Spoiler Warning – If you have not seen Season 6 up to and including Seeing Red, be forewarned!!
Chapter 7 – The Test
It was that moment. That time of the morning where the night has ended but the day has not quite begun. The dark before the dawn. The most peaceful time in a 24 hour period. The birds are not yet awake and the sun is struggling to rise over a brand new day. Willow slept more peacefully than she has in a year. She slept still surrounded by her beloved’s essence. Tara looked down at her, and a silent tear rolled down her face. She knew what was too come and she ached for Willow. She thought silently to herself, as not to wake the sleeping redhead, ‘My love, it is almost time. I will be with you.’
‘Tara, it’s time to go.’, she heard behind her. ‘The elders are awaiting our departure from the mortal world. As soon as we leave the temporal fold will take effect.’
Tara turned to see the Guardian, bathed in light, reaching a hand out towards her. She knew that she couldn’t put it off any longer. It was time. She knew that it was all up to Willow now.
‘Guardian?’ Tara started, ‘W-will you bring me with you when you return to Willow?’
‘Yes my sister, you must be here. But you must not interfere. You have done all you can do. You must let me do my job now, and let Willow do hers. If your lover passes the test, your soul will return to its mortal vessel. You will return to her.’
Tara’s heart swelled at the thought of being in Willows embrace. Willows kiss. Willow hands. Willow’s heart. ‘Thank you Jess. Thank you for giving us this second chance.’
‘As much as I would love to take credit for it, it wasn’t me. The Guardian Elders and the Powers of the universe have foretold a great many things. The sanctity of the LifeBond is too important to the fate of the world. The purity of your love is entwined with the energies of all things. And something that essential always deserves a second chance. Now come Tara, the Elders await.’
Tara looked down at Willow one last time before departing. ‘Be strong my love, and remember what I told you. When faced with the darkness, close your eyes and look for the light. Look for me.’
With that, she took the Guardians hand and in a shimmer of light, they were gone.
Dreams. So many dreams. But the one dream that was finally a reality again, was wrapped up in the sheets next to her. Sleeping peacefully. Willow propped herself up on one elbow, and gazed down at her lover. Tara’s hair covered that favorite part of her back that Willow loved to kiss, right between each shoulder blade. They had barely gotten out of bed since Tara walked back into their bedroom. The moment that Willow had prayed for had finally come to be. She had her Tara back, and there was nothing that could ever tear them apart again. All was right with the world. Tara was home again, Warren and the others had been beaten by Buffy. Tara was home again. Willow smiled. She couldn’t take her eyes off of this woman lying beside her, just wanting to soak up the very essence that was, Tara. Her Tara. Finally, once again, her Tara.
“I can feel you looking at me, you know. I can always feel you.” Tara mumbled, her face half buried in the pillow. “I’m not going anywhere you know?”
Willow looked down at the bed. “I know, but I keep thinking that if I look away for just one moment, that you may not be here when I look back. It all still feels like a dream. Like I‘m gonna wake up and I’ll be all alone again.”
“You were never alone Will, even when I wasn’t here, I was always with you. And now that I am here again, I am never going to let you go again. I’ll never leave you again Willow. You’re my forever.”
Willow smiled. “My always, baby.” She leaned down and kissed the blonde, softly on the lips. “And since it’s way too early to get up, I was thinking, you know…maybe we could….” She trailed off, a not so innocent look on her face.
Tara gave her that sexy half-smile, “Again? Where DO you get your energy from Miss Rosenberg?”
“Hmmm? Well, Miss Maclay, all those months thinking about you…it builds up in a girl. We have a lot of catching up to do. And I’m just the girl to do the catching.” Willow gave her lover a wicked grin.
“Vixen.”
The sunlight was streaming in the window, as the lovers finally were able to tear themselves out of bed. They showered and started getting dressed, completely unaware that they were not alone in the room.
The Guardian and Tara watched the women, glowing, and totally in love, getting ready to face what they thought would be another beautiful day together.
‘This is hard to stand here knowing what is going to happen.’ Tara said to the Guardian. ‘I remember this, all of it.’
‘It’s almost time Tara. Are you ready?’
‘Yes. I’m ready. I love you Willow.’
Willow stopped putting on her jeans for a moment. “Tara? Did you say something?”
“What sweetie?”
Willow’s eyebrows crinkled for a moment. “I thought I heard….never mind. I think I am just having déjà vu from all the loving that this room has seen in the last 2 days.”
Tara smiled, “Yeah? Well, you better eat a good breakfast. You know, keep your strength up an all.”
Willow smiled and turned to finish getting dressed. She put on a pair of blue jeans and pulled a white shirt over her head.
“Hey. Clothes.” Willow joked.
Tara gave the redhead a sly grin “ Don’t get used to them.”
“Mmmm, yes ma’am.” Willow growled as she pulled Tara by her belt loop into her arms. She kissed her lover. A warm, sensual kiss, laced with promises of things to come. Willow thought, ‘ So much for clothes.’
‘Not long now.’ The Guardian said.
‘I know. God, how I hate this. To be here and I cant help her through this.’
‘Your love is the only thing that can help her now. She knows Tara, trust her.’
‘Willow, baby…oh god..’
“Mmmmm….Xander.”
A mock frown crossed the redheads face. “Not exactly the response I was fishing for.”
“No, he’s here.” Tara said as she moved closer to the window.
Willow smiled, “Xanders’ here? Think they’re making up?”
Tara turned, “I hope so.” She said, smiling. “That’s the best part.”
Willow beamed as she looked at her lover across the room. This moment was, perfect. This was the woman she would spend her life with. This woman was not merely her lover, or her partner. She was her life. She was a part of her very soul. She knew the face of love and all that is right with the world, was the face that gleamed back at her. The face that…..
TINK
‘Wha…….blood?’
Willow looked at her shirt, then back to Tara. Tara stood there for a moment, looking at Willow. Her face not getting it.
“Your shirt.” Tara said as she fell to the floor.
“Tara?” Willow rushed to her lover’s side, and brought the blond woman’s head to her chest. “Tara, baby? C’mon baby, get up. Please baby.” Willow pleaded.
The Guardian went to the witch, and slowly, gently wrapped her essence around her. The world shimmered for a moment as their essences connected and became one. The Guardian poured all of her energy into the embrace as Willow cradled her dying lover in her arms. ‘C’mon Willow. Push through it. Get to the other side. This is your chance to make it right. She will always be with you.’
Willow rocked back and forth, Tara’s body limp in her arms. “No, no, no, god no, Tara, c’mon baby. You have to get up Wake up baby.”
Willow could feel the energy build within her. She could taste the familiar flavor of magic on her lips. Crackling from her fingertips. She could sense the coming darkness. There would be no turning back this time. She willed every bit of magic from within her and started to……’Wait’ she hesitated, ‘ Somethings, wrong. This is…..wrong.’
Yes baby, that’s it. You don’t need magic. You have me.
Willow seethed with rage. It was too much. She looked down at Tara, in her arms. ‘She hated the darkness in me. Hated what the magic did to me. To us.’ The tears flowed down burning cheeks, as the darkness swelled with in her. Looking for an opening, a way out.
The Guardian held fast to the witch, but she could feel the power burning. ‘Turn is around my sister. Turn back to your grief, away from the dark. Remember what your LifeBonded said. Remember.’
Willow began to shake as the darkness began to boil over and…’Wait, what….a flash…of …something.’
‘Close your eyes Willow.’ She heard in her minds eye. ‘When faced with the darkness, close your eyes and find the light. Find me.’
Willow heard a siren outside, and the sound of footsteps and loud voices. She turned back to Tara, shaking violently, fighting the battle of her life. ‘I’m not strong enough.’
‘Yes, my darling, you are. I will always be with you. You just have to close your eyes and find me. I will always be there.’
Willow could feel the power crackling through her veins. The darkness was coming, it was right in front of her. Right inside her. She looked down at the woman that lay still in her arms, sought all the power she could gather and….
…..closed.her.eyes.
‘Yes, baby, that’s it. Find me. I’m right here!’
The Guardian held on, and held on, and felt something…..change.
Willow closed her eyes and in the distance in her minds eye, she saw….a….light. Yes, there is was, small, barely even there but, wait, it was getting closer, coming towards her. It was, familiar. It was…..TARA!!! I FOUND YOU!
“Yes my love. You found me. Didn’t I tell you that I would never leave you. It’s all ok now. It’s over.”
“Tara, baby. I-I remember….everything. You….died, and I, oh god , I tried to destroy it all, everyone, and……”
“Shhh, baby, its all over now. We have a second chance. Now open your eyes baby, and I will see you soon.”
Willow opened her eyes and looked down at the still unmoving body of her lover in her arms. Then, footsteps loud up the stairs. Dawns voice, “In there!!! I heard Willow screaming!!!” The paramedics burst into the bedroom and pulled the bleeding woman out of Willows arms and began to go to work on her.
“She’s not breathing!!! Check for a pulse!”
“Got it! Hang on…wait…I’ve got something, its faint but it’s there!!”
“Ok, lets get a line in and get her down to the bus.”
Willow looked on in horror as the men poked and prodded at her love. “Is she…is she gonna be…”
“She’s alive, but her pulse is weak. We’ve got to get her breathing on her own and we have to get her to the hospital. Is she your family?”
“She’s my everything.” Willow said as she looked at Tara. “ She’s my life.”
“Well, you better come to the hospital in the ambulance then with us. Gary!!! Get a stretcher up her and 2 units of O neg!!”
Willow stood up from the floor, and took a step back, letting the paramedics work.
‘It is done Willow. You have passed the test. You have redeemed your soul and restored the circle of your LifeBond.’
Willow looked up into the corner of the room to see the Guardian, who she knew as Jessie. “You?? Who…are you? Is she gonna be ok?”
“I am a Guardian and yes, Tara will be fine. And when she wakes up, she can tell you everything. You remember the rest, don’t you Willow?”
Willow closed her eyes for a moment, “Yes, I remember, I …lost her once…I got so lost too…but now…”
The Guardian looked up as if she were listening intently to something. After a moment she looked back to the redhead. “Willow, I have to go. The Elders have summoned me. Take care of yourself, and your LifeBond.”
“Wait! Will we….” The Guardian was gone before she could finish.
Willow followed the paramedics down to the ambulance and climbed in. Xander came to the back before they closed the doors. “Oh God Willow!! Not Tara, too? “
“What do you mean too?? Xander?”
“It’s Buffy…it’s…..it’s really bad Will.” Xander looked as if had been crying.
“Xander, don’t ask me to explain this, but, I thing it’s all gonna be ok. I just know it.”
“ I’m gonna ride in the ambulance with Buff, so I’ll see you there.”
As the paramedic closed the ambulance doors and drove off into the sundrenched morning towards the hospital, Willow knew that it really was going to be alright now.
TBC – Chapter 8 – Redemption
by MissQuirky » Thu Aug 01, 2002 10:03 pm 
I'm so happy for all of them. It's great that Jesse found her LifeBond too!