BtVS Ficlet: Safe And Sound
Apr. 10th, 2026 06:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
badly_knittedTitle: Safe And Sound
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Willow/Tara.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 653
Spoilers: Seeing Red Fix-It.
Summary: Bullets are flying outside, but the one that enters the house misses Tara.
Written For: Prompt ‘BtVS, Any, canon character death didn’t happen,’ at
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spring_renewal 2026.Disclaimer: I don’t own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or the characters.
Willow was beyond happy to have Tara back in her life, back in her arms, where she belonged. She was determined that this time she wouldn’t mess up. No more magic addiction, no more using magic to get around all the little problems and unpleasantnesses that were a natural part of everyday life and relationships, no more lies… well, not about anything that mattered. The occasional little white lie, maybe, because those just sort of happened without thinking, but she’d try to think first anyway, because she wanted to do things right this time, in every respect. As long as Tara was with her, and happy, nothing else mattered.
She was floating on a cloud of happiness, only not actually floating, because she wasn’t using magic, when she heard a commotion outside, voices, shouting, gunshots… Gunshots? Everything seemed to happen so fast, there was no time to react. The bedroom window shattered, and Willow found herself on the floor, Tara half on top of her.
“Tara! Tara, sweetie?”
“Ow! Oh, that hurts!” There was blood on Tara’s sleeve, dripping red onto Willow’s top. “Your shirt…”
“My shirt doesn’t matter! You’re hurt!”
“I… it’s fine, just a cut. I… I think I was hit by some flying glass. What was that?” Tara started to sit up, but Willow stopped her.
“No, stay down. Someone was shooting; we have to be careful. Whoever it was, they might still be out there.”
“We should call the police. A… and maybe an ambulance. Not for me,” Tara added quickly. “I’m fine, but… wasn’t Buffy outside? And Xander?”
“Oh! Where’s the phone?” Willow scrambled over to it, pulled it down and dialled 911, feeling guilty. In all the worry about Tara, she hadn’t even thought about her friends. Quickly she told the 911 operator about the gunshots, gave the address, said she didn’t know if anyone was injured so maybe they better send an ambulance, just in case. “But a bullet came right through the window, shattered the glass. I think it’s lodged in the wall somewhere.” After she hung up, she looked over at Tara. “We should go downstairs, make sure everyone’s alright.” There hadn’t been any gunshots for a while, so perhaps it was safe now.
“Okay, yes,” Tara agreed, starting to get up. She winced at the pain in her arm.
“I should take care of you first.”
Tara shook her head. “Not until we know our friends are alright. Besides, it’s just a scratch. I was lucky.”
Willow wasn’t completely certain it had been luck, couldn’t be entirely sure she hadn’t done something, shielded Tara somehow using magic, but… she didn’t exactly remember doing so, had just wanted Tara to be safe, to not get hurt… She’d talk with Tara about that later; now wasn’t the time.
Already, they could hear sirens approaching. Surely once the police arrived, everything would be alright. Slipping out of their bedroom, they made their way carefully down the stairs and into the kitchen, keeping away from windows as best they could, taking a quick look out through the kitchen door to see Buffy down, and Xander trying to stop the bleeding…
Then the police were there, and there were ambulances, and Buffy was being taken to the hospital, and the paramedics were examining Tara’s arm, and all Willow could do was sit beside her girlfriend, holding her hand, and thanking the goddess that Tara was alive, safe, still with her. She knew she should be worried about her friend, but Buffy was the Slayer, she was tough, she’d be fine. All that mattered right now was Tara. Willow had lost her once, and she never wanted to lose her again, especially not so senselessly.
She squeezed Tara’s hand. “Please, don’t ever leave me!”
“I won’t. I promise.”
That was all Willow needed to hear. As long as she had Tara beside her, there was nothing she couldn’t face.
The End
She was floating on a cloud of happiness, only not actually floating, because she wasn’t using magic, when she heard a commotion outside, voices, shouting, gunshots… Gunshots? Everything seemed to happen so fast, there was no time to react. The bedroom window shattered, and Willow found herself on the floor, Tara half on top of her.
“Tara! Tara, sweetie?”
“Ow! Oh, that hurts!” There was blood on Tara’s sleeve, dripping red onto Willow’s top. “Your shirt…”
“My shirt doesn’t matter! You’re hurt!”
“I… it’s fine, just a cut. I… I think I was hit by some flying glass. What was that?” Tara started to sit up, but Willow stopped her.
“No, stay down. Someone was shooting; we have to be careful. Whoever it was, they might still be out there.”
“We should call the police. A… and maybe an ambulance. Not for me,” Tara added quickly. “I’m fine, but… wasn’t Buffy outside? And Xander?”
“Oh! Where’s the phone?” Willow scrambled over to it, pulled it down and dialled 911, feeling guilty. In all the worry about Tara, she hadn’t even thought about her friends. Quickly she told the 911 operator about the gunshots, gave the address, said she didn’t know if anyone was injured so maybe they better send an ambulance, just in case. “But a bullet came right through the window, shattered the glass. I think it’s lodged in the wall somewhere.” After she hung up, she looked over at Tara. “We should go downstairs, make sure everyone’s alright.” There hadn’t been any gunshots for a while, so perhaps it was safe now.
“Okay, yes,” Tara agreed, starting to get up. She winced at the pain in her arm.
“I should take care of you first.”
Tara shook her head. “Not until we know our friends are alright. Besides, it’s just a scratch. I was lucky.”
Willow wasn’t completely certain it had been luck, couldn’t be entirely sure she hadn’t done something, shielded Tara somehow using magic, but… she didn’t exactly remember doing so, had just wanted Tara to be safe, to not get hurt… She’d talk with Tara about that later; now wasn’t the time.
Already, they could hear sirens approaching. Surely once the police arrived, everything would be alright. Slipping out of their bedroom, they made their way carefully down the stairs and into the kitchen, keeping away from windows as best they could, taking a quick look out through the kitchen door to see Buffy down, and Xander trying to stop the bleeding…
Then the police were there, and there were ambulances, and Buffy was being taken to the hospital, and the paramedics were examining Tara’s arm, and all Willow could do was sit beside her girlfriend, holding her hand, and thanking the goddess that Tara was alive, safe, still with her. She knew she should be worried about her friend, but Buffy was the Slayer, she was tough, she’d be fine. All that mattered right now was Tara. Willow had lost her once, and she never wanted to lose her again, especially not so senselessly.
She squeezed Tara’s hand. “Please, don’t ever leave me!”
“I won’t. I promise.”
That was all Willow needed to hear. As long as she had Tara beside her, there was nothing she couldn’t face.
The End
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