Buffy and all characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, together with the names, titles, and backstory are the sole copyright property of Mutant Enemy, the WB, UPN, and of course, Joss Whedon himself.  No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction.  All other characters, the story ideas and VR season itself are the sole property of the author.  This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way.  Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.

NOTE:  All works remain the © copyright of the original author.  These may not be republished in any way, shape, or form without the written expressed consent or acceptance of the author of the story.

EXT. The Source's Chambers, the Source's Mansion - Morning.

The shot to this episode opens on the private bed inside the Source's private chambers at his mansion that's just outside Sunnydale's city limits.  The shot begins on the very corner of a satin silk covered bed and begins to inch upward.  We see the beginnings of a bare leg showing out of the covers.

The shot continues going upward and we see more skin of that leg until we reach the point where the rest of this womanly body is covered by the cream colored silk sheets.  We continue going upward for the next few moments until we see the face of the person the body belongs to.

It is GLORY, once defeated by Buffy and now resurrected.  She is just now awakening from the rest she's needed to have since her resurrection.  She sits up, part of the sheets falling away from her body.  Glory makes no move to cover herself as she looks around the room she now stands in.

She has a surprised look on her face as she looks around the room.  The last thing she can remember completely was the Slayer repeatedly hitting her body with a sledgehammer.  Then, nothing but darkness.  Glory, and us, hear a sound at the doorway and shot pivots around to it.

We see THE SOURCE standing there, a cigar in one hand and a glass of brandy in the other.  He takes a puff out of the cigar as he regards the resurrected Goddess.

Glory takes a moment to process the words.  Then, her gaze hardens.  She looks back at the Source.

The Source smiles and takes another sip of his brandy.

The morning sunlight shines through the curtains and brings light into the bedroom of Willow and Tara.  As the shot opens, we see TARA, sitting in the middle of the bed, her back resting against the headboard and one leg tucked up beneath her, holding her personal journal, her diary, in her lap with her left hand while she writes with her right hand.

Tara is still wearing her sleeping pajamas.  She is wearing the bottoms with the moon designs on them with a loose white t-shirt.  We hear her voice, speaking over as she writes the words and we know that what she's saying are the words she writes.

Tara reread her words before she closed her journal.  She looked up when she heard the door swing open.  Shot at the doorway.  WILLOW enters, carrying a small bedside table that she laid down on the bed.  There were some sausage, bacon, some eggs and some toast on it.  Willow had a small pitcher of orange juice under her arm and she set it on the table next to the bed.

The redhead was wearing her white bathrobe.  She sat down next to Tara.

The two settle down together to enjoy the morning together in relative silence and safety.

The shot opens on the living room at the Summers House.  As it opens, we see BUFFY and GILES sitting there.  Buffy's on the chair and Giles is sitting on one end of the couch.  On the coffee table between them is a thick volume text.

Buffy nods and gets up to pick up her jacket.  She slings it on.

Giles smiles at her and Buffy leaves, shutting the door behind her.  As Giles begins to close the book, we hear footsteps from the stairs and we see Giles look up.

We pan to the staircase to reveal TARA, dressed in a pair of black pants with a blue shortsleeved shirt with flower designs weaved throughout it.  She's pulled her hair back into a ponytail and is wearing the long sweater coat she wore in the episode 'Smashed'.

Tara's bookbag is settled next to the chair Buffy was sitting on.  She grabs it and slings it over her shoulder.  As she turns to go, Giles reaches out, touching her shoulder to halt her movements.

Tara freezes, not sure what to do.  She still has plans of telling Willow tonight once they are in their bedroom.

Giles looks surprised.

Tara stares at Giles for a long moment before she turns and leaves.  Giles stays silent, watching her go.

It is just a little while later.  As the shot opens, we see GLORY, now clothed in the familiar clothing she was always known for.  She's wearing a pair of black pants with some high heel shoes and a sleeveless red leather vest with a zipper to keep it closed.  She has her hair unrestrained, the golden locks hanging freely.

Across the room from her is THE SOURCE.  He's wearing his normal white business suit getup, only without his blazer on over his shoulders.  He has another glass of brandy in his hand and is sipping from it.

A look of delight colors Glory's face.

The Source smiles and walks over to her.  Without waiting for another sound, the Source grabs Glory's shoulders and he presses his lips against hers, kissing her passionately.  It is primal and wild.  The kind kiss only villains can share.  They continue this wild carnal kiss as the shot...

The shot opens with an overhead shot of lots of couples dancing on the dance floor at the Bronze.  We pan around to show WILLOW and TARA sitting across from each other at one of the tables, sipping some drinks they've ordered and talking.

Willow watches Tara fidget with her drink and notices her nervousness right away.

Tara takes a deep breath and raises her eyes to meet Willow's.

Tara noticed sharp edge to Willow's tone and took a guess that Willow was already upset.  She kept her gaze locked with the redhead's, saying the words she knew she'd speak out today.

A shot of Willow's face.  She is totally shocked at this revelation.  Not necessarily upset as surprised and shocked.  But after a moment, she lapses out of her silence and speaks.

Willow opens her mouth to answer, but nothing comes out.  She closes her mouth, shaking her head.

Willow shakes her head and stands abruptly.  She looks at Tara, shaking her head.

Willow is already walking away, disappearing behind disperses of people that are standing around and talking.  Tara exhales, feeling nauseous from the argument she and her lover just had.  Tara leans back in her chair, looking over the crowd.

The shot cuts from the scene at the Bronze to this rundown apartment.  First, we see a camera monitor showing the scene at the Bronze, Willow and Tara's argument and Willow's storming off.  Like the Evil Trio of last year, the latest in scientific surveillance is set up in this apartment.

We slowly pan back from that first shot to reveal more television monitors with more views of all the hangouts.  From the Bronze, to the Magic Box, to the Summers House, and finally, different angles of the High School.  We hear someone off screen moving about, sitting near the screens.

We slowly pan back to reveal who is watching these screens, the same person who has set all this up.  It is the Principal of Sunnydale High, PRINCIPAL WOOD.  He is watching everything take place with an unreadable look on his face.

Principal Wood's eyes continue to watch the different screens in front of him.

The shot opens on WILLOW as she walks along the sidewalk, on one side of the streets in Sunnydale.  She is walking away from the Bronze, her mind a whirlwind of emotions.  She is walking at a quickened pace.  As she moves past an alley, we see an arm reach out and grab the collar of her shirt and tug, hard.

Willow's body is thrown against the side of a building, back first.  She stumbles to the ground, on one knee.  Dazed, she looks up to see the attacker that grabbed her.  We pan around to see GLORY walk out of the shadows, smiling wickedly as she looks at Willow.

Shot of Willow's face.  A look of horror and shock colors her features.  The Goddess laughs.

The shot opens on the last scene.  WILLOW is on one knee, staring up at the Hell Goddess resurrected, GLORY.  After a moment's pause, Glory steps forward, grabbing Willow by the throat with one hand and slamming the redheaded witch against the brick and stone building, leaning into her body to produce pain.

Willow gasped at the pain on her back and the pressure around her neck.  She opens her mouth to chant a spell.

Willow's eyes widen.

Glory smiles and squeezes her fingers, shortening the level of oxygen that's going through Willow's mouth and nose.  Willow starts clawing at Glory's fingers, trying to dislodge them from her throat, but she is not having that much luck.

Suddenly, a bright blue flash of light hits Glory from the side angle and the blast knocks Glory back several feet, knocking the Goddess to her back in the progress.

Willow slumps down, sitting on her rear and clutching her neck.  She looks up, surprise and relief on her face and Glory looks up, leaning up from where she had been knocked down.  A gleam of surprise colors her face.  She smiles.

We pan around to show TARA, breathing heavily from the exertion of running down from the Bronze once she felt that Willow was in trouble.  She stares at Glory for a moment, then looks at Willow.  She swallows and looks back at Glory.  Glory, and us as well, realizes that Tara heard Glory's words about Willow's secret.

Glory advances toward Tara.  Willow, who is still on the ground, can only watch because she is still weak from what happened before Tara arrived.  She is still trying to get her breathing back under control.

Glory closes in on Tara.  Tara waits for the right moment, then she takes a step forward, thrusting both arms out in front of her.  She says a three word chanting spell and powerful surges of magick flash out of her hands, hitting Glory directly in the chest.  The blast knocks Glory backward an even greater distance.

Glory crashes through a green colored steel dumpster.  Tara goes over to Willow and helps her up.  Without speaking, the two depart from the alley, hoping to get back to the house before Glory catches them.

Glory slowly gets back to her feet, looking around and noticing their departure.

Glory gets to her feet and stalks off.

The shot opens and we see THE SOURCE standing near the fireplace, smoking a cigar and watching the flames dance around the smoking embers as GLORY enters.  Glory walks over to him, stopping a few feet away.

Glory crosses her arms over her chest, but doesn't say anything else.

The shot opens on a brand new day.  The sun is shining brightly over the city of Sunnydale.  Willow and Tara eventually got back to the house and they told the others about their run-in with Glory.

Now that everyone knew about Glory's return, they were all much more cautious.  Willow and Tara, however, were not that worried about Glory because at the time, they were still focused on the two secrets that were unveiled the night before.

And for the first time since Tara's return, the two witches did not cuddle up together when they went to sleep.  Instead, they were on opposite sides of the bed and this morning, when Tara awoke, she showered, dressed, and headed out, knowing Willow probably knew when she'd gotten up.

And that is where we currently are.  We see TARA walking through the Rivertown Cemetery, one of the pricier cemeteries in Sunnydale.  It is mostly the richer families that are buried here.  Tara walks to a certain tombstone and stops, looking at it.

In the summer following Buffy's death, Xander helped put the funds forth that would allow Tara to have her mother transported to this burial plot.  The shot slowly pans down and we see the name EMILY PETERSON MACLAY etched into the stone.  We pan back to Tara, a look of sadness on her face as she looks at where her mother is buried.

Tara kneels down and places a bouquet of flowers in front of the tombstone.  She touches the tombstone with her fingers.

Shot of the tombstone.  Then we pan back to Tara.

Tara continues to stare at the tombstone, the grave where her mother is buried for a few more moments before she begins walking away.  She does not look back, but with each step she takes to the entrance to the cemetery, she gets closer and closer to a decision she never thought she'd have to make.

As the shot opens, we see BUFFY walking down the long hallways at the high school.  Class is currently in session and Buffy is walking to her office.  We stay on Buffy as she enters her office and takes a seat at her desk.  There is silence as we stay on her before there is a knock at her door.

Buffy looks up as the door opens and we see PRINCIPAL WOOD enter.

Buffy follows her boss into his office, closing the door behind her.  He sits behind his desk and she takes a seat in one of the two visitors chairs that's in his office.  He leans his forearms on the desk and laces his fingers together, just watching her.

Buffy nods, and then leaves the Principal's office in silence.  After she leaves, Principal Wood opens one of the drawers at his desk and pulls a laptop computer out.  He opens the top up and presses a button.

Shot of the screen.  The screen shows and overhead shot of Buffy's office.  We see Buffy re-entering the office and sitting down.  We can also hear her move about the office as well.  We pan back to Principal Wood's face.  His face is impassive as he watches.

As the shot opens, we see GLORY, dressed in the same attire as before, walking around the ground level of the mansion, talking with THE SOURCE.  He is standing near the fireplace, listening to Glory's words.  Various Vampire Soldiers are also dwelling nearby.

Brujah, who was standing near one one of the exits, walks over and bows.

Brujah turns and walks away to relay the order to the lower being.  After he leaves, the Source turns back to Glory.

Glory turns and stalks off.  The Source watches her depart for a moment before he walks away in the other direction, shaking his head.

Cut to:

INT. The Magic Box, the Customer Area, Time Lapse - Day.

The shot opens on the front door and we see TARA walk in slowly.  As she enters, her eyes roam over the interior of the shop.  We see that there are a few customers browsing the store, ANYA behind the register, waiting to pounce, and GILES is sitting at the round table in the back, going through a box of things.  She goes towards the Watcher.

Giles looks up from his examination of the box of things he brought back with him from the small trip he made out of town a few days prior.  He smiles as Tara stops a few feet from him.

Giles
Hello Tara.

Tara
M-mister Giles.

Giles sits back.

Giles
Are you alright, Tara?  You seem...I don't know...distant, occupied.

Tara
What's all that?

Giles
(looks at the box)
Just some things I brought back from my trip.  I'm hoping something in here might help us figure out how to fight the Source.

Tara
Hopefully...I guess.

Giles
(sitting up)
What's on your mind, Tara?

Tara
I um...I need to talk to you.  About...about a choice I have to make.  About Willow.

Giles nods as Tara sits down and she begins explaining her problem.

Cut to:

Commercial Break.

Cut to:

EXT. The Lower Realms - Late Evening.

We open from the commercial break with BRUJAH walking down the darkened corridors in the lower realms.  Brujah enters the realm where D'Hoffryn usually dwells and that's when we see D'HOFFRYN standing in the usual spot where we've seen him in the past occassions when the Source came here.

D'Hoffryn turns as he notices Brujah's approach.  He looks at the Master-like vampire.

D'Hoffryn
Why have you come to my humble abode vampire?

Brujah
The Source has an order for me to issue to you.

D'Hoffryn
As always, I am at the Source's service.  What does he require?

Brujah
He wants you to round some Dang Zin Knights and unleash them on the Slayer and her people.

D'Hoffryn shakes his head.

D'Hoffryn
What does he think...Knights come off trees or something?  I can't just summon them.  Not all of them are even here.  Ever since the Rakesh Wars five hundred years ago, they've scattered.  It's going to take a little time to get them together.

Brujah
How many can you get together in one day?

D'Hoffryn
(thinking)
Maybe ten.

Brujah
(smiles)
That will be enough.  Send them after the Slayer after you have them.

D'Hoffryn
Very well.  Anything else?

Brujah
No.

Without waiting for any further words, Brujah turns and leaves while D'Hoffryn watches him depart.

Cut to:

INT. The Summers Residence, Time Lapse - Night.

We cut from that scene to establish the living room at the Summers Residence.  Everyone is gathered there.  WILLOW is seated on the recliner chair with BUFFY seated in the other chair.  XANDER, ANYA, and DAWN are seated on the couch and TARA is seated on one of the dining room chairs that was brought into the living room.

GILES is standing at the entrance to the foyer with his arms crossed.  He shares a glance with Tara before he speaks.  Through this short bit of silence, Willow and Tara have yet to share any type of communication.

Giles
Thank you all for coming as quickly as you have.

Buffy
Well, you did say it was an emergency.

Dawn
Yeah, has the Source done something?

Giles
No...no it's nothing like that.

Xander
Then, what's going on G-man?

Giles
(he looks at Tara for a beat)
(we see her nod back)
(Willow notices it and her eyebrows widen)
This afternoon, Tara came to the Magic Box and she needed to talk.

Buffy
Oookay.

Anya
And?

Giles
(sticking his hands in his pockets)
And...Tara's told me some things that I did not want to hear.  But, I should leave it up to her to tell you the rest.

Tara gets to her feet and looks at the staircase for a second.  We pan over and it is then that we see that there is a duffel bag packed.  She looks back at the group.

Tara
This whole thing with the Source...is my fault.

Willow
Tara, no it's not!

Tara
Yes it is.  We can't ignore the truth anymore.  This is all happening because I was returned to this world.  If I was still....still dead, then none of this would be happening.  And since all this has been going on, Will, you and I have been drifting apart.  Don't tell me it's not true.

Willow stared at her, upset at her words, but unable to deny them.  She stayed silent.

Tara
(continued)
Especially with Glory back.  I've started learning how to use the sword, Willow's been experimenting with dark magick again...

Xander
You what...

Willow
I had to try to protect Tara.  That was the only way I saw how.

Tara
It doesn't matter why.  The point is...we've both kept secrets from each other.  And after last year, I thought we'd never do that again.  And it's because the Source is here and it's because I'm this prophesized Pure One. (a beat of silence) I went to my mom's grave today.  And I talked to her.  I'm not sure when or even why, but I left that cemetery knowing what I had to do.

Buffy
What are you saying Tara?

Tara
The Source...he needs the Pure One inside that Ring of Fire.  You heard Ravnos.  He needs me in that fire to do his ceremony.  I'm pretty sure that's why the Powers sent Michael to take me back to the Higher Realms.  Without me here, the Source couldn't proceed.

Xander
Then why return you then?

Tara
(looking at him)
They didn't.

Willow
What?

Tara
(turning to her and smiling softly)
I saw how much you were hurting.  I couldn't stay away.  I found the only doorway between this world and the Higher Realms.  The only side effect...was the memory loss.

Giles
And with Tara back here, the Source's plans moved forward again.

Tara
Right now, the only way to prevent him from winning this...is if I'm not here. (a beat of silence) I think it would be better if...if I just disappeared.

Shot of the group.  Their faces all show shock and stunned disbelief.  Dawn leaps up out of her chair.

Dawn
Leave?  You can't leave Tara.  W-we all need you here.

Tara
(taking a breath)
Until the time that the Source has to do the ceremony, I think it's better if I disappear.  Otherwise...

Buffy
Tara, I understand what your saying....but don't you think just leaving town is a little drastic?

Tara
Drastic...(laughs sarcastically) do you think I want to do this!  Do you think I want to leave....here?  Of course I don't.  I have no choice here.  If I stay, the Source will win.  By leaving, I'm giving us all a chance.

Dawn
Tara...

Willow
(quietly)
No Dawnie.  It's better is she does leave.  It's better that way.

Willow stands and heads up the stairs, tears spilling down her cheeks as she sees the duffel bag.  Tara takes several deep breaths, looking after the redhead's form as she departs.  She longs to go after her, but at the moment, there are no words to say.  Instead, she hangs her head down and closes her eyes.

We switch to an overhead shot of the entire group.  Sad, emotional music cues up in the background as we slowly begin to...

Fade to:

INT. Exterior of a Bus Leaving Sunnydale, Time Lapse - Night.

The emotional music continues as we fade into this shot.  We fade from Tara's face in the house to TARA's face and we pan back to reveal that she is seated at a window seat on a bus.  We have a view of the window and we see that the bus is nearing the city limits of Sunnydale.

Tara's cheeks are wet with dried tears and new tears covering them.  She stares out the window as the shot switches to an overhead shot of the entire bus.  As the bus continues down the highway, we hang back and the shot slowly moves over to a single sign.

It is the same sign that we saw when Buffy left Sunnydale after being forced to kill Angel.  The sign says 'Now Leaving Sunnydale'.  Below that line in cursive writing is the words 'come back soon!'.

We stay on that shot with the bus continuing to leave the city as we...

Blackout.

End of Episode 16 - A Glorious Union
End Credits.