Tara, You're Back
Buffy stood behind Willow and looked at her as she sat in her bedroom. Things had changed a lot since Warren had gunned Tara down. After turning evil, running amok and trying to end the world, Willow had wanted to cast a spell to reanimate Tara, in the same way that Jack and his friends had been reanimated. Buffy and her friends had pointed out first; that what Willow was likely to get by doing that was an evil, demonic version of Tara at best and a shambling, decaying zombie Tara with no personality left at worst, and second, that the phase of the moon needed by the spell would not arrive for weeks, by which time Tara's body would be rotting.
After Tara's funeral Willow put a big poster she had made for her of Tara in her bedroom, and then withdrew into herself, muttering quietly and pretending Tara was with her. Willow turned around and looked up at Buffy, and then smiled for the first time since Tara died, with a strange look in her dark green eyes.
"Tara, you're back...I've missed you so much, Warren shot you and I thought you were dead and..."
Buffy raised a hand to silence the Willow-babbling. "Willow, I..." She looks so happy, like the Willow of old times, so I'll play along with it for now. She's just play-acting; she knows who I truly am. Doesn't she?
"I'm back." Buffy moved closer expecting that Willow would hug her, but she was unprepared for what Willow did next. Willow hugged her tightly and kissed her on the lips, and when Buffy opened her mouth to protest, Willow's tounge slipped in.
This is wrong, so wrong, but it's Willow doing it, my best friend, who has saved my life several times when we went out slaying together. And it feels soft, and warm and good...and it seems to be making Willow happy...
Willow pulled away, only to plant soft little butterfly kisses on Buffy's forehead and eyelids, cheeks and chin, neck and lips that felt so soft and sweet. Buffy made no move to wipe them away, partly to avoid making Willow unhappy and partly because she realised she liked them. But I'm not gay...never have been... Willow pulled Buffy onto the bed and Buffy thought 'Ok, if this is going where I think it is I'm not ready for it.'
"Willow, I've been through a lot recently and I'd just like to cuddle on the bed and look into your eyes for a while, if that's ok."
As Buffy lay on the bed with Willow looking into her eyes she decided that it was not so bad pretending to be Tara for a bit if it made Willow into her happy, babbling self again. Of course, if Willow genuinely started thinking she was Tara then it would be a problem, perhaps quite a serious one, one Giles would need to help her with, but for now, the kisses, the cuddles and above all, the look of happiness on the face of her best friend was worth it.