Willow wiped at her eyes tiredly, looking out the window at the clouds passing just below them The night flight from Seattle, Washington to LA wouldn't take too long, then a short bus trip would bring her back there, back to Sunnydale. The call from Giles had roused her from a sound sleep, her hand searching for the phone. "Yes?" she had managed to ask. "Willow, it's Giles," he had said simply. She looked at the phone in disbelief. "Giles?" she echoed sleepily, then she looked at the clock on her nightstand before squeaking, "It's midnight!" "I'm sorry, but the Coven has brought something to my attention, something we may need your help with," Giles explained. 'He's not one to exaggerate,' Willow thought to herself grimly. "What's the situation?" she asked before sitting up in bed and grabbing for her scattered clothes. "There's been a string of mystical killings," Giles explained quietly, "leading in a line straight towards Sunnydale." "Sacrifices?" Willow asked, getting a sinking feeling. "That's the strange part," Giles noted in the eager tones he got when confronted by a new mystery, "all those killed were demon kind of some sort. Vampires, an incubus, and several other unidentifiable creatures," he explained. "Interesting," Willow noted. She sighed, "I'll be there, hopefully in a day or so." "Thank you," Giles said, and she could hear the relief in his voice. A pause, "Kennedy is still out here, along with the others." "I figured," Willow answered him quietly, "but thanks for telling me." They said their farewells, and Willow hung up. Willow surveyed her rooms, making sure everything was ready for a long absence, just in case. She had a suitcase of clothes already packed, in case of emergency. Beside it was a smaller case, what she fondly called her tool kit, containing a few essential supplies for magic use. The plane jerked, and Willow was momentarily jerked back to the present. A stewardess came by, and Willow gratefully accepted a cup of coffee. She rather suspected that she'd be drinking a lot of it over the next few days. 'Kennedy,' she thought to herself sadly. She hadn't been Willow's only reason for finally deciding to leave Sunnydale three years ago, but she certainly was one of the major ones. During a night of passion between the two of then, Willow had accidentally cried out a name not belonging to Kennedy. Tara's name... The next morning, Kennedy urged her to stay, but Willow had made up her mind. Obviously, Willow wasn't as over Tara as she thought she was. Moreover, she couldn't let herself keep using Kennedy the way she was. So Willow had said her farewells to the Slayer trainees, Xander, Dawn, Faith and the others, and sadly took her leave. During her travels, Willow had discovered her own purpose in the world. Even as Angel was a Champion, so was she, just of the mystical kind. She sought out those that abused dark magics, as well as using her gifts to aide and assist wherever she could. But she never forgot about Tara... Willow remembered a time during a visit to Japan, where she had walked into an out of the way bar in Tokyo, discovering to her pleasure that it was for women only. It had been Valentine's Day and watching the couples together had almost hurt her physically. Gathering up her courage, she had taken to the karaoke stage and sang. "This is dedicated," the brown haired girl smiled out at the crowd sadly, "to the one I loved." She pressed the keys to bring up her selection, and a few seconds later, the music came on. Her voice was sad, and it's sorrow reached to all corners of the Locket, reminding them all that love, sometimes, wasn't forever. "There's a Victorian tin, I keep my memories in, I found it up in the attic, after looking inside I find the things that I'm hiding, The leaves saved from a mistletoe kiss, Only nostalgia has me feeling like this, Like I miss you, It must be the time of year, Remember, December, It's like a winter dream beside a diamond stream, Remember, December, The fall of snow and the afterglow. It could be taking our breath away, But the years stand in the way. Remember, December, How does it make you feel inside?" She finished, wiping gently at a tear at the corner of her eye. "Tara, I miss you," Willow Rosenberg said softly, so softly the mic. barely picked it up. The plane shook, and an announcement came on, "We are now arriving at Los Angeles International Airport." She went to the bus station and caught the first available one to Sunnydale. She tried to doze, but the shaking of the bus was just a bit too much to sleep through. Finally, as the sun began to rise, the bus pulled into the station. Willow walked out of the main building and smiled, seeing Giles standing there waiting for her. His brown hair had a bit more gray to it, and somehow he looked even more British, but other than that he hadn't changed much. "Welcome," Giles smiled, taking her bags and walking them towards the parking lot. "How was your trip?" he asked. Willow sighed, "Long." She blinked in surprise at the convertible Giles was leading them to, "I don't think that's quite your style." Giles smiled at her wryly, "It's Faith's car." He opened up the passenger's side door, and Willow sighed in relief as she sat down. "Dawn, Xander and the others are looking forward to seeing you again," he remarked as they smoothly left the lot. The city streets were quiet as they drove, and she shivered slightly. At Giles' questioning glance Willow quietly explained, "I can still feel the Hellmouth beneath us. That, and the First." Giles looked concerned, "The prison is still holding?" "Yes," Willow sighed sadly. "You did what was needed," Giles tried to reassure her. "Small comfort," Willow sighed. Willow had helped devise the spell to hold the First captive, reasoning that if it could not be destroyed, it might at least be contained. But without her knowledge Buffy, Spike and Anya had chosen to perform the spell in her place, together becoming a living seal to prevent the First from ever returning to this plane. "I just wish there had been another way," Willow said. Giles didn't choose to answer, pulling into the driveway of the Summers' home. He smiled as he saw who was waiting, and quietly headed inside. Dawn was standing by the door, and ran out to throw her arms around Willow, "I've missed you!" Xander came down the stairs a bit slower, but his smile lit up his face. He put an arm around her shoulders, "Good to see you." She smiled up at him, looking remarkably goofy. "I should stay away long periods of time more often," Willow smiled. "Don't you dare," Dawn protested. Xander laughed, "I know you've been busy." Willow looked at him questioningly, and he shrugged, "Giles and the Coven have been giving us updates." A figure hesitated on the porch, and Willow said softly to Xander and Dawn, "You mind giving us a moment?" "See you inside," Dawn smiled, nearly dragging Xander inside after her. The woman walked over to her and stopped, looking at her thoughtfully. "Hello, Kennedy," Willow smiled at her a bit sadly. Kennedy hugged her close, and Willow could feel that it was a purely platonic gesture. "I've missed you," Kennedy sighed. She smiled at her a bit sadly, "So are you happy, now that you've finally found your purpose?" "Content, maybe," Willow shrugged. Kennedy frowned, "She wouldn't have wanted you to be alone, I think." Willow hesitated, not really wanting to talk about it, "We should probably go inside. I bet Giles likely can't wait to brief us all on what's coming." Kennedy looked like she really wanted to say something else to her, then with a little sigh, "All right, let's go in." Willow felt her guard going up almost as soon as she saw Faith leaning there against the wall. The dark haired Slayer had threatened her life once, and it was something that she found hard to forget. Still, Faith had become a better person during her time away, and it showed. The Slayers in training were still a motley lot, but they clearly showed promise. They mostly sat together, talking quietly, and the sense of camaraderie that they had was gratifying. Kennedy didn't sit with them, though. She walked over to stand at Faith's side, who slid her arms around Kennedy's shoulders. 'It's none of my business,' Willow forced herself to think, trying not to look too startled. Faith saw her reaction, and stepped away from Kennedy. Giles gave her an apologetic glance. "Thank you for coming so quickly," he said, shuffling his papers as he gathered his thoughts. "It began almost exactly a year ago," Giles took on a lecturing tone, "in Salem, Mass." "A vampire was preying on the townsfolk, but a mysterious women appeared and killed it. She did so using fire that she conjured from her hands," he explained. Willow nodded thoughtfully as Giles listed all the appearances of the mystery woman, and the monsters that she had killed. He finished his report by saying, "We expect that she'll reach Sunnydale tomorrow." He looked over at her expectantly, and she took a moment to digest what he said before she stood. "And there's no good descriptions?" Willow asked Giles. He shook his head no, and she sighed, "It appears we're dealing with an elemental mystic." "Which means?" Xander asked. She saw the twinkle in his eye, and realized he was playing dumb to feed her a line. "She can control the four traditional elements," Willow smiled at him, "earth, air, fire and water. Which means, magically, she's pretty powerful." "Can you take her?" Faith asked bluntly. "I don't know," Willow was honest, "and I'm hoping I won't have to." She got some odd looks, so she asked Giles, "Did the Coven pick up any evil or malice from her?" Giles looked thoughtful, "No, not specifically. Just a great sense of purpose." "Then I do meet her tomorrow," Willow sighed, "and we'll see what happens. If she's hostile, we'll handle it, but I do hope she might not be." A few of the potential Slayers looked a bit dubious about that, but mostly there was a sense that Willow knew what she was talking about. It didn't take long for a more relaxed mood to fill the room, and conversation began to flow. Over an hour later, her throat a bit sore from talking so long, Willow retired to the porch for a break. "I'm sorry," the quiet voice came out of the darkness. Willow turned to see Faith standing in the shadows, looking out at the street. "No need," Willow answered her softly. "I thought Kennedy had told you about us," Faith chose to explain anyway, "or else I wouldn't have been so obvious." Willow was just a little surprised to hear the honest concern in Faith's voice. "I didn't really give her a chance," she admitted. Faith turned to go inside, and quietly said over her shoulder, "I'll back your play tomorrow, no matter what." "Thanks," Willow smiled. "Why do these things always happen at night?" Xander remarked to no one in particular. Giles actually smiled slightly, "Because it's easier if you're somewhat unusual looking to move around quietly at night." "So how do we know it's coming here?" Faith asked, as they stood waiting in front of the Magic Box. The little shop had passed through various hands through the years, but it remained a center for real magic in Sunnydale. Willow smiled privately, wondering how the others would take it if they knew she now owned it. 'Keep your mind on business,' she reminded herself as she said aloud, "We did a locator spell on elemental magic, and found that it was heading straight here." "Now can anyone tell me why?" Kennedy asked. "That, we don't know," Giles admitted. He had managed to convince the other Slayer trainees and Dawn to stay at the house, but Kennedy had insisted on coming along. Willow suddenly felt a presence, and gestured to the others to be silent. She came around the corner silently, and seemed unsurprised to see them there. She was tall, nearly six foot, but still moved gracefully. Her long black hair flowed behind her, and the color of her eyes were pure scarlet. But her most startling feature was the elfin cast to her features, an almost unearthly beauty. She looked at Giles first, searchingly, then Xander received the same treatment. "What's she doing?" he asked quietly. "Shhh!" Faith shushed him. Finally, her gaze settled on Willow, and she smiled. Willow was frozen, the familiarity of that smile striking her to the very core. She took a few hesitant steps forward, felt the aura that this strange being carried, and somehow she just knew. "Tara?" Willow asked softly. "Yes," she smiled at Willow gently. Slowly, and silently, Willow crumpled to the ground in a dead faint. Author's Notes: Due to popular demand, really. I've gotten a fair number of requests from all the Willow/Tara fans, so I've decided to continue this as a short series. Tara's return will be explained, I promise you, but not until next episode. I'm such a stinker... A section of this fic previously appeared as a piece of a chapter in my x- over series, Arisugawa's Locket.
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