Author: drdj2006
Rating: R or up, not sure yet
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to BtVS blah blah blah.
Note: Thoughts are in italics, and flashbacks are titled and indented.

FLASH BACK

"Kara I'm home." A call came from the front door as a man walked in caring a briefcase and news paper. As he waited for his wife to answer his call he sat down his briefcase and newspaper.

"Hi Giles how was your day." A woman wearing a cut off t-shirt and work faded blue jeans came down the stairs.

"Oh hi Buffy it was rather depressing. Where is your mother?" the man pulled off his trench coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door. He was wearing a gray tweed suit and tie.

"They went out to the barn to check on Harmony." The girl picked up the news paper and shuffled through it until she found the funnies and pulled it out.

"Now you have it all out of order and I will have to try to figure it out and put it back together" the man picked up the scrambled peaces and looked through them.

"Relax it's not that bad and Will can go through it before you get to reading and put it back in order" Buffy looked over the Comic strip "Goodie they have Marmaduke it this one. I haven't seen that in a long while" She walked away reading the short stories and laughing.

"Hi honey" he herd behind him and turned to see his wife and other daughter enter the door. "I thought you were going to be late tonight"

"Hi dear." He kissed his wife and hugged his daughter. In a sad voice he continued "I received some bad news today while at work and decided I needed to come home early"

"Oh dear what happened" a worried look crossed over her face as she saw Rupert look down. "Is everything ok?"

He shook his head and pulled an envelope out of his pocket. "We should do this with Buffy here also" He looked in the direction his eldest daughter had gone.

"Of course dear. Willow go get your sister" She put a hand on Willows Back and Guided her in the right direction "what is it Rupert" She held out her hand for the envelope and waited for him to hand it to her.

He handed her the envelope "It's Xander and Faith."

She pulled out the letter and red it quickly "No it can't... they can't... Willow..."

"I know it will be hard on her" he watched as the girls walked back in to the hall by the door with their parents.

"What will be hard on who?" Willow turned to Buffy looking worried.

"Mom Dad what happened" Buffy looked to the papers in her moms hands.

Rupert put a hand on his wife's shoulder "Girls something has happened with..."

"Xander and Faith" Willow began to shake "I... I can see the names" Willow grabbed the envelope and papers with shaking hands and watery eyes she read.

"They were on a search and recover hostage mission in Kufa Iraq" Rupert started.

"Their bodies weren't found. they could be alive and hostage. or something" Willow looked to Buffy both shaking and crying.

"Willow baby" Kara held Willow "our best wish for them is to be dead and not hostage"

"A witness said that everyone was killed and he left for dead" Rupert looked down "I'm sorry girls. I know what they meant to you and."

"MEANT, WHAT THEY MENT TO US." Willow choked through a sob "HE MEANS THE WORLD TO ME. XANDER IS MY BROTHER THE ONLY THING THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR ME" She was screaming at them at everyone "WHEN I WAS LEFT ALONE HE KEPT ME ALIVE HE HELD ME THAT NIGHT HE LET ME CRY LIKE I HAD NEVER CRIED BEFORE" she tossed the papers in to his face "HE MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME AND NOTHING WILL EVER CHANGE THAT"

"What did I miss" A voice came from the door. A man stood there in a black leather coat and jeans. His skin was white and his hair was bleached from the sun.

Willow looked over and brought her anger rushing down on the man "SPIKE YOU INSENCITIVE PRICK BASTARD" Willow rammed in to him shoving him back agents the still open door.

"Bloody hell" he cried when the door knob rammed in to his back.

"Willow" Rupert called after her "Willow come back"

"Willow" Buffy ran out the door and tried to keep up but failed when Willow got to the woods. "Shit she always does this" Buffy was breathing heavy when she stopped "Willow" she screamed hopping it would help but it didn't "Where the fuck does she go when she runs." Buffy went back in to the house to start a search party "God I miss you Faith you could always find her."

END FLASH BACK

The air was thick and smelled heavily of lavender oil. Willow recognized the smell from all the times she would burn it. It is used for easing depression and speeding the healing process. She felt like shit, not only did her head throb but her entire body throbbed. She tried to move but her head swam with a wave of nausea. She groaned as she relaxed in to the bed. The bed was soft and warm she couldn't ever remember being so comfortable. She knew she wasn't home but some how she wasn't scared she was relaxed and felt safe in a way she only felt with Xander.

Willow opened her eyes and saw that she was in a one room cabin, or that's what it looked like. She tried to sit up again and groaned as the nausea came back. She pushed even harder wanting to sit up but her muscles were screaming and she couldn't quite make it. She started to relax when a hand started to push on her lower neck and between her shoulders. With the help Willow was able to sit up and look to see who had helped her.

"You shouldn't be trying to sit up" a girl stood beside her with her hand still on Willows back. "You're weak and hurt and look like shit."

Willow looked at the girl in surprise "Who are you? And where am I?" Her voice was scrachey and talking made her throat hurt.

"I'm Tara and this is my house" she raised her hands to the room. "Now I have some questions." Tara pulled a small table over to the bed. "Who are you?"

"Me... um... I'm no-one." With a pain filled groan Willow moved so that she was leaning on the wall.

"Ok so do you have a name or do I just call you no one?" Tara was putting assorted dishes on the small table.

"Oh my name is Willow" she looked down at her legs and arms and fro the first time realized how cut up she was.

"The worst is on your head Willow" Tara noticed that she was checking out her cuts and marks. "From your last fall I think it's just under your hair line. Then another one under your eye it was hard to fix up. You shouldn't be able to feel the pain I have a lot of numbing meds on it." She handed some pills to willow and some water. "Take this it should help with the rest of the pain."

"Um. what is it" Willow looked at the pills.

"Simple aspirin" she turned back to the table "are you hungry?"

Willow took the pills and looked up quickly "yes very hungry, very, very hungry, stressing the very in very, very hungry. I haven't eaten since breakfast it was time for lunch when I left. So what do we have, what kind of food. Well I really don't care what kind of food. As long as it's eatable it's good enough for me. I'm sorry I tend to babble and that can be bad and when I ramble I start to notice it but then I ramble about my rambling and I'm just gona be quiet now." Willow looked down and put her hand on her head feeling for the cuts.

Tara doubled over laughing "oh goddess" she continued laughing "sorry" more laughing "its just that was so cute" she finished laughing and wiped a tears from her eyes. "Was that all in one breath?"

"Yes and it was not funny." Willow felt the cut on her forehead "and why or how do I have stitches in my head?"

"There are some under your eye too." Tara handed Willow a mirror "I had to put them in the cut was too deep and split to grow bock together it shouldn't scar too much though."

"So food" Tara handed Willow a plate and utensils "I will be back soon."

"Where are you going? When will you get back? What do I do while you're gone?" Willow panicked as Tara walked away.

Tara turned to face Willow while she answered her questions "I'm going out to get water and some herbs and other natural gifts. I shouldn't be more than an hour. You will eat then probably fall asleep, side affect of the medicine." The worry on Willows face prompted her to continue "Relax sweetie your safe here I don't know what you were running from but it wont get you here"

Willow nodded and watched Tara leave as she ate her food. She saw that it wasn't only one room but it was connected to a hall with one or more rooms off that. The room was big and had cupboards and shelves all over. There were book cases filled and over flowing with books and many different candles and oils and incense sticks placed about the room. She looked up at the ceiling and found a multi colored star and circle, note to self ask about the ceiling. With that she finished her food, feeling slightly less pain, lay down and curled up under the blankets. Feeling warm and safe she pushed all thoughts of Xander and Faith from her mind and fell in to a dark sleep.