Spoilers, everything up to the end of season 6 happened
Disclaimers: all BTVS, ATS, and other used characters from any other media belong to their rightful owners!
Summary, the final battle is drawing near, love, violence, humor, sadness and a W/T reunion will take place in our attempt to fix what Joss and ME destroyed.
Feedback is welcome, ask before taking.
The Beginning Part 1
by Marti and AnyaRocks
The sun glistened brightly through the window awakening Buffy Summers from another restless night's sleep. She rolled over covering up her head, stretched then uncovered her head realizing she had to get up for another dutiful day's work.
She trudged down the stairs to find Dawn sleeping on the couch and Xander in the kitchen making breakfast.
"Hey Buff." He said as cheerfully as he could. "The coven called a few minutes ago, they said Willow is slightly responsive now and we should go to see her. They hope familiarity will help her regain a semblance of normalcy."
She shuttered as he spoke. Willow was sent to a coven outside of town, about an hour outside of town to be exact, after her rampage which nearly killed them all along with ending the world.
They'd tried to keep her at home to care for her but after a week of holding her mouth open to give her liquids and seeing her laying motionless they'd realized the task of restoring her was far greater than the scoobies were equipped to handle.
So Giles had gotten word of a small group of witches who had just bought a sanctuary the year prior to the incident. He didn't know much about them nor what their purpose was but after meeting with the women he'd felt it safe to let Willow be in their care.
Dawn full heartedly had agreed to this as did Xander but Buffy went along with them only because she was unable to come up with a better plan. She'd felt guilty for doing it, felt as if she'd betrayed Willow and not stood by her like Willow always had her but concluded it had to be done, that it possibly was the only means of saving her best friend's life.
"Buffy!" Dawn shouting for the third time drew her out of thought. "Lets eat so we can go see Willow soon."
****************
Sonya Garrison, a plump, middle-aged, brown eyed, light brown medium length haired woman stood at the bedside of Willow Rosenberg. She watched the young woman stir slightly in the bed then stare at her with blank green pools that she was certain used to be vibrant beautiful eyes.
Sonya recalled the day Rupert brought her in intrusting her to the care of the three Wiccan Women, their charge and Chance, their guard. Her and the three other women in the sanctuary had not had hope for this one, they'd seen some pretty damaged witches in their day, or at least most of them had. The damage was always from the same source, usage of to much dark magic.
Sonya shook her head remembering that only three days ago of her three month stay, had Willow focused her eyes clearly on Molly, the young potential vampire slayer the women had brought over from England with them. After getting word an evil force was planning to destroy the slayer race. So the women had promised her watcher that, should anything happen to him, they'd care for the young girl and train her to the best of their abilities.
Only three days ago had she mumbled her first word, Tara. Sonya, the second in charge of the small coven, knew Tara Maclay was Willow's slain girlfriend and Rita, the wisest of the group and senior member, concluded her love was so strong for this woman that it only added to the illness Ms. Rosenberg was going through seeing as she had no will to go on living without Tara compiled with knowing of the terrible things she'd done.
Sonya placed the straw between Willow's lips and smiled when Willow sipped on it but returned no smile or expression of any sort. "Slight progress is better than none." Sonya said sitting the glass back down walking out of the room to ready things for Willow's visitors.
*************
Rupert Giles sat in his small home in the outskirts of London. How he loved to be back in the old country, vast meadows, clean air, rich history, it was peaceful and lovely. He shook his head while comparing the two area's in which he called home and knew this lovely countryside was no longer his true home, his heart was and would forever be in that little hellish town known as Sunnydale with the people he'd come to love as family. "Bloody hell." He said aloud getting another shot of Brandy.
He went over to the phone to call the sanctuary. "Yes, Rita Heyworth please." He said to the young Wiccan he'd came to know as Darian. She was about twenty-one years old, more than a Wiccan he knew for she was only a novas at the craft but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Nor could he figure out exactly what three well knowledged witches, Darian the novas with a bit of mystery and Chance, the night watchman of the place were doing in California. He'd long since figured out they had a specific purpose in mind but if they chose to help in the care of Willow and so far this young slayer potential he'd heard of while completing their mission, he wasn't one to question them.
"Yes Rupert," came the soft voice of Ms. Heyworth. A woman of about fifty, well versed in the craft and demonology. She had dark hair that was slightly graying in areas and was on the slim side.
"Just to touch base a bit, my slayer has had two dreams of potentials being killed round the world. I'm not yet certain why this is taking place but I got word of one more potential. Her watcher isn't likely to live through the week so the council was wondering if you'd take in one more girl. Her name is Kennedy, she's of age, was likely to be the slayer in line after Faith, the one in prison we spoke of. I've got some things to finish up here but will be back in the states very soon to try and help get a handle on the situation." He finished his long winded speech sipping his Brandy.
"Certainly, have her sent over as soon as possible." The woman said smiling. She'd come to enjoy her visits with Rupert via phone but knew it wasn't in the cards for anything more than a great platonic relationship for she had a mission to complete which may cost her her life so she didn't dare get involved in that way with anyone as she was well aware the mission was near.
"Now then, how is Willow?" He asked leaning back in his chair.
"She's slightly improved, I believe Kelly informed you yesterday, yes?" She answered cryptically not wanting to give the man she'd seen as a father figure to the young witch to much hope at this point.
"Yes that is correct." He said somberly as they said their good-bye's and hung up the phone.
***************
Willow lay in her bed, eyes wandering about the room but unable to focus clearly. A million thoughts of pain, hurt, revenge, remorse, and Tara raced through her mind wrapping around it like coils of steal, tightening and tightening until she felt suffocated and unable to breathe or scream.
This was a daily routine and the nights were only worse. Her hands began to tremble, lips quiver, eyes straining to overflow with tears that just wouldn't come. When suddenly, she felt something.
It felt like something trying to push its way through the coils of steal that bundled up her mind, cracked it up, made it fly round and round in millions of fragments. Something loving and tender, a warmth unmistakable to her and the tears did fall for the first time since the day Xander rescued her from destroying the world.
***********
Xander pulled up to the gate of the sanctuary at around 7 PM, readying things for the next day at work, having Buffy applying for jobs and the like had slowed them down in getting to come see Willow but they'd finally made it and the young man was both elated and nervous to see what was behind those doors.
He'd been anxious all day and the fact that Anya had continuously jabbed at him earlier was no help. His fears were that Willow would never regain her bubbly loving persona, that she was lost to the wiles of the darkness forever. A tear crept down his cheek as he heard Buffy ringing the bell at the gate and saw a young man, very muscular in build, standing about 6ft in height, black hair, with a gun at his side and the dark brown eyes darting around the scoobies as if he were scrutinizing them for a criminal line up.
"Xander!" Buffy said with a little edge to her voice waving her hand for him to come on as the young man opened the gate.
They walked into a lavishly decorated front room, old beautiful paintings and sculptures lined the west wall and mantle. Victorian style furniture was neatly placed in just the right spots to give the room an old English style home look and of course a big screen TV gave it the modern touch. "Giles would love this place." Dawn chimed in as Kelly, a tall slender blond with big captivating blue eyes, walked in to greet them.
After the initial introductions Kelly gave them something to drink, soup and salad as Rita had instructed then sat down with them. "There is another woman in visiting right now so if you don't mind you will have to wait a bit?" Kelly informed the group.
"Short, very untactful, abrupt?" Buffy asked rather agitated knowing Anya had beat them to see Willow as they told her it was best she didn't come. She drew her lips up when Kelly gave a confirmation nod.
************
Anya orbed into Willow's room as the Wicca lay glancing aimlessly around the room. She stood silently watching her for a moment reflecting on the events of recent months.
It bothered her that the scoobies would dismiss her so quickly and tell her not to come. Just because she was no longer engaged to a core member, just because she was a demon, just because she wasn't as tactful as they'd wanted her to be, they now wished to shun her. That wasn't going to happen she thought, she was an initial player in helping stop Willow, she was thought highly of by Tara and they weren't going to keep her from doing something that may possibly help ease Tara's soul which Anya figured was residing happily in the summerlands, the dwelling place for the Wiccan souls.
Willow lifted her eyes to meet the sparkling ones of the demon. "Anya?" She asked tentatively with a trembling hand which Anya collected in her own.
"See I told them if we came sooner you'd gain progress but no, they don't dare listen to a demon, it might cramp saint Buffy's style." Anya rambled smiling knowing that she'd been the first Sunnydale citizen Willow had spoken to.
"Anya," she said again in a high quivering voice. "Can you feel her?"
Anya stood silently for a minute trying to sense something, to get a feel with her mind of something as the door opened and Buffy walked in with some woman she was certain Xander had ogled when the gang arrived at the lavish hideaway.
Willow withdrew her eyes from Anya and looked for a second at Buffy before continuing her gaze to the patterns of intricately woven zigzags on the high brightly painted ceiling. "You've just ruined a moment in which I was about to feel something Willow's been feeling, now look, back to her old non-responsive self and it's your fault slayer." The demon hissed orbing herself into the front room.
Buffy sat down on the edge of the bed touching Willow's hand gently with her fingertips. "Will, I'm glad to see you and, I so wish you were all better so I could take you home." Buffy spoke as her upper lip trembled a bit. She couldn't tell that Willow had gotten any help at all in here which was the purpose for sending her here. "Will, can you talk to me? Do you even know I'm here?"
Willow's eyes slowly moved back towards the slayer and she gazed at her for a long moment then a tear escaped one eye. "I'm sorry Buffy." She said in the faintest of tones so that if not for the slayer hearing, Buffy would have missed it all together.
Buffy pondered what she was apologizing for than realized it must be the fight in which Willow almost sent her back to where she raised her up from. "It's ok Will, I'm not angry and I've forgiven you. You were hurting and people do things when they hurt."
Buffy leaned down pulling her best friend into a hug and they both cried. The cleansing tears that have healed troubled minds the world over and an overwhelming feeling of I could kick myself, why didn't we do this sooner, crept up in Buffy's gut but she hid the mood change well from Willow who was not yet ready to totally focus her mind on details such as that.
***************
Kelly stood off to the side watching the scoobies, she felt a certain energy coming from the young one she couldn't quite place, knew the man was normal and quite nice looking. She also knew he'd gave her more than a glance and smiled inwardly. Then the demon flashed in the room, she knew straight away who this was from the first time she came in. Anyanka, the demon feared by many in her line of work but she being the young buck so to speak in her expertise was bound to not fear her.
"Well well well the gang's all here!" Anya chimed waving her hand in the air to acknowledge Dawn and Xander. "It looks like you're missing a member, oh yes, Willow, the one you tried to hide in this place without further checking it out. Leave it to a bunch of humans to leave their healing work to a bunch of persons they don't even know about."
"Miss, demon lady," Kelly stepped forward. "We all here are well equipped to take care of Ms. Rosenberg."
"Is that why there has only been a couple of words muttered in the last three months?" Anya shot back. "I think we should take her out of here, get her home where she can be properly looked after."
"An," Xander spoke up. "We tried that remember? Your tactless words didn't help her, nothing we did helped so we had to do this so don't piss off these nice ladies."
"Xander please," Anya stepped over to him. "I'm not fooled by anyone.
Rita, the head of the sanctuary stepped out of the kitchen with a tray in her hands. "Lets not quarrel, Kelly I'm certain the demon is just concerned for her friend." She sat the tray down after waving the younger group member away then shook Anya's hand. "I do wish more progress had been made with Ms. Rosenberg at this point. Perhaps we could help each other to better help her."
"You won't get any information out of me." Anya snapped then disappeared in a flash of light.
"That's a first." Dawn chimed smiling. "Anya refusing to run her mouth."
**********
Kelly sat in her quarters, a ornately decorated room, books lining one side with old paintings of ancient ritualistic events hanging above them, a computer, small television and radio lined the other side of the room while the bed was in the center with a door leading to a plush bathroom was to the left of the entrance door.
She held a talisman in her hands with a thick leather bound book resting on her lap. "Soon, it will be here and I shall have what I want." She said leaning back on the bed sipping a drink.
Part 2, The Beginning Continued
by Buffyfan1973
Kennedy stepped off the plain at the airport and looked around. She didn't quite understand what was going on but realized it was big and her watcher fell to it. She shook her head with her small amount of luggage in her hands. "Kennedy I trust?" A plump woman said extending her hand.
"Ms. Garrison?" Kennedy enquired not fully ready to trust anyone.
"Indeed." Sonya said turning towards the car. "We will take care of you and help you with your training. A Rupert Giles will be coming soon, he is a very good watcher."
"Buffy Summers' watcher?" Kennedy enquired again having heard the stories of the legendary slayer and growing slightly nervous of meeting her.
"That's correct." Sonya said starting the car and pulling away.
************
Buffy hung up the phone then turned her attention to Anya. "Make it quick, I have to get to work then get ready for tomorrow. Willow is improving a bit more."
"She'd better be improving enough for you to bring her home then. I don't trust those women, namely Kelly." Anya said in a huff.
"Listen, you don't trust her because she and Xander are seeming to hit it off well." Buffy snapped growing tired of listening to Anya rant.
"No I don't trust her because I'm a demon, and we unlike you slayer, know all evil, we can feel it." Anya said growing angry. She knew in her gut there was something to that sanctuary but couldn't quite put her finger on it yet and for them to dismiss her claims so quickly was rather irritating.
She orbed out in a grandiose light show when Dawn entered the room. "Buffy, she may be right, she was with us for so long, maybe we shouldn't just turn a deaf ear to her." Dawn said quizzically.
"Maybe but we'll see. We can't investigate to much with those potentials and Willow there. It could put them in danger."
"So bring them here. I talked to Willow on the phone, she's down, depressed and still has mega withdrawals but she seems a bit better. I mean her mind is scattered but." Buffy shook her head and headed up the stairs. This all was stressing enough on her, she didn't need her little sister and an impossible tactless demon telling her what to do.
She stopped at the top of the stairs recalling her last dream, how vivid it was and she was certain it was all real.
There was a young girl, she was walking down the street just after dark. Four robed figures with no eyes came darting out and grabbed her. She put up a valiant fight but they killed her, leaving her in a pool of blood. "From beneath you it devours." Were the words she heard as she awoke in a startled sweat that morning.
She was jerked out of her thoughts by voices at the door, Giles had arrived a few days earlier than expected which probably meant trouble. She pulled her gaze away from the window to go and hug the man she'd come to consider a father. Hank hadn't really been a father to her since long before Joyce had died but she was glad to have Giles there to fill this capacity in her life, especially now that Joyce was gone.
"Buffy," he said sitting down his bags as she released the hug. "I do need a bit of rest before I go round to see Willow. Anya visited me on the plain, telling me what a dire mistake we were making."
"She's been telling us that since we first saw Willow last week." Dawn interjected as Buffy just gave him a knowing look.
"Yes well, all be it true or false, we need to be careful. The council likes to have twelve girls in line at any given time to be a slayer. We're down to three not counting you and our favorite rogue slayer Faith." He spoke in a disturbed tone as Buffy handed him a drink which he gladly accepted. "Traverse, myself and the other two watchers have elected not to pull the files on any more potentials, not to seek them out, not to do the one necessary step it takes to fully get them in line to slay."
"So you do know more about it!" Buffy's face showed slight anger as she spoke. "It's not a God given calling?"
"Yes it is but, you see there is one final step that must be taken to activate the girls into potential status and I'd rather not go into it. Other girls will just have the dreams and know something, but if they're not activated they will be protected. This is all you need to know at this point." He said flatly leaning back in hopes he'd get some rest before seeing Willow.
*******
The sun cascaded brightly through the windows that morning awaking Willow from a deep magic induced slumber. She'd had some restless dreams of Tara and the shooting, vivid actually but different somehow. She couldn't quite remember them now but Kelly and Rita had decided a little magical help would help her to rest better.
She darted her eyes back and forth across the room trying to think, clear her mind but the fog that had overtaken it seemed to be fighting her, trying to stop her from focusing and there was nothing she could do about it. The one thing she did remember however was, "from beneath you it devours." She recalled feeling the earth tremble and quake when those words were spoken by what appeared to be an eyeless man in a robe with a dagger.
"Ms Rosenberg?" Darian spoke as she entered the room and smiled when Willow quickly turned her attention to her. "You're going to have breakfast with us today, meet the new girls we have here to help and such. Sonya thinks it's time and it may help you to mingle a bit. Chance will stand guard outside the bathroom if you feel more comfortable while you clean up."
Something in her voice made Willow feel at ease and she gave her a that's ok nod. She felt she could trust this woman, why she wasn't certain just yet but Kelly she didn't have the same vibe from nor Rita for that matter. Sonya, on the other hand, gave her a motherly impression and she liked her as well.
Willow showered then was escorted to the dining area, a nice large room with chandeliers, an oak table with two large benches ornately painted and resting on each side of the table, added were two plush chairs, one at each end. Rita and Sonya were seated in them with Kelly and Chance on one side of the table, Darian, one young girl and one who looked to be in her late teens on the other side. "Willow these are the potential slayers, Kennedy and Molly." Rita said as Willow sat down her legs a bit shaky. "There is one left but we fear we won't get to her in time as Buffy has continued to dream."
"Rita, Willow shouldn't be troubling herself with that, she needs to rest and work on gaining her own strength." Sonya put in hoping to not insult the leader of their group.
In all actuality, Willow was registering what the women were saying, but it sounded far away, like a movie when you're dozing in and out of sleep, on the edge of reality but not quite there. She shook her head to try and focus better but the tendrils clamped down on her mind as many things washed through it like vivid pictures.
Tara laying on the bedroom floor dead, her almost ending the world, her fight with Buffy, but at the end of all this coupled with many voices of darkness calling her, she could see a light, like an aura. It shined bright gold, all signs of purity and looked to be trying to force its way through the tendrils which threatened to choke out her sanity. "Willow." She heard a soft voice say then grew faint upon recognition of it.
"Let me take her back." Rita said standing. "Obviously she isn't ready for this."
"No you aren't ready." Said Anyanka flashing into the room in a burst of fireworks. "I could feel her pain from New York where I was performing a perfectly decent spell on a man who was cheating on his wife."
"Demon, you need to stay out of this." Rita hissed growing impatient.
"No, she's my friend and I will help her, you can't stop me witch." Anyanka hissed back as Kennedy watched concerned.
Willow began to tremble and shake as vivid thoughts of her forcing Anya to help her ran through her head, the mental tendrils squeezing and tugging till she fell to the floor. "This is all your fault witch!" Anyanka shouted angrily.
"You need to leave and let us do our jobs." Kelly said as Kennedy and Darian helped Sonya get Willow to her room.
"I don't know what goes on here, everything I've learned has taught me not to trust a demon but I trust that one for some reason." Darian says dryly.
"Are you a slayer too?" Kennedy asks quizzically.
"No." Darian says putting pillows under Willow. "I'm going to make a call, excuse me." She walks out.
***********
The house seems quiet when Buffy gets in from patrol that night. She has a look around at the many photo's collected over the years and glances a second time at one of Tara. It was a thanks giving photo of her, but something seemed off in it. A different look or lighting around the eyes. She studied it then shook her head thinking she was seeing things.
She walked over to the answering machine and listened. "Hi, I'm Darian, from the group you sent Willow Rosenberg to. I'm not sure what the deal is or who is involved but something in my gut tells me this isn't the place I thought it was and Willow isn't safe. Your demon friend is right. I hope this finds you able to do something before it's to late."
Buffy replayed the message twice more. "Giles!" She yelled frantically realizing she'd been stupid to trust strangers over a friend and made a mental note to apologize to Anya as soon as Willow was taken out.
Giles raced down the stairs. "Yes?" She played the message once more as Anya flickered into the room.
"Willow has been moved, Darian is dead and Sonya is on the run with the youngest slayer. Kelly is with Xander, claiming she's helping but I don't buy it."
"Dear Lord." Giles said wiping off his glasses.
"No time for thinking, lets move now!" Buffy shouted racing to the jeep hearing Giles calling for Dawn to get up.
***********
Willow found herself in a room, like none she'd ever seen before then saw Rita standing over her. "You will give me all I need."
"Awe, the witch, pure and gentle witch is near." Someone from across the room said and as he turned round Willow recognized Spike.
"See he knows." Rita laughed. "I hadn't planned for it to happen quite so soon but they wouldn't let it go so they forced me to move more quickly."
"Tisk Tisk, you know not of what you speak, the whiteness of her glow is so so pretty." Spike continued rambling. "Oh oh, I'm so bad, I'm a monster, I can't get clean." He changed subjects quickly obviously not fully in tune up stairs any longer. He began rubbing his skin viciously as Rita laughed.
Willow closed her eyes as the ropes that choked her mind began to tighten again. She felt a presence, something strong, like a rock in a weary disastrous situation, comforting and loving. Then she pondered what Spike had said, pure, witch, she certainly wasn't pure with her trek to the evil side and all.
Tara, she thought, my Tara. Immediately her mind began to swirl against the ropes that bound it, pushing and shoving as she heard Tara singing softly as she'd done on the bridge.
Part 3, The Beginning Continued
by Marti
Tara stood in a grassy meadow, eyes dancing over the luxurious surroundings. Trees as green and tall as the eye could see. Vibrantly growing plush green grass, birds singing, all things happy and loving were here in the Summerlands.
She sang a song, that was familiar to her from her time on earth as she looked at her favorite tree. A beautiful, large willow tree.
She began to feel a tug at her soul, a need to see Willow so she went to the area in which those residing here were given permission to check in on their loved ones upon occasion. She was certain she'd spent far more time here than she was supposed to but she couldn't help it.
Since her first moments arriving here she'd looked and saw Willow's great pain. She saw it all, the entire ordeal, the enraged redhead going all black and becoming a walking path of destruction. The tears that fell, the sucking of her mind, the torture and confusion that overwhelmed the love of her life.
She looked hard and concentrated, vividly seeing the mind of her one time lover being cracked apart as though someone was literally inside ripping her inner being from its core.
All of this was more than Tara could take so she began speaking to her, trying to get her to feel her, to hear her, to use her strength to defeat this dark magic and whatever forces if any were keeping her from being free.
As the months wore on Tara continued to watch Willow, to try and guide her through each wave of mind tangling, to coax her to get better with little success. She'd wait till it felt the most unbearable then speak to Willow, and concentrate hard to help Willow feel her love and warmth.
She felt as her soul wanted to crawl under one of those big trees and wither away, without Willow she wasn't happy, she couldn't be happy as was expected of her in this place. Perhaps it would be easier if Willow were happy, safe and mentally stable but this certainly wasn't the case.
So here Tara was in this beautiful resting place with breezes blowing gently, sun beaming down and happy chatter from new comers as well as those who'd been here for a time. Yet she wasn't happy, she knew she'd never rest in peace till Willow's soul was at ease and resting.
************
One night as Tara rested lazily against a tree she felt a tug, something moving within her soul, a stir of emotion, of desire to move, to help, to fight. She went to the viewing area and saw that Willow was sleeping peacefully in her bed so began to grow confused. "Tara, look here." Said a tall woman with beautiful flowing hair, deep set brown eyes and a smile that would have reached cross country if she were living.
Tara looked in the direction she was motioning and saw Buffy jerking on the bed, then she saw it. A young girl trying to fight off some weird looking men in robes then heard herself speak. "It's not enough." As she spoke a demon looking thing pinned Buffy against a wall. "It's not enough!" Came from Tara's soul more forcefully.
She stood watching as the young girl died and Buffy awoke in a start looking at Tara's picture on her dresser then went downstairs for a drink.
"Don't you understand love?" Another woman from behind her spoke and as she turned she saw her mother bathed in light standing, arms outstretched ready to embrace her.
Tara didn't understand for a moment then it clicked, the dreams they all had from a few years ago, she was indeed, at one time, ages ago, the first slayer.
"Tara dear, you must stay here for a time." Her mother spoke softly. "Buffy may need you, to fight off the evils of the first. You will not remember who you were when you return, you will not remember Willow."
Tara's face fell at those words. "I will always remember Willow mother." Tara said confidently. "They can take everything else from me, my mind, my life, my existence, but I will always remember my Willow."
As she said those words she saw Willow move in her sleep with a little half smile creasing her face and knew she heard them. Her mother smiled too, knowing their love, Tara's voice, was crossing the dimensions of life and death and stopping straight at her Willow. She knew that once Kelly activated the evil, Darian and Sonya did their part, Tara had to move at just the right second to cross over to help Buffy or it would be to late. She also knew that if there was a way, Tara would reunite with Willow, the other half of her soul who waited for her day and night through tortured mental battles.
***************
Tara saw the entire ordeal, Willow being moved from her so called safe haven, the two young potential slayers, one whom seemed to be taking a liking to Willow being rushed out to what was hopefully safety then Buffy getting the call.
She was resigned to panic, helplessness as Willow was carted off as well as a notion that Willow may move on before her return. She decided that if that were the case, Buffy would be the only one who knew she had returned, if in fact she were able to return and she'd let Willow move on with her life, hopefully find a way to escape the battles this life had brought to her for so many years and live happily, free and normally.
Tara was well aware that if she returned, it may even be for a short time once more, to fulfill a purpose, a destiny, and possibly a sacrifice to help her loved ones be set free from the madness they'd been sucked in by for the entirety of their teenage life into their adulthood.
A tear trickled down her cheek as her mother put her arms around her and sang softly as she did when she was a child to calm her panicked state.