Part 8 – Bosom Friend

Giles and Xander were on the street looking for Tara, both in silence, not really knowing what to say, how they would react when they find her.

"Giles look." Xander pointed to a girl who appeared to be lost and was looking to the ocean.

They went closer and they could see that the woman was crying.

"Tara?" Xander got closer.

Tara turned her head and saw Xander "Oh my god! Xander" Xander hugged Tara closer, "Oh god, you're great, it's so good to see you again.". After the hug Tara saw Giles, "Giles!" Another tight hug. "Oh Tara it's so great to see you again.!"

"Crazy world hum... one day you think you lost one person, but just a year later you have the possibility to see her again." Xander said.

"Ah... so... honey, what are you doing here, it's freezing..." Giles said kind worried.

"I... I really don't have anywhere to go... so I was just thinking here..."

"Oh Tara, come on...let's go to the hotel and then..." Giles said with his hands on Tara's back to lead her to somewhere out of the freezing place.

"No... I mean I don't wanna..." Tara looked at Giles hoping he would understand.

"It's ok... I'll rent you a hotel near here, is that ok?" Giles said realizing Tara's thoughts.

"Oh... I don't wanna give you any problems..." Tara said.

"Oh honey it's ok, come on, let me do this please?" Giles said fatherly.

Tara nodded.

They rented a place so Tara could stay, it was near the Kitty Hotel.

They were all in the room already and had two beds. Xander started to talk to Tara while Giles got something to eat.

"Wow Tara it's been so long, I don't know even where to start." Giles said looking to Tara sat in one of the beds.

"Yeah… how about...how have you been?" Tara asked sitting next to Xander.

"I've been... well you know... as you can see, I lost my eye, Anya died...but now I'm a free one-eyed man, besides that I'm ready to rock... and you?"

Tara smiled, she missed the goofy Xander.

"Hahaha... well, I've been...dead and confused, but ah...I'm sorry about Anya though... I didn't know...she was a very nice demon."

"Yeah... but well what can you do hum..." Xander said looking down.

" You could move one... like...like Willow did." Tara suggested.

"Tara... Willow didn't."

"No... it's ok... really, I just want her to be happy."

"And this is not going to happen if you stay here and pretend that you're still dead. Why don't you go talk to her, I'm sure she will be so happy to see you again."

"Ah… I don't think so... what if I go there and only mess with her mind and I'll not be able to..."

"Tara, I know that she is going to be happy. Very happy."

"How do you know.. you're not..."

"Because... because if it was Anya... I would be dancing! The idea of seeing her again, it's wonderful... she's really gone... and there's nothing that I can do to bring her back, I love her, she is gone but I still love her, I fell like I'll always love her...if she was alive, god, I would enjoy every moment you know...sometimes you just realize what you got after you've lost it ... and I miss her...I just miss her so much." Xander was almost crying now. Tara was already with tears in her eyes... "Oh god, Xander, I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

"Oh.. it's fine... she's gone... and I have to move on... cause I know that no matter what I do I can't have her back...but you know what gives me hope?"

"What?"

"Willow... and you. She has Kennedy now, she's with her but even though, she hasn't the light that she had before with you... and you have to see her Tara, she will be so happy, I know if I were Willow I would want to see you."

"Xander... it's different, you're free, you're not dating, let's say that you're happy with someone and than Anya appears, what would you do?"

"Happy? Willow isn't happy at least not the way you think she is... she is hanging on the best way she can, there wasn't much to do you know..."

"But what would you do?"

"I would be with the woman that I love." Xander said seriously.

Tara looked down, not really knowing what to think.

"Which by the way, Willow loves you." Tara looked at Xander "Tara, sweetie, she still loves you, she's not over you, are you over her?"

"Xander, don't ask me that... please..."

"No... why not? I mean do you still love her?"

"Xander..."

"Tara.. it's just a simple question...just say it out loud it will be better, why don't you say it...do you still love her?
"It's hard ok." After a moment of silence. Xander looked oh Tara's eyes and she finally said it. "YES, ok , there I've said it, I'm still in love with Willow, and I'll always love her, always, when we broke up I missed her so much that after the coffee that afternoon I couldn't help it anymore, I had to see her, I had to ...God, now it's different, she has someone else to love, and I missed my chance, I can't have her anymore, I know that, and saying it out loud it only makes me see.."

"How insane you're being... Tara, what do you mean you can't have her anymore? She already gave to you everything she is. She is yours, you can have her back if you fight for her, if you want her and if you love her as much as you are saying she's already yours!"

Giles entered the room this time...

"Oh... sorry... I just wanted to say that everything is already booked for a couple of weeks and I bought some food..."

"Hi Giles... it's ok..."

"Tara, you have to eat something, I'll go back to the hotel to tell Buffy that we found you and that you're ok, Xander can you stay here with Tara?." Xander nodded and smiled.

"Ah... Giles?"

"Yes?"

"Don't tell Willow please..."

"Tara..." Xander Said.

"Xander... don't... just please don't tell her, not yet."

"Ok, if that's what you want..." Giles said.

"Yeah...for now..." Tara said firmly.

Giles nodded and left the room.