Chapter 6: Oh Dear Lord
Willow sat on her bed sadly. She glanced around the room, searching for some form of distraction. The window was broken, she realized. And there was a hole in the opposite wall. She frowned. A bullet was embedded in the wall. She gasped as she realized what could have happened if she and Tara had stayed in the room just a few minutes longer.
She left her room and walked slowly down the hall. She stepped into Buffy's room. Light was flooding it from the open window. The bed was made. Pictures adorned the mirror above the desk. The closet was open, and Willow could see the vast piles of clothing and shoes. Her eyes returned to the desk. She sighed as she looked at the pictures of them. How had they found time to be so happy when so much horrible stuff always happened to them? Her gaze strayed down to the desk. She fingered Buffy's necklaces, which hung from a small stand. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized one of the crosses. She knew who had given Buffy this cross. Giles was not the only one she had to call, and if she didn't do this now, she might never get the courage.
With sudden determination, she opened the desk drawers, digging through the contents in search of Buffy's address book. After a few minutes, she finally found it. She flipped through the pages, but the number was not where she had thought it would be. Worried now, Willow checked each page with desperation. It wasn't like Buffy knew that many people. Surely she had his phone number. Oh god, Willow thought, what if she knew it by memory and never bothered to write it down. On the very last page, there was a number with no name. Willow frowned. As she dialed, she prayed that this was the right number.
An unknown voice answered the phone on the fifth ring. "Angel Investigations," the man said.
"Hi," Willow said nervously. "Um, is Angel there?"
"Who's calling?"
"Willow. He...he knows me."
---
"Oh dear lord," Giles whispered as he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was true. The coven had been right when they told him something bad was coming, and she would be needed. They had sensed that Willow had given up magic. But she was going to turn back to it. She had to. The phone interrupted his melancholy thoughts.
"Hello?"
When Willow answered him, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Willow...thank god. I must speak to you. It's very important...no, it can't be put off. There is this coven–Willow, wait–the coven has told me that something worse than we have ever faced is coming soon. And you will be needed. You will need to go back on the magics. We can start at the very beginning, work on..." He gasped in disbelief as Willow finally told him why she had called.
"God, I'll...I'll come. I'll be on the next plane to California."
---
Back in California, Willow hung up the phone. She didn't want to think about what Giles had said. She walked into the bathroom and splashed water on her face, looking at herself in the mirror. She had been off the magic for so long. She couldn't just start over again, no matter what Giles said. She couldn't. Tara didn't trust her with magic supplies, she thought miserably. But Willow didn't blame her. After all, Willow didn't trust herself. A knock at the door disturbed her reverie.
"Come in," she said, her voice cracking.
"Hey," Tara said as she slipped through the door. "I have to tell you something."
Willow turned to her girlfriend. Tara took the redhead's hands in her own. Her eyes were brimming with love, but there was something hidden, Tara could tell. Maybe Willow saw the same in her own eyes. Tara wondered then if she were even capable of keeping her plan a secret from her love.
"When I asked if it was okay with you if I went to buy magic supplies...it wasn't because I don't trust you," Tara said. "I do, with all my heart. I just meant...I was trying to ask if you didn't mind my leaving. At a time like that."
Willow began to cry at Tara's sweet words. She put her hands on Tara's shoulders, and pressed her forehead against her lover's. "I thought...oh god. I don't know what to do."
Tara held her and whispered soothing sounds as Willow, between sobs, told her what Giles had said. When she was done, Tara led her into their bedroom by the hand. They sat down beside each other on the bed, still holding hands. Tara wiped the tears from Willow's cheeks with her free hand.
"It'll be okay," she whispered. "I promise, we'll get through this. When Giles gets here, he and I can start to help you with the magic. We'll go back to floating pencils. But we'll do it slowly. One spell a day. We'll be careful that we don't overload you. And we'll get through this. And so will Buffy. She's strong."
Willow smiled. "Like an Amazon."
"Yeah," Tara said with a lopsided grin, "like an Amazon. And so are you. We'll get through this together. I promise." The two embraced, and shared a sweet kiss. I promise, Tara said to herself.
