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Retribution and Reward

By Lisa Countryman © July, 2001

Section Two

PART FIVE

Vampires milled around the luxury apartment. It was feeding time, and most were ready to go out for the hunt. Ceti calmed them, reminding them that they served a goddess now, and she reminded them that Krodha-ratri did not stand for insolence.

"Bring me the Slayer’s sister," Tara said. Her voice was rich and musical as she ran her hand down a tall vampire’s cheek. His name was Eric, and he nodded, but then paused.

"How will I know her?" Eric asked.

"Here." Tara handed him a photograph of Willow, Tara and Dawn. "This one, but do not harm the redhaired witch."

"Not unless she gets in my way," the lumbering vampire said.

Tara reached up with blinding speed and snapped Eric’s neck. His limp body crumpled to the floor in front of the other vampires. "I made myself clear, didn’t I?" she asked sweetly. She looked at her other servants. "Was anyone else unclear on my wishes?"

"We are not to harm the redhaired witch," a thin vampire named Kathy said. She held up a photo of Willow from a Sunnydale yearbook.

"See?" Tara leaned down and pressed her lips to the paralyzed vampire’s forehead and she inhaled. Red strands of energy left his body and filled Tara. After a moment he was twitching on the floor. Tara stood and let out a sigh. "Such a waste." She flicked her wrist and he was consumed in a ball of flame.

The gathered vampires exchanged worried glances as they awaited Tara’s orders.

"Go…get… the Slayer’s sister," Tara said slowly. She smiled at Kathy and waved her over. "Kathy, isn’t it?" She ran her hand though the vampire’s black hair.

"Yes, Krodha-ratri." Kathy exhaled as she looked into Tara’s beautiful slate blue eyes. They were hypnotic.

"Send them to the Slayer’s house." Tara moved her fingers down and caressed Kathy’s cheek. "I gave you the address already. Then have that cute little waif Lizzie run up to the door screaming while some of my bigger boys chase her." She leaned in close to the vampire. "Have her look scared. You can do that, can’t you? she whispered seductively.

The vampire nodded and swallowed as her mouth watered. She longed to taste Tara’s blood, she could smell the sweet elixir, hear it pounding through the woman’s veins, but most of all, she could feel the heat coming off of Tara’s body.

"When she opens the door, Lizze will beg for help… since there’re monsters after her." Tara pressed her lips to Kathy’s temple and lowered her voice to an intimate whisper. "She’ll look all sad and helpless so Dawnie will invite her inside. It’s simple, Kathy." She moved her lips to Kathy’s ear. "You want to taste me, don’t you?’ Tara’s kissed the vampire’s earlobe.

Kathy whimpered, not knowing which answer would keep her alive. Tara’s temper was well known. She was quick to reward her servants, but her punishments were even quicker.

"A sample." Tara extended her wrist to Kathy and smiled as the raven haired vampire tentatively nipped her skin. "No, darling. Take a real taste." Tara growled as the vampire sank her fangs deep. "That’s it," Tara whispered. "Feel my heat," she cooed. "You want to make me happy, don’t you?"

Kathy whimpered and nodded her head. Her body was filling with fire and she could feel the power and heat overwhelming her senses.

"Then get me the Slayer’s sister," Tara said as she withdrew her hand.

"Yes, Krodha-ratri," Kathy said as she shuddered. She hadn’t felt warm since becoming a vampire and the sensation was driving her mad with need. "Anything for you, Krodha-ratri." Tara’s blood was like a drug, and like any addict, Kathy would do anything to get just a taste more of her fix.

"And, darling?" Tara asked sweetly.

"Yes, Krodha-ratri?" Kathy’s eyes were hooded and full of lust.

"Go see to the drugstore while the others are gone." Tara licked her lips. "Do your hair to match Ceti’s. She’ll tell you the shade. I love red."

Kathy smiled and hurried away. She knew that Tara asked her favorites to dye their hair red.

The Jinn Tara walked over to the window and looked into the night. She knew that William should be with the Slayer by now, and that meant her plan was working perfectly. She looked over at Ceti and frowned. No matter how much she tried, Ceti didn’t look right in the frumpy clothes that Willow wore with grace and incredible sex appeal. The Jinn frowned. It still bothered her that her affections had been captured by a mere witch, but that was the problem with possession, she thought as she watched Ceti giving the other vampires orders. The human mind sometimes held more than memories. When someone like Tara loved, it permeated every fiber of their body, especially their mind. Now, possessing that body meant all of the bone deep love that Tara had for Willow was fogging everything, but she knew she’d have the witch soon.

"It won’t matter," the Jinn said as she looked up at the night sky. "I’ll have Willow soon enough." She turned and smiled at Ceti. "William will be back soon. Make sure everything is ready."

"Yes, Krodha-ratri." Ceti nodded and hurried off. The young vampire would do anything for Tara, including orchestrating her rendezvous with the redhaired witch. Tasting Tara’s blood did more than warm the vampires she fed; it also ignited their passions, passions for her. Every vampire Tara, or rather Mara, fed began to feel again. These were not the shallow and clouded feelings that most demons had. These were intense, human feelings, deep and full of fire like Mara’s blood. These feelings were overwhelming and as addictive as the heat her blood caused.

Ceti glanced back at her mistress and sighed, thinking that perhaps when she finished with Willow the goddess would want a more permanent mate. That was a job Ceti was all too willing to fill.

"Let me through," Spike said as he opened the door to the luxury apartment. He had to push his way past a group of vampires milling around the living room. "Step aside. Coming through," he said impatiently. His stomach was aching from his wound, but most of the cut had sealed. "I am on a bloody mission here." He shoved one last vampire out of the way and went to Tara’s bedroom. "I’m back, Tara," he said as he cleared his throat.

"William…" Tara was at the window looking out. She didn’t like not knowing what was going on. As a Jinn she could jump from place to place in the blink of an eye, but while she was possessing Tara’s body, she couldn’t use her powers to spy on others. "What did you find out?" She slowly turned.

"She wasn’t very happy to see me." Spike lifted his jacket and revealed the blood soaked shirt. "In fact, I almost didn’t make it out of there in one piece."

"Did you hurt her?" Tara’s voice was harsh and devoid of any mercy.

"No!" Spike said indignantly. "You told me not to."

"Good," Tara said sweetly. She walked over to him and tore the shirt open and frowned at the angry wound. "A sword?" she asked as she rested her hand over the cut. Her fingers sent out flames that licked the wound and the cut closed.

"Yeah, and it was a sharp bugger." Spike’s skin tingled as he watched the flames heal his wound. He shifted his weight as Tara backed away. "That’s a right nice job," he complimented. "Doesn’t even hurt."

"What did you find out, William?" Tara took his hand and pulled him over to the bed where she motioned for him to sit.

"They haven’t got a clue what you are, love." Spike smiled slyly. "They think you’re a demon possessing the witch."

"And?" Tara asked patiently.

"I told them everything you wanted me to." Spike licked his lips. "I told Willow that her sweet Tara is trapped inside your body…" Spike leered at her voluptuous curves. "That if Willow wanted to free her Tara, she had to use love."

"What did she say?" Tara could feel the fire in her veins growing hotter.

"She got that smug look she always gets when she has a plan." Spike tried to close the buttons on his shirt but Tara had torn most of them off when she ripped it open. "Then she started going on about the Great Rite."

"What?" Tara stood and moved closer. "Tell me everything."

"She said if her Tara was inside you, that the Great Rite would free her…that only true love could pull her Tara out of the chains you hold her with."

"Oh, this is perfect." Tara licked her lips. "You know, if I did have her Tara in here with me… that might have actually worked."

"But?" Spike drew the word out as a smile spread over her face.

"But, since her Tara doesn’t live here any more…" She rubbed her hands together and her eyes half-closed as lust filled her body. "She’ll just be giving me what I want."

"And what’s that?" Spike asked, though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

"I have to get her out of my blood," the Jinn said as her eyes sparkled. "And you have to fight fire with fire." She wrapped her arms around her body and gave herself a sensual hug. "The only thing I want is her."

"Well, Buffy didn’t want her coming here, but I got the feeling Red was gonna’ sneak out the first chance she got." Spike nodded toward the window. "The Slayer should be on patrol by now."

"Ceti," Tara yelled. She waited for her servant to step into the doorway. "Send most of my children out to look for the Slayer. Keep her busy."

"Yes, my mistress." Ceti bowed low. "The others have not reported back yet, but I believe they will have the Slayer’s sister before long."

"Perfect," Tara said sensually. "Now then, my dear, I’m expecting a guest. When she arrives, give her some resistance but let her get through."

"The witch?" Ceti asked.

"Yes," Tara said. "Once she gets through, she and I will need to be alone for the rest of the night."

"Yes, my Krodha," Ceti said. There was sorrow in her voice but she would do as her mistress asked, even if it meant letting the witch have what Ceti desired most. It was an odd feeling, sacrifice was not normal for a vampire, but the love she felt thanks to the fiery blood she drank would make her do anything for her beloved mistress. "I will bring candles to your chamber," she added in a dejected whisper.

"Ceti?" Tara walked over to the vampire and took her hands.

"Yes, Krodha-ratri?" Ceti’s blue eyes were full of devotion.

"Don’t hurt her," Tara said menacingly. She didn’t want the lovesick vampire turning on Willow and killing her. Tara had too many exciting plans for the witch, horrible, torturous plans that the witch had to be alive to suffer through.

"Of course not," Ceti responded instantly.

"Good girl," Tara whispered. She leaned closer and pressed her mouth to the vampire’s full lips. She kissed her slowly, letting her hot tongue tease the vampire until Ceti whimpered helplessly. "That’s my good girl," Tara whispered as she pulled away.

"Anything for you, Krodha-ratri." Ceti quivered as her body heated from within.

"William, wait your turn," Tara said without turning, promising him his own relief in a few minutes. "I think Ceti needs a quick taste." She held out her hand and smiled when Ceti grabbed her arm and bit her wrist. The vampire suckled ravenously, as if she were starving for Tara’s blood. "That’s my darling," Tara whispered. She knew how important loyalty was, and having Ceti devoted to her was a simple task. The Jinn’s enchanted blood was hot as flame, and the passions it gave the vampires made them love the new Tara with a depth that was all consuming.

Spike watched and his mouth watered. He needed her blood; his body ached without it. He shifted his weight as he watched impatiently until Ceti was finished. The younger vampire licked every last drop from the Jinn’s arm and then smiled up at her mistress.

"Go take care of things," Tara whispered as she kissed Ceti’s forehead. The Jinn turned and held her hand to Spike. He was on her in a flash of movement, burying his fangs into her throat and forgoing her wrist. "Patience," Tara said with laugh. She cradled his face and he drank in thirsty gulps. She knew as long as he was addicted to feeling passion for her, he would do whatever she asked.

Spike snarled as he felt his body heat like a burning piece of coal. He was certain that his belly must be glowing from the heat and he wanted more. He ran his hands down Tara’s back and held her close as his feeding slowed to a pace more like a lover’s kiss. He licked her neck as he took in her fire filled blood and his mind fogged over with passion. This was what he missed about being human, this passion, this heat. He loved now. He truly loved with all that he was, and he would do anything for the woman who filled his heart. He would betray his sire, betray his own kind, he would even forsake himself to make his true love happy.

"That’s it. Drink, my William." The Jinn could feel the love inside him. It was stronger than she had felt with any of the other vampires. He was consumed by love, just the way she liked it. "Let me give you my passion, darling," she whispered sensually.

She was enjoying this new tool of seduction. By taking a human body she had become a well of enchanted blood. Her Jinn powers filled her veins as quickly as her children could drain her, and the fire of her Jinni heritage allowed the demonic vampires to feel an obsessive love that drove them to the brink of madness. It was more addictive than the heat. That combined with her voice could make any of the vampires do her bidding.

"Who do you serve?" Tara whispered as she ran her fingers through Spike’s hair.

"You, only you." Spike pulled his lips away for an instant and then went back to drinking. He was lost in the fire of her blood. He loved, and he wanted to keep feeling that love for as long as he existed. "Only you, Tara," he whispered. He knew she was a Jinn, and that should have revolted him, but the feelings her blood gave him overrode that thought. He drank deep and readied himself for what was to come. He knew Willow would arrive soon and then the trap would be sprung.

"Good boy," Tara whispered. "Now run along and help the others bring me little Dawnie."

A knock at the door alerted Kathy to the new arrival. She frowned as she went to open the huge oak doors. She should have heard the newcomer approaching. She had been expecting Willow, and the witch shouldn’t have been able to get to the penthouse without someone warning Kathy of her arrival. Ceti would not be pleased. She had asked Kathy to greet Willow. She smiled knowing that she had to put up a mock struggle before letting Willow escape past her.

"Witch," Kathy said as she opened the door. She backed up as the Willow held up a wooden cross. "My mistress will not be pleased."

"Nice hairdo," Willow said as she looked at the vampire’s freshly colored red tresses. She could smell the chemicals from the dye. "You shouldn’t have wasted your time." Willow yanked a stake out of her sleeve and staked the dumbfounded vampire.

"That wasn’t necessary," Tara said as she walked into the living room.

"Tara?" Willow walked toward her lover. "Baby?"

"Not anymore." Tara laughed and licked her lips. "You came alone? How brave, how daring, how romantic… how stupid."

"You have to fight, Tara." Willow edged closer. "Fight for our love." Willow opened her thick coat and pulled out a bag of herbs. She tossed them at the other woman and tried not to think about the Jinn holding Tara’s body captive.

"What was that?" The Jinn backed away, her eyes full of feigned fear. She had to know what the herbs were if she wanted to pretend they were working.

"Sandalwood, for protection, healing, and spirituality," Willow said as she stepped closer to the Jinn and tossed more of the herb mixture at her. "Horehound, for protection, mental powers, and healing. And Dragons Blood, for love, protection, and potency." She neglected to mention that all of the herbs were also designed for exorcisms as well.

"You can’t cast with my charm around your neck," the Jinn pointed out. She smiled. It was the same half grin that Tara would use whenever she had a secret. "You’re wasting your time."

"I don’t have to cast." Willow stuck her chin out defiantly. "This is a spell that works on the power of two joined souls, two hearts that share one beat." She inhaled deeply and began to chant.

"Open for me the secret way,

The pathway of intelligence,

Beyond the gates of night and day,

Beyond the bounds of time and sense.

Behold the mystery aright

The five true points of fellowship,

Here where heart and soul unite,

And feet, and knees, and breast, and lip."

"No," Tara said as she backed away. The Jinn played her role perfectly, acting as if the invocation of the Great Rite was weakening her. "I won’t let you…"

"Tara, fight this demon," Willow said. She hoped her acting classes had paid off because everything hinged on the Jinn believing that Willow was serious about performing the Wiccan ritual. "Join me, Tara. Use my strength to escape her. Our union in the name of the goddess will free you."

"I won’t let you," the Jinn said. She almost laughed at the absurdity. Willow’s spell would have worked if the Jinn had just been a possession demon. No normal demon could stay in a body while the Great Rite was performed. The Great Rite was the sacred bonding of two souls, and it culminated with a sexual coupling in the name of the goddess and her lover.

"You don’t have a choice." Willow tossed another handful of herbs at the creature in Tara’s body. She knew it wouldn’t make the Jinn leave, but it would prepare her for the exorcism later. Now all Willow had to do was distract the Jinn while Buffy and the others prepared things. "Altar of mysteries manifold…The sacred Circle's secret point….Thus do I sign thee as of old, with kisses of my lips anoint." Willow edged closer and knelt in front of the Jinn. "Tara, my love… come to me." This was the final test and Willow knew it. If the Jinn took the bait and believed that Willow was performing the Great Rite it would give Buffy and Giles the time they needed. If not, and the Jinn realized it was only a distraction, Willow’s plan would not work.

"Willow?" Tara asked in a shaking voice. The Jinn was doing an excellent job of sounding frightened and confused. In fact, if Willow hadn’t known better, she would have thought her lover was actually fighting for control of her own body. "Willow, help me…" The Jinn in Tara’s body stepped forward.

"Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways," Willow said as she bent down and kissed Tara’s feet. She focused to keep from shuddering as her lips met the hot skin she knew the Jinn possessed.

"Willow, darling…it’s working." The fake Tara sounded exhausted, as if she had been fighting for days to break free.

"Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar," Willow continued. She pressed her lips to Tara’s knees. She had to remind herself that these were in fact her Tara’s knees, no matter what evil lurked inside her body now.

The Jinn inhaled deeply, thoroughly enjoying the sensations of Willow loving her body.

Willow moved up and held Tara’s waist. "Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be." She lifted Tara’s shirt and reverently pressed her lips on her lover’s belly. It was tearing Willow apart to reenact this sacred ritual when she knew the Jinn was not her lover, but she had to distract her if Giles was going to get things ready. He and Buffy were sealing the entire building without a huge sacred circle. They were dropping herbs as they walked around the building chanting.

Tara moaned and held Willow’s head to her body. The Jinn thought her plan was working perfectly. She would have Willow, and afterwards she would taunt the witch for being gullible. Well, she thought, maybe she would taunt her after ravaging her several times.

"Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty." Willow stood and tilted her head and took Tara’s nipple in her mouth and gave it a searing kiss. She knew that Jinni were just as prone to passion as humans, and there was nothing quite so distracting as a lover’s touch.

"Willow, it’s weakening…the demon…" Tara inhaled sharply when Willow moved her lips to the other side and kissed that nipple through the fabric of her blouse.

"Blessed be thy lips, that shall utter the Sacred Names." Willow straightened her back and took Tara’s face in her hands and leaned in close. This would be the hardest, to actually kiss the Jinn on the lips knowing full well that Tara’s spirit no longer dwelled there. "I love you, Tara," Willow said. That was true; wherever Tara was, Willow did love her. As she kissed the Jinn she held her beloved Tara’s soul in her heart and fought to let some of that love give passion to the kiss.

The Jinn was overwhelmed. The body she possessed remembered this beautiful woman and her kiss set the Jinn’s blood boiling. She moaned as she backed toward the bedroom, dragging Willow with her. "We have to complete the ritual," she whispered as she kissed Willow’s throat. "The demon can’t stay while we act as the vessel of the goddess."

Willow nodded and followed the creature into the bedroom. She wrapped her arms around Tara’s body, the same body she had made love to many times, and she felt only loathing. She pretended to enjoy the Jinn’s touch, and then kissed Tara’s neck. She used the opportunity to look over Tara’s back and check her wristwatch. Buffy would arrive in four minutes. Willow hoped she could stall the Jinn that long.

"Hurry, darling." The Jinn tossed Willow onto the bed and straddled her.

"We never hurry," Willow said as she caught the Jinn’s roaming hands. She pulled them up to her lips and kissed Tara’s fingers. "Touch my face, baby. You know I love that," she stalled.

The Jinn complied, but she added a searing kiss to the mix. She eased back and decided to use her Jinni charms. "Willow," she whispered. "I’m free, darling. It’s really me. I’ve missed you." She pressed her hot mouth to the soft flesh of Willow’s throat. "I need you, love." Her voice was like a siren’s song.

"Tara," Willow pulled the other woman to her, pinning their bodies as close as possible to keep the Jinn from groping her. ‘Hurry, Buffy,’ Willow thought. Her mind was clouding as she listened to the Jinn’s words.

"Willow, it’s really me," the Jinn whispered. She blew a glowing red breeze into Willow’s ear. "I’m your Tara."

"Umm, oh goddess." Willow hadn’t planned on the Jinn’s whispers of seduction and when she spoke them with Tara’s voice the magical words hit with extra impact.

"My Willow," the Jinn whispered as she blew another heated kiss into Willow’s ear. "Save me, darling. Complete the ritual." Her hand snaked between their bodies and tried to squeeze Willow’s breast.

That was enough to remind Willow just who and what was trying to ravage her body. She grabbed the roaming hand and pulled it up to her face and kissed it.

"I can’t," Willow said sadly. "I keep feeling this thing." Willow pushed the Jinn away and nodded at the amulet. "It gives me the creeps."

The Jinn’s eyes narrowed as she tried to decide if the witch was lying.

"I need you, Tara." Willow shifted and moved one leg between Tara’s and pressed into her desire. "Can’t you take this thing off me now that you’re in control?"

"Then we’ll make love?" the Jinn asked as she kissed Willow again.

"Oh, yes," Willow said with forced passion. She let out a relieved sigh when the Jinn lifted the amulet from her neck. "Let me get rid of that," Willow said huskily. She grabbed the necklace that had been binding her power and tossed it across the room. It also held Tara’s soul, but now Willow was free to cast spells. She rolled over so that she was on top of the Jinn using Tara’s body.

"Oh, my," the Jinn said with Tara’s voice. She liked this aggressive side of the redhead.

"I want you," Willow whispered. She kissed Tara’s neck, checking her watch again. Buffy was due any minute. She lifted Tara’s hands above her head and kissed her aggressively. She used her knee and spread Tara’s legs open wide on the bed and slipped between them. When she pulled back from the kiss, the Jinn was breathing in panting gasps.

"Malum necto," Willow said, using the Latin phrase for ‘evil be bound.’ A cotton rope appeared around Tara’s hands binding the Jinn to the bedposts and another rope held the Jinn’s ankles in place at the foot of the bed.

"What are you doing?" the Jinn yelled. She yanked on the ropes, but they didn’t budge. "Ceti!" she yelled as she yanked at the ties.

"Jinni can’t untie knots," Willow said as she crawled off of the Jinn. She shuddered and wiped her mouth as if the lingering feel of the Jinn’s lips was making her shiver. "You’re trapped. How’s it feel? How do you like it, miss genie?" She went over and picked up the amulet and held it to her heart. "I’m so sorry, baby. I had to trick her to save you. Forgive me."

"You’ll never get her out," the Jinn taunted. She hadn’t thought that the witch and her friends would figure out what she was. "And you can’t hold me forever."

"I don’t have to." Willow smiled. "Just until Buffy gets here." She heard a loud crash in the other room and smiled. "Which I’d say is right about…now."

"Let me go!" The Jinn yelled. She turned her head and listened to the crashing sounds from the other room. "Untie me or I’ll kill your lover."

Willow shook her head. She knew the Jinn couldn’t do magic while she was bound. The door burst open and Buffy stumbled into the room.

"Willow?" Buffy let out a relieved sigh when she saw Tara tied to the bed. "I am so glad to find you not… well… not… you know." Buffy waved at Tara on the bed.

"Tell me about it." Willow nodded her head. She looked behind the Slayer. "Did you see a redheaded vampire?"

"A?" Buffy smirked. "Um, Willow. I staked about eight or nine vamp chicks…and all of them had your hairstyle and color." She walked over to the bed. "Obsess much?"

"Laugh while you can, Slayer." The Jinn smiled with an air of superiority. "My loves are doing an errand as we speak."

"Picking up your dry cleaning?" Buffy looked over her shoulder. "Giles, we need you in here," she called out.

"Trust me, you’ll know soon enough." The Jinn pulled at her restraints.

Willow stepped closer to Buffy and pulled her away. "I don’t like the sound of that," the redhead whispered. "I really don’t like the sound of it."

"Anya and Xander are bringing in the stuff, so don’t worry." Buffy gave Willow’s arm a squeeze.

"We’re almost ready," Giles said as he leaned into the room. He let out a relieved sigh when he saw Willow. "I trust you didn’t have to…" He blushed.

Willow shook her head vigorously.

"Very good," he said as he let out another sigh. "The Amulet?"

"Got it." Willow held it up.

"Right then. Let’s get her into the sacred circle." Giles nodded toward the other room.

"Um, Giles?" Willow pointed at the bound Jinn. "If we untie her… she’s gonna’ have her powers back. I’m thinking that’s something we’d really like to avoid."

"Oh, dear." Giles frowned.

"So we carry her out there on the bed." Buffy crossed her arms over her chest.

"The bed won’t exactly fit," Willow pointed out.

"So we make it fit." Buffy went the bed and kicked off one of the legs. The bed slammed down on that side. "See?" Buffy smirked and went to the next leg and shattered it off. "So we have to tilt her to smoosh her through the door. I say too bad for the genie. Maybe next time she’ll stay in her freaking bottle."

"I can’t wait for you to get your surprise," the Jinn said. She was still smug. She knew if the witch and her friends tried to do an exorcism without her true name they would fail. She smiled imagining what she would do to Dawn to make the Slayer pay.

"She’s really big with the threats," Buffy said. "Especially for someone tied up and about to be kicked out of Tara’s body."

"Have your little fun, Slayer," the Jinn said. She waited patiently as Buffy finished tearing the bed to pieces and then dragged the bed out into the living room.

"Put her in the center of the circle with her head at the top point of the pentacle." Giles pointed to the huge area that was prepared in the middle of the living room. The furniture had been pushed out of the way and sea salt had been poured in a huge circle. Inside that circle, ash made from burnt yarrow had been used to draw the star for the pentagram.

"This won’t work," the Jinn said in a sweet voice. She smiled as Willow anointed her body with sacred oils. "That feels nice," she taunted. "Why don’t you put some a little lower," she suggested when Willow drew the sign of the goddess on Tara’s chest.

"I am really not gonna’ miss you," Willow said under her breath. "Don’t know why you picked on Tara anyway."

"Because, witch." The Jinn locked eyes with Willow. "You didn’t learn when you were in danger."

"I’m not listening to you," Willow said as she sprinkled fresh yarrow around Tara’s body.

"You used that ‘my will be done’ spell and almost got your friends killed," the Jinn said as she watched Willow’s jaw clench. "And what did you do? You said you were sorry and you baked cookies. Big deal. You still play with the dark forces."

"And just who made you the Wiccan police?" Willow yelled. She felt guilty enough as it was without the Jinn reminding her of her mistakes. "Like a genie would know anything about following the rules of Wicca." Willow put both hands on her hips and glared at the bound woman. "You just wanted an excuse to mess with our lives. You don’t fool me, miss less evil than thou!"

"Willow, do not engage her," Giles warned. "We must not talk to her. The exorcism works best if we call on the goddess to cast out the Jinn."

"Well, she started it!" Willow said grouchily.

"Yes, but by engaging her, you give her purchase in Tara’s body." Giles cleared his throat. "Which is exactly what the Jinn wants."

"Oh…well… hey!" Willow glared at the Jinn. "Stop that!"

Giles cleared his throat.

"Oh…I’m doing it again," Willow said meekly. "No more talkin’ to the genie. This is me not talking to the evil Jinn." Willow bit her lip and went over to the magical supplies.

"If your soul had been lost you wouldn’t have learned your lesson." The Jinn smiled. "But having your precious Tara pay for your transgressions? That just might get your attention." She sighed. "Do you want to know where she is? What’s happening to her as we speak?"

Willow spun and faced the Jinn.

"Willow, no," Giles warned.

"Do you know what it’s like to be locked inside an amulet?" The Jinn nodded toward her hands. "Untie me and I’ll release her. I think you’ve learned your lesson."

"Ignore her…" Giles cleared his throat and handed Willow a spell book.

"She can only be released if I agree to do it." The Jinn sighed. "Otherwise, she’ll spend eternity in there suffering."

"Why are you so evil?" Willow yelled. "Was what I did so bad? Tara didn’t do anything to you…and now I’m stopping because I am not talking to you. Not talking to you at all."

Giles cleared his throat.

"I’m stopping." Willow grabbed a bottle of sacred rose oil. "I’m just gonna’ put this oil on and not talk to the genie."

"Perhaps you should go into the other room while we prepare," Giles suggested.

"Willow, don’t leave me," the Jinn said in Tara’s inflection, her voice shaking. "Baby?"

Willow took two steps towards the bed before she caught herself. Her heart reacted to the need in Tara’s voice before she remembered that it wasn’t Tara’s soul. She stopped and closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Willow, please," the Jinn begged in an exact mimic of the real Tara.

"Giles, I’ll be in the other room," Willow said quietly. She spun and hurried from the room.

"Well, that was fun," the Jinn said with a giggle.

Giles continued preparing the room around the Jinn. He worked quickly and quietly and kept his eyes off of the woman on the bed.

The Jinn looked over at Giles, focusing on him. "M-mister Giles?" she stuttered. Her eyes were tearing and her lip trembled. "I’m s-so sorry. The demon’s gone… let me go." She let out a tiny sob. "Please. It was so awful being trapped. Please let me go."

Giles didn’t answer her. He focused on the herbs he was arranging around the room in the shape of a pentagram. He reminded himself that the creature on the bed was not Tara. Hearing her cry was breaking his heart, but he couldn’t engage the beast.

"M-mister Giles, please…" The Jinn was now weeping heavily. "It’s like w-when m-my daddy used to lock me up. I can’t stand it. It was w-worse than when Glory h-hurt me. Please make it stop. Let m-me go before the demon comes back."

Bile climbed up the back of Giles’ throat. He didn’t want to listen to the Jinn, but someone had to prepare the room and he didn’t think Willow was up to fending off the mental assault.

The Jinn let out a sigh. She had thought that seeing ‘Tara’ cry would effect Giles. She licked her lip and smiled. "Giles, you know Buffy doesn’t have long to live, don’t you?" She decided to try a different approach. "She’s a Slayer, they don’t live long. You know that." She saw him flinch and she smiled. "I can change that. I have the power." She waited until she saw his hands stop moving.

Giles had been sprinkling herbs near the door and now he sat motionless.

"I can removed her Slayer’s debt," the Jinn said calmly. "Faith was called. I can remove Buffy’s calling. She won’t be the Slayer anymore." She smiled, knowing she had hit a nerve. "Buffy could have a normal life, Rupert. She could raise Dawn… get married, have children of her own. Wouldn’t you like to be a grandfather, Rupert? She loves you like a father. You can give her a real life… all you have to do is let me go. Cut me loose and I’ll release Tara as well. I swear it."

Giles stood and faced the bed. His face was dark and his eyes were troubled. The Jinn offered the one thing he would give anything to have. He loved Buffy, and more than anything, she wanted a normal life. He could give her that. He paused at the edge of the bed. This was wrong, and he knew it, but Buffy had already died twice to save the world. She deserved happiness, and a trapped Jinn would grant wishes to escape.

"Rupert," the Jinn whispered sensually. Her powers were bound like her hands, but her voice could still enchant anyone who chose to listen. "Rupert, you can give Buffy a real life. Don’t you want to give her that? Don’t you love her enough to do that?"

"I do love her," Giles whispered as he moved toward the Jinn. "With all that I am." He looked back at the door and a tear rolled down his cheek. "Please forgive me, Willow," he whispered as he leaned over the bed. "I’m so sorry, Tara."

PART SIX

Buffy smiled at Willow as she finished the last of the ritual preparations. She took her friend’s arm and gave it a squeeze. "Let me check on Giles."

Willow nodded and let out a tiny sigh. She put the unused herbs into a satchel and looked over at Anya.

"So, ready to face untold evil?" Anya asked with a forced smile.

Willow nodded again and her lips pressed into a worried line.

In the other room, Giles leaned over the bed and looked down into Tara’s slate blue eyes. "Forgive me, Tara." He swallowed hard and then backhanded the young woman.

"What the hell?" the Jinn yelled. Her eyes widened as she watched Giles rip off a piece of the sheet and then he stuffed it into her mouth.

"Shut your filthy mouth," he whispered. He slammed his hand over the rag and pressed it into her mouth and squeezed her jaw closed. If she hadn’t been possessed by the Jinn her skin would have bruised. "I can make your stay in this body very uncomfortable," Giles whispered dangerously.

The Jinn’s eyes lit up. She was enjoying the anger coursing through the human’s body. She relaxed, letting him press down on Tara’s frame. The Jinn felt no pain, and she liked that she could make him lose his temper.

Buffy came into the room and saw Giles. She could see his arms shaking as he forcefully pressed a rag into Tara’s mouth. "Giles!" Buffy rushed forward and yanked him away from the bed. "What are you doing?"

"I…" Giles looked down at his hands and then over at Tara’s body. "Dear lord," he whispered. Tara’s face was red and her eyes bulged as if she were choking.

"Okay, so you were gonna’ kill Tara to get rid of the Jinn?" Buffy accused. "Two small problems; one, that leaves us with dead Tara, and two, we get the nasty bonus of brokenhearted Willow." She yanked the rag from Tara’s mouth.

"Poor brokenhearted Willow," the Jinn said sarcastically.

"I underestimated her," Giles said quietly. "She is apparently still able to tempt and enchant."

"So she used some genie mojo to make you go wiggy?" Buffy glared at the Jinn. "Okay, we need to get rid of her right now."

"We’re ready," Anya said from the door. She quietly studied the Jinn on the bed.

"Hello, Anyanka." The Jinn smiled. "You’re wasting your time with these humans. You can be so much more." She nodded toward the ropes on her wrists. "I can help you get your powers back."

"Willow and I just finished anointing ourselves." The former demon ignored the Jinn completely. "You two need to have Willow finish you now."

"Anyanka, I can make you strong again." The Jinn tugged at her restraints. She knew that Willow and her friends would have a difficult time exorcising her because they didn’t know her name, but she was still nervous. The Slayer’s close-knit group had defeated worse odds in the past.

"Buffy, you wanna’ go first?" Anya nodded toward the other room. She smiled when the Slayer walked past her. "Giles?"

"Yes, that would be best." Giles hurried out. "Keep an eye on her."

Anya sighed and studied the Jinn. She wasn’t about to talk to her. She had witnessed enough exorcisms to know that talking to the invader was the worst thing someone could do. Anya ignored the Jinn even as she continued offering the former demon her powers.

Buffy, Giles and Willow came back into the room. Giles directed Willow to stand near the foot of the bed, Buffy on Tara’s left, Anya on her right and he took position near the head of the bed. They each held a copy of a translation of an exorcism. The text had originally been in Sanskrit, and it was supposed to be the most effective ritual for expelling a Jinn. They read from the text when Giles signaled them. Each young woman called on the elemental gods and goddesses to make the Jinn leave. Forty minutes into the ritual, the Jinn was still fighting.

"You can’t win," the Jinn taunted in Tara’s voice. She was covered in sweat and her blonde hair was matted to her face.

Willow looked down at her text and read the next section. "Oh Chief of this wilderness, I seek refuge in thee, against the mischief of any of thy wicked subjects." She couldn’t look at Tara; she saw her lover’s face and wanted to run to her side and wipe the sweat from her forehead and kiss away the worry lines on her brow.

"In the name of Sidhhartha, who defeated you before, I ask that you be cast out," Giles said as he poured holy water onto the Jinn. He glanced up from his copy of the text and saw true fear in the Jinn’s eyes. "I ask that thee be cast out, Mara. Leave this body and return the gentle soul who rightfully resides here." He watched as the Jinn’s eyes darkened with the realization that she could be defeated.

"No!" the Jinn yelled. She now realized that Giles knew her true name and was casting her out using the strength of the one creature who had resisted her in the past. She felt her grip on Tara’s body weakening and she turned toward Willow. "Stop this now or your beloved will suffer more than you can possibly imagine, witch!"

"Bring back the gentle soul," Willow said as she read from the text. She tried to ignore the Jinn’s taunts, but the redheaded Wiccan was terrified for her beloved Tara. "Release her from the prison where you hold her." Willow held out the amulet. Her hand was shaking as she continued. "Hear me, Elemental Jinn, we seek not to press you into service, for you are a free being. We cast thee out in the name of right. We ask Sidhartha to return this body to its rightful soul. Be gone, creature of the flame. Be gone, Mara, Jinn of flame and seduction. Return the soul of Tara, love of my heart, match to my soul, and witch who brings the light of goodness."

"Be cast out, reckless Mara," Anya said. She stepped closer and tossed a mixture of dragon’s blood oil and myrrh onto Tara’s chest. "Return this body to its rightful owner." Anya felt odd performing a ritual that in her former life she had feared. An exorcism not only made a demon vacate a body, but it bound the invader from taking revenge on the victim or those who performed the ritual. By siding against the demonic forces, even if it was a Jinn, Anya was burning the bridges to her past. No demon would ever trust her again. "We cast thee out in the name of Simoon, goddess of the wind and sand. Cast out this angry child of fire," Anya said solemnly.

"Leave now," Buffy said. "Be gone, Mara, and bother us no more." The Slayer’s voice was shaking. She wasn’t used to using magic to kick demonic ass and it was nerve wracking. "Return Tara to us where she belongs."

The Jinn’s shook as she fought to remain in Tara’s body. She whipped her head toward Willow and sneered. "I lied," the Jinn said as she struggled to keep her hold on Tara’s body. "I didn’t send your lover to the fires of hell." She smiled cruelly. "I sent her to Nirvana."

Anya gasped and gripped the text in her hand, but she didn’t engage the demon.

"Be gone, Mara. In the name of Simoon, be gone," Giles said as he stepped forward. If the Jinn baited Willow or any of the others into a conversation, the Jinn would regain her hold on Tara’s body.

"Be gone, creature of fire," Willow said firmly. "In the name of Simoon. I humbly ask she who guides the desert wind to cast thee out." Willow shivered as she remembered her mistake the last time she used Simoon’s name. She wouldn’t do that again. She would humble herself before any goddess, drop to her knees and beg, anything to have her Tara back.

"She’ll hate you," the Jinn said as she pinned Willow in her gaze. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she took one last gasp, trying to stay in control. Tara’s body convulsed as the Jinn relented. A red tendril of smoke came out of Tara’s mouth as her body exhaled in a long, drawn out sigh. The red vapor swirled around the room, circling Willow, then, Anya and Buffy. Finally it moved over to Giles and circled him once before shooting into the ceiling and disappearing.

No one moved. Tara’s body was still except for the slow rising of her chest. Willow looked over at Giles and her eyes asked the question she couldn’t voice.

"The amulet?" Giles asked quietly.

Willow looked down at the black stone talisman. There was a crack splitting the image of the windstorm in half. "It’s…broken." She wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

"Get the stone," Giles said to Anya.

The former demon ran to the edge of the sacred circle and grabbed a small clear stone. It was a stone of Thelusa. A smaller version of the Orb of Thelusa, but instead of holding a soul, it merely tested for the presence of a person’s essence. Anya went to Willow and handed it to her.

"Tara?" Willow whispered. She bent over the limp woman on the bed and placed the stone on Tara’s chest and held her breath. The stone would glow to show a soul’s presence. If it glowed white, the soul belonged in the body; any other color and whatever being was present was an invader.

The stone flickered and then began to glow a brilliant white.

"Baby?" Willow asked excitedly. "Tara honey, open your eyes." Relief washed through her but it was tinged with concern. She wanted Tara awake so she could know for certain that her lover was truly recovered. Willow’s hands were shaking as she untied Tara.

"We should get out of here," Buffy said. "I mean… can we move her?" She looked over at Giles.

"Uh, yes, there’s no harm in moving her," he said quietly. "Though I don’t know why she hasn’t awakened yet."

"Well, all those vamps that genie had groveling at her feet are gonna be back soon," Buffy pointed out. "So we should get the hell outa’ here."

"Why isn’t she waking up?" Willow asked as she smoothed the sweat-soaked hair out of Tara’s face. "She should wake up, right?"

"It was a trying ritual," Giles said for Willow’s benefit. The truth was, he had no idea why she wasn’t waking up. "And she’s most likely exhausted from her ordeal." He looked over and saw that Anya wouldn’t look at Willow. The former demon was busying herself cleaning up the supplies. "Anya?" he asked gently.

"We should go," Anya responded without looking up.

"What is it?" Giles walked over to her. She still wouldn’t look at him. "Anya?" He rested one hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head and tears filled her eyes. "What is it?" Giles whispered.

Anya swallowed hard and looked over at Tara’s body. "Nirvana," she said in a strangled whisper.

"The Buddhist ideal, a bit like their heaven," Giles said. He didn’t understand why Anya was upset. "The Jinn said Tara was there."

"That’s a good thing, right?" Buffy asked. She moved to the bed and smoothed Willow’s tussled hair into place. "Way better than Tara being in that flaming sand storm limbo. This is a good thing, right?" She continued to run her hand through Willow’s hair, though whether it was to comfort Willow or herself, Buffy wasn’t sure. "Tara in flaming wind was bad…and her hanging out in heaven is like high on the good scale, right?" She looked over at her Watcher. "Giles?"

"Anya?" Willow asked uncertainly.

"She’s spent days in Nirvana," Anya whispered. She looked down at the floor, not wanting to see Willow’s eyes. "Every hour there would feel like days, days of perfect bliss…" She rubbed her face with one hand. "It makes returning to this world feel like…" She shook her head, unable to continue.

"Makes coming back to her own body feel like hell," Giles said as his heart broke.

"For how long?" Willow asked as tears filled her eyes. "How long will being here feel like hell?"

"Forever," Anya said. She tossed the supplies from her arms onto the floor and ran from the room. As a demon, she had used the same tactic when she had particularly wanted to make someone suffer. If she had a target who was destined for a long and relatively pain free life, she could whisk them off to another dimension that was a true paradise. After a few days there, she would return them to their life on earth. The rest of their days they would suffer on earth, constantly comparing it to the bliss they had known in the other dimension. It was something she only used on victims who had committed horrible wrongs.

Willow stared down at Tara. The beautiful blonde twisted her face to one side and frowned as if she was having a horrible dream. "Don’t make me," Tara mumbled. "Please…no…" Her face contorted as if she was in agony.

"What have I done?" Willow asked as she leaned down and kissed Tara’s forehead. "I’m so sorry, love. Please forgive me."

"Well, can this possibly suck anymore?" Buffy asked as she slumped into a chair in one corner of the room.

"Buffy!" Xander ran into the room. "Spike and that Ceti chick have Dawn!"

"I just had to ask," Buffy said as she shook her head. She jumped to her feet and headed toward the door.

Dawn cringed as Ceti squeezed her arm. She looked up at the redheaded vampire and frowned. She had been hiding at the magic shop and heard Spike arguing with Ceti. Dawn had been upstairs, and had tried not to make a sound, but Ceti had heard the beating of Dawn’s heart. For the most part, Ceti had been gentle, for a vampire. That all changed on the way back to the apartment. Ceti had dropped to her hands and knees and gasped. That had given Dawn a chance to run, but Spike grabbed her.

"Buffy is so gonna’ kill you, Spike." Dawn glared at the bleached blond vampire. She looked over at Ceti. "And you…" She pointed at the vampire. "You’re just a ‘Willow wanna’ be.’ Buffy’s gonna’ kick your ass and then kill you. Twice. I’ll bet she kills you twice." Dawn smirked at the vampire.

"Perhaps she may have," Ceti said calmly. Her demeanor had completely changed after her recent collapse. "But I doubt that now." She yanked Dawn to her side and then looked over at a picket fence and ripped a pointed board loose. She handed it to Dawn and smiled. "Go ahead, Slayer junior." Ceti puffed her chest out toward Dawn. "Give me your best shot."

Spike paused and watched. He wondered if Tara was capable of protecting Ceti even though they were still not even back at the apartment yet.

"You’re gonna’ get all fangy and hit me or something." Dawn backed away from the stake Ceti held out. "Or bite me…"

Ceti rolled her eyes and tossed the stake to Dawn. "Free shot," the vampire said politely. "I promise, I won’t bite you." She closed her eyes and waited.

"Spike won’t let me," Dawn said uncertainly. "He’s all buddy buddy with evil Tara."

"Just stake her, little bit." Spike tossed his arms into the air.

Dawn bit her lip and plunged the stake into Ceti’s chest. She jumped back to avoid the shower of dust but it never came. "I knew it was a trick!" Dawn accused.

"I never said it wasn’t a trick." Ceti calmly yanked the stake from her chest with a smile. "I just said I wouldn’t bite you." She smiled seductively. "Yet."

Dawn swallowed as her fear doubled. She looked over at Spike but he was studying Ceti.

"What is it, William?" Ceti asked.

"You’re her, aren’t you?" Spike stepped closer and took Ceti’s arm and lifted her wrist to his face and pressed his cheek to her hot skin. "They kicked you outa’ Red’s bird and now you’re in here."

"Very good, William." She smiled and twisted her wrist so the veins just under her soft skin were close to his mouth. "That deserves a reward."

Spike bit her arm and drank greedily. The hot fluid filled him with heat and emotion. He moaned as love overwhelmed him and then he paused and looked over at Dawn.

"What?" Ceti ran her hand through Spike’s hair. "Second thoughts?"

No," Spike said. He suckled ravenously from her arm and only stopped when she pulled her hand back. He stared longingly at Ceti’s arm as the wound sealed. "No second thoughts," he said quietly. He looked back at Dawn and shook his head. "I don’t have any choice." He gazed into Ceti’s eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "Guess I’m just a slave to that bitch called love." He grabbed Dawn’s arm and yanked her along beside him as he headed toward the apartment complex.

"Where are they, Xander? Ceti’s with Dawn?" Buffy asked as she ran toward him. "Where are they taking Dawn?" The Slayer was feeling panic close in on her like an avalanche burying her in snow. Her body felt just as cold and she felt like every breath was a struggle.

"Um…well, I kinda’ think they’re bringing her… here." Xander shrugged. "I just saw them from the window. They were at the end of the street. Spike was sucking on Ceti’s arm and then they started dragging Dawn toward me."

"Sucking on her arm?" Giles stepped beside Buffy. "He was feeding off of the other vampire?"

"Yeah, and she was big with the hair petting while he was doing it." Xander snickered. "I think someone else may have claimed the spider-eating-man-bitch crown."

"Sorry to hear you’ve been dethroned," Buffy deadpanned. "I’ll get you a condolence card."

"There’s no reason for him to feed from Ceti," Giles said as he looked back to where Willow was fussing over Tara’s unconscious body.

"Unless…" Buffy’s eyes widened. "Giles, can a Jinn inhabit a vampire?"

"You betcha’," Anya volunteered. "Remember, I told you they’re like the scourge of the demon world. They have no honor. They even attack other demons." She snapped her finger as she remembered something else. "And there’s no pesky soul to displace with a vampire. She could take over in a split second."

"So why are they coming here?" Buffy asked as she looked for weapons.

"I would guess that the Jinn wishes to finish what she started." Giles cleared his throat and looked back at Willow.

"You said that genie Jinn thing would have to leave us all alone now!" Buffy yelled at Giles. "You said… that we… Giles… your books said we were safe now!"

"The books are not always correct," Giles said quietly.

"Anya, what’s the scoop?" Xander smiled at his lover. "Cuz my thousand year old girlfriend has the inside scoop on everything."

"Mara could be a rouge Jinn," Anya said casually. "But if the elemental elders found out that she was breaking the code, she’d be in deep trouble."

"You said these Jinn guys had no honor." Buffy looked truly confused. "So why would these L and M elders care?"

"Elemental elders," Giles corrected gently.

"The Jinni may be trouble-making low lifes, but they do have some rules." Anya picked up some of the herbs on the floor next to her. "The elemental elders made a deal with the oldest Jinns, the ones from the first generation. They’re older than mankind. Heck, they were around before the monkeys, way before the Powers That Be decided to play with that whole evolution thing." She shivered. "Ew, we’re just big bald monkeys. Did you know that?" She looked over at Giles. "Except for the opposing thumb." She smiled as she wiggled her fingers. "It’s very useful."

"Yes, I believe I may have heard something about the theory of evolution, Anya." Giles rolled his eyes. "How can we use the elemental elders against Mara?"

"Well, all we could do before was exorcise the Jinn," Anya pointed out. "Now that Tara’s essence is out of that charm, an elemental guardian could help us stick her back in there."

"Why do we want Tara back in there?" Xander looked over at the unconscious blonde witch. "I thought that was bad."

"Not her, Xander." Anya rolled her eyes. "The Jinn."

"Whatever you’re gonna’ do, hurry up!" Buffy yelled as she peeked through the door. "Wait here," she added as she ran out of the room.

"Willow?" Giles turned toward the redheaded witch. "Can you call the elementals?"

"That’s way outa’ my league," Willow admitted. "I mean, I’m good with the powerful and flashy stuff, but calling elementals is a real Wicca thing. It’s… well, I don’t have any experience with that and… you need to be grounded and focused and in harmony and well, I’m not really feeling like ‘harmony-girl’ right now… the feeling…not the vampire…"

"Can you do it or not?" Giles asked impatiently.

"I just told you…" Willow waved her hands in the air. "That’s what I’ve been telling you. We need… grounded…focused… in harmony… big Wicca thing… not gonna’ happen. I’m ungrounded girl… and focus? Forget about it…and as far as harmony with nature—"

"Willow!" Giles furrowed his brow in confusion. He just wanted a simple answer.

"She can’t do it," Anya translated. "Willow’s been toying with nature. I’m guessing she isn’t on the elemental’s top ten list of favorite witches right now." She shook her head. "In fact, I’d bet they’re pretty darned pissed off at her."

"Willow?" Tara mumbled. "Willow?" she asked again. Her voice was quiet and uncertain.

"Honey?" Willow caressed her lover’s face, willing Tara to open her eyes. "Baby?" She remembered waiting for Tara to open her eyes once before, after Willow had returned her lover’s mind from Glory. The hellgod had literally sucked out Tara’s sanity and left the blonde dazed and confused.

Tara’s eyes flickered open and she smiled. "Oh, darling." She pulled Willow down to her and hugged the redhead. "I missed you so much," Tara whispered.

"You’re back," Willow said in a strangled whisper.

"You found me again," Tara said tenderly. "Just like you promised."

Willow nodded and pulled back so she could look at Tara. "I said I’d always find you." She lifted Tara’s hand to her lips and kissed the blonde’s knuckles. "And I will."

"Welcome back," Anya said as she moved next to Tara and crossed her arms over her chest. "Now, can we get back to stopping the evil Jinn?"

"Huh?" Tara looked over at Willow. "Is that how I got sent to… that other place?"

"Yeah," Willow said emotionally. Her guilt returned tenfold. "A Jinn was punishing me for using dark magic. She possessed your body and sent your soul away."

"How long?" Tara sat up but had to squeeze Willow’s arms to steady herself.

"A few days," Giles said as he hurried over. "Buffy needs our help. The Jinn is apparently on her way here now."

Willow squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. She opened them when she felt a warm and familiar hand on her chin.

"It’s not your fault," Tara said as she lifted Willow’s face so she could look into her lover’s emerald eyes.

"How did you know I was feeling guilty?" Willow smirked and her eyes sparkled.

"Magic," Tara said coyly.

"I missed you so much." Willow fell forward and hugged Tara again.

"Hey, make Tara call the elementals!" Anya smiled brightly. "She’s like little Miss ‘harmony with nature’ and she never breaks the Wicca rules. She could summon us up a whole batch of elemental elders."

"The elementals?" Tara’s eyes widened as she pulled away from Willow. "Why would you need to call them?"

"I didn’t do anything!" Willow said quickly. "I swear. I learned my lesson. No more dark magic for me." She backed to the edge of the bed and her eyes opened like saucers. She looked like a rabbit ready to bolt.

"Honey, I just wanted to know which elementals we needed to contact." Tara grabbed Willow’s hand and pulled her closer. "Don’t leave just yet," she whispered. Her lips trembled as she gripped her lover’s hand. "I missed you," she added in a tiny voice.

Willow’s lips pressed into a worried line and she gave Tara a weak smile.

"Can you summon the elementals?" Giles asked.

"Sure." Tara sat up and swung her feet off of the bed. "I just have to…" Her voice trailed off and she covered her mouth with one hand. Her face went pale and she looked around the room. She saw a wastebasket and ran for it and lost the contents of her stomach.

"Baby?" Willow stood behind her lover and rested one hand on Tara’s back. She was more than concerned. She had expected Tara to be disoriented or upset after her ordeal but that had not happened. Now that Tara was vomiting, Willow’s concerned doubled. "Tara, are you okay?" Willow asked gently.

Giles rushed forward as well but he froze in place when Tara lifted her head. Her face was pale and black-red blood trickled from the edges of her mouth.

"What…" Tara looked at the blood splashed in the wastebasket and then her eyes widened. "Willow?" She looked to her lover for an answer.

"Guys, we’ve got company!" Buffy yelled from the other room. She had been at the window looking down at the street and she saw Ceti, Spike and Dawn enter the building. "Oh… my… Tara?" Buffy looked at Giles. "Is she okay?"

"I don’t think it’s her blood," Giles said grimly.

"Then whose is it?" Tara demanded. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

"Humans can’t tolerate drinking blood," Anya pointed out. "It’s not good for their digestion." She waved her hand at Tara. "See? It just comes right back up."

"Willow, is she saying that I drank blood?" Tara’s voice was strained. She shivered as another wave of nausea washed over her. She gripped the side of the wastebasket. "No," she whispered. She shook her head vehemently. "No, please no." The thought of drinking human blood made Tara’s heart ache. She wondered whose blood she had consumed and whether or not the victim had survived.

"It wasn’t you, baby." Willow rubbed Tara’s back. "It wasn’t you." She leaned down and pressed her lips to Tara’s neck.

"Tara, how do you feel?" Giles cleared his throat. "We really need to start that summoning spell."

Willow’s green eyes flashed dangerously as she glared at the older man.

"She’s coming back," Giles pointed out. "And she has Dawn."

"Dawnie?" Tara spun, using Willow’s arm to steady herself. "Who has Dawnie?"

"The Jinn," Willow said. "The genie who… who possessed your body."

"They can really do that?" Tara’s brow crinkled.

"Yeah," Willow said with a smirk. She loved the quirky expressions Tara got at the most inopportune moments. "They can do that." She ran her hand over Tara’s bangs and smoothed them out of her eyes.

"So can you call the elemental big wigs?" Xander looked toward the other room and clenched his fists unconsciously. He knew there would be a fight and he wanted the magical Jinn out of the battle.

"Um, yeah." Tara shrugged. "I’ll need some herbs… comfrey for safe mystic traveling and I could really use some Dittany of Crete for astral projection…" She bit her lip, knowing how unlikely it was for her friends to have the rare herb. "But I could substitute honeysuckle for physic power and dragon’s blood to make it stronger."

"We have the comfrey and the dragon’s blood, but no honeysuckle." Anya frowned as she looked down at the supplies that were left over from the exorcism. Most of the herbs were specifically chosen for their ability to expel spirits. Anya tried to remember the other uses for the herbs but she wasn’t sure which ones might help Tara astrally project so she could call the elemental elders.

"Oh! What about horehound?" Willow asked. "It helps with mental powers."

"Yeah…" Tara frowned. "But I still need something else to help me project."

"Lotus!" Anya grabbed a nearby bag. "We brought it in case we needed it to represent Sidhartha…but it works as a lock opener…right? Opens gateways to other realms?"

"That should work." Willow grabbed the rare dried flower. "Right?" She looked back at Tara and smiled. "With the dragon’s blood to strengthen the effects you can use this to open the path so you can project…right?"

Tara bit the side of her lip and shrugged. "Maybe…" She heard a scuffle in the other room. "I mean… yes. It’ll work."

"I’ll help Buffy." Giles headed toward the other room. "Do your best," he added halfheartedly as he left. He didn’t have high hopes for the spell working with Tara and Willow ad-libbing ingredients to a complex incantation.

"Way to inspire confidence, Giles," Willow mumbled under her breath.

"Can you do it?" Anya asked. She collected the herbs from around the room, carefully picking through the dried and fresh herbs until she had everything that Tara had mentioned.

"I think so." Tara stood and moved over to one side of the room. "We need a sacred circle." She pointed to an area and then sat on the floor cross-legged. "Sprinkle the herbs around me and seal the circle." She looked over at Willow and reached for her. "I need you." She smiled shyly.

The redhead’s entire face lit up and she jogged over to Tara and stood in front of her. "Where do you want me?" she asked with a demure smile.

"Here in front of me." Tara took Willow’s hand and pulled her down so they were facing each other. She waited as Willow got comfortable in a mirror of her own pose. "I need you to be my anchor." Tara’s eyes shined with pride. "I know you’re strong enough."

"I don’t know… I mean, what if I… what if something happens and I let you go and you get lost and I mean I just found you and I was so scared and.—"

"You won’t let go." Tara squeezed Willow’s hands. "I trust you, darling."

"How can you?" Tears filled Willow’s eyes. "If I had just listened to you that Jinn never would have hurt you…"

"No." Tara shook her head. She wouldn’t allow Willow to feel guilty. "You saved me. Now, let’s do this." The blonde was feeling weak, and she was afraid she might be sick again soon. Just the thought of drinking blood made her feel like vomiting again, but she had to do the ritual first.

"Okay." Willow nodded and tried to focus. It was difficult because she could hear the sounds of a fight in the next room. The redhead looked over her shoulder when she heard Buffy call out Giles’ name. The Slayer sounded scared and that made Willow very nervous.

"You need to focus, darling," Tara whispered as she gave Willow’s hands a gentle squeeze. She smiled when her lover turned back to her and nodded.

"I’ve got your back," Anya whispered gravely. She picked up a baseball bat and faced the door.

Tara smirked and then looked down at the herbs burning in a small iron caldron. She inhaled deeply and let the scent pull her out of her current surroundings. She watched as the smoke drifted in a lazy swirl toward the ceiling and she imagined her spirit rising with it. Her body felt heavy as she imagined her soul rising high above the sacred circle. Only Willow’s loving hands held Tara’s soul to her body. Their intertwined fingers radiated love and trust and Tara knew that Willow would never let her go.

For her part, Willow focused on the feel of her hands on Tara’s skin. She could feel the energy pulsing through her lover’s fingers and she watched as the blonde’s body went stiff. Willow knew that meant Tara’s spirit was breaking free of her body. It was vital that Willow keep Tara’s soul anchored, especially since Tara had just returned to her own body. Astral traveling was not normally dangerous, but to go to the level Tara was attempting meant taking the soul out of the body. If Willow didn’t keep Tara’s body grounded, there would be no lifeforce and Tara’s body would die. Willow would not let that happen. She hoped Buffy could keep the Jinn occupied while Tara was gone because as long as Willow was anchoring Tara’s body, the redhead couldn’t move out of the sacred circle and she couldn’t break physical contact with Tara. To do either would mean Tara’s soul would be cast loose into the astral plane and the chances of her finding her way back were remote.

Buffy had her hands full with the vampires who served the Jinn. They had finished feeding and were coming back to the apartment en mass.

"Giles!" Buffy pointed at the door as three vampires came into the apartment. The vampires saw Buffy struggling with another vampire and charged at her. Giles was already fighting with two other vampires and couldn’t get loose.

"Need a hand, G-man?" Xander asked as he dusted a vampire. He hurried over and staked one of the vampires reaching for Giles’ arm.

"Um, he has two vamps," Buffy pointed out. She back flipped over two of the vampires she was brawling with and staked one in the back. "I’ve got five…" She looked at the dust drifting to the floor. "Well, four, but still…"

"And you’ve got nifty Slayer powers." Xander cringed when the vampire next to him kicked Giles in the stomach. "We’re just lowly Slayer helpers."

"Lowly?" Giles asked indignantly. He staked the vampire and then used his hand and brushed the sweat from his brow.

"A little help here?" Buffy dusted another vampire but one of the others caught her with a brutal left hook. "Ouch!" She narrowed her eyes and began kicking in a blur of motion. Giles and Xander leaned against a nearby wall and watched her stake all of the remaining vampires in a few brief moments.

"Nice," Xander said, drawing out the word as he gave an appreciative nod.

"Excellent technique," Giles complimented. "Though you did drop your left shoulder before you threw that last punch. It does telegraph your intent rather obviously."

"You know…" Buffy wiped the vampire dust from her arm and stalked over toward Giles. "You don’t have to take the name ‘Watcher’ quite so literally." She waved her hand at Giles’ relaxed position. "I coulda’ used a little help over there."

"It was only five vamps," Xander whined.

"And you are the Slayer," Giles whined. "The chosen one."

"Xander, you taught my Watcher to whine." She glared at her high school friend. "I’m telling Willow."

"Big whup." Xander smiled charmingly. "As long as I don’t make Tara whine, I’m good with Will."

"I most certainly do not whine." Giles sighed dramatically.

"Fine, I’ll tell Anya." Buffy ignored Giles completely.

"Hey, now wait just a vamp staking minute…" Xander pushed off of the wall and grabbed Buffy’s arm. "Do we have to involve my beautiful exdemon?"

"See how she likes working with the whining Watcher." Buffy smirked triumphantly.

"Buffy," Xander whined.

"I do not whine," Giles interjected.

"Anya’s gonna’ kill me," Xander whined. "She’s got Giles all trained the way she likes him."

"Excuse me?" Giles crossed his arms over his chest. "I am not trained."

"Yeah, well you ruined him," Buffy told Xander. "He’s all whiney now. You explain it to Anya."

"I am in the room," Giles whined.

"See?" Buffy raised one eyebrow at Xander and pointed at Giles. "That was a world-class Xander Whine… though it had a British accent tossed in."

"I do not whine," Giles insisted.

The front door slammed open and Ceti stepped into the room. She smiled at Buffy and licked her lips.

"Slayer, how nice to see you again." Ceti looked toward the back bedroom. "Let’s get this over with so I can go deal with the witch." Two more vampires stepped behind Ceti and growled.

"How many bloody vampires does she have?" Giles whined.

"No whining," Xander whispered harshly.

"I’m not—" Giles began.

"Not now," Buffy whispered. "Fight vamps now, fight each other later."

"Buffy!" Dawn said as Spike dragged the young girl into the room. Spike pulled Dawn against his chest and wrapped his arm around her throat.

"Let her go." Buffy took a few menacing steps forward. "Spike, you are so dead."

"Been dead for some time now, love," Spike pointed out. He ran his free hand down Dawn’s cheek and smiled at Ceti. "Thanks to her I feel alive again."

"I hope you enjoyed it." Buffy moved toward him, carefully skirting the edge of the room. "Cuz unless you let her go, it’s the last thing you’ll feel before I stake you."

"Fair ‘nuff." Spike dipped his head toward the Slayer.

"You can’t make him betray me," Ceti said calmly. "He’s in love with me."

"There’s a lot of that going around." Buffy rolled her eyes. "One small problem, genie-girl, Spike doesn’t know how to love. Better watch out or he’ll show up with a robot copy of you."

"Bloody hell." Spike spun Dawn around so she was facing him. "Sorry niblet, but having you tag along is getting old." He bared his fangs and bit Dawn’s throat.

"Dawn!" Buffy ran forward but the Jinn blocked her path.

"Spike, don’t kill her, you idiot," the Jinn yelled as she struggled with Buffy.

Giles and Xander both fought to reach Dawn but the other vampires held them at bay.

"Spike, you bastard, I’m gonna’ kill you," Buffy screamed. She punched Ceti but each blow landed without any effect on the Jinn possessed vampire. "Dawn!"

Spike murmured in Dawn’s ear and then continued to feed. The young girl went limp in his arms and he tossed aside her body behind the couch. "Well, now, seems she does have Slayer’s blood in her," Spike said. He let out a satisfied burp and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Tasty."

"You idiot!" The Jinn tossed Buffy aside and faced Spike. "She was leverage."

"Screw leverage," Spike said as he moved away from the couch and walked toward the Jinn in Ceti’s body. "You’ve got more mojo than the Slayer. We don’t need her lil’ sis." He smirked and then licked his lips. "Besides, all those nights she bugged me and I couldn’t do jack about it…" He snarled. "I just did."

Buffy pulled a stake out of her jacket and stabbed Ceti in the chest. The stake burst into the flames and the Jinn laughed at Buffy’s shocked expression.

"Dear lord," Giles said in a strangled squeak.

"No fair!" Xander staked one of the vampires holding him and it disappeared in a cloud of dust. "Well, at least some of them still go poof." He moved to the couch and saw that Dawn hadn’t moved. She was pale and her eyes were closed. "No," he whispered. He ran the final few steps and ducked down behind the couch to check for a pulse.

"Xander?" Buffy yelled. She needed to know if her sister was still alive.

"Too late," Spike taunted.

Xander stood and glared at Spike. "He killed her." His brown eyes narrowed and he jumped over the couch and sprinted toward Spike.

"Wanna’ be next?" Spike backhanded Xander before the young man had a chance to block the strike. "This is just too easy," Spike said with a smirk.

Buffy swallowed hard and looked over at Giles. His eyes shined with unshed tears and he gripped a stake in each hand. "Kill them all," Buffy ordered.

"Gladly." Giles’ eyes were cold and he looked like Ripper. He grabbed a nearby vampire and staked it from behind and tossed aside the body even as it turned to ash.

Tara felt like she was flying. She floated through the astral plane and colors streaked by in a blur. She slowed when she saw a brilliant white light behind her. It was so beautiful that she had to stop to admire it. She smiled when she realized what, or rather, who it was.

"Willow," Tara whispered. She extended her hand toward the light and a tiny beam of the color shot out and wrapped around her wrist. She could feel Willow’s love, feel her devotion, and the light seemed to ooze with Willowness. Tara giggled as the familiar scent of her lover filled her senses.

"Did you come to play or did you have a purpose?" a melodic voice asked.

Tara spun around but she didn’t see anyone with her. "Hello?" she asked quietly. She turned around and took in the view. Tiny specks of light were shooting past on all sides. It was like being in the center of fireworks show, only each color was more brilliant and there were thousands of different shades.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?" the voice asked. The soothing voice surrounded Tara, and the deep tones felt like each word permeated the witch’s soul.

"Who are you?" Tara asked.

"Who did you come for?" the voice asked. The tones changed slightly as the stranger spoke. The vocal inflections shifted so that sometimes the speaker sounded female, and sometimes male.

"Are you an elder?" Tara asked.

"So many questions," the speaker replied. "Who do you think I am?"

Tara turned and faced the oncoming sparkles of light. She inhaled deeply and focused her own energy. A sense of well being flooded her and she smiled. "Water," Tara whispered. "You rule water."

"You’re more adept than I thought," the voice replied. The colors around Tara shifted and all of the hues shifted to shades of blue. "These are the souls who align with me," the voice said. "They listen to their souls and their hearts, and emotion rules their lives." The speaker appeared beside Tara.

"Goddess," Tara whispered. She was stunned by the woman standing beside her. The elder looked like a young woman about Tara’s age. She was pale, with creamy skin and eyes the color of ice and white blonde hair peeked out of the golden cloak she wore.

"Not a goddess," the elder said with a smile. "What is it you want, Tara?" The elder held out her hand and one of the streaks of blue light swung over and she held it like a pulsing rope. "You are strong," she said as she ran her fingers over the strand of light.

"Is that me?" Tara moved closer and studied the powerful cord of energy the elder held.

"This is your akashic record," the elder said with a smile. "It’s the record of all that you are, all you have been and all you will ever be."

"It’s… shiny," Tara said as she bit her lip. She wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to say. Seeing her own energy cord for every life she had ever lived or would live was rather awe inspiring.

"I suppose it is." The elder smiled. She squeezed the cord and it pulsed brighter. "Such an old soul," she said almost to herself. She nodded toward the river of souls and all of the other colors reappeared.

"Willow…" Tara stepped closer and reached for a white cord of light that was braided with her own. "She’s always with me." Tara smiled and she tentatively touched the white strand. Her body stiffened as she felt a surge of Willow’s energy.

"You balance each other," the elder said with a nod. "She is the essence of fire; passion, determination, purification and the drive to succeed."

"That’s my honey, all right," Tara whispered. She shivered when she thought about how far Willow had been pushing her magic. It was her drive to be the best, to be the strongest, that made Willow so inclined to use dark magic.

"You are my child, Tara," the elder said as she stroked the blue energy cord.

"Huh?" Tara’s eyes opened wide like a frightened owl.

"You are of the water," the elder clarified. She smiled and shook her head. "You are the best of water; emotion, love, truth, sensuality, compassion… and calm. The beginning and the end."

"Wow, that’s a whole lot of me to be." Tara crinkled her brow.

"What brings you here?" The elder released the cords and watched them drift away and join the other lights streaking past.

"A Jinn," Tara said. "I need your help." She bit her lip. "If you wouldn’t mind, that is," she added shyly.

"What help can I offer?" The elder walked along the sparkling path and Tara followed.

"The Jinn, she kinda’ well, possessed me…" Tara cringed. "And well, Willow got me back…"

"Then there should be no problem." The elder stopped and looked at Tara. Even on the astral plane her bangs fell onto her face and hid her eyes. "What is it?" She pushed Tara’s hair out of the way so she could see the blonde’s beautiful eyes.

"She’s coming back for revenge," Tara explained. "And we don’t know how to stop her."

"She was exorcised," the elder said slowly. "She can’t harm you."

"I think someone forgot to tell her that." Tara crossed her arms over her chest. "Because she’s coming back and she’s in a really bad mood." She sighed. "It took all of Willow’s power to do the exorcism, and we don’t know what to try now."

"There’s nothing you can do," the elder said calmly. "You cannot fight a Jinn and live."

"But…" Tara’s eyes filled with fear. "No… Willow has to be safe! There has to be something I can do." Her lips trembled. "Please…"

"You can do nothing," the elder said gently.

Tara fell to her knees and covered her face with both hands. She inhaled sharply as tears stung her eyes. "No," she said angrily. "You’re wrong." She jumped to her feet and narrowed her eyes. "I will save Willow. No matter what the cost." The elder had said that Tara couldn’t fight a Jinn and live. Tara knew enough about the elders to know that you had to take their words literally. The elder didn’t say she couldn’t defeat the Jinn, only that she couldn’t fight the Jinn and live. Tara would willingly give her life to save Willow. She just hoped giving her life was enough to keep Willow and the others safe.

PART SEVEN

"Kill every one of them," Buffy said as tears ran down her cheeks. She let out a pain ravaged howl and then threw a stake at one of the vampires. The tall vampire disappeared in a puff of dust even as Buffy’s primal scream echoed from the walls.

"That was very unwise, William," the Jinn told Spike. She backed away from the Slayer and watched as Buffy ripped the remaining vampires to shreds. Giles was in a frenzy as well. He had a broadsword and was hacking through any vampire he could reach.

"I think it’s time to go," Spike said as he sprinted out the front door.

"Not so fast!" Xander grabbed Spike and the two tumbled into the hallway.

"This isn’t supposed to happen this way!" the Jinn yelled. She sent a blast of fire out the end of her hand at Giles but the Watcher ducked and two of the Jinn’s favorite vampires went up in flames. "No!" she yelled.

Giles continued slashing through the mob of vampires. He showed no sign of mercy as he cut one vampire down after another.

"I’ve had it with you," Buffy yelled. She hit the Jinn with a chair and then leaped onto her back when she hit the floor. "First my friends, and now my sister!" She slammed the Jinn’s face into the carpet.

"Off," the Jinn said in a growl. Buffy was tossed across the room by an unseen blast of psychic energy. She stood and faced Buffy. "I was strong when I had the witch’s body but now…" Her face morhped and her fangs glistened. "Now, I can kill you the way you were meant to die." She snarled and ran toward Buffy.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Buffy blocked the attack and sent the vampire-turned-Jinn flying. "I kill vampires every day… well, every night, but I kill them lots."

"Yes, but every Slayer eventually loses to a vampire," the Jinn pointed out. She held both hands toward Buffy and her fingers glowed. "This time a vampire will burn you to a cinder."

"Not tonight," Spike said from the door. He was holding a firehose and pointing it at the Jinn. "Now, monkey-boy," he said over his shoulder. The hose shot a spray of water across the room and knocked the Jinn to the floor.

"William? What are you doing?" The Jinn tried to shoot a flash of flame at him but her energy was dissipated by the water.

"What’s the matter?" Buffy taunted as she went behind the couch and pulled Dawn to her feet. "Did your little plan go to hell?"

Dawn rubbed her neck and winced. "Did you have to bite me that hard?" she asked Spike.

"Your big sis wanted convincing," Spike said as he continued to spray the Jinn with water.

"This cannot be!" the Jinn yelled. She managed to climb to her feet even as the jet of water pounded her into the wall. "He loves me. I felt it." She pointed at Spike. Her eyes burned with rage as she realized that he had betrayed her. "I felt the love in your heart."

"You felt love all right," Spike said coldly. "Problem is… the love was there before I ever drank your blood. You just awakened it full force. No matter how much I enjoyed being the Big Bad again, damn Slayer just kept worming her way into my heart."

"You?" The Jinn looked over at Buffy.

"Ain’t love a bitch?" Buffy asked the Jinn. She turned to Spike. "But if you spark up that Buffy-bot again, I’m still gonna’ stake you."

Giles beheaded the last of the vampires and then grabbed a cotton rope from a bag on the floor and tossed it around the Jinn.

"Let me go!" The Jinn was shaking with rage. "Spike, I gave you my lifeforce. I set your blood on fire."

"Fire for her." Spike nodded at Buffy. "No matter how good your blood felt, you only made me burn for her even more." He shook his head. "I was already in love… your blood just deepened that emotion."

"And on the Ew scale that ranks pretty darn high," Dawn commented. "He was already well into the stalker scale of lovesick puppies."

"Kept you alive, niblet," Spike replied.

"Hey, one soaking wet genie…cool." Xander smiled as he came into the room. "Now what?"

"It’s up to Tara," Giles said calmly. He held the rope around the Jinn as he glanced toward the other room.

"You can’t hold me like this for long," the Jinn said as she pulled at the ropes. "This isn’t like the last time." She struggled and backed away from Giles. "You didn’t bind all of my limbs."

"Yeah but I’m thinking this shower is a nice little equalizer." Xander patted Spike on the shoulder. Spike gave him a questioning glance and Xander realized that he was practically bonding with the platinum haired vampire. He jumped back and shivered.

"Anya?" Buffy called out.

"Is that nasty bug herder gone?" Anya asked. She peeked out of the room and frowned when she saw Giles being dragged across the room by the Jinn in Ceti’s body. "You have to bind her feet too," Anya whined.

The Jinn kicked at Buffy and a ball of flame flew at the Slayer’s head.

"Hey!" Buffy ducked, but not before one side of her hair was scorched. "Ack!" She put both hands on her hips. "Turn the water up."

Spike smiled as he moved the jet of water higher and hit the Jinn in the face.

"Has Tara begun the ritual?" Giles asked.

"She’s gone," Anya said as she eyed the soaked Jinn. Ceti was coughing and spitting out water but Anya still didn’t feel safe. "Willow’s anchoring her, but Tara looks weak."

"Is she okay?" Buffy asked.

"Well, all that blood made her sicker than a dog," Anya pointed out. "And being yanked back to this world after hanging out in Nirvana has to ruin your day."

Giles glanced toward the other room. He knew they didn’t have much time before the Jinn would get loose and if Tara wasn’t finished before then, they could all be killed by the enraged Jinn.

"I’ll challenge her," Tara whispered. She took a deep breath and slowly released it. "I’ll fight the Jinn… here on the astral plane."

The elder looked at Tara and smirked.

"I can trap her here…" Tara’s brows knitted together. "Can’t I?"

"I told you, you can’t fight a Jinn and live," the elder said gently.

"But can I fight the Jinn and die. I can defeat the Jinn if I sacrifice myself?" Tara looked into the elder’s pale eyes. Her voice was steady and her eyes never shifted. There was nothing the young blonde witch wouldn’t do to keep Willow safe.

"You pick my words apart like a squirrel shredding a nut." The elder smiled and took Tara’s hand. She led the young witch down the path toward the place where the flashes of light converged. "You dissected the wrong part of the sentence," she added with a smirk.

Tara furrowed her brow as she tired to understand.

"You can’t fight the Jinn and live," the elder said slowly.

"I can’t," Tara said as she watched a smile cover the elder’s face. "But you can."

A nod was her only reply.

"So you don’t want me to… sacrifice myself?" Tara asked timidly.

"Why is your answer always death?" The elder shook her head. "Your friend gave her life to stop Glorificus, but that was the only option. Your mate would gladly give her life to save you."

"I-is that so bad?" Tara watched the brilliant lights flashing by around her.

"You two have a more important destiny." The Elder reached out and picked up two intertwined cords. The blue and white strands of energy pulsed in her hand. "Death is the simple answer. Life is the greater challenge."

"I don’t understand," Tara said after a moment. She stared at the cords in the elder’s hands and smiled. Willow’s energy mixed with hers and created a beautiful new shade. She glanced at the cords shooting by behind her. Some of the others were intertwined but none of them changed color. Every other set of intertwined cords kept their original colors intact.

"You don’t have to understand," the elder said. She cleared her throat and waited for Tara to face her. "You just have to embrace life, fight for it at all cost." She held out the cords.

"This is us," Tara said reverently. She took the set of strands and felt overwhelmed by dozens of emotions. Love, joy, happiness, and desire coursed through her body, but there were other emotions as well. Sadness underscored some of the energy pulses. She looked up at the elder and frowned.

"You’re feeling the loss," the elder said. "You’ve found each other in every life, but that means losing each other at the end of each cycle."

"It hurts." Tara squeezed the cords and tears ran down her cheeks. She felt a surge of power and smiled. That emotion was clear. It was definitely desire. "Are we always lovers?" Tara knew that the myth of reincarnation suggested that people could come back in different roles. Her mother might have been her child in a past life. She had never heard of two people repeating the same roles every time.

"When a match is perfection, why alter it?" The elder didn’t volunteer that only a select few were blessed with what Tara and Willow shared, only a select few with a greater destiny.

Tara smiled as she studied the cords in her hand. She traced her finger along the white strand that was Willow. She felt a wave of love and protection for the woman the cord represented. She crinkled her brow when she saw that there was a tiny loop in their cords.

"What is that?" she asked.

"Nothing that should concern you yet." The elder smiled warmly. "You worry too much."

"I have to get back to her." Tara was hesitant to leave. She felt calm and serene in this place, as if she belonged there. "She’s anchoring me and I’ve been here so long already."

"Time passes differently here." The elder nodded. "But yes, you should get back to your beloved."

"Will you fight the Jinn?" Tara continued cradling Willow’s life cord. The energy drew her like a magnet. She couldn’t stop touching it.

"Not directly." The elder took Willow’s cord from Tara, knowing that the pull of her soulmate’s lifeforce would be difficult to resist.

"How?" Tara felt a suffocating sense of loss when the elder took Willow’s cord. "How will we fight the Jinn?"

"You must take the life of the creature she inhabits as you bind her with the talisman." The elder watched as Willow and Tara’s cords drifted off and joined the thousands of other strands in the brilliant flashes of light that surrounded them.

"We can’t kill her while the Jinn is in her body," Tara pointed out.

"Have faith." The elder took Tara’s hand and kissed her knuckles. "You’re stronger than you know." With that, the elder disappeared in a blinding flash of light. The intensity of the flash hit Tara like a kick to the chest and she felt a surge of power shoot through her. She gasped as the energy burned its way through her astral body. The pain was excruciating and Tara clutched her chest and screamed.

"Willow!" Tara sobbed as her body pitched forward. She was back in the room with the redhead and the only parts of Tara’s body that didn’t ache were her hands where Willow touched her.

"Tara?" Willow moved closer to her lover. Only a few minutes had passed but Tara was covered in sweat. "Honey? Are you okay?"

Tara nodded and took in gulps of air. The oxygen entering her lungs burned. After being on the astral plane, coming back to her body was like being reborn, and just like a newborn child taking its first breaths, Tara had to get used to the air. She leaned forward and rested her forehead on Willow’s shoulder, her fingers squeezing her lover’s hands tightly.

"I’ve got you," Willow whispered. "Shh," she murmured and then kissed the side of Tara’s face. "I’m here, love."

Tara nodded, still unable to speak. She inhaled the scent of Willow and her body slowly began to relax. This woman was her home. No matter how perfect any other realm was, Willow would always be her safe harbor.

"Are the elders gonna’ help?" Anya asked from the doorway. "We’ve got the Jinn tied up but that won’t hold for long."

"The talisman," Tara said in a shaking voice. She closed her eyes and tried to absorb the love and strength that Willow’s body offered.

"It was broken." Willow tried to pull back so she could look into her lover’s eyes but Tara leaned closer, not wanting to lose contact. "I’m here," Willow assured her. She pried her hands loose and wrapped her arms around Tara. "I’m not going anywhere." She shifted her weight so that she had her legs stretched out in front of her and then pulled Tara into lap.

"Willow," Tara said with a sigh. It was closer to a whimper than a whisper but her voice was so full of emotion that it made Willow’s heart flutter. The blonde witch climbed onto Willow and snuggled on top of her. It was awkward; Willow was more petite than Tara, and siting on the floor was not the most comfortable position for snuggling.

"The crack is gone." Anya had crossed the room and retrieved the talisman. She held it in her hand as far from her body as possible, as if just touching it put her in mortal danger. "Whatever she did on the astral plane fixed this thing." She dangled the necklace by the leather strap and walked back over to Tara and Willow. "Now what?"

"We put the Jinn back inside," Tara said into Willow’s hair. Her face was buried beneath the red-gold tresses and she didn’t ever want to move. Unfortunately, she knew she had to. "I have to put the necklace onto Ceti."

"Um… no," Willow said as she eased Tara onto the floor beside her. "Ceti… a big nasty vampire… a vampire now possessed by an evil Jinn… a Jinn that possessed your body up until about an hour ago." Willow took Tara’s chin and lifted her face so she could meet her blue eyes. "Any of this sound familiar?" She frowned and shook her head. "You are not facing the Jinn. No. I’m putting my foot down… well, if I were standing up I would be putting my foot down but since I’m already sitting my feet are down but I’m metaphorically putting my metaphorical foot down. Boom. Did you hear that? That was my foot coming down." Willow had her determined look firmly in place.

Tara lifted one side of her mouth into a crooked grin. She loved listening to Willow babble.

"No," Willow repeated. "Don’t give me that Tara-smile. I’m serious. You are not going anywhere near that genie-vampire-skank. If anyone is gonna’ face her, it’s me. This is all my fault and you’ve been in enough danger already." She moved her hand up and caressed Tara’s cheek. "I would die to keep you safe," she whispered as her throat tightened.

"Death is the simple answer. Life is the greater challenge," Tara said, echoing what the elder had told her.

"Finally someone grows a brain." Anya raised her hands in the air. "I keep pointing out that self-sacrifice is just plain stupid…but does anyone listen to me?" Anya rolled her eyes. "No," she answered her own question. "I’m just the eleven hundred year old exdemon. What I could I have possibly learned while living more years than all of you combined? You’d all rather go charging to your deaths than listen to a single word I say."

"No one is gonna’ die," Tara said firmly. She climbed to her feet and offered her hand to Willow. "I will face the Jinn and we will all be safe." She pulled Willow up and wrapped an arm around her. "I hope," she mumbled under her breath.

"Hope?" Willow spun her head around and glared at Tara. "What do you mean…hope? I thought you had some great plan…"

"I do," Tara assured her. She bit her lip. "I’m just a little nervous."

"I’ll do it," Willow decreed. "I got us into this and I will get us out."

"We’re in this together," Tara corrected. "You brought me back… you found me." She kissed Willow and then pulled back and reached over and took the talisman from Anya. "I have to be the one to do this. The elder told me to do it."

"Well…" Willow let out a huff of breath. She crossed her arms over her chest and she twisted her lips into a classic pout. "Fine," she said bitterly. "But I don’t have to like it." She glared at Tara, but there was more love in her eyes than real anger. "And I don’t want you using this ‘the elders told me to do it’ excuse anymore. This is a one time excuse."

Tara smiled and nodded.

"Okay then." Anya rubbed her hands together. "Let’s go watch Tara fight untold evil. I’m up for a little late night carnage."

"You do realize… that you’re not helping? Right?" Willow asked the former demon.

"Whatever," Anya said with a sigh.

"You can’t defeat me," the Jinn yelled as she yanked against the cotton rope confining her. "You don’t have the power to destroy me."

"We don’t have to destroy you," Buffy pointed out. "We just have to lock your flamey ass up forever."

"Impossible without a prison to hold me." The Jinn smiled. "And you had to break the talisman to free the witch."

"Oh, do shut up," Spike said with a sigh. "They know your name, they’ve freed the witch…can’t you just bloody leave and quit while you’re ahead?" His body was going through withdrawal from the Jinn's blood, and it was not helping his mood.

"You used to be a villain," the Jinn pointed out. "Now you’re just the Slayer’s pet." She tilted her head back and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Ouch!" Spike fell to his knees and grabbed his head with both hands. "Bloody hell!" He groaned and blood ran from his nose.

"What did you do to him?" Giles moved closer, creating some slack in the rope.

"Agh!" Spike squirmed on the floor like a trout on the end of a fishing line.

"I never removed his chip," the Jinn said as she noticed the rope loosening. "I just blocked the pain it sent out. He’s feeling all of that built up pain now." She smiled at Spike. He was on his side with his eyes rolled back into his head and he was convulsing. His teeth were clenched and red foam oozed from his mouth.

"I gotta’ say, that looks…well… ouch." Xander cringed and took a step back.

"The price of betrayal," the Jinn said calmly. "It’s nothing compared to what I have planned for all of you."

"Do they have a school for evil-speak?" Buffy asked. She shook her head. "All you baddies have these great big plans for domination and you all spout off this crap with a straight face. And I gotta’ tell you, I’m impressed. I couldn’t make those over-the-top threats without laughing."

"You will pay," the Jinn said coldly.

"You will pay," Xander said melodramatically as he mocked the Jinn. "That must be in the first class," Xander said sagely. "Even the baby baddies use that one."

"Definitely undergrad menacing," Buffy agreed. "You got anything better?" she asked politely. "Cuz, well, we’ve heard most of this crap a dozen times."

"Wait," Xander said as he began to giggle. "I’ll get you and your little dog too." He snorted until he started to cough.

The Jinn let out a screech and flames shot out in every direction. Giles had to drop to one knee to avoid being burned.

"Perhaps taunting a powerful mystical being is not the wisest course of action," the Watcher suggested calmly. He stood back up and checked the rope holding the Jinn.

"Um, yeah," Xander agreed. He smacked his arm to stop his sleeve from smoldering.

"Give me the rope," Tara said from the doorway. She stepped forward, pausing only long enough to give Willow a look that let the redhead know she needed to stay back.

"Are you up to this?" Giles asked quietly.

"Let her try," the Jinn said with a feral smile.

"Give me the rope." Tara moved to Giles and held out her left hand. In her right hand she held a stake. She took the rope and nodded for Giles to move away.

The Watcher raised both eyebrows, silently asking if she was sure. Tara smiled and motioned for him to get back.

"Careful," Willow whispered. She crossed both arms over her chest and watched helplessly as Tara gathered up the rope and moved closer to the Jinn. She bit her lip and held her breath.

"Hey," Buffy whispered. She wrapped one arm over Willow’s shoulder and pulled her best friend closer.

"Well?" the Jinn asked in a bored tone.

"You need to leave this place." Tara smiled sadly. "You’ve been exorcised and your time here is done." She edged closer, keeping the stake down at her side. "I don’t want to hurt you," Tara said quietly. "But I will." Her eyes were full of sorrow. Just the thought of taking a life, any life, broke Tara’s gentle heart.

Willow closed her eyes and buried her face into Buffy’s hair. She turned and allowed her friend to hold her.

"Will?" Buffy whispered. Her best friend was trembling.

"She has to release her before she can defeat her," Willow whispered. Her body shivered and she squeezed Buffy closer.

"This is so not good," Buffy said as she watched the unfolding scene.

"I’m sorry to do this to you," Tara said gently. She looked into the Jinn’s eyes and cleared her throat. "I hold the rope that binds you. You are trapped and I claim my right to command you." Tara flinched when she saw the Jinn’s eyes narrow angrily. "You must do bidding."

"She has to do our bidding?" Buffy whipped her head around and glared at Giles. "Why didn’t you make her do your bidding?"

"Shh!" Giles returned Buffy’s glare with one of his own. He knew that ordering a Jinn to do anything was asking for trouble. He also knew that any wish a Jinn granted was given in a way so the wish-maker ended up miserable.

"What do you want?" the Jinn asked bitterly.

"You and I will finish this," Tara said quietly. "Without outside intervention and without any future retribution."

The Jinn smiled like a tiger about to pounce on a doe.

"Tara, no!" Willow yelled. She pulled away from Buffy but Giles grabbed her before she could get far.

"You and I will end this here," Tara continued. She couldn’t look at Willow. She knew if she saw her lover’s pain she couldn’t go through with her plan. "Seal us from away them in an Arcana Sphere. Then you and I will end this."

"Bad idea! No sealing!" Buffy shook her head. "Are you insane?"

"Do I have your pledge?" Tara asked.

"So be it," the Jinn said with a cryptic grin.

Tara dropped the rope and the Jinn looked down at the white cotton that had bound her. It burst into flames.

"Oh, goddess," Willow whispered.

"So mote it be," the Jinn said as she thrust her arms into the air. A blue-green sphere appeared around the Jinn and Tara.

"Well, nothing we can do now," Anya said grimly.

"What is that thing?" Buffy let go of Willow and moved to the edge of the sphere. She could see Tara inside. The blonde had both hands at her sides and was staring defiantly at the Jinn.

"That’s an Arcana Sphere. Arcana means ‘closed things,’ and trust me, that thing is closed," Anya explained. "It’s a sacred space created for a single purpose. It won’t disappear until this is over."

Buffy turned toward Giles. He leaned against the wall and took off his glasses but he wouldn’t look at the Slayer.

"Can’t we break in?" Willow asked.

"Not even your dark magic can punch a hole in that thing," Anya said sadly. She went to Xander and wrapped her arms around him. "I can’t believe Tara asked that Jinn to create one. It’s suicide."

Willow fell to her knees and stared at the sphere. She could see inside but the images were distorted, like looking through water.

"Well?" the Jinn asked. "Take your best shot." She held out her arms and smiled.

"This isn’t about hurting you." Tara sighed and her eyes met the Jinn’s. "I’m sorry that Willow accidentally made you help her. She didn’t mean to hurt you. Can’t we come to an agreement?" She smiled hopefully, though she still had the stake in her hand.

"Let me think about that," the Jinn tilted her head to one side and then shook her head. "No, we can’t." She thrust her hand at Tara and bolt of red energy shot out of her fingers.

Tara had nowhere to run. The sphere was only ten feet across and was too small to really maneuver inside. The bolt of power flashed toward her but she stood frozen.

"Water," Tara whispered. She lifted her left hand and the bolt of energy hit her palm. Steam rose from her hand even as she was knocked back a few steps. The Jinn’s energy was focused flame, but Tara was channeling the element of water. The two forces met causing steam to boil from Tara’s hand. The sphere filled with the hot vapor.

"We have to do something!" Willow ran toward the sphere and slammed her fists into the barrier. She jerked her hands back as a bolt of electricity shot through her. She strained her eyes and tried to see through the clouds of steam. The vapor cleared and she saw that Tara was still standing.

"We can’t," Giles said. "This is Tara’s fight now." He wrapped his arms around Willow and pulled her back.

"I’m impressed," the Jinn said. She stared at Tara’s outstretched palm and then dipped her head respectfully. "The elementals loaned you a bit of their juice."

"It doesn’t have to be this way. Please," Tara pleaded.

"I should have realized." The Jinn laughed bitterly. "You’re so damned pure. Of course you can channel them." She pointed up into the air. "You don’t hate. It’s not in you," she said the words with contempt, as if it were a character flaw of the worst kind.

"Please," Tara repeated. She tilted her head to one side and gave the Jinn a demure half smile.

"I was in that head of yours, and you should hate." The Jinn shot another blast of flame at Tara.

"Gyres," Tara said quickly, using the word that described the swirling ocean currents. A whirlpool of motion blocked the energy’s path, except instead of creating steam, this time the watery shield absorbed the power.

"You should be full of hate, little Tara," the Jinn taunted. She knew that Tara’s pure soul was the well of her power. She had to break the flow of love that constantly moved through the witch like a peaceful eddy. "I’ve walked through your memories," she added with a smirk. "Remember how his fists felt?" She saw Tara flinch and smiled. "Remember the feel of his rage?" She edged closer and took aim. "How’s the arm?" she asked calmly. "Ever touch daddy’s desk again?"

"You can’t h-hurt me with the past," Tara said as she rubbed her elbow unconsciously. She swallowed down the pain from her childhood and looked through the sphere wall at Willow and smiled. "My life is full of love now," Tara said firmly.

"Really?" The Jinn waved her hand and a chair appeared. She frowned at the simple seat and waved her hand again. An ornate throne replaced it. She climbed onto it and studied Tara. "So why do the dreams still come?" She raised an eyebrow. "Late at night when your precious Willow is asleep…when you crawl out of bed covered in sweat and go outside and stand in the cool air? You pray for the memories to leave you like your drying sweat, but they never do." She glanced over at Willow and could see that her words shocked the redhead witch. "You should hate him," the Jinn said. "He still beats you every night. The bones heal but the scars are still there."

"No," Tara said firmly. She couldn’t look over at Willow. She never wanted her lover to know how horrific her childhood had been. Willow knew that Tara’s father had hit her, but the redhead had no idea how common the savage beatings were. "It’s the past."

"She hates him." The Jinn nodded toward Willow.

"Hate destroys," Tara whispered, still unable to look at Willow. "It has no place in my heart." Tara took a deep breath and slowly released it. "I’m sorry," she told the Jinn sincerely. "Churn," she whispered as she knelt down and pressed her palm on the floor. Water bubbled from the carpet and covered the floor instantly and then quickly rose over the top of Tara’s feet. She stood and watched as the Jinn’s eyes filled with fear. "Consume." Tara’s voice cracked. The water rose above her knees and showed no signs of slowing.

"No!" The Jinn scrambled onto the seat of the throne to avoid the rising water. She held both hands out at Tara and twin flashes of fire headed for the blonde witch.

Tara ducked her head and a wave rose up and intercepted the flames. The bolt of fire disappeared in a hiss and the wave sank back into the growing sea.

"Think you can’t hate?" The Jinn struggled to avoid the water. "You’re wrong." She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. "Remember," she whispered. She looked back down at Tara and smiled. "Remember what your body did… to her." The Jinn nodded toward Willow.

Confusion covered Tara’s face and then her expression contorted in pain. She staggered back and fell against the curved wall of the sphere. She remembered everything the Jinn had done while Tara had been trapped in the other dimension. She watched in her mind, as if seeing a movie of the Jinn orchestrating Willow’s pain. She saw herself in the small room at the university as Spike pretended to murder her, and then she saw something that made Tara’s soul scream. She saw Willow, watching the scene unfold, Willow as she cried and pounded on the glass, Willow as she wept over Tara’s ravaged body.

"You monster," Tara said in shaking voice. She lifted the stake from her side for the first time and studied it. She gritted her teeth and tossed the stake into the churning water. "I’ll kill you with my bare hands," she said as she waded toward the Jinn.

"You’ll try." The Jinn smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. Rage seemed to consume Tara with each step she took. As her hatred mounted, the water level dropped. The Jinn knew that Tara couldn’t channel the power from the elders while hatred ruled her heart, and at the moment, rage consumed her.

"Do something!" Dawn yelled. She ran toward the sphere but Buffy caught her.

"We can’t," Buffy said sadly. "Come on." She tugged her sister away from the scene. "Damn it, Dawn, move."

"Why is the water going down?" Dawn yelled.

"Tara, ignore her," Willow said as she leaned closer to the sphere. "She hurt me, but I’m okay. As long as I have you, I’m okay."

The Jinn laughed and sent out a wave of flame. It hit Tara in the chest and tossed her back against the side of the sphere. The water had drained away and only a few puddles remained.

"You hurt her," Tara whispered. She was slumped against the curve of the sphere enclosure. She tried to lift her hand but her arms felt heavy.

"You’re pathetic," the Jinn said as she hopped down from the throne. "Little miss sweetness and light… and look how easily you gave in to hate." She stalked closer and stood over Tara.

"At least you never got to touch me," Tara said bitterly.

"There’s still time." The Jinn straddled Tara’s legs and smiled. "See? It was so easy."

"It was easy." Tara smiled up at the Jinn.

"What?" The Jinn frowned and her confidence faltered.

"It’s easy for you to believe the worst." Tara moved swiftly and pulled the talisman out of her sleeve and looped it over the Jinn’s head. She reached out her free hand and flexed her fingers and the stake clattered across the floor of the sphere and into her palm.

"No!" The Jinn grabbed the talisman but it wouldn’t budge. She looked down just in time to see Tara driving the stake through her chest. She screamed and turned to dust, but as Ceti’s body crumbled, the Jinn’s true form remained. A blue skinned woman straddled Tara. She had pointed ears and eyes the color of a campfire in the darkest night. She growled and wrapped her sapphire hands around Tara’s throat and squeezed.

Calmness filled Tara. She slid her hands down the Jinn’s arms and she rested them over the blue fingers ringing her throat.

"No, Mara," Tara whispered. "You’ve lost."

The Jinn howled with rage.

"Surge," Tara whispered. Water flooded the sphere like a tidal wave and washed the Jinn off of Tara. The blonde witch sloshed up the side of the sphere but she quickly staggered to her feet in the waist high water and waded over to the sputtering Jinn. "Please give up."

"Now this is riveting action," Anya whispered. She nodded toward the translucent sphere. "If you put your WWF wrestlers in an Arcana Sphere and had them fight to the death…I would watch that… even on UPN."

Xander let out a long sigh. He didn’t even bother to look at his fiancé.

"What?" Anya waved a hand at the unfolding struggle in front of her. "This is entertaining. Forget paying eight bucks to see faked gladiator scenes. That’s real drama."

"For the love of Mike, shut up," Spike said from the back of the room. He edged closer, staggering as he held one hand to the back of his head. He wanted to see the final outcome. "It’s just getting good." He was shocked that Tara hadn’t been slaughtered in the first two seconds. The fact that she seemed to be beating the Jinn made him wonder what the blonde witch might really be capable of.

"This isn’t a game," Buffy said dangerously. She wrapped her arms around Willow and tried to console her friend. She didn’t relish the idea of letting go so she could go beat the stuffing out of a smart-mouthed vampire and Xander’s exdemon lover.

"See? The genie is blue," Dawn whispered. "Just like the Disney movie." She moved up beside her sister and leaned onto Buffy’s shoulder. "And it has the pointy ears too," she added.

"You’re still not off the hook," Buffy whispered harshly. "We have a date for an intervention."

"That definitely isn’t Barbara Eden," Xander whispered.

"Tara needs a spandex outfit if she wants ratings." Anya studied Tara’s sensuous curves and wondered how she could arrange a meeting with the WWF promoters.

"Come on, baby," Willow whispered. She had one fist clenched and pinned in front of her mouth. She bit her knuckle and held her breath. She was too involved in her lover’s fight to yell at any of the others, but she was making mental notes of who to chastise as soon as Tara was safe.

"How?" the Jinn asked. She was sinking under the shallow water but Tara pulled her to her feet. "How did you survive returning to this world? I sent you to Nirvana." The Jinn seemed genuinely confused. She knew she was beaten, and she could accept a loss in battle, but Tara’s painless readjustment to leaving a state of perfect bliss had completely confounded the Jinn.

"It seemed perfect," Tara said with a demure smile. "A world full of love, harmony, and total peace… but for me it was a living hell." She wrapped her arm around Mara to keep the Jinn above water. The cold liquid was draining the Jinn’s power and left the blue-skinned creature weak as a newborn kitten.

"I don’t understand," the Jinn replied honestly.

"How could it be anything but hell?" Tara glanced through the transparent sphere at her lover and then looked back at the Jinn. "Willow wasn’t there."

The Jinn’s head sagged in defeat. "I should have just killed you," she said bitterly.

"I’m banishing you," Tara said calmly. She lifted the talisman with her free hand. "For as long as you hold ill will in your heart for Willow, me, or any of our friends or family."

"But that will be an eternity!" The Jinn jerked away from Tara and tried to shoot a flash of fire at her. A few pitiful sparks fizzled on her palm. "How can you do this to me? You can’t lock me up forever!"

"The choice is yours." Tara shrugged. "You could be free in an instant. All you have to do is let go of your anger. My banishment will only bind you as long as you’re a threat to my friends and I…or any of our descendants."

"Then you have damned me for eternity, witch." The Jinn’s eyes were full of hate.

"No." Tara shook her head sadly. She raised both arms and a tear rolled down her cheek. "You’ve damned yourself." She clenched both hands into fists. "As long as this hate blackens your heart…be gone."

"You’ll pay!" the Jinn screamed as the water surged and swallowed her up. She let out a rage filled scream as she was pulled under and then the sphere flashed and disappeared.

Water splashed across the floor, washing Tara along with it. She rolled to a stop in a heap a few feet away from her friends.

"Tara!" Willow ran to her lover and fell to her knees next to her. "Easy," she whispered as she rolled the blonde over.

"Wow." Tara’s eyes rolled back even as her head lolled to one side. She was exhausted, and her clothes were soaked to her body. She reached out blindly, trying to find her anchor, trying to find the woman who held her heart. "Willow…"

"Shh. I’m here." Willow pulled Tara into her lap and smoothed the wet blonde strands out of her face. "You beat her. We’re safe."

"Mmm." Tara relaxed into Willow’s body and closed her eyes. She welcomed the darkness and the rest it represented. She knew Willow would hold her, keep her safe, and most of all, she knew Willow would be there when she woke.

"Oh god, she’s dead!" Anya pointed at Tara.

"Shh!" Willow glared at the former demon. "She’s sleeping."

"She was channeling the power of the elders. I’m quite sure she’s exhausted." Giles looked over at Buffy. "Perhaps you could carry her."

"Tote that barge, lift that bale," Buffy grumbled. "Carry that witch…" She put both hands on her hips and looked down at Willow. "Am I a Slayer or a bellhop?" Mirth filled Buffy’s blue eyes. "Okay, outa’ the way so I can cart your sleepy honey home."

"Be careful," Willow said with a smirk. "Or no tip for you."

"Tip? Please, I save the world every night and I don’t even get a salary." Buffy gently scooped Tara into her arms. The blonde was soaked to the bones and rather slippery. "Guess tonight you did the saving," she whispered as she kissed Tara’s cheek and then settled the blonde witch into her arms.

"Can I help?" Dawn whispered. She reached out and touched Tara’s cheek. The water had chilled her skin.

"She’ll be fine," Willow said. She smiled and pressed a long, slow kiss onto Tara’s forehead. "She’s stronger than anyone I know."

"Yeah, Dawn." Buffy cleared her throat. "And you and I have an intervention to plan."

Dawn’s eyes shot open and she wondered if she would have been better off being carried off by an evil Jinn.

"I’ve never done an intervention before," Buffy said thoughtfully as she walked toward the door. Willow was glued to her side watching Tara as they walked down the hallway. "So…do I get a new outfit for this intervention?"

"Yes, an intervention requires a new outfit," Tara mumbled. "And new shoes…two pair."

"Giles!" Buffy smiled brightly. "I need a new outfit and some shoes." She shifted Tara as the witch lifted her head and looked around. "Tara said so…and she’s talked to those element dudes so she knows."

Giles was just about to make snide remark when a vampire stepped out of the elevator. "Buffy! Behind you!" He pointed and ran toward the Slayer.

"What?" Buffy gripped Tara to her chest.

Both Buffy and Willow spun but the redheaded witch was the first to move. Buffy had Tara in her arms and couldn’t do anything as the vampire took aim with a crossbow.

"You killed my mistress," he said as he fired. The crossbow bolt headed straight for Buffy but Tara blocked its path.

Willow saw the projectile and did the only thing she could think of. She stepped in front of it. It hit just below her left shoulder and dug into her flesh. She looked down and thought how odd it was that there could be so much blood in such a short flicker of time. Her legs buckled and the last sound she heard was Tara’s heart-wrenching cry.

PART EIGHT

A bright light beckoned Willow, or at least she thought it did. She could see the distant glow even through her closed eyelids. ‘So this is death,’ she thought. ‘It’s darker than I thought.’ She listened to the annoying beeping sound as well as what sounded like a vacuum cleaner. ‘A lot noisier than I thought too,’ she mused. She heard a muted whimper and recognized it instantly. That was the sound Tara made in her sleep when something was upsetting her. Willow opened her eyes with some effort and then a smile covered her face.

Tara was sleeping with her head twisted sideways on the bed next to Willow’s hand. The blonde witch had a white sheet crumpled under her chin as a makeshift pillow. It was only then that Willow realized she was in a hospital. ‘Guess that explains the noise,’ she thought with a smirk. She glanced out the tiny window in the door and saw a janitor wander by with a floor buffer.

"Willow," Tara whispered in her sleep. It was a benediction, said like a prayer, and it grabbed Willow’s heart and made the redhead swoon.

"How’d I get so lucky?" Willow whispered to the still room. She brushed the back of her hand over Tara’s cheek and winced when a bolt of fiery pain shot through her shoulder.

"Stupid’s more like it," Buffy said quietly from across the room.

"Buffy?" Willow turned and saw the Slayer curled in an uncomfortable ball between two chairs. She had apparently been sleeping, but the position did not look comfortable. In fact, it looked like something dreamt up by the American Chiropractic Association just to keep business booming.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Buffy whispered angrily. She stood, but had to pause so she could crack the kinks out of her back. She moved over behind Tara and rested one hand on the sleeping blonde’s shoulder. "Your little stunt almost broke her heart."

"I had to save her," Willow said defensively.

"Ever hear of Slayer reflexes?" Buffy ran her fingers through Tara’s hair. "That arrow never would have hit either of us."

"I couldn’t risk her." Willow tried to sit but when she moved her arm the IV in the back of her hand pulled her skin. "Ouch!"

"Willow?" Tara sat up and blinked her bloodshot eyes. "Thank the goddess." She caressed Willow’s cheek. "You scared me."

"Sorry." Willow looked around the room. "I just wanted you safe. I never meant to scare you."

"Well, being unconscious for two days tends to make girlfriends and best friends nervous." Buffy realized she was still stroking Tara’s hair and decided stopping might be a good idea. She pulled back and tucked her hands into her pockets.

"Two days?" Willow bit her lip.

"The c-crossbow bolt nicked your lung," Tara explained. "There was so much blood." Her voice cracked. "Y-your lung c-collapsed." She closed her eyes and let out a shaking breath.

Willow leaned back into the bed and let her eyes drift shut. She felt Tara’s hand on her own and smiled. "But you were safe," Willow whispered as she opened her eyes.

Tara looked away.

"The blood loss made your system go all wacky." Buffy shivered as she remembered the doctors talking to Tara. "Waiting for seven hours while you were in surgery wasn’t exactly the restful return Tara needed after escaping that Jinn."

"Oh…" Willow could see that Tara was exhausted, and her lover’s shoulders were shaking. That only happened when Tara was trying to hold back tears. "Buffy, can you leave us alone?" Willow asked.

"Um…sure." Buffy backed toward the door. "Just call if you need anything." She waved at Tara and then looked back over at Willow. "By the way, if the doctors ask… you were injured while at archery practice. Giles has classes every third Monday at the shop."

"But he doesn’t have classes…" Willow frowned.

"He does now." Buffy smiled and then ducked out the door.

The room was quiet. Neither witch quite knew what to say. Finally Willow couldn’t stand seeing the tension in her lover’s shoulders anymore.

"It’s okay to cry," Willow whispered.

A sob escaped before Tara could contain it. She looked down into Willow’s eyes and lost the thin control she had been clinging to and fell forward onto the bed.

"Shh…" Willow ran her hand over the back of Tara’s neck. "I’m okay. I promise." Seeing Tara cry was too much for Willow and tears ran down her cheeks in sympathy for her lover. "Great… now I’m crying too." She sniffled.

Tara laughed between sobs and lifted her head.

"Some cool monster fighters we are, huh?" Willow smiled and wiped a tear from Tara’s face.

Tara nodded and pretended to punch the air.

"Still looks like you’re trying to swim," Willow said with a giggle.

"I’m getting better," Tara insisted. She threw a few more punches, which actually did look better. Buffy had been helping Tara with some basic self-defense moves. The simple punches wouldn’t take down a vampire, but the average mugger would have his hands full.

"Forgive me?" Willow asked. She put her hand over Tara’s fist and pulled it to her chest, being careful to avoid the bandage over her injury.

"Always." Tara ducked her head and let her bangs cover her face. "I’m yours, Willow. Nothing can change that."

"Yippee," Willow said drowsily as she yawned.

"When we go home, we need to have a little talk." Tara tucked her hair behind one ear and bit her lip.

"Okay," Willow said slowly. "Can’t we talk now?" She yawned again and squeezed Tara’s hand.

"You’re tired, baby." Tara leaned over and kissed Willow’s cheek. "It can wait ‘til you’re better."

"I don’t wanna’ try to sleep not knowing what’s wrong," Willow whined. She looked over at Tara with pitiful green eyes. "Just give me a hint? I hate waiting for bad news. I don’t do well with the not knowing. The not know makes me not know and I like knowing."

"Okay." Tara bit off a giggle. "You’re injured, darling. I don’t think you’re approved for full babble mode until after the doctor checks your blood oxygen levels."

Willow raised both eyebrows and gave Tara an indignant glare.

"Well, the way you were babbling…I thought you were gonna’ sprain your good lung." Tara bit her lip.

"I get the point." Willow smirked and then rolled her eyes as a soft laugh bubbled out. "Okay. No more babbling, but please tell me what’s wrong."

Tara nodded. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"Is it bad?" Willow asked. She could see that her lover was struggling to bring up the subject.

"No more self-sacrifice," Tara said quietly.

Willow’s eyes blinked rapidly for a few seconds as she processed the information. "What?" she finally asked.

"You and I are both too willing to give our lives." Tara stood and took Willow’s face between her hands. "We have to think about the future, our future."

Willow stared into Tara’s eyes but she couldn’t answer. A moment passed as they studied each other.

"Willow?" Tara finally asked.

"I can’t make you that promise," Willow said tearfully. "Tara, what we do…what I do… this isn’t some job at the mall." She inhaled slowly and then swallowed. "If I’m not willing to give my life… the world could come to an end."

Tara pulled her hands away and covered her own face. She thought about her lover’s words and then removed her hands and locked eyes with Willow. She pointed to the redhead’s shoulder. "The world wouldn’t have ended if that crossbow arrow hit me," Tara said calmly.

"My world would have," Willow said adamantly.

Tara blinked twice. A slow, Lazy grin spread over her face. "You’re such a romantic goof," Tara whispered.

"It’s true." Willow smirked.

"That you’re a romantic goof?" Tara asked playfully. "I knew that."

"No," Willow’s voice was deep and full of conviction. "Tara, you are my world. Don’t ever doubt that."

"You should rest." Tara could see Willow’s eyes drooping. She recognized when her lover needed to sleep and this was definitely one of those times. "We’ll talk more about this later."

Willow nodded and closed her eyes. She let out a sigh. It felt good to lean back into the pillows. She felt Tara take her hand and then she heard the scrapping of a chair moving across the floor as the blonde scooted closer.

"Sleep," Tara repeated. She kissed Willow’s cheek and brushed the hair from her eyes. "I’ll be here, my Willow." She moved her lips to the redhead’s ear. "You’re my world too, you romantic goof."

"Mmm," Willow purred happily. She loved the feel of Tara’s warm breath tickling her ear and neck. "Yay." She yawned once more and then drifted off to sleep.

It was another three days before Willow was released from the hospital. Tara made sure that the redhead rested for another week after that. Buffy was more than willing to patrol with Xander, but Willow soon became restless. She paced Tara’s dorm room and tried to convince her lover to let her go on patrol.

"I’m fine." Willow crossed her arms over her chest and stomped her foot. "How come Xander gets to go on patrol and I don’t? I’m fine. Look…" She raised her arm into the air and waved it around in a circle.

"Now try it with the injured arm," Tara said without missing a beat. She raised one eyebrow in silent challenge.

"Oh, sure…get picky!" Willow gingerly lifted her wounded arm. She winced before it was even halfway over head and finally lowered the sore limb in defeat. "Fine. It’s a little less than perfect if you want to get all technical on me."

"What I want is for you to get better." Tara pulled Willow into a gentle hug. She kissed her lover on the nose. "And I’ll use any technicality I can to make sure you’re safe."

"Safety is overrated," Willow joked. She regretted her words instantly when she felt Tara stiffen in her arms. "Hey, I’m kidding." She squeezed Tara’s waist. "Kidding? Me… you…joking… I know it’s a complex idea, but this is where we both laugh and then you tell me how cute I am."

"We never talked about it," Tara whispered.

"Tara…" Willow sighed. "I told you… what we…what I do… is too important…"

"Are you sure that’s it?" Tara asked without looking up.

"What do you mean?" Willow lifted Tara’s chin and looked into her eyes.

"We can have a future," Tara whispered stubbornly. She saw Willow glance briefly away and she knew she had hit upon the real reason her lover took so many risks. "Willow, baby, look at me."

Green eyes locked with blue. The green blinked first and then a tear fell.

"We will have a future," Tara swore.

"How can you be so sure?" Willow leaned closer and rested her forehead against Tara’s. "Tara, I’ve been fighting on the hellmouth since I was sixteen… my luck’s gonna’ run out sooner or later." Willow’s voice was strained and it hurt to actually say the words out loud. She wanted a life with Tara, to grow old with her, but she didn’t know if she was going to live through the next semester, let alone live long enough to build a life with her soulmate.

"Maybe you’re luck’s getting better." Tara tenderly kissed Willow. "You survived fighting when you were sixteen years old and didn’t even know what a demon looked like." She kissed Willow again. "Now you’re an experienced evil fighter." Her lips found Willow’s again. "If this was a cartoon…you’d be ready for spandex, boots…and a cape." She ran her tongue along Willow’s lower lip and played her trump card. "You could so kick Lara Croft’s ass."

"Do I get a cool car? A witch-mobile?" Willow smiled and moved her hands up Tara’s back.

"The Willow-jet," Tara corrected. "And it’s invisible like Wonder Woman’s."

"I want Lara Croft’s SUV." Willow pouted.

"You can have it all." Tara’s voice took on a more serious tone. "We can have a future, darling." She eased back and dipped her head to catch Willow’s eyes. "Stop living like you don’t expect to see tomorrow. I want a life with you. A long life."

"Did the elders say something to you?" Willow asked.

Tara nodded.

"Are you gonna’ share?" Willow asked when her lover didn’t offer the information.

"We have a destiny," Tara said simply.

"Destiny? Like Buffy?"

"I don’t know. I just know that I want you to stop going out of your way to get killed." Tara sighed in frustration. "I wish I could show you," she whispered.

"Well, I did know a spell but it was really advanced and well, we’d have to know what color our akashic cords were, and well, since no one ever sees their cord, I think the spell is just a big fat tease," Willow said in a rush.

Tara’s eyes opened wider with each word Willow babbled.

"I mean, it’s not like you can actually loop your akashic cord, so I don’t even know why I remembered the spell anyway." Willow noticed that she had lost Tara somewhere along the way. "I know, looping the mystic cord is nuts…"

"Willow, I’ve seen our cords," Tara said with a nervous swallow. "And they had a loop in them."

"So…we’ve already done the spell?" Willow shook her head. "I’d remember that."

"No, but we will." Tara’s smile blossomed. "Find the spell." Her heart pounded. She knew if she could loop their akashic cords, they could get a glimpse of their future, and if Willow had proof that they would have a future… maybe she would stop acting like she had nothing to live for.

"Okay." Willow smiled. "Let’s take a peak at our future."

The spell for bending time turned out to be much more complex than Willow had remembered. It involved using freshly picked herbs, which wasn’t a problem, but it also required a timer to pull the witches out of their spell. That was more difficult. The timer they needed was a homemade hourglass of sorts. It had to be constructed by the two witches performing the spell, and it had to use only natural materials.

The spell required Tara to bless two strands of natural fiber yarn made to match the color of their akashic cords. Tara had to hand dye the yarn, which left Willow in charge of setting up the timer.

"What if this doesn’t exactly work the way it’s supposed to?" Willow stared at the two glass containers of sand. One was balanced so that it would feed into the other. When the second vessel reached a certain weight, it would be heavy enough to pull down and untie the loop in the cords. That would bring the two witches back to the present.

"Then we’ll be trapped forever…" Tara’s expression was deadly serious.

"Huh?" Willow’s eyes went wide and she started to hurriedly recheck the timer. She was a computer gal, and hands on things were not her specialty, well, at least building things hands on. Willow was quite adept at certain hands on activities. "Trapped? Forever?" Willow swallowed hard and her hands shook.

"Darling, calm down. I’m teasing you." Tara giggled and wrapped her arms around her lover. "Didn’t you read the footnotes?"

"Footnotes?" Willow spun in Tara’s arms and her jaw opened and closed but for a moment no sound came out. "There were footnotes? And I missed them? Maybe we’re not ready for this spell… I mean…footnotes…how many spells have footnotes?"

Tara moved Willow over to the table. They were still locked in an embrace and Willow had to waddle backwards because neither woman was willing to let the other go. When they got to the table Tara cleared her throat and nodded toward the thick book.

"Huh," Willow said sheepishly. "Look at that…footnotes…and in English even." She leaned closer and read while Tara kissed the back of her neck. "A second? We need a second? Like in a duel?"

"That’s in case our timer doesn’t work." Tara ran her hand through Willow’s hair. "Our second will come into the circle and untie the loop after one hour."

"Oh…" Willow knitted her brows together. "One hour isn’t very long…" her voice trailed off.

"Honey, it’s not like you can jump on the Internet as soon as we get to the future and check for the latest stock quotes." Tara smiled when she saw her lover’s guilty expression. "This is about seeing where we’ll be in five years, love. We’re expressly forbidden from trying to gather all the information we can about the rest of the world."

"Well, I mean… so what would it hurt?" Willow frowned. "I mean…so I want to see how Microsoft is doing…is that a crime?"

"Yes, it is," Tara said gently. "It’s against the Wiccan rede."

"Oh, well, there’s that," Willow said grouchily. The truth was, Willow was having a hard time convincing herself that using this spell was a good thing. She was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to travel into the future at all. The spell wouldn’t work if the witch using it was dead in the time she tried to reach. Five years was a very long time in the life of a demon fighter.

"Besides, the footnote on the last page makes it clear we don’t get to keep our memories of the future," Tara said logically.

"What?" Willow blinked at her lover. "If we can’t remember what we see in the future, why waste our time?"

"Darling… footnotes?" Tara smirked.

Willow gave Tara a pitiful look that almost broke the blonde’s heart.

"Okay, I’ll tell you what it said." Tara laughed and reached up to smooth the pout off of Willow’s lips. "We each get to write one thing down as soon as we get back. After that, we lose the memories of everything."

"And if we don’t write anything down?" Willow was already looking for a loophole.

"Then our memories leave anyway." Tara rolled her eyes. "Willow, you can’t cheat The Divine." She saw that Willow wasn’t exactly happy about the new development and she gently kissed her lover. "We will keep the feeling of what we find," she pointed out.

"Well, okay," Willow said grumpily. She wanted, no, needed to know if she and Tara could have a future.

"I need to call Buffy." Tara eased out of Willow’s arms.

"Hey! Snuggling here!" Willow grabbed Tara and pulled her back to the warmth of her body.

Tara smiled and relaxed contentedly into the hug. Since Willow had gotten out of the hospital she had been even more affectionate with Tara. The two generally made love almost everyday, but since Willow came home from the hospital, she seemed to need to connect with Tara all the time. It was as if she was trying to squeeze a lifetime of loving into every day. She was. Willow was terrified that her days with Tara were numbered, and on the hellmouth, those numbers were usually very small.

"Do you want Buffy to be our second?" Willow asked after clinging to Tara for a few minutes.

Tara nodded and cupped Willow’s face between her hands. She smiled and stared at her lover without saying a word.

"What?" Willow asked shyly.

"I just…" Tara blushed from the roots of her blonde hair down to her chest where the reddening color dipped beneath her sweater. "I just…really love you."

"Well, good. Because I am very lovable," Willow said smugly, but her eyes reflected the gratitude she felt, and there was fear too. She was afraid that if the spell did work, and she found herself five years in the future, she would not be with Tara. Worse than the fear of her own death was the abject terror that she would get to the future and discover that Tara had been killed. Add to that the fear that Tara might simply grow tired of a life fighting vampires and just leave Willow, and that made for a very nervous Willow Rosenberg.

"Let’s get Buffy," Tara said hoarsely. She wanted to do the spell. She could feel Willow’s doubts hanging over their relationship like a python waiting for a rabbit to make one misstep into the thick jungle grass. Every day since Willow came home from the hospital seemed to make Willow’s fears grow. It was as if Willow had already resigned herself to losing what she shared with Tara. Tara would not let that happen.

"One Slayer coming right up." Willow nodded and then went to get the phone.

Tara smiled and went back to the supplies for the spell. She waited until Willow was talking animatedly with Buffy before she allowed her own concern to show on her face. Tara had been fighting a demon much longer than either Willow or Buffy, except hers was a demon not nearly as exotic as a vampire. Tara’s grandmother had died at the age of twenty from ovarian cancer. The same monster had struck again, except it waited until Tara’s mother was twenty-one. Doctors had given Tara’s mother a hysterectomy a year after Donnie was born, but the cancer had lurked and then reoccurred twice more. It finally killed Tara’s mother when she was only thirty-four.

Tara stared down at the two beautiful cords that represented her and Willow. She hoped when the spell was cast that Willow didn’t show up in the future caring for a dying lover ravaged by cancer, or worse, mourning a lost love.

"What is this spell?" Buffy asked skeptically. She looked back and forth from Tara to Willow.

"We can’t tell you." Willow bit her lip.

"Sorry." Tara reached over and grabbed Willow’s hand. "We can’t tell anyone about it."

"It’s not a sex spell is it?" Buffy scowled. "Because I do not wanna’ come in here and have to break that up."

Tara’s jaw dropped and she stared at Buffy.

"Did Anya possess you when we weren’t looking?" Willow asked as she blushed the color of her hair.

"Hey, I’m just trying to be clear on this." Buffy shook her head. "Cuz, frankly, walking in on you guys once was more than enough." She shot Willow a glare that Dawn had dubbed the ‘mom look.’ "I do not think that was an approved use of a hospital bed."

"Buffy." Willow winced and hid her face on Tara’s shoulder.

"And you…" Buffy pointed at Tara. "She was supposed to be resting. That was not resting."

"Can you help us or not?" Tara desperately wanted the subject changed.

"All I have to do is untie that little knot?" Buffy clarified once more.

Willow turned and nodded.

"That’s all," Tara assured her.

"Okay, but no funny stuff or I’ll be doin’ a double intervention on you two." Buffy turned the ‘mom look’ up another notch. "Don’t think I won’t. I’m getting the hang of it."

Tara nodded solemenly. She almost felt sorry for Dawn. Buffy had been spending quality time with the younger Summers sister. That quality time included making Dawn work off the money for every item she had ‘borrowed’ from the shop and her friends.

"Okay." Buffy sighed and looked around the dorm. "So should I like wait in the hall…or go get a mocha? Buffy’s mouth twitched, letting Tara and Willow know that the Slayer was craving caffeine.

"Go get your mocha." Willow rolled her eyes. "It’s gonna’ take us about twenty minutes to get the ritual started, and then check us an hour after that."

"Check," Buffy said as she gave Willow a mock salute. "I’ll be back in one hour twenty minutes."

"Thank you," Tara said sincerely. She waved as Buffy left and then turned toward Willow. "Okay, are you ready?" She tried not to let her own nervousness show.

"Yup." Willow smiled bravely but she was so scared that her mouth had gone completely dry. "So…how long can these notes we write ourselves be?"

"Um…" Tara looked down at the floor and mumbled her answer.

"I didn’t hear you." Willow took Tara’s hand. "Honey?"

"We can each write… three words," Tara said as she pulled away and ran toward the magical supplies.

"What? That’s not even a haiku!" Willow said as she chased her lover.

"It could be," Tara pointed out as she blushed. "If you picked the words really…really…carefully."

"You’re lucky I love you so much," Willow said as she grabbed Tara’s waist and tickled her.

"Yes, I am," Tara agreed. "The luckiest witch ever."

A flash of blinding light signaled that Willow and Tara had successfully looped their akashic cords. A disorienting spinning sensation followed and then darkness surrounded them both.

"Whoa," Willow whispered as she opened her eyes. She smiled as she realized that she was in bed, naked, with Tara. The blonde was sprawled half over Willow’s chest, with her arm tossed haphazardly over the redhead’s shoulder and one leg was pressing on her thigh. "Now this is a future I can get on board with." Willow giggled and gave her lover playful shake. "Honey, wake up." She took a moment to look around. Willow didn’t recognize the room, but it had obviously been decorated by her and Tara. The room was off white and beautiful paintings of various goddesses lined the walls. Willow recognized the one on the end as an expensive oil painting she had admired in a Sunnydale gallery.

"Willow?" Tara yawned and fluttered her eyelids. She squinted and then her slate blue eyes pried open. "Hi," she said drowsily. A huge smile spread over her face as she pulled Willow closer for a kiss. "Told you," she whispered. She nodded down at their intertwined bodies still half covered by a hunter green sheet and then glanced over at the window. The sun was up, making it apparent that their naked snuggle time was actually the middle of the afternoon. "Not much has changed," Tara joked. She saw the faint scar on Willow’s chest from the crossbow injury and the surgery afterwards. She tried not to think about the fear she had felt that when she had seen Willow’s body drop to the floor.

"Thank you, goddess," Willow whispered. "We’re both safe." She tugged Tara closer and caressed her cheek.

Relief crashed through Tara’s body and she let her eyes drift shut. "Sleepy…" Tara yawned, pressing her face onto her lover’s shoulder. Her hot breath heated Willow’s arm making the more petite woman shiver.

"Maybe we got here a few minutes too late," Willow said smugly. "I know what always made you sleepy five years ago." She leered at her lover.

"Not that kind of sleepy." Tara giggled, but then she froze. She realized that she was more than just exhausted. This fatigue was a foreign feeling, like nothing she had ever experienced before and that sudden insight made her cling to Willow.

"What?" Willow asked. "Honey, you just tensed. What’s wrong?"

"I… I don’t feel… right," Tara admitted. She shifted her weight and felt an uncomfortable tightness in her abdomen. She squeezed her eyes shut and remembered seeing her own mother sleeping in the middle of the day after her hysterectomy. Tara’s mother had slept often after her chemotherapy.

"What do you mean?" Fear gripped Willow. She could feel the tension in Tara’s body and she was reacting to it.

Tara didn’t know how to described her uneasiness. She didn’t feel sick as much as she felt a bone weary fatigue that permeated every bone and muscle in her body. She tried to roll over so she could look into Willow’s eyes but a sharp tugging at her belly made her cringe.

"Tara, you’re scaring me," Willow said when she saw a look on dread on her lover’s face.

"I’m scared too," Tara admitted. She rolled onto her back and reached under the covers fully expecting to find a surgical scar a few inches under her navel. She pressed her hand to her belly and let out a startled squeak.

"What is it? Tara, honey?" Willow was rushing toward panic mode.

"Willow…" Tara awkwardly rolled onto her side. She was in shock, but the fear was gone. "Honey…baby…darling…"

"What?" Willow’s eyebrows climbed high onto her forehead.

"Darling… um… well… I… I’m pregnant." Tara smiled and shrugged. "Surprise?" she added as she bit her lip.

"What?" Willow sat up, dragging Tara with her. Her eyes flew open wide. "Preg… you… you…" She pointed at Tara’s belly that was still hidden by the sheets. A goofy grin covered Willow’s face and she squealed. "We’re gonna’ have a baby?" The sheets still concealed most of Willow’s body. Everything from her ribs down was covered, but her breasts bounced in plain view as she wiggled excitedly. "We’re having a baby?" she repeated. "I mean…you’re having a baby…but, well, since I’m here and we’re in bed together, naked I might add… I’m thinking that we are gonna’ be raising the baby together and you don’t mind if I say we’re having a baby do you because even though I’m not actually having the baby I feel like I’m having a baby—"

"Willow!" Tara reached up and pressed two fingers to the babbling redhead’s lips. "Honey, deep breath," she ordered.

Willow inhaled slowly but the silly grin didn’t fade.

"Yes, love, I’m sure that this is our baby." Tara smiled and put her hand back under the covers and cupped her swollen belly.

"So… how… who?" Willow stared at the sheet, wanting to lift it and see the evidence of Tara’s child but still too shocked to move. "I mean… did we get a donor…did we pick him so the baby might look a little like me? Did we pick someone we know? I mean, I love Xander, but come on, he’s not like scholar-boy…" She frowned. "And was I there when you had the… thing with the… you know…was I there when the doctor did the thing with the thing?"

"Do I have a tattoo?" Tara asked without acknowledging Willow’s questions. She pushed the sheet down and struggled to look at her belly. She was on her back and her stomach was rounded, making it difficult for her to sit up.

"Tattoo?" Willow leaned down and smiled. "Wow." She ran her hand over Tara’s belly. There was a complex tattoo circling Tara’s belly button. "I never knew you wanted a tattoo." She left her hand there, her smile widening as she moved her fingers across Tara’s growing belly. She felt the warm roundness and knew that she loved the child it hid. She’d only just discovered this child and already it was the most important person in the world. ‘Well, future person,’ her mind corrected. ‘After all, the baby hasn’t even been conceived yet in my timeline, and it hasn’t been born yet in this one, so all things considered, this is definitely a future person in every sense of the word.’ Willow smiled. ‘Even my thoughts are babbling,’ she thought with a sloppy grin.

"Willow, I think you have one too." Tara eased the sheet down around Willow’s waist revealing the same complex tattoo on Willow’s tummy.

"Well, look at us!" Willow was still in shock. "Having a baby and sporting tats!"

"Tats?" Tara smiled and studied Willow. The redhead seemed to be glowing with happiness.

"Yeah, Tats." Willow leaned over, keeping her palm on Tara’s belly. She traced the intricate marking with her thumb. "That’s what we cool tattoo owners call them."

"I see." Tara smirked. "So, have you been wanting a ‘tat’ long?"

"I was actually thinking about a getting cute little dolphin on my ankle, but this is…wow." She traced the pattern around her lover’s belly with her finger.

"Willow, I’m pretty sure this child was created with old fashioned love making…" Tara put her hand over Willow’s and held it against her skin.

"I don’t think so," Willow said with a frown. "I mean… no. I can’t see me saying, ‘sure, Tara, go make life with some guy,’ and you don’t even like guys that way, not at all, and…Hey!" Willow leaned down and caught Tara’s attention. "Is there something I should know?"

Tara nodded. "Willow, love of my life…" She smiled and leaned toward the bewildered redhead. "You’re the daddy."

"Huh?" Willow stared at Tara as if she had just sprouted vampire fangs and a bumpy forehead.

"This child, she’s mine… and yours." Tara smiled sensually.

"I don’t think…" Willow felt lightheaded and she tilted to one side like a weathered palm in gale force winds.

"Honey?" Tara steadied her lover.

"I mean, I’ve always been an overachiever but me… the daddy?" Her eyes glazed over. "Even I couldn’t get that done, not with all the extra credit in the world… I… we… you…"

"Don’t you dare faint on me!" Tara grunted as she shifted her weight and managed to lean against the headboard. She tugged Willow closer and the redhead slumped down onto her shoulder.

"How? I…we?" Willow rested her right hand on Tara’s stomach. She stared, her jaw slack and her fingers making tiny circles on Tara’s swollen belly.

"The tattoos," Tara whispered. She kissed Willow’s head and squeezed her closer. "It’s an ancient Amazon incantation. It makes it so two women can have a child."

"How do you know?" Willow was still too shocked to lift her head so she snuggled closer to Tara’s tummy. She had a drowsy smile as she moved her hand over every part of her lover’s stomach.

"Because, my darling..." Tara put her hand over Willow’s and interlocked their fingers so that they were exploring her belly in tandem. "I’ve got a drawing of this tattoo in my book of shadows. It took me months to find it."

"Why did you look for it now?" Willow asked. "I mean…then." She kissed Tara’s belly and smiled lovingly at the bulge.

"I told you… I want a future with you," Tara replied.

Willow’s smile widened. Her grin was so huge that it actually made her cheeks ache, but she didn’t mind. "We’re having a baby." She kissed Tara’s belly again. "Hi," she whispered. "I’m your mommy…well, one of them," she told the bulge. "I can’t wait to see you. Though, it’ll be like five and a half years before I see you, but you’ll be seeing me in a few months because we’re in different spots on the time line… and I guess temporal mechanics is a little complicated for a fetus." She rubbed her cheek against Tara’s skin and then inhaled sharply when the baby kicked.

"Wow." Tara shifted her weight and giggled. "She’s your daughter all right. She likes all that science talk."

"That’s my girl," Willow said proudly. She saw Tara’s skin bulge as the baby kicked on the opposite side. "Oh! She’s over there now. I think she’s working on some witchy incantations… waving her little witchy fetus hands around in there." She quickly moved her palm over to feel her child.

"There’s a little life in there." It was Tara’s turn to swoon. She shook her head and took a deep breath. "Inside me… I’m a mom." Her eyes widened. "I’m not ready to be a mom! Willow… no… I’m just barely an adult. I’m practically a kid myself. I still eat jellybeans for breakfast… I can’t even buy beer!"

"You can now. Honey, the you that’s pregnant is five years older," Willow reminded her. She squeezed Tara’s hand and smiled. "You’ve been able to buy beer for like four years or so, and jellybeans provide needed glucose." She scrunched her face. "You don’t even like beer."

"Oh, well yeah," Tara took another deep breath and sighed. "Five years is a long time."

"Tara, I’m so glad we came here." Willow scooted up and looked into Tara’s eyes. "I just wish we could remember everything from this timeline."

"Don’t forget, we each get to write one note to ourselves when we get back." Tara stared down at her stomach, marveling at the changes in her body.

Willow was drawn back to Tara’s bulging belly. She cupped her lover’s stomach and sighed. "I’m a mom."

Tara nodded and smiled. "I can’t believe how huge I am." She studied her belly and furrowed her brow. "I think she’s gonna be as big as you when she’s born."

"I hope you don’t think this is weird…but um…" Willow blushed and looked down at Tara’s enlarged belly. She licked her lips. "I think it’s really sexy." Her eyes darkened with passion as she continued tracing Tara’s swollen stomach. "It’s life," she whispered huskily. "Life from you and me and I just keep thinking that this little baby was created from our love." She moved her hand up and covered Tara’s breast. "Look at you," she whispered. "You’re beautiful." She squeezed Tara’s breast and leaned down and kissed the full flesh.

"Willow!" Tara inhaled sharply. "I think I’m more sensitive," she said in a squeaking whisper.

"You’re bigger up here too," Willow said wickedly. She flickered her tongue over the nipple and felt her desire surge as Tara’s skin puckered. "How long do we have left here?" Willow shifted her weight so that she was hovering over Tara.

"Honey!" Tara giggled. "That just feels wrong… I mean, these bodies belong to future us…not us us." Tara’s eyes fluttered shut as Willow continued caressing her breast. "Oh, that’s nice," she whispered.

"Come on," Willow said wantonly. "Who’s gonna’ know? I promise not to tell myself and you promise not to tell yourself and no one will know." Her hand moved past Tara’s belly and teased the top of her thigh.

"Well, I…" Tara let out a moan. She reached for Willow but then she had to fight off a yawn. "Sorry," she said sheepishly when Willow raised an eyebrow. "Still sleepy," she admitted.

"Oh, geeze!" Willow’s passion cooled in an instant. "We’re in bed…in the middle of the day…you’re yawning…"

"Yeah?" Tara asked with a sweet smile.

"Well, honey, you’re pregnant!" Willow gave her lover a cautious push back into the pillows. "You need rest."

"What if I don’t want to rest." Tara smiled shamelessly. She licked her lips and raked her eyes up and down Willow’s naked body.

"Well, I don’t know…" Willow looked at Tara’s body, then slowly followed the curve of her belly up to her heavy, full breasts. "Maybe we could…"

A sound several rooms away stopped the discussion cold.

"Willow?" Buffy yelled from somewhere in the house. "Willow, first aid emergency."

"Buffy?" Willow whispered. Her eyes lit up. "Buffy’s here. She’s okay!" she said as she soundly kissed Tara.

"Mmm…" Tara returned the kiss. Hearing Buffy’s voice answered another question that had been plaguing her. The Slayer was still alive and well.

"Willow?" Buffy came charging into the room. "Whoa! Naked witches in a Wiccan liplock." She spun and kept her back to the bed. "I need burn cream, and lots of it."

"What happened?" Willow asked as she pulled the sheet over her chest. She made sure Tara was covered and then looked around the room until she saw a skirt and blouse hanging over a chair in front of a computer.

"I warned Angel about going out in the sun," Buffy said without turning. "Now he’s downstairs burned to a cinder."

"What?" Willow jumped up and ran for the clothes. She had the skirt halfway on when she realized that it was a maternity outfit. "Oh…" She trotted over to Tara and tossed her the skirt and then saw another set of clothes on the dresser.

"Is Mister Angel okay?" Tara struggled into her skirt. She frowned as she tried to figure out which way the stretch panel was supposed to face. She decided on the front, so she wouldn’t squash the baby and possibly leave the child with a waistband shaped dent in her little head.

"He’ll live," Buffy said. "If I don’t kill him."

Willow was a bit panicked as she wondered how badly Angel had been injured. She was rushed, and didn’t see any underwear, so she just jumped into her jeans without them. She let out a whelp when the zipper closed over a few hairs in a rather tender area.

"Vixen," Tara whispered into Willow’s ear. "No panties. That’s very naughty." She adjusted her skirt and looked for her shoes.

Willow tried to glare at Tara but seeing her in a flowing maternity skirt made a smile blossom.

"Burn cream?" Buffy asked impatiently.

Willow looked at Tara and shrugged. She had no clue where her future self would keep anything. Until Buffy mentioned Angel being downstairs, Willow hadn’t even realized the house had two stories.

"In the bathroom," Tara bluffed. She smiled at Willow as Buffy hurried to a door on the other side of the bedroom. "Where else would we keep it?" she whispered.

Willow nodded and followed Tara toward the master bathroom.

"Got it!" Buffy yelled. She spun and paused in front of Tara, then dropped to her knees and kissed the blonde witch’s belly. She didn’t see Tara’s eyes threaten to pop out of her head or Willow’s matching stare. "How’s my niece?" Buffy asked and then stood. "Gotta’ run," she said with a smile. "Angel is such a crybaby." She trotted off.

"I guess he wasn’t out very long." Tara bit her lip and stared down the hallway where Buffy had just disappeared.

"Let’s go see if we can help." Willow took Tara’s hand. "Something big must be up if Angel’s here." She led her lover down the hallway to the top of a staircase. "Wow," Willow said as she looked down at the living room. It was tastefully decorated, but the furniture and artwork suggested that money was not going to be an issue in the future.

"There’s Mister Angel," Tara whispered. She gripped Willow’s hand as they made their way down the stairs.

"Ouch!" Angel yelled as Buffy rubbed the burn cream onto his nose. "Buffy!"

"Oh hush, you big baby." Buffy pushed him further back onto the couch and he winced when his burned back pressed into the cushion.

"It hurts," Angel whined.

"Be glad you don’t have skin cancer," Anya said as she walked into the room. She had a soda in one hand and a banana in the other. She waved up the stairs at Willow. "You’re out of diet soda," Anya said. "I know Tara’s as big as a house, but some of us want to watch our weight."

"Some things never change," Tara whispered in Willow’s ear.

Willow didn’t answer. She glared at Anya even as the two witches went over to the couch.

"Buffy!" Angel squirmed. "Stop it." He pushed her hands away.

"I told you to stay out of the sun." Buffy straddled him and pinned him to the couch. "Maybe now you’ll listen to me."

"You’re… sunburned," Willow said incredulously.

"We were only at the beach a few hours," Angel complained.

"Beach?" Willow spun and stared into Tara’s eyes. ‘Beach?’ she mouthed again.

Tara shrugged.

"You should sit," Anya said as she grabbed Tara and guided her to an overstuffed chair next to the couch. "Can’t have that baby coming out early."

"Umm… thanks," Tara said uncertainly. She smiled as she watched Anya pull over a footrest and then the former demon lifted Tara’s feet up and patted them.

Willow crossed her arms over her chest and felt a wave of jealousy as she watched Anya fussing over Tara. She went to Tara’s side and took her hand possessively.

"Geeze, Anya." Buffy rolled her eyes and caught Willow’s attention. "It’s only gonna’ get worse after the baby shower."

"It’s a little life," Anya said defensively. "It’ll be the first creature I get to meet as soon as it’s born… and Willow and Tara both already said I could be in the delivery room. I have to decide if I want one of these for Xander and I."

"X-xander junior?" Angel shuttered. "Let’s not go there."

"Hey!" Anya spun and glared at him. "Watch it! That’s my husband you’re defaming!"

Willow sat on the arm of the chair and stared at Angel. He was only a few feet away and she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She couldn’t imagine how he could have survived going out into the sun. She tilted her head and continued staring. Her eyes moved down past his red cheeks and down this neck and then she gasped. She could see the vein in his throat thumping rhythmically. Angel had a pulse.

"What?" Angel asked. He looked up at her with his dark eyes and then actually smirked as he shrugged. "Sunburn…who knew?"

Willow nodded, still in shock. Apparently whatever had made Angel human had removed a good chunk of his brooding melancholy. She had no way of knowing that even before she and Tara had come forward in time, Angel had spent time with Buffy as a human. He had been exposed to a demon’s blood and it had made him human again. He had spent a glorious day with Buffy happily joking and making love with her. All of that had been erased when Angel had to choose between his own salvation and keeping the world safe. Angel had reversed time to save Buffy and the world, giving up what he wanted most, a life as a normal man with the Slayer. Willow had no way of knowing that the same demon blood had been used to free Angel again.

"Willow?" Tara asked as she tugged on her lover’s hand.

"Huh?" Willow looked down at Tara.

"You okay?" She smiled and then she jumped when she felt Anya lift her blouse and expose her belly. She spun her head and watched as Anya reverently touched her belly.

"Well, hello there," Anya said seriously. "How’s life in the womb? Smooshy? I’ll bet it’s smooshy, and I’ll bet there’s a big slime factor too." She patted Tara’s stomach and sighed. "Don’t you worry. You’ll be outa’ there in no time and then I can teach you all about the slime-free world… and commerce. I’m good with commerce, and it’s thankfully slime free." She frowned. "Well, there are slime demons in Sunnydale, but I don’t think your mothers will let you anywhere near them for a few years."

"Damn right," Buffy said without turning. She smiled lovingly at Angel as she finished rubbing the soothing cream onto his cheeks. "All done." She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss.

"Buffy." He looked down and his cheeks reddened even more. "Not in front of everyone," he whispered shyly.

"Like Anya doesn’t suck face with Xander in front of us all the time." She ran her hand through Angel’s hair. It had grown out some and spread smoothly over his head instead of sticking straight up. "Besides, you don’t even want to know what I walked in on upstairs just now."

"You were having sex?" Anya accused. "You shouldn’t be wasting energy. Little Anyanka needs her rest." She patted Tara’s belly.

"Little Anyanka?" Willow and Tara said in unison. They spun and faced each other. Shock, horror, and fear filled their eyes.

"It’s better than Xandrina," Angel said with a smirk. He rested his hands on Buffy’s waist.

"Those are both perfectly good names," Anya whined.

"Then save ‘em for your own kids," Buffy said with a sweet smile.

"I still haven’t decided if I want to do the whole birth thing," Anya admitted. "I mean, I think I remember my own mother complaining about it. She was in labor with me for sixteen days…" She crinkled her brow and tilted her head. "Or was that hours?" She sighed. "Whatever. Sixteen minutes is too long if you ask me."

Tara shook her head and smiled. She looked up at Willow and saw that the redhead was smiling as well, but Willow’s smile was directed at Tara.

"Hi," Willow whispered. Her face was full of devotion and awe.

Tara smiled back, lost in Willow’s emerald eyes. She was yanked out of her reverie by Anya.

The former demon leaned down and kissed Tara’s belly and then she did something that neither Tara nor Willow would have expected, not even if they had gone into the future a thousand years. Anya sang.

"Hush little fetus, don’t you squall… Anya’s gonna’ buy you a crystal ball," Anya sang to the tune of ‘Hush little baby’ and the words took Willow and Tara by surprise.

The two witches stared wide-eyed as the exdemon continued.

"And if you still can't see beyond…Anya’s gonna buy you a magic wand. And if that wand don't change your fate… Anya’s gonna teach you to levitate. And if just floating makes you sick… Anya’s gonna buy you an incense stick." The former demon paused and patted Tara’s belly. "Now, you do know that when I say ‘buy,’ I mean accidentally borrow from grandpa Giles, right?"

Tara’s belly began to shake as laughter overtook her. She couldn’t contain it any longer and she had to cover her mouth as she snorted.

Willow laughed as well, and then slid into the chair beside Tara. It was tight fit, but neither woman minded.

"You’re laughing at my singing!" Anya moved back and stood. "I’ll have you know I sing very well." She pointed at Angel. "He sucks. He’s the one we beg not to go to the karioke bar." She sighed. "And yet it me who you laugh at. I’m telling Xander."

"I’m getting better," Angel said with a whine.

"Honey, for the love of god…" Buffy shivered playfully. "Just stay away from the microphone." She shook her head. "If I never hear another Barry Manilow song… it’ll be too soon."

"I was serenading you," Angel complained. "Lots of grooms do that."

"Angel, honey…please." Buffy took his sunburned cheeks in both hands. "Please… never again."

"Okay." His eyes drifted down.

"I still love ya,’" Buffy whispered.

He smiled and rested his arm around Buffy on the couch.

Willow stared in disbelief. She felt Tara tug on her arm and turned.

‘They’re married?’ Tara mouthed as she pointed to the ring finger on her left hand. Her eyes widened as she realized that she was wearing a band on that finger.

Willow saw it at the same time. She grabbed Tara hand and yanked it closer so she could look at the ring.

"You have one too," Tara whispered. She caressed Willow’s hand, tracing her finger over the gold band. They had been so busy that neither of them had noticed the rings.

"Yes, very nice rings," Anya said when she heard Tara’s comment. "We’ve all seen them. Lovely." She waved her left hand at the two witches. "Hello? I have rings too. How come no one comments about mine?"

"Dawn did call it gaudy last night," Angel volunteered.

"And don’t think I’ll be forgetting that little insult soon," Anya quipped.

"Wow," Willow whispered. She leaned over and kissed Tara’s ear and then used the opportunity to whisper to her lover. "I thought we had no future, and suddenly I can’t imagine wanting anything to be any different than it is right now." Her hand moved down to cup Tara’s belly. "I love you."

"No secrets," Buffy yelled. She shifted her weight and sat on Angel’s lap so she could see her friends. "Unless you’re talking about your little upstairs activities…then just keep them to yourself. I don’t need that kind of visual about my friends."

"Visuals?" Anya smiled brightly. "Did I tell you… Xander and I made a video…"

"Yes!" Buffy and Angel said in unison. They both sighed in perfect harmony.

"And no…" Buffy said as she rolled her eyes.

"We don’t want to see it," Angel finished his wife’s sentence as he shuddered.

Tara started to comment but then she felt lightheaded. "Willow?" she whispered, fear making her voice shake. Her vision darkened and then she felt like she was floating.

"Whoa," Willow said as she shook her head. Everything seemed to be spinning. She opened her eyes and saw that she and Tara were sitting in Tara’s dorm room inside the sacred circle. The homemade timer had worked, but it brought them back a bit early.

"Here," Tara said shakily. She thrust a notepad and a pen into Willow’s hands. The two scribbled quickly and then tossed aside the notepads.

"A baby," Willow whispered. She dove across the sacred circle and guided Tara onto the floor. "Kiss me while I still remember it all, darling."

"My Willow," Tara said with a delighted sigh. She moaned as Willow’s weight pressed down on her and they both lost themselves in the kiss. Clothes became bothersome, so they removed them as they continued kissing. Tara rolled over onto Willow and moved her mouth down so she could wrap her lips around Willow’s throat.

"Goddess, I love it when you do that." Willow whimpered as Tara continued sucking. She loved the feel of Tara marking her body, even it if did mean she had to wear outlandish scarves to cover the dark evidence of Tara’s possessive side.

"I don’t want to hurt you," Tara whispered as she kissed around the bandage on Willow’s shoulder. "I want you so much, darling." Her hand slid down Willow’s exposed flesh, pausing to tease her lover by tickling the auburn hairs at the top of her legs.

"Tara, please don’t make me beg." Willow guided Tara’s face up and they shared a heated kiss. "I need you, inside…right now."

"What if I want you to beg?" Tara asked as she licked Willow’s lips. "Hmm?"

"Please, Tara…oh goddess, Please take me." Willow wasn’t above begging, in fact, she rather liked that her outwardly shy lover could be so aggressive. "Please…please, baby."

"Of course, darling… if you’re gonna’ beg," Tara said wickedly. She raked her fingernails over the skin on Willow’s thigh, laughing when her lover moaned sensually beneath her touch. Their passion mounted even as their memories of the future faded away. Only a blissful feeling of contentment remained. That was quickly replaced by embarrassment.

"Oh geeze!" Buffy yelled as she spun around and tried not to look at her naked friends. "All I asked from you two was that I didn’t have to come in here in the middle of some Wiccan orgy…and what do I find? Hello? Naked witches rolling on the floor like Anya in heat."

"Sorry," Willow said sheepishly, though in truth she could never be sorry for loving Tara. "Clothes?" she whispered to her lover.

Tara tossed Willow her pants as she scurried across the room to get her own bra from the side of the lamp. "How’d this get way over here?" she whispered to herself.

"Perhaps Willow’s eager little hands helped," Buffy evilly suggested without turning. "She’s quite the helpful little witch apparently."

"How?" Tara squeaked as she turned toward Buffy.

"Slayer hearing," Buffy reminded her. "And right about now I am really cursing my Slayer vision. You do that I can take in every detail of something as soon as I see it, right?" she asked.

"You can what?" Willow struggled into her pants.

"Hey, Willow, nice hickey," Buffy said playfully without turning. "Two and a half inches below the left ear. Nice placement."

"Great, my best friend now has a permanent mental picture of my girlfriend naked," Willow grumbled.

"Trust me, no matter how cute Tara’s behind is, seeing her doing that has probably scarred me for life." Buffy covered her mouth with both hands. She slowly moved her fingers aside. "I SO did not just imply that Tara has a cute ass."

"Well, she does," Willow agreed as she pulled on a shirt. "Just remember, she’s all mine."

Tara straightened her sweater and tried not to look at Buffy. The blonde witch’s cheeks burned as she blushed. She wondered if it was possible to hide under the bed before Buffy turned back around.

"So is the big secret spell done?" Buffy asked.

"You can turn around," Willow said. She grabbed Tara’s hand and leaned down to look into her embarrassed lover’s eyes. "I’m sure she didn’t really see much," she whispered. She raised both eyebrows and smiled.

Tara nodded but wouldn’t look at Buffy.

"Much better," Buffy said when she saw that her friends were now fully clothed. She pointed at the timer in the sacred circle. "Hey, who made the Gilligan’s Island egg timer anyway?" She smirked and put one hand on her hip. "What, you couldn’t find coconuts?"

"Exactly how many ways are you going to come up with to tease us?" Willow inquired. She was feeling bolder now that she wasn’t completely naked.

"I don’t know," Buffy said absently. She moved closer to Tara and stared at the blonde’s chest. Even though Tara was now wearing a fluffy sweater, Buffy seemed to see right through it. She nodded at Tara’s voluptuous breasts. "So, does she always use those like handles?"

Willow’s eyes widened instantly and she opened her mouth but only a strangled squeak came out.

"As a matter of fact, no," Tara said calmly. There was no hint of her shutter and she locked eyes with the Slayer. "She only does that when I’m making love to her and she’s just about to—"

"Okay! You win!" Buffy covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. She backed away from Tara, having clearly been outmaneuvered in the game of cat and mouse. "I’ll be leaving now. Tell me how the spell worked out some time." She spun and ran from the room blushing at least three shades darker than fire engine red.

"T-t-tara!" Willow sputtered when the door closed with a resounding slam. She smirked and moved closer to her lover and began to giggle. "I can’t believe you did that."

Tara slowly turned and faced Willow. "I just told her the truth," Tara said seductively. An evil grin covered her face. Her tongue flickered out to wet her lips and then the blonde witch doubled over in a fit of giggles. "Oh goddess, did you see her face?"

Willow grabbed Tara and playfully pulled over to the bed and tossed her on to the blankets. "That was so not funny!" Willow said with a huge smile. She jumped on top of Tara and pinned her down. "Naughty witch," she said as she gently kissed Tara. "Naughty, naughty witch." She pressed Tara into the softness of the bed and deepened the kiss.

"Feels so good," Tara murmured when Willow moved her lips to the blonde’s neck.

"Yes, you do," Willow agreed. She continued nibbling on Tara’s neck and her hand edged down and cupped her lover’s breast.

Tara let out a shaking breath and bit her lip. "Like that handle, do you?" she managed to ask as she swallowed hard.

"Hush," Willow said huskily. She lifted her head and slowly pressed her mouth onto Tara’s. Her tongue met Tara’s in a slow, seductive dance that built in intensity as the moments passed. All that mattered was tasting the heat of Tara’s kiss. Something nagged at the back of Willow’s mind. She whimpered when Tara nipped her tongue. Willow shifted so she could get her hand under Tara’s sweater and the redhead moaned at her lover’s softness. She wanted to map every part of Tara’s mouth, to write down every one of her secrets, and that thought pulled Willow out of her passionate haze.

"What?" Tara asked. She pressed her hand onto her sweater to keep Willow’s hand in place against her breast. "Come back." She lifted her head and tried to nip Willow’s chin.

"We didn’t look at our notes," Willow said quietly. "Oh," she moaned when Tara lifted a knee between her legs. "That’s…oh… Tara…" She swallowed, her dry throat making an audible gulp. "Shouldn’t we look at them?" she asked in tone several notes higher than normal. "Oh, goddess." Her tone dropped in the opposite direction when Tara’s hand somehow managed to get under Willow’s shirt and wrap around her small breast. "Okay, oh…well… oh my."

"Note?" Tara asked. Her eyes shot open and she rolled to one side and tossed Willow off of her body. "Where are they?" She climbed up scanned the floor. "There," she said as she hurried across the room.

"Um, honey… I think you left something unfinished over here." Willow was on her back, propped up on her elbows. She had a particularly frustrated look on her face.

"You wanted the notes." Tara came back to the bed and sat cross-legged next to her lover. She handed Willow a notepad. "You wanna’ read mine or yours?"

"Let’s read ‘em together," Willow suggested. She sat up and tried to push her arousal into the back of her mind. That was difficult because her pulse had relocated between her legs.

"I’ve got yours," Tara said. She wiggled her shapely behind a little closer to her lover.

"Let’s see." Willow sat up and draped her arm behind Tara and rested her chin on the soft shoulder of her lover.

"Hmm." Tara’s tongue edged out between her lips as she concentrated. "Oh… my."

"Okay, that’s just odd." Willow stared at the notepad and her brow furrowed. "Get Tara’s tattoos?" She read the note written in her own hand. It was punctuated with an exclamation point, an exclamation point with a happy-face for a dot. "I mean, it’s intriguing but not really what I expected to bring back from beyond. How is that a life shaping—"

Tara spun and shoved Willow onto the bed and kissed her.

"Mmm?" Willow gasped for breath after a few kisses that threatened to both take away her breath and make her breathe like a freight train. "Wow," she managed to choke out before Tara was kissing her again. "Oh my." She saw a rainbow of sparks behind her closed eyes when Tara’s hands began tracing over southern parts of the redhead’s body.

"I love you so much," Tara said huskily. "You’re my life, Willow Rosenburg." She had Willow trapped to the bed and was resting with her weight mostly on the smaller woman. She used one hand to trace the delicate curve of Willow’s cheek. "You’re my everything."

"Ya’ know, I was thinking about getting a little dolphin on my ankle and wasn’t sure you’d like it." Willow had an enigmatic grin and her eyes were hooded. She was aroused, even if she was a little confused by her lover’s enthusiastic response to the note. "If I’d known you liked ‘tats’ this much, I woulda’ told you ages ago."

"Oh, honey." Tara giggled and rested her head on Willow’s chest. "We so need to talk."

"What? You don’t like dolphins?" Willow shifted her weight to one side. Tara’s forehead was pressing the bandage on her shoulder. "How about a little kitty?"

"I want a baby." Tara lifted her face and her serene smile would have made Willow’s knees buckle if she weren’t lying down already.

"Okay," Willow said slowly and more than a little confused. "I’ve never seen a tattoo of a baby…but if it’ll make you that happy…"

"Not a tattoo-baby." Tara rolled her eyes and kissed her lover’s chest. "Willow…" She moved her hand down and squeezed Willow’s tummy. "I want your baby."

A red eyebrow shot high onto Willow’s forehead and confusion filled her grass colored eyes. Her flushed cheeks began to pale slightly.

"I want to have a baby with you," Tara clarified. "The tattoo I’ve been wanting is an Amazon Incantation." She saw some understanding dawning in Willow’s eyes. "This spell… will allow you and I to have our child." She smiled introspectively and cupped Willow’s chin. "You’d be the daddy… well…kinda.’"

"We…you… us…" Willow felt her head spin. "Baby?" She looked like her mainframe had frozen up. The poor redhead was multitasking beyond her considerable capacity.

Tara nodded and combed her fingers through Willow’s hair. She moved her fingers slowly, using the opportunity to massage her lover’s scalp.

"And you want the baby now?" Willow asked. Some of the color began coming back to her face and her sparkling eyes looked like there were actually some brain functions now going on behind them.

"I want the first tattoo now," Tara said as she continued her loving attention to Willow’s hair and scalp. She leaned down and kissed the worry lines on Willow’s forehead. "The incantation is in four parts. We both have to get the tattoos. We get one for each of the four quarters." Tara took a deep breath and swallowed. "We have to wait a year and a day between each section of the tattoo." She caught Willow’s eyes and held her lover’s gaze. "So even if we started today…which we don’t have to… I couldn’t get pregnant for at least four years."

"Oh…" A wave of relief washed away the last of Willow’s worry lines.

"Honey, I want to finish school first." Tara giggled and gave her trapped lover a gentle shake. "Geeze, breathe, Willow. It’s not like I want to get a family dorm room and start changing diapers next semester." She giggled, enjoying her partner’s plight.

"But you do want to have my baby?" Willow allowed the joy of that thought to fill her. Now that she knew Tara didn’t want to bring a baby into their life in the next nine months, she was more relaxed. She thought about a life made from her love for Tara and smiled.

"Very much," Tara whispered. She grinned affectionately and wiped a tear from Willow’s cheek.

"I’d like that too," Willow said huskily and then sniffled. "Very much." She rolled over and effectively switched positions with Tara. The blonde was now on her back with Willow pressing her into the bed. "I can’t think of anything more beautiful." She moved her hand down and cupped Tara’s belly. A waved of contentment and joy filled her heart.

Tara’s eyes widened. She felt the surge of emotion as well. "I think…" She moved her hand down and covered Willow’s. "I think that I was… in the future…"

"Pregnant," Willow finished for her. "I love you." Willow was nodding as she leaned down for a kiss. It was a quick kiss, full of promise. "I think you were too." Willow squeezed Tara’s belly. "And I can’t wait." She inhaled slowly and then rested her face on Tara’s breast. A slow sigh followed as she closed her eyes. Four years and nine months suddenly seemed like an eternity.

They stayed that way for some time. They mentioned the other note, but at the moment, they just wanted to revel in the notion that they were going to share a child. It was Willow who broke the silence first.

"You know, if that was my note from the future, then there must not be anything evil lurking there for us." She still had her palm pressed to Tara’s belly, except she had moved her hand under her lover’s sweater so she could feel skin on skin. "I pretty much decided to write myself a warning if we needed… well… a warning."

"Goddess, Willow. I’m so happy with your note…" Tara was playing with the whisper soft hairs at the base of Willow’s neck. She was imagining that their daughter’s hair would feel just the same. "I feel so blessed. I wonder if we should even look at my note."

"What?" Willow sat up and furrowed her brow. "But that’s like taking your SATs and just never picking up the results." Her malachite eyes showed her shock. "It’s just wrong. There’s knowledge to be had and we should be having it because it’s there for us and we’re here to have it and well… it’s knowledge."

"I hope you never stop babbling." Tara sat up and took both of Willow’s hands and lifted them to her mouth. She kissed each knuckle, loudly smacking her lips as she exaggerated each touch.

"So can we look?" Willow asked with a quirky grin. "I mean, when you’re done kissing the Willowhands." She nodded toward the hands in question.

"That might be a while." Tara continued smacking her lips on each digit. She moved her attention to the pad of each finger and she began to toss in a tiny nip with each kiss.

"I can wait." Willow pouted. "I don’t need a message from beyond." She sighed dramatically.

"Vixen." Tara leaned back and grabbed the notebook she had used to write her message.

"Hey, you missed two fingers." Willow waggled the two offended digits at her lover.

Tara put the notebook on Willow’s lap and grabbed her hand. She covered the two fingers with loud kisses. "Better?" she asked.

"For now," Willow conceded. She waited until Tara scooted over to her side before she opened the notebook. Willow’s jaw dropped when she read her lover’s bold block writing.

There was only one word. ‘Yes.’

A smile spread across Tara’s face like wildfire. She reached down and traced the three letters with reverence.

"Yes?" Willow asked incredulously. "You were allowed three words and you only used one. That’s like intentionally leaving two thirds of your SAT bubbles blank." She looked at her lover. "What does that mean?" She pointed at the page.

"Everything," Tara said cryptically. She closed the notebook and pushed Willow back onto the bed. "It means everything." She climbed onto her lover and smiled down at her.

"Tell me." Willow took Tara’s hands and held them to her chest. She ignored the slight pain from her injured shoulder as she watched love, contentment, and mischief war for dominance on Tara’s face.

"I asked myself a few questions before we left." Tara leaned down and kissed Willow’s forehead. "I needed to know a few things," she explained as she kissed Willow’s cheeks. "Are you and I happy together?" She nudged Willow’s lips apart and left a tender kiss. "Is everyone still alive?" She nipped Willow’s bottom lip. "And… are all of our friends happy?" She traced her lover’s jaw with one finger. "Apparently, I only needed one word." Her eyes shined.

"I have three words that I really need to use," Willow whispered.

"What are they?" Tara asked coyly. "Is the first word ‘I’ and the last word ‘you?’ Because…I think I can guess the middle word."

Willow shook her head.

Instead of asking for an explanation, Tara simply raised one eyebrow.

"Marry me, Tara," Willow whispered.

Tara leaned down and gave Willow a kiss that seemed like it would never end. Each touch of lips blended with the next, each touch started fires that threatened to consume, and each touch expressed a tenderness that spoke of lifelong devotion.

"Are you gonna’ give me an answer?" Willow asked when the kiss finally did end.

Tara reached over and pulled her notebook closer and then handed it to Willow. She opened the page to the only word her heart needed and she smiled.

No more words were spoken for a very long time. The two witches made love and let their hearts speak through their bodies. Every touch was a benediction, every kiss a promise, and every sigh a validation. Two souls met and decided to believe, to believe in a future together. From that day forward life would not be tossed into danger’s path. It would be revered and held close, because they knew that forever was within their reach. All they had to do was choose not to push it away. They grabbed it and held it in their interlocked hands.

That paper would be carefully torn from the notebook and pressed under glass and kept next to the bed in every home the two witches would share. Eventually, it would be handed down to proud woman, a woman who had been a precious little girl with red-gold hair and warm blue eyes.

The End.

Thanks for reading

* The word’s to Anya’s song were taken from "The Pagan Baby Song," author unknown.