Weakness
Timeline:
summer between s5/s6.
Willow hates her freckles. She'd never say so, but the trouble she goes to to hide them – make-up, long sleeves – says enough. Once Buffy suggested that she should dress a little sexier; Willow responded with a rant about pale skin, sun and skin cancer. That's not it, though.
Everyone thinks Willow's the strongest, "the boss of us" who carries Buffy's absence on her shoulders.
At night, Tara holds her until the shaking stops. There's a cluster of freckles right below Willow's shoulderblade; she runs her hand across it, kisses it. It's a part of Willow only she gets to see.
Even
if she never...
Timeline: alt future, years after "Tough
Love"
Tara has good days.
She has days when things almost make sense. She can string thoughts together, look at the woman next to her and remember her name. She sees red hair turning grey, lines forming around green eyes. She knows Willow still loves her and will always take care of her, and wants to tell her to stop, it's useless, she's throwing her life away on someone who will never get better.
Those days are few and far between. Mostly it's all chaos, confusion, terror, insanity and nothing makes sense.
Those are the good days. When she doesn't know.