Twining Vines (COMPLETE)

Part XX - Back Again

The weak threads of moonlight filtered through the collapsed ceiling to make it look almost blas its it spilled onto the linoleum floor. Under the soft glow it was thick and dark, contrasting against the pale white fabric of her shirt. There was so much it … So much of *her* blood. Willow remained frozen in place, staring at the limp form lying in the corner. Her head was propped up on the vengeance demon’s lap; her face looked like it was made out of wax. It was ashen and pasty, gone was the soft light that seemed to constantly irradiate from her pale complexion.

“Tara…” Her voice echoed slightly in the silent, decaying room.

Willow watched as she tried to speak. Her lips parted only to bring on a violent coughing fit. In an instant, the raven-haired witch was kneeling beside her, holding her hand as Tara convulsed. It was so cold. Silently, Anya faded into the background along with the others until it seemed that all that was left in the world were the two of them.

“Tara, honey, you’re back.” They managed to hear Willow say between soothing words. “It’s gonna be ok now. I did it. Nothing’s going to hurt you anymore. I promise.” One trembling hand abandoned her lover’s to push back a few loose threads of blonde hair that insisted on tumbling down to cover her face. “You’re gonna be alright.”

Tara tried to speak again and once more she felt her airways spasm, contracting aggressively until a thick and dark string of liquid was flowing from the corner of her mouth and running down her neck to add to the great stain that marred her shirt.

“No… Don’t try to speak. You don’t have to say anything. I-“ Willow choked back the knot that was growing in her throat, swallowing hard as her raven eyes became glassy with tears. “You’re gonna be ok… I promise.” Her voice was weak and broken down. “J-Just stay still…”

Willow lifted her hand, letting it glide an inch over Tara’s wounded chest. Her eyes narrowed as she focussed on the small, circular tear on her shirt. She was snapped out of her deep concentration when Tara’s weak fingers meekly grasped her wrist. Willow’s gaze drifted to find hers.

“Don’t…” Tara managed to whisper.

“But, if I don’t you’ll die…” Willow argued with a faltering voice. “I-I can’t lose you again, baby.” She mewled.

The wounded witch closed her eyelids for a second, trying to push back the blackness that was swimming in the corner of her eyes. It took all of her strength to stay conscious. It was so hard and she was getting so cold… So cold.

“You have to stop this…” She gasped before she coughed up some more blood.

Willow tried to speak again but the sight of Tara struggling to say something silenced her.

“You can’t undo… what has happened. You can’t.”

The movements of her chest were growing weaker and shallower by the minute.

“I miss you so much. I just want you back, Tara. Please.” Willow begged as the tears now flowed freely down the sides of her cheeks.

“I am not…” Her facial muscles contorted at the taste of her own blood crawling up into her mouth. She swallowed it and continued: “…not your Tara.”

“Of course you are.” Willow tried to deny what she knew to be true deep inside.

Tara shook her head lightly, her eyes closing for a second.

“If you don’t stop… we’ll all die.”

“I don’t care. I just want to be with you, please Tara. Let me help you.” Willow insisted, moving her hand back over the wound.

Tara’s grip on her wrist grew stronger.

“No.”

“Please, baby. Just let me do this for you and I promise everything’s going to be ok. Just let me mak ok. ok.” Willow spoke quickly and irrationally, her lower lips jutting out painfully as she tried to control the onslaught of sobs.

Her heartbeat skipped a beat when she saw Tara’s eyelids fall closed and felt her frozen fingers slip from her wrist.

“Tara! Tara, baby. Talk to me! Tara! Don’t- Oh, God please don’t. Tara!” Willow cried out in agony and despair.

“Willow…” Giles’ voice filtered through her pain. “You have to stop this. You have to stop your spell from happening. If you don’t, we’ll die.”

Willow turned to look at him over her shoulder as he added: “She’ll die.”

The witch narrowed her eyes at him as the hurt seemed to be suffocating her.

“She’s not your Tara… and you know it. Your Tara is gone. You can’t bring her back or change your past.” Giles explained.

He seemed to be getting to her when suddenly her expression hardened once more. She ignored the ex-watcher and turned her attentions back to the partially cioucious Tara. She focussed her gaze on the wound, raising her hand over it. They waited, but nothing happened.

“There is no bullet, Willow.” Giles explained.

The witch’s eyes grew wide.

“In your world Tara is already dead. She’s probably in a morgue or even… buried, isn’t she?” He asked.

She nodded meekly.

“They’ve already taken the bullet out. She’s already dead… and this Tara is merging with her. She’s going to die if you don’t stop this.” The shopkeeper explained in a low voice.

Her eyelids fell closed for a while, her eyebrows coming together for a painful frown. When she opened her eyes her gaze met Tara’s.

“I miss you so much…” Willow mumbled.

Slowly, the blackness of her hair seemed to start to fade away, gradually being replaced by the old reddish tone it usually had. The raven eyes grew paler until all that was left in her iris was the familiar green.

“I…” Tara coughed again and Willow’s hand was there to soothe her, her thumb drawing small circles on a cold and ashen cheek. “I love you.” Tara managed to gasp.

A fresh stream of tears coursed down the side of Willow’s face. She leaned down, her eyes closed as her lips brushed ever so lightly against Tara’s.

“I love you too, baby.” She whispered, letting her forehead rest on her lover’s.

The rest of the group stayed back, watching as the two said their last goodbyes.

With her hand still cupping Tara’s cheek, her eyes still closed, she began muttering:

‘Thoth, Djehuti, Tehuty,

Lord of the Khemenu,

God of the moon and magic,

I summon thee to my will.’

A soft breeze started to blow in the crumbling building, sending a chill down Buffy’s spine. She lay still on the floor, her entire body sore and aching as Spike knelt next to her, his fingers discreetly drawing secret patterns over the back of her hand. The two of them watched from afar as a faint light appeared around the chanting witch.

‘Let yesterday be gone and

Tomorrow still to come.

May Shai reclaim his meaning,

And his realm be restored.’

As the words were spoken the glow grew stronger, until Willow was completely engulfed in it; her features barely visible under the intense blaze.

‘Thoth, Djehuti, Tehuty,

Lord of the Khemenu,

Ruler of Time,

Let yesterday be gone…’

Willow paused, giving Tara one last kiss before she uttered the rest of the spell:

‘And tomorrow still to come.’

With that a blinding flash inundated the entire room, like a silent shockwave spreading instantly around them.

Buffy blinked wildly; everything was white. Her heart raced in her chest as the sudden fear of being sightless hit her. The feel of a strong hand gripping hers gave her a comforting sense of calm.

“Buffy…”

The sound of his voice soothed her.

Slowly, but surely, her eyes started to react to the stimulus around her. The frightening whiteness started to turn bluer and darker; soon shadows and outlining began to filter in and eventually she was able to see again.

She blinked a couple more times until her eyes focussed on a spot in the distance. Instinctively, her gaze wandered over to the man kneeling at her side, holding her hand.

“You ok?” She heard his ask.

She stared into his eyes and nodded. When he ran his hand along the side of her face she couldn’t help but close her eyes for a second, but a rustling sound snapped her out of it.

“Dawn?” She called out.

“I’m ok, Buffy. I’m over here.”

Buffy hissed when she tried to move. Her body still ached. Her hand instantly went to nurse the side of her ribcage. Her eyes widened and she gasped when she felt the bones move into place under her skin.

Anya was having a similar reaction. Her fingers hovered over the marred tissue of her face. The deep gashes grew shallow until they were completely gone and the purplish tone of her skin had vanished and her usual pale complexion was restored.

Giles adjusted his glasses as his sight returned. He scanned his surrounding and was relieved to find that everyone was still there. His attentions drifted to the spot were Willow and Tara had been. There he found the two of them lying in similar positions.

The redhead witch lay unconscious with her head resting on Tara’s shoulder. Gone was the black outfit he had just seen her in to be replaced by old blue denims and a simple white shirt. It was Willow; their Willow.

He watched as Tara stirred into consciousness. Her face twisted painfully when she became aware of her surroundings. She gasped a bit as she felt the healing changes take over her body. Suddenly, breathing wasn’t such an unbearable task, her sight wasn’t murky and soon the pain that made her mind tremble between wakefulness and total blackness was gone.

A soft smile spread over her lips when she saw the woman leaning on her shoulder. Slowly, she wrapped her arm around her and began whispering:

“Willow, honey… Wake up.”

Gradually, the redhead started to stir. She nuzzled her face on the smooth fabric when suddenly the scent of blood assaulted her nose.

“Tara!” She gasped, jumping up. “Tara, sweetie! Are you ok? Oh, my goddess we have to take you to a hospital.” Her irrational rambling was cut short by Tara’s smile.

She shook her head:

“We don’t have to. I’m ok.” She grasped her lover’s hand and brought it over her previously wounded chest. “See.”

“How? What happened?” Willow asked confused.

“It’s over, Willow.” Giles announced. “The shifting… it’s over.”

Willow turned in the direction his voice was coming from; her mouth falling open when she took in the destruction around her. The entire building had collapsed, leaving only two walls partially standing.

A few feet away from her and Tara were Giles and Dawn. A bit further Anya and Xander stood with their arms wrapped around each other and, in the distance, separated from the rest of the group by a deep crack in the floor, were Buffy and Spike.

Willow frowned a bit as she breathed:

“Where’s Sam?”

The distraught look on everyone’s faces told her the news weren’t good. They eyed each other in silence. Buffy dared to cast a glimpse in Spike’s direction. She watched him swallow hard and stand up straight.

“She’s gone.” Spike’s voice cut through the stillness.

Author’s Note: I know the chapter is very small but since I’m pretty sure that I’m not gonna have much time to work on the story for the rest of the week, I thought it would be very nasty to let you guys hanging on the last chapter for the next three more days. So, decided to post this small chapter, just to resolve the cliff-hanger.

As for the chapter… I decided to make Tara the hero of the day. She deserved it, after what they did to her character in season 6.