Tara is bereft of words at the moment. She's never been much of a talker, like Buffy or Willow, so that doesn't come as a total surprise, but this is the sort of subject that makes her pause those extra few seconds longer than she normally would.

She honestly didn't know what to say about Cassie's mom, and it was a delicate subject, so she wanted to tread carefully.

"People...they can be pushed far enough sometimes, so-so far that they seem completely different. It happens, I-I think, when it comes to the people they love most. So when your mom saw you in pain-it pushed her far enough."

Tara hesitated again. But she wanted to give her answer more meaning, so she finally continued, "My girlfriend, Willow--in my world, she struggled with an addiction to magic. She wasn't like that when we first met, but...she changed. We--I had to leave, for a while, for her own good. And-And then she was killed."

She swallowed heavily. "Since I've been here, I found out that in-in an alternate reality, it was me who died, not her. And when I was killed, it was the thing--the thing that pushed her over the edge. She almost destroyed the world because of it."

Tara met Cassie's eyes again, full of sincerity and understanding. "I thought you were a hero, before, but now...I know. And I'm glad you have someone like Vlad."