Together Again: Down the Rabbit Hole
by littlewiccan
Willow was standing in a hospital's entrance lobby or that’s where she thought she was at least. The entire lobby was stark white save for the linoleum floor and reception desk which were a be-speckled grey color. The ceiling was adorned with florescent lights. There were few people around save for a few coming and going, the lady at the reception desk, and a nurse talking to a young girl.

For some reason the young girl caught Willow's attention. She looked to be about 13 and she was wearing a candy striper uniform, a new recruit Willow thought. She wasn't sure why but Willow felt a strong connection to this girl. She had never seen her before in her life yet she felt a strong connection to her. The young girl reminded Willow of herself at that age, awkward and shy.

Then something hit her, she was standing in the lobby of a hospital but she had no idea where the hospital was or why she was there. Willow walked up to the reception desk intent on asking the lady there but when she got there she realized she had no idea what to ask the receptionist. What was she suppose to do ask her if anyone of the following people had been checked in at this hospital? No, Willow thought that was a bad idea. The receptionist would probably think it was a practical joke of some kind and even if she didn't it would take far too long for her to enter all the names in her computer. Willow was about to ask her what hospital this was when she noticed the young girl walking down a hallway off to Willow's right.

She wasn't sure why but for some reason Willow followed the girl down the long corridor. When she reached the end the young girl turned left but when Willow turned the corner to follow her she was gone; leaving Willow all alone. Willow felt as though she was following the white rabbit from Alice and Wonderland down the rabbit hole. "I'm late. I'm late for a very important date. No time to say hello, goodbye. I'm late. I'm late. I'm late." Willow smiled inwardly at the thought. She remembered watching the movie with Xander when they were younger. He had bought it for her as a gift for her 6th birthday and they had immediately ran over to the T.V. and popped it in to the VCR. The movie was one of Willow's favorites. The entire movie took place in Alice's dream. Hmmm maybe that's what this is maybe I'm dreaming Willow mused as she walked down the hall.

As she began to near the end of the corridor she heard voices. They were coming from beyond the metal double doors at the end of the hall. Slowly Willow pushed then open and entered, finding herself in a waiting area full of people.

Doctors, nurses, and orderlies bustled about, rushing patients off to surgery and comforting those that were worried about a loved one. There were lots of patients, most of who were sitting in the chairs arranged sporadically throughout the room. They were reading magazines and filling out forms. To Willow's left there was another set of double doors with a sign above then that said Surgery: Authorized Personal Only and to the right was another corridor.

It was down this corridor that Willow saw her friends. She was so relieved to see some familiar faces. She rushed over to them. Xander was sitting next to Dawn his elbows resting on his knees as he ran his hands through his hair. Dawn put a hand on his shoulder trying to comfort him. He looked at her and smiled, genuinely grateful; putting his arm around her. They didn't seem to notice Willow so she went over to where Giles and Buffy were standing in the hallway. They looked worried. Buffy's face was etched with concern.

"You mustn’t worry,” Giles said trying to comfort the slayer, "She's a strong girl. She'll be okay."

"I hope you're right,” Buffy said almost on the verge of tears, "I don't know what I'd do without her." He just gives her a pained smile and she continues, "But I just can't help but feel I could have prevented this from happening."

"It was an accident these things happen its sad but true. There's nothing you could have done."

"But if I had been there I could have stopped her. Told her not to go." Giles opened his mouth to say something but before he could a doctor came up to them.

Once he saw the doctor Xander stood up and came over with Dawn following not to far behind.

"You can see her now,” the doctor said.

"How is she? Is she going to be alright?" Xander asked anxiously.

"At this point we're really not sure. It’s all touch and go from here. Its out of hands, it’s up to fate."

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Fate. Buffy hated that word. Fate, destiny; it was all so unfair. Why was it that someone else gets to call all the shots when we have to deal with the consequences? Buffy couldn't bear the idea of some higher power choosing whether her friend got to live or die. At that moment she wanted more than anything to grab the doctor by the throat and to tell him to fix her, to fix her friend who she loved so much but she knew that wouldn't do any good. All it would do was get her thrown in jail. Her slayer powers weren't going to help her now. It killed her that all she could do was sit and wait unable to do anything to help. It was the same feeling she had when her mother had been sick. It felt like someone she loved was drowning but all she could do was sit by and watch hoping someone would save them. In her mother's case no one had come to her rescue. Buffy prayed this time the outcome would be different.

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Willow tried multiply times to ask what happened and who was hurt but each time she was met with no response. They were ignoring her, acting like she wasn't there. Maybe she wasn't there Willow thought. When she had come back from England, come back from her training she had been afraid, afraid her friends wouldn't take her back and she had accidentally cast a spell causing her friends to be unable to see her. Maybe something similar had happened.

As Willow thought about this her mind drifted back to why she had gone to England, what she had done, and why she had done it, Tara. Willow wept inwardly mourning her dead lover. Tara, she had been her world and she was stolen from her. Willow felt the old familiar rage spark up inside her but she suppressed it. Tara was the love of her life and although Willow knew she would fall in love again and that she had she also knew it was noting like what she had had with Tara. Their connection was the strongest bond she had ever known. She felt as though they could have done anything together. "You're strong like an Amazon,” Tara’s voice echoed in her head. "No, I'm not. I'm not strong, not without you," Willow cried. It wasn't that she didn’t care for Kennedy she did. Willow loved her girlfriend very much but she also knew deep down that if Tara were still alive Kennedy would have never stood a chance.

Willow sighed as she watched Buffy, Giles, Dawn, and Xander enter room 314, ignoring her completely. She followed them into the room shocked at what she found.

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TBC...... R&R if you want to know what happens.


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