Hello Kittens! Sorry for the long gap between updates.
SallyMcFine: Hey, thanks for coming by and reading! I'm glad that the story lived up to the trailer!
Author: Foomatic
Title: She's Got A Way
Summary: "The 'I' in Team," Part Deux
Disclaimer: Don't own anything but the shirt off my back
Feedback: Is always welcomed and appreciated!
SHE’S GOT A WAY
Part VI: Desire
Tara walked briskly, as Willow followed behind her. It had taken some convincing to prevent Willow from returning to the Bacchanal to confront Alanna.
“I knew it! I knew there was something funny about her besides her dancing! What I wouldn’t give to . . . to . . . I can’t even begin to describe what I want to do to her!” she hissed between clenched teeth.
“It’s okay, Willow, i-it was an accident, you weren’t supposed to drink it. But we’ll find a way to reverse it, I have some books in my room-“
“She tried to take advantage of you Tara. That’s a ticket to some Willow flavored whoop-ass if you ask me.”
Tara had wanted nothing more than to rip into Alanna before they had left the building, but Willow’s spontaneous musical interlude had prevented her from doing so. She couldn’t believe what Alanna had done, regardless of whether or not the potion worked. She hadn’t even thought of what might have happened had the potion affected her instead of Willow, her concern for the redhead trumping her own safety.
Now she was stuck with the object of her desire lusting after her and publicly declaring her admiration through song, which would normally be a cause for a glass of bubbly and a high five, but under the circumstances, keeping her distance from the red head was probably the best thing to do.
Tara entered the dorm, tossing her keys onto the desk before making straight for her bookcase. Willow watched on, demeanor softening as the blonde assumed full research mode, pulling out texts and making a pile on the floor next to her. She grabbed a couple more books off the top shelf and handed them to Willow. “See if you can find anything on the
Cupido Ferveo, particularly, um, l-love potion n-number nine.” She paused, wrinkling her eyebrows. “That gets dumber and dumber every time I hear it come out of my mouth.”
“Can we add ‘find a mind erasing spell’ to our to do list for tonight? My impromptu performance this evening is something I’d like to soon forget.” She moved to the bed and sat on it; but instead of cracking open the book, she continued to watch Tara. The blonde sat on the floor in front of her, immersed in the large texts.
“So, do you know anything about this potion?” Willow opened the book and began to flip through the pages.
“Just that the potions from the Cupido Ferveo are really strong, hence . . .” She glanced hesitantly at the red head. “What I don’t get is why you’re the one who’s all, um, twitterpated, when the potion was obviously m-meant for me. It was my drink, she gave it to me –“
“Which you in turn offered to me, remember? You made a face after you tasted it, then asked me if I wanted some. Let’s not forget the part when I pound it like a drunken sailor. Hey, maybe that’s how the potion works, you offer it to the person you want to desire you, they drink it, then poof! Horny goodness all around. I mean, not that I’m . . . horny or anything,” she added quickly, feeling the blush spread across her cheeks.
“But that still doesn’t explain why I didn’t go ga-ga over Alanna, and why you - “ She sighed in frustration, saddened by the fact that only a spell could ever make Willow want her. The moments when they were sitting at the table, the way she looked at her, touched her even, feeling confused and uncertain, but still full of hope, they were not real. The singing, the sexy dancing, eyes burning into hers.
A spell Tara. Don’t forget that. Whatever she does, whatever she says, it’s just a spell.
Willow sneaked a peak at the blonde, who was now perusing her stack of books, a slight frown on her face.
I’m making her uncomfortable. It’d be like Buffy putting the moves on me. She grimaced at the image of Buffy hitting on her, stealing another glance at Tara.
Is that how she feels towards me? I bet she’s completely wigged. She focused on the blonde’s face, eyes tracing over every feature; the soft blue eyes, perfectly shaped nose, her lips.
Those full, succulent lips . . . The heat began to rise in her, her breathing becoming more labored as the warmth spread. Her body began to hum, a low, soft rumble that encased her mind in its sweet melody, drowning out the nagging of her brain, which was desperately trying to regain control. Tara was what her body wanted, needed. She bit her lip at the thought of kissing the blonde, running her hands all over her body, leaving not a single square inch unexplored, untouched; then to do the same . . .
with my tongue . . .
“Willow, I found something-“
The redhead snapped back to reality. “No I wasn’t!” Tara look at her questioningly, eyebrows cocked. Willow wriggled in her seat. “I wasn’t thinking thoughts of . . . the sexy variety. And especially not of you.” Tara blushed and looked away. “I’m . . . I’m sorry Tara, I can’t . . . it’s getting harder to not . . . um, to keep my mind out of the gutter, so to speak.”
This is going to be a long night, Tara mused, slightly embarrassed. “It mentions the potions from the
Cupido Ferveo,” she continued. “Several potions have been known to cause feelings of unrestrained desire in the person who drinks it,” she read. “The utmost caution must be used, as the extreme build up of passion can cause permanent damage if not intimately released.” Alarmed, Tara looked at Willow. “Intimately released? Please tell me they don’t mean what I think they mean . . .”
“Um, I-I think they do.” Willow looked up from the book in her lap. “This one’s got some suggested positions for . . . um . . . “ She blushed as she handed Tara the book. “Maximum . . . release.”
“Oh my,” the blonde breathed. She quickly closed the book and set it down next to her.
Goddess, we might have to do that? I haven’t even gotten to first base yet. Hell, I’m still in the dugout waiting to be called up to bat! She could handle lusty, sing-me-a-song Willow, but this was outside her comfort zone. The thought had crossed her mind, repeatedly in fact, but it had involved candles and soft music, not some pesky love potion.
Willow sensed discomfort. “Tara, it’s okay! Really! Because we’re going to figure it out before it gets to that point.” She reached out and took the book back. “We won’t . . . I mean, I won’t let it get that far, alright? There will be no knocking of boots tonight. I promise.” Both women felt a tiny, imperceptive twinge of disappointment at that statement. “We just need to get cracking. Besides, the threat of permanent damage? I’ve survived worse – stake burning, werewolf attack, psycho mayor turning into a gigantic snake. Can’t be anymore permanently damaged than I am now, can I?” She paused, waiting for a response . . .
There it is, Tara smile. Mission accomplished.
“Well, we better get to work then.”
Willow let loose a small smile, and dug into the text in front of her. The two sat in silence, only the sound of pages ruffling filling the air. For the first few moments, Willow was completely focused, trying to find anything that could disrupt the effects of the potion. Little by little though, her eyes began to wander, occasionally stealing glances at Tara. She felt herself once again gravitating toward the blonde, knowing full well that she should be reading, but unable ignore the intoxicating sensations coursing through her body as her eyes devoured the sight of Tara. The familiar heat had returned, igniting a fire that could no longer be contained.
“Wait a minute . . . I think I have something that will help!” Tara shot up and walked excitedly to her desk. Without a word, Willow got up and followed.
“I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner!” She rummaged through the drawers and shelves, as Willow stood silently behind her. The blonde found what she was looking for and turned to show Willow.
“I had forgotten that –“ she stopped abruptly, unprepared for the small amount of space between her and the red head. Tara swallowed and took a step back, only to bump into the desk behind her.
Goddess, her eyes . . . Willow’s eyes had turned from pink to a blazing fireball red.
“Tara,” she said in a husky voice.
The blonde stood, glued to the floor, unable to move or tear her eyes away. The red orbs were spellbinding, like watching the flickering flames of a fire. She watched as Willow slowly advanced towards her, her eyes ablaze.
“I can’t stop it,” she whimpered, face contorted as she fought the passion that was overwhelming her senses. “I need . . . “ Willow gripped the desk with both hands, unintentionally preventing Tara from moving away.
“Willow –“ Tara said cautiously.
Just a spell, just a spell, the blonde repeated in her head, as if the mantra had any chance of overcoming her body’s reaction to the closeness of the red head. Her brain screamed at her to move away, to do something, but all she could do was lick her lips and drown in Willow’s stare.
Goddess please, Tara don’t do this. She wanted to so badly, so tired of repressing her feelings, giving in to her better judgement. Tired of the longing and heartache. Tired of the endless nights spent wishing for a moment exactly like this. But this . . . this would be taking advantage of the situation, taking advantage of Willow.
I’d be no better than Alanna . . . She realized with a shock that Willow’s hand had moved from her side and was now on her shoulder. Willow traced her collarbone with her fingertips, sending shockwaves through Tara’s body, before reaching up and gently cupping her cheek. Her breath ragged and her heart beating wildly, Tara once again locked eyes with the red head.
“I want you so bad . . .” Willow scarcely heard what she said, the pounding of her heart drowning out the sound of her voice. Time had slowed down, movements were a blur. The feeling was back, the desperate need, the hunger, for all things Tara. She stepped forward, reaching for Tara’s hand. She leaned in, closing the distance between their lips . . .
. . . and stopped suddenly. Her head felt like it had been sucked through a Dyson, and for a moment, she was completely disoriented. Her hand was clutching Tara’s, but there was something in between, preventing their palms from touching. Willow opened her eyes and looked down.
“The d-doll’s eye crystal.” Tara opened the red head’s hand and placed the crystal in her palm. “I had forgotten that it had certain m-magical properties. I wasn’t quite sure if it would work but . . . “ Willow looked up, and Tara was relieved to see that her eyes had been reduced to a faint hint of pink. That was close, Tara thought to herself.
“What just happened?” Willow gasped.
“I think the crystal is kind of counteracting the potion. It’s supposed to enhance clarity, you know, sort of clean out your head. How do you feel?”
Willow released the desk and stepped back. “I feel . . . like I can think straight again,” she replied slowly. “Before it was just a haze . . . but now . . . I can see little bit . . . clearer. But still I feel . . . I don’t know, off? Like I’m not all here.” She walked to the mirror, and saw her pink eyes reflected back to her.
Okay, senses are back, but eyes are still pink, face still red. She saw Tara’s reflection in the mirror, and felt her pulse quicken. Her mouth went dry as the blonde peered at her curiously.
Tara . . . She swallowed. Whatever the crystal had done, it hadn’t taken away Willow’s desire for the blonde.
“Did it work?” Tara asked, feeling hopeful and discouraged at the same time.
Willow gave her a tentative look. “Well, yes and no.”
“Yes and no?”
“I guess . . . more no than yes?” Willow winced a little as she continued. “I think the doll’s eye crystal pretty much cleaned out my head, like you said. But I feel like . . . I mean, I know I shouldn’t . . . but I still feel . . . I still . . . sort of . . . want . . . you. A lot. Like, in a ‘I’m still going to burst if I don’t touch you’ kind of way.”
Tara stared back in disbelief. “So you’re saying you have control of your mind . . .”
“But not my body.” Willow stared into the crystal, hoping that it would give her answers, avoiding Tara’s concerned eyes. The desire for her was still there, and she knew it would get worse if she looked at the blonde. They stood in silence, not knowing what to say or do. Willow sat on the bed, and placed the crystal next to her. Immediately, the lust for Tara came rushing back to her, stronger than before. She looked at Tara, eyes fiery.
“Willow, your eyes!” Tara rushed to her side and shoved the crystal back into her hand. The red head blinked and shook her head.
“Okay, well, I won’t be putting this down anytime soon,” Willow joked, solemnly. Her fingers enclosed the crystal, firmly grasping it. “I guess this thing is keeping me sane,” she said with a half-hearted chuckle. “Keep it in my hand? Want you but don’t want you. Put it down? Want you, want you and, oh yeah, want you.” She took a deep breath and shook her head. “I’m . . . I’m sorry Tara, to have to put you through this. I don’t mean to be throwing myself at you left and right, and I don’t want this to make things weird between us. But hey, why would things be weird?” she asked, full of disdain. “I mean, I only tried to kiss you a few times, and sang you a song in front of hundreds of people . . . “ She stared sadly at the crystal in her hand, a pang in her heart.
“Willow, it’s the spell, okay?” Tara murmured softly, trying to comfort the red head. “The potion is making you act this way. I understand that.”
Unfortunately. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s not your fault.” She waited for a response, but Willow continued to stare at the crystal. “We can do a little more research, if you want,” Tara offered. “There’s still a couple of books we haven’t gone through.” She sat next to the pile on the floor. “We haven’t found something specific to love potion num- uh, the ninth potion. It doesn’t hurt to keep looking.”
“I don’t know Tara. I’m thinking I should borrow your crystal and go home.” Her heart ached, as if something had clamped onto it, preventing it from beating.
God, I want to touch you . . . She couldn’t stay here. It pained her too much to be this close to Tara and not have her. Fighting the urge to look Tara in the eye, she stood up. “You don’t mind do you? I can give it back tomorrow, after the potion wears off. It will wear off, right?“
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, we don’t know what’s going to happen. I’d feel a lot better if you stayed here, just in case something did happen.” Tara got up and stood in front of her. “Willow? Willow look at me.”
“I should go. I’ve caused enough trouble for tonight.” The discomfort in her chest was spreading, and Willow found that it was becoming increasingly hard to breathe.
I have to get out of here! “Ow . . .” She winced and grabbed her chest, feeling like something had sliced through her heart.
“Willow what’s wrong?” Tara’s eyes widened in fright as she watched the redhead clutch her chest.
“It . . . hurts,” Willow croaked, gripping the fabric of her shirt. What is this?! Her mind quickly sprung into action, working its way past the literal pain in her heart trying to figure out what was going on.
Hurt . . . pain . . . hurt . . . is it causing damage? Damage . . . permanent damage . . . “Tara!” she cried. “It’s building up . . . I need to release it . . . “
“Release it?! Willow I don’t understand –“ Then it clicked.
The utmost caution must be used, as the extreme build up of passion can cause permanent damage if not intimately released. Oh goddess . . . She looked at the redhead grimacing in agony. “Willow we have to –“
“NO!” the redhead bellowed. “No . . . don’t go there . . . it’ll pass . . . “ She was hit by a sudden surge that brought her to her knees, causing her to groan. “Or not,” she managed to say between clenched teeth.
“Willow! I can’t leave you like this, we have to do something!” She panicked, knowing what had to be done, but not knowing how to go about it. The thought of recreating the image of maximum release from that book frightened her, but the idea of losing Willow scared her even more. “We have to-“
“Tara no! Not like this . . . there has to be some other way!” Willow lurched forward, crying out, tears springing from the corners of her eyes. She curled into a ball on the floor, gasping, trying to force air into her lungs. The pain had become so severe that she could barely breathe.
Tara couldn’t stand it any longer. It had to be done. There was no other option. She took a deep breath, and knelt in front of Willow. “I am not going to risk losing you, Willow!” she said sternly, trying to muster up the courage to do what she had to do.
Willow’s hand startled her as it shot out and clamped tightly onto Tara’s wrist. “Don’t,” she whimpered. Tara felt her loosen her grip, extracting her hand from her wrist and clumsily intertwining their fingers so their hands were palm to palm. Tara froze in horror as Willow stopped breathing for several seconds. Thankfully, she felt the redhead squeeze her hand before letting out a long deep sigh, and Tara watched in amazement as her body relaxed and her breathing returned to normal.
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Several minutes later, the two sat across from each other on Tara’s bed, books in their laps and hands still linked. In fact, neither of them had let go, fearing another round of ‘crush Willow’s heart.’ Satisfied that Willow was okay, they had moved to a more comfortable spot, sitting quietly on the bed, once again researching the potion that caused so much clamor this evening.
“Turn?” Willow asked. Tara obliged, reaching over and turning to the next page of the book in Willow’s lap. With one hand gripping the doll’s eye crystal and the other one glued to Tara, Willow found it quite difficult to do it on her own. Tara watched as Willow’s eyebrows scrunched as she pored over the text.
Both the crystal and contact with Tara had returned Willow to a seemingly normal state of mind. She still felt something for the blonde, however, but now it was but a fraction of what she was feeling earlier in the evening. It was less needy, less impulsive, but still very potent. Was it the spell? She wasn’t so sure anymore. With a start, she realized that she didn’t know where the potion ended and her real feelings began. She lifted her eyes to look at the blonde.
Nope, no overwhelming urge to jump her bones. But still, an urge to . . . snuggle? Wrap my arms around her and hold her close? Normally, thoughts like that would be shoved into the ‘deal with later’ file in her brain, but now, it seemed the most natural thing to want.
“Willow?”
“What?”
“How did you know that holding hands was an alternative to . . . y-you know . . .” Tara blushed, embarrassed by her previous eagerness to help the red head ‘release.’
“Oh.” She paused, trying to put her rationale into words. “Well . . . I kept thinking, you know, ‘intimate release, intimate release’ while I was . . . um, writhing in pain . . . anyways, there are so many ways to do that . . . I’m not talking about, erm, quote unquote positions or anything . . . but you know, the non-sexual stuff that’s still considered intimate? There’s kissing, the obvious first choice, but then I thought touching. I thought touching would work. Cause that’s really intimate, if you think about it. Probably the most intimate thing you can do.”
“Touching? How’s that?”
“Well, most people think sex is highest form of intimacy. But what comes before sex? Kisses. Kissage is great, don’t get me wrong. But how do you get to kisses?” Willow smiled at her logic. “Touch. Intimacy really begins with touch. You know, the feel of skin. The brush of a fingertip. The holding of hands.” She squeezed Tara’s hand for emphasis. “Our hands are extremely sensitive. We use them to ‘take action’ in our lives. We use them to make choices. When you hold someone’s hand, you’re pretty much saying, ‘hey, I choose you, I want you.’ What can be more intimate than that? It’s the foundation you know. Sex is just the end product.” She smiled shyly at the blonde. “Besides, I figured there’d be less post-coital confusion if there wasn’t any . . . um . . . coital . . . to worry about. Hence the hand holding.”
“You figured all that out in like, ten seconds? Talk about quick thinking.” Tara flashed her trademark half smile before returning her attention to the task at hand.
In that instant, everything became suddenly clear, like a thousand light bulbs turning on in Willow’s head. That smile triggered something inside her, the something that Willow had spent countless hours trying to figure out and understand. In that moment, the red head realized that that “something” couldn’t be solved with her genius mind. All the thinking and thought processing in the world couldn’t explain what she felt for the blonde.
Feeling . . . it’s a feeling, not a thought. When she looks at me, when she smiles at me . . . I don’t think, I just . . . feel. With absolute clarity, she finally understood what her mind had been unable to acknowledge, but what her heart had known all along. She looked down at the pink crystal in her hand and smiled.
Talk about cleaning out my head.
“What are you smiling at?” Tara asked.
“Oh, nothing. I just . . . I’m just amazed at the power of your crystal, that’s all. Turn?” The blonde flipped the paged, and they resumed their research.
“Hey, I found something. Listen.” Willow began to read a passage from the book. “The most powerful potion is Numerus Novem-“
“Number nine,” Tara interjected. Willow nodded in ascent.
“Though the simplest of all of the Cupido Ferveo potions, it requires a much more powerful force to release the magics and bring forth a person’s desire. In a sense, it is a true love potion, being that in order for it to work, the person drinking the potion must-“ Willow’s eyes widened as she finished reading the sentence to herself.
“Must what?” Tara implored, but Willow was unresponsive. The red head just stared at her, slack jawed. Tara reached over and plucked the book from her lap as the red head watched helplessly, hands full.
“Tara wait –“
Tara scanned the page. “In a sense, it is a true love potion, being that in order for it work, the person drinking the potion must already be attracted to the person giving the potion.”
Willow’s mind went into overdrive as Tara finished reading. Having just sorted out her feelings towards the blonde, she hadn’t anticipated her finding out so soon. She could feel the panic rising to her chest.
“So that explains why I didn’t fall for Alanna . . .” Tara said, trying to connect the dots. “But that would have to mean that you-” She stopped, unable to believe the logic behind what she was about to say. She stared helplessly at the red head. “No, wait, that can’t be right.”
A sudden thought came to Willow that counteracted the panic in her chest. “Wait a minute, you
didn’t fall for Alanna . . . but I thought that you liked her!”
“Liked her? What are you talking about?”
“Tonight. Your date.”
“A date? She asked me to come with her, but it wasn’t a date!” Both women exchanged very confused looks.
“But the other night.” Willow sputtered. “You said you wanted to take a girl with red hair and green eyes. That . . . that wasn’t her?”
Oh goddess. “Wait . . . just wait. Let’s just calm down for a minute.” Their emotions were running high, fearing the revelations that were about to come. “According to this book, the potion would only have worked had I been attracted to Alanna, which I’m not.”
“So you don’t have the hots for Alanna?”
“I think it’s safe to say that I like her a whole lot less now than I did then.”
“Oh . . . I thought, you know, red hair, green eyes –“ Willow gestured to her own features. “Like mine.” She paused.
Like mine. She looked at Tara incredulously.
No, she . . . she didn’t mean me. Did she?
Tara saw the realization in Willow’s eyes. She looked away quickly, blushing brighter than she ever had in her life.
“Tara?” Willow whispered. “Were you . . . were you talking about me?“ It was obvious from the look on Tara’s face that the answer was yes.
“The drink . . .” Tara managed to utter, trying to steer the conversation into the other direction. “I gave it to you . . . a-and you drank it, then you got all . . . which would mean that you . . .”
Now it was Willow’s turn to blush.
Oh Goddess, could you please cut me some slack tonight? If any more blood rushes to my face I won’t be able to feel my legs.
They sat quietly, not quite sure what to make of the situation. In all the confusion, Willow had forgotten that they were still holding hands. She looked at their intertwined fingers, and let out a small laugh that cut through the tension between them. Tara gave her a questioning look.
“Well, here we are again. I mean, this isn’t exactly something new, you know? Sitting here, holding hands, confused out of our minds, not knowing what the frilly heck is going on, completely speechless.”
An image popped into Tara’s head. “The laundry room.” She smiled at the memory. ”Except now we can talk, and . . . we don’t . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“Maybe we don’t have to say anything.” The two women locked eyes, seeing each other in a completely different light. They were on the verge of something huge, and neither could keep their hearts from beating wildly at the thought of what was going to happen.
“I mean,” she chuckled softly, “I mean, I think it’s pretty clear that I, um . . . with you and . . .”
“Me too,” Tara interjected. “ I mean, you know . . . um, that I . . . w-w-with you t-too.”
“We don’t have to . . . talk about it or anything, right? We can just . . . “
“Yeah. W-w-words just get in the w-way sometimes.”
All the fear and the uncertainty they had felt towards each other was washed away by that small exchange. However vague the words were to other people, both women knew exactly what had been shared in that simple moment.
[Cue music: Desire, by Ryan Adams]
(Tara and Willow continue to sit facing each other. They are shy, unsure of what to do, how to take that next step, even if they want to take the next step. Willow nervously untangles her fingers from Tara’s and gently holds her hand, rubbing her thumb across the back of it.)
WILLOW: (looking down at their hands)
Two hearts fading, like a flower
And all this waiting, for the power
For some answer, to this fire
Sinking slowly
The water’s higher
Desire
(Willow, now gaining confidence, brings Tara’s hand up to cup her cheek. She holds it there, closing her eyes and leaning into the warmth of her palm. When she opens her eyes, they are no longer pink, but their usual vibrant green.)
With no secrets, No obsession
This time I'm speeding with no direction
Without a reason, what is this fire?
Burning slowly, my one and only
Desire
(Willow brings Tara’s hand to her mouth, and softly presses her lips to her knuckles. She puts down the doll’s eye crystal, and moves her body slowly so that she is kneeling in front of Tara. She stares deeply into her eyes, tracing her fingertips along her eyebrows and cheeks, before cupping both sides of her face and lifting her lips to her own.)
Tara could scarcely believe what was happening. The feel of Willow’s lips on her own caused an explosion of pleasure that Tara never knew existed. Willow opened her mouth slightly, deepening the kiss, feeling herself melt into Tara until they toppled backwards, not once losing the contact between their lips. The intensity of the kiss was almost too much for their bodies to handle, so when they finally broke apart, they were breathless. Tara wrapped her arms around Willow as she rested her forehead against hers. Both women were afraid open their eyes, fearing that this was all a dream, that it didn’t really happen.
WILLOW:(eyes closed, stroking Tara’s hair)
You know me, you know my way
You just can't show me, but God I'm praying
That you'll find me, and that you'll see me
That you’ll run and never tire
Desire
(Willow opens her eyes to find Tara gazing at her. Willow is about to say something, but Tara silences her with a finger to her lips. She traces Willow’s lips, giving her that half smile, before pulling her down for another mind numbing kiss.
Scene shifts. Sunlight is streaming into room. Willow is asleep in the bed alone. She stirs, stretching her arms out, then realizes that she’s not in her room. She looks around for Tara, who is nowhere in sight. On the pillow next to hers is a note. She picks it up.)
TARA (VOICEOVER):
Dear Willow,
I’m sorry I had to leave you by yourself this morning. I have a midterm at 8 AM, and as it is, I’m already running late as I write. You looked so adorable sleeping that I couldn’t wake you up. I hope you slept well. I know I did.
Before you leave, please, take the crystal. Just in case, you know. I wouldn’t trust Alanna’s potion as far as I could throw it. It’s a just precaution. I’d feel less worried knowing you had it with you. Wouldn’t want you to get all red in the eye again.
I’d like to see you again, if that’s okay. I understand if you’re busy or whatever. Just let me know; I’ll be around.
Tara
(Willow smiles, and folds up the letter before putting it in her pocket. She reaches over and grabs the crystal from the night stand, looking at if for a moment. She sighs, a wistful faraway look on her face. She gets up and walks to the door, taking one last look at the room before letting herself out.)