concern. "Are you okay?"

Buffy opened her eyes. "Oh God."

Angel smiled. "Not quite."

TBC