Title: Half of my soul and all of my heart
Author: ladydewinter
Email: ladydewinter@gmx.net
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: W/K first, but I don't really like them...so W/T eventually :-) And this is becoming B/S as well, it seems.
Setting: The story takes place roughly after The Killer in Me, so spoilers up to then. And if you have no idea about Season Three of Angel you'll be spoilt as well...so don't come running to me *lol*
Disclaimer: Willow, Tara, Kennedy, Anya et. al belong to Joss Whedon and ME and - hey you know whom they belong to. The story however is mine. Oh, the title is taken from a book called "Magic's Promise" by Mercedes Lackey. And there may be quotes from the show included in this story - I haven't really marked them, but if it sounds familiar - I mean it as an homage, I don't wanna violate any copyright, really. Please don't sue me!
Feedback: Yes please!!! I really appreciate it.
Distribution: If you want it, you can have it, just let me know where it ends up.
Summary: Buffy, Faith and the others find out that Tara's back.
***
Buffy closed the door behind her and leaned against it, exhausted. It had been a hard day again - the students were becoming more aggressive every day. She knew it was the First. They really had to do something about it. She sighed and then went upstairs to her room to change. After she had gone to the bathroom, she almost walked into Faith, who obviously had been waiting for her.
"Hey Faith," she greeted her.
"Hi B. I need to talk to you. Alone."
Buffy took a look around. It seemed as if nobody else was there. They still went back into her room and closed the door behind them. "So, what's up? Go ahead."
Faith didn't look at her. Instead, she walked to the window and looked out. Then she went to sit on the bed. Just as Buffy was getting impatient, the other Slayer spoke up. "I think Tara's here."
Buffy's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't sure if she had heard correctly, but what could she have gotten wrong? "What?" She sat down next to Faith.
"I think Tara's here."
"In our house? Why didn't you tell me sooner? Where is she? I-"
"Not in your house. I think she's here as in 'in our world' here." Faith looked at her. "I mean, I'm not totally sure, but-"
"How - I mean why do you think so?"
"Kennedy - when I woke up this morning, there was someone at the door, and Kennedy answered it. When I went down, the other person had already left. I asked her about it, and she told me it was some woman who wanted to talk to you and Red."
"So? That could have been anyone," Buffy said, wondering if that was true.
"I thought so, too. But then I asked her what this woman looked like. Blond, blue eyes, nice smile..."
Buffy nodded. She didn't know what to say. Maybe it was Tara. "Maybe it's her," she told Faith. "And - did Kennedy say anything else? Why didn't she know her?"
"Um, I guess it's because there are no photos of Tara in the house? I mean, I didn't see one."
Faith got no reply. She's right, Buffy thought. Why don't we have any photos of her? It's as if she never even existed. Then she remembered. "Willow!" she said.
"What is it?" Faith was confused.
"We - I mean, I thought it would be better if Willow wasn't reminded of her so much. I've got photos of Tara, and so does Dawn, but we decided to - not display them so much, you know?" The other Slayer nodded. "And now - oh god, Willow - we have to tell her. Tara doesn't know she doesn't know..." Buffy jumped off the bed and started walking towards the door. Faith followed her and grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Cool down, B - nothing's gonna hapen. It's all going to be alright. Kennedy told me Tara said she wanted to come back later. And I'm sure she's going to do just that. And if Willow's back by then - well, we'll be able to tell her then. I'm sure she'll be so happy about her lover's return, she won't be angry or anything."
"Angry? You think she'll be angry?" Now Buffy sounded worried.
"Well, not telling her that the love of her live might be coming back is what I would call a big deal. I guess I would be angry about it. But as I said, she probably won't be. So don't worry."
Buffy didn't really seem convinced. "B - I guess it'll be the best if we tell the others about Tara - I mean everybody. Because they are really going to be surprised-"
At that moment they heard the door closing. They looked at each other in a mixture of alarm and joy and rushed out of Buffy's room and down the stairs. However, there was no one there. They went into the living room, where Anya, Dawn and Giles were pouring over some books. "Hey," Buffy greeted them. "Who was at the door?"
"What? Uh, sorry?" Giles looked up, looking a bit bewildered. "Oh. That was Andrew. I told him to get a book for me."
"You think it's a good idea to let him go out wandering on his own?" Faith wanted to know. "Isn't he supposed to be a hostage after all?"
"Well, he's been rather helpful," Giles answered. "And where would he go to, anyway? I'm sure he knows this is where he is safe."
"So did you find anything?" Buffy asked. "About the prophecy, I mean?"
"We think there is going to be something useful in the books Andrew is getting. And we think that - well..." Anya trailed off.
"What?" Faith sounded a bit impatient. They really should be telling them about Tara now. If she got here before they had explained to the others, things would probably get complicated. Maybe Red would even think they had done the zombie thing and try kill Tara - Faith stopped at that thought, horrified. She wouldn't let it come that far, she decided, trying not to wonder why she was that worried about Tara.
Anya finally chose to continue. "We think that the only way to reestablish the balance...it's pretty obvious. The four will return the power...that probably means that in the end there is going to be just one slayer again."
Buffy and Faith didn't say anything, but they were thinking the same thoughts. Finally Faith spoke up. "Does that mean one of us has to die in order to defeat the First?
"The First cannot really be defeated," Giles replied. "And we don't know if you - any of you," he corrected himself, "has to die."
"I don't think so," Anya told them. "If one of you dies, there is most probably going to be yet another one. We are trying to find a spell or something. Just give us some time. We were hoping Willow was going to help us with that. Where is she anyway?" she wondered.
Buffy finally remembered why they had come down. "Um, listen...we have to tell you something... everybody...where are the others?"
"In the basement, I guess," Dawn answered. "I'll get them," she offered.
"Thanks," Buffy replied.
Five minutes later, everybody was in the living room. "Well, Willow and Andrew aren't here, but I guess it's okay if we fill them in later," Faith told Buffy, who simply nodded.
"Okay, Faith and I - we need to tell you something. It's good news, we think - although it may seem a little strange." Some of the potentials looked worried - stranger than vampires and demons?
"You probably all have heard of the prophecy Anya found - the one about the Four, that only they can get rid of the First."
"The Four would be Anya, Xander, Willow and her dead girlfriend?" Vy said.
"Yes. So far the problem has been that Tara is dead." Buffy stopped, not knowing how to explain them what happened.
"What do you mean?" Dawn sounded scared. "You are not talking about that zombie thing again, are you? For if you are-"
"No," Faith interrupted her. "No zombie. But it seems as if Tara has come back."
At this, everybody started talking. "What? How? What do you mean?"
Buffy tried to silence them. "Hey! HEY! It's enough!" She paused, then continued. "It's a bit complicated, but the gist of the whole story is that there is this other dimension where there is this other Tara and this other Tara has contacted us - Faith and me - and possibly has crossed over to our dimension."
"Which means there is a good chance to survive this battle against the First," Faith added, trying to sound cheerful.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Dawn asked, looking hurt.
"We - we weren't sure if it would work and we didn't want you to get your hopes up."
"So - is she here now?" Kennedy asked.
Buffy was just about to answer her, when the door opened and Andrew stormed into the living room. "You won't believe who I just met!"
"Willow's dead girlfriend?" Rhonda offered.
"How do you know that?" Andrew looked at her, confused.
"Buffy just told us. She's from another dimension," Vy said.
"Another dimension? That's cool." Andrew turned to Buffy. "Willow told me to-"
"Willow was with her?" Buffy interrupted him.
"Yes," Andrew answered. "Is that bad?"
"No," Faith replied. "What did she tell you?"
"Oh, she just asked me to tell Buffy Tara was with her. They are on their way here now." Andrew still seemed confused, but decided not to go on asking now, as the others didn't look too wise either.
Dawn went over to the window, looking outside. She didn't know what to think. Tara was coming back...another Tara. Or was she the same? For the first time in months she allowed herself to remember her....really remember. Would she still buy her milkshakes? She couldn't wait to go shopping with her again. Was she still a witch? Did she still love Willow? Did she even know her? There were more and more questions coming up, and she didn't have the questions. She wanted to ask Buffy, when suddenly she froze. She saw them walking towards the house - hand in hand. All questions disappearing, Dawn rushed over to the door, opening it and ran outside, calling "You're back!"
"Looks as if they're here already," Faith said dryly.
***
Author: ladydewinter
Email: ladydewinter@gmx.net
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: W/K first, but I don't really like them...so W/T eventually :-) And this is becoming B/S as well, it seems.
Setting: The story takes place roughly after The Killer in Me, so spoilers up to then. And if you have no idea about Season Three of Angel you'll be spoilt as well...so don't come running to me *lol*
Disclaimer: Willow, Tara, Kennedy, Anya et. al belong to Joss Whedon and ME and - hey you know whom they belong to. The story however is mine. Oh, the title is taken from a book called "Magic's Promise" by Mercedes Lackey. And there may be quotes from the show included in this story - I haven't really marked them, but if it sounds familiar - I mean it as an homage, I don't wanna violate any copyright, really. Please don't sue me!
Feedback: Yes please!!! I really appreciate it.
Distribution: If you want it, you can have it, just let me know where it ends up.
Summary: Buffy, Faith and the others find out that Tara's back.
***
Buffy closed the door behind her and leaned against it, exhausted. It had been a hard day again - the students were becoming more aggressive every day. She knew it was the First. They really had to do something about it. She sighed and then went upstairs to her room to change. After she had gone to the bathroom, she almost walked into Faith, who obviously had been waiting for her.
"Hey Faith," she greeted her.
"Hi B. I need to talk to you. Alone."
Buffy took a look around. It seemed as if nobody else was there. They still went back into her room and closed the door behind them. "So, what's up? Go ahead."
Faith didn't look at her. Instead, she walked to the window and looked out. Then she went to sit on the bed. Just as Buffy was getting impatient, the other Slayer spoke up. "I think Tara's here."
Buffy's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't sure if she had heard correctly, but what could she have gotten wrong? "What?" She sat down next to Faith.
"I think Tara's here."
"In our house? Why didn't you tell me sooner? Where is she? I-"
"Not in your house. I think she's here as in 'in our world' here." Faith looked at her. "I mean, I'm not totally sure, but-"
"How - I mean why do you think so?"
"Kennedy - when I woke up this morning, there was someone at the door, and Kennedy answered it. When I went down, the other person had already left. I asked her about it, and she told me it was some woman who wanted to talk to you and Red."
"So? That could have been anyone," Buffy said, wondering if that was true.
"I thought so, too. But then I asked her what this woman looked like. Blond, blue eyes, nice smile..."
Buffy nodded. She didn't know what to say. Maybe it was Tara. "Maybe it's her," she told Faith. "And - did Kennedy say anything else? Why didn't she know her?"
"Um, I guess it's because there are no photos of Tara in the house? I mean, I didn't see one."
Faith got no reply. She's right, Buffy thought. Why don't we have any photos of her? It's as if she never even existed. Then she remembered. "Willow!" she said.
"What is it?" Faith was confused.
"We - I mean, I thought it would be better if Willow wasn't reminded of her so much. I've got photos of Tara, and so does Dawn, but we decided to - not display them so much, you know?" The other Slayer nodded. "And now - oh god, Willow - we have to tell her. Tara doesn't know she doesn't know..." Buffy jumped off the bed and started walking towards the door. Faith followed her and grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Cool down, B - nothing's gonna hapen. It's all going to be alright. Kennedy told me Tara said she wanted to come back later. And I'm sure she's going to do just that. And if Willow's back by then - well, we'll be able to tell her then. I'm sure she'll be so happy about her lover's return, she won't be angry or anything."
"Angry? You think she'll be angry?" Now Buffy sounded worried.
"Well, not telling her that the love of her live might be coming back is what I would call a big deal. I guess I would be angry about it. But as I said, she probably won't be. So don't worry."
Buffy didn't really seem convinced. "B - I guess it'll be the best if we tell the others about Tara - I mean everybody. Because they are really going to be surprised-"
At that moment they heard the door closing. They looked at each other in a mixture of alarm and joy and rushed out of Buffy's room and down the stairs. However, there was no one there. They went into the living room, where Anya, Dawn and Giles were pouring over some books. "Hey," Buffy greeted them. "Who was at the door?"
"What? Uh, sorry?" Giles looked up, looking a bit bewildered. "Oh. That was Andrew. I told him to get a book for me."
"You think it's a good idea to let him go out wandering on his own?" Faith wanted to know. "Isn't he supposed to be a hostage after all?"
"Well, he's been rather helpful," Giles answered. "And where would he go to, anyway? I'm sure he knows this is where he is safe."
"So did you find anything?" Buffy asked. "About the prophecy, I mean?"
"We think there is going to be something useful in the books Andrew is getting. And we think that - well..." Anya trailed off.
"What?" Faith sounded a bit impatient. They really should be telling them about Tara now. If she got here before they had explained to the others, things would probably get complicated. Maybe Red would even think they had done the zombie thing and try kill Tara - Faith stopped at that thought, horrified. She wouldn't let it come that far, she decided, trying not to wonder why she was that worried about Tara.
Anya finally chose to continue. "We think that the only way to reestablish the balance...it's pretty obvious. The four will return the power...that probably means that in the end there is going to be just one slayer again."
Buffy and Faith didn't say anything, but they were thinking the same thoughts. Finally Faith spoke up. "Does that mean one of us has to die in order to defeat the First?
"The First cannot really be defeated," Giles replied. "And we don't know if you - any of you," he corrected himself, "has to die."
"I don't think so," Anya told them. "If one of you dies, there is most probably going to be yet another one. We are trying to find a spell or something. Just give us some time. We were hoping Willow was going to help us with that. Where is she anyway?" she wondered.
Buffy finally remembered why they had come down. "Um, listen...we have to tell you something... everybody...where are the others?"
"In the basement, I guess," Dawn answered. "I'll get them," she offered.
"Thanks," Buffy replied.
Five minutes later, everybody was in the living room. "Well, Willow and Andrew aren't here, but I guess it's okay if we fill them in later," Faith told Buffy, who simply nodded.
"Okay, Faith and I - we need to tell you something. It's good news, we think - although it may seem a little strange." Some of the potentials looked worried - stranger than vampires and demons?
"You probably all have heard of the prophecy Anya found - the one about the Four, that only they can get rid of the First."
"The Four would be Anya, Xander, Willow and her dead girlfriend?" Vy said.
"Yes. So far the problem has been that Tara is dead." Buffy stopped, not knowing how to explain them what happened.
"What do you mean?" Dawn sounded scared. "You are not talking about that zombie thing again, are you? For if you are-"
"No," Faith interrupted her. "No zombie. But it seems as if Tara has come back."
At this, everybody started talking. "What? How? What do you mean?"
Buffy tried to silence them. "Hey! HEY! It's enough!" She paused, then continued. "It's a bit complicated, but the gist of the whole story is that there is this other dimension where there is this other Tara and this other Tara has contacted us - Faith and me - and possibly has crossed over to our dimension."
"Which means there is a good chance to survive this battle against the First," Faith added, trying to sound cheerful.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Dawn asked, looking hurt.
"We - we weren't sure if it would work and we didn't want you to get your hopes up."
"So - is she here now?" Kennedy asked.
Buffy was just about to answer her, when the door opened and Andrew stormed into the living room. "You won't believe who I just met!"
"Willow's dead girlfriend?" Rhonda offered.
"How do you know that?" Andrew looked at her, confused.
"Buffy just told us. She's from another dimension," Vy said.
"Another dimension? That's cool." Andrew turned to Buffy. "Willow told me to-"
"Willow was with her?" Buffy interrupted him.
"Yes," Andrew answered. "Is that bad?"
"No," Faith replied. "What did she tell you?"
"Oh, she just asked me to tell Buffy Tara was with her. They are on their way here now." Andrew still seemed confused, but decided not to go on asking now, as the others didn't look too wise either.
Dawn went over to the window, looking outside. She didn't know what to think. Tara was coming back...another Tara. Or was she the same? For the first time in months she allowed herself to remember her....really remember. Would she still buy her milkshakes? She couldn't wait to go shopping with her again. Was she still a witch? Did she still love Willow? Did she even know her? There were more and more questions coming up, and she didn't have the questions. She wanted to ask Buffy, when suddenly she froze. She saw them walking towards the house - hand in hand. All questions disappearing, Dawn rushed over to the door, opening it and ran outside, calling "You're back!"
"Looks as if they're here already," Faith said dryly.
***