Darkness Is In All Of Us

Ready For This

"No honey, you're not." Tara smiled sadly.

"Then how..?"

"You did it Willow. You saved everyone." Tara wrapped her arms around Willow in a hug. Willow breathed in deeply, recognizing Tara's favorite perfume.

"Is everyone..? Buffy and Xander?" Willow couldn't finish her question.

"They're all okay." Tara pulled away, holding Willow's hand. "Baby, before I go-"

"No! Don't leave me, please not again!" Willow cried, tears forming in her emerald eyes.

"I'll never leave you, not really. But Willow listen to me. It's okay to move on." Tara touched Willow's face as tears streamed down both of their faces.

"No, I can't, I won't!" Willow shouted.

"Shh.. Allow yourself to be happy. That's all I want. Find peace Willow. Faith is a lucky woman." Tara planted one last kiss on Willow's lips. "Goodbye." She whispered.

"NO! Tara, baby, come back! Come back to me!" Willow screamed as Tara slowly disappeared into nothing.

"Willow? Willow, please wake up." Dawn gently shook Willow's shoulders.

Willow slowly opened her eyes. "D-Did it w-work?" She gasped.

"Yes, but now we have to run! The buildings about to collapse." Dawn urged. "Can you walk?" Willow shook her head groggily. Dawn desperately tried to haul Willow to her feet, but she couldn't do it. Just then, Faith came racing into the room.

"Red!" She cried, grinning.

"Faith.." Willow sighed as Faith scooped her up into her arms and dashed out the door, Dawn close behind them. The three barely made it onto the bus before it started up and zoomed out of the parking lot. Faith gently laid Willow on a seat.

"How are you feeling Red?" She muttered, taking in the deep scratches on the witch's cheek and the blood soaking through her t-shirt.

"Grand." Willow grinned wearily. "Are you okay?"

Faith laughed at this, "Jesus Red, am I okay? I'm fine. You, however, look like hell."

"Gee thanks. You try that goddamn spell and see how you look!" Willow teased. Faith smile grew. "Where's Buffy? And Xander?"

"Here Will." Xander smiled tiredly.

"Where's B-Buffy?" Willow frowned. Faith glanced uneasily at Xander, when suddenly there was a loud thump on the roof.

"Buffy!" Dawn cried. "Pull over!"

"One moment Dawn!" Giles yelled. The moment the bus pulled out of Sunnydale, Giles pulled over and came to a screeching halt. There was a thud a Buffy's blond hair streaked past the window and stopping once she was in front of the bus.

"Help me up." Willow groaned.

"Red, I don't know-"

"Please." Willow interrupted. Faith sighed and put an arm under Willow's and hoisting her up. Willow winced slightly but didn't stop. Faith helped her out the front door where Faith let Xander take Willow's arm to help them over to Buffy. Once they were standing side by side, Willow smiled over at her best friend, "You did it Buffy. You did it."

"No." Buffy said, looking from Xander to Dawn to Faith to Willow. "We did it. Together." Willow grinned. "Everyone okay?" Buffy frowned, looking at the blood soaking through Willow's shirt and the claw marks on her face.

"I'm fine." Willow assured her. Xander and Dawn nodded and Faith smiled cockily.

"Not a scratch on me B." She grinned.

"I'm glad." Buffy smiled.

"So what now B?"

"Now.. I don't know." Buffy said simply. "We try to live normal lives I guess."

At this, everyone burst out laughing. "Good joke Buff." Xander chuckled.

"Yeah no kidding." Dawn smirked.

"How did this happen?" Willow murmured, looking out to crater that used to be Sunnydale.

"Spike." Is all Buffy said.

The scoobies all piled back back into the bus, Faith basically carrying Willow by this point. She set Willow down on a seat and sat across from her. Willow shivered. "Faith?"

"Red?"

"Will you sit with me?" Willow whispered.

"Oh, sure, of course." Faith sat down next to her and Willow leaned on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Willow shrugged.

"Liar." Faith smiled, hesitantly brushing Willow's hair out of her face.

"Okay, maybe it hurts a little."

"A little?"

"Okay, fine, a lot." Willow admitted, shivering again.

"Here." Faith shifted so she could take her jacket off and then laid it over Willow.

"Thanks." Willow smiled.

"Of course." Faith said awkwardly. Willow closed her eyes for a moment. "So, what happened, while you were doing the spell?" She asked gently.

"It was all dark. And there was something in there with me. Some kind of creature. It threw me around like a.. Like a rag doll. But I just kept doing the spell. Somehow, it worked." Willow shrugged.

"Jesus Christ Red, you're tougher than you look, you know that?" Faith teased.

"So I've been told." Willow murmured, closing her eyes again.

"Hey, that was some goodbye you gave me earlier." Faith grinned cockily.

"Yeah?" Willow opened her eyes. "Wanna do it again?" She teased.

"It would be my pleasure." And with that, Willow leaned forward and put a hand on the back of Faiths neck, putting her lips tenderly against Faith's. Faith smiled against Willow's lips as she kissed her back and put a hesitant hand on Willows cheek. Before long, both became less timid and what was once nervous excitement became a beautiful passion. "Red." Faith gasped in between kisses. "Are you sure-"

"I'm positive. I'm ready for this. For you."