Title: Sonata.

Author: A.M. Glass

EMail: glasswrks@yahoo.com

Copyright: Oct. 31st, 2002

Revised: Nov. 2nd, 2002

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Although I don't mention Tabula Rasa, Entropy, or Seeing Red, this story takes place after those episodes. This story does however does not follow cannon, in other words, Tara is still very much alive.

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Fox Studios, Mutant Enemy, et al, have something to do with "Buffy The Vampire Slayer". No copyright infringement is intended or inferred. The story along with any/all original characters are the sole property of the author and cannot be used without expressed permission first.

Thanks: Goes to Fiona, my beta reader for this endeavor. Note: I haven't written anything in three months and that's not to say I haven't had an idea or two roaming in my noggin lo' these many months, it's just that I had nothing to write. I had writers block and to tell you the truth, I was a bit worried. Of course this is just one story. I could find myself tapped out once again. SO, I thought I should get this out, just in case.

Groaning in her sleep, she reached out, her hand automatically seeking the warmth of her heart's mate.

And as she began to drift back towards consciousness, she frowned as her hand continued to slide across the sheets unhindered.

There were some reasons why this would happen.

A trip for water perhaps?

But there were other reasons:

Ones she herself had caused.

Those reasons made her shiver as she recalled them.

She believed that her friends thought they knew how she had felt, but they couldn't.

It wasn't possible.

She wasn't sure herself how she had managed to *live*...

If that's what you would call those desolate days and weeks she had spent alone fighting her addiction.

Only she knew that she was simply going through the motions.

Sleepwalking through the landscape that was her existence.

But, that had changed.

It wasn't easy.

Things never were, especially living in Sunnydale.

As her eyes blinked open, she realized that there was something ...easy.

Easier than taking a breath...

After all, she rationalized breathing could be controlled, changed, forced, stopped.

But the one thing that she was certain of was this:

Loving her was easy.

She smirked as she sat up in bed.

'She's not *easy* easy,' she thought to herself.

She sat in bed for a few minutes, before cocking her head to the left.

She thought she could hear:

'Music? At,' she glanced at the clock. "Three o'clock in the morning?" she wondered out loud.

Pushing the blankets to the side, Willow got out of bed and grabbing her robe, wandered out of their bedroom.

She could hear the faint notes coming from the living room. When she reached the entrance she gasped.

She stared in awe as the pale moonlight streamed in through the windows, caressing the flawless skin. The shoulders moving slightly, punctuating certain notes and the hands, the ones that had brought her to the heights of ecstasy many times, slid gracefully across the keys.

They no longer lived with Buffy and the piano had been a recent addition.

She had heard the piece, Moonlight Sonata more times than she could count, yet she had never been struck by the simple majesty of watching the other half of her soul play it with such passion. The beauty of it left her aching and breathless.

She watched as her loves' head dipped and swayed in time with the music.

She dared not take a step closer, suddenly terrified of breaking the spell that kept her captive. She could tell that the piece was coming to an end and she did not want it to stop.

Deep sadness made its way to the surface, evidenced by the tears that flowed down her face unheeded, and the passion that took her to heights unknown before.

"Don't cry Willow," she heard as the music faded.

"Please... don't stop," she answered, her voice thick with emotion.

Once again the haunting melody filled the room.

"Come sit with me."

Forcing her feet to uproot themselves, Willow made her way across the cool hardwood floor.

"It's so beautiful," she whispered. She could not stop the gasp, as a smile graced her lover's, her Tara's face.

"Not as beautiful as you are," Tara replied honestly, turning to look at Willow, losing herself in the green eyes that echoed the love she felt.

"You were gone," Willow said, as she watched Tara's hands dance across the keys.

"Only for a little while," she answered as she continued to play. "But, I'll always come back Willow."

The redhead looked up.

"Always?"

They had had this conversation in one form or another in the past. And no matter what was being *said*, they both knew what the other *meant*.

"Always."

Willow smiled as Tara once again soothed her battered soul in a way no one else could, or ever would.

"Let's go to sleep," Tara said as she finished the piece.

Taking Willow's hand in hers, they stepped away from the piano bench and walked back across the living room and towards their bedroom.

Shutting the door behind them, Tara led Willow to the bed, slowly pulling loose the belt closing the robe, her gaze solely focused on Willow's face.

Sliding the robe off Willow's shoulders, Tara placed it on the foot of the bed. She watched as Willow got into bed, pulling the covers up.

Unable to resist her heart's demand Tara bent down and gently brushed Willow's lips with hers. She smiled as a faint blush covered Willow's features.

She walked around the edge of the bed, feeling Willow's gaze following her every step. After placing her robe next to Willow's, Tara slipped underneath the sheets.

"Better?" she asked as she scooted next to Willow and positioned herself in the crook of Willow's neck.

"Mmm... much."

"Try to get some sleep," Tara whispered as she leaned up and placed a kiss on Willow's cheek. She slid her arm around Willow's waist and closed her eyes.

"I love you Tara," Willow said as she kissed her temple.

"Never doubt that I love you too sweetheart."

Willow sighed contentedly.

And as her hand gently stroked Tara's arm, she smiled as the warmth she had sought out earlier, now surrounded her.

Warming the coldest places of her being.

Letting go of the fear that she wasn't good enough for Tara, she slowly slipped back into slumber's embrace with the sound of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata echoing in her mind.

And Tara's love in her heart.

The End.