Part 17
Willow walked out of the house and stopped at the front porch where a very upset teenage redhead was sitting on the step with her head bent and fussing with the dirty
"Hey, what are you doing sitting here by yourself?" she asked softly
"Self pitying" she answered despondently "I can't believe Joan is the slayer" she complained and threw a small rock across the street "I'm good for nothing"
"Hey…watch your mouth, this is my daughter you're talking about" Willow scolded playfully and sat next to the girl "and I don't let anyone say anything bad about her"
"I'm a screw up, mom"
"Why are you saying that, honey?" she asked furrowing her brows trying to understand why her daughter was so distressed
"because…" she sighed "let's face it, mom…I'll never be as good as Ariel…my only hope was that I'd be the chosen one to be the new slayer, but not even this" she shook her head sadly "I'm nothing"
"Don't say that" Willow warned seriously "you're a witch, a very powerful one"
"Please" she snorted and rolled her eyes "I can barely perform a conjuring spell"
"sweetie, when I was your age I had trouble levitating a pencil…my potions always came up…soup" she smiled and wrinkled her nose "I sucked"
"What happened?" the teenager lifted a curious eyebrow
"I met your mother" she answered simply "Tara taught me everything about magic, she gave me focus…she was amazing" she had a dreamy look on her face, her eyes always shone when she talked about her soul mate "and if she were here she would not let you beat yourself up like that…she would say that your power comes from your heart, you just have to access it" she locked eyes with her teenage child and spoke sincerely "if you think you're not as powerful as your sister double your efforts then, be twice as dedicate as she is...study harder…but don't you think being a slayer is a gift, cause it's not" she shook her head firmly "it's a heavy burden and Joan is gonna need you by her side just like Buffy needed me and Xander" she took her daughter's hand "you're gonna have to be there for her" the younger redhead sighed and squeezed her mother's hand softly
"I wish I had met my mama" she said softly "the way you talk about her makes her seem so special"
"Because she is" Willow whispered feeling tears forming behind her eyes "she owns my heart and soul"
"That's why you never married again?"
"Probably…you know I have relationships…not deep ones, basically…"
"Okay, mom" she interrupted closing her eyes and waving her hands "I know you have sex…and may I say…ewww !!!" she made a disgusting face and shook her head making her mother giggle "but the question is…" she sighed as if gathering strength to ask "have you ever blamed me for her death?"
"What???" Willow practically shouted from surprise "no…never…do you here me? Never" she stated firmly and sighed "sweetie look at me" she put her fingers under the girl's chin and waited until they made eye contact "you're a precious gift Tara gave me…it's like she couldn't have gone without leaving me a farewell present…she was a very considering lady" she smiled at her daughter "I miss her, I miss her everyday and when I look at Ariel…it's like I'm looking at her all over again"
"Like grandpa says: the resemblance is remarkable" she said in a fake British accent making Willow laugh
"That's right" she said nodding "but that doesn't mean I love her more than I love you…you're my little princess" she said smoothing the girl's red hair "I'm very proud of you"
"Thank you mommy…I love you too" the two redheads hugged affectionately
"Good…now let's get inside and see how Anya is taking the news"
"Oh God…poor Joan" she said with her eyes wide
"Poor Xander" Willow corrected
"Oh, yeah…" they nodded and walked inside the house
The gang was gathering in the living room. A sobbing Anya was sitting on an armchair being comforted by her husband and daughter
"I can't believe it" she said between sobs "it's not fair"
"There, there mom" Joan said caressing her mother's hair "don't be like that…it's not the end of world"
"Yeah, honey" Xander tried coax his wife "I think you're overreacting a little bit"
"I'm not overreacting" she shouted and blew her nose "I didn't raise a daughter so she would end up like…like…like them" she motioned to Buffy and Faith before bursting into tears again
"Hey" Buffy retorted indignantly
"Okay mom…when you say end up 'like them', do you mean gay?" Joan asked placing her hands on her hips "cause if that's the problem, well…I'm already a lesbian" she declared shrugging nonchalantly making Xander's eyes almost pop out of their sockets and Anya's head jerk up "I'm kidding" she laughed and caused a fit of giggles on the gang "but you should see the look on you face dad…it was priceless" she smirked cynically at her parents who were looking suspiciously at her "no seriously…I'll probably fall for a very handsome charming 500 year-old vampire..." she turned to look at Buffy lifting her eyebrows mockingly at the blonde "like Angel or Spike"
"I still have my slayer strength, right?" Buffy asked to Ariel who was having a hard time trying to stifle a laugh; the blonde witch simply nodded at her
"Good…cause I'm gonna kick this little brat" she tried to get up only to be held by Faith
"Anya, being a slayer is not that bad" the brunette said while restraining her girlfriend
"oh, no?" the ex demon stood up and started pacing "it means that she's gonna be stuck here in Sunnydale for the rest of her life…which by the way can be very short" she glared at her daughter "I had plans for you…you're supposed to marry a millionaire so you could support me when I was old"
"It's not that hopeless, you know" Joan said making Xander roll his eyes in exasperation "no, seriously dad…I can still marry a rich guy, and if I don't…you still have Alex Jr." she said nodding in the boy's direction
"Hey" he shouted offended
"Shut up, dork" she barked at him and turned back to her mother "kid is a genius…he's 14 and already works for Willow, right Red mom?" she said and looked at the witch with pleading eyes
"Yeah…don't worry Anya" she waved a hand dismissingly "Jr. is a very solid investment"
"Great…now I'll never have peace again" the boy whined shaking his head and cause another round of giggles, suddenly Willow sobered up furrowing her brows as if sensing something
"What?" Buffy asked noticing her friend stiffen a little
"Do you feel that?" she asked with a smile forming on her lips
"Feel what?" everybody was looking at redhead
"Sometimes I feel this…warmth, this…"
"Lovingness???" Lara asked sheepishly
"Yeah…do you feel it too?" she questioned and the teenager nodded
"Yes…I feel protected and safe" she sighed peacefully "it's like someone is watching over me"
"Maybe they are" Ariel declared locking eyes with a white robed figure no one else could see standing at the other side of the room
30 years later
Willow was walking through a field covered with beautiful colored flowers; the sun was shining brightly and the grass was so green that it couldn't be real. She paused and checked her surrounds, she was alone; she felt light and strong; she looked at her body, and saw that she looked exactly like the young woman she had been 50 years ago
"What the…" she checked her hands, they weren't wrinkled…she was young again "is this a dream?" she asked aloud feeling that her voice was strong again
"No, it's not a dream" she heard a soft voice speak behind her; she spun fast and had the most beautiful vision of her life
"Tara???" she whispered tearfully
"hi sweetie" the blonde was standing in front of her looking as young and pretty as Willow remembered
"Oh my God…if this is a dream, please don't let me wake up" she pled with tears running down her cheeks "cause this is the best dream I've ever had"
"This is not a dream" Tara moved forward, she was wearing a loose white dress, she was no longer a Keeper "I came to get you"
"Get me?" Willow asked confused and the blonde nodded
"It's time for us to be together again" she said and held the redhead's hands "our souls need to be reunited again"
"Does that mean that I am… did I…have I died?" she asked agitatedly pacing franticly when Tara nodded affirmatively "I can't…I can't go now…what about the children?"
"What children?" the blonde asked calmly
"Our children" she answered nervously
"Willow" Tara whispered softly and caressed her soul mate's face "our children have children who have children" she smiled sweetly at the redhead "they don't need you anymore…it's time for you to rest and for us to be with one another again" she ran a hand through the red locks "we both have completed our mission and now we have nothing but each other…for eternity"
"You and me together…forever?" she asked hopefully
"yes, together…forever" she said and a big grin broke in both women's features "that's our Destiny" Tara said and they kissed with such love that they didn't even flinch when they were surrounded by this bright white light that engulfed them and disappeared into space and time entering a new dimension where two broken souls were finally whole again.
The End
Okay...that's it...or not ;-)
Thanks for all the feedback and support you guys provided throughout both stories…I really appreciate that
I'm already working on the third part of the trilogy (so star wars!!!) but I'm afraid this will not be a Willow/Tara paring once it will be placed during the time Tara was in England (before 'Forever you') it will be a Faith/Tara paring so I'll understand if you guys desert me sniff but I hope it doesn't happen cause I love you all.
Thank you,
Warrior Angel