FIC: Right In Front of You Part 13

["Callistosdarkside" <callistosdarkside@xxxxxxxx>]

Sorry for the delay, but here it is. It's unlucky number 13 for some, lucky
for others. But just keep in mind that this isn't even close to over, so
don't hate me yet. :)

P.S. This is mostly a dream chapter, so it would probably be better to read
it at my site in html, for easier viewing.

-CDS

. Title: Right In Front of You Part 13
. Author: Callisto's Dark Side
. Email: callistosdarkside@xxxxxxxx
. Feedback: The more I get, the faster I write.
. Distribution: Can be found at
http://b7holofantasy.homestead.com/buffyfic.html (My Site),
http://www.geocities.com/last_days_of_pern, and
http://www.peccath.com/extraflamey/mainframe.htm
. Spoilers: All of Season 5, but events take place before some events in
Tough Love.
. Rating: R
. Pairing: W/T & B/W
. Disclaimer: All characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer belong to the
almighty Joss Whedon and Company, and are only being borrowed for the fun
and enjoyment of us, the super fans.
. Summary: Willow/Tara fic in which the two love birds must manage to deal
with the consequences of a spell that threatens to tear them apart forever.


Chapter 13


"Willow." Tara's ghostly voice called out.

The Redhead ran through the thick enveloping mist searching for her love,
"Tara, where are you?"

"Over here," The voice echoed from all directions, bouncing off invisible
walls.

"Where?" Willow spun around frantically, "I can't see."

"I'm over here Honey."

The Hacker swiped at the fog, but it only came back thicker. Panicking,
Willow attempted a spell, but she forgot the words.

"Tara, I can't find you."

"Have you tried?"

The words stung, startling the Witch for a second, "Of course I tried. How
can you even ask that?"

"Movies and popcorn." Tara's voice supplied.

"It's not what you think. I reprogrammed BuffyBot to look through Giles'
books. Buffy and I even looked through them once before, but found
nothing."

"Buffy?"

"Yes, she helped me look through them."

"Is that all?"

"What else is there?"

"You tell me," Tara's voice said cryptically.

"Are. are you jealous?"

"Should I be?"

"Of course not."

"Then why'd you ask?"

"I don't know. it just seemed like."

"Like what?"

"Like you might be," Willow cried, turning and turning trying to find the
source of the voice. "Tara, where are you?"

"Honey, I'm right in front of you."

Then suddenly Tara stepped from the mist, her translucent form as angelic as
ever. Willow's heart leapt as she lunged at the Brunette, trying to wrap
her arms around her love, but she passed right through and fell to the
ground.

"Tara?" Willow looked up, holding her wrist.

"It's okay Honey," Tara offered her hand.

"But I went right through you."

"Trust me," Tara smiled.

Willow reached out tentatively, expecting her hand to pass through Tara's,
but as soon as it made contact, Tara's hand and body became solid once
again.

"How?" Willow caressed the smoothness of Tara's hand and embraced her love.

"You made a choice," Tara cupped the side of Willow's face gently.

"I don't understand."

"You trusted me," The Brunette leaned in for a soft kiss.

Willow relished in the tenderness of Tara's lips.

"But I always trust you Tara," The Redhead murmured.

"I hope so." The fellow Wiccan replied, slowly drifting farther away until
she was enveloped by the mist once again. "Don't forgot me." Tara whispered
through the fog.

"I won't. Not ever," Willow promised as she awoke in a sweat in the early
morning dawn.

******

"May I have this dance?" Buffy reached out her hand to Willow, who was
weeping alone at the table.

"What?" Willow asked between sobs.

"Dance." Buffy took Willow's hand, bringing her out of the chair and guided
her to the dance floor, their dresses flowing gently along the way, while
tears still flowed down the Redhead's cheeks.

The music played, the lights dimmed, and the people disappeared.

"But Tara," Willow tried letting go of Buffy's hand, but the Slayer pulled
her back in.

"Shhh," Buffy whispered, "She's gone."

Buffy kissed away several tears before resting her head on her friend's
shoulder, moving slowly to the music, but when she looked up again, Willow
was gone.

"Faith? What're you doing here?"

"I dunno, it's your dream."

"But. Willow. she and I."

"Yeah I know, dancing."

Faith brought Buffy's hand up high into the air and led her into a spin.

"It was nice," Buffy commented in mid-spin.

"As nice as this?" Faith asked.

"No, sorry," Buffy answered guiltily.

"It's okay B, somehow I always knew."

"Knew what?"

"Red. You always had it bad for her."

Buffy blushed and looked down at her feet, "No I don't."

"Oh come on, why do you think I hated her so much?"

"I thought it was cuz she hated you."

"Well, yeah, but why do you think she hated me?"

"I dunno," Buffy lied.

"If you say so," Faith shrugged, "But the truth always comes out, even if
you bury it."

Faith dipped Buffy, the Blonde Slayer's back arching along with her neck.
When Buffy was at her lowest point, the hand she was holding let go, sending
her to the floor. Grasping her wrist, Buffy winced as she looked back up to
see Willow again.

"Will?"

"I'm sorry Buffy, but I have to go."

"Wait."

"I can't. Tara needs me. I have to find her now," Willow said, turning her
back on Buffy.

"But I have to tell you something," Buffy cried desperately as she stood up
and grabbed a hold of Willow's arm, turning her friend around.

But everything was cut off by a brilliant flash of light.

******

The morning sun shone brightly through Buffy's window and onto her bleary
eyes.

"Will?" Buffy reached instinctively to her side, trying to find the warm
body that was usually snuggled up against her ever since Tara and Dawn had
disappeared.

"Will?" Buffy asked again as she wiped her eyes to find the Redhead gone.

The Slayer slid quickly out of bed and headed out of her room, calling out
her friend's name, "Will?"

Still no answer.

Buffy passed the empty bathroom and then approached Dawn's room. BuffyBot
was lying on the floor, looking through a book that Buffy had not seen
before. In fact, there was a small stack of books that looked unfamiliar.

"Good morning," The robot smiled.

"Where'd you get that book?"

"Willow gave it to me."

"When?"

"Thirty-two minutes ago."

"Where's she now?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Didn't she tell you?"

"No. She told me to read through these and said she would be back later."

"What time?"

"She didn't say."

"Great," Buffy turned her back and returned to her room to quickly change.

When the Slayer went downstairs, the mess that Anya had made of the living
room was still there, but she wasn't.

"Anya?" Buffy called out, but there was no answer. So she picked up the
phone and dialed the number to the Magic Shop.

Waiting impatiently, Buffy slammed the phone down after five rings, then
left the house.

******

"So that's how I ended up here," Leanna finished up her life story.

"That's amazing," Tara enthused, sitting next to the woman on the couch in
the dim firelight, drinking what tasted like hot-chocolate, while Dawn sat
on the floor looking up.

"Yeah, that really is amazing," Dawn agreed.

"Amazing? How so?"

"The way you overcame the hardships of home and how you raised Anna all by
yourself," Tara answered passionately, "How is that not amazing?"

"I wasn't entirely alone, remember? If Sarah hadn't taken me in and given
me this place after she died, I might not have a home now."

"True, but you managed to make a good friend and from what you said in your
story, you did more than enough around the house to warrant inheriting this
place. Which is more than I can say about some of us," Tara smiled.

"Hey," Dawn raised her voice, "Was that a jab at me?"

"No," Tara grinned.

"That was a jab at me. Just cuz I didn't dig the dirt like you, doesn't
mean I wasn't doing anything. I was reading, remember?" Dawn winked.

"Oh yeah," Tara answered quietly.

Leanna watched as the two exchanged odd secretive looks.

"Well, if you're done winking at each other," Leanna laughed, making Tara
and Dawn blush, "You two could start telling me your life stories."

"Our. life stories?" Tara stammered.

"Yeah, I told you everything about my life. Now I want to know everything
about your lives."

"Oh," Tara looked at Dawn for help, but Dawn just shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, you see," Tara started, again looking back at Dawn, but once again
receiving no help, "We."

Tara's guilt increased with each word, and every second she stared into
Leanna's expectant eyes, "We." Tara took one last look at Dawn, before
continuing, "Have a lot of explaining to do," The Brunette finally let out.

"What do you mean?"

"We've been hiding things," Tara admitted.

"Hiding things?" Leanna said, backing up on the couch.

"Yes, but it's not what you think."

"How would you know what I'm thinking? Other than the fact that I've told
you everything about myself and you've told me nothing but lies."

"No, that's not true," Tara reached out a hand, but Leanna pulled away from
her touch. "We haven't lied to you as much as we've kept secrets."

"What secrets?"

"We're not from this world," Tara stated flatly.

"What?" Leanna laughed. "What are you talking about?"

"It's true," Dawn interjected. "We don't come from the far east, we come
from another dimension."

"Dimension? You mean like in those books I have?"

"Yes," Tara replied enthusiastically. "Exactly like in those books you
have, only the world we come from has technological wonders that do most of
our chores for us."

"You expect me to believe this. Those books are just fairy tales, nothing
more."

Tara looked around, trying to figure out a way to prove she wasn't lying.
The answer she'd been looking for was hanging around her neck, as she
grabbed the locket and opened it up.

"Remember this?"

Leanna looked at the life-like picture of Tara and Willow, "Yes."

"Do you remember when I said that in 'our' world we have something called a
camera and it takes these photographs?"

"Uh huh. I thought it was weird you said 'our world' when you were supposed
to be talking about the far east."

"That's because I was telling the truth then. When we were talking about
Willow, I completely forgot I was hiding anything, and that's how I let it
slip."

"But how's that possible?"

"Magic," Tara answered.

To be continued.