[AU] New Fic - How Love Saved the World

[Bellalocke]

Title: The Dark Chronicles of Willow and Tara – How Love Saved the World

Author: Bellalocke

Description: Tara finally escapes the prison and her tormentor that have held her captive for 13 years. After moving to England, she enrolls in University where she will meet the woman who will change her life and show her how love can save the world

Rating: This Chapter is rated R for Strong Language.

Content Warning: Abuse and sexual assault are referenced in this chapter. There are no graphic depictions of said events, and I made it a point to avoid triggering language regarding the subject.

Ownership: Please do not cross-post this story without talking to me first.

Note: Tara, Willow, and other characters associated with BTVS belong to Joss, ME, and all other affiliates. Please don't sue me I am a poor IT contractor.

Spoilers: Aside from some dialogue here and there, none whatsoever. This fic is completely AU

Feedback: Always welcome and encouraged.

Author’s Note: Chance, a fellow kitten, is my beta as well as my sensitivity reader. This story would not have been possible without him. Not only did he help me navigate the delicate elements of this story whilst not being triggering, but he also inspired me and helped me make this fic what it is. I owe you everything, brother.

Author's Note 2: This story contains elements of past traumas that are referenced indirectly and treated with as much care as possible. I did my best to tread lightly here since I do not want to trigger anyone.

Author's Note 3: Willow does not appear in this chapter, but I promise that I will get her into the story soon. Just bear with me. I also want to note that the first two chapters in the story will concentrate on Tara and Willow respectively. Don’t worry, our girls will be meeting as soon as some of the exposition is covered.

Author’s Note 4: This fic is framed around an old fic called Love in the Face of Danger that I started posting on the board well over a decade ago. After much thought, I decided to resurrect the ideas from that fic and turn it into something that is so much more.

Author Note 5: I truly hope that you enjoy reading this fic. Thanks for stopping by!

As Always, I will try to be true to Willow and Tara.

Now on to the good stuff!

Chapter 1

This story is not just one of romance, but a tale of true bravery and facing fear in a shroud of lies only to find the truth and true love in the eyes of another. This is a story of magic and overcoming the direst of circumstances and difficult challenges that anyone could ever face.

Tara looked around the prison that had kept her captive for the last 13 years. With a deep breath and a silent prayer, she closed the door and walked away....

Once she was on the other side of town, Tara let out a sigh of relief and ran to the payphone in front of her. She took out some change, dialed the number scribbled on the piece of paper in her hand, and prayed for an answer.

"H-Hello?" A groggy-sounding voice answered.

"A-Aunt L-Lydia," Tara stuttered. "It's T-T-Tara. I need your help."

"Tara!!!" Lydia half-shouted. "Where are you? How...How are you calling me?"

Tara jumped at the sound of her Aunt's loud voice. " I'm at the t-train s-station. I r-ran away. I c-can get to y-you. W-Will you p-pick me up t-tomorrow at n-noon?"

"Yes," Lydia said. "I'll see you then. Tara... Be Safe."

Tara hung up the phone and walked into the train station. She purchased a one-way ticket to Tucson, Arizona.

Dear Goddess, I hope this works out. Please, don't let him find me.

As she boarded the train and the doors shut, Tara found a seat and felt a sigh of relief escape her lips. For the first time in 13 years, she felt a small spark of hope that one day she would feel safe once again. For now, that possibility lay with her Aunt Lydia helping her find her mother again.

***

Lydia Maclay looked into the crowd, hoping that she could find Tara in the sea of people. As she scanned the crowd for the third time, she saw a pair of blue downcast eyes that she knew belonged to her niece. Though it had been many years since she had seen Tara, Lydia recognized her instantly because Tara was the spitting image of her mother when she was younger.

"Tara," she said - her voice loud enough to be heard over the din.

Tara looked up and moved towards her. As she came into full view of Lydia, she could tell that the last 13 years had not been kind to Tara. She resolved to protect her with every fiber of her being, and do everything she can to get Tara to the UK where she can see her mother again.

When Tara was about 5 feet away, Lydia opened her arms, letting Tara walk into them. She wrapped her arms around Tara and embraced her for the first time in over a decade. Tara’s first instinct was to flinch; she had not been embraced for as long as she could remember. Touch meant pain, and when her aunt wrapped her arms around her, she waited for the inevitable. Instead, she felt her Aunt embrace her gently, carefully, almost as though she were afraid that all of this was a dream.

Tara started to cry then; out of fear or shame or relief, she did not know. The young witch let herself be held and comforted as the tears continued to fall. Being touched without pain felt so foreign to Tara, and she was not sure that she would ever get used to being touched by anyone. Yet, somewhere in the back of her mind, Tara felt an intense need to be hugged, loved, and to have that feeling of belonging.

Lydia gently embraced her niece. At first, she feared that she had done the wrong thing when she felt her niece flinch as she wrapped her arms around her. The seconds felt like hours until she finally felt Tara relax into the hug and return it as best she could. Lydia’s heart broke when she felt Tara start to cry. She held her, trying to infuse the embrace with as much love and tenderness as she could. Lydia hoped that she could bring some measure of comfort to the blonde. Lydia released Tara from the hug when she felt the young witch’s tears begin to abate.

"I am so happy to see you, Tara."

Tara’s face was still wet with freshly shed tears, but she managed to smile weakly and let her aunt direct her to the exit of the building.

"C'mon sweetie, let's get you home."

***

Tara could hardly believe she was with her aunt, far away from the monster that she had been living with. Her first two days in Tucson had been spent safely tucked away in her aunt's home, where she had slept most of the time. The ability to sleep came from the lack of demands that she had dealt with for as long as she could remember and the absence of pain that had been ever-present.

The first night Tara was home, Lydia had to fight the desire to stay with her niece to make sure that she could sleep through the night. Instead, she told Tara where she would be, and that if she decided that she did not want to be alone, to find her and she would stay with her. Tara nodded, appreciating that her Aunt was giving her the choice to have company instead of it being forced upon her.

Late into that first night, Lydia woke with a start as she heard a scream come like a bolt out of the blue. She rushed to the room where Tara was sleeping and saw her niece thrashing in her bed. Tara looked as if she was struggling against an invisible specter. Not sure if she should touch the young girl to wake her from her nightmare, Lydia knelt by the bed.

“Wake up, sweetheart,” Lydia said softly. “You’re having a nightmare. You are safe here and I swear he will never hurt you again.”

Lydia kept repeating the words for a few moments before Tara finally stopped thrashing and woke up. Her face was flush, and her PJs and bedclothes were soaked with sweat. As she began to cry again, Tara noticed that her aunt offered her hand, but made no move to touch her.

“I’m sorry,” Lydia said. “I don’t know what you need, and I don’t know how to wake you from your nightmares. I never want to scare you.”

Tara sobbed as she took the hand her aunt offered her. The contact helped her ground herself, but did not provide enough of the comfort she had hoped to find.

“Hug me, please,” Tara whispered, her voice hoarse from her nightmare.

Lydia slowly got up from the floor and lay beside Tara on the bed. As Tara turned towards her, Lydia gently wrapped her arms around her niece and held her.

“I will stay as long as you want me here,” Lydia said.

Tara nodded, sinking into her aunt’s arms. When the tears finally stopped, she continued to lay in the warm arms surrounding her. Embracing the darkness, the quiet, and the peace, Tara slid into a dreamless sleep. When she woke, Tara found that she was laying on her side in the bed, no longer in her aunt’s arms. Instead, she found the woman lying beside her with her hand resting in the middle of her back. Tara smiled, appreciating the care that her aunt was doing her best to comfort her, not knowing what she needed. The blond found comfort in the fact that her Aunt had done everything that she could to assure her that physical contact would never be forced; that she would always be asked, and that it was ok to say no.

The young witch did not know what being safe felt like. Tara wanted to know what it felt like to not live in constant fear of being hurt. She was hopeful that with the continued help of her Aunt, and eventually her mother, she would someday know what it felt like to be safe and loved. A thought entered her head as she swung her legs out from bed and her feet hit the cold floor.

I need to find mom. I need to understand what happened, and why she could not take me with her.
With that thought, Tara got up from bed, grabbed some sweat pants and a t-shirt that her Aunt had lent her. She then went and took a shower, washing away the grime and the tears from the night before.

The peace and safety she found within Lydia's home would only last for another two days.

***
On the morning of the third day, Tara woke with a jolt. A foreboding feeling came over her as she got up from bed. The young witch walked out to the living room, where she found her aunt crouched down between the picture window and the front door.

"A-Aunt Lydia?"

When Tara saw her aunt in the living room, she could see that the older woman was peeking out of the window. She quietly turned around and went to Tara.

"Honey," Lydia whispered as she saw Tara move into the living room. "I need you to pack your bag quickly and quietly. We've had a change in plans."

Tara's eyes went wide with horror when she saw the shadow in the window. She willed her legs to carry her to her room. Once there, she quickly packed her bag with the clothes that her aunt had bought for her yesterday.

Oh no oh no oh no, he can't have found out where I was already! It's only been two days. I can't go back. Please, please do not let this happen to me. If I go back, I will die.

Lydia dead bolted the door. As soon as she heard Tara close the door to her room, she met her in the hallway, and bid the blonde to follow her to her bedroom where she quickly packed a bag.

"Don't worry," Lydia said, her brows furrowed. " I am not going to let that bastard get you."

Tara only nodded. Fear was gripping her body with its icy cold fingers. She wanted to do something, but she could hardly breathe. Her body jumped when she heard loud banging on the door.

Both women moved from Lydia's bedroom and out to the living room, trying to make their way to the back door in the kitchen.

"Tara!" the voice yelled. " Get your ass out here, you fucking slut."

"Tara," Lydia said. "Don't listen to him. I've already called the police. They are on their way. We just need to hold him here."

Tara could only nod as she found a corner to huddle in within the kitchen.

Tara's father began to charge against the door, trying to break it down.

"Lydia, " Tara's father said. "Just open the door and hand her over and nobody will get hurt."

"You stay the hell away from her," Lydia roared.

"Don't make me call the police," Tara's father said. "I will have you arrested for kidnapping."

"Good luck with that, asshole," Lydia yelled. "I already called them, and you will never find her again."

Tara's father charged the door again, splintering the threshold. The cops arrived a moment after. Not wanting to wait around, Lydia and Tara slipped out the back. Both women got into the car, and Lydia floored the gas, as soon as the door was shut. The car shot out of the driveway and down the street with a roar.

Not taking any risks, Lydia headed to the airport immediately. Knowing how Tara's father was, Lydia knew she had to get the young witch as far away from him as possible. Knowing that she did not have the proper means to protect the girl, Lydia planned on taking her to the one place where she knew the both of them would be safe for a time.

"Honey," Lydia said. " We're flying to Boston. You'll be safe there."

"A-Are you sure?" Tara asked, her body still shaking.

"Absolutely," Lydia said. "I have friends there who can protect you, and we can get your last name changed there."

Thank the Goddess Odessa told me about the coven that can protect Tara until we get everything sorted and she can go to the UK to live with her mother and have even more protection.

Both women arrived at the airport about 15 minutes later. After rushing to find parking, Lydia led Tara to the ticket counter to buy tickets on the next flight to Boston. Tara and Lydia had to run through the concourse to catch their plane. As they sat down in first class, Lydia ordered a cup of tea for them both. Tara slumped in her seat and cried as the plane took off. Just as she had started to feel safe, he had ripped it all away from her again.

Will I ever know what it is to have peace and safety?

***
When they arrived in Boston, Lydia took Tara to the house belonging to a gentleman by the name Jakob, who was the high priest of the Boston Branch of the Coven that Odessa Maclay led.

When they exited their cab, Tara saw a man waiting for them a few feet away, Tara's first instinct was to run. She looked to her Aunt.

"It's OK," Lydia whispered, sensing her trepidation. "He is my friend, and he will not hurt you, I promise."

As Tara nodded, Lydia guided her towards the man who opened the door and welcomed both women.

After shutting the door, the man turned towards both women. Lydia moved towards the man and gave him a hug. She hoped the friendly gesture would show Tara that she had been telling the truth.

Releasing the embrace, the man looked at the young witch, making sure to not look her in the eye for more than a moment.

“Hi, Tara,” Jakob said softly. “My name is Jakob, but you can call me Jake. Your Aunt and your mother have told me a great deal about you.”

“I promise that you will be safe here,” he said. “I am sorry about what happened in Tucson, and the scare that you had. He will not find you here.”

Tara nodded her head, still not sure what to make of the tall man with jet black hair and green eyes. His presence and countenance were so different from her father. Despite this fact, Tara was still not entirely comfortable with the man.

Sensing her hesitation and discomfort, Jake nodded in understanding. “I am going to take you to my wife, the high priestess of the coven. She has been friends with your mother for a very long time and will guide you through the preparations needed to ensure your safety.”

Tara did her best to smile up at the man as thanks for his understanding, but her hair still obscured most of her face. As Jake led her down a long hallway, Tara noticed the rich mahogany accents on the wall, accompanied by pops of color. The red and the gold accents are what stood out to her the most. Tara also recognized the light but the persistent smell of Sandalwood and Nag Champa incense.

The pair finally reached a heavy wooden door that had metal brackets, and a lock that looked as though it could only be opened with a skeleton key. Lydia squeezed Tara’s shoulder to comfort her niece.

“Jake and I will be here outside of the chamber should you need anything, “Lydia said. “You can trust her. She is a childhood friend of both your mother and I, and she is safe.”

Tara turned towards her aunt and looked up at her with an adorable half-smile upon her face. Lydia smiled as Tara turned around preparing to enter the room.

Jake knocked softly on the door. After a moment, Tara heard a lock release and the door creaked open ever so slowly. She straightened her shoulders and mustered all the courage she could, unsure of who and what she was about to face. After she entered the chamber, Tara reflexively turned around and shut the door. When she turned to face the large chamber, Tara’s gaze fell upon a tall and beautiful woman.

The high priestess noticed the gaze upon her and turned towards Tara with a warm smile on her face. As Tara approached the woman, the smell of Sandalwood and incense heightened. The young witch looked up at the high priestess, who had raven black hair and glacier blue eyes.

“My name is Galatéa,” the high priestess said as she gestured towards a chair in front of a table; inviting Tara to sit down. Galatéa circled around Tara to sit in the chair opposite of her. Tara could not help but notice the grace present in the high priestess’ movement. She also found herself awash in the calm comfort that Galatéa projected. The magical power that the priestess emanated was intense. However, Tara found the power to be comforting. She was astounded by how good it felt to be in the presence of magic in all its wonder once again.

Galatéa poured a cup of tea for Tara before filling her cup. The smell of black tea and bergamot infused Tara’s senses and brought a smile to her face. The young witch recalled a vague memory of her mother drinking the same tea.

“E-Earl Grey,” Tara said. “M-Mom used to drink this all the t-time.”

Galatéa smiled. “I see that more memories of your mother are coming back to the surface. That is a good sign that the damage done to you is not permanent or irreparable.”

Tara looked at Galatéa with confusion for a moment.

My physical injuries have long since healed.

Sensing Tara’s confusion, Galatéa clarified her statement. “The magical injuries that were inflicted upon you.”

“I-I d-d-don’t r-recall him ever d-doing anything that w-would cause t-those."

Galatéa nodded in understanding; feeling sad at how bad the girl was stuttering. “His methods were subtle and took place over a long period of time. He was trying to break your will for his own designs.”

Both women sat in silence afterward as they finished their tea. Tara took some time to let the High Priestess’ words sink in.

“Those injuries are the reason that you are in here today,” Galatéa said. “They need to be repaired so that you can start truly healing, but also so that it will make it harder for you to find him.”

“W-Why?”

“His magic is tied up in those injuries,” Galatéa explained. “Which is why he found you as fast as he did.”

Tara nodded; she was completely floored learning what had been done to her without her being aware. What alarmed her the most was the fact that her father had magical power of his own. She realized now that he had done all that he could to quash the power that was held within her, and it made her unbearably angry.

Galatéa motioned for Tara to come over to the altar that was on the opposite side of the room. As Tara approached, she saw the high priestess light a bundle of dried herbs with the Goddess candle of the altar.

“Sage,” she said. “I am going to make specific patterns of smoke around your body to help purify it. This is also known as smudging.”

“Ok,” Tara said. “I-I am v-vaguely familiar with the p-practice.”

Galatéa nodded. “Then you know that I will ask you to do so in the same fashion.”

Tara smiled as energy thrummed through her body. “O-Of course.”

After the two witches were smudged and purified, Galatéa opened a drawer in a chest near the altar and pulled out a container of salt and a chalice of water, while she grabbed a candle and a stick of incense. Galatéa beckoned Tara to join her in the center of a large pentagram in the middle of the room.

The young witch joined Galatéa in the center of the pentagram.

Galatéa took some of the salt and placed it in a small metal bowl. Afterward, she took the container of salt and used it to create a circular barrier around the pentagram.

“Are you familiar with calling the corners?

“N-No,” Tara confessed.

The elder witch smiled. “It is a process used to consecrate the space where we are standing and provide protection while we perform spells. The salt around the pentagram is what determines the boundary for the consecrated space. You must not pass it until the ritual is complete.”

Tara nodded her understanding.

“Normally, I start with calling the North corner first, but since you are not familiar with the words, we will start with the east,” Galatéa stated. “Listen carefully. You will repeat most of the words aside from the direction and the element. One last thing, I want to explain to you the items that represent the elements.”

“Y-Yes, please,” Tara gave a half-smile.

Galatéa returned the smile. As she began the explanation, she felt the power within Tara grow, even if the young witch did not realize what she was doing.

“The salt you are holding represents earth, which is always located to the north in the circle. Air is represented by a burning stick of incense and is always located to the east,” Galatéa explained. “The candle represents fire which is located to the south, and the chalice represents water located to the west.”

Tara nodded her head.

“Before we place these vessels in their appropriate positions, we must imbue them with our magical energy,” Galatéa continued. “Are you aware of how to do so?”

“N-No,” Tara replied.

“Come child,” Galatéa smiled softly.” I will teach you how.”

Galatéa approached Tara slowly, and gently placed her hands over Tara’s.

“I want you to imagine a ball of white light that starts in your chest. You can close your eyes if you need to. Then I want you to imagine the white light traveling from your chest to your hands and throughout your body,” the elder witch spoke.” You should feel warm. Once you have done this, I want you to imagine the light escaping from your hands and push it into the container.”

“O-Ok,” Tara said as she closed her eyes.

Emptying her mind, Tara focused on the warmth within her chest and visualized a well that was filled to the brim with white light. Slowly, she moved the energy until it was spread throughout her body. Her feet were rooted to the ground and the crown of her head open to the sky. The then saw herself pushing the light into the salt itself.

Galatéa watched as the young witch became bathed in a soft golden glow and imbued her energy into salt itself instead of the metal bowl. As she gazed upon Tara, she noticed the smallest whisp of a red thread that extended from her chest and pointed to the west. The elder witch smiled as Tara’s power and connection to her soulmate manifested itself far more quickly than she had expected.

Tara imbued her energy into the chalice in the same manner that she had used for the salt, all while keeping her eyes closed. Once the elements had been imbued, Tara opened her eyes and gasped as she saw herself bathed in a warm golden glow as well as the thin red tendril that extended from her heart westward. She then looked over to Galatéa and noticed that the witch was surrounded in the same golden glow, though the energy seemed to move of its own accord instead of remaining still as hers had.

Galatéa once again opened her eyes and was pleased to see that Tara was maintaining the external manifestation of her power. As Tara had done so earlier, Galatéa imbued the incense and candle with her magical energy. Once done, the high priestess instructed Tara on where to place the bowl of salt. The witches moved clockwise within the circle of salt.

“Tara,” Galatéa spoke. “It is extremely important to always work and move clockwise within the circle. Doing otherwise can cause…complications. As such, I will be calling upon the elements of air and fire first. Once I am done with the invocations, you will call upon the elements of water and earth. Once this is done, we can begin the actual ritual.”

“T-This is a lot of w-work for one r-ritual,” Tara spoke softly.

Galatéa looked at Tara and held her gaze. “What we are about to do is an advanced ritual, and one that can be dangerous without the proper protections.”

Tara’s eyes widened with a hint of fear.

“Worry not, dear,” the high priestess spoke. “I am familiar with this ritual, and you will be safe, I promise.”

Galatéa did not have the heart to tell Tara that she had to perform the same ritual with Odessa after she escaped.

The damage he caused to my dearest friend was so extensive, I am surprised she survived for as long as she did

Galatéa turned her attention back to Tara. “Are you ready to begin?”

Tara took a deep breath. “Yes.”

Galatéa smiled, “Listen closely. All hail the guardians in the watchtowers to the east, land of air and clouds. We invoke thee and ask for your diligence and protection.”

Tara watched as what appeared to be a tiny little dragon spirit appeared above the incense.

The high priestess smiled and continued. “All hail the guardians in the watchtowers to the south, land of fire and smoke. We invoke thee and ask for your tenacity and protection.”

Tara noticed that a spirit that appeared to be an animated flame appeared, looked upon Galatéa, and twitched its mouth into a toothy grin.

“It is your turn now,” Galatéa inclined. “Don’t worry about the words that you use for the imagery for the land of water and earth, it will come to you as you speak the words.”

Tara nodded and took a breath. “A-All hail the g-guardians in the w-watchtowers to the w-west,l- land of w-water and s-storms. W-We invoke t-thee and ask f-for your intelligence and p-protection.”

“A-All hail the g-guardians in the w-watchtowers to the N-North,” Tara spoke. “L-Land of Earth and T-Trees. W-We invoke t-thee and a-ask for your s-strength and protection.”

Tara looked around the circle and noticed that the consecrated area was surrounded by a white wall of energy. She noticed that a spirit in the shape of a siren floated above the chalice of water, and a Tree took residence over the bowl of salt.

Galatéa looked around the circle and was pleased to see that Tara had managed to call the water and earth spirits with enough power that they manifested themselves in the circle. Each of the spirit guardians faced towards the outside of the circle and kept watch.

“Tara,” Galatéa stated. “Now we are going to begin the healing ritual. I am going to perform a spell that will make the injuries visible. I know it may be scary, but we need to do this, so that the healing energy can be directed to specific points, OK?”

Tara agreed, and Galatéa spoke. “Notae apparent.”

The blond felt a dull ache for a moment before it disappeared. She gazed upon her body and saw jagged orange and black marks appear across her body. Though she could not see them, Tara knew there was a big mark at the top of her head as well as on her throat. As she continued to look, Tara noticed that there were large marks on her arms, her chest where her heart lay underneath, and near her groin. Tara shuddered as she noticed that particular marking.

Galatéa had to stop herself from shedding tears as she saw the same mark that caused Tara to freeze and shudder, knowing its significance, and feeling extraordinarily sad that Tara had to experience the event that caused the mark to appear in the first place. The high priestess noticed that all the markings appeared to be deep, but the mark near Tara’s groin appeared especially deep and angry.

The high priestess stepped a little closer to the young witch before performing another invocation.

“Gaea, Mother of All and Goddess of Earth, I ask that you lend me your power so that I might heal your daughter and cloak her in love and light.”

Galatéa’s hands glowed with green light. The high priestess stepped closer towards Tara. She held out her hand and slowly started to move it towards the top of Tara’s head. She looked down at the young witch asking permission to touch her. Tara’s face broke into a half-smile as she agreed to the contact. As Galatéa’s hand touched the top of her head, Tara felt a rush of cool energy followed by a slight tingling. The elder witch held her hand to the top of Tara’s head for a few minutes.

When the hand of the priestess finally moved away, Tara felt like a vice that she never knew was there, had been removed. Over the next half hour, Galatéa moved her hand to the different marks, and healed the magical curses. Finally, the only remaining mark was the one that Tara feared most.

“I know this is the most difficult mark, Tara,” Galatéa spoke softly. “It is the deepest mark, and the one that hurts the most.”

Tara inclined her head.

“I want you to help me with this one, ok?”

“O-O-Ok,” Tara said as tears silently fell from her eyes and down her cheeks.

“Place your hand over the mark,” Galatéa said compassionately.

Tara moved her hand down to the mark and gasped as she felt how hot the mark was.

“I am going to put my hand over yours, Ok?” Galatéa reassured the young witch

Tara nodded. “S-Should I d-direct m-my energy like I did b-before?”

Galatéa nodded as she began to infuse Tara’s energy with the healing force granted to her by Gaea.

Tara felt the cooling energy spread over her skin and more deeply than any of the other marks. The energy felt like an icy balm that was somehow washing away her fear, her shame, and her pain at the abject horror that had caused the damage.

With the mark finally healed, Galatéa removed her hand from Tara’s.

“Now we begin the last part of the ritual,” the elder witch said. “I am going to inscribe marks for protection on your arms. You will see them any time that you are in a consecrated circle, but otherwise, they will not be apparent. These marks will not hurt and will provide you with protection and help to keep your father away.”

“I-If it h-helps k-k-keep him as f-far away f-from m-me, then I g-gladly accept these m-marks,” Tara said without an ounce of hesitation.

Galatéa smiled and moved in front of Tara’s right arm. Once her shoulder was in view, Galatéa took her finger and carefully drew a triquetra, imbuing it with more healing energy. As she began to cast the most powerful protection spell she could, the tree spirit of earth moved into view and traced the mark. Moving to Tara’s left arm, Galatéa drew Yggdrasil, the World Tree, upon Tara’s arm. Once again, the tree spirit approached the mark and traced it, blessing the mark with a seal from Gaea herself. By the end of the spell, Galatéa was sweating from the amount of energy she had expelled into the marks.

The elder witch moved slowly while closing the circle and thanking the spirits for their blessings and protection. As the spirits began to leave, the earth spirit approached Tara once again and circled around her face and hands before disappearing with a pop. Galatéa smiled and then hugged Tara in a tight embrace. Tara happily returned the hug and felt lighter than she ever had since her mother left. She knew the following months would not be easy, but she had hope, and that was enough.

[Bellalocke]

Title: The Dark Chronicles of Willow and Tara – How Love Saved the World
Author: Bellalocke
Description: Willow has lived a lonely existence with only her father and best friend to see her through the challenges of growing up. After moving to England to study at Oxford, she meets the woman who will change her life and show her how love can save the world
Rating: This Chapter is rated R for Strong Language.
Content Warning: Neglect is referenced in this chapter, but nothing too heavy.
Ownership: Please do not cross-post this story without talking to me first.
Note: Tara, Willow, and other characters associated with BTVS belong to Joss, ME, and all other affiliates. Please don't sue me I am a poor IT contractor.
spoilers: Aside from some dialogue here and there, none whatsoever. This fic is completely AU
Feedback: Always welcome and encouraged.
Author’s Note: Chance, a fellow kitten, is my beta as well as my sensitivity reader. This story would not have been possible without him. Not only did he help me navigate the delicate elements of this story whilst not being triggering, but he also inspired me and helped me make this fic what it is. I owe you everything, brother.
Author's Note 3: Tara does not appear in this chapter. Don’t worry, our girls will be meeting in the next chapter as long as things go to plan.
Author Note 4: I truly hope that you enjoy reading this fic. Thanks for stopping by!

As Always, I will try to be true to Willow and Tara.

Now onto the good stuff!

Chapter 2

Willow flopped onto her bed after a long day at school. Normally, she enjoyed school as much as any proper geek should, but today, the fun of school was ruined by the impending return of her mother. Which meant more conversations about dating and finding a nice Jewish boy. No love was lost between Willow and her mother, mostly since she never felt as though Sheila Rosenberg ever even wanted her. Willow could not remember even having a relationship with her mother. Of course, she knew that at least for the first year of her life her mother had to be around to take care of her. After that period of time, Sheila went back to concentrating on her career instead of her daughter. The redhead had virtually no memories of her mother from her early childhood because she was always absent.

Willow’s first memory was laying on her father’s chest, his low voice talking and pointing to the dots of light in the dark sky. What she remembered was the warmth of his body and the soothing timbre of his voice as she lay under the stars. The redhead always felt safe and loved with her father, and she realized that they had formed an unbreakable bond over the years. Willow trusted him completely and never once questioned her father’s love for her, nor the love and gratitude she held for him.

Of course, their relationship wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows. They had disagreements, but Ira always did his best to turn the disagreement into a conversation instead of a shouting match. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes he had to let Willow go process her feelings before a conversation was possible. The redhead appreciated the fact that her father gave her space when she needed it, and never pressed her to talk before she was ready. Willow was cognizant of the fact that this approach taught her to have patience when dealing with others, especially when it came to them sharing their feelings. Her father was her secret keeper, the one person who she could be completely honest with about all the things that were going on in her head. She knew that anything that her secrets were safe with him, that she was safe with him. In turn, she learned how to be the secret keeper of the friends that she had made over the years. The redhead knew that sometimes having someone to talk to, someone to share your burdens with, and know that they were safe, could often be the difference; it could save someone’s life.

Willow’s thoughts turned back to the fact that she had not enjoyed school because all she could think about was the thing that she dreaded the most: the impending return of her mother. Today, her father would be her saving grace. On these days, Ira always did what he could to ease Willow’s apprehension; whether it be plying her with ice cream or telling her jokes and making her laugh so hard her stomach hurt. These moments acted like a barrier and a balm when having to deal with her mother. She longed for the weeks when her mother was away on business and she was able to be herself and spend time with her dad.

Willow did not know the full story but based on snippets of conversations between her parents she had overheard over the years, the redhead had come to the only conclusion that seemed plausible. Her father had given up what would have been an illustrious and fulfilling career. He did so in order to stay in Sunnydale to raise her and be involved in her life. Ira made that choice knowing that he would work at a company doing work that he enjoyed but would never bring him accolades or attention. Thinking about how lonely her existence would have been without him, Willow was eternally grateful to her father for making the choice to stay around.

Willow turned her head as she heard a knock on her door.

“Dad,” Willow laughed. “You always show up when I am thinking about you.”

Ira smiled. He walked into the room and sat down on the chair in front of Willow’s desk.

“What can I say? I know when my daughter is having a bad day.”

“I think you are a techno-wizard with mind-reading lasers,” the redhead cracked a grin.

“Parent’s intuition…”

“Lasers!”

“Intuition…”

“Lasers!”

Willow and her father continued their debate, their stomachs hurting from laughing so much. Their laughter carried throughout the house until they were interrupted by a shadow in the door that belonged to Sheila Rosenberg. The redhead suddenly stopped laughing and sat up in her bed, her posture stiff and her spine ramrod straight. Ira turned in the chair and regarded his wife.

“Willow,” Sheila interrupted. “I just got off the phone with Mrs. Bernstein. You have a date with her son, Joel, tomorrow. He is such a nice boy; you should really give him a chance.”
The young redhead glared at her mother, and Ira fought the desire to shoot daggers at the woman that was supposed to be his wife.

“No ‘hello? How are you?’” Ira said quietly as he got up and headed towards the door, closing it before he walked down the hall. “We’ve discussed this more times…”

The sound of her parents' voices faded as they walked down the hall to their bedroom. Willow knew exactly how the conversation if you could call it that, would go. Sheila would argue that she needed to go on dates and meet a ‘nice Jewish boy’ to marry. Her father would counter that his daughter was not ready to date and that Sheila had no idea who Willow was or what she wanted. The conversation usually devolved from there with Sheila yelling and her father trying to reason with her. Willow was grateful that her father never raised his voice towards his wife, but she had to wonder how much resentment the man held.

Whatever feelings Ira held towards his wife, he never let it affect his relationship with his beloved daughter. Willow knew that he would always advocate for her wellbeing and wishes no matter the cost. While she would never tell her dad, the redhead felt guilty that her dad was put in this position because he was trying to defend and protect her.

Willow groaned and put her pillow over her head willing the universe to conjure another conference so that her mother would leave once again. The redhead deliberately put herself into a state of ignorance, got off her bed, and sat down at her desk. She grabbed her trusty headphones and put them on to listen to some music while working on her homework. If nothing else, she was determined to graduate at the top of her class so that she could go to a school that was as far away from her mother as possible.

***

Willow was so engrossed in her homework that she never saw her father enter her room. She looked up from her trigonometry problems when she felt a kiss on the top of her head. Ira placed a plate with a turkey sandwich, apple slices, and chocolate pudding on her desk. Willow frowned at the sight of the chocolatey treat. While it was her favorite, her father only gave it to her with dinner when there was bad news. Taking the spoon off the plate and opening the plastic cup, Willow took a bite before looking at her father, who was kneeling to meet her in the eye.

“What’s the bad news, Dad?”

Ira smiled internally for a moment; his daughter was one of the most intelligent people he knew, and her deductive reasoning was a gift.

Can’t get anything past my little girl.

“I’m sorry, honey. You will have to see Joel tomorrow.”

Willow sighed and hung her head in resignation. She was not sure how her mother had managed to pull her latest stunt, but obviously, it was serious if her dad caved.

Ira’s heart hurt seeing his daughter so deflated.

“For what it’s worth, his parents will be home and both of you are expected to study and do homework together.”

At the very least I don’t have to go to the movies or some other date-like activity

“So, there is a chance that I can show up, do my homework, and leave, right?”

Ira nodded. “That was a condition of this whole arrangement. Trust me, the alternative would have been much worse.”

Willow winced as she could only imagine what her mother had originally planned for this date.

“I am hoping that this will get your mom off of your back for a while, ok?” Ira sighed. “I really am sorry, sweetheart. I did not want you to have to do this.”

Willow put on her brave face and did her best to smile at her father. Understanding what she was trying to convey, Ira hugged his daughter before standing.

“Please make sure you eat and get some sleep tonight.”

The redhead inclined her head as she put on her headphones and grabbed half of the sandwich. A faint smile crossed Ira’s face as he crossed the bedroom and stepped out before closing the door.

***

Willow stood in the Bernstein’s kitchen feeling absolutely livid at what had just transpired. Picking up the phone, she called her father.

“Dad,” Willow said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. “I need you to come and get me as soon as you can.”

“Ok, honey. I will be there in 10 minutes.”

As Willow made her way to the front door, Mrs. Bernstein approached the redhead.

“Please don’t leave,” she said. “He really is a nice…”

As the woman spoke, Willow turned on a dime, her face red and flushed with anger. She looked upon the woman and allowed her gaze to bore into the older woman’s eyes.

“Maybe…just maybe, you need to teach your son that giving him a pencil and helping him with a math problem does not give him permission to try and kiss me or anyone else for that matter!”

Willow’s body shook as she tried to control her overwhelming rage.

Mrs. Bernstein took a step back as she felt the anger rolling off the redhead in waves. No longer wanting to be subjected to Willow’s wrath, she retreated to the kitchen.

Willow spun back around and marched outside to wait for her father.

***
As soon as Willow saw her dad pull up, she stood up from the red brick steps in front of the Bernstein’s front door and ran to the car. Hefting her heavy backpack into the back seat, Willow sat down in the front seat of the car and curled herself into a ball.

How could that fucking asshole do that? Did I do something? Is giving a pencil and helping with a math problem considered flirting now? If it is, well that is going to make tutoring people really awkward. Why did he try to do that? Why am I so mad? Why? Why? Why!? I mean… I told Mrs. Bernstein that she needs to teach him some manners, but what if I was wrong? What if I am the one doing things wrong? I mean, I do not have the best people skills… I babble out loud and always say the wrong things. People think I am weird, and maybe I am, but that situation just felt wrong. Dad said that Mrs. Bernstein would be in the kitchen the entire time, but she left and he tried to kiss me and when she came back all she saw was me shoving her son… she didn’t believe me when I told her what he did… mom won’t believe me either and all this will just make her mad because I made one of her friends mad, which is an insult to her. I hate her. I hate her so much because she doesn’t care, never listens to me, doesn’t even know me, and puts work above me like she always has… I’m her daughter for fuck’s sake! Why? Why? Why!? Dad will believe me, and he is all I need. Deep breaths…calm down…calm down…calm down.

Willow continued to take deep breaths. Ira glanced over at his daughter and noticed that she had started taking deep breaths. He was glad that he had taken the time to teach her how to ground herself when her emotions become overwhelming. He felt Willow’s anger slowly recede. Certainly, she was still upset and angry, but they were smaller and something that she could control. Ira continued to drive in silence, waiting for Willow to speak. After about 10 minutes, he pulled up to an ice cream stand. Ira got out of the car and went to the counter. A friendly looking older gentleman smiled as he approached

“Ira! Good to see you!”

Ira smiled. Seamus was always in a good mood, and often it was infectious. “Good to see you, old friend.”

“What can I get you today?”

Ira looked back towards the car at Willow. “Give me the Willow special and a strawberry sundae.”

Seamus frowned. “That bad, huh?”

“Not sure what happened, but she hasn’t spoken yet.” Ira sighed. “I’m hoping chocolate will help.”

Seamus nodded and moved back into the kitchen to make the famous Willow special that should also be considered death by chocolate. He carefully warmed a brownie and placed it in a large dish. Next came 3 scoops of chocolate ice cream, a scoop of coffee ice cream, hot fudge, chocolate shavings, and whipped cream. He topped the sundae with rainbow sprinkles and a cherry. After making Ira’s strawberry sundae, Seamus headed back to the counter with the sundaes. As he handed them to Ira, he waved off the money presented to him.

“On the house today. I hope she feels better,” Seamus smiled.

Ira stuck the money in the tip jar to the left of the register and walked back to the car, carefully balancing the sundaes as he opened the car door. As he sat down and settled into his seat, he gently tapped Willow’s shoulder. When she looked over, Ira offered her the sundae. The redhead unfurled herself and took the dish. Taking the spoon, she dug deep to get a good bite. Lifting the spoon to her mouth, she took a bite and swallowed. Willow smiled when she recognized what her dad had gotten her.

Smiling inward, Willow focused on the chocolatey goodness before her and ate with gusto. The redhead had finished her sundae before her dad was even halfway done with his strawberry sundae.

“You devoured that sundae,” Ira laughed as he saw Willow eyeing his strawberry sundae. “You want a bite?”

Willow nodded and Ira handed her a spoon with a generous bite. A few minutes later, the strawberry sundae was gone. Ira was not sure how Willow had managed to get him to share the last half of his sundae but decided it was worth it to see his daughter relax.

Ira decided that a change of venue was needed, and so he backed out of the parking lot for the ice cream stand and headed west. Once they had reached an overlook that gave them a view of the ocean, Willow began to speak.
“He tried to kiss me, dad.” Willow looked down into her lap.

For a moment, Ira’s face turned red and flashed with anger. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he turned towards his daughter.

“Tell me what happened, sweetheart.”

“We were sitting at the kitchen table. I had given him a pencil because he could not find his. Apparently, he saw me working on my trig problems. That is when he asked for help with his algebra homework. I showed him how to derive the quadratic formula and explained to him why it was important to know. Next thing I know, he is leaning over trying to kiss me,” Willow shook her head. “I shoved him away from me, which is when Mrs. Bernstein came in. Joel was on the floor and my arms were outstretched. She asked what happened… Joel tried to say that I had been helping him with a problem when I suddenly shoved him away. I said that I shoved him because he tried to kiss me.”

Ira went to speak but held the thought as Willow began to speak again. “Mrs. Bernstein said that it was normal for a boy to want to kiss a girl during a study date. I told her that it was wrong of him to do so without asking. If I am the one being kissed, I damn well better have a say! That is when I got up and called you….”

Willow told her dad about the little conversation Mrs. Bernstein instigated when she was getting ready to leave.

“Dad,” Willow turned towards him; her gaze falling upon the peaceful green eyes that were as familiar as her own. “Did I do something wrong? Is there something or some rule that I don’t understand? I know I sounded confident when I said those things, but the more time passes, the more doubts I have.”

“Willow,” Ira said, as he put a hand on her shoulder. “Do not doubt your words or convictions for a moment. Nobody should try to kiss you, touch you, or otherwise engage you physically without your expressed permission. I would never have tried to kiss a girl without her permission when I was his age.”

Willow nodded. “Thanks, Dad. You know she is going to be pissed about this, right?”

“Who? Your mother?” Ira sighed as he rubbed his hand around the back of his neck. “I’ll deal with her, don’t worry, ok?”

Willow folded her arms in front of herself. “I want to be there when you do. She should see my face and hear my voice.

Plus, this is her fault, and I want her to see that.”

Ira has his doubts as to whether Willow would be able to talk any sense into Sheila, but he owed it to his daughter to at least let her try.

“Ok, sweetheart,” Ira said. “We can both talk to her. Are you ready to head home?”

Willow nodded. “Might as well get this over with.”

Ira started up the car and made his way back home. The 20 minutes it took to get back to the house was shorter than he would have liked. He sat with Willow in the car for another 5 minutes before signaling to his daughter that it was time to go by opening his door and getting out of the car. Willow opened her door, grabbed her backpack from the backseat of the car, and walked up to the front door with her dad.

The house was quiet when Ira and Willow walked through the front door, which had the older man worried. He was expecting Sheila to meet them at the door and have the confrontation begin, but the fact that she was not there did not bode well at all. He made his way to the kitchen. Willow dropped her backpack by the stairs leading upstairs and followed her father into the kitchen. Upon entering the kitchen, Ira saw Sheila sitting at a large wooden table with a wine glass and a bottle that was all but gone. Ira held his arm in front of Willow and shook his head trying to indicate that she needed to stay back. Willow did not hesitate in sidestepping her father.

Sheila looked up when she heard the approaching footsteps and clutched her wine glass. Her thoughts were fuzzy from the wine that she had drunk, and her anger rose as she saw the source of her embarrassment and shame. The time that Willow and Ira had spent away after the incident at the Bernstein’s had done nothing to quell the anger that Sheila felt towards her daughter. Willow seemed determined to ruin any dates that the elder redhead setup for her. Sheila could not understand why Willow would do such a thing. Memories of being a teenager and loving when a kiss would land on her face while studying flooded back to her. She remembered the unbridled excitement and how she loved talking about those dates with her friends at school. Sheila looked at Willow and pondered her daughter’s behavior. Something was wrong with Willow, and she was determined to fix her. The elder redhead’s attention snapped back to the present when she saw Willow step forward.

Seeing her mother half-drunk and seemingly lost in her thoughts for a moment made Willow’s anger bubble to the surface again. Ira squeezed his daughter’s shoulder before she stepped forward. As her gaze fell upon her mother, Willow realized that her mother was not going to offer her any words to greet her nor show any concern about what happened.

“What the hell happened?” Sheila’s words echoed through the silence.

Willow felt as though she had been cut by an invisible knife flying in the soundwave carrying Sheila’s words.

Any self-control that Willow had managed to summon flew right out of the window as anger and indignation flooded through her veins. This was the first time she had ever seen her mother’s callousness firsthand. With the complete and utter disregard for Willow’s feelings, the redhead saw what her father had been protecting her from for all these years. Seeing how her mother only cared about her reputation and her pride broke something in Willow, and the anger rushed forth in a flood.

“He tried to kiss me without asking me,” Willow bellowed. “He fucking assaulted me! Why don’t you care? Why do my feelings mean nothing to you? I see you sitting there wallowing in your self-pity, wondering how you are going to repair your reputation because I am such a complete and utter failure, an embarrassment, a daughter who only ever disappoints.”

Willow took a breath. She could not believe the complete and utter disregard her mother was showing. No emotion, no empathy. Just a frown and a quirked eyebrow. Willow was forever grateful that she very much took after her father, and that the only thing her mother had ‘gifted’ her was her red hair. Years of anger and emotion continued to flow forth.

“You don’t care about me! You never cared about me. You were never there!” Willow seethed. “I have no memories of you from when I was young, not a single fucking one because I was never important enough! You were never there! Your career, your friends, your reputation were always more important than me! Tell me why? Why were you never there? Why don’t you care? Why are you more concerned about Joel and his family than you are about me?”

Willow started pacing as she glared at her mother. Cutting off any attempts the woman tried to respond. For once, Sheila Rosenberg was going to listen.

“Do you know that I play the cello? I’m pretty sure you don’t because you were never there for a practice or a recital.” Willow paced the space in front of the table where her mother sat before turning back to her mother and letting her inner storm rage and come out in torrents. “I am at the top of my class. I could go to Julliard, fucking Julliard if I wanted to play music for a living. I could go to MIT, Princeton, Oxford, or any damn school I please to study physics, but you don’t fucking care! It never mattered how smart I was or how well I did in school. All you cared about was making sure that I married a ‘nice Jewish Boy.’ Why? So, you could have more business contacts? A larger social network? A grandchild? Let me tell you: you are a shitty mother, and I have no idea why you think that you would ever make a good grandmother.”
Willow looked at her mother with such contempt and rage it almost scared her. She had no idea that she was capable of having and expressing such feelings.

“I am done with you,” Willow spat. “Never, ever ask me to do that again. Tell your friends that I am dead if they want you to set me up with their son.”

Willow spun on her heel, grabbed her backpack, and stormed upstairs. Both Ira and Sheila flinched when they heard Willow slam her bedroom door with such force. They could almost hear the door frame splinter. Ira kept watching the trail that his daughter had blazed in her rush to get out of the room and away from her mother. His heart hurt for his beautiful daughter. Ira had seen the unshed tears in Willow’s eyes when she left to go to her room, the hurt mixed with the vitriol. He never expected Willow to express such emotion; so much emotion that it finally made Sheila sit still and listen.

“I never expected Willow to say all of that,” Ira said as he turned to his wife. His voice was calm where his eyes were piercing. For the first time in a long time, Ira found himself glaring at Sheila, his anger barely kept in check. “Never ask her to do that again. For once in your life, put down your pride, listen to her, and respect her wishes. She is a wonderful and smart young woman, and I wish that you could see that.”

Sheila huffed and looked as though she was going to say something.

“This nonsense needs to stop!” Ira fumed. “She is barely 17 years old. Why does she need to be dating? Why are you so consumed with finding her a husband?”

Sheila was surprised that Ira had raised his voice when speaking to her. “So, you finally grew a spine, huh? There is something wrong with that girl, and she needs a husband to guide her and keep those things in check.”

Ira balled his fists as his whole body shook. “Nothing is wrong with Willow,” his voice trembled with anger. “She is perfect the way she is, and you will leave her alone about all of this! I’ve had enough, Sheila. Pull a stunt like this again and I will leave you.”

Ira turned on his heel and walked around the corner from the kitchen. Walking through the living room, Ira headed upstairs. Part of him was tempted to stop into Willow’s room and check in on her. As he neared his daughter’s bedroom door, he heard the sound of a cello playing a mournful tune. Deciding that it would be best to give Willow some time to sort her feelings, Ira turned away from her door and headed down the hall to his office. As he locked the door, Ira was happy that his office was on the opposite side of the house from Sheila’s bedroom. As he laid down on his couch, as he had for so many nights when he and Sheila had fought, he wondered what had happened to the woman he fell in love with all those years ago. Ira felt like it had been years since he saw that woman, and he had to wonder what happened to cause such a change.

***

Sheila got up from her chair and circled the table. Grabbing her wine glass, she walked over to the sink and rinsed it before placing it in the dishwasher. Sheila walked out of the kitchen and through the living room. The elder redhead squared her shoulders and walked up the stairs, preparing to go to her bedroom to pack for her next conference. She felt an electric thrill run through her body as she thought about all that the conference would entail and the people she would meet. When she reached the top of the stairs, Sheila heard the soft vibrato of strings coming from Willow’s bedroom. She stood by the door for a moment and listened to a song that she did not recognize. Had the song been played by anyone else, Sheila would have found it enjoyable to listen to, but seeing that it was Willow, she wondered why the girl was wasting her time. Shaking her head, Sheila began walking towards her bedroom once again.

***

Willow sat in her chair feeling the weight of the cello against her body as she moved her bow against the strings that felt so familiar after years of practice. Normally, she would play a song that had already been composed, but tonight she felt too emotional and raw to really remember anything. Instead, she closed her eyes and simply let the music flow from her heart through her body and into her hands where she could play it for all the world to hear. Willow never understood why music helped heal her mind and her soul, but tonight she had never been more grateful for the ability to play out her feelings. The redhead knew that there were a great many things that she needed to figure out and sort through, but tonight was not the night. Instead, she continued to play out all the feelings in her heart, taking comfort in the fact that tomorrow was the start of a brand-new day, and the answer to the question that was foremost in her mind would still be there.

[Bellalocke]

Title: The Dark Chronicles of Willow and Tara – How Love Saved the World

Author: Bellalocke

Description: Willow and Tara finally meet in the most auspicious and familiar of circumstances.

Rating: This Chapter is rated R for Strong Language.

Ownership: Please do not cross-post this story without talking to me first.

Note: Tara, Willow, and other characters associated with BTVS belong to Joss, ME, and all other affiliates. Please don't sue me I am a poor IT contractor.
spoilers: Aside from some dialogue here and there, none whatsoever. This fic is completely AU

Feedback: Always welcome and encouraged.

Author Note: Chance, a fellow kitten, is my beta as well as my sensitivity reader. This story would not have been possible without him. Not only did he help me navigate the delicate elements of this story whilst not being triggering, but he also inspired me and helped me make this fic what it is. I owe you everything, brother.

Author’s Note 2: I am not the foremost authority on the admissions process to Oxford for International Students despite my attempts at researching the subject. With that in mind, the description of the school as well as the process that the girls went through to be admitted are of my own mind and based on my own experiences with Higher Education in North America. Due to this, I ask that you have the same willing suspension of disbelief for this aspect of the story as you do for magic.

Thoughts are in italics

As Always, I will try to be true to Willow and Tara.

Now onto the good stuff!

Chapter 3

**1 YEAR LATER**

Willow Rosenberg – Mathematical genius, the biggest nerd to ever nerd on planet nerd, and an expert babbler, if there ever was one, stood slack jaw on the hill just outside of her dorm.

I'm here! I'm really at Oxford! Fucking Oxford! Someone pinch me! This must be a dream! Oxford... I applied here as a joke… I never actually expected to get admitted. Oh my god oh my god oh my god… can I do this? Maybe they made a mistake? What if I'm not smart enough? What if the professor decides he doesn't like gingers and I get thrown out of class? what if what if what if...
Willow was knocked out of her self-recriminating babble when someone knocked into her and didn't bother to apologize.

Rude! I thought people in England were supposed to be nice, respect personal space, and you know... apologize for everything? Guess the stereotypes don’t live up to the reality or maybe he was just a particularly rude Englishman… Coffee!! I need coffee!! Coffee and chocolate make everything better! Hopefully, they make good mochas somewhere around here or this is going to be a long four years...


Double-checking her campus map, Willow saw that she would have to walk towards the Student Union building and then take a hard left to enter the science building, where she would attend her first class of the semester: Astronomy Major Seminar. Checking her watch, Willow saw that she had a good hour before she had to report to class. The redhead began to make her way down the hill towards the Student Union building, hoping that she could locate a shop that sold some decent coffee.

Thirty minutes later, Willow was making her way out of the Student Union building towards the science building with a large mocha in hand. Thankfully, even people in England believe in the power of coffee. On her way out, the redhead noticed a flier for the University’s Pagan Meeting. Noting that the meeting was after her English class, Willow decided that she would attend the meeting in hopes that she could make some new friends and maybe even meet another witch. With her mind made up, Willow walked out the door and hurried to her first class with a smile on her face.

Today is going to be an amazing day.

***

On the other side of the campus, Tara was rushing around her room trying to find an outfit that wasn't splattered with paint or otherwise unclean to wear to her Art History class. The witch found a black tank top, a sheer black camisole, and a purple ankle-length skirt to throw on.

Of all the days I managed to oversleep! How did all of my art clothes end up on top of everything else? I guess I am going for the Gothic witch look today... I can't even stop for coffee!

After pulling on her trusty Doc Martin combat boots, Tara grabbed her bag and tore out of her dorm like a bat out of hell. Running across campus, Tara reached her Art History class approximately a minute and a half late.

"Ms. Maclay," said the professor. "You are late."

Tara bit her lower lip and looked at the professor.

"I-I'm sorry. It won't h-happen a-again, ma’am."

The professor smiled and asked Tara to find a seat.

Finding a seat towards the back of the class, Tara took out her notebook and pencil. As the professor continued to finish her preparations for the beginning of class, the blonde witch took a few moments to take stock of everything that had transpired since leaving Boston to join her mother. The last year that she had spent in England seemed to pass by in a blur, and the odds that she had overcome to be sitting where she was seemed insurmountable even now. Tara had no idea how she had managed to balance therapy, tutoring, entrance exams, and creating a full portfolio to apply to Oxford for their Fine Arts program. While her mom knew some of the faculty in the Art program at Oxford, the only advantage that had provided was knowing what she needed to include in her admissions application to even be considered eligible for review. Much to her surprise, Tara received a letter in the mail three months after applying for admission to Oxford welcoming her to the Fine Arts program.

So much more had happened, of course, and Tara was hopeful that she would find a friend with whom she could share the entire story someday. For a moment, her thoughts turned towards the University’s Pagan Meeting at 1pm. Tara silently hoped that this class didn't run late and that maybe she could meet another witch there. A faint lopsided smile ghosted across her face as she turned her attention to the professor as class began.

***

*Later that Day*

Willow had finished her Physics and English classes with enough time to spare that she could take a leisurely stroll to the Student Union building. She was looking forward to her second mocha of the day.

Mmm coffee... truly the nectar of the gods… at least they do manage to make a decent cup here. I was worried that I was going to have to resort to drinking tea if their coffee tasted more like dark garbage water… and tea and chocolate together are not friends... what would I do if I had to give up mochas?

Willow shuddered at that last thought but managed to avoid diving into a thought experiment dealing with a world without chocolate and coffee by listening to the latest songs by the Ting Tings on her iPod. As she was walking down the sidewalk, bopping her head to the beat, she spotted a blonde blur streaking towards her. Unable to dodge the blur, Willow found herself on the ground. For a moment, the redhead felt disoriented until she realized that the blur was laying on top of her. As she looked up, Willow found her gaze upon the bluest eyes she had ever seen. Before she could get a word in, the witch noticed the blonde getting up on her feet and gathering her bookbag.

“O-Oh m-my g-gods," the blonde said. "I-I-I am s-so s-sorry!"

As soon as the words left the blonde’s mouth, she turned tail and sprinted towards the Student Union Building.
Rubbing her head, the redhead sat up and tried to comprehend the words that had stumbled out of the blue-eyed beauty's mouth.

Wishing that she had been able to speak to the girl to assure her that everything was ok, Willow got off the ground and picked up her bookbag. She took a moment to recall the quiet apology she had heard moments before.

Gods?’...I heard that right, right? Of course, I did... could it be? Could I really be that lucky? I don't know what it is, but there is something special about that girl. Hope springs eternal, right?

Willow bolted off towards the Student Union building, hoping that the blonde would be at the University’s Pagan meeting. Willow blasted through the doors to the building and began searching the common areas for the meetings. The redhead skidded to a stop when she found the common area where the meeting was taking place. Luckily the meeting had yet to start, and there appeared to be about nine other students sitting in a circle.

Willow approached the group and sat down in an overstuffed chair that was opposite of the blonde goddess that bowled her over just a few minutes ago. Summoning all the courage she could in her lithe body, Willow looked over at the girl and flashed her a brilliant smile. She noticed that the blonde’s hair obscured a good amount of her face, but she could still see the goddess look up at her for a moment and flash her a shy half-smile. The moment that Willow saw that smile, her Mona Lisa smile, the redhead’s heart melted, and she felt a pull towards the shy girl.

My gods, she is beautiful! I need to know her, talk to her, practice magic with her, have mochas with her, be her very best friend… Why is my heart calling out to her? What power is this that I feel coming from her? She’s a witch! An actual, honest-to-goodness true witch!

Willow was so consumed in her thoughts that she did not notice that the meeting had started. The girl that was sitting next to her had to tap the redhead’s shoulder to get her attention. Looking up, Willow had no idea what was going on.

"Lovely," said the girl beside her. "What's your name and why are you here?"

"Oh! Sorry!" Willow blushed. "My Name is Willow Rosenberg and I am here..."
To meet gorgeous woman across from me? No! No! Rosenberg get it together...

"...to learn some spells and get to know some fellow witches," Willow concluded.

Willow was not sure what to make of the slight scoff followed by an almost silent laugh when she spoke about learning spells. The redhead also did not notice the strange and shocking looks that most of the group shot towards her.

As the rest of the people in the group went around and introduced themselves, Willow saw the shy girl’s eyes flash up at her for the briefest of moments as she quietly introduced herself as Tara Maclay

Tara... what a beautiful name... why is she looking at me? Oh no! did she notice me staring at her? What if she thinks I am some kind of freak? Aww... she has a little bit of a stutter. That is so cute!

Willow shook her head as she broke her train of thought and listened intently as the meeting began. As the meeting wore on, Willow found herself confused and disappointed. Apparently, the group was more interested in fundraising, bake sales, and the most amazing recipes for an ‘empowering lemon bundt cake’ among other things. Willow was not the only person in the group that was disappointed by the direction of the meeting.

Tara raised her hand to call attention to the leader of the meeting.

“Yes, Tara?” The leader spoke, visibly annoyed at having been interrupted from describing her perfect women’s empowerment shrine.

“S-Shouldn’t we be…, “Tara spoke quietly.

“Speak up,” the leader said. “None of us can hear you.”

Tara shook her head and looked away.

Willow was indignant at the treatment of the gentle witch. “I think what Tara was trying to say is, shouldn’t we be discussing spells rather than bake sales?”

The leader of the group looked at Willow, “You don’t honestly believe we perform magic as a group, do you? We gather together to spread the word of the Pagan path of spirituality.”

The leader looked over at Tara, “Anything thing else you want to add?”

Tara shook her head and visibly shrank back into her chair all the while attempting to smile at Willow. The redheaded witch smiled back, as she wondered how long she and Tara would have to suffer through the lamest meeting on the face of the planet.

After the meeting ended, Willow approached Tara, who was attempting to tie the shoelaces to her Doc Martins while balancing her bookbag. In a bold move that surprised even Willow, the redhead knelt and began to tie the errant shoelace on Tara’s right boot. The witch then checked over the other shoelace to make sure it was secure. After she did so, she looked up at Tara with a shy smile.

Did I really just do that? Really? Why did you invade her space? You could have held her bookbag, but you did that instead? I am going insane. She must think I am the weirdest person on the face of the planet… she will not want anything to do with me, witch or not… I should just run… yep running it is…

The redhead noticed that the other girl jumped back once she noticed the other witch was in her personal space.

Willow began to turn around and walk away as her cheeks turned a deep crimson color. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I just wanted to help.”

“W-Willow?” Tara called out to the redhead. “T-Thank Y-You.”

Willow turned around just in time to notice Tara canting her head to her right with an inviting but somewhat fearful look on her face. Willow followed the blonde witch over to the available couch, making sure to give Tara as much space as possible. As she sat down, Willow felt her blush deepen even further.

“Sorry for invading your space. I just saw that you were struggling, and I thought that tying your laces would be better than grabbing your backpack because I have had people try to steal my backpack which is never any fun because books are sacred that meeting sucked and I just wanted to help more than I was able to during the meeting but those girls are something else and I can’t stand…’

Willow stopped her babble fest as she heard Tara giggle.

That is the most wonderful sound in the world. I need to make her laugh more… pay attention Rosenberg, your future… maybe current?... friend is talking!

“I d-don’t t-think I h-have ever h-heard someone fit so many words into one breath.” Tara continued to chuckle.

“Did I mention that I am a world-class babbler? If there were an Olympic event for babbling, I would be the most decorated Olympian in the history of the games, which makes me question why there aren’t competitions for things that are less athletic, and here I am doing it again I really need to stop…”

Tara shook her head and tried to change the topic. “S-So how long h-have you been p-practicing?”

Willow looked up and came out of her reverie. “I just started last year, but I love it. You?”

“Forever,” Tara smiled. “My m-mom is a v-very powerful w-witch, and so are all the w-women in my f-family. How d-did you s-start?”

Willow looked at Tara as she debated whether she should tell the witch that particular story. “That is a very long story, and one I am not sure you will believe… Do you have any other classes today?”

Tara shook her head.

“Would you be interested in eating with me and I can tell you the tale?”

Tara flashed her crooked half-smile at Willow as she nodded her head.

Deciding that it would be fun to get off campus and explore the city a little bit, Willow and Tara made their way beyond the academic buildings and through the gardens surrounding the campus. Willow noted a few places she would like to visit when there was more time. Eventually, the two witches made it into the city proper and found a cozy café. The café was not all that busy given the time of day. The booths looked comfortable and had high backrests that allowed for some privacy and quiet conversation. After ordering their paninis, soup, and drinks, Willow and Tara headed towards a corner booth in the back.

Willow cradled her second mocha of the day and looked like she was in absolute heaven.

“L-Looks l-like you a-are more interested in y-your drink than you are in your t-tale,” Tara teased.

“Have you ever had the bliss-inducing nectar known as a mocha?” Willow quirked an eyebrow. “It is the perfect balm for any woes that befall you during any given day. After being subjected to those Wanna-Blessed-Bes, I need as much help as I can get.”

“Y-Yeah,” Tara snorted. “T-They wouldn’t know a real witch if…”

“…one came up behind them and kicked them in the pants?”

Tara stared at Willow for a second before completely losing it. Suddenly the air was filled with Tara’s magical laughter. Both witches fell into an epic giggle fit. Clutching their stomachs as they tried to catch their breath, every time they looked at each other the fit would start all over again. Eventually, both witches reached the limit of their endurance and ability to laugh. As they sat half-collapsed in the booth, Willow looked at the food that had gone unnoticed during their giggle fit. Deciding that Tara deserved a great deal of thanks for her part in the lovely bit of humor, Willow went up to the front counter and re-ordered both of their meals as to go. She also decided that Tara needed to experience the wonder that is a mocha, and so she ordered two instead of one.

Once the mochas were made, Willow walked from the counter over to the corner booth and slid into the seat with ease. As Willow slid the drink across the table, Tara looked at the redhead in the eye as she flashed the smile that Willow was always happy to see.

“Friendship Mocha?” Willow smiled

“F-Friendship Mocha,” Tara said as she continued to gaze into Willow’s eyes.

How did I not notice before now? She has the most beautiful green eyes I’ve ever seen. Warm and comforting. She could be the one; my best friend who I can share everything with, the one true friend I have been searching for…

Tara took the offered drink into her hands and slowly lifted it to her mouth. Blowing on the drink to try to cool down the hot liquid, the witch took a tentative sip and practically moaned at the flavors that took her mouth and tastebuds by storm.

“Y-You, Willow Rosenberg, a-are going to get m-me in so much t-trouble.”

Willow gave the blue-eyed witch a downcast and shy smile as she nodded towards the coffee cup. “In love already?”

“A-All y-your fault,” Tara blushed. “S-So… are you g-gonna tell m-me this unbelievable s-story?”

Willow smiled as her mind and thoughts went back to the weirdest event of her life…

**One Year Ago**

Willow glanced up at the clock located on her desk. It was 11:50 pm. Noting the stiffness in her shoulders, neck, and legs, Willow realized that she needed to stop playing her cello even though she still had more emotions that she needed to get out. Resigning herself to sleep and deciding that she would play more tomorrow, Willow stood up from her chair and carefully placed her cello back on its stand. Stepping a few feet away from her chair, the redhead stretched her arms and rolled her neck in circles in the hopes that she could work out some of the kinks. Since it was too late to shower, Willow knew that she was going to pay for the long session with her cello tomorrow with a stiff neck and sore muscles. Fatigue from the day – the disaster that was her study date, the fight with her mother, and the thoughts that swirled in the back of her head, crept up on the redhead with such force that it was all she could do to make it to her bed. Willow was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

The alarm clock read 12:00 am – the witching hour. Instead of the blankness that often accompanies sleep-induced from sheer exhaustion, Willow found herself in a beautiful meadow. She did not recognize where she was, but the peace that overcame her tired body and her conflicted mind was more than welcome. Finding that her eyes were no longer sore from all the tears that she had shed in the last couple of hours, Willow took a moment to really examine her surroundings. The first thing that stood out was the soft grass that was under her feet, next was the fact that she was surrounded by wildflowers and the scent of lavender was in the air. Looking off in the distance, the redhead saw a stream with a massive tree behind it. Upon further examination, Willow saw what looked like a woman sitting with her back resting against the trunk of the tree. Feeling a pull that emanated from her heart, Willow started walking towards the woman. She noted how light she felt and how that feeling increased the closer she was to the tree. Eventually, she felt like she was floating and that she could fly if she really wanted to. Looking down at the ground, Willow gasped as she saw that she was indeed floating. After taking a moment to orient herself, the redhead continued to move forward. The tree before her was immense and only grew larger the closer she moved to the woman who was now standing under the canopy.

This tree is at least twenty times larger than the tallest redwood I have ever seen. What is this place and what is that tree? It feels special…

Eventually, Willow crossed a stream and softly landed on her feet. The woman who stood underneath the tree was beautiful, powerful, and calm. The redhead noted that the woman’s skin seemed to be tinged green, the locks of her hair almost looked like vines, and she was honestly the tallest person she had ever seen; towering over the witch by at least two feet. If she didn’t know better, Willow would guess that the woman was a druid. The thoughts on the woman’s appearance disappeared as waves of love and comfort washed over her. Before she considered what she was doing and what was happening, the redhead found herself walking into the waiting arms of the woman before her. The woman cradled the redhead in her arms as she sat back down underneath the magical tree. Willow was enveloped by the true love of a mother. She could not recall having ever felt this way but knew that she always wanted to feel like this and knew that she would sorely miss it when the comfort was gone. Willow looked up at the woman’s face. There she found a kind smile, crow’s feet and laugh lines on her face, and the most beautiful moss green eyes she had ever seen.

“My Child,” the woman held Willow close to her chest. “I am so happy you are finally here. I heard your song and knew that it was finally time that we meet again.”

Willow found that she did not have words that could possibly convey the feelings she was experiencing. Later she would describe the feeling of a ball of pure light that entered her body through her chest, warmth spreading throughout, and a power she could not comprehend.

“You are so much more than you know.” The woman continued, “One day, you will find your soulmate, and when you do, you will find your destiny. Before you meet them, there is much that you need to learn. The path of knowledge with lead you to happiness and salvation.”

The woman kissed the top of Willow's head, her forehead, and neck before touching her heart, arms, and the bottom of her feet. As she did so, Willow felt the overwhelming power that had taken over her body calm down to a hum.

“We will meet again,” the woman said.

With a final embrace, the meadow, the tree, and the green-eyed woman melted away.

As Willow sat up, she felt as though it had all been a dream. Still, she could feel the faintest hum of power under her skin. On her bedside table, Willow found two books: Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner and Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. Seeing these books, Willow knew that what she had experienced was not a dream, but as real as the hair on her head and the heart that beat within her chest. Thus, began the magical education of Willow Rosenberg.

**PRESENT DAY**

The redhead looked up towards Tara, expecting to see a look of horror on her face, and eyes that said she was completely insane. Instead, she found a lopsided smile and eyes that conveyed understanding.

“Since then, I have been studying a lot of theory on the practices of magic, but I haven’t been able to do anything more than making a pencil wobble. If I can’t even do that, am I really a witch?’

Tara hesitated for a moment before she laid out her hands palm side up on the table and slowly extended them towards Willow. Though she was scared of touching the other witch, the blonde knew that she needed to read the redhead’s aura. The redheaded witch tentatively reached out and touched her palms to Tara’s. The moment that she did, she felt a buzzing, almost like an electrical current move throughout her body. Willow closed her eyes and focused on maintaining the connection.

Tara closed her eyes so that she might see Willow’s aura with her third eye. As her sight came to her, the blue-eyed witch had to stop herself from gasping. Willow’s Aura was a brilliant yellow mixed and layered with blue and gold. Most surprising was the presence of white surrounding all the colors of Willow’s aura. Concentrating on the magic channels and chakra pathways that her sight allowed her to see, Tara saw that Willow had great magical power within her, but that power was currently being blocked. No wonder the redhead had not been able to do so much as levitate a pencil.

The blue-eyed witch had no doubt that Willow had been touched by a Goddess, and that was the reason that the redhead’s magic was being blocked, or rather held in check. Tara knew that she would need to speak with her mother about this and introduce Willow to her eventually. Deciding that she had pried enough, Tara began to pull back from the vision of her third eye. Before leaving the vision completely, Tara saw a whisp of red emerge from Willow’s heart and reach out towards her. Deciding to file this piece of information for later, Tara gently severed the connection with Willow as her vision returned to normal.

“Wow,” Willow sighed. “I’ve never experienced anything like that. You are so powerful… yet so gentle. Does this mean you believe me?”

Tara gave Willow a lopsided grin as she nodded her head.

Looking outside, the witches realized that they had sat in the café for a lot longer than either of them had planned. Both witches stood and gathered their bags and leftover food before heading out the door.

“It’s late,” Willow said. “I should head back and get some more unpacking done.”

“Same,” Tara said. “T-This was s-so m-much fun…”

“Can I see you again?”

Both witches laughed when they realized they had asked the same question at the same time.

“Yes,” both witches answered before falling into a giggle fit.

“Okay, okay,” Willow laughed as she clutched her stomach. “We really have to stop doing that. My stomach cannot handle the laughter. I yield, ok? You win.”

“I am g-going to remember those w-words, Willow R-Rosenberg.”

Willow smiled. “Guess I am in for some big trouble then.”

Both witches walked and continued to bask in the residual energy from the first connection of their magic. Before long, the girls were back on campus.

“This is m-me,” Tara said. I will see you l-later.”

The blonde witch gave Willow a friendly wave before walking into her dorm building.

Willow walked back to her dorm feeling like she was on cloud nine. It was only when she made her way up to her dorm room and began unpacking that a thought occurred to her.

“Fuck!”

[Rutkowski]

Love it so far, really looking forward to seeing how it goes.

[Dub]

UK setting, nice. You've got the lingo down as 'Fuck' can be used for anything in any meaning. much like 'mate' when referring to someone..
The only thing I know for certain about the Oxford application process is that you can only apply for Oxford or Cambridge, you cant apply to both at the same time. Its a highly competitive process. Multiple interviews. High rejection rate. Ultimately though everyone does apply and get a letter/email.

You've got some bold aspects running through, Physical, Mental, Verbal, Sexual Abuse. Neglect. Consent. I applaud you for going for it and your sensitivity for the subject is evident through out. A testament to your care and research into it all. It's not an easy thing to look into but the story will no doubt be enriched by your sensitive while unflinching presentation of the long lasting effects. I'm intrigued to see how these aspects effect their coming together and relationship further down the line.

I also find it interesting how there are Parallels to Canon in the AU. Will be interesting to see how the world and their AU aspects react to the Canon parallels if there are more in future.

[GrimCityGirl]

Damn! This is hecka interesting, love the wicca focus in this! Also heart breaking to see what they both went through but wonderful to know things are on the up and up for both of them, especially how far Tara has come.

Cannot wait to read more, fantastic start!

[CK_Mako]

I love how you posted the two back stories then the current time line all at once. It gives a reader a bit more information to start. With that said, I will break this down by chapter.

Chapter 1:

It is a wonder spin on how the Maclay name belongs to Tara's mother's side of the family. You made that known easily in your writing. The first interaction between Tara and her aunt was beautiful written. The magical elements were a great touch. Cannot wait to see where you take that part of the story.

Chapter 2:

It is always great to see Ira show up, considering he was only ever mentioned (Canon). The relationship between him and Willow is a nice touch. And a needed balance for Willow with how Sheila treats her.

Chapter 3:

Nice nod to the Wicca meetings from Canon and the girls bumping into one another. Sweet interactions post Pagan meeting between them. It'll be fun to see how their interactions go as this progresses.

[Bellalocke]

***Edited to Add Feedback***

Rutkowski

Love it so far, really looking forward to seeing how it goes.

I am glad that you are enjoying the story so far! I hope that you enjoy this next chapter. Thanks for reading!

Dub

You've got some bold aspects running through, Physical, Mental, Verbal, Sexual Abuse. Neglect. Consent. I applaud you for going for it and your sensitivity for the subject is evident through out. A testament to your care and research into it all. It's not an easy thing to look into but the story will no doubt be enriched by your sensitive while unflinching presentation of the long lasting effects. I'm intrigued to see how these aspects effect their coming together and relationship further down the line.

I also find it interesting how there are Parallels to Canon in the AU. Will be interesting to see how the world and their AU aspects react to the Canon parallels if there are more in future.

Thank you for the thorough and thoughtful feedback. The subjects that I am trying to tackle in this fic are definitely difficult, especially for a first time fic, but I am glad that the care with which I am approaching them comes through in my writing. I hope that continues to be the case as the story progresses. The long term effects of what both our girls have been through is definitely an experience to think about and write. I think that ultimately the journey and experience will be rewarding and have a huge payoff. I can definitely say that these aspects will play a major role in the developing friendship and eventual relationship between Tara and Willow. Things will not always be smooth sailing, there will be some very heartbreaking and impactful moments, but it will definitely be worth it in the end. This fic definitely qualifies as a slow burn, but I feel that it has to be that way to do the topics addressed any sort of justice.

So far as parallels to canon, there will definitely be some interspersed here and there, but I am doing my best to not rely too heavily on them. I want those moments to be meaningful when they are used.

I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

GrimCityGirl

Damn! This is hecka interesting, love the wicca focus in this! Also heart breaking to see what they both went through but wonderful to know things are on the up and up for both of them, especially how far Tara has come.

Cannot wait to read more, fantastic start!

I am glad that the story is attention grabbing and that you have enjoyed the chapters posted so far! Magic is definitely an integral part to this fic which will be far more evident as the story progresses. Creating the lore, theory, and practice of magic in this fic is definitely one of the more rewarding aspects of creating and writing this fic. I hope you enjoy where this part of the plot leads.

In some ways, things are looking up for our girls, but there are definitely going to be challenges that Tara and Willow will have to face alone as well as together. It will not always be sunshine and rainbows, but the sweetness that results from these difficult situations and moments will definitely be worth it. Thank you so much for commenting! I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

CK_Mako

I love how you posted the two back stories then the current time line all at once. It gives a reader a bit more information to start. With that said, I will break this down by chapter.

Chapter 1:

It is a wonder spin on how the Maclay name belongs to Tara's mother's side of the family. You made that known easily in your writing. The first interaction between Tara and her aunt was beautiful written. The magical elements were a great touch. Cannot wait to see where you take that part of the story.

I really like the last name Maclay, and I cannot imagine Tara having a different last name. I am glad that the fact that Maclay is Tara's Mother's maiden name came across in the chapter. I really do not want to have to do any retconning in this fic if I don't have to. Magic is definitely integral to the story, and for me, is one of the more interesting parts to write. Magic is definitely one of the ways in which Tara and Willow bond. I want to make sure that Willow learns it properly in this fic so that the issues that arose in the show have no chance of appearing here.

Chapter 2:

It is always great to see Ira show up, considering he was only ever mentioned (Canon). The relationship between him and Willow is a nice touch. And a needed balance for Willow with how Sheila treats her.

I honestly think that Willow would have been far different in the show had her parents been around. That said, Ira is definitely needed to counterbalance Sheila. I do feel bad that Willow has to experience such horrid things due to her mother, but I felt that having Tara go through such horrible things while Willow is relatively unharmed would have made it difficult for them to connect on a deeper level. I think that Tara will be more willing to eventually open up when she truly sees and begins to understand that Willow has her own baggage that she needs to deal with.

Chapter 3:

Nice nod to the Wicca meetings from Canon and the girls bumping into one another. Sweet interactions post Pagan meeting between them. It'll be fun to see how their interactions go as this progresses.

Tara and Willow first meeting at the Wicca club meetings is definitely one of my favorite aspects of their story in the show. "Hush" Is still one of my top 3 episodes, so I thought it would be cute to pay tribute to it here. Their interactions will definitely be interesting, if not sometimes difficult, as the story progresses! Thanks for the feedback! I hope you enjoy the next chapter.








Title: The Dark Chronicles of Willow and Tara - How Love Saved the World

Author: Bellalocke

Description: Frustration abounds as Willow struggles to re-connect with Tara.

Rating: This Chapter is rated R for Strong Language.

Ownership: Please do not cross-post this story without talking to me first.

Note: Tara, Willow, and other characters associated with BTVS belong to Joss, ME, and all other affiliates. Please don't sue me I am a poor IT contractor.

spoilers: Aside from some dialogue here and there, none whatsoever. This fic is completely AU

Feedback: Always welcome and encouraged.

Author Note: Chance, a fellow kitten, is my beta as well as my sensitivity reader. This story would not have been possible without him. Not only did he help me navigate the delicate elements of this story whilst not being triggering, but he also inspired me and helped me make this fic what it is. I owe you everything, brother.

Thoughts are in italics

As Always, I will try to be true to Willow and Tara.

Now onto the good stuff!

Chapter 4

Rosenberg, how could you be such an idiot? Spend the day with the loveliest woman you ever met, talk to her about magic, tell her your insane story about how you started practicing magic, and you couldn’t think to ask her for her phone number? You are a world-class idiot! It’s not like you are just going to run into her again! Think think think….

Willow took a moment to clear her mind. Who would know how to help here? Immediately, her mind went to her Resident Advisor, Sarah. Looking at her desk clock, Willow saw that it was 8:30 pm.

I hope she doesn’t go to bed early.

Willow opened the door to her room and headed to Sarah’s room. She was relieved to see that the RA’s door was open. Knocking on the door to announce her presence, Willow waited until Sarah looked up from her desk and waved her in.

“Willow, right?” Sarah turned from her desk to face the redhead. “How can I help?”

Willow shifted on the balls of her feet. “I was hoping you could tell me if there is a way to contact a fellow student or be able to find out what dorm they are in?”

Sarah nodded. “Normally I would tell you to reference the Student Directory for their phone number if the need is immediate, but the updated physical directory will not come out for another week, and the school site that hosts it has been down for the last three days.”

“Guess I will have to wait until the website is back up. Thanks for the information.”

“Anytime,” Sarah said. “Have a good night.”

Willow nodded before turning to leave the RA’s room and heading back to her own.
After the redhead entered her room and shut the door, she went over to her desk and grabbed her laptop.

Couldn’t hurt to check the website.

Willow opened her laptop and logged into her computer. It took her a moment to navigate the student portal on the school’s intranet website. Within a few moments, she found the link to the student directory. Once she clicked on the link, she found herself looking at an Error 500 screen.

What the frilly heck is this? Some dumbass doesn’t know how to maintain or fix the server hosting the information…

Willow closed the lid to her laptop, rose out of bed, and placed her computer on her desk. Resigning herself to having to wait either a week until the physical edition when the Student Directory came out, or until someone got the website working, she would have to rely on luck to run into Tara again.

She reached into the trunk that she had yet to unpack and grabbed an oversized Winnie the Pooh t-shirt, comfy black cotton shorts, and a cute pair of underwear with rainbows and unicorns. She grabbed her shower kit and put on some slides before heading to the communal bathroom for her nightly shower. As she was walking down the hall, she heard one of her floormates talking about her favorite positions in the Kama Sutra. Willow drew closer to the room that the voice was coming through only to see a petite girl with light brown hair that curled around her face and another girl, presumably her roommate, who looked absolutely mortified.

As Willow passed the room, the girl with light brown hair called out to Willow. The redhead stood stock still before turning and facing the door.

“Hi,” the petite girl said. “My name is Anya. I like orgasms, money, and making new friends. I hear that redheads make for passionate lovers. So, tell me, what is your favorite position in the Kama Sutra?”

For the first time in her life, Willow was rendered completely speechless.

“Oh, you must not know what it is. Here, you can borrow my copy.”

Willow blushed and shook her head as she fled down the hall to the bathroom.

“Oh well, her loss.”

***

The next two days crawled by for Willow. Even though she had a Calculus, Psychology, and a Women’s Studies class on Tuesday, she still managed to check the Student Directory page frequently throughout the day. The redhead also found herself daydreaming about Tara any time that she had a moment to spare. Any time that the redhead was out and about on campus or in the Student Union building, she found herself scanning the common spaces for the azure-eyed goddess that occupied a lot of her thoughts. By Wednesday evening, Willow had all but given up on the Student Directory page ever being fixed. Before going to bed, Willow gathered a fresh set of bedclothes and her shower kit before making her way to the bathroom. The witch once again heard Anya’s voice float down the hall. Willow began to sprint down the hall, hoping to avoid the brown-haired girl. As she approached Anya’s room, she felt her legs halt when she heard Tara’s name.

“I met this absolute sweetheart of a girl in my Art History class,” Anya said. “Her name is Tara. She has these lovely blue eyes and blonde hair that I would absolutely kill for.”

Willow almost didn’t believe what she was hearing.

There is no way she is talking about the same Tara. There must be dozens of blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls on campus named Tara…

“She was nice enough to let me borrow a pencil when I had forgotten my own,” Anya continued. “Too bad I like penis way too much. She certainly is a catch! The only thing that is strange is that she does not like to be touched. I tried to give her a hug as thanks for letting me borrow her pencil and she jumped back. I’ve never seen anyone do that. ”

Willow shook her head. She would not let herself believe that Anya had a class with the same Tara. Coincidences like that didn’t happen. Willow walked by Anya’s door and was thankful that she was not stopped once again.

After her nightly shower, Willow headed back to her room. The clock on her desk read 8:00 pm. The redhead decided that she needed a distraction from her frustration with not being able to access the student directory. Willow hung her shower kit in its customary place in her closet and threw her towel in her hamper. Turning around, she crossed the room and picked up her cello and bow from their stand. Sitting down on the bench, the witch made sure that she was sitting in the proper posture. She cradled the neck of the cello into her shoulder. Willow thought about what song she would play. After a moment, the redhead decided to play one of her favorite songs: Yesterday by the Beatles. She closed her eyes and began to move the bow across the strings as her hands moved with practiced delicate precision. The music flowed through her body and relaxed her overactive mind. When the song was done, she moved on to playing a cello cover of Beauty and the Beast. The witch continued to play her favorite songs that she knew by heart through years of practice. Before she knew it, the clock read 10:00 pm. Knowing that her classes started early, Willow placed her cello and bow on their stand before moving to her bed. She crawled under the covers and laid her head on her pillow; the redhead’s mind went back to Monday and the time that she spent with Tara. The witch fell asleep as images of the time spent in the coffee shop passed before her eyes.

***

Friday morning greeted Tara far too early. The blonde witch sat up in her bed for a moment before crawling out from under her star and moon sheets. When she placed her feet on the floor, she was grateful that she had decided to put an area rug on the floor underneath her bed. Tara stood up from her bed and rolled her shoulders and neck, stretching out the last vestiges of sleep. Walking over to her desk, Tara sat down and turned on her computer. Bringing up a new tab in her web browser, she navigated to the web page that she had been checking every day – the electronic Student Directory. As the page loaded, Tara’s face lit up as she saw that the web page finally loaded. Doing a search for Willow Rosenberg, she finally found the redhead’s phone number as well as her dorm address. The clock on her desk read 7:30 am.

As excited as the witch was to finally reach out to her new friend, it was way too early for her to call. Getting up from her desk, Tara walked over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of clean underwear, socks, and a bra. The witch turned to her closet and took a moment to decide what she was going to wear that day. After looking at what clean clothes she had available, the blonde chose a sapphire blue long skirt and a black chemise top. With her outfit of the day complete, Tara dressed quickly before grabbing her Doc Martens and sitting on the bed to lace them up. Reaching over to her bedside table, she grabbed her wallet and keys. Rising from her bed once again, the witch crossed the room and headed out her door.

Tara smiled as she walked out of her dorm and headed to the nearest coffee shop. Ever since Willow introduced her to the wonders of mochas, she made it part of her daily morning routine to stop by the coffee shop and order a cup, as well as a blueberry muffin. While she waited for her order to be ready, Tara thought about the redhead and was quite surprised that she had not run into her in a coffee shop. Once she received her coffee and muffin, Tara headed back to her dorm. Since her one class, today did not start until the late afternoon, she decided that she would draw in her sketchbook to pass the time.

Once her clock read 9:00 am, Tara decided that it was late enough in the morning that she could give Willow a call and see if the witch had plans for the weekend. She picked up the phone and dialed the redhead’s number. Tara was shocked when she received a message stating that the phones in the McLean dorm were down for maintenance and repair. The message did not indicate when the issue would be fixed.

For Goddess’ sake! It’s like the universe does not want me to see her… Ok, Maclay, time to be brave. After class tonight, you are going to her dorm to say ‘hello’ and see if she has plans. She is your friend and she will not have any issues with you stopping by.

Tara rose from her desk, grabbed her bookbag, and headed out the door. As she headed to the library, she hoped that she would be able to get all her reading and assignments done before 12:30 pm so that her weekend would be free. As she entered the library, Tara headed to a quiet corner of the building and sat down at a long table. She pulled out her books and notepad and began to complete her reading assignments.

Time passed quickly, and Tara was surprised when her alarm went off indicating that it was time to leave for her therapy appointment. The witch hastily packed up her belongings and headed out of the library. She walked to the nearest bus stop and waited for her transportation to her therapy appointment. At 1:00 pm on the dot, the bus finally showed up. Tara entered the bus and paid her fare before making her way to the back of the vehicle and was relieved to see that the section was completely empty. She sat back and relaxed as the bus headed across town.

***

Tara arrived at the office where her therapist, Cyndi, had taken up residence for most of her career. As she walked into the building, Tara noticed that she was a few minutes early. After checking in at the front desk, Tara sat down in the waiting room and began to think about what she wanted to talk about today. As happy as she had been to meet Willow, Tara certainly still had reservations about meeting new people, never mind forming friendships or getting close with them. Yet, for all her fears, Tara really wanted to know Willow. The energy between them was almost magnetic, and the witch could not help but feel that there was something deeper. The need to connect with the redhead was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Tara knew that she needed to work on how to navigate this experience in the hopes that she would not pull back out of fear or remorse.

The blonde witch was pulled out of her reverie when Cyndi opened the door and beckoned Tara back to her office. She rose from her chair, grabbed her bag, and headed towards the door to the back of the office. After following Cyndi for a minute, the pair finally arrived at the counselor’s office. Tara stepped in and immediately relaxed now that she was surrounded by bookcases filled with an eclectic assortment of books, a couch to her left that was draped in colorful blankets, and an overstuffed chair with colorful and soft plush pillows was located in front of her. Tara placed her backpack by the door, moved towards the chair, and took up her customary spot on the chair. She hugged a pillow to her chest as she sat cross-legged. Cyndi sat down in another squishy armchair and waited for the younger witch to meet her gaze.

“Ok, Tara. Are you ready to begin?”

Tara nodded as she met Cyndi’s eyes. She took a deep breath and cleared her mind. The elder witch looked at her client and gave her an intense look for half a minute. Tara felt the surge of magic over her as her therapist read her aura.
Tara had been frightened by this the first time she experienced it until her mother explained that Cyndi was reading her aura. Since that first session, Tara had come to understand that having her aura read allowed the counselor to determine the best approach when conversing about whatever topics the blonde wanted to talk about.

As Cyndi’s stare softened and her sight returned, she smiled.

“W-What does it look like today?”

“The normal Green and blue,” Cyndi smiled. “But you have touches of yellow swirling about.”

Tara smiled inwardly. Looks like she is already rubbing off on me.

“Do you want to tell me about them?” Cyndi posed her question carefully. She had not been entirely honest about everything that she had seen when she read Tara’s aura. Aside from the new addition of yellow to the young witch’s aura, she also saw the cord of energy that emanated from her heart. That wonderful pool of red showed a cord that had begun to grow from a thin whisp to a fine thread. In an instant, Cyndi knew that Tara had finally met her soulmate.

Tara recounted the afternoon that she had spent with Willow after the fated Pagan meeting. How excited she was to have finally met another witch who was kind and so funny that she made her laugh until her stomach hurt. Tara decided to leave out the story that Willow had told her about the beginning of her foray into magic. As she recalled the walk home, Tara frowned.

“I f-feel like the universe doesn’t want me to s-see her.”

“Why is that?”

Tara sighed. “First I t-think we were so hyper and excited off the mochas and each other’s company that we f-forgot to exchange phone numbers. Then the w-website with the S-Student Directory was down for most of the week. And n-now that I finally have her phone number, the phones at M-McLean are apparently broken and down for m-maintenance. I think this is a case of too many coincidences. I had p-plans to go and visit her after my afternoon c-class, but now I am afraid…”

“Talk to me about your fear, Tara.” Cyndi urged the young witch to continue. “Tell me what it feels like.”

Tara took a deep breath trying to center herself. “It f-feels enormous. I have so m-m-many questions that are running through my m-mind, and as much as I try to calm them, t-they keep running around. What if she d-doesn’t like m-me or thinks the meeting was a m-mistake? W-What if she didn’t g-give me her number on p-purpose? W-What if she has a problem with me just s-showing up at her dorm?”

Tears began to spill down Tara’s face. “S-S-She is the first one, Cyndi. The first p-person I have ever met on my own who I t-thought becoming f-friends with was a possibility. Her name is Willow, and s-she feels so comfortable, l-like a well-worn pair of jeans or a favorite sweater. And I n-need to know her. I have never felt a p-pull like this; it’s like my heart is c-calling out to hers. I don’t know what it means, and it scares m-me, but I don’t want to be s-scared. I want her to know e-everything.”

“Everything?” Cyndi queried.

Tara nodded. “E-Everything. I w-want to take it s-slow because I need to know that I can trust her completely, b-but I feel like I can trust her. Having her know would be such a r-relief. I know that is not fair. S-She may not want to know, but even having the feeling that I could share that with her means enough and tells me all that I need t-to know.”

“That is a good goal,” Cyndi nodded. “So, tell me where you want to start. What would you like to work on?”

“As s-silly as it sounds, I want to w-work on not feeling so anxious about sharing t-things.”

A soft smile appeared on Cyndi’s face. “That is not silly at all. Given everything, it makes perfect sense. Tell me, have you been playing your piano or guitar lately to help with things?”

Tara shook her head. “Things have been r-really busy lately. I really should make some t-time since it has always h-helped me center myself and channel the emotions that often f-feel out of control.”

Tara continued her session with Cyndi discussing other steps that the young witch could take to feel more comfortable with herself, as well as Willow. The remainder of the hour passed quickly for both witches as normal. Rising from the chair, Tara grabbed her bag and opened the door.

“Cyndi,” Tara turned towards her counselor as she stepped out into the hallway. “T-Thanks. I feel much better about s-seeing Willow tonight.”

The younger witch flashed Cyndi a half-smile before walking down the hall and out of the building.

***

Tara glanced down at her watch for what felt like the millionth time during her Precalculus class. Normally she would be paying close attention to the professor while furiously writing notes. Tonight, she could not concentrate despite her best efforts.

For the life of me, I will never understand how I thought a three-hour math class on a Friday was a good idea. Then again, I wasn’t planning on a Willow-shaped person to just waltz right into my life and completely flip me upside down. How am I supposed to last another…only fifteen minutes? Thank Goddess! Maybe I can slip out a little early…

Tara chewed on the end of her pencil as she watched the clock on the wall. Five minutes before the class was due to end, the professor took pity on the bedraggled students with eyes that were glazed over with fatigue and dismissed the class. Tara grabbed her notebook, pencil, and bag before bolting out of the door. Running across campus, Tara struggled to shove the notebook and pencil into her bag without face planting onto the concrete. Finally, Tara stood in front of the McLean dormitory. The witch breathed a sigh of relief as she found the front doors to the dorm were unlocked and open. Thankful that she was able to avoid any awkward conversations, Tara stepped into the lobby of the dorm and headed to the women’s bathroom.

Once she was inside the bathroom, Tara took a moment to smooth out her outfit. Sitting her bag down on the counter, the blonde rummaged through it hoping that she could find a brush or comb. When she found neither, she sighed and relegated herself to just combing her fingers through her hair to try and tame it a little bit. At the very least, she had found an essential oil blend that she used to calm down as well as to smell good if it had been a particularly rough day and she could not get back to her room for some reason. Tara took the vial, opened it, and touched the end to her skin to dab some oil on her pulse points as well as a tiny amount through her hair. When the smell of cinnamon and sandalwood met her nose, Tara took a deep calming breath and smiled before packing away her things and leaving the bathroom.
Turning Left and heading down the hall to the elevator, Tara pulled out the piece of paper that had Willow’s Phone number and dorm address written on it.

509 McLean… guess we are going up to the top floor then. Goddess, I hope that she is ok with me just showing up like this...

Tara entered the lift and pressed the button to go to the fifth floor. The ride up felt like it took forever, and the confined space of the elevator seemed to become more pressing the closer the blonde came to her stop. After what felt like forever, the doors finally opened, and Tara stepped out into the hallway. Hoping that this dorm had a similar numbering system as her own, Tara turned left and started walking down the hallway. The witch smiled to herself as she realized that Willow’s room would be found at the end of the hall. Tara found it strange that the hall was so quiet, though she imagined that everyone was out celebrating the end of the first week of classes and the beginning of the weekend. The blonde hoped that she would find Willow in her room. As she neared the end of the hall, Tara slowed her approach when she saw that Willow’s door was ajar and she heard a rather unexpected sound coming from within.

***

Willow was frustrated… beyond frustrated. First, the whole business with not being able to find, contact or speak with Tara for nearly an entire week because of some idiots in charge of server maintenance not doing their job. Even once the website had come back up this morning, she couldn’t even call the other witch because the phone system was broken, and either nobody knew how to repair it, or they were just being lazy going about fixing it. The last straw for her though was Anya… Having made the mistake of leaving her door open when she got back to her room, she suddenly found herself accosted by the girl with light brown hair.

Anya strode into the room and did a turnabout to see how Willow had decorated the space. The very first thing that drew her eye was the black bench and a stand that held a musical instrument.

“What is that?” Anya asked as she moved towards the cello.

Willow moved the short distance from her desk to her cello almost instantly.

The redheaded witch crossed her arms. “Anya, you will touch nothing in here. As a matter of fact, you will be leaving right now.”

Was that really just me? I sounded so adamant like I never would have done this ever, but she is going to wreck my baby. And I have had what feels like the best and worst week ever. I just really need to not right now. Fuck! What am I doing? Ok, Rosenberg, hold your ground. Do this now and she will leave you alone forever. Just try to throw daggers with your eyes and insist that she needs to get the fuck out of your room right now because I am not dealing with it tonight.

When Anya saw the look that Willow shot her, she backed away slowly.

“Sorry,” Anya said. “I just wanted to see what it was. Can you play anything on it? Oh! Could you play me Hell’s Bells by AC/DC?”

Willow glared at the other girl. “Get.Out.of.My.Room.Right.Now! Please? Just go away.”

Anya stood still for a second before she turned around and started walking away.

After Anya left the room, Willow got up and closed the door without latching it tight. Sighing, she turned around and walked over to her cello. As she sat down and cradled the neck into her shoulder, Willow went into her own world shaped by the music she played and nothing else. This was her happy place, and she wanted to keep it that way.

She had found that she had played for quite a while until she came across Canon in D by Pachelbel. Looking over at her desk, she saw that it was already a little after 7:00. Willow decided that she would play the piece before eating food. Just as she lifted her bow to cello, Willow heard a knock at her door, followed by a soft voice.

“Anya,” Willow huffed. “For the millionth time, I’ve told you…I will not play AC/DC for you!”

Willow suddenly heard the most beautiful sound she ever heard.

I know that laugh! That’s Tara’s laugh!

Before she could even call out to the other witch, she found herself staring into the same azure eyes she had been on Monday. Next, Willow found the most amazing and beautiful lopsided grin that only ever seemed to find its way out when the blonde was around her. All the pain and misery that the week had caused the redhead suddenly melted away and a brilliant goofy grin broke out across her face.

“Tara!” Willow beamed. The redhead took a moment to extricate herself from her cello and place it and the bow on their stand before standing up and walking towards the blonde. “Please, come in.”

Tara looked at the redhead, finding the emerald gems twinkled with happiness and delight. She never expected such a warm welcome to the sudden and unannounced visit. The blonde’s eyes brightened as she continued to smile shyly at Willow. Stepping inside the room, Tara turned around and made sure to close the door until she heard it click. Turning around once again, the blonde looked around at Willow’s room. First, she noticed a bookshelf stuffed with science books, music theory books, and sheet music. Continuing her look around the room, Tara noticed posters with what looked like funny jokes that you would only get if you were really into science. She also appreciated the posters of different celestial bodies in the galaxy. There was so much more to the room, and the blonde knew that she would explore it later, but for now, her gaze happily went back to Willow.

“H-Hi.” Tara said as she looked around for a place to put down her backpack.

Noticing the witch’s quandary, Willow reached out to take Tara’s bag. The blonde handed the other witch her bag and watched her carefully place it on top of her desk chair. After placing the bag down, Willow turned around to face Tara. For a moment, the two women stood before each other with butterflies in the shape of bats taking residence in their stomachs.

I will be brave… I will be brave… I will be brave… she is safe, and I will be brave.

Tara offered the other witch a friendly wave as she looked around for a place to sit.

Willow sighed. “Why does it feel like it’s been an eternity since I last saw you? Oh! Forgive me, please take a seat on my bed. If you want? I wasn’t expecting visitors, so I don’t have much in the way of spare furniture. Would you like something to drink? Or a snack? Are you hungry? I have pudding and cookies, but I need to get apple sauce and I am out of water…”

“Willow,” Tara gently chuckled. “I am g-good for n-now.”

I am going to need to find a more effective way to stop those Willowbabbles. How does she not pass out from the lack of oxygen? But look at that? She plays the cello! I want to hear her play more.

Willow stopped babbling after she heard Tara chuckle. Catching the blonde’s gaze, the redhead noticed that Tara was eyeing her cello.

“Do you want me to play something?” Willow perked up.

“O-Oh Yes,” Tara sighed. “T-That would be wonderful.”

The Green-eyed beauty pointed to her bed and invited Tara to sit down. The blonde tentatively sat down on the bed and looked over to the redhead. Willow grinned as she sat down on the bench. She carefully grabbed her cello and cradled the neck against her shoulder before grabbing her bow.

“Any requests?”

“I w-was gonna a-ask you to play s-some AC/DC but…” Tara trailed off and started to giggle when she saw Willow pout.

“You’ve got to be…” Willow huffed. “Wait…you’re making a funny, aren’t you?”

Tara burst into laughter when she saw Willow giving her the hairy eyeball. Soon she heard Willow’s musical laugh join the melody. Any time either witch would try to calm down and stop laughing, all it would take is one look to pass between them for the humor and joy to take over them again. After several rounds of laughing fits, Tara straightened her back and took some deep calming breaths. Her eyes still danced with merriment and happiness when looking at the redhead, but she was able to control herself enough to not fall back into another giggle fit.

Willow straightened up once she saw that Tara was sitting up straight in her bed.

“I am going to get abs of steel,” Willow smiled. “All I ever seem to do when I am with you is smile and laugh, and you make me laugh so much. My stomach hurt for two days after the coffee shop; that is how hard we laughed. Anyway, since you were such a big meanie, no requests for you! Now you just have to listen to what I was going to play next!”

Tara's laughter quieted down as she watched Willow correct her posture, position her fingers and bow on the strings of the cello, and close her eyes. The blonde watched as Willow moved her fingers up and down the strings as her bow slid across and smiled as she began to recognize the song that Willow was playing. Tara sighed as she rested her chin in her hands and continued to watch the redhead play.

I could listen to her play music all day. Such grace and such passion… How long has she been playing?

She was amazed at the ease with which Willow played the song by heart. Tara looked into Willow’s eyes and decided that she loved the look that lie there.

“Canon in D minor,” Tara said quietly. “I’d never heard it on the c-cello before. That was beautiful. T-Thank you so much for playing it for m-me.”

Tara looked down, amazed that she had not only managed to express what she did, but also to say so many words and hardly stutter. Her eyes were still cast down as she heard Willow place her instrument back on its stand and stand up from her bench. She heard a few footsteps before she noticed that Willow was kneeling and trying to get her attention.

Tara looked up with a shy lopsided smile.

“There they are.”

“What?”

Willow smiled. “Those lovely blue eyes of yours.”

“Yours aren’t half b-bad either,” Tara quipped.

Willow barked out a laugh before reigning it in. “Are you hungry?”

Tara nodded as her stomach grumbled.

“An adventure to find food it is then!”

Tara felt a warmth within her chest as she stood up from Willow’s bed.

An Adventure indeed. Who are you Willow Rosenberg and what things in this wide world will we discover together?

[Dub]

“My name is Anya. I like orgasms, money, and making new friends. I hear that redheads make for passionate lovers. So, tell me, what is your favourite position in the Kama Sutra?”

Anya! They say the first impression is everything and while crass you have to admire her directness. Never minces her words. I didn't realise it was Anya until this line, I was just thinking yep that's what 18 year olds fresh into Uni talk about to seem mature. So glad it was Anya. She is a goldmine of comedy.

At 1:00 pm on the dot, the bus finally showed up. Tara entered the bus and paid her fare before making her way to the back of the vehicle and was relieved to see that the section was completely empty.

Buses that show up on time and no bellends at the back of the bus blaring out their music preferences and banging on the windows full pelt to scare pedestrians and everyone else on the bus. Once someone from the outside kicked the side of the bus. it was a mixture if terrifying because I'm on the bus and pride for retaliation. Another time a kid brought on a fallen tree branch to try and belt the back of the bus posse but it was too wide and wouldn't fit through the bars. So much anger in a tiny compact body but yet such a failure of execution. But this bus with no nonsense, this truly is a AU world. On time and Tara at the back of the bus instead, nah still hate public transport.

The elder witch looked at her client and gave her an intense look for half a minute. Tara felt the surge of magic over her as her therapist read her aura.

Ah a magical therapist. That's definitely shows Tara has all the help she needs. Its nice that she has a supportive magical community in this world instead of being ostracized for it in Canon.

I will never understand how I thought a three-hour math class on a Friday was a good idea.

It sounded convincing when you thought of it.

Hell’s Bells by AC/DC?”

So that's where the episode name comes from. Always took it as "We could really raise the beam in making marriage a hell!"

They now have the means to communicate and meet up on the regular, looks like the stage is set.

[GrimCityGirl]

Loved this update, potential musical collaboration as well as magical is exciting! And Anyas introduction is fantastic!

Glad to see Tara has regular therapy with someone who can understand the extent of her trauma, that’s really encouraging to see.

I do wonder if the gay thing will hit them both like a ton of bricks.

Excited for the next update!

[CK_Mako]

Yay! Update!

Willow opened her laptop and logged into her computer. It took her a moment to navigate the student portal on the school’s intranet website. Within a few moments, she found the link to the student directory. Once she clicked on the link, she found herself looking at an Error 500 screen.

Error screens will always be the death of me. I cannot stand them popping up when I am looking for a site. I am surprised Willow did not hack in and fix it herself.

“Hi,” the petite girl said. “My name is Anya. I like orgasms, money, and making new friends. I hear that redheads make for passionate lovers. So, tell me, what is your favorite position in the Kama Sutra?”

For the first time in her life, Willow was rendered completely speechless.

“Oh, you must not know what it is. Here, you can borrow my copy.”

Willow blushed and shook her head as she fled down the hall to the bathroom.

“Oh well, her loss.”

Anya continued. “Too bad I like penis way too much.

Oh Anya.

She picked up the phone and dialed the redhead’s number. Tara was shocked when she received a message stating that the phones in the McLean dorm were down for maintenance and repair. The message did not indicate when the issue would be fixed.

Oh no. The tech issues at the University is not doing too well.

Tara continued her session with Cyndi discussing other steps that the young witch could take to feel more comfortable with herself, as well as Willow. The remainder of the hour passed quickly for both witches as normal. Rising from the chair, Tara grabbed her bag and opened the door.

Cyndi is a great addition to the story to assist with the healing process for Tara.

“Any requests?”

“I w-was gonna a-ask you to play s-some AC/DC but…” Tara trailed off and started to giggle when she saw Willow pout.

“You’ve got to be…” Willow huffed. “Wait…you’re making a funny, aren’t you?”

I can picture early seasons Willow's face when she realizes something in this scene.

Tara looked down, amazed that she had not only managed to express what she did, but also to say so many words and hardly stutter. Her eyes were still cast down as she heard Willow place her instrument back on its stand and stand up from her bench. She heard a few footsteps before she noticed that Willow was kneeling and trying to get her attention.

Tara looked up with a shy lopsided smile.

“There they are.”

“What?”

Willow smiled. “Those lovely blue eyes of yours.”

“Yours aren’t half b-bad either,” Tara quipped.

Very bold, Willow.


Overall, great update. Always love to see more interactions between the girls, but also refreshing to see their individual lives.

[Bellalocke]

Thank you so much for reading the chapter and taking time to comment, Kittens! So Feedback first, and then another update.

Dub

Anya! They say the first impression is everything and while crass you have to admire her directness. Never minces her words. I didn't realise it was Anya until this line, I was just thinking yep that's what 18 year olds fresh into Uni talk about to seem mature. So glad it was Anya. She is a goldmine of comedy.

Anya is one of my favorite characters on the show because she is so literal and straightforward. She is not afraid to call it as she sees it, which makes for comedy gold. I always wondered what she would be like in a college setting which is part of the reason why I decided to include her in this fic. I hope that I am able to do her justice in the chapters where she appears.

Buses that show up on time and no bellends at the back of the bus blaring out their music preferences and banging on the windows full pelt to scare pedestrians and everyone else on the bus. Once someone from the outside kicked the side of the bus. it was a mixture if terrifying because I'm on the bus and pride for retaliation. Another time a kid brought on a fallen tree branch to try and belt the back of the bus posse but it was too wide and wouldn't fit through the bars. So much anger in a tiny compact body but yet such a failure of execution. But this bus with no nonsense, this truly is a AU world. On time and Tara at the back of the bus instead, nah still hate public transport.

Public transport is never fun no matter how nice it can be. I have never been to the UK, but based on your comment, I definitely think that I will avoid public transit if at all possible.

Ah a magical therapist. That's definitely shows Tara has all the help she needs. Its nice that she has a supportive magical community in this world instead of being ostracized for it in Canon.

Tara is dealing with enough that I did not feel piling on the angst of not having a supportive magical community was really not needed. I also figured that having a witch for a therapist would benefit her the most because then she would not have to lie and 'act normal' about any aspect of her life. The trauma that she has been through has her hiding enough; going so far as making her hide her magical talents is just a step too far.

It sounded convincing when you thought of it.

Tara definitely thought it would be good to get math as a one and done so far as classes are concerned. If she really wanted to torture herself, she would have taken math during a summer session, but she has not thought of that yet.

So that's where the episode name comes from. Always took it as "We could really raise the beam in making marriage a hell!"

They now have the means to communicate and meet up on the regular, looks like the stage is set.

Yeah, Hell's Bells is a famous AC/DC song if you are of a particular age. Funny how I am unintentionally dropping nods to canon without meaning to.
Both girls are finally on good ground to get this friendship off of the ground. Hopefully, you are happy with the next chapter. Thanks for reading and for the thoughtful feedback!

GrimCityGirl

Loved this update, potential musical collaboration as well as magical is exciting!

When I originally started rolling this fic around in my head, I thought about how awesome it would be to have a fic where Tara and Willow are not only powerful and talented witches but also musically inclined. I call it the M&M effect. You will definitely see them collaborate so far as music is concerned. I will go so far as to say that I am working on a playlist of all the music that I will be mentioning in the fic. I will also be linking the individual songs in the fic itself in the hope that people will listen to the songs as they read the fic. I say this because the music is chosen with purpose and I try to make it so that it really speaks to the moment they are in. I sincerely hope that you enjoy this aspect of the story

And Anyas introduction is fantastic!

I am really happy that you like my version of Anya. She will definitely provide some much needed levity when needed. I hope that I continue to do her justice in the chapters where she appears.

Glad to see Tara has regular therapy with someone who can understand the extent of her trauma, that’s really encouraging to see.

I believe in the power of therapy, in general. With Tara, I believe that it is absolutely essential. Combined with other events and actions, which you will see as the fic goes on, therapy will help with her healing process as well as give her the presence of mind to push herself when a situation calls for it. I am not going to involve all the minutiae that comes with therapy, but the big "important" moments will definitely be included because I think it is important to understand Tara's thought process on certain aspects of her relationship with Willow, other people in her life, and the world.

I do wonder if the gay thing will hit them both like a ton of bricks.

Neither Willow nor Tara are going to come out to each other for a while yet. They want to have a solid foundation for their friendship that does not revolve around their sexuality. Plus, both of them feel that bringing up the topic with come with questions that will make them uncomfortable, albeit for different reasons, and need to know and trust each other a bit more before the topic is broached. That said, when they do come out to each other, it is going to be a happy event where no bricks are involved.

Excited for the next update!

I hope you enjoy the next chapter and that our girls continue to surprise you. Thanks for reading and taking the time to leave feedback!

CK_Mako

:applause Yay! Update!

I am always pleased to see an excited and captive reader. Hopefully the enthusiasm continues as the story goes on

Error screens will always be the death of me. I cannot stand them popping up when I am looking for a site. I am surprised Willow did not hack in and fix it herself.

Let's chalk it up to her computer equipment still in transit and her not thinking clearly due to a certain blonde

Oh Anya.

Sad thing is, I came up with that sequence somewhat off the cuff. I just thought it appropriate that Willow's first exposure to Anya be one where she is rendered speechless. That will definitely make her more memorable in Willow's mind, which will make for more interesting interactions later.

Oh no. The tech issues at the University is not doing too well.

I kind of imagined that all the upgrades to the computer and phone systems that were supposed to take place over break got delayed somehow and so now both Tara and Willow are having to suffer the consequences. Thankfully, means of communication will soon no longer be an issue.

Cyndi is a great addition to the story to assist with the healing process for Tara.

As I stated before, I am a huge believer in therapy. The fact that Cyndi is a witch and a powerful Aura Reader on top of being a licensed therapist, means that Tara is receiving the best possible care that she can. Given what she has been through, Cyndi has an integral role in Tara's healing process, even though most of it takes place in the background. Tara will eventually learn something that is going to make her trust and respect Cyndi even more, but that is quite a bit down the road

:rofl I can picture early seasons Willow's face when she realizes something in this scene.

I kind of imagine Willow in this fic to be a mix of season two and season three in canon. She is still very much figuring things out and working on gaining self confidence and finding ways in which to love herself. She very much has her own story even if it is not as readily apparent is Tara's is. More chapters will bring more light to this

Very bold, Willow.

Freudian slip, perhaps? I would say that both Tara and Willow were unusually bold in that interaction, but I think that it is something they bring out in each other. After all, right now they are just looking at one another as friends, so it doesn't have the implications that it normally would. That said, subtext is fun

Overall, great update. Always love to see more interactions between the girls, but also refreshing to see their individual lives.

There will be a fair bit of moments later in the fic that do not involve only Tara and Willow. I want this Universe to feel fleshed out and alive. To me, that means having interactions with other characters and not making it solely about them. Everyone has a part to play.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and leave feedback! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

UPDATE BELOW

[Bellalocke]

Title: The Dark Chronicles of Willow and Tara - How Love Saved the World

Author: Bellalocke

Description: After a long week, Tara and Willow finally hang out and spend some time together.

Rating: This Chapter is rated PG-13 for shenanigans

Ownership: Please do not cross-post this story without talking to me first.

Note: Tara, Willow, and other characters associated with BTVS belong to Joss, ME, and all other affiliates. Please don't sue me I am a poor IT contractor.

Spoilers: Aside from some dialogue here and there, none whatsoever. This fic is completely AU

Feedback: Always welcome and encouraged.

Author Note: Chance, a fellow kitten, is my beta as well as my sensitivity reader. This story would not have been possible without him. Not only did he help me navigate the delicate elements of this story whilst not being triggering, but he also inspired me and helped me make this fic what it is. I owe you everything, brother.

Author Note 2: A song will be linked in this chapter. I encourage to you give it a listen. From this point on, music will play an important part in certain chapters. Plus, it is just plain old fun!

Thoughts are in italics

As Always, I will try to be true to Willow and Tara.

Now onto the good stuff!

Chapter 5

"Do you want to leave your bag here or take it with you?" Willow asked as she looked at the taller girl.

"I would like to keep it h-here," Tara answered. "I've been schlepping that thing around all d-day and my back needs a b-break."

The redhead grabbed her wallet and keys. When Tara made a move to grab her wallet, Willow shook her head.

“Dinner is on me tonight.”

Tara went to protest but knew that it would fall on deaf ears when she saw the iron resolve on Willow’s face.

“I see you recognize my resolve face,” Willow chuckled. “You are learning fast.”

“S-Since you are b-buying dinner, I get to choose where we go.”

Willow’s face paled for a second as she tried to think about how much money she had in her account while she was waiting for the rest of her funds to transfer over and become available.

Tara gave the emerald-eyed witch a lopsided smile. “Don’t worry, I know two good places that are close, open late, and most importantly, not expensive. Do you like Thai or Indian food?”

“Hmmm…” Willow pondered. “I’ve never had Thai, and I am feeling adventurous, so why don’t we try that?”

“Sounds g-good. Why don’t we head out? L-Lunch was a long time ago for me.”

Willow nodded as she opened the door and allowed Tara out first before stepping out into the hallway. After double-checking that she had her wallet, the redhead locked up her room and headed down the corridor with Tara. After taking the lift down to the ground floor, both witches exited the dorm.

“The restaurant is close to the café we h-hung out at on Monday,” Tara said. “Do you r-remember the way?”

Willow nodded and turned left as soon as they came to the sidewalk outside of McLean. Both girls spent the fifteen-minute walk in companionable silence until they reached the restaurant. The redhead noted that the place looked like a hole-in-the-wall restaurant; one that you wouldn’t notice unless you knew where to look. Standing outside the restaurant, Tara turned towards Willow.

“Do you t-trust me to order for us b-both?”

“Of course,” Willow smiled.

Tara’s face brightened. “Any f-food allergies or things you don’t l-like?”

Willow shook her head and entered the restaurant first as Tara held the door open for her.

“Are you ok eating h-here?”

“Yes.” Willow looked around. “This place seems awesome.”

The restaurant was small, with only a few booths and some tables available, but it felt warm and inviting. A young man approached the pair and led them to one of the two window booths in the restaurant. As Tara ordered food for them, Willow looked at the walls around them and noticed that they were covered in pictures that were taken in Thailand. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw a large, framed picture of several elephants and their caretakers. Noting the name of the sanctuary, Willow mentally added it to her bucket list of places she wanted to visit someday.

Willow turned her attention back to Tara who was smiling as she watched the redhead take in the atmosphere and pictures that lined the walls. The waiter returned in short order and placed two glasses in front of both women as well as a large pitcher between the two of them. Looking at the table, Willow saw that the pitcher contained what looked like lemonade.

Willow quirked an eyebrow.

“Thai limeade. It is one of my favorite drinks. I h-hope you like it.”

The redheaded witch took a sip and a look of delight crossed her face. “Very delicious and dangerously addictive.”

Willow looked into Tara’s blue eyes and let out an inward sigh.

I am so happy to be here with her. This last week was absolute murder, but at least I won’t have to worry about not seeing her again or being able to contact her. I wonder if she is getting more comfortable with me? Even though that stutter of hers is completely endearing, I want her to be comfortable with me. I want to be her best friend, and I hope she will be mine.

Across the table, Tara was similarly lost in her thoughts as she looked into the shining green eyes of the woman she was quickly coming to regard as a friend.

Willow is so open and trusting. She even let me order food for us not knowing what I would choose. How does she do that? I wish that I was more comfortable with her. Trusting people is still so hard, and I wish that it wasn’t, but I want to trust her. I will learn to trust her. I meant it when I told Cyndi that Willow feels comfortable, like a well-worn pair of jeans or a favorite sweater. Why is this so hard? We hardly know each other, and yet being here with her feels like coming home to an old friend. I hope that feeling never goes away. I will learn to trust her no matter how hard I have to work or how scary it feels.

Both women continued to gaze at each other for a moment before Willow broke the silence with a smile.

“What are you majoring in?”

Tara took a sip of her limeade before answering. “F-Fine Art. S-Someday, I hope to work in an m-museum and help r-restore paintings. W-What about you?”

“Astronomy,” Willow answered. “I am not sure if I want to specialize in Observational Astronomy or Astrophysics, but I have plenty of time to decide that. Have you always been into art?”

“To one d-degree or another. W-Watching my mom work for The M-Modern Art Oxford museum as a curator really s-sparked my interest in working in the field albeit in a d-different way.”

Willow looked up as the server arrived with a tray that had several different dishes. As he laid them out on the table, her mouth began to water as a variety of aromas infused her senses.

Tara smiled softly as she watched the other witch’s eyes go wide with all the food being laid out on the table.

“I-I thought we could share dishes. Is that o-ok?”

“Hell yes!” Willow cheered. “I love variety, and all of this looks delicious. Though I hope you don’t expect us to eat all of this?”

Tara laughed. “Even on my w-worst days, when I am the b-biggest chowhound you will ever s-see, there is no way I could eat even h-half of this. Thai food keeps well t-though and isn't bad when you r-reheat it, so I f-figured it would be ok to g-get a few dishes.”

After Willow nodded, Tara started pointing out the different dishes. A noodle dish that she called Pad Thai, Pineapple fried rice which was served in a carved out half pineapple, Thai green curry, and Mango sticky rice for dessert. The two women spooned out portions of the different dishes while helping one another when a given dish was too far away.
“The green c-curry is the only dish here that has some k-kick to it. I m-made sure to tell them to only make it medium s-spicy.”

“I like my food with a little kick to it.”

Tara smiled, pleased with the fact that Willow seemed very happy with the food that she had ordered as well as the fact that she liked spicy food.

Willow took a bite of the green curry. “My gods! This is amazing.”

Tara chewed on some of the Pad Thai making sure to not let any of the noodles or sauce fall on her shirt. “I am so glad you l-like it. Green c-curry is one of my favorite dishes. M-Maybe next time we can get it with t-tiger prawns?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

Willow tried a bite of the Pineapple fried rice and was surprised that the dish had a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors. Both women continued to eat all the dishes before them and simply enjoyed the company of one another. Conversation flowed freely between them as they took their time eating.

“How l-long have you been playing the c-cello?”

Willow wiped her mouth with her napkin and placed her fork down on her plate.

“My father signed me up for lessons when I was seven. Especially once I expressed no interest in sports or dancing.”

Tara smiled and nodded, encouraging the other witch to continue.

“The first year that I was learning was really hard. I felt so discouraged, but then I started to get better. Playing the cello became my happy and safe place, especially as I grew older. My teacher told me that I had a lot of talent and that I could play professionally if I kept up with practicing. Dad attended all of my recitals and was so proud of me.”

“W-What about your m-mom?” Tara asked.

Willow frowned. “Mom wasn’t around a lot. I don’t know that she has ever heard me play…”
Tara felt sad that the other witch did not have a good relationship with her mother. She could not imagine her mom not being there for her despite the years they were forced to spend apart.

“You are r-really g-good at playing the cello. Is there a r-reason you chose to not p-pursue it professionally?”
“Music, more specifically playing the cello, has always been a refuge for me. Especially when I am feeling things that I cannot express with words. I didn’t want to make a career of it for fear that I would no longer be able to do that. Plus, aside from playing the cello, I have always had a love for science.”

Tara grinned. “S-Same, though in a different w-way. A lot of p-people don’t realize how much science goes into the r-restoration and conservation of artwork. A l-lot of analysis goes into the m-mediums that artists used to c-create their w-works of art. M-Most of the analysis r-requires use of t-technology as well as knowledge of the c-chemistry of the paints that artists use. I feel like art r-restoration bridges the g-gap between art and s-science.”

Willow was thoroughly fascinated as continued to listen to Tara talking about the conservation of Art and what kind of education she would need to get into art restoration.

“You are really smart and must be hardworking to want to learn the skills necessary to do such important work. I said before that I am trying to decide between astronomy and theoretical physics. A big part of me wants to go into Astrophysics because it is multidisciplinary and requires a lot of knowledge of different kinds of science; it most certainly provides a challenge, though what you have to learn sounds much more difficult.”

Tara dipped her head as she gave Willow a shy lopsided smile. She was not used to receiving compliments like this. She had never had such an in-depth conversation about what she hoped to do with her life aside from her mother. Tara remembered a conversation she had with her mother about what she wanted to do with her life. The blonde had been so unsure whether she was smart enough to learn what would be needed to do so. Her mother encouraged her to follow her passion and heart. She also assured her daughter that she was indeed smart enough to learn all that she needed to know to pursue the path of art restoration. The witch was surprised when she saw Willow trying to meet her eyes.

“You really are, you know? Smart enough, that is. Plus, we can be study buddies for Chemistry if you want?”

Tara met Willow's gaze. A slight blush crept up her cheeks as she smiled. "I w-would like that."

“Oh! I meant to ask do you play any instruments?”

Tara swallowed her sip of limeade. “I p-play both the piano and the g-guitar. M-Music is my s-safe s-space too.”

Willow clapped her hands excitedly. “I would love to hear you play sometime. That is if you feel comfortable doing so. I usually don’t play for anyone, but I really enjoyed playing for you, and I think it would be awesome to hear you play songs that you really enjoy. What kind of music do you like? Can I make a playlist for you? Music is kind of a big deal for me and I have always wanted to bond with someone over it. Oh, look at me, babbling again… Why do I babble? This is so
awkward. I really need to stop…”

A Mona Lisa smile crept up on Tara’s face as she started to giggle. Willow stopped babbling immediately, her face flush with embarrassment.

“I’m not r-really that g-good, but if you really want to h-hear me play, I will for y-you. I think it w-would be cool if you made a p-playlist for me too. Do you w-want me to m-make you one too?”

Willow flashed the blonde a brilliant smile as a rosy glow settled on her cheeks. “I would love for you to share music that you love.”

When both women had finished eating the mango with sticky rice and polished off the limeade, the waiter came over and removed the plates explaining that he would package up the leftovers and bring them back along with the check. The waiter returned a few minutes later. When the young man handed her the check, Willow was surprised at how low it was given the amount of food they had ordered. She made sure to leave a good tip for the waiter and promised that she would most definitely be returning.

The walk back to Willow’s dorm was spent in comfortable silence. Neither witch seemed to be lost in thought but simply happy to be in presence of the other. Willow was sad to see the evening end once they reached her dorm. Looking at Tara as she stood in the middle of her room, the redhead steeled herself to ask what she considered to be an important question.

Willow took a moment to figure out how to preface her question.

“Tara, I have a question that may seem small and silly, but it is important for me to know. Can I consider you my friend? I mean… are we friends?”

The green-eyed witch looked up at the taller girl, eyes full of hope.

Tara gave Willow a lopsided grin. “I enjoy y-your c-company, Willow. S-So yes, I s-see us as f-friends.”

Willow smiled back at Tara. She struggled to refrain from hugging the other girl sensing that personal space was a must for the blonde.

“Can I walk you back to your dorm?”

As Tara nodded, Willow took the other woman’s backpack and slung it over her shoulders. The walk across campus was once again silent; both women reeling from the knowledge that they had made a new friend. When they had reached Harley dormitory, Tara turned towards Willow.

“W-Well, this is m-me.”

Be brave, Tara. You can be brave. If you want to really be friends with her, you need to let her in, if only a little bit.

Willow noticed that the blonde seemed to be a little lost in thought.

“Good night, Tara. Tonight was really fun, and I hope we can hang out soon.”

The sound of Willow’s voice broke through the other witch’s stream of thought. Realizing that Willow was doing her best to afford her space and not push her, Tara made up her mind.

The redhead was turning to leave figuring that the night was over for them both.

“W-Would you l-like to c-c-come inside?”

The question surprised Willow. She turned around and smiled as she nodded her head. The redhead followed Tara into the dormitory. Willow noted how quiet the first floor seemed to be. The absence of the normal ruckus that usually occupied the hallways of McLean was foreign but welcome. Tara pulled out her keys when they reached the end of the room. Willow was intensely curious about what the other girl's room looked like. Tara walked across the room and plugged in her fairy lights. The redhead was surprised at how different Tara's room was compared to her own but felt that the room perfectly suited her friend.

Once the soft glow of the fairy lights illuminated Tara’s room, Willow took in the atmosphere and began looking around the space. Wallcoverings were hung all around the walls. Ranging from dark burgundy to midnight blue, they gave the room a sense of intimacy. As she looked, she noticed a large trunk at the foot of Tara’s double bed and wondered what was within. In the left corner across the room, she noticed an easel with a painting that had loosely tented cotton covering over it. The right corner held a keyboard, bench, and a guitar that was perched on a stand. Turning behind her, Willow found a large bookshelf that appeared to have old magic tomes as well as other magical supplies. On one shelf, she noticed a doll’s eye crystal.

Tara noticed the other witch looking at the crystal. She crossed the room and stood beside Willow.

Pulling the crystal off the bookshelf, the taller girl looked at the redhead. “W-Would you l-like to hold it?”

Willow nodded and Tara handed her the crystal. As she held it, the green-eyed girl immediately noticed that the crystal felt warm. She took a moment to still her mind to get a better feel for the crystal. It felt immeasurably old and powerful but full of positive emotions and what felt like the memories of the witches who possessed the crystal. Willow couldn’t really see or hear the memories but felt them tickling the edge of her mind.

Tara observed Willow as she held the crystal. She noticed the faintest hint of a golden glow envelope the other witch.

“This c-crystal has been in my family for a very l-long time,” Tara said. “Not even my m-mother is sure how old it is. What we d-do know is that the witches in our f-family have used it as a focus when performing s-spells. I have n-not used it yet, but m-mom wanted me to h-have it in case I needed it.”

“It feels so old, really powerful, but also filled with so much love and light.”

Willow gingerly handed the crystal back to Tara who carefully placed it back on the shelf. Tara turned around she pulled her desk chair out from underneath the table and rolled it over towards her bed. As she sat down on the edge of her bed, Tara motioned for Willow to sit down in the chair. Afterward, she began unlacing her boots and removing them from her tired feet. As each boot came off, the blonde sighed in relief.

“W-Walking around campus for t-twelve hours is not the b-best way to break in a new p-pair of Doc Martens.”

Willow giggled while feeling sorry for her friend. “Yeah, but they look so cool. I wish that I had a pair.”

“I c-could take you to a s-shop that sells them sometime. If y-you want to that is?”

“That would be wonderful, Tara. I really like hanging out with you and am grateful for any time I get to spend with you.”

Tara gave the other witch a lopsided grin. “M-M-Me too. D-Do you have plans for t-tomorrow?”

“None that I can think of?”

“I f-found this r-really cool p-place on campus,” Tara said. “I was p-planning on g-going there tomorrow. W-Would you like to come with me?”

“That sounds awesome! What would we be doing?”

Tara’s heart warmed at the excitement evident in Willow’s voice. “W-Well I was thinking about magic and a lot of the things we discussed the first n-night we hung out. H-How would you f-feel about meditating w-with me? When my m-mom started t-teaching me, m-meditation was the f-first exercise we did. I t-think that it may h-help you begin to h-harness your power.”

“You think I have power?”

Tara nodded. “I k-know you do. I s-saw it when I read your aura that n-night at the café.”

Willow looked at Tara as the other witch’s gaze fell downward. “What’s wrong?”

“If I t-t-tell you something, d-do you p-promise not to b-be mad?”

The redhead frowned when she heard Tara stutter so much. “I could never be mad at you, Tara.”

“M-My ability to read auras sometimes allows me t-to see more than the colors p-present. I can sometimes s-see if a person h-holds magical p-potential. A-At least that is what I t-think. You are the very first p-person, aside from my mom, whose aura I have read. I s-saw some t-things that I am n-not sure about. N-Nothing bad, but I need to t-talk with mom about it. S-She is out of t-town for a few weeks, but I am hoping she w-will be able to help. S-She will probably w-want to talk with you. I h-hope that is o-ok…”

Tara lowered her head and allowed her blonde hair to cover most of her face. She didn’t want to see the anger that she was sure was present on Willow’s face.

Willow bent down again trying to meet Tara's gaze. "I am not mad at you at all. I am happy that my aura is the first one you ever read; it makes me feel special.”

Tara met Willow’s green eyes with a look of complete and utter surprise. The redhead didn't look mad at all. Instead, she
saw the joy and happiness dancing in Willow’s eyes.

“So, you think meditating will help with what you saw?”

“It c-can’t hurt. P-Plus, it is the first s-step in learning m-magic properly.”

Willow adjusted her body in the chair so that she was sitting cross-legged. "Can you tell me more about how you learned magic with your mom?"

Tara’s lopsided smile made another appearance. “Mom started with m-meditation. We d-did that for a good n-nine months. S-She explained that it w-was important that I c-commune with the elements, learn how to r-respect them, and s-see if I have an affinity for a s-specific one. The r-reason that the process takes such a long time is because you m-must learn how to h-harness your power to manifest the s-spirits that represent the different elements. Once you can do that, y-you then must learn how to c-communicate with them. Mom explained that s-sometimes learning how to d-do this can take a l-long time, especially w-with the elements you don’t have an affinity for. It t-took me the better part of six months to l-learn how to talk with each spirit. C-Communicating with them is unlike a-anything I have experienced b-before.”

Willow listened carefully as Tara spoke. She found the way that Tara and her mother practiced magic was absolutely fascinating.

Tara continued her explanation. “The r-reason communing with the d-different elements is important is due to the f-fact that when you perform a s-spell, the spirits allow you to b-borrow their p-power. I have found the s-spells that involve the element of e-earth are more powerful than other spells.”

“Does that mean that the element that you have an affinity for is earth?”

Tara nodded. “S-Secondary to earth, I have an affinity for the element of w-water, though it is not as strong as my b-bond with earth. My m-mom told me that it is possible for p-powerful witches to develop a strong bond with all of the elements, but it takes a very long t-time. There is a g-great amount of trust and r-respect for the elements that is r-required to be able to achieve such a f-feat.”

“That sounds amazing!” Willow grinned. “I am really looking forward to meditating and learning more about magic.”
Tara was immensely happy to see Willow’s excitement and enthusiasm for learning magic. “My mom will show you why it is i-important to learn magic the p-proper way. L-Let’s just say that there are consequences if you d-don’t.”
Willow took Tara's warning seriously and suddenly was grateful that she had not been able to perform any spells on her own. The witches continued to talk about magic for a little while before Tara posed a question.

“I know it’s a little l-late, but w-would you like to stay and w-watch a movie with me?”

Willow smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. Since I wasn’t able to see you all week due to frustrating circumstances, I want to spend time with you for as long as you want me around.”

“I r-really like spending time with you t-too. I don’t have a TV, so w-we’ll need to watch the m-movie on my l-laptop.”

Damn it! Where is she going to sit? If she sits in the chair, she might not be able to see the screen without craning her neck. If she sits on the bed, then she may sit too close. I’ve never had anyone sit on a bed with me. I also have never had anyone in here. She respects your space. Be Brave. You can do this.

“D-Do you mind s-sitting on the b-bed?”

“I don’t mind that at all. Just let me get my shoes off.”

Willow bent over and took her shoes off leaving her in a mismatched pair of socks; one with cute dancing penguins and the other with rainbow stripes.

Tara looked at the redhead. “N-Nice socks. Aren’t t-they supposed to m-match?”

Willow grinned. “Where is the fun in that?”

Tara giggled and shook her head.

Willow moved to the other side of the bed. She gingerly sat down and rested against the headboard making sure to give Tara a respectable amount of space so she wouldn’t feel crowded.

Tara felt relieved that Willow was giving her enough space that touching would not be an issue unless it was intentional. Based on her actions throughout the little time they had spent together, she knew that the redhead would not initiate contact with her.

“Is it ok if I choose the movie?”

Willow nodded her head as she watched the other witch move off the bed before circling around it to open her trunk.

Tara took a few minutes to choose a movie. Realizing that she could not make a choice, the blonde grabbed three movies and held them up for Willow to see.

“I can’t c-choose. Will you h-help me?”

Willow nodded as she watched Tara hold up the movies one at a time. The first one was ‘Practical Magic’ followed by ‘Hocus Pocus’ and then ‘Bed knobs and Broom Sticks’.

The redhead grinned as she noticed a common theme among the movies. “I want to watch all of those with you, but how about we start with Practical Magic for tonight?”

The azure-eyed witch gave Willow a lopsided smile as she nodded her head. She bent down in front of the trunk and placed the other two movies back in it before carefully closing the lid. The blonde moved over to her desk and grabbed her laptop. She handed the laptop to Willow before climbing into bed. The witch leaned forward and grabbed the DVD case before settling into her bed. Once she was comfortable, the green-eyed witch handed the laptop back over to her. Tara pressed the button on the side of her computer causing the DVD tray to pop open, popped in the movie, and waited for it to start playing. Tara set it to full screen before placing the laptop on her thighs and settling in to watch the movie.

Nearly two hours later, the movie wrapped up and both witches sat on the bed still smiling at the antics of the movie.

Tara broke the silence. “W-What was your f-favorite scene?”

“I have always loved the midnight Margaritas scene. I always wished that I was old enough and had aunts and a sister that I could do that with.”

Tara giggled. “F-Figures we like the same scene.”

“Is it something that you want to do someday?”

The azure-eyed witch looked pensive for a moment. “I’m not s-sure. I can’t imagine g-getting drunk w-with my mom or Aunt Lydia, b-but I am open to the possibility.”

“I understand. I’ve never had a drink before, and if you can’t tell, I am not exactly the type to go to a bar alone to drink even though I legally can here.”

Tara almost said that maybe she would find someone that she could go and do that with but realized the implication of the thought. She didn’t want the green-eyed witch to think that it was something that she would never feel up for doing with her, or that she flat out did not want to do with her.

Not now, but maybe someday… I have so much work to do to get comfortable with myself and with her. I want to trust her completely, but that feels so far away. If she knew… would she want to be friends with me? Would she look at me the same way? How would she feel if she knew I was gay? I don’t want to lose what friendship we have over that especially since I have zero experience with anyone…

Willow observed that her friend seemed to be lost in thought. She noticed that Tara’s face was unreadable, so she had no idea what was going through the blonde’s mind. The redhead saw that Tara was becoming present again and had a serious look on her face that made her visibly gulp.

“O-Oh, I don’t know a-about that, Willow. I can s-see you going with s-some classmates t-to a bar and sing bad karaoke…”

The redhead’s jaw dropped when she heard what the blonde said.

Tara cracked a grin as she began to laugh.

Willow was almost in full-on pout mode when she noticed the mirth in Tara’s eyes and the grin on her face.

“There you go making jokes again. I would be as likely to sing bad karaoke as you would be to dress up as a sexy vampire for All Hallows Eve.”

Tara quirked an eyebrow. “Is t-that a c-challenge then?”

Willow furrowed her brows; worried that she had offended her friend. “No,” she said in a small voice. “I would never… but really, I can sing.”

The blonde’s face softened. “I’m s-sorry, I d-didn’t mean to hurt your f-feelings. W-Would you s-sing for me s-sometime?”

The redhead fought the urge to touch the other witch as a gesture of comfort and understanding.

“Yes. I will sing for you sometime. Who knows? If I ever do get drunk and sing karaoke, I may do it badly... or find some other way to make an ass out of myself.”

Willow started laughing at the thought, and with that laughter, the tension between the two witches melted away.

Once the witches’ laughter subsided, the redhead eyed Tara’s laptop. “Can I see that?”

“S-Sure. W-What are y-you doing?”

Willow grinned. “It’s a surprise.”

The green-eyed girl took the laptop and opened a browser. Making sure that Tara could not see the screen, she did a search of the web and smiled when she found what she was looking for. She sat the computer at the foot of Tara’s bed with the screen facing away from the blonde before rising from the bed and standing in front of her friend.

“Are you ready?”

Tara quirked an eyebrow before nodding.

What is she up to? She looks excited and kind of giddy.

Willow smiled as she pressed play. As the beginning notes began to play, Tara grinned.

The redhead began to sing These Dreams by Heart without missing a beat

Spare a little candle
Save some light for me
Figures up ahead
Moving in the trees
White skin in linen
Perfume on my wrist
And the full moon that hangs over
These dreams in the mist

Tara was completely floored by how powerful but controlled Willow’s voice was. Without thinking about it, the blonde got up off the bed and went to stand by her friend.

Darkness on the edge
Shadows where I stand
I search for the time
On a watch with no hands
I want to see you clearly
Come closer than this
But all I remember
Are the dreams in the mist

Tara didn’t have a moment of doubt or an ounce of hesitation when she began to harmonize with Willow on the chorus.

These dreams go on when I close my eyes
Every second of the night I live another life
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside
Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away


Both witches continued to sing and harmonize together until the song ended. Only when the last note of the song ended did Willow allow herself to turn and face her friend.

Holy hell she has a set of pipes on her!

“D-Do I now?”

Willow looked up sheepishly as she blushed. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

Tara’s shoulders shook as she giggled and nodded.

“Well, I stand by what I said. You have a set of pipes on you!”

The blonde blushed and looked away. “T-Thank you.”

“Would you be willing to sing with me again sometime? I’ve never had anyone to sing with, and I really enjoyed doing so with you.”

Tara looked at her friend from out of the corner of her eye.

I can do this. I sang with her, and I was brave. Look at her; she is so happy and excited. Be brave again and say yes.

The blonde squared her shoulders and turned towards Willow. She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked into the emerald eyes that were slowly becoming a place where she could find peace and comfort. Seeing the joy and excitement dancing in Willow’s eyes and the broad smile upon her face lessened the doubts and reservations Tara had in her head.

I will be brave.

“Yes. I… I would love to sing with you again.”

Willow grinned so hard it hurt. “Yay! Next time you choose the song.”

A lopsided smile appeared on Tara’s face as she nodded in agreement. The blonde took a moment to look at her friend and noticed that the redhead was fidgeting.

“A-Are you ok, Willow?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Finey McFine, just peachy, as happy as clam. Wait, happy as a clam? Who thought of that one to describe being happy? How can clams be happy? Last I checked, mollusks can’t experience happiness…”

Tara stood and looked at her friend with an amused expression on her face. The redhead continued to ramble until she heard the blonde yawn.

“It’s late,” Willow said. “I should get back to my room. Thank you for everything. Am I still seeing you tomorrow?”

Tara covered her mouth as she yawned again. “M-Meet me here around o-one.”

“Sounds good. I will see you then,” Willow smiled and waved. “Thank you for the wonderful evening.”

The witch could only smile and wave back as the redhead turned and left her room.

[GrimCityGirl]

Good update! Interesting, Tara is fully aware she’s gay. I figured with trauma and not wanting to be touched she hadn’t mentally explored her sexuality, interested to find out more about that.

Their day was adorable. Tara’s bravery, Practical Magic, the singing… all good stuff.

Very excited for more!

[CK_Mako]

Cute update. The slow building of a friendship first is a great way to build their characters and the storyline. The subtle ways you are showing that Tara has pretty much always known she was attracted to women, even though she never was intimate with anyone, is great. It shows that you do not need to have a physical relationship to know to whom you are attracted. The societal default of 'straight' annoys me so this is a nice change. Cannot wait for the next one.

[Dub]

“S-Since you are b-buying dinner, I get to choose where we go.”

It’s the English way, now order the most expensive thing going and what the heck starter and dessert too, treat yourself, you’re not paying.

“I like my food with a little kick to it.”

Cannibal cookbook tip one, if your food is still kicking, its underdone.

M-Maybe next time we can get it with t-tiger prawns?

Not allergic in this world?

A l-lot of analysis goes into the m-mediums that artists used to c-create their w-works of art. M-Most of the analysis r-requires use of t-technology as well as knowledge of the c-chemistry of the paints that artists use.

Mr Bean begs to differ.

Can I consider you my friend? I mean… are we friends?

In this situation its best not to say we are well aquatinted but I’m failing to see the mutual benefit of our interactions as I find you as interesting as paint drying but in fairness to paint at least that has the unpredictability of if it will dry evenly or not. But you didn’t ask for petrol money so we are now best friends.

Tara pulled out her keys

They’ve learnt to lock doors!

she noticed a large trunk at the foot of Tara’s double bed and wondered what was within.

I've moved the body, you're safe to look.

“It feels so old, really powerful, but also filled with so much love and light.”

Classic antiques road show, always buttering the piece up before offering an insulting amount so you reject it and head towards the nearest pawn shop.

“S-Secondary to earth, I have an affinity for the element of w-water

And now I'm seeing Tara as a cross between Clay and Omi from Xaolin showdown, the cue ball cowboy.

“N-Nice socks. Aren’t t-they supposed to m-match?”
Willow grinned. “Where is the fun in that?”

The fun is when you meet someone who matches their socks to their tie each day. Despite my issues with that mans teaching style, I could not diss his dress style.

“I can’t c-choose. Will you h-help me?”

Halloween remake. I think its important to see someone get shot a dozen times in an empty swimming pool but still not die and reveal themselves alive by smashing a car window to strangle someone. I mean imagine getting shot once and instantly dying just to make someone angry, pfft that never happens. That never happens. Never.

Tara pressed the button on the side of her computer causing the DVD tray to pop open

Ah nostalgia. I mean they still exist but for an extra £50 just for a disk drive you're best off spending a tenner for an external one.

I can’t imagine g-getting drunk w-with my mom or Aunt Lydia,

Tara, Tara, Tara. You’re in England now. This means that any holiday or day ending in y when the sun peeks out from behind the cloud just long enough to light up the patio furniture means you sit on it and get drunk with your mum and aunt and anyone else in the vicinity with a wine glass and bottle. You will talk about nothing in particular but it will likely include insulting Carol from down the street for no reason and talking about the time Margret had the alarms go off at her when leaving Tesco that one time five years ago. Use the club card not the five finger discount Margret. She wouldn’t do it in Sainsbury’s, bitch loves the nectar points.

If I ever do get drunk and sing karaoke, I may do it badly... or find some other way to make an ass out of myself.”

First rule of Karaoke in the UK, If you can sing, don’t do it. You will be deemed a show off and no one will want to get up there and do it. The whole point is to make a fool of yourself and take everyone down with you by choosing songs such as , sweet Caroline, Danny boy and whatever break out pop hit Hollywood is trying to push from its latest musical. Ill say it now, the only reason 'we don’t talk about Bruno’ is popular in the UK is due to the fact that it is just the come dine with me theme tune in a different tempo and watching come dine with me is a national past time.
Personally I always go with option B without trying.

The green-eyed girl took the laptop and opened a browser. Making sure that Tara could not see the screen

Cue the cursor becoming a penis along with a hundred new viruses for downloading it from a pop up.

I figured with trauma and not wanting to be touched she hadn’t mentally explored her sexuality, interested to find out more about that.

shows that you do not need to have a physical relationship to know to whom you are attracted.

These are both great points. Certainly be something new and interesting to explore if you plan on going into it. The relation between sexual trauma and attraction is something while I know fascinate is the wrong word to use, it does fascinate me. Apart from a few personal stories from people over the years I don’t think I’ve ever really come across media that covers it well. It could be really impactful if explored in this story. Obviously not trying to sway your story/character plans.


I like how this chapter made their relationship more than just magic. It expanded their common interests. I also really like that both of them think so much about asking just a small thing. It is how people think, building something up in their mind which to them has significance but to someone else its fleeting thought. Willows mind is often noisy so it matches her Canon character and with everything Tara has been through in your world its natural for her to second guess everything and act on the air of caution. Five chapters in and you’ve made clear defining marks to your versions of the characters and following it through with consistency.

[Bellalocke]

Grim City Girl

Good update! Interesting, Tara is fully aware she’s gay. I figured with trauma and not wanting to be touched she hadn’t mentally explored her sexuality, interested to find out more about that

I fall into the school of belief that one does not need to have a crush and/or have sexual experience/thoughts to understand that they are different. In canon, Tara has always known that she is gay. I borrowed that same concept for Tara here. That said, she didn't necessarily know the word for her orientation, but she understood that she was different than other people around her. This is one of those things where Tara has enough going on with her, that I did not want to add yet another layer of things that she needs to navigate.

Their day was adorable. Tara’s bravery, Practical Magic, the singing… all good stuff.

Very excited for more!

I am glad that you enjoyed the chapter! Here's hoping that you like the new one!

Ck_Mako

Cute update. The slow building of a friendship first is a great way to build their characters and the storyline.

I am glad that you think so. I believe that given Tara and Willow's circumstances, it is essential. After all, the best relationships are built on a solid foundation of friendship. Both of them have so much to overcome, a lot of which will unfold over the coming chapters, that it simply does not make sense for them to just jump into a relationship.

The subtle ways you are showing that Tara has pretty much always known she was attracted to women, even though she never was intimate with anyone, is great. It shows that you do not need to have a physical relationship to know to whom you are attracted. The societal default of 'straight' annoys me so this is a nice change. Cannot wait for the next one.

Like I said above, I do not believe that Tara needs to have figuring her sexuality/sexual orientation on top of everything else. I don't know that anyone could really handle that much on their plate. She has more important things to figure out and navigate than who she has interest in. I also did not want her sexual orientation to be tied up in the dynamic of trauma because trauma does not make you gay. Canon Tara always knew who she was attracted to; I felt it appropriate that Tara in this fic be the same despite the huge difference in circumstances. I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Dub

These are both great points. Certainly be something new and interesting to explore if you plan on going into it. The relation between sexual trauma and attraction is something while I know fascinate is the wrong word to use, it does fascinate me. Apart from a few personal stories from people over the years I don’t think I’ve ever really come across media that covers it well. It could be really impactful if explored in this story. Obviously not trying to sway your story/character plans.

You folks are really big on exploring sexual orientation in relation to trauma. While it might be an interesting character study, it is not something that I feel qualified to tackle, nor is it something that I want to tackle in this fic. Tara has enough on her plate that she does not need to have that extra layer on her mind. That said, there will be other things later in the story that will be explored that should be just as interesting. Just one of those things where you will have to keep reading to find out!

I like how this chapter made their relationship more than just magic. It expanded their common interests.

I very much want my versions of Willow and Tara to feel like real, living, and breathing characters. Having them be one-dimensional is not going to achieve the desired result. That said, much of the exploration of life as well as becoming friends is not going to be solely tied to magic but music as well. Both of them use music in a similar fashion, and have a habit of singing a song to convey the feelings that they often cannot express with their own words. As the story develops, so too will their commonalities as well as their differences.

I also really like that both of them think so much about asking just a small thing. It is how people think, building something up in their mind which to them has significance but to someone else its fleeting thought.

The above sentiment is so true of Willow. She has learned over the years to not take different things for granted. There exists a depth to her history and her feelings that are just beginning to be uncovered and explored. While it might not appear so, Willow has just a complex of a history as Tara, albeit in a different way. This is the reason that she finds herself asking the questions that others would absolutely take for granted. Tara, thankfully, is smart enough to sense this, and does not make Willow feel bad for the questions that she asks or the way that she approaches things.

Willows mind is often noisy so it matches her Canon character

I am glad that this is coming across even if the reasons for it are different. I often wonder what season Willow I am drawing inspiration from, and I often feel that my Willow would fall closely with Season 2 Canon. She is intelligent, curious, open, and loving, but extremely insecure and in need of things that she often cannot define or find. The reasons for this as well as how she comes across the elements that are absolutely essential to her wellbeing will be explored a great deal in the coming chapters. I want Willow to be complex, sympathetic, and relatable in may ways. I hope that I am doing her justice so far.

with everything Tara has been through in your world its natural for her to second guess everything and act on the air of caution.

Tara is very slow to trust in this story, but that is more than understandable given her circumstances. That said, I think as the fic goes on, you will see a thread/theme that really carries Tara through and allows her to become everything that she is meant to be. Of all the character's transformations in this fic, Willow and Tara's astound me so much. The wonderful thing is the fact that it is these transformations that bring them closer together.

Five chapters in and you’ve made clear defining marks to your versions of the characters and following it through with consistency.

I am glad that the behavior of both Willow and Tara are congruent and consistent. Even if the path is not clear at times, and even if the circumstances change, I want a clear trajectory for the both of them and the evolution of their relationship. Naturally, there will be missteps and complications, but things will work out and be as they should be in the end. I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

[Bellalocke]

Chapter 6

An hour had passed since her new friend had left. Even though she had begun to feel tired just before Willow left, Tara now lay wide awake in her bed. The pillow that the redhead had used to rest her head against while watching the movie smelled like strawberries and something sweet. The blonde guessed that the smell that she could not identify was a scent that was unique to Willow. Tara lay still and vacillated between snuggling the pillow and throwing it off of the bed. The smell of her friend brought her comfort but also terrified her. Every corner of her mind told her that she should not be feeling the comfort that was trying to take residence in her heart. On the other hand, her heart told her that all Willow had done was offer her friendship without reservation; one that could afford her comfort beyond any measure she thought she could experience from someone other than her mother, aunt, and to a lesser degree, her friend Faith. The blonde noted that once her friend had noticed that she required personal space, the redhead never once breached it again.

Tara thought back to the moment that she had said ‘yes’ to singing again with Willow. She wondered if Willow noticed her effort to answer the question without stuttering. Tara gave the thought further consideration and realized that she had no doubts that Willow had noticed. She wondered why the redhead had not mentioned it. She also thought about the wide grin that beamed as bright as the sun and exuded so much happiness that it was nearly incomprehensible. Tara had never seen such an expression directed towards her. She then remembered how Willow was fidgeting after she said that Tara should pick the next song they would sing.

Why was she fidgeting? She didn’t seem nervous. If anything, Willow was the happiest I have ever seen her, the beginning of the night being the only exception. She was standing still, but I still remember feeling as though she was exerting a great amount of effort to do so.

Tara let her current train of thought drop. The actions reflected something that she couldn’t see or understand. Her thoughts wandered back to her original quandary: what to do with the pillow that had Willow’s scent all over it. Ultimately, she struck a compromise and decided to leave the pillow on the bed without holding it to her. The blonde witch lay in the darkness of her room for a few more moments before sleep began to take her. Her last wish before she succumbed to her exhaustion was that the dreams that haunted her would not come; It was a wish that would remain unfulfilled as the night wore on.

***

Willow woke up with a start from her deep slumber. Grabbing the notebook that she kept by her bed, she began to furiously scribble down the dream that she was in before she was ripped away and brought to the waking world. The redhead noticed that instead of the clearly defined details that always came out when she wrote her usual dreams, the words flying onto the page were descriptions of nebulous pictures and feelings that she had never experienced before. She had no idea where the dream came from and was so disturbing that it left her with a chill in her bones.

Deeply disturbing. I have never felt the pain that I experienced in this dream. It was deep, aching, and ever-present. How can one dream make me believe that I would never be happy again, never feel the sun on my face, and that I would die alone without ever experiencing love or finding a home? How could this be a dream of my imagining?

After she finished writing in her dream journal and placing it back on her bedside table, Willow looked over to the clock on her desk which read 3:00 AM. She rolled over in her bed and found a comfortable position so she could go back to sleep. The events of the dream played through the redhead's mind, and she could not help but feel incredibly sad for whoever was having such a dreadful nightmare. Willow was determined to not fall into the depression that the dream bade her do and suddenly felt something deep within her send out a pulse of love and comfort. She hoped that the feeling would reach the dreamer who needed it the most. The redhead conjured up the memory of singing with Tara and found the sound of the witch's voice holding fast in the synapses of her brain. She fell into a restful sleep with a huge grin on her face.

***

Tara woke up for the final time at 11:00 AM. The nightmares that she had dared not speak of to anyone other than Cyndi had plagued her all night despite her wish for them to be held at bay. She recalled the second time she had woken up last night. The blonde felt as though she had been ripped from the dream by some unknown force. As she lay shivering in bed, Tara suddenly felt as though she was being covered in a blanket that exuded warmth and comfort. For a moment, she thought that the energy surrounding her felt all too familiar, but her exhausted mind could not give any more thought to the feeling. Though the nightmares continued intermittently through the rest of the night, they felt different.
Tara lay in bed and thought about the nightmares that she had experienced after the blanket of warmth and comfort surrounded her.

It was so strange… instead of being in the room and experiencing things firsthand, I felt like I was watching things happen. Still not great, but not nearly as bad as my usual experiences. I feel like whatever the feeling was that surrounded me after I woke up last night somehow protected me, even if it was only by a small measure. I need to talk to Cyndi about this. I wish that I didn’t have to wait until Friday. She always said that I could call her if I needed to talk. I should call her on Monday and see if she can fit me in for an extra session this week. Hopefully, this doesn’t become a regular thing; I feel bad for taking up her time as it stands.

Tara was pulled from her thoughts when she looked over at her clock and saw that it was already 11:30 AM. She hopped out of bed and grabbed clothing as well as her shower kit from the closet. The blonde made her way down the hallway and reflected on her luck that she had managed to secure housing at the only all-female dorm on campus. Tara was determined to get herself in a better state of mind before meeting her new friend. A lopsided smile crossed her face as she thought about the redhead, and for once, she did not fight it.

**Meanwhile Across Campus**

Willow had just returned to her room after showering. Standing in front of her closet, the redhead tapped her foot and chewed on her bottom lip as she contemplated what she should wear. The fact that they would be sitting on the ground precluded her from wearing a skirt or a dress. Willow smiled as she thought about the gothic witchy outfits that Tara always seemed to wear.

I can be edgy! Yep, Willow “Badass” Rosenberg is what they call me.

Willow looked at the fuzzy pink sweater in her closet and thought of her Eeyore sleep shirt as well as all the underwear in her drawers, including the ones covered in rainbows and unicorns.

Ok, maybe less of a badass and more of a dork, especially if they saw most of my wardrobe, but they are so cute… Ok, Rosenberg, focus! I know that I have some clothing to fit the occasion.

Willow looked at the very back of her closet and found a well-worn pair of black jeans with a large hole in the knee as well as a black and red Berserk t-shirt.

Nothing screams edgy like a shirt from a dark and violent manga. I wonder if Tara is at all familiar with anime or manga. What would she like? The possibilities seem endless. I bet she would like slice-of-life anime or maybe some shōnen if it has some cool magic. Maybe shōjo… or maybe she won’t be into anything at all. Let’s see if she says anything about my shirt and go from there.

Willow continued to compile a list of anime and manga that the other witch may like if she showed any interest. The redhead grabbed the jeans and t-shirt and threw them on before sitting down on her bed to put on her mismatched socks and lace-up her black Chucks. Willow saw that it was already 12:15 PM when she looked over at the clock situated on her desk. She grabbed the blanket that she had placed at the edge of the bed before she went to shower. The redhead picked up the empty backpack she would be using to store the snacks and drinks she was planning on bringing on the outing with Tara. Willow figured that she had just enough time to stop by the dining hall to grab snacks before heading to the coffee shop to buy a mocha and muffins for both her and Tara.

***

Willow arrived outside of Tara’s dorm with about five minutes to spare. She smiled as she saw the blonde walk out of the front door and begin to look around for her. Tara rushed over to her friend when she noticed that the girl was burdened with two cups, a brown bag, a blanket, and a backpack. After adjusting her backpack, Tara took the offered cup as well as a brown bag.

“I wasn’t sure if you had food today, so I brought mochas and muffins. They only had blueberry…”

Tara smiled. “Blueberry is my f-favorite. Thank You so m-much, Willow.”

The other witch smiled as she noticed that her friend was speaking without stuttering as much.

"Hey Tara, can I ask you a personal question?"

Tara cocked her head slightly and quirked an eyebrow.

"Nothing bad, I promise. I was just wondering if you were feeling more comfortable with me?"

Tara gave the redhead a lopsided grin. "Yes. Singing w-with you helped a l-lot."

Willow’s cheeks were tinged light pink. “That makes me so happy to hear. I would love to sing with you again soon.”

“Maybe after w-we are done meditating? I have s-some songs I can play for you.”

The redhead nodded as she began to follow Tara.

Willow looked around as she and Tara continued to trek across the campus while enjoying the mocha that the redhead had bought. Eventually, the academic buildings disappeared. The redhead found herself surrounded by plants and trees. She had never walked around the grounds of the university and was surprised by the biodiversity that the different gardens held.

“Where are we going?”

Tara looked over to her friend. “The B-Botanical gardens. I f-found a perfect spot that is off the main path. I d-don’t think that anyone knows about it.”

“Why are we going there?”

“The g-garden is the oldest B-Botanical garden in England. It is also located over a l-ley line.”

Willow continued observing the plants surrounding the path. “What is a ley line?”

“In t-terms of magic, it is a l-location that holds a large concentration of magical energy. The s-spot we are going to is the p-perfect place to meditate and get used to feeling magic and elemental forces. I also like it there because it is beautiful.”

***

Willow could not help but find the irony of her current position. The walk from Tara’s dorm to their location in the Botanical Garden took around fifteen minutes. She was surrounded by wildflowers as she stood underneath a Salix Babylonia tree that was barely accessible from the path that she and Tara had trekked.

The moment that Tara had parted the long, thin branches and beckoned the redhead to enter, Willow felt as though she had been transported to a different world. She stood in wonderment as she looked around and realized how intimate and private the space felt. Then the realization of exactly where she was crossed her mind.

Willow Rosenberg standing underneath a weeping willow tree to practice magic for the first time. Irony is kind of ironic that way. I wonder how amused Tara must be feeling right now.

Looking over to her friend, she found Tara’s smile and her shoulders shaking with barely contained laughter. A moment passed before the blonde could no longer contain her amusement and a hearty laugh followed by a cute snort escaped her mouth and nose.

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Maclay. You can’t tell me that you didn’t think about the irony of this situation before now.”

Tara tried to contain her mirth so that she could address her friend. The effort proved fruitless as she continued to laugh. Willow looked over at the other witch and could not help but join in the laughter. It was at this moment that the redhead realized that she would never be able to stay upset with Tara for very long. The laughter carried throughout the grove of willow trees and wildflowers for a few more moments before both women calmed down and took stock of their surroundings. The air underneath the canopy of the tree was perfumed with the smell of wildflowers and petrichor even though it had not rained recently. Willow half expected fairies to appear out of nowhere and begin dancing around them. The air was filled with so much magic that it made the hair on her arms stand up and a spot at the base of her spine tingle. The redhead never wanted to leave this grove that was quickly becoming her sanctuary.

The witch found a spot that was clear of flowers and close to the trunk of the tree. Willow started to unfold the blanket before Tara came over and stood opposite of her to assist in laying it flat on the patch of earth. Once the blanket was laid down, the redhead plunked down on the edge of the blanket that was opposite of tree trunk. Willow looked expectantly at Tara as she removed her backpack. The blonde put down the bag with the muffins before hoisting her backpack off her shoulders and setting it down. The azure-eyed witch knelt and opened the main compartment of the backpack. Willow watched her rummage around in the bag. She could not help but smile when Tara made a sound of triumph as she pulled out four crystals. The blonde handed two of the crystals and instructed her to place them to the east and the south.

“What is the purpose of the crystals?”

Tara threw the redhead a lopsided grin. “They are here to h-help draw and concentrate the magical energy you will call f-forth while meditating. Each direction represents a different element. N-North is earth, East is Air, South is fire, and West is water. It is important that you r-remember this since spells and other workings that you will learn later require you to use this knowledge.”

Willow nodded.

Tara sat in the lotus position and encouraged Willow to follow suit. Once both witches were comfortably situated, the blonde looked at her friend. “Are you r-ready to begin?”

“Yes.”

Tara rubbed her hands together as she recalled how her mother started her very first lesson. “I w-will tell you more about the elements in a moment. F-First we need to ground ourselves because it will make it much easier to locate and call the elements.”

Willow nodded.

“Rest your wrists on your knees, p-palm side up. Next, I want you to close your eyes and still your mind.”

Tara smiled as she watched Willow’s face become smooth and placid as she closed her eyes.

“Ok, n-now for the hard part. F-first concentrate on the feeling of the ground beneath you. I want you to imagine that you are a tree and that roots are growing from your b-bottom extending down into the earth.”

“This feels weird. I feel like I am anchored to the earth itself.”

A grin crossed Tara’s face. “That means you’re doing it right. N-Now, I want you to focus on the crown of your head. Imagine that it is opening up and reaching out to the sky.”

“How are you f-feeling?”

Willow sighed. “Like all the knowledge of the universe is open to me. I’ve never felt so uplifted or awestruck in my life.”
“Now we are ready to b-begin. Open your eyes.”

The redhead opened her eyes and found herself looking into blazing sapphire eyes. Willow gasped as she saw the other witch bathed in a golden glow.

The lithe girl swallowed thickly. “You’re glowing, Tara.”

“This is what a witch sees when l-looking at another witch who is harnessing her power. Now, are you ready to b-begin?”

Willow nodded and noticed that the blonde was taking on a more confident air and looked as though she was finally in her element.

“Calling the elements to you while meditating requires intention and v-visualization. Think about the element that you are trying to call to you, visualize what it looks like, feels like, and even smells like. Once you have t-that idea firmly planted in your mind, imagine seeking that element out through your roots or your crown and pulling it towards you. If you can’t find one element, move on to another. Do not be discouraged if you can’t find one on your first try.”

Tara watched Willow as she closed her eyes and relaxed her features despite the air of intense concentration around her. The blonde took a moment to call up the tiny tree spirit of Earth. The little spirit danced around her before looking at the redhead intently. The spirit shook its head and the air shifted once again. Tara could literally feel the other witch as she moved through calling out to the different elements.

Is this how it was for mom? Or is Willow just a special case? Her potential is enormous, so it would not surprise me if things were different with her.

Tara was pulled from her thoughts as she saw the tree spirit do a little happy dance. The blonde felt the wind shift for a moment before quieting down. Before she could get lost in her thoughts, Tara felt the air shift once again. Suddenly, the air beneath the canopy became substantially warmer. The blonde saw a flicker and then a small flame spirit appear. The tree spirit zoomed around the two witches as it made tiny little vocalizations that Tara recognized as joy and confirmation that Willow had found her primary elemental affinity. The air shifted for the last time, and the blonde noticed that Willow only tried for a moment to call upon water before her eyes opened. The lithe witch almost jumped out of her skin when she saw a little animated flame with a toothy grin appear before her. The fire elemental squeaked at the redhead as it circled her head before disappearing.

Willow squeaked, out of surprise or terror was debatable. “Was, was that what I think it was?”

Before she let the Tara answer, Willow jumped again as she saw the little tree spirit hovering above the blonde’s shoulder.

“Is that what I think it is?”

Willow looked like she was about to go into a full-on spaz attack before Tara’s wide and beaming smile broke through her panic.

“I think we can safely say that your primary element is fire, which is fitting for you. I did not expect you to be able to manifest the spirit on your first try. That feat took me three tries.”

Willow grinned. “I didn’t expect them to be so small.”

“The size of the elemental is determined by a witch’s power and the strength of her bond with that particular element. So, in magical terms, we are still babies, but babies with potential.”

Willow reveled in the feeling of the lingering magic left behind by the elementals. She closed her crown and ungrounded herself.

“Ow,” Willow grimaced.

“Are you o-okay?”

“Yeah, just can’t feel my ass.”

Tara burst out in a giggle fit. After a moment she tried to stop herself, but the annoyed look on Willow’s face only made her laugh even harder. After taking several gasping breaths, the blonde managed to calm herself down enough to look at the other witch.

“Feeling hungry at all?”

The loud growl from Willow’s stomach told a story all its own. The redhead grabbed her backpack and grabbed several pieces of fruit, some cashews, and some carrot sticks. Tara grabbed the brown bag with the muffins and handed one to Willow before taking the other out. The two witches ate in silence as they polished off the snacks in short order.

***

Cleaning up the space beneath the canopy took a lot less time than Willow thought it would. She found herself entering Tara’s room half an hour later. Dropping her backpack by the door, Willow waited for an invitation to sit down somewhere.

“Here,” Tara pointed on the side of her bed that Willow had occupied last night. “Lay down for a while and I will order pizza when dinner time rolls around. Pizza Margherita, ok?”

Willow nodded before laying down and falling asleep. The redhead woke up as the smell of basil, tomato, and cheese hit her nose.

“I’m up!”

Tara quietly giggled as a soft smile crossed her face. “Have a good sleep?”

“Oh, Tara! I am so sorry. I can’t believe I passed out on you, in your bed no less. Here you are being all great super friend-o and I am just passing out in your bed. Why aren’t you tired? I must be some lame witch to have something like that exhaust me. Just tell me that I suck, and you don’t want to teach me anymore. I’ll just leave, and be sad, and have to find a new friend. I am not good at meeting people because hello, big spaz over here.”

Tara turned around and tried to catch the redhead’s gaze. “Hey, Willow?”

When calling her name didn’t work, the blonde tried waving her hand in front of the red head’s face. Willow was still unresponsive, so Tara had to go with the last-ditch effort of placing a piece of pizza on a paper plate before gently nudging it under the other witch’s nose. The scent of the pizza brought Willow out of babble mode.

“You don’t think I am bad at magic, do you?”

Tara smiled softly and shook her head. “You were really good, Willow. The first time I meditated and communed with the elements, I ended up sleeping for almost an entire day.”

“Really?”

Tara gave Willow a Mona Lisa smile. “Really. To be honest, mama did a much better job of preparing me for my first meditation than I prepared you.”

“But you were so cool and confident! You were totally in your element and didn’t seem nervous at all.”

Tara looked pensive for a moment. “Magic is something that I am comfortable with, but I still get nervous about a lot of things.”

“Why?”

The blonde smiled kindly. “Can we talk about it another time?”

Willow nodded and both women returned to eating their pizza and draining their bottles of water in companionable silence. Once Tara had finished eating her slice, she looked over to the redhead who was devouring another slice. She could not contain the laughter that burst forth when Willow looked over at her mid-bite. The redhead nearly choked as she watched her friend laugh so hard that her entire body shook. Willow grabbed her empty water bottle and chucked it at the blonde. The bottle hit Tara squarely in the chest causing Willow to giggle. Seeing Tara’s empty water bottle within reach, Willow snatched it up and chucked it at the blonde again. In a surprising feat of dexterity, Tara caught the bottle and chucked it back at Willow. The redhead was shocked when she felt the bottle hit her in the chest. Looking for another bottle she could chuck at Tara, Willow stopped when she saw the glare on the blonde’s face.

“Willow, so help me…”

The redhead looked mortified and worried before she heard Tara laugh again.

“You should have seen your face! How about we call a truce? Unless you don’t want to hear me play?”

Willow’s face brightened. “Truce! I am all good with a truce.”

“Guitar or Piano first?”

Willow pondered the options for a moment. “Guitar.”

“Pick a number: one, two, or three.”

Willow wondered what Tara was up to but figured the sooner she answered the sooner she would find out. “Three.”
Tara smiled as she got off the bed and pulled her bench out from under her keyboard before placing it just off the lower right-hand corner of the bed. Next, she grabbed her guitar off its stand and sat down. Willow watched with rapt attention as she heard Tara take a few minutes to tune the guitar. She rested her chin in her hands as the blonde looked up at her and smiled.

Willow grinned as she immediately recognized the song Dust in the Wind by Kansas as Tara began to strum her guitar:
I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone
All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity

Willow felt as if she was in a dream as she listened to Tara sing. Her rich contralto voice reverberated in her head and her chest. The look of peace on the blonde’s face and in her body spoke volumes to the redhead.

Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind.
Without much thought, Willow began to sing along with Tara. The blonde’s eyes danced with happiness as they sang, and she continued to play.

Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do, crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind

The two women continued to sing the song together until Tara strummed the last notes on her guitar. Both witches smiled at each other as they let the peace found in their shared music settle in their bones.

Willow flashed her friend a brilliant smile. “I wish I had known that you knew how to play this song. I would have brought my cello over.”

“We could play this together?”

Willow nodded.

“Ok, next time we’ll hang out in your room, and I’ll bring my guitar. I love that there are songs we can play together.”

The redhead grinned as she stretched her arms. “Next is the piano, right?”

Tara moved her bench back over to her keyboard and sat down facing Willow. Closing her eyes, the blonde began to play a mournful tune.

Tears threatened to fall from Willow’s eyes as Tara began to play Angel by Sarah McLachlan.
Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay
There's always some reason
To feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh a beautiful release
Memories seep from my veins
Let me be empty
Oh and weightless and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight

Willow listened to Tara play and saw the sadness and grief cross her face. This song held a deep meaning for the blonde, and she had to wonder what had happened to cause this song to resonate so deeply with her friend.

In the arms of the angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here

The redhead watched as tears escaped from Tara’s eyes as she continued to sing and play. Willow felt tears slip down her face as the blonde’s eyes met hers with a faraway look. An unspoken agreement passed between the two witches: whatever this song was about would not be spoken of.

So tired of the straight line
And everywhere you turn
There's vultures and thieves at your back
And the storm keeps on twisting
You keep on building the lies
That you make up for all that you lack
It don't make no difference
Escaping one last time
It's easier to believe
In this sweet madness
Oh this glorious sadness
That brings me to my knees
In the arms of the angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here


Willow wiped the tears from her eyes and continued to listen to her friend intently. Tara launched into an instrumental piece by Sarah McLachlan called Last Dance. When the song ended, the blonde continued to sit on the bench as she collected her thoughts.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I chose that first song for the piano. I do know happier ones, promise”

Willow smiled weakly. “The song, while sad, is beautiful. You are an amazing singer, and you are amazing playing both instruments.”

Tara smiled at Willow’s comments. The melancholy feeling that had settled in her heart receded. A lopsided grin bloomed on her face.

“How about we sing a song together? A Happy One of your choice!”

Willow beamed. “OK. Promise you won’t laugh at me?”

“Promise.”

“How well do you know ABBA?”

Tara tried to hold in a soft chuckle, but Willow picked up on it like a hawk.

“You promised you wouldn’t laugh,” Willow said with a mock frown.

“I’m sorry, really. It’s just that you have such varied musical tastes. I love ABBA. Which song were you thinking?”

Willow suddenly felt very shy. “You have no idea how varied they are. I was thinking either Dancing Queen or Mama Mia.

Your choice.”

“Dancing Queen it is then!”

Tara grabbed her laptop off her desk and pulled up the karaoke version of the song. The two witches looked at each other and started to dance back and forth as the piano started and upbeat music began to play. Willow and Tara began singing the song with perfect timing and pitch.

Ooh
You can dance
You can jive
Having the time of your life
Ooh, see that girl
Watch that scene
Digging the dancing queen
Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for a place to go
Where they play the right music
Getting in the swing
You come to look for a king
Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the music's high
With a bit of rock music
Everything is fine
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance
You are the dancing queen
Young and sweet
Only seventeen
Dancing queen
Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah
You can dance
You can jive
Having the time of your life
Ooh, see that girl
Watch that scene
Digging the dancing queen

The two witches continued to sing and dance until the song came to an end. Tara went over to the computer and turned off the song. When she turned around, she saw Willow had a thoughtful look on her face.

The redhead looked up. “Do you ever wonder why we can just do that?”

Tara scratched her head. “Do what exactly?”

“Sing in perfect harmony together.”

The blonde canted her head for a moment as she rolled the question around in her head. “Maybe we are just really in tune with each other. Trust me, there are a lot of things that don’t make sense to me right now.”

Willow moved from the front of the bed to sit in Tara’s desk chair. “Like what?”

The other witch sat down on her bed and faced the redhead. “Well, for one, how comfortable I feel with you, and how easy it feels to be in your company and consider you a friend. I’m not usually like this.”

Willow met Tara’s eyes with a thoughtful look. “Admittedly, I have so many questions about a lot of things, but I don’t want to upset you, so I figure that you will tell me when you trust me enough.”

“What kind of things?”

Willow shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. Right now, I like the fact that I am learning magic from you. I enjoy playing music for you and singing with you, and I think it is neat that we like similar movies.”

Tara felt thankful for Willow’s observational skills as well as her thoughtfulness. Perhaps the redhead had things that she wasn’t talking about as well, and that is what led her to be respectful of boundaries once they were in place.

“I like that you give me space and care enough about me to respect my boundaries.”

A small frown crossed Willow’s face. “Of course. Nobody should ever have their boundaries disrespected by anyone, no matter the reason.”

Tara felt as though her friend was speaking from experience but refrained from delving deeper and asking more questions. Instead, she decided to change gears and head towards safer waters.

“I meant to tell you earlier that I like your t-shirt and jeans. What is the shirt from?”

Willow went into full-on geek mode. “I was hoping that you would ask.”

Tara couldn’t suppress a giggle as Willow launched into a rambling story about the t-shirt being from Berserk, her favorite manga, and then the origins of manga and anime.

“Are you familiar with any of this? Or interested in learning about it? I don’t want to bore you to death with crap you don’t care about…”

Tara had a faint smile on her face. “I know of both, but I have never seen or read any.”

“Do you think you would be interested in checking either out?”

Tara nodded. “Tell me about Berserk and what kind of anime you think I would like.”

Willow launched into an explanation about her favorite manga as well as what kind of anime she thought Tara would like. The blonde listened to her friend intently and asked questions at times where she didn’t understand something, or she genuinely was interested in the manga or anime. It was late into the night by the time the conversation between both witches was winding down. The redhead looked over to the clock on Tara’s desk.

“It’s almost one in the morning.”

Tara’s eyes bugged out. “How did that happen?”

“We were having fun, and I drew you into my geekery.”

Tara smiled softly. “I did have a lot of fun today. Can I see you this week? I’m pretty busy until Wednesday, but it would be cool to hang out and maybe study.”

Willow flashed the other witch a smile as they both stood up. “That would be wonderful. You can stop by my room any time after 1:30 PM.”

Tara yawned before nodding her head in agreement. Willow grabbed her backpack by the door and turned towards the blonde. She took a step forward before catching herself. The redhead took a step back, waved at her friend, and turned to leave.

“See you later.”

Tara found herself standing in the middle of the room lost in her thoughts for a moment.

What was that last bit about? She looked like she wanted to say or do something but then stepped back. She looked sad. Maybe I am just imagining things again.

[Dub]

You folks are really big on exploring sexual orientation in relation to trauma.

Nope sorry. I agree they are two mutually exclusive things. Saying one causes another feels like conversion therapy rubbish to me. I’m just talking about attraction in general and never fundamentally as a character study although it is a way to present the information in a slightly more palatable way, if ever it can be called palatable. I genuinely mean attraction. It’s more human study than fictional. I see why it came across that way though. Sorry.

Chapter 6

her friend Faith.

Now that’s a twist.

never felt the pain that I experienced in this dream. It was deep, aching, and ever-present.

Dreams suck. The disturbing dreams are fine, the worst dreams are the ones when you wake up knowing you were happy but the memory quickly evaporates so all day you wonder what made you so happy and you’re left with bitter disappointment that you will never know. I’d take the cheese guy over that any day.

not help but feel incredibly sad for whoever was having such a dreadful nightmare.

Huh, so is Willow knowingly having other people’s dreams and writing them down in her dream journal? That feels like a massive betrayal of trust and personal space, if I found my dreams written down by someone else even if I told them the details. I can’t imagine that going well if Tara finds it, Whether Willow knew it was Tara's dream or not.

she lay shivering in bed

Yeah student accommodation heating sucks. I knew an oxford student (by association never met them) who got pneumonia from the halls of residence.

“What is a ley line?”

According to the 2016 Ghostbusters, its party central. Such a crap plot, villain makes everyone dance. Wait but that’s a brilliant plot in ‘OMWF’. Swap the weird bellhop guy with sweet, film is instantly improved. “Thank you for requesting this!”

petrichor

The best smell.

Imagine that it is opening up and reaching out to the sky.”

Done

I think we can safely say that your primary element is fire, which is fitting for you.

Darn tootin

babies with potential

Unlike those babies with no potential. Just laying around demanding food and attention, crying when it doesn’t get what it wants, crying when it does. The foul excrement that explodes out of its orifices. Thinking the slightest smile will make everyone swoon and forget. That’s just the prime minister.

“I like that you give me space and care enough about me to respect my boundaries.”

Don’t know about that, still don’t trust the dream thing. That’s invasion of privacy and then to write it down.

I don’t want to bore you to death with crap you don’t care about…”

Wait this is an option in real life? Someone inform Facebook users.

[CK_Mako]

her friend Faith.

I was wondering when she was going to come into the picture since you mentioned bringing her in as Tara's friend. Cannot wait for her to make her appearance.

Willow woke up with a start from her deep slumber. Grabbing the notebook that she kept by her bed, she began to furiously scribble down the dream that she was in before she was ripped away and brought to the waking world. The redhead noticed that instead of the clearly defined details that always came out when she wrote her usual dreams, the words flying onto the page were descriptions of nebulous pictures and feelings that she had never experienced before. She had no idea where the dream came from and was so disturbing that it left her with a chill in her bones.

Deeply disturbing. I have never felt the pain that I experienced in this dream. It was deep, aching, and ever-present. How can one dream make me believe that I would never be happy again, never feel the sun on my face, and that I would die alone without ever experiencing love or finding a home? How could this be a dream of my imagining?

After she finished writing in her dream journal and placing it back on her bedside table, Willow looked over to the clock on her desk which read 3:00 AM. She rolled over in her bed and found a comfortable position so she could go back to sleep. The events of the dream played through the redhead's mind, and she could not help but feel incredibly sad for whoever was having such a dreadful nightmare. Willow was determined to not fall into the depression that the dream bade her do and suddenly felt something deep within her send out a pulse of love and comfort. She hoped that the feeling would reach the dreamer who needed it the most. The redhead conjured up the memory of singing with Tara and found the sound of the witch's voice holding fast in the synapses of her brain. She fell into a restful sleep with a huge grin on her face.

Since this is the first introduction to Willow using a dream journal, it is intriguing. Did she start one while back at home? Or is it a new development due to her having odd dreams that she feels as though they are not hers? In this scene, it isn't clear at first if she was aware of who the dream belongs to and that she just woke and started writing (as one does when keeping a dream journal). She even asks herself how it could be a dream that she imagined. I read that as she still is processing having the dream. When the events are replayed, that appears to be where she concludes that it isn't her dream. I am still not sure if the dream had full events played out because it also appears to be just emotions that she is recalling? I also do not read her as doing the dream jumping on purpose, especially with her lack of magical experience thus far. I guess we shall see how this develops.

As she lay shivering in bed, Tara suddenly felt as though she was being covered in a blanket that exuded warmth and comfort. For a moment, she thought that the energy surrounding her felt all too familiar, but her exhausted mind could not give any more thought to the feeling.

Ok so highly likely Willow was experiencing at least part of Tara's dreams. Her reaching out in comfort made it to Tara. Wondering if this new development is due to their magical connection growing?

I can be edgy! Yep, Willow “Badass” Rosenberg is what they call me.

oh Willow...

Pizza Margherita, ok?”

Of course! This is the best kind of pizza.

I don’t want to bore you to death with crap you don’t care about…”

Wait this is an option in real life? Someone inform Facebook users.

haha I wish it were! Coming from someone with SM (selective mutism), not having to fake interest into something that is not of my own interest would be awesome. There should be this option everywhere. Option 1: not interested at all, so go away; Option 2: slight interest, but keep it brief; Option 3: interested, go ahead.

[GrimCityGirl]

All the musical fun times makes me so happy, love how central it is to a lot of these chapters. Also like the slower pace you’ve gone for with developing their friendship and exploring both sides of their characters. It’s a really intriguing story so far. Can’t wait for more!

[Bellalocke]

Dub

Now that’s a twist.

I've seen a lot of fics where Tara and Faith are friends, and I think they work rather well together. I hope you enjoy and appreciate their dynamic later in the story

Huh, so is Willow knowingly having other people’s dreams and writing them down in her dream journal? That feels like a massive betrayal of trust and personal space, if I found my dreams written down by someone else even if I told them the details. I can’t imagine that going well if Tara finds it, Whether Willow knew it was Tara's dream or not.

Willow is definitely not purposefully entering anyone's dreams. While it is possible, Willow does not have the knowledge or the experience to be able to do so. So far as the dream journal is concerned, it is normal for a lot of people to keep one and write down the dreams that they have within it. Willow did not realize the dream was not hers until she had really begun to analyze the dream itself. I think that your opinion of this whole event and how Tara would react will change with this next chapter.

Don’t know about that, still don’t trust the dream thing. That’s invasion of privacy and then to write it down.

Be a little more trusting of Willow, and open as to why something like this would happen. A lot will be revealed shortly

Ck_Mako

I was wondering when she was going to come into the picture since you mentioned bringing her in as Tara's friend. Cannot wait for her to make her appearance.

Faith will definitely be coming in with a bang, a boot, and a healthy dose of ass-kickery, but you will have to wait a while yet

Since this is the first introduction to Willow using a dream journal, it is intriguing. Did she start one while back at home? Or is it a new development due to her having odd dreams that she feels as though they are not hers?

Willow started a dream journal back at home during her senior year when she read in a book that dreams could be interpreted to show underlying emotions among other things. Previous to observing the emotions associated with Tara's dream, she had never had a dream that she felt was not her own.

I read that as she still is processing having the dream. When the events are replayed, that appears to be where she concludes that it isn't her dream. I am still not sure if the dream had full events played out because it also appears to be just emotions that she is recalling?

In this instance, Willow is barely cognizant enough to grab her dream journal and write the dream out. She is very much not aware that the dream is not hers until she begins to process it which comes after she has written most of the dream. The dream did not have full events play out. Instead, Willow felt the emotions that Tara was feeling during the dream while trying to make out figures in black mud.

I also do not read her as doing the dream jumping on purpose, especially with her lack of magical experience thus far. I guess we shall see how this develops.

While there are witches that can just pop into someone's dreams all willy nilly, they are rare and need to be extraordinarily powerful and experienced to do so.

Her reaching out in comfort made it to Tara. Wondering if this new development is due to their magical connection growing?

This is a fairly good guess. More about this connection, among other things will be explored and revealed later on in the story

I can be edgy! Yep, Willow “Badass” Rosenberg is what they call me.

oh Willow...

I was wondering if anyone was going to comment on this line

Of course! This is the best kind of pizza.

You never know... the debate may continue

GrimCityGirl

All the musical fun times makes me so happy, love how central it is to a lot of these chapters.

I am so happy that you are enjoying this aspect of the story! Honestly, it is one of my favorite things about this fic. Instead of just bonding over magic, our girls have music, which can act as such an amazing vehicle for a lot of things. I hope that you continue to enjoy the music and that you feel it continues to be apt for the chapters it is featured in. Eventually, I will be making a play list of all the music that is in the fic, so look out for that at some point.

Also like the slower pace you’ve gone for with developing their friendship and exploring both sides of their characters.

This fic is most definitely a slow burn. There will be a lot of development in their friendship as well as within themselves before they finally get together. Even once they do get together, there will be more exploration and growth. I hope that you enjoy where all this is going and look forward to what is to come!

UPDATE DIRECTLY BELOW

[Bellalocke]

Title: The Dark Chronicles of Willow and Tara – How Love Saved the World

Author: Bellalocke

Description: Willow struggles with depression and the aftermath of the last evening she spent with Tara. In the meantime, Tara observes a dream that is not her own. Willow opens up about her past, and the bond between the two witches continues to grow.

Rating: R for Adult themes

Ownership: Please do not cross-post this story.

Note: Tara, Willow, and other characters associated with BTVS belong to Joss, ME, and all other affiliates. Please don't sue me I am a poor IT contractor.

Spoilers: Aside from some dialogue here and there, none whatsoever. This fic is completely AU

Feedback: Always welcome and encouraged.

Author Note: I am providing a trigger warning in this chapter for past suicidal ideation. If this topic prevents you from reading the chapter. Send me a message and I will provide you with an edited version of the chapter.

Author note 2: In this chapter, Willow gives Tara a playlist she made. That playlist can be found here on YouTube Music

Thoughts are in italics

As Always, I will try to be true to Willow and Tara.

Now onto the good stuff!

Chapter 7
Willow arrived back at her dorm room around 1:15 AM and flopped on her bed after placing her bag down on her computer chair. She knew that she should go to sleep, but found her mind filled with the events of the day. Normally Willow would focus on the happier parts of the day, but tonight she found her brain focusing on the last two minutes of the evening.

I almost tried to hug her again. Why do I do that? I know that she needs personal space, even if I don’t understand why, and I respect that so much. Boundaries, whether physical or mental, are so important. I wish that I could ask her for a hug, but I know that would just make her uncomfortable. If Tara wanted to hug me, she would. This isn’t good. I feel so depressed right now. The last hug I received was from dad when he dropped me off here. Has it really only been ten days since then? If I feel like this after only such a short period of time, how bad will it get before I see dad or Buffy again? Now I understand what being ‘touch starved’ looks and feels like. Why did I take the amount of physical affection I received back at home for granted? Why didn’t I consider this when I agreed to come to Oxford? Maybe I took for granted the thought that I would make friends where I could hug them or hell, even shake their hand.

Willow was pulled from her thoughts when she heard her cell phone ping indicating that there was a text message waiting for her. The redhead picked up her phone and saw that the text was from her dad stating that he had added an international plan to her cell phone so she would finally be able to call/text him and anyone in the United States. He also said that he would give her a call on Thursday to catch up and see how she was doing. Willow realized that he likely had not called figuring that she was in bed due to the late hour. She did some mental math and figured that it was around 5:30 PM in Sunnydale. Willow pressed two on her speed dial and waited for her best friend to pick up.

“Willow?”

“Hey, Buffy.”

“I am so happy you called! I’ve missed you. How is Oxford treating you?”

Willow caught Buffy up on the events of the past week, including meeting Tara.

The redhead couldn’t help but smile. “She’s amazing, Buff. So kind, she has these gorgeous blue eyes, is a witch, and she even plays the guitar and the piano.”

Buffy chuckled. “Sounds like someone has a crush.”

“I do not! I think she could be my best friend here. We’ve only known each other a week, but I cannot imagine not seeing her or having her around. There is so much that I don’t know about her, but I want to. We play our instruments for each other and even sing together. I feel like I’ve known her forever, which is what makes things so hard sometimes.”

Buffy furrowed her eyebrows. “Makes what difficult, Will?”

“I feel so drawn to her, and comfortable with her, but I have to stop myself from hugging her.”

Buffy frowned when the distress in her best friend’s voice became evident. “Do you think she feels the same? Why do you have to stop yourself?”

“I know she is more comfortable around me than she was when we met, but she has also made it abundantly clear that personal space is a big deal to her. I don’t know what happened, but she can be so guarded sometimes. She hasn’t asked
for a hug, and I can’t help but think that if I asked her for one, it would make her uncomfortable.”

Tears started falling down Willow’s cheeks.

Buffy could tell that her best friend was genuinely distressed. She was not sure what the deal with Tara was, but she hated that Willow could not act as she normally would with people she cared about. This fact worried her a great deal.

“Will, I can come and see you in two weeks, ok? I will give you all the hugs, I promise. Until then, go hug a puppy or something. I am sure that will help you feel better.”

Willow sniffled. “Are you sure you can come, Buff? I don’t want to take you away from anything.”

“I’m sure, Will. What kind of bestie would I be if I didn’t come and see you when you need me? Plus, we have a lot to catch up on, but now is not the time.”

“Ok, Buff. I should get some sleep. I have class kind of early.”

“Ok, Will. Sleep well and call me soon. I love you.”

“Love you too, Buff.”

Willow hung up and closed her phone. She got out of bed and went over to her closet. The redhead changed into the softest bedclothes that she had and reached into the very back to grab the teddy bear her dad had given to her for her fifth birthday. It was only one of three stuffed animals that had survived her mother’s purge when she was in ninth grade. As she lay down in bed, Willow pulled the bear close to her and fell into a restless sleep.

***

Tara woke up with a start for the second night in a row. However, instead of her usual nightmare rousing her, it was a different dream entirely. Pulling the dream journal she kept on her bedside table, she began to write the events of the dream that she had observed. At first, she saw flashes of red and green followed by conflicting feelings. On one hand, she felt newness and immense happiness followed by turmoil, confusion, and finally depression. Delving further, she found herself in a softly lit room. Looking around, she saw a window with a telescope pointing outward, a desk stacked with books and different colored pens, a single bed with Care Bears sheets and a teddy bear, and finally, a little girl huddled in the corner of her room. Waves of sadness rolled off the little girl. Tara could not help but see and feel that the little girl felt completely lost and alone. She tried to approach the little girl, but when she got within a certain distance a glass wall stopped her from coming any closer. Suddenly, the young girl transformed into a young woman who looked familiar, but the glass wall obscured her features and prevented Tara from reading her aura or energy. Backing out of the dream, Tara sighed. The realm of dreams was indeed a strange place at times. Before she went back to sleep, the blonde thought of the little girl and sent a pulse of strength and togetherness. She did not want that little girl or that woman to feel alone.

***

Willow woke up in the morning a little worse for wear so far as fatigue was concerned, but in a slightly better state mentally. She still felt depressed but not as hopeless and despondent as she had last night. Oddly, she felt like someone had been with her in her dream last night. The presence felt the same as the one that had been there in the dream she had the night before last. Shaking her head, she rolled out of bed and got ready for the day.

The redhead had to book it from the coffee shop she had stopped at to grab a mocha and a bagel to get to her Astronomy Seminar on time. A few hours and two more mochas later, Willow was finally done with her classes for the day. The redhead found herself sitting in the main cafeteria in the Student Union building picking away at a BLT Club that looked good but was rather tasteless today. Out of the corner of her eye, the witch saw a flash of blonde hair that she could have sworn belonged to Tara but was gone by the time that she had turned around to look. Willow wasn’t even sure that she wanted to see her friend at the moment. She loved spending time with the blonde and getting to know her, but the desire to touch or hug the woman and her inability to do so was depressing; it reminded her of all that she was missing.

Willow was just about to get up from her table and head outside to call a local animal shelter she had found to see if they needed volunteers. When she looked up, the redhead noticed Tara walking towards her with a lopsided grin on her face. Ignoring the gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach, Willow slid her happy mask into place and returned the smile. Tara placed her tray on the table and her backpack on the chair beside her before sitting down across from Willow.

“Funny meeting you here.”

Willow put on her brave face and did her best to appear happy for her friend. “Yeah, I just got done with classes for the day. How about you?”

“Same. What are you up to after this?”

Willow looked down and picked at her club some more. “Just calling the local animal shelter to see if they need any volunteers, and then doing classwork in the library. I’m trying to get at least a week ahead in all of my classes. What about you?”

Tara finished chewing the bit of pear she had in her mouth. “I have a phone call to make, and then studying as well.”

The two women fell silent as they continued to eat. Tara noticed that Willow was only picking at her food and not really eating much. Having done magic with the redhead, she was able to read Willow’s aura to a certain degree without having to touch her. When she looked at her friend, Tara had to stop herself from gasping; Willow’s normally bright and vibrant yellow was muted, and she had large swirls and pools of grey threaded throughout.

“Are you ok, Willow? You’ve hardly eaten.”

Willow tried her best to smile. “Yeah. I’m just tired is all. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“You sure? I’m sorry you didn’t sleep well. Is there anything I can do?”

Willow sighed. “No, I’m really not ok, but there isn’t anything that you can do about it. I miss my dad.”

Tara nodded. “I wish mama were home already. I know she could help you feel better. I-I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault, Tara. Plus, it’s nothing a little puppy therapy won’t help. I should get going. Am I still seeing you Wednesday?”

Tara nodded. “Of course. I have some things to take care of after class, but I should be there around 1:30 PM or so. Should I bring lunch?”

“That would be great. Ok, I’ll see you later.”

Tara noticed that Willow hurried off before another word could be said. The blonde sat and ate her salad slowly. Once she was done eating, Tara got up and left the Student Union Building to return to her room. The witch divested her boots and sat down on her bed before calling Cyndi. She was surprised when her therapist said that she would be able to see her tomorrow morning and stated that she would extend the session if needed. Tara confirmed her appointment for 9:00 AM and hung up the phone. She called her mother next.

“Mama?”

“Hi, Sweetheart. How are you doing?”

“I’m doing ok. I miss you. When are you and Kathryn going to be home?”

“We are leaving Paris Thursday morning and should be back in town by late afternoon. Why don’t you come over on Friday?”

“I have class until 6:45 PM. Are you ok if we have dinner a bit late?”

“Sure, honey.”

“Would it be ok if I brought a friend?”

Odessa Maclay smiled. “Of course. Are you sure everything is ok?”

“I’m really concerned for her, Mama, and I am hoping you can help. She has so much gray in her aura. It’s not normal, and I don’t think she is telling me the full truth about what is going on.”

“She is more than welcome to come over, sweetheart. I hope we can help her.”

“I’m sure you can. I have to get back to studying, but I will see you on Friday.”

“I love you, honey.”

“I love you too, Mama.”

Tara hung up her phone and sat down at her desk. After an hour and a half of studying, the blonde found her concentration slipping. She thought about her friend across campus. Tara was not sure if Willow felt up for company, but she thought that maybe the redhead would appreciate a little something to lift her spirits. Tara packed up her books and looked at her guitar.

Couldn’t hurt to bring this. Maybe playing some music would cheer her up. If not, then I can always just give her the treats and head back here. I just want to help her, but I don’t know how to do so. A mocha and some chocolate would be the perfect treat and maybe they would help? Couldn’t hurt.

The blonde packed away her guitar, grabbed the case as well as her keys, and headed out the door. On her way to Willow’s dorm, she stopped by the coffee shop in the Student Union building to grab Willow’s favorite drink as well as a jumbo bar of chocolate. The witch readjusted the guitar case and headed towards the McLean dorm. Before long, Tara found herself standing outside of the redhead’s door. She almost expected to hear her friend playing the cello, but instead, she heard a song playing and Willow’s voice singing softly. The blonde knocked softly and waited for Willow to answer the door. When the redhead opened the door, she looked slightly shocked. Tara gave her friend a lopsided grin and held up the mocha as well as a bar of chocolate.

“Sorry, I didn’t call first. I thought I would surprise you.”

Willow smiled softly and let Tara in. “Thanks for stopping by.”

Tara offered the redhead the mocha as well as the bar of chocolate. “I heard you singing when I came to the door. Would you sing me the song?”

Willow almost shook her head. “It’s embarrassing and I don’t want you to think I’m weird.”

“I would never think that of you, Willow. You have such a lovely singing voice. Please?”

The redhead took a deep breath and went over to her laptop to restart the song. Willow sat down on her bench and took another deep breath.

Tara noticed that her friend was not looking at her as she began to sing Human Touch By Bruce Springsteen.

You and me we were the pretenders
We let it all slip away
In the end what you don't surrender
Well, the world just strips away

Girl, ain't no kindness in the face of strangers
Ain't gonna find no miracles here
Well, you can wait on your blessin's, my darlin'
I got a deal for you right here

I ain't lookin' for praise or pity
I ain't comin' 'round searchin' for a crutch
I just want someone to talk to
And a little of that human touch
Just a little of that human touch

Tara was silent for a good solid two minutes after the song ended. Willow was so embarrassed that she couldn’t stand to look at her friend. She feared what she would find when she looked at Tara’s face.

Tara spoke softly. “Thank you.”

Willow nodded. “See? Embarrassing. I’m sorry, I really should not have sung that to you or had been singing it in the first place. Can we forget it happened?”

Tara was tempted to say ‘yes,’ but she knew that in doing so, she would cause her friend to shut down for good and ruin any possibility of a close friendship.

“No. I needed to know, and now I do. Is this why you are volunteering at the animal shelter? Puppy therapy?”

Willow nodded as tears fell from her eyes. “You’re the only person I know here, and I haven’t had any human contact, not a hug or a handshake, in over ten days. I was used to receiving multiple hugs a day when I was home. From my dad and Buffy. Gods, I am pathetic.”

When her friend went to turn away from her again, Tara spoke up. “No, you’re not. This is what happened last night, isn’t it?”

Willow turned and faced the other witch. “Yes, and I am so sorry. I respect your boundaries. I need you to know that. We’ve only known each other for a week, but it feels like I’ve known you my whole life. I didn’t talk to you about it because I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

Tara shook her head. “Willow, you do not need to apologize. I’ve been a bad friend to not see how much you are hurting. I wish…”

“You don’t need to explain, Tara. I know you will tell me when you are ready.”

Tara nodded. “I will, I promise. Instead, can I play you one of my favorite songs? It might not exactly fit everything about our friendship, but it’s close. I want to try to cheer you up the best way I can.”

“Of course.”

The blonde sat down on Willow’s bed and unpacked her guitar case. She took a moment to tune her instrument. She threw the redhead another lopsided grin before she began strumming her guitar and playing Kind and Generous by Natalie Merchant.

La la la la
You've been so kind and generous
I don't know how you keep on giving
For your kindness I'm in debt to you

For your selflessness my admiration
For everything you've done you know I'm bound
I'm bound to thank you for it
La la la la
Hey hey hey

You've been so kind and generous
I don't know how you keep on giving
For your kindness I'm in debt to you
And I never could have come this far without you

Willow was smiling by the end of the song. “You have such a lovely voice. How is it that you always make me feel better just by singing?”

Tara looked at her friend and smiled. “Magic.”

Willow smiled. “I will give you all of the cookies if you agree to watch an old-school movie with me. It would really cheer me up. If you don’t have plans?”

“No plans for tonight, so I guess we can hang out?”

Willow was bent over one of the cabinet drawers in her desk when she popped up. “You guess? Well then, I guess you don’t want all of the cookies.”

The redhead brandished an unopened pack of Oreos.

“I take it back. I definitely want to hang out.”

Willow chuckled. “I see. So, I have to bribe you with cookies now?”

The redhead scrunched her face as she grabbed an empty water bottle and chucked it at her friend.

Tara deftly dodged the water bottle and threw one of the pillows on Willow’s bed at the owner.

Willow tried to dodge but somehow managed to put herself in the direct line of fire.

“Can’t say I’ve ever seen someone move so that they took a pillow directly in the face.”

Tara started laughing so hard that she fell over on the bed and clutched her stomach.

Willow pouted. “Why are you being so mean to me?”

The blonde composed herself. “Oh Willow, I am so sorry. You have to admit it was kind of funny though.”

The lithe girl took advantage of Tara’s position and her lack of concentration to chuck the pillow back at her. She harrumphed in triumph when the pillow connected directly with the blonde’s face.

“And here I was going to let you sit on my bed to watch the movie, but I think you can take the floor.”

Tara pouted. “What if I apologize by buying dinner this time?”

Willow took a moment to look as though she had to seriously consider the proposal. “Ok. You have yourself a deal, Miss Maclay.”

Tara shot Willow a soft lopsided smile. “How do you feel about Italian? I know a place that delivers.”

“Do they have an online menu?”

Tara nodded. “Yes, but can I give suggestions for what we should order to save some time? I’m sorry, I know I keep doing that, but I really want to get to the movie.”

“You have yet to steer me wrong. Suggest away.”

“Their eggplant parmesan and lasagna are both really good.”

Willow grinned. “I am Garfield; therefore, lasagna always wins.”

“In that case, I will get the eggplant parmesan. I am happy to share if you would like to try it.”

Willow looked down as she smiled. “You know, I’ve never shared food with a friend before I met you. I would like that very much.”

“Me either,” Tara admitted. “I am always happy to share with you. I know it’s not much, but I am really happy I met you and that we are friends.”

The redhead continued to smile while she looked up the movie she wanted to watch on her laptop. Once she found it, Willow set the laptop on the bed and settled into bed with the Oreos in hand. She motioned for Tara to move to the other side of the bed and get comfy.

“I’ll call the restaurant halfway through the movie so that food will be here by the time it’s over.”

Tara gave her friend a lopsided smile. “Sounds good. So, what are we going to watch?”

Willow beamed. “The one movie that is guaranteed to cheer me up no matter what. ‘9 to 5’ with Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda.”

“The movie sounds familiar, but I don’t think I’ve seen it.”

The redhead giggled. “You’re in for a real treat then.”

An hour into the movie, both women took a break from the constant bout of giggles that had consumed them since the movie started.

Willow called the restaurant and ordered the dishes that Tara had suggested. They informed her that the food would be delivered within an hour, and she would receive a phone call when the delivery person was outside of the dorm. The redhead hung up her phone and moved towards her bed to settle back in.

The movie had just ended when Willow received a phone call from the delivery person stating that he was in front of the dorm. The redhead dashed downstairs with her wallet before Tara even had the chance to give her the money for dinner. When the other witch returned to the room with the food, Tara was sitting on the edge of her bed with a quirked eyebrow.

“You must be hungry.”

Willow grinned sheepishly. “A little. I didn’t want the food to get cold either.”

Tara reached into her pocket and pulled out the money she had intended to give Willow for dinner. When she tried to hand the other witch the money, her hand was waved away.

Willow placed the bag of food down on her bed. “I got it.”

Tara watched as her friend moved to her closet and pulled out two throw pillows. “That wasn’t the deal. I was supposed to buy dinner as an apology.”

Willow sat the two pillows down on the floor and moved to her mini-fridge. “I have water, Coke, OJ, Limeade, and sparkling cider. Do you have a preference?”

“You’re ignoring the question."

Willow looked back at her friend. “I promise I will talk about it soon. Now, what would you like to drink?”

Tara shook her head. “I’ll have what you’re having.”

Willow smiled as she pulled out the bottle of sparkling cider and grabbed two cups. “I’m sorry I don’t have a table yet. Do you mind if we eat down here? I promise I cleaned today.”

Tara gave the redhead a lopsided grin as she moved down to the floor. “No problem.”

Willow sat down opposite the other witch and poured the cider into the cups before handing one over to her friend.

“Ok. So, I changed my mind about you paying for dinner for a reason. Can we eat first? I promise I will tell you then.”

Tara did not want the delicious food before her to go to waste. “Sounds good.”

Both women tucked into their respective dishes while taking bites from one another’s containers every so often. When they finished eating, Willow flopped on her back and held her belly.

“So full, but so worth it.”

Tara chuckled softly, “I am glad that you enjoyed it. Do we have any cider left?”

Willow sat up and grabbed the bottle. “Just enough for another cup for each of us.”

The redhead handed the bottle to Tara. The blonde grabbed the bottle and poured another cup for each of them. She rose from the floor and threw the bottle in the trash. By the time she turned around, the redhead was grabbing the throw pillows and placing them back in the closet. Tara noticed that Willow was reaching for something tucked in the back corner of her closet. When she saw the teddy bear, a spark of recognition hit her. She looked over at Willow’s desk and noticed a line of different colored pens sitting beside some neatly stacked notebooks.

In the dream I saw last night… the little girl was Willow. How did I not realize that? Oh Willow, I am so sorry…

Willow stood and regarded the other witch. Tara’s face was pensive, and she had a faraway look in her eyes. The blonde stayed that way for another moment before coming out of her reverie. When she looked at the redhead, she noticed that Willow was motioning her towards the bed. Tara nodded and watched as her friend sat down at the head of the bed and leaned against the headboard. The blonde sat down at the foot of the bed and crossed her legs. She could practically see the gears whirling in Willow’s head and decided that waiting for her friend to start speaking would be best.

The redhead took another moment before she focused her mind. When she looked into her friend’s azure eyes, she saw warmth and compassion. It occurred to her that the blonde had never looked at her in such a manner, and she could not help but wonder if the other witch knew how difficult this was going to be for her. Willow hugged the teddy bear to her chest and took a deep breath.

“I’ve never talked to anyone about this, so I am not sure where to start. Everyone who knows about this was there to see it and live through it with me.”

Tara remained silent while Willow took another breath and hugged her teddy to calm down.

“Remember how you asked me if my mom ever heard me play the cello and I told you that she wasn’t around a lot?”

Tara nodded.

“When I said not around a lot, I meant almost never. She had me and spent time with me for the first year of my life. After that, she decided her career was more important than I was and went back to work. I was lucky that I had my dad, and that he decided to do work that allowed him to stay in Sunnydale. If he hadn’t, I am not sure that I would still be alive.”

Tara furrowed her brow. She couldn’t believe that there was a time when the possibility of a world without Willow Rosenberg existed. The conflicting feelings of being happy that Willow is still here and is her friend versus the sadness of knowing that things had happened to her friend pushed her to think such thoughts.

Willow closed her eyes for a moment and took another breath.

“I’m pretty used to being alone, you know? I had one friend in elementary school, Jessie, but he moved away after fourth grade. We became friends because both of us were bullied, and nobody else would have us. When he moved, things got worse for me. I hid what was happening at school, so my dad never knew. At least not until I told him much later. Anyway, when I was younger, he could tell that I was lonely, so he made it a point to be demonstrative with his love and affection for me. Hence the hugs, the talks, and the trips where it was just us. That is where I think I developed the habit of showing people I cared by hugging them or touching them, not that I had anyone aside from my dad that I did that with for a long time. In high school, things got somewhat better because that is when I met my best friend, Buffy.”

The redhead took a sip of her cider before continuing.

“She transferred into my high school during our second trimester of Freshman year. By then I had the reputation of being the smartest person in our grade. She came to me hoping that I could help her catch up. I never expected us to become friends, but we did. Buffy and her mom welcomed me into their lives and treated me like family. I still remember the first sleepover I had with Buffy. She decided to have me over after a particularly hard week where people were just digging into me; left, right, and center. I was so sad because I never could understand why people treated me the way they did. We watched movies, ate entirely too much ice cream, and talked about all the things we had to look forward to once we left Sunnydale. When we went to bed that night, I guess I must have started crying because Buffy wrapped her arm around me and just held me. That was the first time I ever felt like I belonged somewhere. No matter what I came to her with or what I told her, she stood by me, hugged me or held me when I needed it, and otherwise threatened violence against anyone who tried to hurt me. I still remember the night that I told her about the study ‘date’ that I had with Joel Bernstein, compliments of my mother’s meddling, and he tried to kiss me after I helped him with a math problem. I shoved him away and called my dad asking him to come and pick me up. I was so mad at my mother because I knew she would be more concerned about her reputation than my feelings or how violated I felt. The next night, I went and stayed with Buffy for the weekend. She helped me figure some things out and comforted me as much as she could. She has always accepted me completely, and that is everything to me. I don’t know how I thought that I would be ok being so far away from both her and my dad, but they convinced me to go to school here because they knew it would be a good opportunity for me. I miss them so much, but I am so happy that I am here because I met you, and I am so grateful to know you and be friends with you. I never want to do anything that will make you afraid of me or drive you away.”

Willow hadn’t noticed that her gaze had strayed from Tara’s face until she looked up and noticed unshed tears in her friend’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I should not have said anything. This is too much for anyone to hold.”

Tara wiped away the tears in her eyes and shook her head. “I am grateful you told me, Willow. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. I know that I am a difficult person and there are many things you don’t know about me yet, but please know that I am so happy I met you too. I care about you, and I will always listen to you when you need to talk. If I tell you something, can you try to not get mad?”

Willow nodded.

“I knew something was wrong this afternoon because I saw your aura when I noticed you weren’t really eating. There was so much gray and all the other colors were so muted. I was really worried, and I didn’t want to leave you alone. It never occurred that I was a part of the reason you were feeling depressed, and for that, I am sincerely sorry.”

Willow met Tara’s gaze. “You don’t need to apologize. You were worried about me, and right now, that means everything.”

“Can I tell you one other thing?”

“Of course.”

“Last night, I woke up because I saw someone else’s dream, and I think it was yours. The teddy bear that you are holding and the different colored pens you have on your desk made me realize that. I am so sorry you feel so alone. Please know that you are not; I am here for you no matter what. Can I read your aura?”

Willow nodded. “If it will help you ease your mind, then yes.”

Tara held her hands out towards her friend palm side up. The redhead very reluctantly moved her hands out and hovered them over the blonde’s. Tara moved her hands up so that their palms were lightly touching before going into a light trance. She saw that the gray was still present, but not as much as it once was, and the yellow was better but still not as vibrant as it was the first day she had read it. She pulled her mind back to the present and slowly moved her hands away.

“The gray is still there, but you look better than you did.”

Willow smiled. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see you tonight, but I am really glad you came over. You listening to me is more than enough of an apology for earlier, and dinner was to show you my thanks for listening to me.”

Tara ducked her head. “How were you sure I would listen?”

“Because you showed up here with the mocha and chocolate, and you were willing to watch a completely ridiculous movie with me because I told you it was my favorite. You were being a friend and, in my estimation, friends who do stuff like that will also listen.”

Tara gave Willow a shy lopsided grin. “Do you have plans on Friday?”

The redhead shook her head. “I’m all caught up with homework until next week, so I have a whole lot of nothing to do this weekend.”

“Mama is going to be home Thursday afternoon but wants to have dinner Friday night. Would you join me? We could make a weekend out of it if you wanted to?”

Willow smiled softly. “That would be wonderful. Thank you for inviting me.”

“Can you meet me outside of my dorm at 7:00 PM?”

Willow nodded.

“Sounds good. I had a really good time tonight, and I’m happy that I could be here for you.”

Tara finished her cider and made a move to get off of the bed. “I hate to do this, but I have to get going. I have an early morning and a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Am I still seeing you Wednesday?”

Willow nodded. “I should be back here by 1:30 PM. Do I need to have anything for lunch?”

Tara shook her head as she packed up her guitar before turning to leave.

“Oh! Hold on a second!”

Willow went over to her desk and grabbed an MP3 player and some headphones. She walked over to the other woman and held both out.

“We had talked about making playlists for each other, but I wasn’t sure if you had a stereo or a CD player other than your computer. So, I got this and put your playlist on it. I hope you like it.”

Tara gave Willow a warm half-smile as she took the offered player and headphones and slipped them in her pockets.

“Thank You, Willow. I look forward to listening to this. I promise I will have yours done soon.”

Willow beamed. “Good night, Tara.”

When Willow went to wave goodbye, Tara caught her hand and covered it with both of hers. “Good night, Willow.”

The blonde gave her friend’s hand a brief squeeze before turning around and leaving the redhead’s room.

Willow closed the door and smiled to herself as she lay down in bed.

A difficult conversation for me as a show of trust, and in turn, a difficult action for her to convey caring and grant a measure of trust. Don’t take it for granted, and don’t expect it to happen again.

[Dub]

Option 1: not interested at all, so go away; Option 2: slight interest, but keep it brief; Option 3: interested, go ahead.

You’re welcome to use these options with me anytime.

Willow did not realize the dream was not hers

That’s cool then. If she initially thought it was hers then that’s fair game. It was rather ambiguous with the story telling on that aspect.

On with the show –

Tara woke up with a start for the second night in a row.

Based on your feedback, is this the same situation? Does Tara not realise it’s not her dream until she looks closer into it? Again I feel it’s rather ambiguous but it fits in the same tone/written style as Willow’s dream segment in the previous chapter.

Willow slid her happy mask into place

Batman wears a mask to protect the people he loves, but where’s the emotional protection for Bruce Wayne? How many masks does one have to wear until they forget their own face?

“No, I’m really not ok, but there isn’t anything that you can do about it

This is a 100% perfectly good thing to say.

“Can’t say I’ve ever seen someone move so that they took a pillow directly in the face.”

How else are you meant to dislodge a wobbly tooth when confined to the bedroom.

Willow grinned. “I am Garfield; therefore, lasagna always wins.”

I agree with Willow, I finally agree on something with Willow.

sparkling cider

American cider right? Not that it’s illegal to have the UK cider which is often alcoholic. just knowing if they are getting tipsy or not.

MP3 player and some headphones

Those were the days, full of stolen music. Not even songs really, just noises like rhythmic rubber duck sounds and crazy frog. Then the ipod touch came out and it was all temple run, fruit ninja and doodle jump. Growing up is getting old.


I’m really trying, it’s no fault of your own. I have a real difficulty with music, it’s not something that computes with me unless I really study it and even then its touch and go. I was reading this while listening to the play list and try to do the same for the other musical links while they are singing to try and better connect with your intentions for this piece.

I kind of get the play list songs connecting with Willows desire to be touched. The music does add an emotional depth to the piece however I’m not sure if it’s enhancing the words or highlighting the words not needed.

You do this quite a bit but I’m not sure if it’s the sensitivity writing or characters own acknowledgement of emotion. You describe depression as feeling depressed four times in this chapter. The first one in Willows own thoughts.

“I feel so depressed right now”

I don’t think it’s needed here as you have a myriad of negative thoughts surrounding this line. Along with the music and words there’s no disconnect with the reader, they know she feels depressed. Kind of making this line redundant.

Then you move on both Buffy and Tara while talking express they are happy. In dialog its fine but at the same time people don’t just come out with what they are feeling, maybe glad or pleased would sound more natural. However if it is a sensitivity practice of acknowledging emotion then it makes sense.

I feel you say when you should show. You have the Aura thing going on and the dream thing as well. These are visual things to gain knowledge of emotion. This really helps build that depth of connection between the two. But when an emotion is announced for it, it blanket terms it all. Like putting a cover over a pile of unorganised mess. Yes all that stuff is still there but I’m mainly seeing the blanket.

For example

I just want to help her, but I don’t know how to do so

Again it’s surrounded by options Tara is going through to try and help Willow so we know she is trying but not sure how to. It feels like an unneeded line blanketing over the work you’ve put in to define these emotions.

With the music and the work you put in to describe the emotion I feel these blanket lines you put in undermine that in a way. Particularly as you have this core focus on the music and its help and comfort to the girls, I think it would be more beneficial for the writing of the story to reflect the feeling of emotion instead of sign posting it. But as I say this could all be a large part of the sensitivity writing as to why these lines are put in at which point the signposting is necessary.


Links – The kind and generous video and audio are not currently working.

[CK_Mako]

Buffy chuckled. “Sounds like someone has a crush.”

Yes, 100% and she doesn't even realize it yet.

Buffy could tell that her best friend was genuinely distressed. She was not sure what the deal with Tara was, but she hated that Willow could not act as she normally would with people she cared about. This fact worried her a great deal.

“Will, I can come and see you in two weeks, ok? I will give you all the hugs, I promise. Until then, go hug a puppy or something. I am sure that will help you feel better.”

Best friend knows something is up. Hopefully when she comes out, she can help put Willow at ease.

At first, she saw flashes of red and green followed by conflicting feelings. On one hand, she felt newness and immense happiness followed by turmoil, confusion, and finally depression. Delving further, she found herself in a softly lit room. Looking around, she saw a window with a telescope pointing outward, a desk stacked with books and different colored pens, a single bed with Care Bears sheets and a teddy bear, and finally, a little girl huddled in the corner of her room. Waves of sadness rolled off the little girl.

So Tara is now also dream hopping into Willow's dreams? Interesting. Clearly she knows right off that it wasn't her dream, so is this the first case of this or has this happened to her previously? Hmmm...

Oddly, she felt like someone had been with her in her dream last night.

If Willow could feel Tara, then did Tara feel Willow when Willow was in her dream?

Willow nodded as tears fell from her eyes. “You’re the only person I know here, and I haven’t had any human contact, not a hug or a handshake, in over ten days. I was used to receiving multiple hugs a day when I was home. From my dad and Buffy. Gods, I am pathetic.”

I am glad she was able to be open with Tara about how she is feeling.

When she saw the teddy bear, a spark of recognition hit her. She looked over at Willow’s desk and noticed a line of different colored pens sitting beside some neatly stacked notebooks.

In the dream I saw last night… the little girl was Willow. How did I not realize that? Oh Willow, I am so sorry…

Very observant of Tara. I am glad this chapter has Willow opening up more with her.

[Bellalocke]

Dub -

Based on your feedback, is this the same situation? Does Tara not realise it’s not her dream until she looks closer into it? Again I feel it’s rather ambiguous but it fits in the same tone/written style as Willow’s dream segment in the previous chapter.

So this situation definitely falls more into a gray area than Willow's situation. Tara is aware that the dream is not hers, but, and these are two major caveats, She did not purposefully jump into the dream but was pulled into it, and she is not aware of whose dream it is that she is observing until she ends up seeing Willow's teddy bear the night that they hang out and Willow opens up to her. To her credit, Tara does immediately tell Willow once she realizes, but her situation is not exactly the same as Willow's. That said, you will eventually see why these events are necessary.

Batman wears a mask to protect the people he loves, but where’s the emotional protection for Bruce Wayne? How many masks does one have to wear until they forget their own face?

Not as many as you would think, and this is not the last time that we will see Willow's happy mask. Thankfully, she doesn't really have any others.

American cider right? Not that it’s illegal to have the UK cider which is often alcoholic. just knowing if they are getting tipsy or not.

Yes, American non-alcoholic cider. When alcoholic cider is mentioned, I will often mention a 'case' or a 'six-pack' and the girls will drink directly from the bottle (as is proper) and not from a cup.

I don’t think it’s needed here as you have a myriad of negative thoughts surrounding this line. Along with the music and words there’s no disconnect with the reader, they know she feels depressed. Kind of making this line redundant.

While I would normally agree with you had this line been used in speech outside of her head, in this instance, I think that the fact that she is repeating the feeling that is describing the negative thoughts that surround the statement reflect how circular depression is, hence why it is so easy to get into a downward thought spiral which only leads to worse things. The other thing is that given that this is internal dialogue, there are things that are often repeated within the confines of our mind, yes? This is doubly so for people dealing with depression and other mental illnesses. To wrap this up, the thought was not placed because of any disconnect with the reader but rather as a reflection of how Willow's mind works.

Again it’s surrounded by options Tara is going through to try and help Willow so we know she is trying but not sure how to. It feels like an unneeded line blanketing over the work you’ve put in to define these emotions.

Tara feels as though the things that she has rolled around in her head are not nearly enough to begin to scratch the surface of Willow's emotions or get anywhere close to a place where she can meaningfully help Willow. Sure, the song playing, chocolate, mocha, and surprise visit are all really good ideas for cheering someone up. In this instance, Tara doesn't just want to cheer Willow up, she wants to genuinely help her in a way that will have a lasting impact, but is doubtful in her ability to do so. This is one of the main motivations that causes Tara to grab Willow's hand when they are saying good night for the evening. While it is a small measure, Tara feels like it is one of the few things that she can do to show Willow that she cares and acknowledges her feelings.

On a last note, the playlist that I linked at the beginning of the chapter, while it can certainly be listened to while reading the chapter, I should have posted the caveat that the songs will not necessarily match the situations within the chapter itself. Rather, the playlist is supplemental in that it can give those who care to listen to it a better idea of Willow's mentality at times, as well as a picture of her music tastes outside of the songs posted in the chapters. I will be careful to note that when Tara makes her playlist for Willow.

Note on Links - If you are outside of the US and a link that I post does not work, you may have to search for the song itself on YouTube because unfortunately, I cannot tell which links are good for which countries.

Ck_Mako

Yes, 100% and she doesn't even realize it yet.

Yes, because what W/T story is complete without some good old-fashioned denial? May they learn sooner rather than later.

Best friend knows something is up. Hopefully when she comes out, she can help put Willow at ease.

Buffy 100% to the rescue, and maybe some other things to help Willow out until then. A lot can happen in two weeks, you know?

So Tara is now also dream hopping into Willow's dreams? Interesting. Clearly she knows right off that it wasn't her dream, so is this the first case of this or has this happened to her previously? Hmmm...

I would argue that Tara was yanked into Willow's dreams as opposed to hopping on in, and the reason why will be clear soon enough. This is Tara's first time observing another person's dream, but she has the benefit of magical training under not just one but two powerful witches. Given what we know about her past, I see an extensive amount of time covering dreams and how to navigate them was covered.

If Willow could feel Tara, then did Tara feel Willow when Willow was in her dream?

This question will be answered in the upcoming chapter!

I am glad she was able to be open with Tara about how she is feeling.

I think this instance was a good way to get Willow used to the idea that she does have someone to talk to who she can trust (or at least begin to do so).

Very observant of Tara. I am glad this chapter has Willow opening up more with her.

I think that you will be happy with so many of the chapters to come. This is simply the beginning of the girls opening up to each other.

UPDATE DIRECTLY BELOW

[Bellalocke]

Title: The Dark Chronicles of Willow and Tara – How Love Saved the World
Author: Bellalocke
Description: An interesting tarot card reading shows the path forward. Tara has a therapy session strengthens her will to be brave even when it feels impossible. Willow meets Tara’s mother for the first time and has a conversation with a powerful empath.
Rating:
Ownership: Please do not cross-post this story without talking to me first.
Note: Tara, Willow, and other characters associated with BTVS belong to Joss, ME, and all other affiliates. Please don't sue me I am a poor IT contractor.
Spoilers: Aside from some dialogue here and there, none whatsoever. This fic is completely AU
Feedback: Constructive feedback is always welcome and encouraged.
Author Note: Flashbacks are noted best as they can be. If it is not clear that the scene is a flashback, please provide feedback
Thoughts are in italics

As Always, I will try to be true to Willow and Tara.

Now onto the good stuff!

Chapter 8
Odessa Maclay sighed as she hung up with her daughter and sat down at her desk. She had been working when Tara called her. The high priestess knew that she should be working on the paperwork to finalize the acquisitions she had worked so hard on over the last month, but that venture would be impossible at the moment. She sat at the desk for a few minutes rubbing her temples. Odessa was quite certain she knew who this friend was, and if she was correct, then she would not be the only one to help her. What worried her the most was just how deep Tara’s concern for her friend ran. Her daughter may have thought that she could mask some of that concern, but it was clear as day to the elder witch. Odessa sat at the desk for a few more minutes while she formulated a plan.

Once the high priestess had a plan firmly in place, she went to the altar room that she and Kathryn had reconsecrated that morning. She sat in the middle of the pentagram and focused her energy until a spirit dragon appeared before her.

Odessa smiled when she saw her most faithful spirit appear before her. “Locke, I need your help.”

The spirit dragon who had never been much for words gave the high priestess a toothy smile and nodded.

“Go to Tara and stay by her. She has a friend that she visits regularly. You’ll know the girl when you see her. Observe them and then come back to me so that I can see exactly what we are getting ourselves into. Please make sure you stay hidden.”

Locke did a twirl and a brief dance through Odessa’s golden locks and around her head before disappearing with a pop.
The high priestess got off the floor and went in search of her partner.

“Kat? Where are you?”

A beautiful woman with dark brown hair and an olive tone complexion popped her head around the corner.

“Right here, darling. Did you need something?”

Odessa walked out of the altar room towards Kathryn. Part of her still giggled at the fact that she was dwarfed by her partner’s well-built 6’3 frame. The taller woman enveloped the high priestess in a warm embrace.

“You look troubled, my love. What can I do?”

“I need you to grab your deck and come to the altar room. We need to do a tandem reading.”

Kathryn nodded and strode off to the bedroom to grab the tarot deck that she had been charging under the full moon for the last three nights.

Both witches entered the altar room and the circle together. They worked in a well-practiced dance to call the corners and close off the space to any energy that would interfere with their readings. Once the circle was raised, both women sat down opposite of each other and began to shuffle their tarot decks.

“We are doing a reading for Tara’s friend. We are meeting her on Friday because Tara is hoping that we can help her with some things.”

Kathryn inclined her head. “Let me guess, we have no idea what we are getting into and you are hoping a reading will provide some clarity?”

Odessa nodded. “Exactly. This is why you are my second.”

“Did you send Locke to Tara?”

“Yes, and I am hoping he will be able to provide a clear picture of what is going on.”

Kathryn continued to shuffle her deck. “So, what are we asking the cards?”

“Simple. What is the outcome if I help Tara’s friend? Something tells me that the readings are going to be very similar, if not identical except for the last card.”

Kathryn nodded as she continued to shuffle her deck. Both witches continued for a few moments more before they stopped at the same time. Odessa and Kathryn centered themselves before laying the cards out in a Celtic cross layout. While this type of spread would normally be used when someone decided to do a reading for themselves regarding a specific question, Odessa found that the spread could also work when someone else was asking a specific question for a specific situation or person. The high priestess’ hunch was proven correct as she and Kathryn laid out the cards: all of the cards aside from the Outcome were exactly the same.

Kathryn’s spread outlined the following:
1. Person who the reading is about (Willow) - Upright Knight of Cups: Describes Willow as following her heart, an idealist, and a romantic.

2. The Problem: Reversed Sun - The problems that Willow is currently facing is depression and deep sadness.

3. The Past: Reversed Six of Swords - Willow's past is full of emotional baggage and unresolved issues.

4. The future (if a course of action is taken): Upright Judgement - In the future, Willow will reflect upon the past, both distant and recent, which will lead to her awakening towards several things.

5. Conscious: Upright Nine of Swords - Willow is focusing on the anxiety and hopelessness she feels. She is trying to not feel so alone, but she does not think that anything will change anytime soon.

6. Unconscious: Upright Lovers - The feelings of sadness and loss that she experiences in regard to Tara and the present situation are all rooted in the inherent love that is present. Willow is not cognizant of that love, but it will come to the surface over time.

7. Internal Sphere of Influence: Upright Fool - This card represents a new beginning for Willow, and along with it, new possibilities.

8. External Sphere of Influence: Upright Magician - One of the few times a card can be read literally. Willow's current external sphere of influence is Magic and the process of harnessing and controlling it.

9. Hopes and/or Fears: Upright Ten of Swords - Willow is afraid that the way things are going will lead to complete and utter failure prompting further descent into depression and darkness.

10. Outcome: Upright World - This outcome will take a while to come to fruition, but once it does Willow will have everything she wants in the world, whether she realizes it right now or not.

Odessa saw that the outcome card from her reading was the Upright Tower - Pursuing this path will lead to trauma and devastating loss. Willow will suffer greatly, and the outcome that is desired will never happen.

The high priestess sighed. She had been afraid that such an outcome would happen if she was the one to help Willow through all the emotional turmoil that she would have to endure before all of the pieces fell into place.

“I had figured that this would be the case. I don’t doubt your ability, Kat, but are you willing to help our young charge?”

Kathryn smiled. “Of course. Plus, I have her blessing, and something tells me that I am the only one that can help her through all of this.”

“In that case, I will have Locke report to you. The less that I know, for now, the better.”

Kathryn nodded before she stood up and helped Odessa to her feet. Both witches worked to close the circle and said their thanks to the spirits present. Before the small and diminutive air spirit left, Odessa requested that it seek Locke out and relay the request to report to Kathryn instead of her. The tiny spirit bowed and disappeared with a pop.

Both witches left the altar room and went about finishing the work they needed to before they could depart for home in a few days.

***

Tara walked from the coffee shop with a double-shot mocha in hand. She made her way to the student parking lot behind her dorm and climbed into her car. Tara decided that driving to her appointment with Cyndi was a far easier proposition than dealing with a crowded bus full of morning commuters. While she was happy that Cyndi was able to squeeze her in on such short notice, the blonde really wished that she did not have to be up so early since she had a long day of classes ahead of her.

The young witch arrived at Cyndi’s office with ten minutes to spare. She drained the last of her double-shot mocha and threw the empty cup in a trash can before walking into Cyndi’s office. Much to her surprise, Tara’s therapist was waiting for her in the waiting room. Cyndi advised that there was no need to check-in and to follow her back to her office. The blonde walked down the long hallway with the elder witch and took up her customary spot in the overstuffed chair. Tara hugged a pillow and took stock of the events of the last couple of days.

Cyndi sat down in her usual seat and waited for Tara to become present once again. When the young witch’s azure eyes met her own, the elder witch spoke.

“Are you ready to begin?”

Tara nodded and held out her hands, palm side down so that Cyndi could read her aura. The move surprised the therapist, but she didn’t say anything. The elder witch moved her hands, palm side up, to meet Tara’s. Cyndi closed her eyes and opened her third eye to look at her young charge’s aura. What she saw, once again, surprised her. Tara’s normal aura of blue and green had more streaks of yellow through it, but there was something else new, an almost transparent layer of yellow surrounded the young witch. Cyndi closed her third eye and allowed her regular vision to return. Normally she would discuss the state of Tara’s aura, but this time around she waited for the blonde to begin.

The young witch sat for a moment more before speaking. “You saw something different when you read my aura, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” Cyndi answered honestly. “Is that what all this is about?”

Tara nodded. “I feel different. My dreams are different, and I feel as though someone is protecting me.”

Cyndi nodded as Tara continued. “A few nights ago, I woke up from my usual nightmare. I felt as though someone was there with me during the dream, but they didn’t know what they were looking at. Almost as though something was obscuring their vision. Still, they were present, and then something happened that changed everything. I felt this blanket of warmth and comfort surround me, and that feeling has not left me when I dream. The nightmares still happen, but I am observing instead of directly experiencing them. They are still unsettling, but they don’t feel as…traumatic as they did before. Strange as it sounds, I feel like this presence is protecting me, though I can’t tell who it is.”

Cyndi looked thoughtful for a moment. She knew exactly who was helping her through these dreams, but she didn’t think telling Tara directly was the answer. Instead, she wanted to help her young charge figure it out herself.

“Tara, do you know what color the blanket is?”

The blonde shook her head. “I have given a lot of thought to what happened, and I will be damned if I can’t figure out who this is. Their energy feels so familiar to me, and the answer is right there, but I feel as though a wall is preventing me from finding it.”

Cyndi nodded once again. The elder witch was grateful that she had decided to not tell Tara who the person was. She was not sure why the wall preventing her young charge to make the simple leap of logic was present, but there was a reason, and she knew to not interfere.

“I am sure that the answer will come to you in time, Tara. In the meantime, has there been anything else that has happened that is on your mind?”

Tara rested her chin in her hand and had a faraway look in her eyes. “Several things…”

Cyndi sat and waited patiently for the young witch to speak.

Tara recounted the afternoon that she spent with Willow meditating and the result of that meditation. She also spoke of the two of them playing music for each other and singing together. The young witch shared the thoughts and feelings that had been on her mind and in her heart.

“It is so strange. I feel as though I have known her for my entire life, and that I could share anything with her. I am so afraid, Cyndi. Why her and why now? When she plays her cello, I feel such comfort, and the sound of her voice when she sings heals a part of me that I never knew existed. I don’t know what any of this means, and I try not to think about it. I simply want to be present with her and know her. I keep telling myself to be brave, to let her in, to trust her. She trusts me, she respects me, and she asks nothing of me. I have never met anyone like her. I know she has so many questions, but she doesn’t ask, she simply takes what I can give her.”

Cyndi smiled. “She means a lot to you, doesn’t she?”

“Without a doubt. I try to show her I care in the ways that I can, but sometimes I feel as though I am not the friend that she needs.”

Tara recounted the events of the previous day and how Willow opened up to her. “She was so sad, Cyndi. I read her aura when I saw her at lunch. There was so much gray that I didn’t know how she was out of bed and functioning. She didn’t tell me every reason why she was depressed and seemed rather avoidant. I was worried. So, I went to her room with treats and my guitar. She sang me a song that told me all that I needed to know. She was trying to protect me; she didn’t want me to feel uncomfortable because of how she was feeling and the comfort that her heart was seeking. I played her a song, and it seemed to help her. When we talked and she told me about her life growing up, I felt so sad; it broke my heart, Cyndi. We talked some more, and I invited her over to mama’s house for the weekend. I want to help her, but I know that I can’t with how I am right now. I want to be a better friend to her, but I am so afraid. I really am trying to be brave, but it is so hard. I don’t want to hurt her, but I feel like I am, and I don’t know what to say to tell her that I am so sorry for being a source of pain in her life.”

Cyndi nodded. "I think that you need to keep talking with her. Tell her your thoughts and feelings and listen to what she has to say. Just like you seek comfort in certain ways, she does too. I think that is true of everyone, not just the two of you. Talk with her about things like that and see if you can strike a compromise if needed. Eventually, both of you will find a space where you receive the comfort that you want from each other without having to push your boundaries as much as you are now."

Tara looked away. She remembered the times that she made Willow laugh and vice versa. She also remembered how happy the redhead was when they sang together or played music for each other. Cyndi was right. Willow was seeking comfort in new ways, but it didn’t change the fact that the redhead sometimes just needed a hug. That was one of the few things that Tara could not give her right now.

“I observed one of her dreams this week, though I didn’t know until we talked. I told her about the fact that I saw the dream, and how sorry I was that she felt so sad and alone. I told her that she is not alone and that I was here for her no matter what. When I asked to read her aura properly, she was so hesitant to touch me. She really is afraid of scaring me off and it hurts so much that I did that to her. So, I was brave. When I was leaving for the evening, she raised her hand to wave goodbye. I didn’t even think about what I was doing when I grabbed her hand and held it between both of mine. I gave her hand a squeeze and then I left. For a moment, I was scared, but the feeling passed. I was walking back to my dorm, and I felt as though I had done the right thing. She opened up to me, and I felt like that action was me opening up to her. I don’t know if it is something that she will expect from now on, and I don’t know if it is something I can do again, but I have to try. For her, I will be brave.”

Tara spent the rest of her session with Cyndi talking about the feelings that she kept hidden from so many people and how she felt that there were feelings that she kept away from herself. Cyndi had no solid answers for her but advised that all she could do was keep moving forward; she should challenge herself a little and not blame herself if things didn’t turn out the way that she wanted them to.

Tara left Cyndi’s office two and a half hours later feeling much better; she felt lighter than she had in years and was looking forward to the weekend.

***

The rest of the week passed quickly for both witches. When they hung out on Wednesday to study, Willow recounted the afternoon that she spent at the animal shelter. The redhead told her about a dog named Maggie, who was a three-year-old black lab and considered the office dog and official greeter for all visitors. Willow told Tara about sitting down on Maggie’s large dog bed and how the lab laid down and rested half her body on Willow’s lap. The redhead looked better than she had in days, but Tara could tell that puppy therapy was only going to take her so far and last so long. She was hopeful that the weekend would provide Willow with what she needed.

The blonde was not surprised when she received a phone call on Thursday morning from her mother. Odessa Maclay advised her daughter that it would be Kathryn that would be helping Willow. The elder witch told her daughter that she should give Willow a fair warning about Kathryn and be truthful about their relationship. Tara agreed and resolved to tell Willow on the drive over on Friday. To say the least, this would be a good test to see how Willow felt about gay people. Tara felt that she eventually could tell her friend about her own orientation if she reacted well to the news about her mother and Kathryn.

Tara was surprised at how fast Friday went. She found herself standing outside her dorm with her guitar case and her school backpack. When she saw Willow walking up the sidewalk with a large duffle bag as well as her school backpack, Tara could not help but give the redhead a big grin that lit up her face. One of the things that she decided after her session with Cyndi that afternoon was to try and be more expressive instead of hiding her feelings. Willow had a goofy grin on her face when she saw Tara smiling at her. The redhead dropped her duffle bag when she reached the blonde. The lithe girl took a moment to catch her breath.

“Gods, that walk sucked! Maybe I packed too much…”

Tara tried to stifle a laugh that came out as a grin. “How much did you pack?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure what we would be doing or how the weather was going to be, so I probably have about ten days’ worth of clothing in there.”

The blonde shook her head. “I wish we would have talked about this on Wednesday…”

“Eh, it’s ok. Gives me a good workout to build up these guns!”

Willow flexed her biceps while laughing. Tara followed suit with a hearty chuckle.

Tara quipped. “I don’t know… looks like you have potential.”

Willow laughed harder as her friend just looked at her and gave her a shy lopsided grin. When the redhead finally stopped laughing, Tara spoke. “I need to tell you something before we leave, and I hope that you will forgive me for not telling you sooner.”

“That’s Ok, Tara. It can’t be that bad of news. Unless your mom plans on dropping me into a tank with sharks that have head-mounted lasers.”

Tara giggled as she shook her head. “Nothing life-threatening, I promise. So, I guess I should not dance around the subject and just say it. Mama is gay, a lesbian if you want to be technical, and she lives with her partner Kathryn.”

Willow smiled. “Is that all? Ok, that is not a big deal at all, but thanks for letting me know ahead of time so I don’t make an ass out of myself.”

Tara could not believe that Willow was not fazed by the news in the slightest.

Then again, this is Willow we are talking about. Honest to the gods she is literally the most open and accepting person I have ever met.

Tara met Willow’s eyes. “Well, that was easier than I thought it would be. Are you ready to go?”

Willow nodded.

Tara stretched out her arm. “Oh, before we go, give me your backpack.”

Willow arched an eyebrow. “Why is that?”

“I want to help.”

Willow smiled as she took off her backpack and handed it to Tara. “Thanks!”

Tara was not expecting Willow’s bag to be as heavy as it was, but she held it and made off towards her car with what seemed to be little effort. Once both witches arrived at Tara’s car, the blonde opened the trunk and placed Willow’s belongings inside. Tara carefully placed her guitar in the backseat as well as her backpack. Both women climbed into their respective seats at the front of the car and fiddled with their seatbelts until Tara finally started to pull out of the parking lot. The drive to the house took about twenty minutes. Both women sat and listened to music. About ten minutes into the drive, Willow noticed that they were listening to the playlist that she had given to Tara.

“So, you like the playlist I gave you?”

Tara nodded. “I listened to it on Tuesday when I had to drive to an early morning appointment. I really like it. You have good taste in music. Some songs surprised me while others didn’t.”

“Do you have a favorite song?”

“I have a few, actually. Can we discuss them later? I want to make sure we have time to do the topic justice.”

Willow grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

Another five minutes passed before Tara turned off the road and parked the car. “Ready?”

Willow nodded as she got out of the car.

“We can grab bags later. Mama has dinner waiting, and I am starving.”

Willow felt her stomach rumble and growl as they made their way to the front door.

“I really love the red door.”

Tara smiled. “That was the first thing I noticed when I came here for the first time. I love it too.”

Willow grinned as she watched Tara open the door and invite her in. The first thing that she noticed was the sheer amount of artwork that adorned the walls. Some pieces she recognized and others she didn’t.

“Are all of these reprints?”

Tara shook her head. “There are a few in the house that are, but none of them are here. Believe it or not, most of these paintings mama did herself, and there may be one or two that I did as well.”

Willow walked over to a large painting that was mounted on the wall beside the stairs that led to the upper floor. “Starry Night. I don’t know a whole lot about art, but I have always loved this painting.”

Odessa Maclay walked into the foyer. “Tara will never admit it, but she painted that one, and it is one of the best pieces in the house.”

Willow jumped and turned around at the sound of a voice that sounded similar to Tara’s. Her eyes met cobalt blue eyes that were so similar to Tara’s there was no mistaking who this woman was. Like her friend, the woman who stood before her was slightly taller than Willow. Aside from a few laugh lines, the woman looked just like Tara.

So, this is what Tara will look like when she is older. I can only hope that I age that well.

The redhead shook herself out of her inner thoughts and forced herself to pay attention to the outside world. She noticed the ease with which Tara hugged her mother. Willow felt a tinge of sadness at the display between mother and daughter. If she were being completely honest with herself, she wished that her mother had greeted her with the same warmth even once in her life. When Tara and her mother separated, Willow offered her hand to the senior Maclay.

“My name is Willow…err Willow Rosenberg. It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”

The older blonde stepped towards Willow. “Odessa Maclay. It is really nice to meet you, Willow.”

Odessa bypassed the redhead’s outstretched hand and wrapped the young witch in a warm hug. She held Willow for a moment before releasing her.

“Come to the kitchen. If you think I give good hugs, wait until you meet Kathryn.”

Willow and Tara followed Odessa into the large kitchen. Willow felt like the space took up half of the first floor.

“Kat, the girls are here!”

Willow saw a very tall woman turn towards Odessa’s voice. Her dark brown eyes and olive-toned skin lit up when she saw Tara. In a few short strides, she crossed the room and stood before Tara. The blonde looked up and gave Kathryn a huge smile. The taller woman picked Tara and spun her around.

“Oh, how I have missed you, my girl!”

Willow noted that Kathryn spoke with a distinctive Australian or New Zealand accent. She chuckled a little when she heard Tara giggle and squeal as the raven-haired woman spun her around. Soon enough, Kathryn set Tara down and turned towards Willow. The redhead was surprised to find the same warm smile and kind eyes that greeted Tara meet her own.

“You must be Willow. It is nice to meet you.”

The taller woman took a step towards the redhead and opened her arms. Willow had no idea what compelled her to do so, but she found herself walking into the woman’s waiting arms to be enveloped in a hug. Kathryn was easily a good ten inches taller than the redhead, so the hug made her feel as though she was completely surrounded by the woman who exuded compassion, warmth, and strength.

Kathryn bent down slightly. “You and I are going to spend some time together after dinner, ok?”

Willow nodded and held onto the woman for a few more moments before letting go and stepping back. She turned towards the Maclay women and noticed that both had a peculiar smile on their faces.

Kathryn stepped back towards the range and clapped her hands together. “I hope both of you came hungry!”

Willow’s tummy rumbled and let off a loud lurch. Odessa quirked an eyebrow while Tara giggled.

“What are we having?”

Odessa smiled. “Tacos, Spanish rice, and homemade guacamole and chips.”

Kathryn looked over her shoulder. “Why don’t you two go down to the wine cellar and grab a few bottles of wine?”

Tara smiled. “C’mon. I can’t wait for you to see the cellar.”

Willow noticed that the blonde let her hand brush past her own and couldn’t help but smile. Tara gave her friend a knowing smile back and beckoned her down the steps into the cellar.

“Have you had much wine, Willow?”

The redhead shook her head.

“Ok, we’ll start with something sweet and easily palatable. I assume that you are fine with sweet wine, yes?”

Willow nodded. “Please. My mother drank this horrible dry red, and I hated it.”

“I know just the kind to grab then.”

Tara headed to the back of the cellar and grabbed two bottles of Moscato D’Asti.

“I promise you will love this wine.”

Willow smiled. “I trust you.”

Tara’s eyes twinkled. “You sure?”

“You really have to ask me that after Monday? I trust you.”

Tara looked down as she gave the redhead a lopsided grin. She brushed her knuckles against Willow’s hand again before heading upstairs. When both girls emerged from the cellar, they walked over to the kitchen table laden with all the ingredients to make the best tacos imaginable. They sat down beside each other and grinned at the two women across from them. Watching the elder witches sit close and look at each other lovingly brought a quiet peace to both of the young witches. Kathryn was the first to look at Willow and Tara. She took one of the proffered bottles from Tara and used a corkscrew to open the bottle and pour glasses for all of them.

The four women sat and ate while chatting amiably about school for Willow and Tara as well as the trip to Paris. When the tacos were demolished and the last of the wine poured out in the wine glasses, all four women sat back and lounged as they digested the food and continued the idle chat. Willow noticed that she felt as relaxed as she had ever been. She looked over at Tara whose cheeks were tinged pink and had a lazy smile across her face. Willow wasn’t thinking when she moved her hand towards Tara’s and gave it a brief squeeze. Only after she felt the warmth of the other woman’s hand did she realize what she had done. The redhead attempted to move her hand away before she scared her friend. Instead, she felt Tara hold onto her hand for another moment and gave it a squeeze before letting go.

When their attention turned back to Odessa and Kathryn, they noticed that both women appeared to be relaxed but not as loose as they were. Tara looked at her mother and gave her an easy smile while Willow’s eyes met Kathryn’s.

Odessa spoke first. “Are either of you feeling tired?”

Willow and Tara shook their heads.

“Then how about we take some time to spend together. Tara, I would like to visit with you tonight as I imagine that Kathryn and Willow have a bit to talk about.”

Tara nodded and stood up. “How about we take care of dishes first?”

Odessa laughed. “Ever the practical one, my dear girl. Willow, why don’t you go to the study?”

As the high priestess was about to tell Willow where to find it, Tara spoke up.

“I can show her, Mama. I know you want a moment with Kathryn.”

The blonde giggled when she saw her mother blush.

Kathryn looked at Willow. “I will be there in a few minutes after I finish getting your bags out of the car and upstairs.”
Willow nodded and followed Tara to the study. Once the door to the room was closed, Willow looked at her friend.

“Tara, about earlier, I am really sorry… I wasn’t thinking. Please don’t think that I expect that to…”

The blonde cut her friend off. “I trust you.”

"It's not like anything we've ever..."

“I trust you.”

The redhead shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

Tara caught Willow’s gaze and held it. She reached for Willow’s hand and held it within both of hers. “You were so incredibly brave when you talked with me on Monday. I’ve had a lot of time to think about that night. If you can be brave
for me, then I can be brave for you.”

The blonde gave Willow’s hand a brief squeeze before letting go. “I’ll see you in the morning. I hope you get some good sleep. Oh, one more thing, you can trust Kathryn. She is a good person, and I know she can help you.”

Willow nodded and sat down on the couch in the study as Tara left the room. She only had to wait a few minutes before Kathryn came into the room. Willow stood up and walked towards the taller woman. Kathryn opened her arms and wrapped them around the redhead when she got close enough. Willow couldn’t explain it, but the woman exuded the kind of comfort that she desperately needed at the moment. As happy as she was about the progress that she had made with Tara, a lot of pain still existed within her, and she needed to work through it. She had a feeling that Kathryn could help her without understanding why.

The taller woman maneuvered both of them to the couch. As soon as Kathryn sat down, Willow laid her head in the older woman’s lap.

“I’m sure you have questions, Willow. The answers will come in due time. For now, just relax and be still.”

Kathryn ran her fingers through the young witch’s copper tresses and hummed a tune meant to relax Willow. After a time, the redhead felt the tears start to flow. Kathryn pulled Willow up and held her close in her arms as the young witch continued to cry. Both women sat for a long time until Willow’s tears finally stopped flowing.

Willow sniffled. “I’m sorry. I ruined your shirt. I have no idea what came over me.”

“Did Tara tell you much about me or Odessa?”

Willow shook her head. “She just mentioned that her mom was a really powerful witch. I didn’t know about you until she mentioned you being her mom’s partner before we left school.”

“Tara has had a lot on her mind, so I am not surprised. Yes, Odessa and I are partners. We’ve been together for twelve years. Someday, we will tell you the story of how we got together, but that is for a different time. What you do need to know is that Odessa is the head of the largest coven here in England. I am her second.”

Kathryn gave the redhead a moment to absorb the information before continuing. “Many witches have different kinds of talents. The more powerful ones hold mastery over more than discipline. Make sense so far?”

“Yes. So that is why Tara is good at seeing auras?”

Kathryn nodded. “Yes. Odessa will explain more later. Right now, what you need to know is that I am an empath. I am sure you have wondered why feel as though you can trust me and why you feel so comfortable with me, right?”

“Yes. It’s so strange. I don’t know you, but you comfort me in a way that I have only experienced once.”

Kathryn smiled. “Can you tell me about that time?’’

“You’re going to think that I am crazy if I do.”

Kathryn shook her head. “I have been a witch for a long time, and I assure you that I have seen things that you would not believe. Tell me your tale. I promise I will not think you are crazy.”

“Will you still hold me while I tell you?”

Kathryn smiled softly. “Of course, my dear.”

Willow recounted the night that she had the dream of the tall woman in the grove with the large tree. “That was the night I think my magic awoke within me. Does any of this make sense? It’s been a year and I still have not figured out what happened or who that woman was. At first, I thought she was a druid, but I feel like she is so much more; I just don’t know who she is. You remind me of her. The only person I have told this story to has been Tara. She assured me that I wasn’t crazy either, but she didn’t tell me anything else. I feel like people are hiding things from me and I don’t know why.”

Kathryn nodded and kissed the top of Willow’s head. “I can assure you that she is real and that what you experienced was real. That said, the answer will come in time. Is there anything you want to ask me?”

“Are you a mother?”

The elder witch smiled softly when she thought of her daughter. “Yes. She is abroad right now, but I am sure you will meet her in time. Especially if you accept the offer Odessa and I have for you.”

“She is lucky to have a mom that cares for her like you. What is the offer?”

“Odessa and I would like to teach you to harness your power along with Tara. You have potential, and it is very important that you learn how to harness and control it, even if you choose to not cast or be a part of this aspect of the world.”
Willow looked up at the tall woman. “I have a choice? Then my answer is yes. I have never felt happier than when I am learning. Especially with Tara. Can I tell you something else?”

Kathryn smiled. “Of course.”

“I’m gay. I’ve only told my father and my best friend Buffy. I want to tell Tara because I feel like I am hiding a part of myself from her, but I am scared. I don’t want her to run away and lose her as a friend.”

The brunette chose her words carefully. “I can assure you that Tara will not run away if you tell her. There is a lot that you don’t know about her, and I imagine that you have a lot of questions that you want to ask her but haven’t because you fear losing her. Tara has a lot that she wants to tell you, but she is afraid. Keep doing what you are, and once again, the answers will come. I know it is frustrating, but patience is the key here.”

Willow nodded. She was quiet for a while; a lot of thoughts were swirling through her head, and she suddenly found herself crying again.

Kathryn spoke quietly. “Do you want to tell me about her?”

“My mother?”

Kathryn nodded.

All the years of sadness and anger came out in a flood of tears and words. Willow told her about the cold callousness that she had always felt when seeing her mother; the neglect and disregard for her feelings, and the loneliness and pain that came with knowing she had a mother that didn’t love her.

“Only dad and Buffy know. They are the only ones that have seen it firsthand. I haven’t told my mother about me because I know that it will make things worse. I only realized what I was missing when I had that dream, and now I feel it when I am here with you. I never knew the love of a mother, and now that I do, I want it so desperately that it aches. I know that I will never receive it from her, but I want to know why she feels this way about me. I want to know why she is constantly trying to set me up with boys and have me marry one of them. I don’t think I will ever know, but that doesn’t stop the pain.”

Kathryn shed a silent single tear. “That is something that a daughter should never feel from her mother. I am so very sorry, Willow.”

“I felt bad tonight, and I feel bad every time Tara talks about her mother and their relationship. I am jealous, and I wish that I wasn’t. Being here with you helps. If I am honest, dad, Buffy, and now Tara are the only reasons that I am here…that I am alive.”

“I am so happy you are here, Willow. I will be here for you and stay with you as long as you need.”

Willow was silent while the tears continued to fall. She felt the fear, the hurt, and the loneliness that she harbored in her heart for years melt away. She thought about how she could love Tara, Odessa, and this woman she barely knew but who was providing her with the love and comfort that she had wanted for years. Kathryn held her for a long time and the tears abated. The redhead fell asleep in the arms of a mother who cared. For the first time in her life, she felt true peace, and she hoped that this wasn’t another dream.

Kathryn held Willow for a while after the girl fell asleep. When she was certain that moving the redhead would not cause her to wake up, she cradled the lithe witch in her arms, stood up, and took her to Tara’s room. She laid Willow on the single bed on the opposite side of Tara’s bed and tucked her in. After she placed a kiss on Willow’s forehead, she quietly left the room and closed the door. When she entered the master bedroom, she saw Odessa sitting on the bed.

The blonde spoke first. “How did it go?”

“She is in so much pain, honey, and things are happening too quickly. We need to help her. Something is wrong, and things are not going as they should. We need to talk to Cordy.”

[Dub]

Thank you for all that feedback. As I say I’m not one for AU’s so its takes me a while to understand stuff set outside of Canon and adapt to that universe. Your detailed responses are giving me a good awareness as to what you are going for. I appreciate you taking the time to explain it to me and not see it as me insulting your work.

Observe them and then come back to me so that I can see exactly what we are getting ourselves into. Please make sure you stay hidden.”

Magical nanny-cam

The taller woman enveloped the high priestess in a warm embrace.

Oh that kind of aunt. I was thinking Biological this whole time. Wait no, just looked back, that’s Lydia or Lynda. Ly something. I’m not good with names. Nothing to see here, move it along.

charging under the full moon for the last three nights.

Does the lunar charger come with a phone adapter?

Pursuing this path will lead to trauma and devastating loss

The UK does have a pothole problem and tripping on one while crossing the road is always a hazard especially with impatient drivers on the road who are too polite to honk but not to try to drive around you crushing whatever you’ve dropped.

a far easier proposition than dealing with a crowded bus full of morning commuters

Yes. Yes it is.

all she could do was keep moving forward

The Dory method. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming. What do we do we swim.

wasn’t sure what we would be doing or how the weather was going to be

*Weeps* you’re adjusting to English life so well. Fuck knows what the weather will be and you used it to further a conversation. You’ve passed the citizenship test. Not Patel’s one but the people who matter’s one.

wine cellar

Red door, art work, wine cellar. This place is swanky. No wonder they have the luxury of being able to leave visible bags in the car.

“C’mon. I can’t wait for you to see the cellar.”

But if I say that the guest flee in terror. Who am I kidding they are already tied up. With the cost of heating sky rocketing, need to keep a natural heated flooring going somehow. Hmm under feet body warmth.

“I know just the kind to grab then.”

Lambrini!

She brushed her knuckles against Willow’s hand again before heading upstairs.

That is a really nice moment. Felt like the show with every look and touch having a purpose.

the study

And a study. Next there’s going to be secret passage ways and stables.

The blonde cut her friend off. “I trust you.”
"It's not like anything we've ever..."
“I trust you.”

Nice canon reverse.

I feel bad every time Tara talks about her mother and their relationship. I am jealous, and I wish that I wasn’t.

Spot on. That reminded me of a conversation I had with someone many years ago that just stuck. I won’t go into details as it’s not my story but I was talking with someone who had an absentee mother and once someone else casually said about their mum packing their lunch, and it brought out a mixture of jealousy and sadness in them. The notion of you get by but at the same time you don’t.

Cordy.

As in Cordelia? The idea of her helping Willows problems makes me laugh. I imagine a slap and a ‘get over it’

[GrimCityGirl]

Sorry for not responding sooner - this was quite the interesting chapter, especially Tara's mother and her relationship. I am curious about how Tara and Willow's relationship grows with all the potential issues.

The lil magic...imp...thing? sprite? is a cute/interesting device, curious to see how it all plays out! can't wait for more.

[Bellalocke]

Dub

Thank you for all that feedback. As I say I’m not one for AU’s so its takes me a while to understand stuff set outside of Canon and adapt to that universe. Your detailed responses are giving me a good awareness as to what you are going for. I appreciate you taking the time to explain it to me and not see it as me insulting your work.

Of course. I sincerely appreciate all of your feedback as well as being here and reading this story. What is an author without readers? The fact that you are not usually one for AU's makes me all the more appreciative of you being here and giving the story a chance. Admittedly, one of the reasons that I decided to post this story is because of the fact that in all the years I've been a part of the fandom, and all the fanfics that I have read, I have never seen one like this. I like the thought of this being an original and perhaps one that stands out to those who read it by virtue of the fact that there are not any like this. This story is very lore heavy, especially with magic as well as the fact that there are 2 Original Characters that are very much at the forefront of the story along with Tara and Willow. Receiving constructive criticism and being able to have meaningful dialogue makes me a better writer and gives me a different perspective. That in turn informs me as to how some things can be better presented so that they are more clear. Not that I will change the plot or anything like that but rather present the situation in a different way so that what I am trying to convey is more clear. Hopefully that makes sense

Magical nanny-cam

I would consider is more of a magical spy cam because they want to have an idea of who Willow is as a person and how to approach her. Locke is interesting and I think you will appreciate him more as time and the story goes on.

Oh that kind of aunt. I was thinking Biological this whole time. Wait no, just looked back, that’s Lydia or Lynda. Ly something. I’m not good with names. Nothing to see here, move it along.

Ok, I know I have introduced a lot of characters. I will talk about the one's introduced so far

Odessa - Tara's mom and head of the largest coven in the UK.
Lydia - Tara's aunt and Odessa's younger sister
Kathryn - Odessa's partner and second in command in the coven. I guess she could be considered a parental figure to Tara, but that relationship has not been established
Cyndi - Tara's Therapist

Hopefully this helps!

Does the lunar charger come with a phone adapter?

That could be quite useful. A magically charged cell phone. Not sure how that would effect the functionality, but I am sure that Willow could figure it out given enough time. That said, as an FYI, for practicing Wiccans/Pagans, charging an object (tarot deck, crystals, etc) under the light of a full moon (which lasts 3 days typically) imbues that object with energy/power that allows for better casting, more accurate readings, etc. depending on what the object will be used for. So in this case, charged Tarot cards are really useful.

The UK does have a pothole problem and tripping on one while crossing the road is always a hazard especially with impatient drivers on the road who are too polite to honk but not to try to drive around you crushing whatever you’ve dropped.

I wish that the devastating loss and trauma were as easily fixed by harassing the department of transportation to fix the potholes, and giving the bad drivers the middle finger as you try to not get run off the road. However, in this case, trauma and devastating loss equals the loss of Willow's relationship with Tara, which is not good at all.

The Dory method. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming swimming swimming. What do we do we swim.

Kinda, but not really. The purpose of moving forward is to get more information so that Tara can better inform Cyndi of the issues she is running into as well as figure out the questions that she has and how to approach answering them. I wish that just moving forward was the answer for Tara and her recovery. Unfortunately, it is much more complicated than that.

Red door, art work, wine cellar. This place is swanky. No wonder they have the luxury of being able to leave visible bags in the car.

Trust me, I want this house... very badly. That said, the reason that they don't get messed with is... protection spells. Witches are very inventive when it comes to protecting what is theirs, people included.

Lambrini!

I've never had this kind of wine. I will have to check it out. In the meantime, Moscato D'Asti is my favorite. Nice and sweet and fizzy

That is a really nice moment. Felt like the show with every look and touch having a purpose.

Touch and changes in how Tara and Willow interact with each other through touch is incredibly important in this story. Especially because of Tara and how vulnerable she feels letting people into her personal space. I think that you will find it interesting how things develop in this regard. That said, even if touch between Tara and Willow seems to be casual, it still holds meaning.

And a study. Next there’s going to be secret passage ways and stables.

Not in this house, but wait until they visit the summer home in Scotland

The blonde cut her friend off. “I trust you.”
"It's not like anything we've ever..."
“I trust you.”

Nice canon reverse.

I am glad that you liked this moment between Tara and Willow. I felt like it was important for Tara to reiterate her trust in Willow verbally along with physically. That way it leaves no doubt in Willow's mind as to how Tara feels and how she views things. A big thing for Tara right now is being brave. I am sure that you have noticed this sentiment being repeated in a lot of chapters. For Tara, someone else being brave enough to be vulnerable with her speaks volumes. In this case, it makes her brave enough to be willing to do things that make her feel vulnerable. A major theme in this arc is the strength and bravery that can be found in being vulnerable with someone.

Spot on. That reminded me of a conversation I had with someone many years ago that just stuck. I won’t go into details as it’s not my story but I was talking with someone who had an absentee mother and once someone else casually said about their mum packing their lunch, and it brought out a mixture of jealousy and sadness in them. The notion of you get by but at the same time you don’t.

Willow's nonexistent relationship with her mother as well as the neglect that she experienced has really informed Willow's world view... more so than I had originally intended. Willow is just as complex as Tara, especially when it comes to issues and trauma, even though their experiences are different as well as their response to the trauma and how it informs their behavior. In a lot of ways, she desperately wants someone who can be a mother figure to her and who will regard her as a daughter. The hurt that comes with not having found that yet is unfortunately a keystone of Willow's depression. That said, with time she will find resolution as well as what she is looking for.

As in Cordelia? The idea of her helping Willows problems makes me laugh. I imagine a slap and a ‘get over it’

Given that you will find out in the first few paragraphs of the chapter... Yes, it is the infamous Cordelia, but you will find that she is much different that how she was in BTVS and that she has a very interesting role that will come into play later in the story.

Thanks for sticking with me. I hope that the feedback helps and I hope that you enjoy the next chapter!

GrimCityGirl

Sorry for not responding sooner - this was quite the interesting chapter, especially Tara's mother and her relationship. I am curious about how Tara and Willow's relationship grows with all the potential issues.

The lil magic...imp...thing? sprite? is a cute/interesting device, curious to see how it all plays out! can't wait for more.

No worries. You were sort of busy getting married. Congrats, once again
So far as Willow and Tara's relationship is concerned, I think that you will like the next few chapters and find them interesting. The path will not be easy, but will definitely be worth it in the long run.
Odessa and Kathryn's relationship is very interesting and has a good backstory that will fill in a lot of the gaps and explain how we got to where we are in the first place. That said, it will be a while until that is revealed. Admittedly, this fic is very gay/lesbian centric, which I find funny, but given the reality of things, it feels nice to have sexuality not be a big deal and/or safety issue as it is in real life.

I am not going to lie, I think that you will be completely floored when it is revealed what the true form as well as true purpose of the elemental sprites are. I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Can't believe we made it to page 2!

UPDATE ON NEXT PAGE