"I can see that you really love this girl and being away from her is breaking the both of your hearts," came a voice. Tara looked around, but she couldn't see anyone.

"Who's there?"

"Don't be afraid, Tara Maclay." It said gently. "I am the one who controls this part of the after life."

"What?"

"Just let me explain. You are dead in the human world, but not to the point of no return. Because I can see how much you and this young lady,"

"Willow." Tara said, the name tasting sweet on her tongue.

"Willow, love one another and how much it hurts the both of you to be apart, I'm granting you a chance."

Tara's mouth dropped open. "What do you mean?"

"You will return to the human world in ghost form. If, and only if, you can lure Willow and get her to break the spell, will you return to your human form and be allowed to remain on Earth. If she is unable to break the spell however, you will return here and will become dead, to the point of no return."

Tara nodded slowly. They were high stakes, she realised that, but anything would be worth it to see Willow again. Even the chance of being allowed to stay with her. Her heart began to race and a small smile formed on her lips.

"Do you understand?" Asked the voice.

Tara nodded.

"Do you accept?"

Tara nodded again, perhaps a touch too enthusiastically.


Willow closed her eyes and saw herself and Tara, walking along in a pretty garden, hand in hand. Unlike most of the other times she'd seen Tara in her dreams, for some reason, seeing her again now didn't make her upset.

"Willow," Tara spoke softly turning to face Willow and taking her other hand in her own. "I need you to find me."

"What?" Willow asked, confused. "But you're right here."

"When you wake up Willow, I need you to find me."

"You're gone there. I don't like it there anymore. I don't like being without you. I don't want to leave you Baby." Willow said, squeezing Tara's hands.

"I just need you to find me, ok? Will you do it for me, even if you don't quite understand?" Tara asked, her eyes searching Willow's.

"I'd do anything for you, Tara. You know that."

"So will you do this for me? Please?" Tara asked, her eyes pleading with Willow.

"Baby, I'd do anything for you." Willow repeated, smiling.


Willow shot upright in her bed, wide awake all of a sudden.

"Tara needs me." She whispered, feeling strongly propelled to fulfil the request Tara made in her dream and find her. Something within her told her Tara wasn't gone. Something in her heart told her that Tara was somewhere and she needed Willow.

"I'm coming Tara. Hold on, Sweetie, I'm coming."

Willow only just thought to pull on a jacket before running out the door as quietly as she could, so as not to wake anyone up, and wandered away into the night.

"Tara, are you even here?" She asked out loud, looking up at the black night sky, twinkling with stars. "It seems to good to be true. But I know anything is possible."

"Just follow my voice." Came the voice of Willow's angel. "You'll find me."

"Keeping talking to me Tara." Willow begged, beginning to walk in the direction she thought the voice may have come from. "Please don't leave me again."

"I would never leave you Willow. I love you too much!"

"So why did you have to die?" Willow asked, her voice now soaked with tears as more ran down her cheeks.

"Sweetie, you know I didn't have a choice. No one does. Not about that."

"I know."

"But I missed you. It broke my heart to see you like that."

"You were watching me?" Willow asked, a tiny hint of hope in her tone.

"Willow. Of course I was watching you! It was the closest I could get to being right by your side. All I wanted was you. To hold your hand, To hug you close and never let you go. To tell you that everything would be alright."

The tears were falling steadily from Willow's cheeks now as she continued to follow the voice of her lost lover. "I love you Tara." She whispered.

"I know Baby. I saw it. No one could get you to stop crying. You were so sweet." Tara laughed lightly at the memory.

"I wanted to sleep all the time. You were with me in my dreams. We were happy and you were with me. Dreams were my sanctuary."

"I was with you all the time Willow, even though you couldn't see me. Even death couldn't pull me away from you. Not too far. I always watched over you. The whole time."

"Like Dawnie said? My guardian angel?" Willow asked, touching the locket around her neck.

"Just like Dawn said." Tara agreed.

"You're always my angel Tara. I love you."

For the first time Willow could remember since Tara had been shot, a genuine smile escaped her lips. Her heart slowly started to beat a little faster. There on the top of the hill, she could se a faint looking figure. She didn't know for sure if it was real. Her eyes could have been deceiving her. It could be a mirage. For all she knew, it could have been a dream. But she hoped to the heavens it wasn't. She took a deep breath and began to run as hard as she could. As fast as her legs would take her.