Kerith

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Summary: This is about Willow and Tara, and their daughter, Kerith. Willow and Tara never broke up, none of the magick addiction came into play. I'm keeping them in Season 5 relationship status. Oh and Buffy never died.

AUTHOR: Rane
EMAIL: rane018@yahoo.com
RATING: R
PAIRING: Willow/Tara
SETTING: Gosh, I hate doing math. So this takes place about seven years after season 5. Or is it four? Whatever. You do the math.
DISCLAIMER: yeah i dont own any of them...
NOTES: This is an updated version from the previous version seen at the Kitten board and willtara. Re-did how she was made after seeing *The Gift*. It’s pretty much the same I guess. I hope it's clear now how Kerith was made....
Remember the end of season five never happened. Neither did all of season six. Buffy did not die, Willow did not become a magick freak and well… none of Six happened. I choose to erase it from my memory. Well, most of it cause Tara and Willow kidding on network television made me smile.

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Chapter One

Xander’s arms opened wide as the small five year old ran into his embrace. “Hey there you! I must say you have grown a whole inch since the last time I saw you.”

The reddish blonde haired child giggled as she wrapped her small arms around the construction manager’s thick neck. “That is impossible uncle Xander. I saw you yesterday!”

“Hello little woman!” Anya held up a colorful bag with ribbons. “Presents!”

The child’s clear blue eyes opened wider as Xander deposited her back on the ground. “Oh, auntie Anya, thank you!” The child was careful to not hug her too hard. She knew the pregnant belly was delicate and Anya was very pregnant. “Mommy!“ She turned to the blonde walking up to them. “Look!”

Tara smiled. “I see.” Xander and Anya both hugged and kissed her hello.

“May I open it now? Please?!”

“Please!?” Xander asked as enthused as the birthday girl.

“We really should wait until everyone is here.” Willow replied as she walked up to the group with the birthday cake and a couple of bags hanging loosely.

Tara was quickly by her side. “Oh, honey, let me help you.” A couple more bags joined the ones she was already carrying.

Anya grabbed the boxed cake from Willows hands. “Me too. Oh, I love birthday parties. Especially the cake. I’m starving. Lets go set the table.”

Xander took the little girl's hand and they hopped away. “Come on, Willara. Let’s go play in the sandbox.”

“Xander, try not to get sand in her hair!” Willow called after them. She turned to Tara. “One bout of lice this year was enough.”

Tara laughed. “You don’t get lice from sand.”

“Well, they look the same to me.”

*****

As Buffy and Dawn walked up to the playground both smiled at the sight of Xander Harris playing with the little girl. He was Xander from high school but now he had a sense of maturity still laced with child like glee. She knew he would make a great father from the way he interacted with Willow and Tara’s daughter.

‘Willow and Tara’s daughter’, she thought as she rolled her eyes heavenwards. What a long story that was, but here they were five years later on her fifth birthday, and all were gathering for the family affair.

“Buffy! Dawn!” The child ran up to them as they neared. “Thank you for coming!”

Buffy whisked the girl up. “And miss my favorite nieces birthday?! No way!”

“I’m your only niece!” she giggled and reached out to hug Dawn.

“I even took my final exams early so I could fly back here in time.” Dawn kissed the girls’ forehead.

“This is so wonderful! Wait ‘till mommy sees you’re home! All we need now is Mr. Giles and-“

“I’m right here, love.” Giles wandered up from behind. The child quickly reached out to him.

“G-man! How goes it?” Xander held out his hand.

Giles shook it just as soon as the birthday girl was securely clutched on his right side. “Hello, Xander. Well, what are we waiting for?” He asked the little girl. “To the cake!”

By the time the rest of the group reached Tara, Anya and Willow the birthday picnic was secured in place by the two witches.

Willow waved at all of them. “The circle of light wind has been cast.”

Anya nodded. “Yes, now we wont have to worry about things flying about.”

“Just me!” The child giggled as Giles moved her down off his shoulders, not without first circling her in the air. After making sure she was safely on the ground he turned to Xander. “Next time you do the flying monkey. I need to sit down”

“Are you ok?” Buffy asked her Watcher as Anya helped him walk over to one to the chairs.

“Just a bit dizzy at the moment.”

Willow hugged Dawn. “So, how is my little Ivy Leaguer? Any boys we should be worried about?”

The individual conversations trailed off as Tara Handi Wiped her daughters hands. Even though she was only five years old she already had Willow-hands. Every time she looked into the child’s eyes, same color as her own, or saw Willow’s smile coming from that cherubic face tears swelled her eyes and her heart wanted to explode.

Suddenly whispered from the little girl’s lips was, “Oz?”

Everyone paused knowing they all heard the same word slip out. Quickly all eyes veered to the direction the child was staring at.

“Oz.” Willow sighed as she noticed him tentatively walking up to them.

***

After the awkward hello’s Willow and Oz went over to the swing set and began to talk.

He couldn’t help but stare at the birthday girl. Her resemblance to Willow was uncanny. “She’s so beautiful. What’s her name?”

“Willara.”

Oz frowned at the name. “Willara? Sounds cultish.”

Willow nodded as she watched the Scoobies playfully laughing with and hugging the child. “She’s highly revered by some in Sunnydale. But I’m kidding. That’s just what Xander calls her. Her real name is Kerith.”

“Kerith? Never heard of that.”

Willow nodded. “Me either. Tara came up with it.”

Oz nodded in silence. “Who exactly is her mother? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Willow shifted a bit. “Well, Tara gave birth to her but -she’s from me.”

“What do you mean?”

“My energy. Well, our energy combined.”

“Huh?”

Willow reddened at her admission. “I found the spell the monks used to create Dawn.”

“Oh.” His eyes widened as the information registered. “Willow...”

“I couldn’t help it! I found it and- I know what we wanted, and I just had to tinker with it and... Don’t worry. I will never, never ever do it again. She didn’t even want to go through with it. Ended up in the hospital for a week.”

“Sorry to hear that.” he voiced sincerely. “But, I guess it worked, huh?”

“Yeah.”

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. “You know, the conventional way is pretty easy.”

“Yeah, well-“

The bitterness of her response wasn’t lost on him. “Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that, Willow. I meant in vitro. I wasn’t talking girl-guy… sex.” Willow chuckled. “I mean…” Oz looked over at Kerith laughing at Xander’s funny face. “She has your smile.”

“And Tara’s eyes.”

“Can she lie?”

“Nope, got that from me.”

“Is she gifted?”

Willow smiled and another awkward silence surrounded them.

“How does she know who I am?”

“Scooby stories.”

“Scooby stories? Personally, I don’t find that to be quite G rated.”

“Of the non horror variety. We edit. A lot... Oz, why are you here? I mean, did you come back for good?

“No.”

“Oh.”

Oz smiled softly. “My cousin Jordy. It’s his bar Mitzvah.”

“Really? Already?! How’s he handling the whole wolfie thingy?”

“Pretty well actually. Taught him my techniques.”

Willow gently smiled at him as Tara discreetly walked up to them. “Umm, s-sorry to interrupt but- Anya wants to eat, and Xander w-wants to open the presents. So…”

Willow grinned at her lover and held her hand out to her. “Funny, you’d think it was Kerith’s birthday not theirs.” She said as Tara helped her stand up.

“Those two… They truly are meant for each other.” Oz said as he stood up along side Willow.

“I guess.” Willow replied as she began to walk towards the Scoobs. She never noticed that Tara nervously hung back.

Oz seized the opportunity and quickly turned to the blonde. “Tara?”

“Y-yes?” she asked not really looking at him.

He could sense she was uneasy. “Look, I’ve been meaning to say this for a long time-“

Tara shook her head. “You don’t have to say anything.”

Oz tried to reach out to her but stopped. He didn’t want to frighten her more. “I’ve been carrying this weight for seven years. Please, Tara.” Tara nodded and slowly looked up at him. “That day- I want you to know it had nothing to do with you. It was me.”

“I-I know. At least, I think I know… Really?” Her shoulders relaxed.

A rare Oz smirk spread his lips as he looked at her. She was just as cute as Willow when nervous. “I’m so sorry.”

****

Dawn reached over for a paper plate and spoke aloud to no one in particular, “I wonder what they are talking about.”

“Huh?” Willow was watching Anya place the birthday candles on the cake.

Kerith was the one to reply. “Mommy and Oz.”

Willow turned to her daughter. “What, honey?” Willow turned to see Tara and Oz still talking.

*****

“Will you be staying?” she asked as she wrapped her arms across her chest.

“No.” Tara nodded. She understood why he’d come. He said his peace and had a Bar Mitzvah to attend. “But I would like a piece of cake before I leave though.”

Tara smiled and nodded her head. “Good.”

Chapter Two - Two Months Later

“Kerith Elizabeth don’t you dare!” Willow sternly warned.

The little girl just grinned and giggled as she ran her soaking, naked body into her mommies room and proceeded to jump on their bed. She’d hatched this plan as soon as she entered the shower five minutes ago. “Teehee!” she laughed aloud. Wetness spread as she sprung up and down like a kangaroo over the sheets.

A smiling Tara couldn’t help but reach out her arms to her daughter ready to embrace her. However, the smile quickly turned into a look of pure horror as the little girl misstepped and fell forward, face first, onto the ornamented and wooden backboard.

Willow’s eyes widened as she noticed large droplets of red spreading all over the lilac linen. Blood was everywhere yet the room was eerily and completely silent. Both women were shocked still.

“Mommie?”

Her daughters’ confused voice broke Tara’s hypnotic state. She had been simply staring at her, doing nothing, paralyzed. She couldn’t believe there was so much blood.

Snapped back to reality the blonde began to scream.

Willow looked over to her daughter from her lover and quickly wrapped the quiet little girl in her arms. She wiped the blood and tussled wet hair over the girls’ face trying to see where she was cut. Horrified there was so much blood Willow began to think silly thoughts.

“Don’t worry, sweetie, your brain won’t fall out.”

Kerith giggled but then, finally, she began to cry. “My eyes are stinging. I can’t see.”

“B-blood.” Tara whispered, still numb. She hadn’t moved an inch yet.

“Tara, honey. Call an ambulance.”

“There’s so m-much blood.” The blonde replied.

Willow looked at Tara again. “She’s ok. Just a little cut over the eye.”

“Mommie…”

Tara could feel the fear in her daughters’ voice. She looked down at her. Willow’s hand was gently held over her left eye, apparently putting pressure on the open sore. There were rivers of tears throughout the bloody landscaped cheek. Tara’s heart was breaking.

“Tara, the phone!” the redhead urged.

Her eyes connected with Willow and tears began to form. She willed her stoic body to move and surprisingly it did. She reached over to the bedside table and grabbed the portable phone.

As Tara spoke with the emergency operator she could distinctly hear Willow in the background singing a lullaby. She was able to process the redhead employing the wrong words in the song as Kerith’s sobs turned into giggles again.

*******

“Name?”

“Kerith Elizabeth Alexander.”

“How do you spell that?” the woman behind the desk asked the redhead.

“Huh?”

“Her name.”

“Kerith with a K and one R.” Willow looked over to Tara who was, as of a short while ago, staring off into the floor as she sat in the waiting room. “Then Elizabeth, then Alexander.”

“Insurance?”

“Uh huh.” Willow absentmindedly replied.

“Ma’am.” The woman called. Willow turned back to her. “What’s your insurance?”

“Uh…” Willow couldn’t believe she had forgotten the name of her insurance carrier. She’d only spent months and months going over different policies that included not only Tara in her coverage but Kerith once she came into their lives. “Um…” She began to tear. “I can’t remember the name.” She chuckled dejectedly as tears rolled down her face. She was oddly remembering the Sumerian to a spell she’d done years ago yet the name of her insurance company escaped her.

“Rainbow Insurance.” Came a soft voice from behind. Tara had since walked up to the desk and gently began to caress her lovers back.

“Rainbow Insurance?” The woman asked again a bit mystified by the name. She noticed the movement Tara was performing and thought nothing of it. People comforted each other in the ER all the time.

Tara shyly grinned and softly crossed her fingers with Willow. The redhead leaned over onto her lovers body, cherishing all of her. Smelling Tara, she closed her eyes as her ears listened to the sound of Tara’s whispery voice. She was giving the woman all the information she needed yet none of the words registered until she heard the woman ask, “Have you notified the father yet?”

“There is no father.” Willow replied without even thinking.

“Just because you two are together now doesn’t mean there is no father, honey.”

Tara sensed Willow’s anger rising. “Miss, that has nothing to do with our daughter or why we are here. You have all the information you need. Please tell us as soon as possible when we may see her.” With that Tara turned around and headed back to the row of chairs.

Willow followed. “I don’t understand why they wouldn’t let us go in with her. She’s only five. She’s just a baby…” She finished as she sat down and kicked her right leg up in the air for no reason.

“You have to respect Kerith’s wish, Willow. No matter how odd it seems to us.”

“Why wouldn’t she want us there? Getting stitches is no fun.”

Tara sighed. “Maybe because she noticed what a complete fool I was and-“

“Hey! You freaked. It’s only natural. I didn’t move either… At first anyway.” Willow frowned at her last comment.

Tara began to cry. It wasn’t because of what Willow said though. “Every time I blink… I just keep seeing her falling over and over again. I knew it was going to happen. I didn’t stop it. I couldn’t. I didn’t have enough time.”

Willow wrapped her arm around the blonde. “Shh, honey… She’ll be all right.” She gently ran her fingers through her lovers hair and kissed the top of her head. “It’s not your fault, baby. Don’t think that.”

“Willow!” Buffy’s voice echoed through the waiting room.

Dawn also ran up to the two witches behind her sister. “Oh my god!” she noticed the patches of blood over their clothes. “How bad is it?”

“Not that bad. She’s getting stitched up.” The redhead replied.

“And why aren’t you in there with her?” Buffy’s eyes widened.

“She didn’t want us there.”

“What?!” The Summers sisters echoed.

Willow just shrugged her shoulder. Tara’s head was resting gently on her shoulder as her line of sight registered Dawns’ shoes.

All the voices drifted away as Tara thoughts turned to Kerith and of the magickal night she was created. The hours and hours she and Willow spent making love, slowly building up enough energy, desiring the spell would work. Then the dreadful hospital stay when they found out she was pregnant… The first time she felt Kerith move in the womb...

Tara faintly smiled remembering how Willow would place her ear to the belly button and talk to Kerith, telling her outlandish stories about lost princesses and troll gods. And how, when Kerith began to read at 11 months, Willow wasn’t able to exaggerate anymore. Tara remembered how they would run into the little girls’ room practically once a week because the stuffed animals were dancing around on the bed as Kerith smiled and laughed at the parade she was creating.

“Tara?”

“Huh?” She looked up to Dawn. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Are you ok?”

“Yes. I’m fine. I need something to drink.” All three women offered at the same time. “It’s ok. I’m fine.” She got up and headed to the vending machines.

Buffy, Dawn and Willow continued their conversation oblivious to the rest of the people in the waiting room. A few minutes later a young doctor headed towards them.

“Mrs. Alexander?” He asked. None of the women looked over to him since obviously none of them were a Mrs. Alexander. “Hello? Mrs. Alexander?” he asked again.

Dawn was the first one to turn over to him. “Excuse me?”

He looked at Willow. She seemed an obvious choice. Her mouth and facial structure were the same as Kerith’s. All except the color of the eyes. Those sparkling blue eyes that reminded him of cloudless summer days. “Mrs. Alexander, I’m Dr. Chard.”

“You’re so young,” Buffy stated. Dawn eyes him up and down as she tugged on her lower lip. He sure was a cutie.

“Well, I’m a resident,” He smiled. He then turned back to Willow, “I just finished stitching up your little girl’s forehead.”

Willow seemed to only register the part about a little girl. “How is she?”

“She’s doing fine. We used a Proline suture so the cut shouldn’t scar too much.”

“Can we see her?”

“Of course, Mrs. Alexander. She is in room 102. Down the hall.”

Dawn had to ask the question everyone was wondering, “Why are you calling her Mrs. Alexander?”

The resident’s eyes widened as his cheeks flushed. “Are you not Kerith Alexander’s mother?” He looked down to his clipboard. “I’m sorry. I could have sworn you-”

“Oh, no. I am. I’m Kerith’s mommie but- Oh, the Alexander threw you off. No, that’s her name. All of it. It’s just three names. Kerith Elizabeth Alexander. She’s named after her godmother Elizabeth-“ Willow pointed to Buffy who half waved as she smiled at the young doctor, “And her godfather- but he’s not here right now. He’s on his way. He’s Alexander. O-or Xander. We call him Xander. But Alexander is not her last name. She doesn’t have one. Well, I mean, we have last names, Tara and I do, but Kerith, she- um, doesn’t. But I’m a Rosenberg and Tara’s a Maclay and-”

“He gets the point, Willow. We all do.” Buffy interrupted her babble. Buffy laughed as she patted Willow’s arm.

“Can I please see Kerith?” Willow asked again.

The doctor nodded. “Room 102. Down the hall.”

“Dawn-“ Willow began.

At that instant, Dawn noticed Tara heading back to them and grinned. “Here she comes. With a big, stuffed animal to boot.”

Indeed Tara had bought her daughter a large purple hippopotamus. “I saw it at the pharmacy and I couldn’t help it.” She said as she shrugged her shoulders and half smiled at the group.

“Just as long as we don’t have to chase this around the house…” Willow kissed her lips. “I’m sure Kerith will love it.”

“Explain to me again how a five year old can be obsessed with hippos.” Dawn voiced as they all headed down the hall to room 102.

Chapter Three - *FLASHBACK*… Last year of college

Willow waited a few minutes after Tara’s climax to begin talking. Not only because she wanted Tara’s full attention but because after spending hours making love to her girlfriend Willow needed a little break as well.

“I found the spell.” The redhead casually mentioned as she traced happy circles around her lovers’ right breast.

“Which spell?” The blonde asked as she looked down towards Willow whose upper body was draped over her own. This was one of her favorite positions in the world. Willow’s body curled, skin on skin, tingles of love running up and down her spine.

Willow looked into her lovers’ eyes as she playfully bit the aroused nipple. “THE spell.”

Tara sighed in bliss. “What spell?” She managed to voice as her eyes closed.

Willow’s tongue slowly moved over to the valley between Tara’s breasts and her lips planted more kisses. “The Holy Grail…”

Tara’s spirit suddenly changed. She lifted her lovers chin, their eyes met once more. “Willow, no.”

“Yes?” Willow replied a bit hesitantly.

“What?! How?! Where?…” Tara had only one more question, “Why?”

“I wanted to.”

“Get off.” Tara voiced as she tried to extricate herself from her lovers’ embrace.

Instead, Willow wrapped her arms tighter around her lover. “What? No.”

Tara chuckled, half in shock and the other half with affection. “Willow. Please…” She knew Willow would never let go. She didn’t want Willow to let go either. Never. Ever. “God. Do you realize what this means?”

Willow kissed her lovers’ ruby lips. “That I found the spell that created Dawn?” She trailed soft kisses over Tara’s face.

Tara sighed in delight as Willow slowly licked. “Exactly.” Then her eyes opened again. “No! What were you thinking, Will?”

Willow moved back a little, confusion spreading her features. “I don’t understand. I thought you-“

“I said it’d be interesting but not-… I never thought you’d be able to find it…” Tara looked unsure whether to continue talking. “Is it- Was it hard to perform?”

Willow grinned. She knew Tara was as interest in the spell as she was. “No. Well, yes.” She quickly sat up and straddled her lover with one leg on each side of her waist. Her nakedness revealed to Tara’s hungry eyes. “The main ingredient is obviously the energy and the monks already had energy from the Key. If my calculations are correct it took about four monks to perform the spell. After all, they were creating a 14 year old but we could…“ Willow sighed as she tried to regain her composure. Tara was tenderly playing with her.

The blonde was lovingly trailing her fingers and occasional nail over Willow’s smooth belly, creating magickal decorations on the redhead’s freckled skin. “We?” She looked up to her lover. “What are you thinking, Will?”

Willow tenderly cupped Tara’s hands with her own. “Tara… I want to have a baby with you. I want to do this. I think I’ve figured out a way to get the energy.”

Tara’s eyes widened in shock. “What?! Willow. A baby? You cant just- I mean- What? W-when did this come about?”

Willow entwined her lovers’ fingers with her own. “I love you so much and I want us to have a child. A little girl…or boy. With you lips and my eyes, your smile, my klutzyness...”

“Willow…”

“I know we can adopt but it wouldn’t be the same. Tara, please, just hear me out.”

Tara began to wriggle from underneath Willow’s firm legs. “No. I can’t. We can’t do this, Willow.”

“We can. It’s not impossible.”

“That’s not the point. Maybe you don’t care about Wiccan rules and oaths but I do. I can’t do this.”

“I love you.”

Again, Tara tried to get out from under the redhead. “Willow.”

Willow gently held the blonde down by the shoulders and leaned over her. Her lips hovered close to Tara’s and her green eyes filled up with her blue. “I LOVE you, Tara. It’s you and me. We can do this. We can use our energy to create another life. We’re not misusing our gifts here.”

Tara sighed, her heart breaking. “It’s selfish and wrong.”

Willow slowly sat down on her tummy again. “It’s selfish and wrong to love you as much as I love you? To want to have a baby with you? To want to have a family with you?”

Tears began to form within Tara’s blue orbs. “N-no… But…”

“What?”

Slowly, the tears leaked out. “Willow… Don’t you think I feel the same way? Don’t you think I hate the fact I can’t- w-we can’t…”

Willow quickly kissed the tears. “Baby…Shhh… It’s ok.” She gently wiped them off and replaced them with gentle kisses. She then captured her lovers’ lips again hoping to take the pain away.

There was so much love between the two. It was impossible to deny that Willow and Tara were meant for each other. They kissed for a few more minutes, relishing each other, loving each other.

After Willow settled her head on Tara’s chest, the small ear pressed against her heart, the blonde quietly mentioned, “I thought you were thinking about asking Xander.”

Willow chuckled. “I was insane to even suggest that. Anya’d kill us both. Besides…” Willow looked up towards the blonde. “Tara, I don’t want to look at our child and see him. I want to see you. And this way we can. Remember what Buffy said? Dawn was a part of her. The monks made Dawn out of her. We can do this.”

Tara took in a deep breath, a breath filled with Willow. She lightly licked her dry lips. “How?”

“Concentrated pure energy.” Willow’s tongue darted out towards Tara’s mouth.

“And how would we go about creating that?”

“We, um, you know…” Willow’s mischievous grin appeared after licking her lover’s lips.

“What? Sex?” Tara smiled as she gently pushed hers hips up towards her lovers body. She saw the desire build in Willow’s eyes as the redhead bit her lower lip.

Willow chuckled nervously. “Y-yeah. For hours. Much longer than usual, much longer. I haven’t calculated how long yet…”

Tara giggled as her hands roamed over Willow’s back. “Sounds fun already.”

Willow quickly kissed her. Then, her furrowed brow appeared. “But I haven’t mapped out the rest yet.”

“What rest?”

“Well, we can get the energy but we need…”

“A host.”

“You make it sound so non romantic.”

Tara sighed. “Well, it is and not at the same time. I don’t know about this, Willow.”

The redhead kissed her lovers forehead. “Just let me figure it out and I’ll come to you with all the facts, ok?” Willow casually slid down her lovers body, kissing, licking, nipping certain zones she knew would build up her arousal. “Then we can make a decision.” Her mouth now hovered over Tara’s center as her hands lovingly caresses the inner thighs. “Together. Okay?”

“Oh, yes.” Tara replied losing herself the moment Willow’s tongue entered her intimate temple once again.