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Willow's Revelation
Since Buffy's death, Willow had been desperately trying to find a way to bring her back. She was still at the Magic Box, going through the books, both reference and magical. Everyone else had left, including Anya, who had parted with several words on the way out; by the sounds of it, Anya had planned to spend some time in the training room, "training" with Xander.
The shop was dark apart from the area around Willow's table, so she was surprised to see the darkness recede as a light appeared behind her. She looked behind her and saw a gently glowing, and partially transparent, Tara.
"How... how are you doing that, Tara?" Willow asked.
"Because I'm dead Willow," said the glowing Tara. As Willow's face started to collapse, the figure quickly continued "But don't worry, I'm not your Tara. She's still alive. For now. You need to stop what you are doing before it's too late," said this other Tara.
"But, but I can't," cried Willow. "I can't leave Buffy stuck in a hell dimension!"
"I know," said Tara, "and you wouldn't be a good friend if you could. But you need to answer a couple of questions. Do you think Buffy is a bad person?"
"Of course I don't! She's the best person I know! She sacrificed herself to save Dawn, to save the world."
"Then why would you think she'd been sent to a hell dimension?"
This was a question that Willow had never thought to ask herself, and now she wondered why. Why had she assumed that Buffy would have gone to a hell dimension? Because Angel did? Or had she just not wanted to consider that, because she wanted her friend back? Or, and the possibility made her shudder, could she herself have been influenced in some way?
"But-but what about Angel?" she said. "He-he went to a hell dimension when he died."
"Angel went through a portal physically. Buffy did not. She died in this world, and her soul wasn't released until she died. If you continue, your Tara will die and so will many others. And Buffy will be ripped away from her rightful reward for all her sacrifices, to a place that is, to her, hell," said the ghostly Tara. "I am not the Tara of your future, but of another one where you continued this quest. And I have been allowed to give you a warning that my Willow never received."
Ghost Tara gave the smile that had melted Willow's heart. "You may not be my Willow, but I'm so happy to see you anyway." She faded away into a single point of light that winked out.
Willow sighed and put her books away. For tonight, at least. She was going to have to do some more research; she couldn't dismiss Ghost Tara's warning without looking into it, but neither could she automatically assume it was true. There could be others who wanted Buffy to stay dead.
And if it was true... well, she'd have to say goodbye to her friend once again, this time forever. And tell the rest of the Scoobies the same and why.
Maybe magic wasn't the magical fix for everything it sometimes seemed like.