Categories > TV > Buffy the Vampire Slayer > Choices of Life
Tara woke with a start. Willow was not by her side as she usually would be. She looked over at the clock. 12:05 a.m. That made her sit up quickly. It was now after midnight and her birthday. And that meant the change. Panic quickly set in. Since it was officially her twentieth birthday, that would mean she was supposed to be changing or had changed.
Carefully, she drew her hands to her face. Her breathing picked up a great deal as did the beating of her heart. She started with her nose. Her breath left her as her nose felt all normal like. But her ears. Slowly, her hands were touching her ears. Again, all normal. She was shaking by now, wondering if she could actually be normal. But the dreams.
She ended up with her arms across her chest, hugging herself. A thought occurred to her. Was this another dream? What if she were only dreaming that everything was all right. And where was her girlfriend?
A little smile formed on her face, the thought of Willow a distraction. She brought her left hand up to look at. She knew what the ring said. She knew what it meant to both of them. Even though in the eyes of the law they were not, to them and to their friends, she and Willow are now married. The rings are a symbol of their total commitment to one another.
The sound of the clock ticked in her mind bringing her out of her happy thoughts. And into a world of possible terror. It had been at least five minutes since she had awaken. And her partner and soulmate was still unseen. And who knows how long it had been since she had gone wherever she had gone.
Forgetting about the possible demony thing she could turn into, she quickly got out of bed. She noticed that there were no lights on in the rest of the apartment. That really made her fear grow by leaps and bounds.
She focused her mind before setting off any further. She felt the magicks build up inside of her. Grateful to still have the power, she said a silent protection spell and a prayer for protection of her girl.
Suddenly, there was a noise from the living room. Her heart leapt in her chest. There was a whispering sound a short time later. This was coming from the still darkened living room.
Slowly, Tara made her way into the living room. A shadowy figure could be seen sitting on the couch. It was so dark that she could barely make out the form. But a wave of relief rushed over her as she would recognize the redhead anywhere.
"Gotta go." Willow turned on the lamp beside her, making both of them blink until their eyes adjusted. "Hey, sweetie. Did I wake you?"
Tara shook her head. She realized that Willow had been on the phone when she arrived. "Is there trouble? You were in here whispering and talking in the dark. Are you hiding something from me?" Her eyes got a sad look to them.
Willow quickly got up and stood in front of her life partner. She gently placed a hand on her cheek. "I'm not hiding anything from you. Yes, I was talking." She got a little bit of a mischievous look on her face. "All, right. I am hiding something." Tara's eyes widen at the admission. "But it's a good, nonevilly thing that I'm hiding. It's of the good."
Tara eyed the redhead for a moment. "This doesn't have anything to do with my birthday, does it?" And that brought back all those instant fears of her turning all demony again.
Willow saw the look on her face. "You aren't a demon. No part of you is a demon. I think I figured something else. I didn't want to tell you until I was totally sure. But now that it is your birthday.." She leaned in and gave Tara a very passionate kiss. "Happy birthday, by the way." The smile on the blond witch's face was priceless. "To finish about my little theory. I know that Spike did the punching thing and it didn't hurt him. But remember, that was when we had the evil Riley around. Maybe, just maybe, he did something so that Spike's chip wouldn't activate. Trying to make us think that you were a demon. Not sure why he would, but it's hard to say with those evilly types."
It was a lot to take in. Could it possibly be? Could she not have any demon inside of her? She would not put it past her family to make up such stories about her. Anything to make her feel bad and to make her want to makeup for it all.
A huge smile played at the blond witch's face. "I think you're right. I don't think this is a dream." She eyed the redhead for a moment. "But what about the other thing? What exactly are you hiding from me?"
"It's of the good." Willow wrapped her arms around her. "You'll love this, I promise."
"Willow, you already did so much for me." Tara pulled back slightly from the hug. "You do too much for me. I don't deserve any of this."
Willow could not help but laugh. "You deserve the moon and the stars and anything your heart desires. And I'll give you anything you want."
"Anything?" Tara asked with a little bit of an evil grin. Willow raised one eyebrow. "I have all that I want. I have you."
***
It was now noon on a Sunday afternoon. The afternoon of Tara's birthday and she had yet to show any of the signs of being a demon. And that was a very welcome thing for both her and Willow.
They were walking towards The Bronze, holding hands. "Why are we going to The Bronze this early? I didn't think they were open this early."
"Well, for special occasions they are." Willow smiled at her look. "And still no, this does not have to do with your birthday. But it does have to do with you."
Tara gripped her lover's hand even tighter. She didn't like this surprise thing. Not one bit. But if it was from Willow, she knew that it had to be something wonderful. Just the thought of what had happened yesterday made her happier than she had ever been in her life.
"You first, sweetie." Willow opened the door to the still darkened Bronze. Tara looked at her before making her way slowly in. There was nothing but silence all around.
"Surprise!" Tara jumped at the sound as the lights also went on. The whole place was decorated with pink and white balloons. There were streamers hanging in the ceiling. And there were all of her friends and Willow's.
"What is going on?" Tara looked at everyone. She hadn't noticed the large banner that hung across the stage.
"Just look and you'll see." Willow pointed up to the stage.
Tara followed where Willow was pointing. On the banner was written 'Sorry to have forgotten. I love you now more than ever.' She turned back to the redhead. "Forgot what?"
Now Willow smiled. "Well, I'm not the only one to forget, now was I." She laughed a little. "Well, it was a little over a year ago." She paused. "A lot over a year ago that we first met. And that was truly a magical moment in my life. It took us what seems like forever to finally find one another after that first meeting." She walked up to her girlfriend and pulled her into her arms. "But it was definitely worth every second of it."
The two began kissing. "Aww! Look at the cute couple." Buffy laughed as Willow glared a moment at her. But the glare quickly turned into a smile. "This is sorta anniversary, birthday, and wedding type celebration. We just wanted to show you how happy we are for the two of you."
"Yeah, finding the right person is never easy." Xander wrapped his arm around Anya's waist. "Or exdemon in some cases."
"Hey!" Anya jabbed him in the ribs. "I take exception to that." She turned to the happy couple. "Here's wishing you a lot more happy years of orgasms."
"Yes, well." Giles took off his glasses and began cleaning them. After he put them back on, he walked over to Tara and Willow. "It may be out of place for me to say this, but I feel just like your father. You two make each other so happy, that is obvious for anyone to see. I only worried when the two of you first started seeing each other how the battle of evil would affect your relationship. But you have both been there and supported one another better than any other couple I have ever known. I only wish that if you two do decide someday to have an official ceremony, that I would be included. That I would get to walk both of my daughters down the aisle."
Tears were in Willow's eyes. It was true that at one time she had a crush on him. But over the years, she had looked at him as more of a father figure. Her parents had been all right with her relationship with Tara. But they were not happy. They still wanted her to find a nice Jewish boy. The two did not understand the whole gay thing. And the finding her soulmate that she never wanted to ever be a part from.
"Giles, I..." Willow managed as tears rolled down her cheeks. She swallowed hard. She felt Tara give her hand a little squeeze. "It's true, you are basically my father." She looked at all of her friends. "That's the only thing I regret about my little birthday surprise for Tara, that all of you could not share in it. I know how happy you all are that I finally found someone." She turned and looked deep into Tara's blue eyes. "I found the person that I was meant to find. The one that I will be with, forever and for always."
"Sounds like a song, Will." Xander walked over to the stage and pushed a few buttons. "Thought you two would like to dance with one another."
Willow listened and knew the song right away. She did not hesitate to wrap her arms around her blond witch. The song, 'Forever and For Always' by Shinia Twain was playing. "Care to dance?" Tara nodded. The two spent the rest of the evening dancing and talking with their friends. There was cake and other goodies as well.
***
Tara shot up straight in bed. And that knocked the arm of her lover off from her chest, waking up the redhead in the process. "What's wrong, sweetie?" Willow eyed the witch sleepily.
"I just, I don't know. Something felt different." She looked into those green eyes of her girlfriend. "Not necessarily of the bad, just some vibe."
Willow sat up on her elbow, looking her in the eye. "Are you still worried about the whole demon thing?" Tara nodded. "Well, I wouldn't be." She pointed to the clock. "After midnight. That means, no demon of any sort. Told ya so." She leaned in and kissed her. "Not that I would have left ya or anything." She held up her left hand. "You're stuck with me forever, baby."
"Now that's torture." Both girls laughed at the comment. Tara leaned in and kissed her. "I think I'm going to be all right now that I've got you in my life."
"Naturally. We help each other so much." Willow smiled. "And I can't wait until next summer."
"What's next summer?" Tara was having trouble speaking. She was finding herself very drawn to Willow at the moment. And it was taking all her willpower not to act on that want.
"We go to England and finish with the control thingy classes that we started, but never really finished." She sighed heavily. "Something tells me that I should have finished it. I have a feeling that something even bigger than this Riley evil twin is going to test our powers. And I just wish that I knew for sure that I had total control over my powers."
"Well, you have me." Tara smiled as she put her hand on her cheek. "I help to keep those magicks under control, don't I?"
Willow smiled. It was an evil smile. "Yes, but the mere touch of you sends me out of control in another way."
"Really?" Willow answered with a passionate kiss.
Carefully, she drew her hands to her face. Her breathing picked up a great deal as did the beating of her heart. She started with her nose. Her breath left her as her nose felt all normal like. But her ears. Slowly, her hands were touching her ears. Again, all normal. She was shaking by now, wondering if she could actually be normal. But the dreams.
She ended up with her arms across her chest, hugging herself. A thought occurred to her. Was this another dream? What if she were only dreaming that everything was all right. And where was her girlfriend?
A little smile formed on her face, the thought of Willow a distraction. She brought her left hand up to look at. She knew what the ring said. She knew what it meant to both of them. Even though in the eyes of the law they were not, to them and to their friends, she and Willow are now married. The rings are a symbol of their total commitment to one another.
The sound of the clock ticked in her mind bringing her out of her happy thoughts. And into a world of possible terror. It had been at least five minutes since she had awaken. And her partner and soulmate was still unseen. And who knows how long it had been since she had gone wherever she had gone.
Forgetting about the possible demony thing she could turn into, she quickly got out of bed. She noticed that there were no lights on in the rest of the apartment. That really made her fear grow by leaps and bounds.
She focused her mind before setting off any further. She felt the magicks build up inside of her. Grateful to still have the power, she said a silent protection spell and a prayer for protection of her girl.
Suddenly, there was a noise from the living room. Her heart leapt in her chest. There was a whispering sound a short time later. This was coming from the still darkened living room.
Slowly, Tara made her way into the living room. A shadowy figure could be seen sitting on the couch. It was so dark that she could barely make out the form. But a wave of relief rushed over her as she would recognize the redhead anywhere.
"Gotta go." Willow turned on the lamp beside her, making both of them blink until their eyes adjusted. "Hey, sweetie. Did I wake you?"
Tara shook her head. She realized that Willow had been on the phone when she arrived. "Is there trouble? You were in here whispering and talking in the dark. Are you hiding something from me?" Her eyes got a sad look to them.
Willow quickly got up and stood in front of her life partner. She gently placed a hand on her cheek. "I'm not hiding anything from you. Yes, I was talking." She got a little bit of a mischievous look on her face. "All, right. I am hiding something." Tara's eyes widen at the admission. "But it's a good, nonevilly thing that I'm hiding. It's of the good."
Tara eyed the redhead for a moment. "This doesn't have anything to do with my birthday, does it?" And that brought back all those instant fears of her turning all demony again.
Willow saw the look on her face. "You aren't a demon. No part of you is a demon. I think I figured something else. I didn't want to tell you until I was totally sure. But now that it is your birthday.." She leaned in and gave Tara a very passionate kiss. "Happy birthday, by the way." The smile on the blond witch's face was priceless. "To finish about my little theory. I know that Spike did the punching thing and it didn't hurt him. But remember, that was when we had the evil Riley around. Maybe, just maybe, he did something so that Spike's chip wouldn't activate. Trying to make us think that you were a demon. Not sure why he would, but it's hard to say with those evilly types."
It was a lot to take in. Could it possibly be? Could she not have any demon inside of her? She would not put it past her family to make up such stories about her. Anything to make her feel bad and to make her want to makeup for it all.
A huge smile played at the blond witch's face. "I think you're right. I don't think this is a dream." She eyed the redhead for a moment. "But what about the other thing? What exactly are you hiding from me?"
"It's of the good." Willow wrapped her arms around her. "You'll love this, I promise."
"Willow, you already did so much for me." Tara pulled back slightly from the hug. "You do too much for me. I don't deserve any of this."
Willow could not help but laugh. "You deserve the moon and the stars and anything your heart desires. And I'll give you anything you want."
"Anything?" Tara asked with a little bit of an evil grin. Willow raised one eyebrow. "I have all that I want. I have you."
***
It was now noon on a Sunday afternoon. The afternoon of Tara's birthday and she had yet to show any of the signs of being a demon. And that was a very welcome thing for both her and Willow.
They were walking towards The Bronze, holding hands. "Why are we going to The Bronze this early? I didn't think they were open this early."
"Well, for special occasions they are." Willow smiled at her look. "And still no, this does not have to do with your birthday. But it does have to do with you."
Tara gripped her lover's hand even tighter. She didn't like this surprise thing. Not one bit. But if it was from Willow, she knew that it had to be something wonderful. Just the thought of what had happened yesterday made her happier than she had ever been in her life.
"You first, sweetie." Willow opened the door to the still darkened Bronze. Tara looked at her before making her way slowly in. There was nothing but silence all around.
"Surprise!" Tara jumped at the sound as the lights also went on. The whole place was decorated with pink and white balloons. There were streamers hanging in the ceiling. And there were all of her friends and Willow's.
"What is going on?" Tara looked at everyone. She hadn't noticed the large banner that hung across the stage.
"Just look and you'll see." Willow pointed up to the stage.
Tara followed where Willow was pointing. On the banner was written 'Sorry to have forgotten. I love you now more than ever.' She turned back to the redhead. "Forgot what?"
Now Willow smiled. "Well, I'm not the only one to forget, now was I." She laughed a little. "Well, it was a little over a year ago." She paused. "A lot over a year ago that we first met. And that was truly a magical moment in my life. It took us what seems like forever to finally find one another after that first meeting." She walked up to her girlfriend and pulled her into her arms. "But it was definitely worth every second of it."
The two began kissing. "Aww! Look at the cute couple." Buffy laughed as Willow glared a moment at her. But the glare quickly turned into a smile. "This is sorta anniversary, birthday, and wedding type celebration. We just wanted to show you how happy we are for the two of you."
"Yeah, finding the right person is never easy." Xander wrapped his arm around Anya's waist. "Or exdemon in some cases."
"Hey!" Anya jabbed him in the ribs. "I take exception to that." She turned to the happy couple. "Here's wishing you a lot more happy years of orgasms."
"Yes, well." Giles took off his glasses and began cleaning them. After he put them back on, he walked over to Tara and Willow. "It may be out of place for me to say this, but I feel just like your father. You two make each other so happy, that is obvious for anyone to see. I only worried when the two of you first started seeing each other how the battle of evil would affect your relationship. But you have both been there and supported one another better than any other couple I have ever known. I only wish that if you two do decide someday to have an official ceremony, that I would be included. That I would get to walk both of my daughters down the aisle."
Tears were in Willow's eyes. It was true that at one time she had a crush on him. But over the years, she had looked at him as more of a father figure. Her parents had been all right with her relationship with Tara. But they were not happy. They still wanted her to find a nice Jewish boy. The two did not understand the whole gay thing. And the finding her soulmate that she never wanted to ever be a part from.
"Giles, I..." Willow managed as tears rolled down her cheeks. She swallowed hard. She felt Tara give her hand a little squeeze. "It's true, you are basically my father." She looked at all of her friends. "That's the only thing I regret about my little birthday surprise for Tara, that all of you could not share in it. I know how happy you all are that I finally found someone." She turned and looked deep into Tara's blue eyes. "I found the person that I was meant to find. The one that I will be with, forever and for always."
"Sounds like a song, Will." Xander walked over to the stage and pushed a few buttons. "Thought you two would like to dance with one another."
Willow listened and knew the song right away. She did not hesitate to wrap her arms around her blond witch. The song, 'Forever and For Always' by Shinia Twain was playing. "Care to dance?" Tara nodded. The two spent the rest of the evening dancing and talking with their friends. There was cake and other goodies as well.
***
Tara shot up straight in bed. And that knocked the arm of her lover off from her chest, waking up the redhead in the process. "What's wrong, sweetie?" Willow eyed the witch sleepily.
"I just, I don't know. Something felt different." She looked into those green eyes of her girlfriend. "Not necessarily of the bad, just some vibe."
Willow sat up on her elbow, looking her in the eye. "Are you still worried about the whole demon thing?" Tara nodded. "Well, I wouldn't be." She pointed to the clock. "After midnight. That means, no demon of any sort. Told ya so." She leaned in and kissed her. "Not that I would have left ya or anything." She held up her left hand. "You're stuck with me forever, baby."
"Now that's torture." Both girls laughed at the comment. Tara leaned in and kissed her. "I think I'm going to be all right now that I've got you in my life."
"Naturally. We help each other so much." Willow smiled. "And I can't wait until next summer."
"What's next summer?" Tara was having trouble speaking. She was finding herself very drawn to Willow at the moment. And it was taking all her willpower not to act on that want.
"We go to England and finish with the control thingy classes that we started, but never really finished." She sighed heavily. "Something tells me that I should have finished it. I have a feeling that something even bigger than this Riley evil twin is going to test our powers. And I just wish that I knew for sure that I had total control over my powers."
"Well, you have me." Tara smiled as she put her hand on her cheek. "I help to keep those magicks under control, don't I?"
Willow smiled. It was an evil smile. "Yes, but the mere touch of you sends me out of control in another way."
"Really?" Willow answered with a passionate kiss.
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