CHAPTER TWO: SPACE
Tara couldn't sleep. She didn't know how Willow had been able to drift off so easily, but she figured that it could have been due to the incredibly powerful spell that had ripped through Willow's body earlier. She still couldn't believe that her lover hadn't told her about every single facet of the spell that they had used to raise Buffy.
Buffy…she couldn't help but wonder how the blonde Slayer was doing. She knew without a doubt that she wasn't going to get any sleep tonight unless she knew for a fact that Buffy was alright.
Gently, so as not to disturb Willow, Tara pulled away from the redheaded witch and slid into a dressing gown and slippers. She padded quietly out of the room and down the hall, easing Buffy's door open. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the empty bed, and she couldn't help but wonder if the entire night had been a dream.
She closed the door and moved down the corridor, quickly checking on Dawn. Tara couldn't help but smile as she saw the teenager curled up on her bed, clutching at Mr Gordo. Tara hadn't understood why Dawn had been so adamant about sleeping with a stuffed pig after Buffy had died, but Dawn had shared the story of Buffy's prized possession, and Tara knew that Dawn kept the old item to feel closer to her sister.
Tara noticed that for the first time in five months, Dawn had fallen asleep with a smile on her face. The blonde hared Wiccan couldn't help but wish that everyone had the same view of Buffy's return. There was something off about the Slayer and Tara didn't know what it was. She intended to find out though.
She closed Dawn's door and continued down the corridor and down the stairs. Tara felt a soft breeze hit her, and she noticed that the back door that led into the kitchen was open. She silently moved through the kitchen and looked out into the darkness.
A small lump was seated on the stairs, huddled into a small ball. Tara felt her heart lurch as she took in the honey blonde hair that fell across shoulders that were barely covered by a tank top. Tara backtracked to the front door and grabbed Willow's coat that hung by the door. She moved silently to the backdoor and stood beside Buffy.
The Slayer didn't move. She didn't even flinch at the presence of the intruder. Tara moved down a step and bent to cover Buffy's shoulders with the coat.
Buffy turned her head, her eyes so filled with pain that Tara had to force herself not to gasp in shock. She swallowed her nervousness and took a seat beside the Slayer.
For endless moments, neither of them said anything. Tara understood that sometimes it was best for people to be given time and space before they spoke of anything. What Tara couldn't help but notice was the way Buffy's hands shook, whether from the cold night air, or from the wounds that Tara had noticed earlier that evening.
The gentle Wiccan flinched at the thought of having to dig your way out of a coffin. She couldn't bear the thought of it, and knowing that the woman next to her had had to do so only three hours earlier was making Tara want to retch.
Tara let her mind wander, her attention drifting up to the stars. She was startled slightly by Buffy sliding down one step so that Tara was the step above her. Tara was about to slide down to join her, but was stopped when Buffy laid her head in Tara's lap, her eyes open but unfocussed.
Tara was too stunned to say anything to get Buffy to move. And she knew that if she said anything to discourage Buffy's actions, she could well destroy an already fragile person. With shaking hands, she gently began stroking Buffy's hair, trying to comfort the girl in any way she could.
She didn't understand why Buffy was seeking comfort with her. It was strange. The one and only time that Buffy and Tara had ever had any physical contact beyond touching hands was when Tara had been attacked by Glory. Buffy had hugged her in the hospital, but Tara hadn't been in control to be able to hug her back. Even when Buffy's mother had died and Tara knew what the Slayer was going through, Tara had held back.
In all truth, Buffy scared Tara a little bit. She had been taught to fear power by both of her parents, though with different methods. Her mother had taught her respect for something greater than herself. Her father had just taught her to fear that people with power over her could and would hurt her.
Over the few months that Tara had come to know a little bit about the Slayer, she began to realise that Buffy wasn't just the Slayer. She was a young woman with feelings and emotions, but she just wasn't able to express them as well as other people. In Buffy's line of work, emotions and attachments were things that your enemies exploited to the best of their ability. As someone who had been taken because of her friendship with the Slayer, Tara knew all too well that Buffy had reason enough to not be too overt with her emotional attachments.
Tara swallowed quietly, the sound of it almost booming in the quiet night. She lent forward to whisper quietly in Buffy's ear.
"Do you want to go back inside?"
Buffy sighed and shook her head. "Can we stay?" she murmured.
Tara didn't answer. Instead, she just continued to run her hands through Buffy's hair, offering her what little comfort she could. Buffy sighed softly and allowed herself to calm down completely.
She closed her eyes, and for the first time she didn't feel the panic of thinking she was trapped in her coffin overwhelming her. With Tara's soothing motions, she felt calm, relaxed, content. It was almost like being in heaven.
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