A/N: Well, here is my first chaptered fic that I'm going to post here. So far, I've gotten good reviews from them where I've posted it, so I'm very confident it'll get the same here :)
As for the story, the title, ‘Flashback’, will mostly describe the first 2-3 chapters, not the whole story (it’s not a story of flashbacks. That would just be boring!).
As for this chapter, it’ll mostly be a scene-setter, a bit of an information piece for what is going to happen and why. It’ll still be good (I hope), so don’t worry. Oh, and while I’m on this topic, I should add this’ll have angst that I would probably never read, let alone write a whole story about. It shouldn’t last more than 4 or 5 chapters, but it’s still something to alert everyone of.
Well, I think that’s about all I need to talk about. On to the story!
Spoilers: Will mostly be for Season 7 Episode 7: “Conversations With Dead People”, and Episode 8: "Sleeper" (though nothing that happens in the Summers’ house will in here), and a little bit for Season 6 Episode 6: “All The Way”. And also, to note, everything Spike-related from the season 7 episodes will happen exactly as it did in the real series, therefore I see no reason for me to write any of it. Watch the episodes or read the scripts if you don’t understand something that happens here.
Story Summary: After Willow faces the First, she decides to take action. What happens when she finds a spell to get her past self relive past memories?
Disclaimer: I don't think Joss et al. is dumb enough to waste his time on some lowly creature having fun with his world that he so obviously messed up, so I'm not going to say anything to save me from that. However, because I respect the owners of the site, I'd just like to mention that I got a lot of the information for this chapter from http://www.buffyworld.com/. Thank you guys for your wonderful transcripts, even if the fight descriptions suck! :)
Legend: Lots of Willow-thoughts. Can’t have enough of them. Therefore, they’ll be in italics as always :)
Standing in the middle of the library, a million thoughts were flowing through Willow’s mind. Most of those thoughts centred on the entity that just disappeared in front of her, though they were more complicated than that.
There were a couple thoughts that Willow’s brain was focused on heavily, though. One dealt with what exactly this thing was. That was more of a secondary issue, though. The one that was more prominently invading her psyche was exactly what it tried to appear to be. Tara.
She’d been trying to keep thoughts on that subject in the back of her head recently, mostly ignoring them. She had even been successful in her attempts in the past couple of weeks, and perhaps that was why it hit her so hard right now. Not necessarily the fact that the thoughts in the back of her mind moved to the surface so quickly, but more the thought that she had, in fact, forced herself to forget about everything that happened. To forget about her.
These thoughts almost sickened Willow, if that hadn’t already happened. How could she forget the only thing that ever mattered to her?
And amidst all these thoughts, one last one forced its way to the surface. This had to stop.
Willow knew, she couldn’t go on like this. She couldn’t pretend she was living. What was the old saying? She wasn’t living. She was only existing. That was something she could no longer accept. Just being here wasn’t good enough. In fact, being here was the problem.
There was a thought beyond that, though. The thought that it didn’t have to be this way.
It was that thought that persuaded Willow to finally reclaim her motor skills and walk over to the phone that was located on the front desk. With no one there, Willow picked it up, and dialed the number that had become so familiar since she’d returned to Sunnydale.
“Hi Giles,” Willow spoke into the phone when she heard the click on the other end.
“Uh. Hi,” Came the groggy reply at the other end. It was probably 4 or 5 O’clock in London, but Willow didn’t acknowledge that fact.
“Hey. Uh, how are you?” Willow said, trying to begin with idle conversation. She didn’t want to step right into the discussion that she wanted to have.
“A little tired, but I’m in one piece,” Giles said on the other end. He was already used to late-night calls by Willow, but she seemed a little more perky then usual.
“Look. Um, we have, um, a problem here, and I think we could, um...use your help,” Willow said, slowly getting to the point.
“’We’ or ‘I’, Willow?” Giles replied, seeing, or at least hearing, right through Willow.
“W-well, I guess. I-I want to do a spell, and, umm, I don’t think Buffy would approve...” Willow began.
“And you think I would?” Giles said, skeptically.
“W-well, you’ve let me do things that I never would have after what I’d done. I-I don’t think there is much you wouldn’t approve of. But I can’t do it alone. I need some books for it, too. Ones that only the Council has. Please?” Willow tried. She was getting desperate, and didn’t know how she would complete what she wanted if Giles didn’t agree.
“Well, alright. I’ll catch the next plane. Um, what books do you need?” Giles asked.
“Um, books on time travel,” Willow replied, hoping Giles wouldn’t ask any more questions.
“Can I ask what for?” Giles said, betraying Willow’s hopes.
“I-I’ll tell you when you get here. I-I need to go check on Dawn, and it’ll take a long time to explain,” Willow replied, praising herself mentally for her quick thinking.
“Ok, I’ll see you today...umm, tomorrow...” Giles said before Willow cut him off.
“C-can we meet at the Espresso Pump? I don’t want Buffy to know about this. At least, not yet,” Willow said, almost begging Giles.
“Sure. How about at 10:00 in the morning?” Giles said. He decided to just follow along, and ask questions later.
“Sounds great. See you then,” Willow replied, hanging up the phone.
That’s just phase one that is done, Willow reminded herself, but she already had a strange sense of confidence within herself. Down, girl. Giles still probably won’t like it much.
When Willow reached the Summers’ house that night, she was shocked to find it in the condition it was in. The front door was practically ripped from its hinges, the windows were smashed in, and, from what she could see, the inside looked like a hurricane had passed through it.
After standing dumbfounded outside for what seemed like eternity, Willow finally forced herself to walk in. She was surprised, when she opened the door, to find Dawn, a little worse for wear, sitting on the bottom step of the house.
“What happened?” Willow asked, concerned. She’d forgotten all about her experience in the school library, so she was at a loss for what could have happened.
“M-mom,” was the only thing Dawn could let out.
Looking confused for a second, Willow finally got it. Whatever it was that had run into her had also paid a visit to Dawn. Curious, though. That would mean it was in two different places at the same time.
“I-I don’t think it was your mom,” Willow said quietly, causing Dawn to look up. “B-besides, she wouldn’t make this kind of mess, would she?”
This caused Dawn to stand quickly, getting as close to Willow as she’d been since she’d broken her arm.
“Mom didn’t do this,” she said venomously, teeth clenched. Willow had to admit, she had her slightly freaked. “She was being held by some, I dunno, stupid spirit. I freed her, and then she talked to me. I-I don’t remember what she said anymore.”
“Oh,” Willow said, as Dawn turned from angry to thoughtful, looking at the ground. “I-I still don’t think it was her. I-I ran into, um, something in the library. It seems like it can take the shape of anything it wants.”
“I-I don’t believe that,” Dawn replied, quietly. “It was her, I’m sure of it.”
“I know how much you want it to be her, but if you saw what I did, you wouldn’t,” Willow replied, losing some of her own patience. “I-it’s not what it appears.”
“You just don’t want me to believe it was her. You don’t understand anything,” Dawn retorted angrily, turning around and running up the stairs, slamming her door as she reached her room.
“I understand more than you think,” Willow whispered, staring at the top of the stairs. “And maybe that’s the problem. I’ll fix it, though. It’ll all be good again, just wait.”
Willow couldn’t shake the irony of the situation. The last time she was here, she was drinking a mocha with Tara, sharing stories. Now, she was sitting, waiting for Giles to appear, and planning on a similar approach. Bore him with stories from the past few weeks, and then jump in with the plan. She just hoped Anya wouldn’t ruin it again.
It was now 9:30 in the morning, and Willow was wondering why she had left so early. Buffy bought the ‘studying in the school library some more’ excuse, and Dawn had finally accepted that whatever it was that came by wasn’t her mother, so she didn’t have to.
Willow’s thoughts were interrupted when she saw Giles walking up towards the Espresso Pump, wiping his glasses as always. Waving him over, Willow motioned for him to sit down.
“You’re early,” Willow said, trying to sound chirpy. “Why are you early?”
“Well, it’s not easy to sleep on rock-hard hotel beds. So, how are you holding up?” Giles asked.
“I’m ok. The Hellmouth has been keeping me on my toes,” Willow replied, hoping she sounded more sure of herself than she felt. “Lots of stuff happening.”
“That’s good...” Giles began. He wasn’t able to finish, though.
“Good? How is that good?” Willow said, looking at Giles, shocked.
“W-well, I guess it isn’t good. B-but you’re all in one piece, and it’s keeping you busy...You are all in one piece, right?” Giles said, concerned.
Willow couldn’t help but laugh. It was a quality that Giles had that she’d missed. He could say something wrong, and then somehow get himself into a knot with worry.
“Well, Buffy’s arm was chopped off, Xander got a sword in his stomach, and Spike lost his head, which Buffy is keeping on her windowsill as a memento, but that’s about it,” Willow said, smiling as Giles looked at her in shock. “I’m kidding! Everyone is fine.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good to hear,” Giles replied, before looking up seriously. “Does that mean Spike’s head is not on Buffy’s windowsill?”
“No, not yet. Xander and me are betting anytime now, though,” Willow replied.
“So, Spike is back, then?” Giles said, looking somewhat agitated.
“Yup. Chip-head is back. Funny thing is, he’s got a soul now,” Willow revealed. “Still seems evil, though. He’s no Angel, anyway.”
“Anything else I should know about?” Giles asked.
“I don’t think so. Anya’s a vengeance demon again, Xander’s still working construction, and Buffy is Buffy,” Willow replied, thinking that was about all there was to explain.
“And you?” Giles replied, looking at Willow curiously. “Are you planning on telling me exactly why I’m here soon?”
“W-well, I thought I’d get you caught up first,” Willow said, defensively. When Giles managed to fit a grin into his stern look, she loosened up. “I-I guess I can let Buffy get you caught up. First, though, do you have the books?”
“I do. They were easier to get than I expected. The council is getting weak in its abilities to hid things,” Giles said. “There are 5 books, all very detailed. Hopefully one of them has something that you’re looking for.”
“Yeah,” Willow replied, eyeing the table absent-mindedly. The hand that landed softly on her own almost startled her out of her wits, as she stared at Giles.
“Willow, why exactly am I here? I-if you don’t want to tell me, then I’ll just board the next plane and get back to London tonight,” Giles said with a soft tone. He knew Willow well, and he could tell right now that she needed him there, for whatever reason.
“I-it’s a long story,” Willow finally said, turning her head away.
“Well, how about you start at the beginning?” Giles offered with a smile.
Sighing, Willow decided it was now or never.
“The beginning. Well, that would have been last night. Umm, well, I was doing some research, since there appears to be another new big bad in town, and Buffy needed more information, and I seemed to be the right choice...” Willow’s babble was cut short by Giles.
“Willow,” he cut in sharply, somehow managing to keep his features soft. “Exactly what happened?”
“Well, this girl, who died a few weeks ago when Buffy was unable to save her...well, she did save her, but then she died from a heart attack, and...” Willow trailed off, as she realized she was getting off topic again. “Well, in any case, she appeared in the library, saying she was, um, the ‘eyes and ears’ of someone, I guess. Dawn had a similar experience.”
“Well, that is interesting, but how does that constitute calling me over here, and the need for these books?” Giles asked, confused.
“W-well,” Willow started, trying to stall for time. She wasn’t sure she was ready to reveal anything deeper than she already had. “D-Dawn saw Joyce. She was, um, how did she put it? Being held by ‘some stupid spirit’...”
“The someone, it was Tara, wasn’t it?” Giles said, softly. He may have been slow at catching some things, but recently, when it came to Willow, he could almost read her mind.
Willow could only nod, desperately trying to remain composed. Somehow, she did, and took a deep, ragged breath.
“I haven’t thought of her in a long time. I-I don’t know how I could have not. I didn’t even dream...” Willow had to stop herself, as she looked down, ashamed and depressed. “I-I can’t do this anymore, Giles. It can’t be like this. I’m not going to last much longer.”
“What are you saying?” Giles asked, connecting the dots, but still needing it to be spelt out for him.
“I want to go back in time, Giles,” Willow replied.
There were a few minutes of silence before Giles finally spoke up. “You do realize what you’re suggesting, right?”
“Of course I do. I took almost every science course at UC Sunnydale, remember? I know everything there is about time travel,” Willow replied, almost defensively. “And I also spent 4 months with the toughest coven in England, as you recall.”
“I do. But time travel is not something to be played with. The affects of it are highly unknown, and unpredictable,” Giles said, trying to reason.
“Hello, Giles. I already said, I know all of that. A butterfly flying East instead of West at any given moment can completely alter the timeline,” Willow replied impatiently. “I-I’m willing to try anything, Giles, and even if there is the slightest chance at changing everything, I need to do it.”
Giles was at a loss of words. Plus, Willow’s face had ‘resolve’ all over it. “You do realize there is the chance that if you go back, anything you do will not affect this timeline, right?”
“That’s what I hope, actually. In that case, according to science, I would actually be able to change things,” Willow replied, almost whispering now.
“Well, I guess there’s no way I can stop you, so I’d might as well help,” Giles replied, taking off his glasses and wiping them, unable to look at Willow. He didn’t have to, though, as she got up and gave him the biggest hug he’d received from a person without the initials ‘B S’.
“Where do we start?” Willow asked.
“Try to make yourself as uncomfortable as possible,” said Giles as he ushered Willow into his rather cramped hotel room.
“If I could get uncomfortable in here, I’d consider that a success,” Willow replied, looking around.
“Well, I figure I’m here only a few days, and this place was the cheapest around,” Giles explained.
“What ever happened to the Council? Not playing for trips anymore?” Willow asked, confused.
“This is unofficial business, at least to them,” Giles explained.
“Well, since we’re here, let’s get started,” Willow said, impatiently.
“Very well. The books are over there,” Giles said, pointing to a rather small, 3-layer bookshelf.
Willow walked over, picking up the book closest to her, and sitting down on a beat-up rocking chair that was located right in front of the bed. Looking at the cover, Willow scrunched her brow, and narrowed her eyes at Giles.
“These weren’t what I wanted,” Willow said, holding up the book. “’History of Time Travel’? This is not mystical stuff.”
“Well, you weren’t very exact at why you wanted them. For all I knew, you had someone come back from the past,” Giles defended himself.
Shaking her head, Willow returned to the shelf, this time looking over the titles, she noticed there were only 2 other books there. Giles said there were 5 books.
“Where’d you put the other two books, Giles?” Willow inquired.
“Umm,” Giles mumbled, trying to stall for time.
“Giles. Your hands?” Willow said when she noticed his hands weren’t in visual range.
Slowly, Giles brought them out, revealing the two missing books. When Willow began to move towards him, he quickly put his free hand up, effectively stopping her in her tracks.
“Willow, time travel is very delicate stuff. Even magically it isn’t easily explained. There are no records of people going through time, nor is there any proof that it can actually be done,” Giles ranted. “Even the most advanced, crazy witches wouldn’t attempt something like it. If it were my choice, there’d be no way I’d let you do it.”
After a moments silence, letting Willow digest what the Watcher said, he continued; “And I know this won’t change your mind.”
Willow simply nodded, reaching her hand out for the books. When he placed them in her hand, she walked back to the chair, and began reading.
“How to send an object back in time. How to retrieve objects from a different time period,” Willow mumbled out quietly. Scanning a couple more pages, she spoke again; “AH! Here we are. How to send yourself back in time.”
Looking over Willow’s shoulder, Giles nodded. “It looks good.”
“Let’s get the ingredients.”
“You need to reopen the Magic Box. That place is horrible,” Willow complained, returning to the apartment.
“Well, Anya doesn’t want to run it, I’m in London, and Buffy and Xander aren’t very fond of the place, either,” Giles said, careful to avoid the incidence that involved Willow.
“Oh well,” Willow replied, picking up a book.
“What are you doing?” Giles asked, eyeing her curiously.
“Well, I don’t think I can just go back in time and everything is automatically fixed,” Willow explained. “I need to figure out something to do when I get there.”
“That makes sense. Anything in particular you have in mind?” Giles asked.
“No. Random reading sounds good,” Willow replied.
After a few minutes, Willow’s eyes went wide as saucers, and seemed about to jump out of her skin in excitement as she rose from her seat.
“Giles, do you know anything about ‘flashback inducing spells’?” Willow asked.
“Of course!” Giles shouted, causing Willow to sit back down quickly out of shock.
“Umm, of course?” Willow asked.
“Well, I...” Giles began, dropping his head. “Before I left, um, the first time, I was looking for spells, to, um, in essence, refresh your memory. I-I left before I found anything of use.”
“That makes sense,” Willow said casually.
“You aren’t angry?” Giles asked, surprised.
“Why would I be? Giles, I made bad judgment calls back then, and since then, as have Buffy and Xander,” Willow replied. “I don’t have the right to be angry at you.”
“I suppose not. I think I might have a couple books on it inside my suitcase,” Giles replied, moving towards the bed. Picking up his suitcase, and quickly opening it, he began searching. “Ah, here it is!”
Taking to book from Giles, Willow returned to the chair that she had already unofficially named her ‘home away from home’. It was also proving to be a very lucky chair, too, as no sooner had she opened the book, she had found the perfect spell.
“This is it!” Willow exclaimed. “I-It show’s your past in flashbacks. Everything that happened. It can be centered on a certain period of time, or a certain topic, and is usually used to surface repressed memories.”
Giles took the book and read it as well. “Willow, this is only good if the spell is done by the memory-holder.”
“So? Giles, I’ll be doing it on myself,” Willow reminded him. “I don’t think it will be a problem.”
“P-perhaps not, but I still think there are a couple things that should be changed,” he said, pulling out a pen, and writing in a few new words. “There, that should work.”
“Thanks, Giles,” Willow said.
“So, when are you going complete this project?” Giles asked, curious.
“Tomorrow night,” Willow replied, determinedly.
“You sure you want to do this? I could tell them myself tomorrow morning,” Giles said, concerned for Willow.
“I need to tell them,” Willow replied, walking down the street beside the Watcher. “They deserve to know. I’ve kept so many things from them, and did so many things without telling them. It just wouldn’t be right.”
Turning the corner, Willow forced herself to walk up to the door of Buffy and her own house. She wanted to tell them what she was going to do that evening, and Giles had insisted he tag along, trying to convince Willow that he should do it all the while. For someone who, only 24 hours previous, had completely disapproved of the idea, Giles’ protectiveness overwhelmed Willow.
Opening the door, and walking in, Willow called out, knowing that Xander, Buffy and Dawn were all waiting for her and her ‘special’ guest.
“In here, Willow,” Buffy shouted out from the kitchen.
“You first,” Willow said to Giles quietly.
As Giles walked into the kitchen, he was met by two large hugs, and the shout of “Giles” ringing in his ears.
“Hi,” Giles said, sheepishly.
“When?” Buffy asked. “No, no, wait. Forget when. Why?”
“I think I should leave that to Willow,” Giles said, looking over at Willow, who had just entered the room.
“You’ve been hiding him from us, haven’t you, Willow?” Buffy said, accusingly. “You’ve been in an old hotel, having secret relations and have now decided to come out of the closet.”
Dawn and Xander chucked, as Buffy looked back, almost shocked. “I’m serious!”
“No, Buffy, nothing like that,” Willow said, attempting to keep the giggles down, more from the look she saw on Giles’ face than Buffy’s comment.
“What, then?” Buffy asked.
“It’s a long story,” Willow replied, which caused Buffy to roll her eyes. “Suffice it to say, I needed some help from Giles.”
“Well, it’s Saturday. We’re not going anywhere,” Buffy replied. “Should we sit down?”
“I guess it’s a good idea,” Willow said, walking into the living room. She was shocked when she saw Spike, in a corner tied up with a chair.
“Just ignore him,” Buffy said when she saw Willow’s expression. “There’s something strange going on with him. We’ll fill you in later.”
“Sure,” Willow said, distractedly.
“You sure you don’t want me to tell them?” Giles whispered to Willow. Willow shook her head, and composed herself. She then proceeded to tell the whole story to the group, who were now staring open mouthed at her.
“I thought you guys deserved to know,” Willow said. “I’ve done so much; I couldn’t hide this from you.”
“No,” said Xander, quietly, after a few moments of silence. “No, we won’t let you. It’s too dangerous, and what if what you do causes something worse.”
“Xander, nothing else could have been worse. I don’t like it either, but there’s no good reason not to let her,” Giles replied, shaking his head. “I just wish I could find one.”
“What about when you get back?” Buffy argued. “I mean, everything could change. You could get back here, and you’ll be out of place.”
“Well, I won’t be coming back,” Willow said. She quickly put up her hands to stop the protests. “At least, it won’t be me coming back. I may never leave at all, in reality. I could finish, and then the instant after, I’m here again, but it won’t be me. It’ll be the me that changed. And you guys might change to, and forget everything, or it could even end up that nothing changes and I’ll never exist in this reality again or...”
“Willow, what are you trying to say?” Buffy interrupted, unsure what to make of Willow’s babbling.
“I’m saying, after I go back in time, I won’t be able to exist in the new time frame,” Willow explained. “The spell will give me about an hour or 2 where time will be stopped everywhere but where I am, and once that time is up, I cannot exist anymore, or the timeline could be altered too heavily. At worst, life as we know it on Earth could disappear if I appear to long in the timeline.”
“I don’t understand,” Dawn said, trying to make heads or tails of it. “How could you cause life to disappear?”
“That’s the thing I don’t know. No one knows much about time travel. Not even the Council,” Willow replied, looking at Giles, who nodded. “Whether the timeline flows into this one, or creates a whole new dimension, more than one of me cannot exist in it.”
“When,” Buffy finally brought herself to ask.
“Tonight,” Willow answered quietly. “It’s a very sensitive spell. I have to do it at the precise time and place that I want to go back to.”
“Well, then, we’re having a big dinner, on me,” Buffy said. “If you’re going away, you deserve nothing less.”
“You’re just going to let her?” Xander asked, mortified. “I don’t like the thought of living without you, Willow.”
“But you don’t know whether you will,” Willow argued. “And besides, am I really the Willow you know?”
“Of course you...” Xander stopped, as he looked at Willow pointedly as he realized he didn’t need to finish that sentence. “But...” He was cut off before he could continue his argument.
“Save it, Xander. You know as well as I do that if Giles couldn’t talk her out of it, you couldn’t,” Buffy interrupted. “And anyway, you’ll never beat that resolve face.”
Xander dropped his shoulders, defeated. “Well, guess I’ll just save my mouth for the dinner table.”
“You really don’t have...” Willow began, ready to argue.
“Yes we do,” Buffy cut off. It was beginning to become a habit for Buffy, it seemed.
“Well, then lets party,” said Dawn, walking back into the kitchen.
It was just before 8:00 at night, and Willow was set to say her goodbyes.
“Just remember, guys, for all we know, I could reappear in about 5 minutes, with everything changed,” Willow reminded them, although she didn’t believe it much more than the others.
“I know, but that doesn’t make it any easier,” Xander replied, somehow managing to hold back tears.
Dawn was the first to step up. “Just don’t kill me when you go back. I know I’m a pain, but I’m not worth it.”
As the pair separated, Willow gave a scouts honor salute, a silly grin plastered on her face.
“Don’t be gone for long,” Buffy whispered, as she pulled her best friend into a hug. “We need you.”
“I don’t know about that, but I’ll try not to spend too much leisure time in the past,” Willow replied, smiling despite the tears that were forming.
“If you ruin the past, I’ll be on the next time warp to get you,” said Giles, as sternly as he could. “Just don’t to anything crazy.”
“I tried to blow up the world, Giles. I don’t think I’ll be doing something very extreme for a long while.”
“Try to not say hi to me in the past. I don’t need you accidentally killing me in the past,” Xander said. “And if you don’t appear here again in the next 5 minutes, I’m going to come back after you myself.”
“You’d never make it in one piece, Xander,” said Willow, scoldingly. “And we don’t need you getting hooked on the mojo.”
“I guess not,” Xander replied. “Just don’t do anything too rash. We need you back here in one piece, too.”
“I’ll try,” Willow replied.
“I guess that’s all. We’ll be down here if you need anything,” Buffy said, as she basically dragged Dawn and Xander out of the room, letting Giles and Willow go over the final part of the spell.
“Remember, if anything goes wrong in the spell, you just have to close your eyes, and you’ll return,” Giles said, handing her the ingredients. “I think I’ll sit downstairs with the others.”
“Thanks,” Willow said, as she gave the Watcher one last hug.
With the spell set up perfectly, right to the last detail, Willow sat down, and began to chant the spell, carefully pronouncing the words.
After a couple seconds of that, she saw the room in front of her shift. First, she saw herself on the bed, the morning after the Gnal incident. That scene quickly shifted again, as the room remained empty for the longest time, before she saw a couple figures moving around the room, apparently fixing a window.
Somehow, it was that moment in time that the scene in front of her seemed to slow down, and for a couple of seconds, time seemed to move forward again. Though, from her angle, Willow couldn’t see what was happening, she heard it, and it almost caused her to shut her eyes.
The first sound she heard was the sound of glass breaking, but it was what she heard afterwards that chilled her to the bone.
“Your shirt,” Tara said.
Determinedly, Willow managed to keep her eyes open, and time continued to flash in front of her, until suddenly it stopped.
Cautiously, she got up, and noticed the tell-tale signs that she was where she wanted to be. About a year ago, back in their room, at the fateful moment when she grabbed the ‘Lethe’s Bramble’.
Looking around the room, Willow’s eyes found themselves on one thing. It was Tara, lying in bed, looking more than a little peeved, but still as beautiful as ever. Willow had to tell herself to look away before she wasted her whole hour here looking at her.
The only problem there was, when she looked away, she found herself looking into the eyes of another person, who looked at her with shock.
With a hint of a smile, the older Willow spoke up. “Um. Hi, me.”
A/N: Ok, ok, I know I said I’d get it out about a week ago, but that was before I ended up getting stalled on the starting portion. As soon as I got that out of the way, it all flowed out quickly.
A few notes on the actual story:
1. Most of the time travel theories I’ve heard talked about idly, or from TV shows (most notably Sliders). I’ve tried to keep a realistic look at it, while still keeping the mystical ideas of ‘Buffy’ in it.
2. I know I didn’t get Willow’s character for season 7 well, but I don’t think I ever could. I just wanted get it into the time travel, and then after that, it shouldn’t be too tough. Season 6 Willow is easy for me to get (which is strange, because beyond the first 3 episodes, I haven’t watched much of it at all.)
Lastly, as I've already completed 4 other chapters of this story, I'll post them all in a few posts. The next one should be in about 24 hours, and if I'm feeling generous, maybe in less time.
So, until next time, happy reading!
"As long as we're together, nothing needs to make sense. And we'll always be together, no matter how lost we get, or how far separated we are. Nothing will ever make sense to us, and it won't ever matter." - Tara
From: Shooting Stars by Me
That was amazing! I bow down before you 
So anyway it's realy good. I love it Please keep it up 
I'll wait patiently for another update.
Dave
BWR 