Willow hates the surge of guilt weighing in her chest as she follows along with the rest of the small tour group toward their next destination.
It had always been her dream for them. or at least a fun idea she'd always toy with in the softer, quieter times in their stolen moments together.
"It'd be fun, don't you think? Get in touch with our roots as it were. Pay respect to those lost, honor them, and also enjoy a somewhat romantic-ish vacation from all things hellmouthy?" she remembers Tara musing in the darkness of her dorm room.
Willow half sprawled over her fighting the want for sleep just a little longer not just to enjoy the ticking feeling of her lover's fingers tracing feather light against her necked back but also because hearing Tara so free and happy about something, anything really was a treasured experience.
The fact the last stop on the painstakingly carved outside trip before she got back into helping track more awakening slayers was the fact that today also happened to be what would have been Tara's birthday.
"And for our first stop before the truly main attractions an oddity of sorts." The guide dressed in period clothes calls out pointing towards a well so aged it seemed even the softest of winds would knock the thing over completely.
"The ledged has it that only the truest of magic users would be able to make their wishes come true."
Willow rolled her eyes at the giggled whispers breaking out in the group she'd tagged along with as the others walking ahead of her speed up their steps a few even digging out coins as their guide once again clears her throat.
"I'm afraid only one wish per tour may be granted today."
An audible groan sweeps the cue at the words.
"What about you Miss?"
Willow who'd been trying her best to hide her snicker of amusement at the restricted access to the supposed 'magic wish-granting well' only noticed when the woman dressed in something more suited to the earlier setter's style clothes seemed to appear at her side.
"Me?"
The elder woman nodes once. "The quiet ones of the group always have the most interesting of desires for our well to hear."
"Oh, no that's alright really I…." Willow says eyeing one of the group's more spoiled rotten seeming youngsters now attempting to at least set the true Wicca woman on fire if she glared at her hard enough as the kindly smiling tour guide puts a guiding hand against Willow's arm.
"Come along my dear."
Now that she had a more up-close look at the woman Willow understands a little more of the reason she'd chosen to hang back.
She reminded her too much of an older-looking Cordelia Chase leading the rowdy tour group.
"Watch it, Red. You know I still have enough pull to make this a Cinderella deal instead of a no-strings one."
Willow blinked a few times in shock at the now very Cordy starkness of the words as she was guided closer to the racketing well.
"Lucky for you I've taken a liking to her and can't bring myself to be so cruel to her." Cordy goes on still talking more to herself now than Willow. "and come on it is her birthday after all, but just… no more old person jibes. I needed to blend and knew if I showed up as myself you'd have immediately bolted."
Willow had to admit she would have.
"Now that that's taken care of how about you get this wishing show on the road and call her back already?"
"Cor….."
"Nope, no way before you even think it this is nothing at all like a Buffy deal. Honest, Sure she made it up there and all that but she's nowhere near as happy as Buff was."
Willow feels the hard twisting of a knife between her ribs at the very idea of her lost lover being anything but happy in her life beyond this one.
"It wasn't her time so of course she can't find really happiness." Cordy reminds "Now come on Wills, I can't keep the others waiting. They'll just think you're a plant mingled in to sell the 'magic in real' shtick most think goes on here. Not that any besides you and me and soon-to-be T will know just how much magic mojo this place is packing."
Willow shivered again at the mention of just how magical their surroundings were.
"Now gather close everyone and let's see if the White Witch of the Well will grant our wisher her heart's true desire."
Willow grins shyly now at the glaring faces of a few of the watchers as she lifts the already given coin to her lips for one last pleading kiss she whispers her deepest wish against the chilly metal before sending it falling into the well with a flick of her wrist.
The air around them seemed to thin at the soft splashing of the sinking coin.
"Told yeah it wasn't real." Willow hears a younger boy grumbling to his younger sibling.
"Oh yeah? Look."
A glowing orb of blue, white light seems to spark in the air around them growing larger and warmer as it lifted from the depths of the well itself.
Willow shuts her eyes when the light lifts enough to hover in the air in front of her. Hardly daring to believe what was happening.
"Willow?"
She lets out the breath she hadn't noticed she'd been holding at the whispered breath of her name. "Willow what?"
"Shh baby." The read haired wicca calms "I'll explain everything later. Just….can we skip it for now and will...can you just be kissing me now?"
"Happy birthday to me, indeed." Tara giggles wrapping her arms around her tearful lover's neck to steady herself before their mouths met in a too long denied kiss.