"The Price"
By Miss UK (edit/rewrites by Princess Plum Jade)
~Epilogue~ � The Price


Willow awoke smiling. She stretched herself languidly and turned to the most cherished thing in her life. She was gone.

The space where Tara had lain was now cold and her imprint on the bed clothes was rapidly retreating.

Willow closed her eyes as an incredible wave of pain crashed over her entire self�her mind, her feelings, even her physical body.  Blinding scarlet rage followed the pain�How COULD she?  How could she LEAVE me?  I SAVED HER LIFE!�but it was short-lived.  Willow sighed softly and inevitable tears leaked from her eyes. 

She had lost her love, her dearest Tara. 

But she had not lost her last night or even last month.  Tara had been lost to her since Warren�s stray bullet had mortally pierced Tara�s heart. 

Willow had done her best to rescue her dying lover without considering the awful consequences of that choice.  She had had two months to consider them after the fact.  It was really not Tara who had changed, although she had undergone a drastic physical transformation, Willow realised.  It was herself.  The Willow she had been only two years ago, a young practicing witch hungry for knowledge and experience, would never have abused her powers as she had in the last few months.  She had always been an avid student, a perfectionist.  She had acquired great power in her quest for knowledge.  She�d even had the moxie to stand up to a demonic goddess.  She had kept the group of Slayerettes together in the dark summer after Buffy�s death and helped hold the town against all the demon and vampire low-life who slunk in at the rumours the town was no longer defended by a Slayer. 

She alone had made the sacrifices needed to resurrect Buffy from her unnatural death and now she carried the burden of knowing she'd ripped one of her dearest friends from a heavenly dimension she hadn't wanted to leave.  You think I would have learned! Willow nearly choked as she laughed and sobbed at the same time.  

Willow�s basic goodness forced her to acknowledge to herself that somewhere along the way she had compromised her moral integrity.  She had condemned Tara to a �life� destined for loneliness and rejection because she could not bear the thought of being parted from her lover even by the cold hand of Death.  Willow did not yet have the skill to restore mortality itself.  Even if she did find a way, who knew what consequences that option might carry with it?  Tara would never be part of the human world again.  Willow had locked her out of it and barred the way forward to whatever came afterward.

Willow pulled a tissue from a box on the nightstand.  She blew her nose and  wiped her eyes, graciously accepting the reality that Tara was not coming back.

At least, she has Angel. Willow�s moist lips smiled a little at that comforting thought.  Angel was a good person and perhaps he understood Tara more than any other creature on the planet.  And who knew better how to take care of her?  Willow blinked at the parted curtains of her bedroom window.  If Tara had fallen asleep in here...

�Good luck.�  Somehow, giving up wasn�t nearly as painful as Willow had expected after all the earlier grief and distress.  In fact, there was a sweet relief to it.  Willow felt like she was discarding a heavy load of pain she hadn�t realised she was carrying.

Tara�s ghost words rang once more in her ears, as she acknowledged that last night was merely one final goodbye.

�Never doubt that I love you�.
      

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tara took a deep unnecessary breath as she opened the door to the Hyperion Hotel. This is where she belonged now, with her Angel, her saviour, her sire. She had never felt so complete or full of purpose as she stepped into the foyer.

He was there waiting for her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Finis~



Author�s Notes: I would like to express the sincerest of gratitudes to Princess Plum Jade for all of her input, additions, suggestions and general editorial tweaks.  You're one in a million Plummy.

Editor�s Notes: It is rare when a fanfiction attracts my attention to the point where I get really excited and interested in it.  �The Price� is certainly just such a fic and I cannot believe how it affected me.  I can never express what a wonderful opportunity it was for me to contribute to the re-write and editing of �The Price.�  I think I�m an Angel/Tara shipper irrevocably at this point.  Aw, who am I kidding?  I like Angel/us no matter who he�s with! LOL But truly, this is a project that really inspired and invigorated me.  I am honoured to have been part of it.

Please please PLEASE leave feedback for Miss U.K. and maybe she�ll write us a sequel!

(Plum smiles and licks her lips imagining Angel(us)/Tara SMUTTY GOODNESS.  As long as it�s true love!)



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