Author: Crimson Vampire Goddess
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Okay, so I borrowed most of the characters and the plot. But the new settings came from my own mind! *indignantly*

"Oh, Goddess. I...I need to go home." Willow said standing.

"No, I need to lie down." She said as she fell back into the couch.

"Connor turns six in a week!" Willow said trying to get her mind around what she'd just been told.

"Why don't you take a few of my books and read through them?" Giles offered.

"Here, I'll get them together and I'll drive you home."

"ARE YOU KIDDING?!" Willow shouted.

"I can't go home. If I go home and tell Tara I think her son is the spawn of the devil she'll crucify me!" Willow stopped realizing the irony in that statement.

"Well what are you going to do? It's past midnight; if you stay out any longer she'll call the police if she hasn't already." Giles said

"Okay, I'll take some books home and read, a lot, and then I'll try to talk to Tara. I can do that...can't I?" Willow asked herself in a whisper.

"Can't you what?" Giles asked confused and slightly worried by the distant look on Willow's face.

"Talk to Tara...I don't know if I can." Willow said sitting up.

"Why? Don't you trust her?"

"No, I don't."

"Stop it, Connor! It's not funny so just stop making up such horrible things!" Tara yelled, tears streaming down her face. Tara couldn't believe this was happening. She was losing her wife now she was losing her son and she was afraid; afraid she was going to lose her already fractured family completely.

"But, mommy, I'm not making it up!" Connor nearly whined.

"ENOUGH! Go to your room right now! We'll talk about this when your mother gets home." Tara said angrily.

"She's not my mother." And with that, Connor turned and went up stairs.

"I...I resent her...she knew what he did to me...I told her it wasn't an accident but she brought him back into my house anyway...she said I was being childish, overreacting." Willow said trying to work out her tangled emotions.

"Do you still love her?" Giles asked.

"Yes, but how can I stay with her if I don't trust her?"

"Well, I suggest, for the time being, you go home and try to make it work with Tara. If for no other reason than you don't need any other distractions while you are figuring out what to do with Connor." Giles said as he stood and picked a few books from the mountain on his desk.

"Now, these should do to start with..." Giles said pushing a large pile of books into Willow's arms.

"Start!? Where's finish!?" Willow said tilting slightly to make up for the extra weight.

"Where the hell have you been!?" Tara yelled jumping up off of the couch when Willow entered the front door.

"It's well past midnight!" Tara said waiting for Willow to put the books down. As soon as the books were deposited safely on the table Tara flung her self into her wife's arms. Burying her face into Willows shoulder, she began to cry.

"Tara? Tara, baby? What is it, what's wrong?" Willow asked stunned before wrapping her arms around Tara and rubbing her back in small soothing circles.

"I was s-so scared. I w-was so scared someth-thing had h-happened to you. All these h-horrible scenarios kept playing in my head. And then Connor started making up these t-terrible stories." Tara sobbed, tightening her hold on Willow.

"It's okay, it's going to be okay." Willow soothed.