Title:
„What Dreams may Come”
Author:
Dax
Category:
Alternate Reality; Alternate Continuation; “She’ll be back – folks!!!”
Ratting:
PG
Disclaimer:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all related characters are registered trademarks of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation.

The song “Lilly’s Eyes”, from “The Secrete Garden – a Musical” book and lyrics by Marsha Norman; Music by Lucy Simon, based on the novel by Frances Hadgson Burnett. – Excerpts are taken from the original London cast recording, Copyright 2001, Royal Shakespeare Company.

The characters of Emma Rusche and Lucimar Streubel, come courtesy of the novel: “Emma’s Story” by Miriam Münterfering – copyright 2006 by Verlagsgruppe Lübbe GmbH & Co. Kg, Bergisch Gladbach Germany

Summary:
It has been four and a halve years since a stray bullet had taken Tara Maclay away from Willow Rosenberg, and three and a halve years since their victory over the First, witch had destroyed the whole of Sunnydale.
Living now in Great Britain’s capital London, Willow is about to discover that her last encounter with Tara in a dream, about four years ago, was more then just a dream. And that maybe, just maybe Tara is not gone so far away as she’s been told.







Willow’s green eyes where fixated upon dark blue – could it be?

The other woman, she could see, was startled too.
She’d turned pale the moment she’d first glanced into Willow‘s face and now very much looked like she’d just seen a ghost.

“Wil.. Willow?” she asked with a painfully familiar stutter.

“Tara?” Willow asked weakly.

Ten Days Earlier

“And call me as soon you are home, you hear!” Willow reminded her best friend and her sister for the about 10th time, “and don’t mind the time deference.”
The Summers girls were standing together with Willow, Emma and Lu at the entrance to International Departures, Terminal 5 of London Heathrow International Airport, ready to depart for their British Airways non-stop flight to San Francisco, their home for the past two and a half years.
Buffy & Dawn had spend the last two weeks with Willow in London over the Christmas holidays.
“I promise I will call, mom”, Buffy said with a mock grin on her face. “But you know, if you don’t let us go soon, we’ll miss our flight all together.”

“Ok, ok”, the redhead laughed and hugged her best friend goodbye, before she turned to Dawn. “And next time Dawny, you bring your boyfriend Owen, after all you’ve told me of him, I’m dying to meet him.”
She gave Dawn a bears hug, while Emma turned from Buffy to Dawn and said: “Makes you glad she’s gay, doesn’t it?” With that she earned herself a friendly jibe to her side from Willow’s elbow, nevertheless Dawn agreed with her and gave her a goodbye hug too.

Even though the Summer’s sisters had only meet Willow’s new friends one week earlier, when she and her partner Lucimar – Lu for short, had come to London; they already liked the two German woman as much as Willow did.
Then it was finally time to part and so the Slayer assigned to San Francisco and her sister started to make their way through the controls. But not without Willow calling after them: “Don’t forget to call! I won’t sleep until you do!”

She turned around to see both Emma and Lu smiling brightly at her. “What?” she asked somewhat distracted.
“You know”, Emma said with her distinct but quiet charming German accent, “if wasn’t already head over heals in love with my Lu, your special babble mode would make me fall for you upon the instance.
“Saved by the bell,” Lu told her girlfriend and gave her quick kiss.

Willow took up position between the beautiful Emma and Lu, who born in Brazil had lived in Germany ever since she’d been adopted at age ten; and they started to make their way to the Heathrow Express Station.

Two and a halve hears ago, they had been victoriously in their fight over “The First”.
But that victory had come with a prize. Anya, and some of the newly empowered slayers had died in that last heroic battle.
Spike had fallen too, sacrificing himself in order to close the hell mouth for good. Well at least this particular hell mouth. And of course Sunnydale.

Sunnydale too had been the price they had to pay, for their victory.
Because all that was left of the town that had been Willow’s home, ever since she’d been born, was a big gapping crater.
But Sunnydale had been more then just a town, into witch she’d been born, and where she’d spent most of her life.
It had been the town where she’d meet and fallen in Love with Tara. The place were she had lost and buried Tara.
Now she no longer even had the place, where to mourn for her beloved girlfriend any more.
It was a loss that hurt almost as much as the loss of Tara.

It seamed that by loosing Tara, Sunnydale and Tara’s grave; Willow had lost her roots, her place in the new world she’d helped to created. She drifted aimlessly through the following month.
Though she successfully completed her college education in San Francisco, where she had gone together with Buffy, Dawn, Xander and Miss Kitty Fantastico, she felt restless and not a home in the city by the bay, not even with her best friends Buffy, Dawn and Xander.
And so, following her graduation from college, Willow decided that she needed some real time out to find herself again; and set out for a round trip through Europe.

She would never be able to tell why, but when, following a lengthy stay with Giles in the English Country, she travelled to London, that upon arriving in the capitol of the United Kingdom, she suddenly felt at peace with herself again.
Standing in the middle of Trafalgar Squar, Willow knew without a single doubt in her mind, that this buzzing city, could become the home, she’d lost when Sunnydale had been destroyed.
The rest then went very fast.
With the help of Giles’ contacts, within the British authorities she got the necessary papers to stay and work in Great Britain. And while she build her new life, she came to another conclusion, and that was that here in London, she might actually be happy again.

Together with Emma and Lu Willow entered the Heathrow Express inbound for Paddington Station in Central London. They found themselves a place with a table in the first class, and sat down Willow at one side and Emma & Lu at the other.
“So what are your plans for the rest of the day?” Willow asked her German friends, “After all the day’s still young!”
“Well Lu insist on us visiting Green Park,” Emma said. “Because that’s the only park we haven’t seen yet. But if you ask me,” she added with a sceptical side look at her partner. “It’s because of all dogs that, according to you, are there to play and train with there owners. You know one week without the dogs and she’s suffering from withdrawal pains.”

“Look who’s talking!” Lucimar cried out, with all of her Brazilian temper colouring her voice. “Don’t believe her Willow! She misses our dogs as much as I do. Why, ever since we moved together into that fabulous flat just outside town, Kaspar behaves like he’s her dog and never has been my dog at all.
On that now Emma protested and Willow watched the two German love birds quarrel lovingly over the three dogs (!) that Lu had brought into their relationship. Willow’s mind drifted back a year or so when she’d meet these lovely lesbian ladies for the first time.

Willow had been on the last leg of a round trip through Germany. She’s started out in Hamburg and then went to see city’s like Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, and Munich.
Eventually she came to a part of Germany, know as the “Ruhrpott”, here in a city named Bochum she went to a so called “Frauenschwof” – basically a Disco full with German lesbians – to have herself a “gay old time”, and to practice a little more on her German.

So Willow was dancing and chatting with some lovely German ladies, when she literally became aware of Emma entering the disco.
Because without a doubt, she was the most beautiful woman Willow had ever seen in her live. Expect of course Tara – but then she was unique in more then just her looks.
Even though she was in no way looking for a new love, not to mention a relationship, she felt herself drawn to this beautiful woman and her Brazilian girlfriend, who she meet and liked in due course.
They spent a wonderful evening together and in the end, Willow extended her stay for another three days and returned to London with Lu and Emma’s home- and Email address and the promise that they would visit her in London the next summer.

“Hey dreamer”, Lu said into Willow’s ear. “Unless you’re planning on travelling back to Heathrow, we really should be leaving the train before long.”
Willow looked out of the window. Paddington Station, indeed and so she Emma and Lu stood up and left the train.
“You could’ve said something”, Willow complained, while they left the Station and walked the short distance between “Paddington” and the “Lancaster Gate” tube station, “it’s impolite for the host to be daydreaming while travelling with her guests.”
“Oh that’s completely ok”, Emma assured Willow, giving her girlfriend a sweet assuring smile. “You’re cute when you’re dreaming.”
“Plus it gave us, the opportunity to do some kissing,” Lucimar added with a suggestive grin.

“So we will see each other tomorrow afternoon?” Willow asked as they were sitting in the Central Line train, rapidly approaching Willow’s destination.
“Of course, how could we forget,” Emma assured her and Lu went on, “five a clock sharp for some light lunch at your place, and then ‘We Will Rock You’, at the Dominion Theatre. The real highlight to end our stay with you here in London.”

They both smiled brightly at Willow, who was getting up to her feet as the train just entered her destination: ‘Holborn Station’.
“So I see the two of you tomorrow”. Willow said and kissed her friends goodbye upon their cheeks and left the train.

Willow first shopped for some necessities and after a short stop at her very own computer store at Sicilian Avenue: “Freedom Rings Computers Inc.” for a short talk with her manager, she walked strait home.

Ever since she’d moved to London, Willow lived in an small apartment at Bloomsbury Squar, overlooking the Bloomsbury Squar Garden. It wasn’t a huge place, but it had all Willow needed. A bathroom with a bathtub (very important!), a adequate bedroom, and a living room with an stove fireside.
But most importantly for Willow and the only reason for her to rent this apartment in the first place, this apartment had a quiet roomy kitchen, with an old wooden dinner table standing prominently right in the middle.
At this table she entertained friends with a good home cooked dinner – having, thanks to some
cooking courses, turned out quiet an exceptional cook.

She did most of her work at this table as well.
The necessary paperwork for Freedom Rings Computers Inc., of course, but Willow also worked as a freelance programmer slash problem solver for big companies. For that she had her laptop set-up at the rear end of the table and connected via a broadband connection, to write complex computer programs or to locate and eliminate bugs out of existing programs.

She also managed the Watchers Council’s financial affairs, from her kitchen.
It had been Giles who after returning to England, had taken on the enormous task of rebuilding as well as reorganizing the council, in order to find and train the newly empowered slayers around the world.
And Willow hat turned out very successful in managing the Council’s impressive portfolio of real estate and deposit accounts.
Of course she wasn’t as successful as Anya might have been, because the former demon really knew how to make money. Even though she’d seemed needy and shallow at times, Willow had learned that she had a really good heart.
Willow missed her as much as she missed all the other potentials that fell in the big fight against The First Evil.
But most of all she would always miss Tara and even though they say, that time heals all wounds, this was one that would never heal.
Because Tara was and always would be the true love of her life, her soul mate.
How could anyone ever take Tara’s place at her side?

Upon arriving at her home, Willow was greeted by her two housecats, Miss Cleo and Miss Trixi Fantastico.
It was because of the strict quarantine laws concerning bringing pets into the United Kingdom, that a still quiet healthy Miss Kitty lived with Buffy in San Francisco ever since.
Willow played a while with her two pets, then prepared their foot and after having a small snack herself, sat down in front of her computer to work on a particular nasty bug within an incredibly boring “evaluating insurance program.”
Hours later she’d finally defeated that bug and shutting down her laptop, she sat down in her living room with a good book and a glass of wine to await Buffy’s and Dawn’s call.
After it came late at night, Willow went to sleep, with Miss’s Trixi and Cleo sleeping soundly at her feet.

“Miss Rosenberg? Dr. Pulaski will see you now”, the nurse said and lead Willow into the doctors office. “Thank you”, Willow replied and took her seat while the nurse left the office again.
Following yet another week of morning sickness, she had made an appointment with her physician at the nearby University Hospital.
Willow did not like being sick and seldom ever had been ill before.
And she especially had never been sick before, she had no trouble flying or travelling by ship even at high see and so the past days had made her feel rather obnoxious

“So Miss Rosenberg”, said Doctor Kathryn Pulaski, as she entered her office, “lets have a look at your test results.” She took a seat behind her desk and quickly scanned through the file, placed on the desk by the nurse, when she’d lead Willow into the office.

“Well looks all fine to me”, Dr. Pulaski said and took of her glasses. “You’re in absolutely good shape and there’s nothing wrong with you. All perfectly normal”, she concluded holding her glasses in a very Giles like manner.
“Doesn’t feel like perfectly normal to me”, Willow said rather crossly, “to begin almost each and every morning in the last week by kneeling down to the ‘Lou‘. No, I really don’t find it perfectly normal at all!”
“I promise you it will go away very soon”, Dr. Pulaski assured her rather doubtful looking patient. “It usually does.”
“And why’s that?” the young redhead demanded to know, her temper threatening to get the better of her. She couldn’t help it, but her physician saying that this was all perfectly normal and would soon be over without an explanation, made her furious.
“Well isn’t it obvious?” Dr. Pulaski said and put her glasses away. “You’re pregnant.”

That revelation successfully cooled down Willow’s fury within an instance and probably for the first time in her life, the young woman didn’t know what to say.
How could she be pregnant?
She was gay, she hadn’t slept with a man again, since Oz and that was many years ago. Even the last sex with another woman had been years ago.
Not that this was of any importance here.
Then suddenly a memory entered into Willow’s mind. A memory connected with Tara visiting her in a dream, shortly after she’d returned from England.
“All I would ask is … – … care for the child of our love”, Willow whispered to herself.

“What?” asked Dr. Pulaski.
“Oh nothing”, Willow answered absentmindedly.
How could she ever explain to her doctor, that she’d magically received the child from her dead girlfriend, almost three years ago in a dream.
And there could be no doubt about that, Willow knew, remembering now clearly Tara’s hand resting over her belly near the end of that special dreamy visit of hers.

“It’s just”, Willow said, struggling hart to find the right words. “I’d almost given up hope, that I would ever have a child.”
True, after all she’d been dreaming of having a child with Tara, magically of course. But that dream died with her in her arms.
“Well, Miss Rosenberg you know the saying. When you’re at least expect it…” Dr. Pulaski said.
“Please call me Willow.”

“Ok Willow”, Dr. Pulaski said, “I have Nurse Rose give you some of the usual basic information materials, you know like ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ and then you should make a appointment with Professor Schwarz, you know she’s the expert here when it comes to having babies.
“And now I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse me, I’ll have some other patients to see. But you can call me any time.”
With that she left the office, but not without shaking Willow’s hand first and wishing her all the best for her pregnancy.
Moments later, with the informational material in her hand, Willow was on her way to the office of Prof. Schwarz to make her next appointment.

However, the University Hospital of London is quiet a big place and with an sizable emotional storm raging in Willow’s mind, she soon lost her way completely and wandered aimlessly through the sheer endless hallways.

“Excuse me Miss”, a friendly female voice said behind Willow, who was completely lost in her thoughts, “but this is the Neo-natal-intensive-care unit. I’m afraid you’re not aloud inhere.”

Willow stopped dead in her tracks.

She certainly had never heard this voice before in her life, but at the same time, the particular way this woman spoke sounded so very familiar.
Willow slowly turned around to face the woman who had addressed her. A young doctor she saw, dressed in blue surgical garb, probably a surgeon.
She’d never seen her before, Willow knew.
But at the same time she felt like she ought to know her. She had short blond hair, fair skin, all in all a good-looking face, but then Willow became aware of her dark blue eyes.

Willow’s green eyes where fixated upon those dark blue eyes – could it be?

The young woman was startled too. She’d turned pale the moment she’d first glanced into Willow‘s face and now she looked very much like she’d just seen a ghost.

“Will.. Willow?” she asked with a painfully familiar stutter.

“Tara?” Willow asked weakly.
Then the ground beneath her gave way, and with all around her turning into darkness Willow fell unconsciously right into the arms of the young blond doctor.

****

Strangely quieted,
I fear the storm simply waits, to strike again.
Something stirs me to thing of her, I think of her.

Strange this woman, she wonders in, where myself may fear to go.
Something stirs me to thing of her, I think of her.

From death she cast’s her spell.
All night I hear her sighs.
And now a girl has come, who has her eyes.

She has her eyes,
The girl has Tara’s dark blue eyes.
Those eyes that saw me happy long ago.
Those eyes that gave me life and hope I’d never known.
How can I see this girl and miss those dark blue eyes

She has her eyes,
The girl has Tara’s dark blue eyes.
Those eyes that closed and left me all alone.
Those eyes I fear will never ever let me go.
How can I see this girl who has her dark blue eyes.

In Tara’s eyes a castle our house seemed to be.
And I her gayest knight became,
My Lady Fair was she.

She has her eyes.
She has my Tara’s dark blue eyes.
Those eyes that ought to love me, no one else
These eyes there, never saw me.
Never knew I longed.
To hold her close.
To live and last in Tara’s eyes.

Image me a lover.
I longed for the day,
She turned and see me standing there,
Would god had let her stay.

She has her eyes,
She has my Tara’s dark blue eyes.
Those eyes that saw me happy long ago.
How can I now forget,
That ones I dared to be in love,
Alive and whole,
In Tara’s eyes.

In Tara’s eyes!

_________________
Today my friend, your diary entry will read: Took a […] hostage and got shoot by three armed bastards.”
Gene Hunt – Ashes to Ashes
“A Love Beyond the Stars”
“What Dreams may Come”

Dibs ( ) you know I love this story and I am glad you have put it here my friend. The readers are in for a wonderful suprise with this story will follow it close promise keep it coming ok

_________________
Dia the spelunker
Never underestimate the powerful love of a good woman
If you were a cave what kind of cave would you be

i loved this story on EXTRA FLAMEY im glad its back i loved it keep it comin xxx

A big hello and welcome back, to all of you who already read “What Dreams may Come” and it’s prequel back on Extra Flamey.

It’s good to know that, like “A Love Beyond the Stars” this story too was liked and missed.
Hope you all like the reedited version of it.

_________________
Today my friend, your diary entry will read: Took a […] hostage and got shoot by three armed bastards.”
Gene Hunt – Ashes to Ashes
“A Love Beyond the Stars”
“What Dreams may Come”

Hello! I wasn't on extra flamey so I just discovered this story. I don't have so much to say so I'll just say that it's nice, and I'm really curious to see how everything will be, and where you are going.
Also I canted to tell you that I love very much your avatar ^^

thank you for your story,

Julia

_________________
Broken Dolls |The Stadium's Goddesses | Seeds Of Beauty

"Joie est mon caractère, C'est la faute à Voltaire; Misère est mon trousseau, C'est la faute à Rousseau." Gavroche. Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (chap. XV)

wooo hooo another one of my fav on the extra flamey
bless you

Oh wow. Super mega ultimate wow. This was like my favorite of all time fic on extra flamey. I watched for updates every week. I'm SO glad its here. YAY.

writerfreak

_________________
Nuair a feallionn na focail, labhraionn an ceol (translation: When words fail, music speaks)
Ever meet a dangerous woman? One you know sees right through you? Dangerously attractive, effortlessly intelligent, quietly intense?

Soul

“Here’s the cooling pack you asked for Dr. Knight.”
“Thank you Grace that will be all.”

Her eyes still closed Willow listened to the nurse leaving the room. Then she felt how the other woman – Dr. Knight – placed something chilly on her forehead.
Not ready to face this mysterious woman yet, Willow kept her eyes closed and listened as she walked across the room. She took a seat behind her desk and started to type on a computer keyboard.

In the meantime Willow tried to make sense of all the things she’d learned within the last hour? ‘How long have I’m been out anyway,’ Willow wondered.
She didn’t know.
What she did know was, that she was pregnant with Tara’s child – the child of their love.
And she knew that this Dr. Knight had recognized her when she met her in the corridor – no not a corridor, Willow realized.
Wandering blindly through the hallways of this hospital, she’d wandered through a door that had just opened in front of her and entered some place she wasn’t supposed to be.
Then this doctor had addressed her. And after Willow had seen into her eyes…

Willow slowly opened her eyes and looked around.
She was lying on a sofa in a midsize office. Right left from her, across the room behind an old wooden desk sat Dr. Knight – she assumed – now wearing a white lab coat and was working at her computer, her back turned to Willow.
It was like she had felt Willow’s eyes resting upon her back though, for in that moment she stopped typing and turned around in her chair, facing Willow she nervously said: “Hello there.”
She smiled friendly, but Willow could see that she too was quiet nervous, if not overwhelmed from the situation at hand, very much like herself.
Gracefully Dr. Knight rose from her chair and slowly crossed the short distance between them. Even though she physically didn’t look familiar to her, the very way she walked, her entire body language was clearly that of Tara.

‘Could it be that this is real and not just a wonderful crazy dream?’ Willow thought, as the young blond woman sat down right at her side on the edge of the couch, and as if she had read her mind she said: “No Willow this time it’s not a dream, this time it is real.”
Willow’s eyes went wide, this was real! And the way she spoke was so very much like Tara used to speak, just not her usual voice.
She smiled so very Tara like, before she removed the cooling pack from Willow’s forehead and said, “I’m sure the are like a million questions burning on your mind right now.
“So why don’t you start with the one that’s most on your mind.”

“Tara, is that you?” Willow asked, tears dwelling in her eyes, her heart beating wildly.
“Yes I am”, Tara said quietly and took Willow’s hands into her own.
This sensation was so strong and powerful it completely pushed aside every doubt she still had held on her mind.
Sure, there still where more then just one question on her mind, but they weren’t important right now. The only thing important was that Willow was reunited with the love of her life, her soul mate, her everything – her beloved Tara.

They kept sitting together and enjoying the moment of simply holding on to each others hands and looking into each others eyes.
It was the perfect moment of happiness.

That unfortunately was cut short, when a female voice, coming out of a speaker on Tara’s desk told them: “Lucy, the patient is ready, the procedure will begin in ten minutes.”
“That’s my call”, Tara said reluctantly, “I need to get down there.” She smiled her sweet little Tara smile, that always used to melt Willow’s heart and did so again.
“But I don’t want you to go”, Willow said weakly. “I have so many question”, her voice failed her and she looked pleadingly into Tara’s eyes.
“And I will answerer them and I will come back, I promise. But there’s a three month old girl, with a hole in her little heart, that needs my help. You understand?”

Willow nodded, of course she understood, Tara had always been the responsible one, who always put her personal needs behind of those in need.
And as a surgeon she was in the right place at the right time.
Again Willow was about to lose herself in Tara’s deep blue eyes, when an alarming thought entered her mind.

“Oh no”, she cried out in despair, “Tara! Have you been…?” Her voice failed her again and tears ran down her face.
For a moment Tara looked puzzled, but then she understood.
“No Willow!” she said comforting stroking Willow’s cheek, “I assure you I have not been torn out of heaven like Buffy. In fact I never went there.”
She took Willow in her arm, who buried her face into Tara’s blond hair. “And even if I had, it would not have been like heaven to me.”
Tara looked into Willow’s eyes again, “Don’t you see Willow? You are my heaven.”
And then she kissed Willow gently upon her lips.
It was only a very brief kiss, their lips hardly touched, but it was the most wonderful thing Willow could think of. How much she’d missed those soft lips.

Only reluctantly Willow let go of Tara, who rose to her feet. “Listen”, she said slowly, “the procedure will take about three hours. You can wait here if you like, I have some cookies if you’re hungry or you can go to the cafeteria for a light snack. “
She laughed, seeing Willow looking slightly horrified. “Don’t worry, the food here is actually much better then at UC Sunnydale.”
She took out her lab coat and placed it on one of the chairs standing in front of her desk. “Or you could come and watch if you’re interested. You know, being a University Hospital, we have special rooms from where the students can observe the procedure.
“After that I’m finished for today and then we can talk. Here, at a restaurant or any other place you like. Does that sound ok for you?”
Again Willow just nodded and stood up herself.

‘I’m taller then her now’, Willow observed in her mind. ‘She’s probably about 5’3” and she’s wearing flat shoes. She used to be a little bit taller then me and now…’
“Love is undeniable. No matter the package,” Willow whispered to herself, while continuing to glance upon Tara’s new and beautiful appearance.
“What?” Tara asked.
“Oh nothing”, Willow hurriedly explained, “I’ll tell you later. Later after your procedure. I mean the procedure you are about to perform…”
Tara smiled brightly as Willow started to go into babble mode again, she took her into her arms, “I missed you so much”, she whispered into Willow’s ear, “I will not let you go again.”
She then kissed Willow on that very ear and left the room to get herself ready for the procedure.

Long after Tara had left the room, Willow continued to stand in the middle of the room thinking. Here she was, pregnant with Tara’s baby – a girl no doubt, since both parents where girls too. And Tara was alive, another body, but nevertheless alive.
But most importantly, unlike Buffy she had not been torn out of heaven and thus obviously was happy to be alive and still on planet Earth.
Right now Willow was especially grateful for it, because sometimes she still felt guilty for all the
suffering she and the others had brought upon Buffy, when they had selfishly brought her back
against her will.

Tara had not gone to heaven in the first place.
‘She probably got into this body shortly after she had been shot’, Willow thought.
That meant that she had been alive all these years.
“She’s been alive all these years!” Willow said out aloud.
Four years of sorrow and pain. Four years in which she’d never actually stopped grieving about Tara’s death.
Years when she had been sure that she could never ever fall in love again.
All these years Tara had been alive and well!

Willow couldn’t help it, but she actually started to feel angry towards her formally dead girlfriend. Angry that she hadn’t come looking for her. She felt sad for the same reason too.
But at the same time she also was extremely happy that Tara wasn’t dead after all and had entered her life again.
All these contradictory feelings spinning around in her head, made Willow feel happy, sad, confused, angry and sick!
Looking around Willow saw that this office was equipped with its very own ‘mirror room’, she hurriedly went in and threw up.
Having relieved herself of what was left of her already small lunch, Willow took a sip of water to get rid of the bad taste in her mouth and looked up into the mirror.
“Well, that didn’t help exactly,” she told her reflection and decided that she needed a change of scenery in order to clear her head first before she could face Tara again.

Upon leaving the bathroom she grabbed her coat and left Tara’s office, only to bump into a nurse who was just about to knock at the door.
“Excuse me Miss Rosenberg”, said Nurse Rose, Willow could read on her nametag, “Doctor Knight asked me to check on you. Would you like something to drink or to eat?”
“No thank you very much, Nurse Rose.”
“Or would you like to watch your friend at the procedure?”
At first Willow wanted to decline that offer as well, but then her intellectual curiosity won the better of her and she let the nurse bring her to the observation room, where the procedure was already in progress, with several students watching closely .

Willow took a seat in the back, from where she could look down into the operating theatre through the windows and there where also monitors set up, that showed the operation field, in a close-up. This enabled Willow to witness Prof. Nitz and Tara work within this girls so very tiny body, ‘repairing‘ the hole in her even tinnier heart.
Willow watched fascinated while Tara’s voice, coming over speakers, explained each and every step of the procedure.
Of course Willow didn’t even understood half the things Dr. Knight was explaining, but at the same time she started to realize how very much Tara’s ‘new voice’ started to sound familiar to her, despite her sounding quiet deferent though, it definitely was Tara.

Another two hours later the procedure was completed and Prof. Nitz explained to the listening students, that little Amber now had a ninety-two percent chance of growing up living a normal and healthy life.
Willow waited till the students had filed out, and then left the room herself.
Walking back to Tara’s office, she realized that she no longer was angry at Tara for not having come looking for her.
Somehow Willow knew that there was a reason for it and that she would learn it soon enough.

Eventually Willow made it back to the office of Dr. Knight, with only loosing her way once and asking for directions twice.
Standing in front of the door, she read the nameplate right next to it:
Dr. Lucy T. Knight – Pediatric Surgeon, it said.

Willow kept staring at the plate, pondering about what the letter T in Tara’s new name might stand for, till she noticed a familiar scent floating in the air.
Willow smiled, she would always recognize this special combination of apple blossom shampoo and spring flower perfume. Before she could turn around though, the now familiar voice kindly asked: “Would you like to come in? Or should I bring out a chair, so you could sit, while you keep on staring at the wall.”

“No, no, that won’t be necessary. I’ll come in”, Willow laughed and turned around to find herself once more fixated by Tara’s dark blue eyes, even though every thing else on Tara had changed, her eyes hadn’t. They still had the same effect on her, as they had before.
“What did I just say?” she asked, somewhat absentmindedly.
“You wanted to come in,” Tara laughed, took Willow by the hand and led the slightly distracted redhead into her office.

Willow obediently followed, knowing that now she would finally learn what had happened to Tara after she’d been shot.
How she had gotten to return to life within another body.
What had brought her to London to work as a surgeon at this very hospital.

And there was one other question that started to form in Willow’s mind and that was:
“What ever happened to Lucy Knight?”




Authors note:
Imagine if you will, the part of Lucy T. Knight – formally known as Tara Maclay, now played by actress Kellie Martin, who originated the part of Lucy Knight in the medical drama ‘ER’.

I assure you this has absolutely nothing to do with Amber Benson or her portrayal of Tara (and I love both!), it’s simply my way of bringing Tara back from the dead in a way it hasn’t been done before.

_________________
Today my friend, your diary entry will read: Took a […] hostage and got shoot by three armed bastards.”
Gene Hunt – Ashes to Ashes
“A Love Beyond the Stars”
“What Dreams may Come”

Dax you know how much I love your work. This is a very good start to a great story snd I think it works because you show us another way that Tara comes back but in the end what is inside is still our sweet Tara that we all know and love

_________________
Dia the spelunker
Never underestimate the powerful love of a good woman
If you were a cave what kind of cave would you be

Note:
If this chapter-title sounds familiar to you, that’s because it originally was: “What ever happened to Mr. Garibaldi?” and comes courtesy of Babylon 5. The original character of Lucy Knight and other related characters come courtesy of ‘ER’ copyright Warner Brothers Inc.




“Please step into my office,” Tara said as she let Willow in. “Yea it isn’t big I admit. But I’m lucky enough to have an office of my own. Especially one with my very own bathroom, that includes a shower. Speaking of it, would you mind if I jump under it first before we talk?”
“Not at all,” Willow assured her.
“Won’t take long. In the mean time, if you’re thirsty, there’s water, juice or and a water heater, but I only have instant hot chocolate, can’t stand coffee anymore. You can help yourself, I’ll be back in a jiffy.” Tara went into her bathroom and under the shower.

Willow wasn’t thirsty, and so she had another look around the office.
It was small, but cozy. There was this really old wooden desk standing in front of the window, with two chairs standing in front of it. There was one of these ‘light boxes,’ that doctors used to watch at x-rays, attached to the wall next to the desk. On the windowsill sat an entire army of stuffed toys, properly for Tara’s young patients.
Willow turned around to see the couch on which she had awoken.
Above the couch hung one single picture that caught Willow’s eye. Upon stepping closer Willow could see that it was in fact not a picture but a real painting, oil on linen to be exact.

The painting showed a young woman wearing a long white skirt and a blue blouse. She was leaning against the post of an porch of some kind, looking down at a bird sitting near her feet. Forgetting all around her, Willow kept looking at the girl in the painting, feeling all peaceful and content.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” a soft voice behind Willow asked.
“It is,” Willow said with a dreamy voice, her thoughts still lost within the painting.
“It’s called ‘Conversation with Birds’ by Adriana Richards. I bought it last year on a Vernissage here in London. I even met the artist herself, quiet charming,” Tara explained while she watched Willow looking at the painting, “I wish she could do a painting of you.”

“Only if she paints the two of us together,” Willow said, “Because I’m nothing without you.” She slowly turned around to see Tara standing in front of the bathroom door. Only dressed with bra and panties, she reached for her private cloth on a nearby chair.
“You’re so beautiful,” Willow whispered, taking a closer look upon Tara’s ‘new’ physical shape.
Once again it occurred to Willow how very familiar she already was to her.
Even though Tara quiet literally didn’t look herself.
Soon Willow’s attention was drawn to the long scar in the middle of Tara’s chest.
“This scar,” she asked carefully, “does it have anything to do with the way Lucy Knight died?”
“It has,” Tara answered and clothed herself with a long white skirt and a blue blouse, very much like the girl in the painting.
After adding socks and shoes to her outfit, Tara walked over to Willow and took her by the hand. “But let’s start at the beginning, shall we,” she suggested.

They decided that Tara’s office was the best place to talk and so Tara fetched them two coups of hot chocolate and a couple of sandwiches.
They sat side by side on the couch, eating silently for a while.
Then Willow asked one of the questions that were on her mind. “How much do you remember?” She didn’t have to add that she was asking about the day Tara had died.

“Everything,” Tara said. “I remember the two of us talking, after I spotted Xander down in the garden. Your smile. Some shoots, then pain. Only a short one. I didn’t even realise I’ve been shoot. I only wondered about the red dots that covered you shirt.”
There was an painful look on Tara’s face that made Willow hurt. But she knew that they had to talk about it. As well as about what she’d done after these fatal shoots and so Willow took Tara’s hand into her own, giving the blond woman the strength to carry on.
“I remember saying something, but not the words,” Tara went on.
“Your shirt,” Willow said only to clearly remembering her last words.

“Really?” Tara wondered. “Darn, I’d hoped my last words to be something meaningful and deeply spiritual.” Well, more luck next time, she didn’t spoke out loud.
Instead she kept on telling about what happened then.
“I watched my body fall to the ground and you rushing to my side. I was floating above it all. Obviously at this point I realized that I was dead.” She gently squeezed Willow’s hand, like she wanted to make sure the redhead was still with her. “I watched helplessly as you tried to bring me back. I have to admit seeing you falling back to black magic’s, disturbed me greatly. But at the same time I desperately wanted you to succeed. Because it felt wrong that I should have to leave you after we’d just gotten back.”

Tara reached for her cup and took the last sip of her no longer hot chocolate. Willow did the same before Tara continued telling her story.
“As I said I was forced to watch, but was unable to intervene, to keep you from going down the path of vengeance I could see you had chosen. Then you left and I was alone with my dead body, until Dawn walked in and found me. Poor Dawn, she stayed at my side till Xander and Buffy showed up. Then Xander called the cops and the coroner took care of my dead body.
“After that I was finally able to leave this place. I expected to go to heaven, but instead I found myself somewhere in between.”

Tara shortly shook her head. “There’s really no way for me to explain this place. It was white and warm and I felt sheltered and secure, but there was no physicality to it all. Nether me nor the surroundings I was in, seemed to actually exist.
“And then something or someone talked to me. I couldn’t see who or what it was. But I could feel that this ‘entity’ was much more powerful then anything we’d ever called upon. It was like many different voices talking as one. And ‘They’ told me, that my death had been a mistake and not according to the grand plan.”

Tara stood up, got Willow and herself a soda, then sat back down again to tell Willow about her afterlife experience.
“So where were we? Right. My death was not according to the grant plan. And so ’They’ told me that I could be sent back again, but not into my own body.”
“Why?” Willow wondered.
“Because it had already been found by Dawn, as well as Buffy, Xander and the authorities. To bring me back to life after I’d already been declared dead, would again interfere with the grand plan and that couldn’t be aloud. There was another reason though, and that was…”
“Me,” Willow said quietly, “and what I did after you died.”

Tara nodded sadly. “So I was offered a choice. I could ether go to heaven, or I would be returned to the body of a person who’s death was just about to happen according to the grand plan. The moment she left, I would take her place and go on living her life.”
Tara fell silent and absentmindedly touched the scar upon her chest.

“You choose the new life,” Willow said thoughtfully. “But before you left, you helped Xander stopping me from destroying the world.”
“You remember?” Tara asked surprised. “’They’ said you wouldn’t.”
“Only now I remember”, Willow explained. “Until today I only remembered Xander talking to me. Thank you for helping him. Sometimes I still have nightmares, because of what I almost did.”
Willow shivered remembering how very close she had been in succeeding and how much she’d lost herself in her rage and her want for revenge.
“Yes it was close. Very close”; Tara agreed. ”But Xander stopped you and after that I had to leave you. Because you had to find your own way of healing and finding redemption.”

“Tell me about Lucy Knight,” Willow asked and Tara began to tell her about the young medical student, who’s early death, presented her with another chance for her own life.

“Lucy Knight was a fourth year medical student in Chicago. She had only a few weeks left until she would have finished her internship, when she was stabbed by a schizophrenic patient. He also attacked her resident, Doctor John Carter.
“Lucy underwent emergency surgery and for a while things look good. But then there were complications and she had to be operated again. Open heart surgery you know. But it was of no use, her time had come.
“And that was the moment when – how should I put this? I took over. You see, one moment I saw doctors Romano and Corday fight a hopeless battle to save Lucy’s life, then the next everything just stopped and Lucy stood right next to me.”

“You talked to her?” Willow wanted to know.
“Only briefly,” Tara said softly. “I told Lucy how sorry I was. But she assured me that there was no need to feel sorry. She understood that it had been her destiny to die at such a young age. She only asked me to take care of some of her unfinished business.
All the time while I’ll felt miserable for being aloud to live, while she had to die, she didn’t seem to be sad at all. She laughed when she told me to take good care of her body. Then she hugged me, kissed me on the check and left – transcending into light.
“Then every thing went black and I wake up in the intensive care unit, breathing through a tube in my throat. I can tell you, it was quiet disturbing.”

“And Lucy is completely gone?” Willow gently asked. She then reached out to do what she had missed doing for a long time and gathered up the silken strands of Tara’s blond hair, letting them slip across her sensitive fingertips, she tucked them behind one delicately formed ear.

Tara smiled.
“Well,” she explained. “Lucy, as a person – her soul if you will, is gone. But all her knowledge and experience are a part of me now. That’s why I was able to pass the final medical exams, after I recovered from the injuries I suffered from the stabbing.”

“Lucky you too had decided to go to medical school following colleges.”
“Yes. Properly the reason why I was sent to continue Lucy’s life in the first place,” Tara said, a tone of deep thankfulness swinging in her voice.
“And now I’m here, working as a doctor. Much like me and Lucy had dreamed about. In a way I’m not only fulfilling my dream but that of Lucy Knight too. As well as honouring her memory.”

“And now you are a pediatric surgeon. Was working especially with babies and kids your choice or Lucy’s?”
“That was my choice,” Tara answered. “Lucy, even though she was a very skilled surgeon herself, had decided to go into psychiatry instead. She had also planed to stay in Chicago. I applied for a residency for pediatric surgery at the County General Hospital in New York.
“And what can I say, one year into my residency I got offered this position at the London University Hospital. It was too good an offer to be ignored. Plus it presented me with the opportunity to live and work in the town I’ve always wanted to go to. And that’s how I wound up here in good old Europe.”

“Quiet a story,” Willow said after they had both sat silent for a moment or two. “So all these years you’ve been alive and well, while I’ve been grieving over your death.”
Willow couldn’t help it, but she started to feel angry again, as she thought of the four years that had passed since then.
But not so much angry, she realized.
For her anger soon changed into sadness, unspeakable heart wrenching sadness, that overwhelmed her like an unstoppable avalanche of sorrow.
“Why haven’t you been looking for me?” she asked with a week voice. “I know we destroyed Sunnydale. But that was only one year after you passed away. There was at least one year that you knew where to find me.”
Willow paused for a moment, tears dwelling in her eyes. “Why didn’t you come for me Tara? You knew how much I would miss you. Why…” Her voice failed her and she started to cry. Cried harder until her small body was racked with sobs.

Tara looked at her alarmed, then reached out to put her arm around the young woman. At first she shied away from her, but then turned and buried her face in her chest.
For a moment Tara just sat there rocking her, letting her get it all out. “Willow look at me“, Tara said softly, after a while. Willow looked up at her through red, puffy eyes. “Willow, you must believe me that more then anything in the world, I wanted to go right back to Sunnydale and be together with you. I love you remember?”
Willow nodded slowly, she let Tara wipe her tears away with a tissue.

“But ‘They’ said that because of the way I was brought back, it couldn’t be aloud that I go and seek you. I wasn’t exactly provided with a explanation,” Tara said with a wry smile.
“All ‘They’ said was that if we were ever going to meet again – which wasn’t in any way forbidden! – it had to happen on it’s own, by chance if you will. I tried to protest, but ‘They’ said that I could either agree, or ‘They’ would be forced to erase my memory.” She tapped her forehead with her index finger. “I would have become Lucy Knight entirely and that would have meant forgetting you. I never would‘ve aloud that to happen, no mater the cost.”

By now they were both crying, but they both knew it to be tears of joy. Tara reached for another tissue, dried first Willow’s tears and then her own. “I never doubted for a second that we would meet again.” She looked around quickly, like she was making sure no one would be listening. She wickedly looked at Willow. “Plus I cheated – a little.”

For a moment Willow thought about what Tara had said, then her features brightened as she said: “The dream! Of course the dream! That’s why the dream that I had, after I returned from England – and where you comforted me in my grief – ended in London.”
“I couldn’t say it of course”, Tara said innocently. “But I knew that subconsciously you would understand. And given the opportunity would be open to move to England.”

“It certainly worked,” Willow thought aloud. “That’s why I felt so instantly at home, when travelling the world, I arrived in London”
“You did?” Tara asked curiously.
“Yea,” Willow said. “All the time I’ve been restless and not a home in San Francisco. That’s where Buffy, Dawn and Xander are still living by the way. But upon arriving here, standing at Trafalgar Squar, I felt at peace with myself. You know, I simply knew that this city could become my home, and that I could be happy again living in this buzzing town. And now I know why, because even though I didn’t know it, I felt that you were here too.”
She smiled knowingly to herself, now I really all made sense.


“That’s my girl,” Tara said. “I knew you would find me. There was never even a single doubt in my mind, that you wouldn’t find me.”
For a long minute Tara gazed at her, her eyes searching the features she’d grown to love so deeply over the past years. Including the years she’d been separated from her. And she read in Willow‘s eyes that she understood.
Saw love glowing in her dark green eyes.

“So and now you tell me what you’ve been up to, ever since you and the Scooby’s destroyed Sunnydale”, Tara then asked her.

Willow thought for moment, then said, “I know there are a lot of thinks you’d like to hear about me… can’t we just skip it? I mean for now? Can’t you just be kissing me now?”

Only to gladly Tara complied.



Authors note:
The way I got Tara back, is inspired by the movie “Heaven can Wait” from 1978, starring Warren Beatty.

_________________
Today my friend, your diary entry will read: Took a […] hostage and got shoot by three armed bastards.”
Gene Hunt – Ashes to Ashes
“A Love Beyond the Stars”
“What Dreams may Come”

Very nice idea. Interested in reading more of it.

_________________
"Only the pure of spirit may find the treasure of knowledge". - Teddy Ruxpin

By the Power of Grayskull!

Dax as always I am so happy to have this story alive again. This is so welcome from our days at E. F. I believe that when others read it thay to will see it as a wonder. I will keep coming back for more as always

_________________
Dia the spelunker
Never underestimate the powerful love of a good woman
If you were a cave what kind of cave would you be

Hi fellow German
Cute story you have going there!
So one of Willow's friend's is called Lucimar? Like the football player..?
Didnt see at first that you're from Germany but when I stumbled acorss the word 'Frauenschwof' I just had to check.
Waiting for more!

_________________
"I don't get your crazy system!"
"System? It's called the alphabet!"

Hi Dax,

took a sneak peak into your story. And instantly remembered reading it on EF. What I can't remember is if I ever read through to the end. So it will become my pleasure being surprised with every update.

By the way: Well written and interesting plot. I have to admit, I'm not really comfortable with the idea of Tara coming back in another body than her own. Sure Amber is not Tara, but Tara's gotta be Amber in my mind. We'll see. In the end it won't matter. I've seen "Heaven can wait" a long time ago and I liked it very much.

There is a lot of stuff the two will have to go through. And Willow is pregnant. Hope it doesn't come in the way.

Thanks for sharing another story. Bye for now.

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She's not drivin stick anymore?

hey now that I ead Edges of Darkness, I alowed myself to catch up with this fic... I am not disappointed by the Tara you put.
She still is Tara... but also someone else.

I am really really enthusiastic about your fic

Thank you,

Julia

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Broken Dolls |The Stadium's Goddesses | Seeds Of Beauty

"Joie est mon caractère, C'est la faute à Voltaire; Misère est mon trousseau, C'est la faute à Rousseau." Gavroche. Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (chap. XV)

Kissing Tara still blew Willow’s mind, even though it had been four and half years since she’d last kissed her. Kissing Tara was always a celebration, for she volunteered it, looked for it, delighted in it. For Willow it was like she hadn’t been kissed in years.

Witch wasn’t exactly true. She’d had a short attempt in starting a new relationship. And even though kissing this quiet wonderful woman had been great, it hadn’t been the same. Could not be the same.
In the end this relationship never had a chance and Willow broke it of before she left for her round trip through Europe.

After all Tara had always been more then her girlfriend, more then the love of her life. She was her soul mate, the better half of herself.
Willow knew that she would have stayed incomplete for the rest of her life, if ‘They’ hadn’t given her and Tara another chance.

Eventually this first wonderful kiss ended and the two women kept resting their foreheads against each others, dark green eyes looking into ocean blues.
“So does this mean,” Willow whispered, “that you’re single too?”
Willow didn’t know why, but something inside her actually needed to hear the answer to this question, even though her heart never had any doubt about it.
“Of course I am,” Tara reassured Willow and sat back, but she kept sitting on her girlfriend’s lap, where she’d moved during this extraordinary kiss.
“And to answer your next question. I wasn’t in a relationship since I awoke in this body.” She gently caressed Willow’s cheek with her hand..

“But even if I hadn’t been sure of meeting you again, working all the long hours, double shifts and even longer hours of on call duty, especially during my first years here, didn’t exactly leave me much time to ponder upon my love life. I’ve never been lonely though,” she assured Willow, who had been looking worried for a moment or two.
“Ever since I’ve been with you, I have learned to make friends more easily. I found quite some friends here in London.
“Most of them are from the hospital obviously. You know colleagues, doctors, nurses. Don’t you look at me like that,” the physician said in mock annoyance. “You know very well, that I’m only attracted to you and not to girls wearing sexy nurses’ uniforms.”
Tara paused and then suggestively wiggled her eyebrows. “Maybe I should be borrowing such a uniform, you know, sometime in the future – could be fun. Wouldn’t you agree?”
A lustful smile on the redheads lips, told Tara that her thoughts were drifting in a similar direction.

“I don’t know about you,” Willow said after a while of blissful silence. “But I think I could kill for some pasta with shrimp. Being allergic, you could of course choose…”
“No, no,“ Tara interrupted her, “I absolutely love shrimp and unlike with my ‘former’ body – sounds terrible I know – I’m not allergic anymore. You know,” she said and slipped from Willow’s lap. “Lucy was really fond of them and so am I.”
“So you did change didn’t you?” Willow asked.

“Yes,”, Tara said and kneeling down in front of Willow she took her hands into her own. “Having the memories of two lifetimes in your mind can have that effect. But I have not changed towards you, not at all.”
She rested her head in Willow’s lap and remembered the confusion she’d felt when she had gotten aware of all of Lucy’s memories, as well as all of her knowledge and experience of twenty five years, that started to merge with her own twenty two years lifetime.

Willow softly stroke over Tara’s short blond hair, till she raised her head again said, “and now lets eat cause I’m starving too.”

On their way out of the hospital Willow met some of Tara’s friends and colleagues to whom she was introduced as a close friend. Without actually having to say it, they had both come to an understanding that they would take things slow from here.

Walking the streets of London, to a nice Italian restaurant right across from Willow’s computer-store at Sicilian Avenue, Willow changed her intended order from pasta with shrimp to pizza salami with extra cheese, to spaghetti carbonara, and back to shrimp again.
At the restaurant she then finally ordered tortellini with spicy chicken in a crème curry sauce. They had Garlic bread for starters and a pancake with apple-purée and wiped crème as dessert.
When she then declined the offered red wine and ordered a fruit juice instead, it was for Tara to seek confirmation for a rather joyful prospect forming in her heart.
“You know Willow,” she said picking through the salad she’d ordered for starters.
“I know we skipped the questions about you for some really fantastic kissing, but couldn’t it be that there’s one very recent development you would like to tell me now rather then later?”

In her heart Tara of course knew she was right, her mind however demanded the confirmation.
Willow let her last peace of garlic bread drop back on her dish – how could she have forgotten? How could she ever forget to tell Tara of her pregnancy? After all it was her child she was expecting. A wave of guilt washed over Willow.

“Willow? You still with me?”
Tara’s question brought Willow’s thoughts back to the present again.
“I’m pregnant”, the redhead said, more to herself then to her girlfriend it seemed. “I don’t understand why I didn’t tell you right away. After all it’s the child of both of us. I actually forgot to tell you. Now what does this say about me?”
Willow’s guilt only lasted for another moment, until she looked up into Tara’s beaming face, her eyes radiating with joy and love. There no longer was any need for an explanation. They silently reached for each others hands and held onto each other for a never ending moment of complete happiness.

“So it worked. It really worked,” Tara whispered happily to herself and then explained herself to Willow, who looked kinda confused.
“As you probably figured out by now, this child was my gift to you and ‘it’,” she made quotation marks around the last word and the next, “happened when I visited you in your dream shortly before I left for England.
“But I couldn’t be sure if my magic had really worked. You must understand I did it secretly and without ‘Their’ knowledge. I was aloud to visit you once, in order to help you get over your grief. But not to disclose to you where I was going to live. And certainly not so I could give you our lovechild.”
“You think you’ve fooled them?”
“Actually I don’t. But since I gave up all the magic powers I had left, after transferring into Lucy’s body, for this child, I believe they let me prevail.”

Right then their dinner arrived, and since they both were rather famished – Willow in particular – they sat and ate silently for a while.
Then Willow asked the question that’d been looming in the back of her head, ever since she had learned that she was pregnant.
“Why now? It’s been four years since that dream. Why am I getting pregnant now? Well five weeks back anyway.”

Tara gently reached for Willow’s hand across the table. “Because you’re ready Willow,” she explained. “You see this spell was designed to trigger the pregnancy when you felt absolutely ready to have a child.”
“Yes I’m ready,” Willow said and felt it. “I’m ready to raise our daughter together with you. Will you raise her together with me?”
“Of course I will,” Tara beamed and softly kissed Willow’s hand. “I want to do more then that. I want to marry you and raise our daughter with you.” Again they enjoyed a moment of meaningful silence that said so much more then words ever could.

“I still can’t believe that this is finally possible,” Willow said eventually. She remembered only too vividly the heated discussions concerning the so called ‘Same sex Marriage Bill’ in the House of Commons and had been rather positively surprised when it actually had been passed.

“I was certain that they would pass this bill,” Tara said with great certainty. “Despite the controversy surrounding it, this country was clearly ready for the change and to join Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany in this matter.”
And so, for the rest of their dinner and during their dessert – Willow shared her pancake with Tara – they discussed the stand of the same sex marriage in the public eye, as well as in the different British newspapers.

It was getting late and so Tara said, “You know I’m getting tiered and I have to get up early tomorrow morning, because of some scheduled procedures. But maybe you would like to accompany me for a finale hot chocolate at my place? It’s not far from here, more or less right around the corner, at Bedford Square.”
“Love too,” Willow said but then caught the important detail in what Tara had just said. “Wait a minute! You live at Bedford Square?
Tara nodded, not understanding what Willow was up to.
“I live five minutes from here at Bloomsbury Square!”
“No way!”
“Way! So for the last two years, we’ve been living in the same Borough, without meeting each other before today. Seems to me that destiny had quiet specific plans for us, wouldn’t you agree? I mean the two of us meeting on the very same day that I find out that I’m pregnant?”

Tara did agree and so they asked for the check and after a short discussion about who would be aloud to pay it – with Willow coming out of it victoriously – they left the restaurant and walked, hand in hand to Tara’s new home for the past fifteen months.

“Wow!” that was all Willow was able to get out. And so she stood silently side by side with Tara in front of No. 53 Bedford Square.
”Wow…” Willow started another attempt to say something about the house she was starring at. It was a really big brick stone building, three stories tall – four if you included the loft. It looked absolutely stunning, it had a blue front door and the windows on the upper first floor went all the way down to the floor.
Built in 1775 this house was one of several buildings that formed a half circle around the beautiful private park it faced.
“You live here?” Willow asked totally perplexed and Tara simply nodded, quiet amused about Willow’s confusion.
“I know Doctors are paid well, but in order to rent such a place, your payment must be really ridiculously high.”

“Actually I didn’t rent it,” Tara said sounding a bit embarrassed, “I own it.”
Willow looked in disbelieve at Tara, then at the house and back at Tara again.
She opened her mouth to say something, but what did come out hadn’t much resemblance with the English language.
“To tell you the truth I could never have afforded such a house, from what I earn as a surgeon. It’s only thanks to Lucy that I could buy it at all. You see, a really wealthy uncle of Lucy’s died two years ago, she never even knew her mother had a brother. Now he left her, I mean me, a really astonishing inheritance. And then I saw this house on sale and fell in love with it.”

“Believe me I can understand what you mean,” Willow whispered. Speaking not so much about Tara’s inheritance, but that her girlfriend fell in love with this beautiful old building.
Stepping closer to the three stairs, which led to the blue main door, Willow had a closer look to the Name plate right next to it.
Lucy T. Knight MD, it read.

“Tell me something Lucy,” she asked, not without noticing how natural it felt to her to call Tara by her new given name, “the letter T in your name that does stand for Tara right?”
“Yes. I had the name changed when I successfully acquired the British citizenship,” Tara explained. “I decided to make Tara my middle name. Lucy never had one and I felt it important that Lucy should remain my given name. It’s another way for me to honour her memory. Plus Lucy T. Knight does sound kinda elegant don’t you think?”
It really did, Willow agreed, and she also understood Tara’s need to honour the memory of the woman whose death had opened up this new life for her.
Willow too started to feel grateful when thinking of Lucy.

Tara walked up the stairs and inserted her key into the front door lock. “Now about that hot chocolate, I’m think I should ask you inside. Even though this February is rather warm, I’m starting to get chilly.”
Willow had already set a foot upon the first step when she hesitated and stepped back on the sidewalk.
“What’s wrong?” Tara asked concerned and walked the stairs back down to face Willow.

“Tara, please don’t get me wrong,” Willow said carefully and took Tara’s hand.
“But I think that we should take things really slow from here. You know I made so many mistakes the last time we were together.
“We both have been given another chance and I don’t want to rush it. This time I want it to last forever. And I know if I go with you, this cup of hot chocolate could lead to more and I would not want to stop then. We both have changed over the years. Not in our love to each other, but nevertheless we have changed and that’s why I think it’s so important that we should learn to know each other again, before we take it to the next level.”

For a moment Tara looked disappointed at Willow, and she sadly lowered her head.

“Hey,” Willow said tenderly and took Tara in her arms. She then put a finger under Tara’s chin and gently lifted her head. Looking deep into her dark blue eyes she said: “I love you Lucy T. Knight. And now that I found you again, I will never let you go. And I promise you, before long we will be living together. Long before the birth of our daughter. Ok?”

“OK,” Tara whispered and kissed Willow softly upon her lips, “let’s date!”
Her mood already started to lighten again and so she and Willow agreed to meet tomorrow after work at the Starbuck’s coffee shop on New Oxford Street, for a hot chocolate, cookies and more getting to know each other.
Additional Smooches definitely included.

Following a passionate kiss good night, Willow turned around and walked towards Bloomsbury Street, at the street corner she turned around once again and waved before she vanished into the night.
Tara kept watching her girlfriend, until she was out of sight.

Tara slowly stepped up the stairs to the front door, unlocked and entered her house.
This house, she knew, would soon become the home of Willow and their baby girl as well.

All they needed was time.
“We have all the time in the world,” Tara quoted her favourite Louis B. Armstrong song.
She’d waited four and a half years to find Willow again.
From now on, she no longer needed to wait. Because today she and Willow had already made the first careful steps, that would lead them into their future together.

She had never stopped loving Willow and Willow had never stopped loving her.
And knowing that, Tara knew she would be sleeping peacefully tonight, for tomorrow she would meet Willow again.

_________________
Today my friend, your diary entry will read: Took a […] hostage and got shoot by three armed bastards.”
Gene Hunt – Ashes to Ashes
“A Love Beyond the Stars”
“What Dreams may Come”

This is the sweetest story my friend I love how there love has no lines or fences that can keep them from each other. Thay just love each other no matter what you show us what true love is forever and ever . There is a song by Patsy Cline called Always that this story brings to my mind . ...not for just a day ..........not for just a hour ...but always, always

_________________
Dia the spelunker
Never underestimate the powerful love of a good woman
If you were a cave what kind of cave would you be

Cheryl!
You truly are my biggest fan. Thank you very much for that!

_________________
Today my friend, your diary entry will read: Took a […] hostage and got shoot by three armed bastards.”
Gene Hunt – Ashes to Ashes
“A Love Beyond the Stars”
“What Dreams may Come”

Dianne's right about this being the sweetest story. I've been following this fic even if I haven't always left feedback, my apologies for not doing so. It is much better than I remembered it to be from Extra Flamey. I love it still.

writerfreak

_________________
Nuair a feallionn na focail, labhraionn an ceol (translation: When words fail, music speaks)
Ever meet a dangerous woman? One you know sees right through you? Dangerously attractive, effortlessly intelligent, quietly intense?

Soul

awwwww that is so great

it is so sweet!!

It is a bit strange though when Willow calls Tara Lucy...
But it is so nice for them to have another chance

Can't wait for their next step... lol

Friendly,

Julia

_________________
Broken Dolls |The Stadium's Goddesses | Seeds Of Beauty

"Joie est mon caractère, C'est la faute à Voltaire; Misère est mon trousseau, C'est la faute à Rousseau." Gavroche. Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (chap. XV)

Nice Update.

_________________
"Only the pure of spirit may find the treasure of knowledge". - Teddy Ruxpin

By the Power of Grayskull!

“So, what should it be, Tara?” Willow asked cheerfully, “puppies, kittens or teddy bears.”
“Hm,” Tara mumbled, rubbing her temples, since she felt a headache coming on. “Kittens,” she said. “Definitely kittens.” She looked up from the pattern book of wallpaper’s hoping for Willow’s approval, which she got.
“That’s great. I liked them from the start.”
Tara fought hard not to let out a huge sigh, for the past two hours they had been browsing through all these pattern books in search of wallpaper for the nursery, with Willow being unable to make up her mind.
And now that she finally had, the wallpaper turned out to be the one they had liked first.

Still Tara couldn’t help but smile, about the sheer enthusiasm with which the pregnant redhead was working on preparing the room for their new arrival, it was absolutely heart warming and well – cute, and made Tara’s anticipation for their to be born daughter even double.

“And now for the colour of the other walls,” Willow declared, and left the living room to get the colour charts, while Tara kinnda desperately hoped that with the wall paper chosen, finding the matching colour for the other three walls of the nursery wouldn’t take as long.
She loved Willow more then anybody else in the world, and the same was true for their daughter, but the mere thought of now having to stare at colour charts, made her head ache. How much she yearned for one single glass of red wine.
Unfortunately she had some procedures scheduled for tomorrow morning and Tara never drank the evening before.
Plus since Willow wasn’t aloud drink alcohol because of her pregnancy, Tara had promised Willow that she would not drink wine too until their little daughter was born and no longer breastfeed by Willow.

And so with a small sight Tara pored herself another glass of “Birnensaft” – German pear juice, a gift send from Emma and Lu. And something Willow had grown to love during her last trip to Germany one month ago, this time together with Tara of course.

With Willow rummaging loudly through the sideboards drawers in the hall, Tara’s thoughts went back, reflecting on the past three month since she and Willow had met again.

As indented they had taken it slow and for the first two weeks had met daily after work – Saturdays and Sundays for breakfast at either Willow’s or Tara’s place. – for long walks at Hyde Park, Green Park or starting out from what soon became their favourite part in the city of London, St. James’s Park, for a walk alongside river Thames form the Houses of Parliament down to Tower Bridge and a little bit beyond.

During these long hand in hand walks they learned to know each other again.
Or more to the point they learned how their past experiences had changed them. Willow from all she’d gone through after Tara had been murdered, as well as from the short relationship she’d had back I San Francisco.

Tara had changed on more subtly levels, with the knowledge and experience of the late Lucy Knight, as well as her own, she had now the memories of two life times merged into the one life she was living now.
Interestingly enough, Willow had no difficulties getting used to Tara’s new physical appearance. In fact, as far as bodily attraction went, she loved Tara’s new body as much as her ‘old one’.

Lucy Tara was now a little bit shorter and also more slim [Strictly comparative speaking!], but at the same time equally furnished in other bodily departments [If you catch my meaning].
She had the loveliest face, encircled by short golden hair.
Originally Tara had worn her hair shoulder long much like the “real” Lucy had done, but soon she’d found it much easer to go with short hair, especially with all the time she had to get it under a surgery cap.

But even with all these physical changes, when Willow lost herself in Lucy’s dark blue eyes, Tara hadn’t changed at all.
As far as the other changes went, Willow had much fun, finding out about all the little quirks of Lucy Tara Knight.
For example unlike Tara, Lucy Tara was very – very ticklish, a fact thoroughly exploited by Willow on later occasions.
As for Lucy Tara’s other ‘sensitive spots’, Willow explored them all, in loving detail when she and Tara spent their first night together.

And then finally, two month ago, Willow had given up her flat and together with Miss Trixi and Miss Cleo had moved in with Lucy Tara Knight at No 53 Bedford Square.

Now they were very busy preparing the nursery on the first flour right next to the bedroom.
Later, when two or three years old their daughter would be moving up to the second floor and into her very own room, making the nursery available for her little baby sister.
That’s right, Willow and Tara had already come to the understanding that they wanted to have at least two children. – The second one carried by Tara, with Willow doing the magic.

They already had the cradle for their little baby girl. Right now it stood in the corner of the cosy chimney room & library on the first floor.
It had been build by Xander who, after learning about Tara and Willow’s pregnancy on his last visit to London together with his wife Jennifer, had started working on this cradle right away. Building it from scratch in an improvised workshop in the basement right next to the kitchen.
He had taken the news of Tara’s ‘resurrection’ rather well, even though he hadn’t completely understood it. And his wife for the last two years, being a New Yorker, she wasn’t surprised easily by anything.
Until now Xander was only the second of the old Scooby gang to learn about Tara’s return. Giles of course had been first to know. Since Willow and Tara visited him in the country only two weeks after they met again. He was very happy about Tara still being alive; to him Tara had always been like the daughter he never had.
And he had been glowing with pride, when Willow informed him that he was to become the god-grandfather – her choice of words – to their daughter.

So the only ones who didn’t know yet, where Buffy and Dawn over in San Francisco.
But only because Willow didn’t want to tell her best friend and her sister the unbelievable good news via phone or Email, but rather personally and face to face.

Willow felt guilty for leaving Buffy out of the loop, especially since it had been three month ago. But the intended next visit of the Summers sisters, had to be cancelled, first because Buffy got involved in some important Slayer business and then Dawn had come down with the flew.
However the day after tomorrow they both would finally come and then all the people that Willow and Tara loved and who were important to them would know about all the good things that had happened to Willow.
As a compromise for being the last to learn about Tara and the baby, Buffy and Dawn would be first to learn that only yesterday Willow had proposed to Tara and that they both were now engaged.

With a thoughtful smile, Tara looked upon her hand and the engagement ring she was wearing on her ring finger. It was a lovely blain gold ring, with a single green diamond imbedded right into it, making it look like it was a natural part of the ring.
At work she would be wearing the ring attached to a gold necklace.

“Now where are those darn colour charts! They ought to be here, they couldn’t possibly have grown feet and walked away!” Tara heard Willow babble to herself and then walking up the stairs, to continue her search. Tara smile grew even brighter. How much she loved it when Willow was in her special babble mode, she was always so incredible cute then.

There was no day that Tara’s didn’t wonder how very lucky she’d been to not only meet and fall in love with Willow Rosenberg once, but to be aloud to do so twice.

“Found them!” Willow declared, marching into the living room, proudly holding the colour charts in her hand.
“So where were they?” Tara wondered while Willow sat down right next to her.
“Upstairs on the nightstand,” Willow said and took a sip of juice from Tara’s glass.
“So you had them all the time.”
“Actually, they were on your nightstand,” Willow said with a knowing smile on her lips.

Tara blushed substantially.
Right, just last night when she couldn’t sleep, she had wandered down to the basement kitchen – with Willow’s old wooden dinner table making it one of the most comfy rooms in the house – for a glass of milk. On her way back, she’d found the colour charts on the sideboard in the hall and to have a look through herself, before she tried to go back to sleep again, she’d taken them up with her.
Guiltily Tara looked up from under her long eyelashes and said “Sorry.”

“You know”, Willow said with an even brighter smile on her lips. “I could never be angry with you, when you look at me like this. Not that I have been angry with you at all.”
She flung her arms around the blond woman and whispered into her ear: “you do know how much I love you don’t you?”
Tara nodded and kissed Willow playfully upon her ear.

Willow leaned back. “And of course you also know very well, what they say about pregnant woman too?” She suggestively wiggled her eyebrows.
“You mean that at some times their sex drive goes in to overdrive?”
As an answer she got her mouth sealed by Willow with the most passionate kiss, that left them both breathless for a while.
“But what… about… colour for… the room?” Tara asked between the subsequent kisses.

“Forget them”, Willow said with a rather husky voice and threw the charts on the table. “We’ll choose them tomorrow. With the wallpaper chosen, the colour will find itself in no time, I’m sure.”

With that Willow led Tara out of the living room and up stairs, for a night of loving kisses and tender yet passionate gay love.

_________________
Today my friend, your diary entry will read: Took a […] hostage and got shoot by three armed bastards.”
Gene Hunt – Ashes to Ashes
“A Love Beyond the Stars”
“What Dreams may Come”

This story is so tender and full of hope and joy. I can't wait for the baby AAAAwwwwwww sweet

_________________
Dia the spelunker
Never underestimate the powerful love of a good woman
If you were a cave what kind of cave would you be

_________________
Broken Dolls |The Stadium's Goddesses | Seeds Of Beauty

"Joie est mon caractère, C'est la faute à Voltaire; Misère est mon trousseau, C'est la faute à Rousseau." Gavroche. Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (chap. XV)

“You’re nervous Willow?” Tara asked her fiancé standing at her side.
“Oh not at all… Maybe a little… Ok I’m terrified!” Willow babbled away, until Tara stopped her.
“Relax Willow. She will understand, I’m sure of it,” Tara said reassuringly.

“Are you?” Willow asked nervously, “I mean it’s a pretty big surprise I have… I mean we have in store for Buffy and Dawn. What’s if she freaks?”
“Why should she or Dawn be freaked?” Tara wondered, “because I’m still alive, you’re pregnant and the both of us are very happy?”
“For the last three months!”
“And?”
“We never had any secretes Buffy and me. We used to tell each other everything.”
Tara slowly in very Mr Spock like manner raised an eyebrow.

“Ok, ok,” Willow admitted, “I didn’t tell her when I fell in love with you in the first place. But this is different, you’re different – well sort of, you know and… and…” Her voice failed her and Willow nervously brushed with her right hand through her hair.
Tara took that hand into her own and with the other she gently caressed Willow’s cheek. “All will be fine”, she said and kissed her softly. “Dawn and Buffy will understand that you didn’t want to tell them over the phone or even more impersonally by email, but rather face to face.
“They will be happy for the both of us. For the three of us,” she added and gently touched Willow’s quiet sizable belly.

“Perhaps you’re right”, the redhead said.
“I know I am”, the young surgeon by her side answered.
Thus assured Willow calmed down considerably, though she kept holding on to Tara’s hand for comfort and strength.

“How do I tell them anyway?” Willow asked herself. “I mean, sometimes I have trouble believing it myself.” She gently squeezed Tara’s hand and babbled on. “But one look into your eyes I know it’s true. But how to tell them?
“Hey guy’s, guess what I’m pregnant, with Tara’s child. And look here she is herself… somewhat different I know… May I introduce you, this is Doctor Lucy Tara… oh my goddess here they come…”
Willow incoherent babble came to a sudden and complete halt, as Buffy and Dawn passed through the doors of customs into to the hall of International Arrivals - Terminal 5 of London Heathrow.

One thing for sure, at this point Willow no longer needed to ponder about ‘how to tell them’, for the moment Dawn spotted her and Tara standing hand in hand together, she cried out: “Tara!” Then ran, almost flew towards her and flung her arms around the rather surprised blond woman.
“It’s you, it’s you!” Dawn cried out over and over again and: “You’re alive. You’re alive! I missed you so…” the young woman’s voice failed her and just cried, racked with sobs.

Tara held Dawn gently in her arms, while she continued to cry happy tears upon her shoulder. She too had tears in her eyes.
From the beginning Dawn had been more then her girlfriend’s best friend’s younger sister. But more like the younger sister she never had.
And especially after Joyce’s death, she sometimes had been to Tara like the daughter she always dreamed of raising one day.

By now they were all crying and even Buffy had tears in her eyes as she hugged her best friend, not without noticing her baby belly, but saving that for later.
And since a slowly calming Dawn still held on to Tara, Buffy gently squeezed Tara’s free hand.
They exchanged some looks that said more then a thousand words, for what made them close was beyond family, beyond friendship.
“You’ve changed,” Buffy said to Tara and whipped away her own tears. “New haircut?”
It was a rather lame attempt to lighten the mood, but surprisingly it turned out rather successful, for even Dawn let out a small giggle and let go of Tara.
She took the handkerchief, offered by Willow and dried her tears.

“So it seams to me that Dawn was right,” Buffy said, looking thoughtfully at Willow’s belly and the “New Tara”.
“How’s that?” Willow wondered, while she received her welcome huge from Dawn, as well as some joyful words about her obvious pregnancy.

“Well believe it or not,” Buffy explained, “but our former key here is developing psychic powers.”
“In what way?” Tara wondered.
“Well, for one she knew that Willow had some big surprise for us in store”, Buffy explained, and then Dawn took over.
“I didn’t exactly know that you were still alive Tara. But the moment I saw you and Willow standing together I simply knew it to be you.”

“The fact that Dawn brought her own favourite teddy bear and bought another one at the airport, tells me that she had a hunch about your baby as well”, Buffy interposed and pointed at Willow’s belly.
“That certainly explained why you haven’t been as surprised as you ought to be”, Willow said dryly.
“Sorry,” Dawn said sheepishly, but Tara laughed.
“No need to be sorry Dawn. In fact you saved Willow a lot of trouble.
“She’s been worrying sick of how to break the news to you. And now lets get home, I’m sure you are starving, as well as very tired.” And with that she took Dawn in her arm and started to walk towards the elevators.
“And now tell me Dawn, how did this all start?” Tara asked while Willow followed with Buffy who complained that being the Chosen One shouldn’t necessary mean that she was also chosen to push their luggage trolley.
Of course she refused right away when Willow offered to help her. “What kind of friend would I be if I let my pregnant best friend push this heavy thing!”

Dawn in the meantime told Tara how, a few months ago, she had started to have rather strange dreams.
“Well if dreams is the right word,” Dawn said. “But I wouldn’t call it visions ether. For example, last week at college, I dosed of during a rather dull lecture and when I woke again, I had this distinct feeling that my boyfriend Owen wasn’t faithful anymore. I went right to his flat and rightly caught him with his ex!”
“So that’s why you didn’t bring him with you,” Tara said with a sympathetic tone of voice. “But I’m sure you will find the right one someday.”
“Oh I know I will,” Dawn said and put her arm around Tara’s waist. “This Friday around ten am, to be exact.”
“Really?” came the astonished reaction from Willow and Buffy, but not Tara.
“Kidding,” Dawn said and with a big grin on her face turned to her sister as they all entered the waiting elevator. “I’ve told you it doesn’t work this way.”

Turning back to Tara Dawn then said, “I just know, that my special someone is out there. And one day I will find him.”
Dawn paused for a bit, like she needed to make up her mind before she added: “Or her.”

‘PING!’

It was the elevator, who cut the following silence short by telling the four women standing within the cabin, that they had arrived at their destination.
With the next train inbound for London standing ready to depart they had to hurry to catch it, and so it was only after they had taken their seats within the train, that someone spoke again.
“I can’t believe it,” Buffy said to her sister, who sat together with Tara right across herself. “Every other girl within my family comes out gay, still I can’t find myself a decent boyfriend.”

“I’m not gay,” Dawn reminded her sister. “I’m bisexual. I realised that ever since I had this like huge crush on Elisabeth.”

“Classmate,” Buffy commented dryly.

“Elisabeth! That’s it! Elizabeth!” Willow burst out.
“This is what?” Dawn wondered quiet puzzled.
“You mean?” Tara asked softly and reached across the table for Willow’s hands.
“I mean,” Willow answered and Buffy sighed.
“Never mind me,” the Slayer protested, “My sister just comes out bisexual and now my best friend and her girlfriend start talking riddles. Life’s not fair.”

“Relax Buff,” Willow said and put an assuring hand around the Slayers shoulder. “Dawn just helped us to finally come up with a name for our little baby girl.
“For she will be called Elizabeth Anne Knight. Elizabeth with a z that is”, Willow clarified and then she twitched shortly. “She kicked,” Willow whispered glowingly and gently placed her hand upon her tummy. “The moment I said her name, Elizabeth kicked.”
“Seams to me your daughter approves with your choice of name,” Buffy said, she too then placed her hand upon Willow’s belly and leaning close to it, she softly whispered Elizabeth’s name. “I felt it too,” Buffy said joyfully. “Quiet forceful I might add.”
The Slayer sat up again and with a silent look she thanked Willow for choosing her middle name for their daughter Elizabeth.
For the rest of the train trip they talked about little Elizabeth, till the Heathrow Express arrived at Paddington Station. Here they took a taxi for the last leg of their journey to Willow’s and Tara’s home in Bloomsbury.

It was during a light snack, sitting at Willow’s old wooden dinner table in the middle of the basement kitchen that Buffy asked Willow and Tara about the date.

“Well we have not decided yet,” Willow said with a wry look at Tara. “Tara would like to get married before Elizabeth is born. Me, personally I would prefer to get my profile back first. If you catch my meaning.” She meaningful padded her belly.
“No I meant the expected date of birth for Elizabeth.”
“Oh, the nineteenth of September”, Willow answered.

“Oh good. Wait a minute! What was this about marrying?” Buffy asked looking quiet confused, “and why’s the family name of your daughter to be Knight anyway?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” asked Dawn her older sister before Willow or Tara could say a word. “Knight is Tara’s new name, the name of the woman who died right the same time Tara was shot and whose life Tara is now continuing. Lucy T. – Tara – Knight, that’s what the plaque next to the door says. & Willow Rosenberg of course. And about Willow and Tara getting married, I spotted their engagement rings way back at the airport. And I was the one crying remember?”
Dawn smiled cheerfully at Willow and Tara, “and since Willow told us Elizabeth’s family name to be Knight, it’s obvious to me that our betrothed have decided for Knight as their future married name. Did I get it all right?”

Willow and Tara both nodded silently, while Buffy rubbed her temples and frustrated mumbled under her breath: “Bisexual sister, engaged best friends, girlfriends with new body’s, as well as new names… this is getting all too much for me. You know it really sucks when being the chosen one means, that even though you have super natural strength and special self healing powers, it doesn’t mean that you have any special powers to compensate for jetlag. See you guys tomorrow morning:”

Groggily Buffy stood up and headed for the staircase with Willow calling after her: “remember where your room is?”
“Yea, yea. First door on the left, second floor. You know, you got yourself a frigging palace”, With that the sleepy Slayer had left the kitchen and Willow and Tara turned their attention back to Dawn, who didn’t seamed to be in any immediate need to follow her sister up to catch some sleep herself.

“So Dawn tell me”, Willow asked curiously, “would your newfound special skills also happen to work with the British Lottery?”
“No they wouldn’t,” Dawn answered seriously, not going into Willow’s humorous remark. “I also noticed that my abilities start to shift into quiet another direction as well, then simply hunches about things that might happen in the near future.”
“What direction will that be?” Tara asked interestedly and reached for Willow’s hand.

“As you know, in preparation for starting med-school next fall, I began working as a volunteer at the paediatric station at San Francisco General Hospital half a year ago. Now sometimes when I’m working with these children, I can tell what’s wrong with them, you know medically,” Dawn explained.
“By simply touching them?” Willow asked curiously.
“Not exactly. It’s more like, when I’m together with a child taking their pulse or talking to him or her, a mental picture forms in front of my eyes showing me what’s wrong. Only very vague though, and as soon as I try to focus upon them, they always fade away again,” Dawn said rather frustrated and fell silent.

Willow and Tara thought about Dawn’s troubles with her new abilities for a while, and it was Tara who first spoke her mind.
“It seams to me,” she said, “that theses mental images of yours are a little bit like dreams, when you try to hard to remember them they fade away too. So instead of focusing on these images you should let them guide you and they might lead you to the knowledge you seek.” Tara paused for a while then asked: “Do I start to sound like Obi wan Kenobi right?”
Willow started to giggle uncontrollably and fighting hard to keep a strait face (unsuccessfully though), Dawn answered, doing her best Yoda impression: “quiet Jedi like talking you do.”

And so the three girls talked about how Dawn could utilize these newly found talents in order to help the children she liked so much that she had decided to study medicine and become a paediatrician with her own little practice.
Of course they also talked about Dawn’s newly discovered bisexuality.
“You know,” Dawn said with a mischievous smile on her face, “I should have known I’m bisexual ever since the two of you turned out to be a couple.”
“Because you have always kind of felt it,” Tara said, remembering her own confusing feelings before coming out to herself.
“Well yes,” Dawn said “But that’s not the point. It’s more a matter of statistics you see.”
Both Willow and Tara looked like personified question marks at the former key.

“Well look at us five Scooby’s. Buffy and Xander are strait; the two of you are gay, so statistically I had to be bi, right?”
She yawned. “And now I’m tired too. Good night.” Dawn kissed Tara and Willow good night and then, followed closely by Miss’s Trixi and Cleo went to bed, while Willow and Tara laughed about her last remark.

Throughout the following three weeks they all had much fun. And the Summers sisters also learned all about Tara’s “rebirth” and the previous life of the late Lucy Knight.
During the first week Buffy went out with Willow to buy some more of the baby necessities for little Elizabeth.
There was however one little incident where Willow had to drag Buffy out of Hamley’s of London (Biggest Toy store) by force, because otherwise the overly motivated Slayer would have bought several carloads worth of teddy bears and other stuffed animals.
At the same time Dawn accompanied Tara to work at London University Hospital, for some very intriguing inside into the field of paediatric surgery – witch did not change her goal of working in her own paediatric practice someday.

Dawn also started to spend a suspiciously large time with Susan Walker, the young master house-painter who had – on Friday around 10 o’clock! – started working on Elizabeth nursery
When asked, Dawn refused to comment about it, and she was also unwilling to provide any explanation for the hand shaped paint stain upon her left trouser pocket.

However Willow, Tara and Buffy later exchanged some knowing looks when Dawn took brochures & application forms for the medical schools of Oxford as well as Cambridge University back home to San Francisco.

_________________
Today my friend, your diary entry will read: Took a […] hostage and got shoot by three armed bastards.”
Gene Hunt – Ashes to Ashes
“A Love Beyond the Stars”
“What Dreams may Come”

hey there...

interesting... Dawn Dawn Dawn... what are we going to do with her? lol

So... Willow wants her profile back to normal before the wedding? it is understandable.

Nice update Dax, thank you, it is a really nice story.

Talk to you soon.

Julia

_________________
Broken Dolls |The Stadium's Goddesses | Seeds Of Beauty

"Joie est mon caractère, C'est la faute à Voltaire; Misère est mon trousseau, C'est la faute à Rousseau." Gavroche. Victor Hugo, Les Misérables (chap. XV)

Hello my dear friend I love how all the girl,s become playful and happy like nothing has changed and for them it hasent. No matter what they make the cutest couple in the world.

_________________
Dia the spelunker
Never underestimate the powerful love of a good woman
If you were a cave what kind of cave would you be

I like that Dawn knows Tara immediately. It really shows her deep connection with both Willow and Tara.

_________________
"Only the pure of spirit may find the treasure of knowledge". - Teddy Ruxpin

By the Power of Grayskull!

hey dax I finally finished reading this story of yours and sall say it is a real nice combination what did you did here when it comes to merging together ER and Buffys the vampire slayer characters...
Nice and new idea of tara's reincarnation in Lucy's body as it shows the vivid imagination that you have as the story continues to unfold smoothly to reach a point where we can see both women as in tara and willow trying again to carry on living and loving as they always wanted and strived to do...
I wish u good luck with this story and ill be a faithful reader for it, so keep on the good work ur doing here...
By the way, it is so nice and refreshing to see a member of extraflamey here, after the closing of the site, everyting seemed going with the wind, in so specific direction to no specific destination
I missed extraflamey and all their members as I was one of them too and hope one day it will return online as an active site for fictional stories....
once again good luck for you dax ....
Amberholic...

_________________
So you found out today your life's not the same...
Not quite as perfect as it was yesterday...
And I know it hurts and I know you feel torn...
But you never gave up this easily before...
So why do you choose today to give it all away.......
She's my angel love

Oops sorry, was so caught up in my studies (and Kieler Woche...) that I havent checked for updates.

That sums it up quite nicely.

Nice to see that Xander found happiness again.

Hehe...

Interesting. Never really liked Dawn but this gives her character something she was lacking on the show.

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"I don't get your crazy system!"
"System? It's called the alphabet!"