Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy, but I do own Sophie, baby Lily, and Echo the puppy :)

Tara sat herself on the end of the Chosen Two's bed. She stared at the comatose Buffy, trying desperately to think of the thing she apparently knew that would help save her. She thought hard, but no ideas came. Actually, maybe thinking to hard was the problem.

"Back to basics, back to basics.." Tara repeated to herself, remembering Cordelia's words. She looked to the ceiling, frowning. "Really, you couldn't have given me anything more helpful?" Then she sighed. She really was frustrated that Cordy hadn't given her any more information, stewing over it wouldn't help anyone, least of all Buffy. So, Tara fetched a beginners book of magic that Dawn had been learning from in an attempt to prevent herself causing anymore chaotic magical incidents, then returned to her place on the edge of the bed, flipping throufgh pages with Echo whining beside her.

"I think I get it now" Buffy whispered, finally tearing her eyes away from the giggling child playing nearby.

"Get what B?" Faith asked.

"What Tara said after she was resurrected, about Heaven not being Heaven for her without Willow. I don't think Heaven will be Heaven for me anymore without you" Buffy replied. She paused for a moment. "You have to remember that.."

"You love me, I know."

"Yes, but not just that. Everyone else loves you too, especially Sophie, and Tara" said Buffy. "She is your sister now, and she will be whether I'm here or not. The Scoobies are your family. Stay with them, don't do anything stupid like go off into the world on your own again.

"B.."

"Promise me, Faith. Promise me you'll stay with them."

"Okay then, I promise" said Faith. Buffy suddenly drew a deep, rattling breath, and Faith's face paled. This was familiar, too familiar. Dream Buffy suddenly became as sick as the one in the real world, and she had become even sicker while Faith had been asleep. Their daughter disappeared, and the idyllic surroundings of the park began to crumble. "B? What's goin' on?"

"I'm tired, Faith" said Buffy. She crawled into her girlfriends lap, curling up even tighter against her. "Can you hold me, please? Just hold me."

Tara continued to study the book, and had just reached a section on healing herbs. She gasped. Healing herbs, that was it! She jumped to her feet and ran from the room, heading downstairs. A few seconds after she had left, Faith's eyelids fluttered open. It took a moment for the haze of sleep to clear from her mind, but once it did she sat up, pulling Buffy's pale, limp form into her arms and cradling her against her chest like a baby.

"I'll hold you, B" she whispered. "I'll hold you."

"Vervain!" Tara yelled as she reached the loungeroom. She set Sophie down, having quickly fetched her from the bathroom along the way.

"What?" Willow frowned, confused.

"Vervain" Tara repeated. "It's a herb, Naturopath's believe it has healing properties. It does, but it's more powerful when it's used magically. Donny and I hardly ever got sick when we were young because our Mom gave us Vervain tea whenever she thought we might have been coming down with something. It can cure pretty much anything, we can use it to save Buffy."

"Great!" Spike grinned. "So where do we get some of this Vervain stuff?" Tara's face fell.

"I don't actually know, I've never seen it in stock at the store.."

"I knows where to find some" Sophie whispered.

"Where?" asked Riley. Sophie looked up, fear in her wide blue eyes.

"The cave."