A/N part 13-15 was reworked a little. this is the last part, hope you enjoy.

Part 15- Time by Buffyfan1973

Three days had past since several Scoobies spoke of what to do about the mess. Tara had spoke later on that night with Sonya. They had gone over the details of the plan at great length and now all Sonya had to do to begin undoing the mess was wait for Faith to call her informing her there was a big battle going on.

What Sonya was about to help Tara do would indeed change all their lives forever but it was the only way to eradicate the botched slayer line thus taking one of the strongholds of the first away and maybe even releasing Willow from her possible downfall at the hands of the first.

The call came at 10:30, Faith had told her she, Spike and Buffy were involved in an altercation with a large number of Turok Hans and Sonya knew the time was now. She rose from her bed and headed to where Tara was with Willow. "Tara, it's time!" She shouted with urgency in her voice.

Willow looked at the blonde and sudden fear crossed her features. "Tara?" She queried with a fear that Tara was about to do something that she couldn't come back from.

"Willow," Tara kissed her lover wishing she could find another way but knowing she couldn't. "What I have to do is going to be hard and I wish everyone didn't have to go through this but," Tara hung her head. "Willow I have to go back in time and stop what was made wrong. This is what I was sent here for. I don't know what will happen once it takes place but know this; I love you forever and always."

With that Tara left the room not looking back. She knew that if she saw Willow cry she couldn't do it; she couldn't possibly walk away from her lover yet again and not come back but the fact remained, she didn't know if she would come back.

Willow sits up thinking of the implications of what Tara is going to have to do. Buffy will be gone, maybe no Dawnie, maybe no Faith, who knows what the ripple effect of undoing this mess Xander caused just because he wanted to help Buffy live.

She raced into the room where Sonya was seated in deep concentration. She looked at the woman for answers but none came. "Damn it!" She shouted running out the door towards the ensuing battle.

- - - - - - -

Meanwhile, Spike, Faith and Buffy were giving it all they had in the battle with the uber vamps. They seemed to be making headway when Willow showed up. She lifted her hands in the air. "The first didn't get my essence," she stated as a big sun ball flashed burning the vampires to death. "Tara is gone," she shuddered. "She's gone back in time to fix what was wronged."

Faith looked at Buffy knowing what this surely meant. "B," Buffy just shook her head ready to meet her fate.

"Will," she looked at her friend. "When this happens, can you please take it from Xander and Dawnie? I don't know if they could handle it."

Spike stood beside Faith with sadness in his eyes. He'd moved on from loving Buffy and into a more even-paced relationship with the dark slayer but that didn't mean he wanted her gone. "Faith?" He questioned her with his eyes. He didn't know what this meant for the two of them and it worried him. They'd never even got a chance to discuss a relationship, just talked and enjoyed each others company.

"I don't know Spike, it's a good thing we're not in love cause this could mean Glory took me out rather than B." Faith said putting her slayer resolve on.

Suddenly a great rumbling sound was heard as the earth began to vibrate and tremble. Then a swirling wind began to blow all around them. "It's time, I love you all." Buffy said steeling herself for the inevitable.

- - - - - - - -

Tara was shot through the portal that sent her back in time as Sonya now could only pray for a good outcome. She didn't know where she was at first but then realized she was in eyesight of the fight between Buffy and the master. Time was of the essence she knew but hated what she was about to do. She couldn't bear the thought of having to keep Buffy dead. After all she'd done to save the world, this was to be her fate thus taking her legendary status away and giving it to someone who had never even fought the master or Glory. It just didn't seem fair but it was what Tara was sent here to do and she knew there was no other way.

When she saw Buffy go into the water and Xander run to save her, she jumped behind him and, with slayer strength, fisted him in the side of the head.

A great anguish swept through the blonde as she did this. She had just changed history with one thud of a fist, taken many good memories away from her loved ones, taken Buffy's life and status as a slayer. She did it all because that damn slayer demon was within her first and because she had to save the world from the first evil as well as Willow from herself.

- - - - - -

The wind picked up, flashes of light almost blinded the Scoobies as they dropped to the ground. Then calmness swept over the land. It was like a tide had just rolled in and then settled releasing its hold on the waters thus making the earth seem calm again.

Willow stood up, dusted herself off and looked at Kennedy who was readying herself to fight the first evil. Kennedy had been a slayer since Faith gave her life to save Buffy's little sister, Dawn whom she helped look after upon her coming to Sunnydale. She was called after Buffy died years ago at the hands of the master, after Kendra was killed by Drusilla and stayed a strong living slayer longer than them all, for over two years. Buffy would have been proud of Faith, she was just sorry Spike had to lose yet another love as he and Faith were growing close upon the time of her death.

Her mind was fuzzy though, she could have sworn Tara was with them as recently as this morning but knew she had died just over a year ago and she was now dating Kennedy a woman she knew she'd never truly love but it was someone to move on with.

It seemed everyone had either died or left, Willow thought as she continued looking at Spike wondering why he seemed so grief stricken. First Buffy, then Kendra, then Faith and then Tara had all died. Joyce almost died too a short time before Faith's sad demise but Faith had got home from class in time to revive the woman. Then, Giles had decided to not return from England with Willow who had gone there to get training for magic usage after she tried to end the world once Tara died. He had instead; decided to stay behind with this new woman he'd met at the coven, a Sonya something or other.

Willow shook her head again and turned around to see Tara standing behind her with this big funny looking ax. "Kennedy will need this." Tara said. "I was sent back here because I was the only one with the key to stop the first."

She hands Kennedy the ax and gives her some instructions. Kennedy knows her last fight will be to entrap the first inside the hellmouth and be its guardian thus being trapped inside it herself. She would have no chance to fight for Willow but knew that would be a mute point anyhow. She was just glad that Willow would be happy. She also knew the memories Willow and the others were given were fake, that upon fixing the slayer line, the demon of the first slayer had moved from Tara to her thus activating her. She knew what she was doing would be a grand thing indeed, there was only one slayer before her who had managed to stop the first and now it was her turn to go down into legendary status where slayer-lore was concerned.

- - - - - -

Three days after Kennedy sacrificed herself to beat back the first evil, what is left of the gang are having dinner. Spike motions Tara in the living room. "Tara, you don't have to carry the burden alone, I remember everything too. You did what you had to do love." He hugged his new best friend tightly. "We'll get on all right and I have a feeling niblet will make a fine slayer and Willow a wonderful watcher and you, well you're a wonderful selfless human being Tara."

They went back into the kitchen finishing the dinner Joyce had prepared. Never in Joyce's wildest dreams did she think she would enjoy the company of a vampire but she and Spike were getting along well. Her only fear now was that her second daughter was a slayer, what would befall poor Dawnie.

She put on a smile though as Spike gave her a comforting hug and the others left the house. "It's all right love, we will look after niblet and you have a wedding to plan." He didn't mind Joyce thinking she had feelings for him; he always had a secret crush on the woman and hoped something could come of it. What he did mind however, was having to be involved in Anya and Xander's wedding.

- - - - - -

Willow and Tara lie snuggling in bed later that night. "I love you Tara," Willow said kissing her tenderly. "I'm so glad the powers that be brought you back to me. We've lost so many in such a short time."

"You'll never lose me again Willow." Tara said secretly thanking whomever decided to let her stay here although she, Spike and Sonya Garrison had a secret they must take to their graves. None of that mattered now because she was here with Willow and planned to make the most of this chance they'd been given.

She kissed a trail down Willow's mouth to her stomach. "I love you more than life itself Willow. No matter what comes, we will get through it."

"I know we will but I've been thinking about something. If something were to happen to Dawnie and-and-and I hope it doesn't but if it does, I want us to stop fighting evil and leave. I so want a normal life with you Tara but we can't leave Dawnie." The kissing and groping grows more intense as clothing is removed from both witches.

"No we can't leave Dawnie but we can do our best to protect her and fight the fight for as long as she's alive. Then we too will leave if the worst happens. Right now and every night following, I just want to make love to you as if it were our first time." Tara said smiling broadly at her lover.

"Sounds like a plan baby," Willow smiled back happily. She truly felt this was the beginning of the rest of their lives and said lives were going to be lived happily ever after, somehow.

END.