Title: The Veracity of Vamp Willow
Author: psimetis
E-mail: psimetis@hotmail.com
Spoilers: season 3, Doppelgangland
Rating: R
Pairing: vampireW/T
Characters: Vampire Willow, Tara, Vamp Xander, Puppy, Dark Slayer Buffy, Slayer Faith
Disclaimer: All characters of BtVS and its universe are all rights and possessions of Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon. This is a fan to fan appreciative effort made for absolutely no profit.

Summary: Wishverse; Tara Maclay comes to Sunnydale and doesn’t realize that her online friend, Willow, is a vampire. Comedy. Angst-light. not beta’d.

Warnings: language, Puppy ownership, Light BDSM/Spanking of the Xander Bare Ass

Note: this story was inspired by Tinna Karen’s ‘The Mendacity of Tara Maclay’, which has no vampires.

Further Note: I can’t believe I wrote a fluff piece. :O Enjoy!

* * *

The Veracity of Vampire Willow

Tara looked furtively around her town library. It was empty, as usual. Feeling secure, she returned her attention to the library’s only public computer and accessed the online magic chat room she had been secretly frequenting for the past several months. She smiled when she realized that, right on schedule, a very special someone was already online.

Wicked: hey you

Tara grinned. She typed a greeting back.

Tinkerbell: Hey :). I have good news, she further typed. I got my admissions packet. I bought a bus ticket. She bit her lip in excitement, as she watched her friend type back:

Wicked: I can’t wait to see you

* * *

Willow stared avidly at her computer screen. Idly, her finger ran along the top of the laptop she had stolen off a businessman she’d had for dinner a few months ago.

Tinkerbell: Yes, I’ll be careful at the bus station, and I’ll even have holy water. It was hard to get though. We’re all Baptists.

Willow grinned as she read that. Tara could be funny in such a subtle way. After Willow’s big adventure in that alternative reality where she had met her human, magic practicing self, the vampire had decided to alleviate her constant boredom by finding out more about magic as well. Getting access online had helped. It wasn’t like the local witches were interested in talking shop with her vampire self.

She had first noticed Tara in a popular magic site’s chat room. The girl had been asking about--of all things--how to deal with vampires. Willow just had to answer her questions--and to find out why she was asking them. It was obvious this girl was unlike the other online blessed wanna-be’s.

The vampire put her fingers to the keys and typed:

Wicked: and stakes?

Tinkerbell: Yes. I whittled three. I don’t think I can use them, though. :(

Wicked: Don’t worry. I’ll teach you how. And if you’re still not down with the violence, I’ll protect you.

Tinkerbell: :D

“Hey Wil,” Xander called casually, as he prowled into the Bronze back room which Willow had claimed as her own. He tilted his head to see what she was doing. “Chattin’ with your girlfriend again?”

“Shut up,” Willow bade sweetly. “Go do your ‘Master’ things.” She--since it was her idea--and Xander had covertly arranged for the Master to be spectacularly and publicly dusted by the Slayer months ago. With their ugly, ancient sire out of the way, a quickly formed truce with the Slayer had set Xander up as the vampire master of Sunnydale.

“You know I would, but I’m just the figurehead,” Xander answered offhandedly, giving his broad shoulders a roll. It was obvious he was bored. “I got a Slayer matter. I need your Willow-brains, baby.”

Willow sighed. “Give me a minute.”

Xander’s idea of giving his ‘sister’ a minute was by flinging himself on to the huge throw pillows Willow favored having on the floor of her lair. As he lounged at her feet like a big cat he ran a finger lazily up and down her leather clad leg.

Wicked: I gotta go. Send me an email with all the details? Can’t wait to see you.

Willow smiled as she read Tara’s response. Xander noticed her cute, pleased grin.

“She’s human,” he remarked for the billionth time.

“Duh. I like her,” Willow stated emphatically, as she logged off and shut down her laptop.

“And obviously she likes you,” Xander commented, giving Willow’s knee a kiss. Sometimes he read over Wil’s shoulder while she was ‘chatting’ with the girl. ‘The girl’, as Xander’s mind would refer to the human, just as the souled vampire chained up in their basement was ‘the Puppy’. After a while he decided to just give up on ribbing his sibling for her silly infatuation with this sweet, human thing. “You should tell her what we are, Wil,” he added with a waggle of his dark eyebrows.

“What is it you need,” Willow snapped, changing the subject. She’ll tell Tara of her true nature when she’s ready.

“C’mon,” Xander indicated, rolling off the floor, and Willow resignedly followed him outside into the din and lights that was the main floor of the Bronze.

* * *

Tara had to find a way to leave home for college, and UC Sunnydale had been the best--and possibly only--choice. With its very enticing scholarship, coupled with other financial aids, Sunnydale guaranteed that Tara could finally leave her unhappy home and perhaps find a safe place for herself and her magic practice at last. Some online queries into the possible ‘magic friendliness’ of her new school and town led to cryptic mentions of a ‘hellmouth’, which, to a longtime witch like Tara, meant the very real presence of demons. Knowledge of demons led Tara to then seek out practical info on how to live safely in such an environment. The girl Tara had encountered in chat, Willow, somehow had all the answers to what Tara wanted to know, and better yet, she actually lived on the Hellmouth.

And she was...Tara thought to herself, unable to stop a sudden smile and the warm feeling that engulfed her chest when she thought of her friend. She was so nice, and they had hit it off right away. Tara was always socially awkward, whether in public or even within the anonymity of online communication, but with Willow, Tara had felt free to be her dorky self as well as utterly unselfconscious while discussing serious magic. From the very beginning, she had felt connected to Willow.

Tara addressed her last package to be sent to Sunnydale ahead of her. Willow had volunteered to hold some of her items until Tara got to town herself. Very carefully, she wrote on the surface: The Bronze.

* * *

“Hey,” a girl said as she entered the Sunnydale High school library. Buffy looked up casually at who had addressed her. It was Nancy, one of her White Hats--or as Xander liked to call her people, one of her ‘minions’.

“What’s the what, Nanc,” Buffy acknowledged, as she carefully cleaned her fingernails with a evil looking bowie knife. Nancy was back from her shift of ‘spy on the Bronze’. Buffy had her people keeping an eye on ‘master’ Xander’s lair. She didn’t trust Xander--or more accurately, his sibling Willow--any further than her mother could throw either of them.

“Another package arrived at the Bronze, and they didn’t eat the mail guy,” Nancy reported, as she flopped into a chair. “Still can’t tell you where they’re coming from, though.”

Buffy glanced briefly over her shoulder at a dark haired girl lounging against one of the book stacks behind her. She was the newest addition to the team. The dark haired girl straightened and there was a swagger to her easy step.

“I’m on it,” she assured the blonde Slayer with a tough Bostonian accent.

* * *

“...and so I says to the Buffster, anyone who eats their fill? Not our problem. We just tell ‘em the rules of the town and if they don’t listen, you stake ‘em,” Xander related with an exaggerated bravado to his attitude as he replayed his weekly meeting with the Slayer. Willow merely ignored him and shook a large, heavy box in her arms. She had a delighted expression as she heft the weight around.

“More stuff from your girlfriend?” Xander asked curiously.

“This one’s full of books!” Willow exclaimed, as she carefully put the large box with several other smaller ones in a corner of her lair. “I bet they’re her magic books. I’ll put a protection spell on them.” The red haired vampire immediately got out some supplies to cast a simple protection spell.

“Wil, as Master of this town, I gotta tell ya, you’re obsessed with some human witch and it’s gotta stop,” Xander stated with hardly any seriousness, as he watched his sibling draw a circle around the boxes with chalk.

“Pppfft! At least my obsession is healthy. You want to boink the Slayer. Now that’s terminally unhealthy,” Willow scoffed. The only reason this truce had lasted as long as it had, Willow privately thought. Was because her brother Xander had a ‘thing’ for Buffy.

“Hey. I only want her long enough to get her clothes off. Then I tear her throat out and dance in her blood.”

“Yeah sure,” Willow dismissed. She stood a moment before her boxes and quietly chanted a spell. The packages glowed a moment.

“Wufff!” Xander shivered. Magic in the air always gave him the naughty willies. When Willow turned her slim figure in his direction, he reached out casually to cop a feel of her bodice clad chest.

“No,” was all the red haired vampire said as she smacked his hand out of the way. “I’m taking Puppy for a walk.” She went to her chest of drawers and pulled out her ‘walking’ clothes. Xander simply grinned and flopped back on Willow’s king sized bed. He loved it when Willow played ‘dress up’.

* * *

“I still haven’t figured out how to tell her,” Willow said thoughtfully, as she walked ahead of her obedient Puppy. She liked taking Puppy out for walks. She could tell him anything--much like Tara, now that she thought about it. Except she didn’t give Puppy permission to speak. But Willow knew the big, souled vampire she led on her leather leash actually listened to her--unlike Xander. “I thought...maybe gradually. Like, after a few dates? That sounds so formal. After we hang out together some more? In person, for real this time. And then I could say, ‘Remember what I told you about vampires? Well I’m one!’. No, that sounds a little scary.... ‘Remember what I told you about vampires? Do you think you could kiss one?’ No, no, that sounds way too eager.”

As Willow walked and muttered to herself, Angel followed obediently behind, his wrist manacles locked to his belt. At least tonight, he got to wear a shirt. His mistress suddenly glanced back at him and smiled--a smile so soft and sweet it made Angel catch unneeded breath. She was quite a picture in her ‘walking’ outfit.

“I don’t want to play games with her. I think I’ve really found a friend, so I want her to really know me. We’ve already told each other lots already. I like the honesty. That makes me different, doesn’t it? You were all about playing games when you were evil, weren’t you, Puppy.”

Angel hung his head, not wanting to share the deep sadness in his eyes.

“Poor Puppy,” Willow comforted, going to tiptoe as she gave her Puppy’s broad forehead a soft kiss. She unhooked the leash from the pet collar fastened around his neck and then unlocked his wrist restraints from his belt.

“Here we are at the park,” she indicated with the leash. She gave Puppy a playful swat with the leather on his firm behind. “Go hide and keep an eye on me.” Puppy did as ordered and ran quickly into the dark of the trees. Willow continued walking, picking a park path in random.

“I was waiting to tell her in person,” Willow continued in a normal, soft tone, knowing Puppy could still hear her with his vampiric hearing. “Once she came here to UC Sunnydale. Because saying stuff like, ‘Hi! I’m evil and undead!’ in cyberspace just sounds really ooky. I like her, I don’t want to lose her friendship just yet. Xander just thinks I wanna boink her. He’s such an idiot. It’s more complicated than that. Like okay, when we see each other maybe we won’t like each other physically, even though she did say she was gay.” And then Willow gave a little skip, happy once again at that knowledge. “But we can still be friends and practice magic and stuff. Well, hopefully after the whole, ‘I’m a vampire’, part.” Willow slowed in her walk and looked around in the dark. She cast her large eyed gaze about her, the leash twisting in her slender hands.

“Puppyyy, Puppyyy,” she called softly, looking suddenly small and vulnerable. A large, male shape detached from the cluster of trees ahead of her. the moonlight glinted off the man’s glasses. He had a pleasant face.

“Lost your puppy, have you?” he congenially asked the waif before him. The little girl wore a soft, fuzzy pink sweater over a pinafore, her legs clad in pure, white tights. She looked untouched and innocent. Just his type.

Willow lower lip trembled slightly. She took a little step back...just to look unsure.

“H-Have you seen him?” she asked quietly. “I lost my Puppy and I just want to find him and go home.”

“Let me help you,” the man offered in a friendly tone. His assuring smile didn’t reach his eyes. His base and violent desires suddenly reared up. Instead of leading the girl into the privacy of the trees he greedily reached out to take a hold of her.

Willow didn’t feel like doing the usual screaming. She merely stood and watched with mild interest as Puppy broke like a large beast from the nearby bushes and tackled the man with a roar, his fangs bared. She loved it when Puppy got all ‘grr’. Willow grinned. She then wrinkled her nose. Sheesh, the pervert peed his pants already.

“Puppy I don’t want to eat him, he’s all stinky,” she remarked, sticking her tongue out between her teeth in disgust. “Put the fear of hell in him and then we’ll leave him here.” What was left unsaid, but understood by Puppy, was that she wanted the human predator left in a condition where a scavenger demon would easily finish the human off before morning. She turned and walked away, going to the deserted playground nearby. The air was filled with the man’s screams as Angel roughed him up and growled words of threat and damnation at him for the rapist monster he was. Willow smirked and sat on a swing. She always urged Puppy to eat their prey on their walks, but he steadfastly refused, even when she assured him that the kills were actually sanctioned by the great Slayer herself. Buffy apparently had no patience nor pity for the human predators in her town.

One less predator for the town her friend Tara would soon be living in. Willow gave herself a push on the swing, and soon Puppy was joining her, adding his strength gently from behind.

“Tara Tara Tara,” Willow sang to the night sky every time her feet swung up and touched the stars.

Faith stood in the shadows of the park trees, completely perplexed by what she’d eavesdropped upon for the past hour. As she watched the ‘servant’ vampire push his mistress on the swing, Faith had to admit it didn’t seem like the ‘Brain’ of the Aurelius outfit was planning anything sinister, but she was the ‘new’ Slayer, so she’d have to see what Buffy thought. Giving the Willow vamp, in her ‘innocent girl’ clothes, one last bemused glance, Faith turned and ran off into the night.

* * *

Tara arrived in fabled Sunnydale safe and sound, and during an actual sunny day. She made it to campus with her suitcases and found her assigned dorm room. She could not help the excitement and happiness she felt. Free at last! As she unpacked a few necessities, then familiarized herself with her campus environment, Tara was eager to start her new life. She just wished she could share it with a friend--a friend she would be meeting that night, according to their pre-arranged plans. It made her nervous, but it was a happy kind of nervous.

Willow had made a point, almost from the beginning of their online conversations, to be strangely honest. Certainly some of the things she had shared about herself was not meant to impress, and Tara rather doubted she had meant to shock the blonde witch either--even though that was what she did. Tara had grown up in a small and very conservative town. Telling her about her childhood friend Xander, for instance, with whom Willow seemed to have an ‘open’ relationship, took some getting used to. Telling Tara about her shady history as well, which had involved stealing and other unsavory deeds Willow had only hinted at, had also been an eye opener. Willow’s online handle was not ‘Wicked’ for nothing.

Wicked: Sunnydale’s not a nice place, and neither am I, or the people I know, really. Do you still want to come?

Tara appreciated it that Willow had been that upfront. Living on the Hellmouth could not be easy, and it sounded like Willow had no real family, so it was understandable that she had no regard for regular law. Strangely, Tara could not help but trust her, though.

Wicked: Why are you so accepting?

Tinkerbell: I have a confession too.

So for the first time in her life, Tara shared her family’s demon history with an outsider. She had felt that if Willow was willing to tell everything unflattering about herself, Tara should share in kind. It was only right. Willow’s reaction had been strange, to Tara’s surprise.

Wicked: That doesn’t sound right. Let me get back to you.

And when she did, Willow blew Tara’s longtime beliefs completely out of the water.

She had actually talked to demons, Tara recalled, as she rested on a bench after her tour of the campus. Willow had talked to older demons, ones who would definitely be familiar with a situation like Tara’s. Her friend had even talked to a thousand year old vengeance demon. Willow had done all that for Tara, just so she could find out what sort of demon she was going to be, and it turned out that her demon ‘history’ had all been one big, awful lie afterall.

Tara felt a lump form in her throat at the memory and swallowed it away. It was almost sunset, and finally she’ll get to meet this wonderful friend who had done for her more than anyone had, besides her mother.

* * *

“So she’s got some crush,” Buffy stated, as she easily flung a knife into a wood board from where she sat. It struck the board with a reverberating ‘thunk’. Faith, lounged in a seat near the wood target, shrugged. She reached over and jerked the knife out of the wood. Both Slayers were hanging out in Slayer H.Q.--the high school library--and pondering the ‘Willow’ situation.

“This girl’s got something she wants,” Buffy concluded.

“Like what?” Faith frowned, refraining from adding, ‘besides maybe some hot ass’? She was trying to be ‘serious’ Slayer here.

Her sister Slayer merely raised her eyebrows slightly. “Weren’t you going to find out?” the smaller girl simply asked.

Faith just rolled her eyes. She flipped the knife to Buffy, who caught the handle easily. With one quick hand, the blonde Slayer sent the knife flying back at the wood board. As it struck, it split the board in two.

“UC Sunnydale would be a good place to start,” Buffy suggested casually.

* * *

Willow panicked.

Strangely, she felt like she was going to be sick. For the first time in her unlife, her undead stomach was urging her to hurl into some convenient bushes--and fast.

Willow audibly swallowed. Now was not the time to be all--

She hurriedly wiped her clammy hands up and down her leather clad thighs. She couldn’t believe this. Her palms were sweating, and vampires did not sweat.

Of course we’re freaking out on you, her various undead body parts were saying to her. Lookit what you’re looking at!

I’m looking, I’m looking! she thought frantically. She’s beautiful!

And Tara was. Willow could not believe her good fortune. She peeked around the corner of a campus building and watched the soft, curvy figure of a blue eyed, blonde girl stand patiently within a doorway’s lit eaves. Tara said she would wear a red, printed scarf, and she did, tied prettily around her neck. In her long print skirt and soft sweater, the blonde witch was all kinds of pretty.

Goody, pure, innocent, beautiful kind of pretty.

She’s not going to like me! Willow thought desperately. So I told her I was evil! But--that’s not the same as seeing it! And Willow glanced desperately down at herself for the hundredth time, wishing she’d gone with something a little less intimidating than her usual leather pants, fetish-y leather bodice and goth chick top. Willow had wanted to be honest--she dressed like this all the time--but she didn’t want her appearance to be the catalyst for a zero chance of knowing Tara from the very start.

Willow stood behind the building and panicked.

* * *

When Faith felt that familiar vampire ‘buzz’, she couldn’t believe her good fortune--she’d tagged Willow right away and didn’t have to hunt around campus. It also looked like the vampire was so distracted, she hadn’t sensed Faith yet in return, which was five by five with the dark haired Slayer. Faith looked from the panicky vampire to the quiet, blonde girl who was obviously waiting for someone. Faith put two and two together. The Slayer was also getting a clue from the vamp’s behavior that she and this ‘Tara’ still hadn’t met yet. Then Faith got a really crazy idea.

* * *

Tara looked nervously at her wrist watch again, the elegant, worn band and time piece that had belonged to her mother indicating the increasing, passing minutes to her.

“I hope she didn’t change her mind,” Tara whispered anxiously to herself.

“Like she would?” she heard a girl’s tough, yet friendly voice say. Tara looked up and saw a very well built female body and attractive, smirking face paying complete attention to her--if the appreciatively roving eyes were any indication.

“W-W-Willow?” Tara queried hesitantly. God, she knew Willow had a tough past but she hadn’t known she would look so...tough.

“Tara, right?” Faith answered, nearly gulping as she did so, even as she covered it up with a wide smile. She had a hard time playing this cool. She was definitely going to make Willow’s death list now, but this was one sure way to find out what the vamp wanted with this girl. Faith decided to jump into this opportunity with both boots flying. The soft blonde in front of her nodded.

“It’s,” she heard Tara say. The blonde stepped down from the porch and made a little gesture with one hand, her arms open. “It’s so good to finally meet you.” Then the girl hugged her.

Just as Faith wrapped her strong arms around the girl, enjoying the blonde’s surprising trust and friendliness, she heard a low, extremely unhappy growl roll out in the dark. Tara stiffened and moved back in the Slayer’s arms.

“W-What was that?” she asked fearfully. Before Faith could open her mouth and make up some story, Tara glanced at her. “W-Was that--something demon-y?”

Faith’s mouth couldn’t help hanging open in surprise.

“Our farm was near the woods, so I know what a wild animal sounds like,” Tara explained, as she looked nervously into the night. “That didn’t sound like any animal.”

“You’re right. I’m thinking that was a vamp,” Faith gave quickly, deciding that this girl must know more about Sunnydale and the supernatural than the usual human did. Now that the blonde assumed Faith was Willow, the Slayer could easily lead her to safety.

“Maybe we should go somewhere with a crowd. You been downtown?” Faith asked. When Tara shyly smiled and shook her head, Faith grinned and offered her arm. The Slayer was going to assume that such familiarity was okay. Tara blushed slightly, but she moved to slip her arm into Faith’s. Before she did, she stopped short, looking over the Slayer’s shoulder. Faith took a quick look behind and spotted Willow’s slim, tense figure by the building.

“That’s a vamp,” Faith told Tara, returning her attention to the blonde and noticing how the girl frowned slightly, as if curious. “Let’s go before it gets any ideas.”

Tara let Willow lead her away, but glanced back one last time at the slim, pale, and very sad looking girl who stood near a building across from them. If that really was a vampire, Tara thought, she still could not help feeling a little sorry for the girl’s apparent unhappiness, radiating from her slender body in waves.

The poor vampire looked like she had lost her world.

* * *

The Slayer’s words echoed over and over in Willow’s head.

That’s a vamp, she had said. The Slayer had told Tara, she’d told her!!

Willow had overheard everything, not understanding at all why Faith would pretend she was Willow herself. All the vampire could comprehend, as she woodenly followed her Tara and the Slayer, was that if she went to Tara right now, her witch would be terribly frightened, and then she would lose her for good. Willow dearly wanted to rip Faith’s head off at that very moment, but that would frighten Tara too. She followed at half a block’s pace behind the Slayer and her witch and didn’t bother to hide her presence. For now, that was all she could think to do.

She smells so nice, Willow thought miserably, as she tracked the couple before her. Even in her despair, the vampire couldn’t help enjoying Tara’s ‘live’ scent, a far more satisfying experience than the residue whiffs she’d coaxed off the packages when she received them. Willow couldn’t help herself, she made a sad sound in her throat again.

Tara hesitated a moment, bringing the girl beside her to a temporary halt. She glanced anxiously behind her.

“Hey,” Faith said. “You want me to get rid of her?”

“N-No,” Tara assured hastily. She didn’t want her friend to get hurt taking on a preternaturally strong vampire. Although she could tell that Willow could definitely take care of herself--the strength she could sense just from touching her friend’s arm was unbelievable--Tara didn’t want any violence to happen during their first time together. She tugged slightly on Willow’s arm.

“She just sounded hurt, that’s all,” Tara murmured, as they began walking again. Like a wounded animal, Tara added silently. It was her natural inclination to want to help the creature, but for some reason, she sensed Willow wouldn’t feel the same. Tara frowned slightly to herself. In their online conversations, Tara had always felt that Willow was pretty tolerant of demonkind, especially when she’d helped Tara with her own, supposed demon heritage. She wondered how she could have gotten that wrong.

Willow led Tara to Sunnydale’s Main Street, which was pretty lively. She took her to a pizzeria, saying it was one of her favorite spots, and got the witch a vegetarian slice with a side order of garlic sticks. She then got an entire medium pizza for herself. It amazed Tara how...cocky, Willow seemed. She was so passionate, extroverted, and surprisingly loud, as the brunette joked with the pizza guys. Tara’s impression of her friend as a sensitive, intelligent, and rather quirky personality was becoming a strange memory. Willow-online was nothing like Willow in person. Willow in person was like fire, just a little on the side of uncontrolled. Willow-online was passionate too, but it had felt tempered and self-aware, even when darker aspects had shown. Tara was surprised again, at how she’d missed realizing what a loose gun Willow apparently really was.

“S-So,” Tara began hesitantly. “Have you been practicing the fiat lux spell you asked about?” She wondered if this was why Willow had turned to magic--to learn some self-control. She watched with some fascination as Willow scarfed down yet another slice of pizza.

“Oh. That. It’s good to know,” Faith answered vaguely, pretending to be very busy with her food. While she made a show of inhaling another gooey, cheese and pepperoni slice, she thought about what Tara had said. Clue number one: the chick in front of her was into witchcraft, and apparently Red was learning it from her. Not of the good.

“Oh. Okay,” Tara acknowledged, not sure what more to say. She got the vibe that Willow wasn’t interested in talking about magic right then. She looked down at her meal, her hair falling before her face. Willow had never made her feel so awkward before. But then again, ‘in person’ and ‘online’ were two different things.

“Hey,” Faith quickly said, recognizing that the witch girl was a bit sensitive. “Your--your help? It was cool, I really appreciate it.” That got her a glance from those nice blue eyes of Tara’s, and especially a shy, warm smile. Faith had to grin back.

“I-I’m glad I’m helping you,” Tara answered, a hand moving her hair behind an ear. “But you helped me more. I can’t thank you enough,” the girl said sincerely to Faith, and the Slayer was surprised to see such deep gratitude in Tara’s eyes.

“No problem,” Faith managed to answer, her voice a little rough. She had to wonder what the vampire had done to deserve a look like that. She almost felt guilty, accepting the gratitude that Tara was giving, since the Slayer obviously hadn’t earned it herself.

“You’re not at all what I expected,” Tara then said to her.

“No?” Faith answered a little dumbly. She watched the blonde shake her head self-consciously and blush. She was pretty when she was shy.

Tara looked down again even as she smiled. She didn’t exactly want to say out loud, ‘I thought you’d be softer’. This cockiness of Willow’s might just be her public exterior. She didn’t even look like someone who would have an interest in magic. Tara thought it prudent to quickly change the subject.

“So, um, you were going to show me how to use my new stakes?” she asked shyly, looking up at Willow from beneath her lashes.

* * *

Willow wanted to die right then and there.

Well first, she wanted to murder the Slayer, and then just die right then and there. She clung unhappily to the lamppost across the street from where the Slayer sat with her witch at an outside table of the pizzeria. Her ears were straining, but she could catch every single word they said. When she heard Tara ask Faith to show her how to use her stakes, Willow felt like a final nail had been pounded into her coffin. There was no way she could approach Tara now and still hope to salvage their friendship. Faith will make certain her witch will learn to be all vampire-hating.

Maybe she should be Tara’s first practice dummy, Willow thought miserably. She didn’t think her undead heart could take anymore of this.

* * *

“Hell yeah, I can teach you,” Faith declared, straightening up. Why Red would offer to show Tara how to use stakes, Faith wasn’t sure--maybe Willow didn’t trust Xander? “I kill vamps every night,” she further boasted. “I can show you easy.”

Tara’s mouth made a silent ‘oh’, and her gaze dropped to the table for a moment. When Willow mentioned ‘killing’ every night, it just sound so...cruel. Tara never did like sport hunting, and not just because Donnie and Dad made her clean their kills.

Of course she shouldn’t assume that Willow killing vampires every night was like sport hunting, Tara mentally chastised to herself. The blonde witch just hadn’t realized her friend was a sort of ‘vigilante’. She had to get used to the idea.

“Hey,” Faith said with a touch of concern, wondering why Tara seemed suddenly withdrawn into herself. “I didn’t mean to say that you should kill a few a night yourself. Self-defense is good. Especially in this town. Leave it to people like me to give the demons what they deserve,” the Slayer tried to reassure, but then felt a little alarmed when her words only made Tara look at her with sudden dismay.

“D-D-D-Des-ss-serv--” Tara stammered, to Faith’s further surprise, and then the blonde girl closed her eyes a moment, taking a deep breath. Shit, Faith thought. She’s a stutterer.

“W-When I t-told you I was a demon,” Tara said softly, so softly Faith had to strain to hear. “D-Did you think I d-d-deserved?...”

Faith had an inner freak out as she watched the blonde’s pained, blue eyes well up. Oh shit, she’s gonna cry, Faith mentally panicked.

And then the Slayer’s head whipped to the side, feeling that familiar ‘vamp’ buzz. Vamp at three o-clock and she was looking pissed.

Willow ran right into traffic, getting bumped by an annoyed fender for her trouble, but she didn’t care. She kept moving, doing her best to get to the Slayer’s table as soon as possible. Faith stiffened in her seat, fists already poised for a fight, and Tara looked up in bewilderment. Her witch followed the Slayer’s gaze. Willow didn’t care anymore. She needed to protect Tara. She came to a stop before the table and the blonde visibly shrank back.

“Stop it,” Willow told Faith. “Stop it now.” She turned desperately to Tara and saw her witch’s face and blue eyes up close for the first time. Fear was radiating off her, and for once, such a sensation did nothing for Willow at all.

“I’m Willow,” the vampire said almost pleadingly, realizing that this was it and there was no turning back. “I’m Willow, not her.” She knelt slowly by Tara’s chair, hoping that by not standing she’d look less intimidating. “I-I’m your online friend.”

The hint of horror in Tara’s eyes made Willow want to stake herself immediately.

It was almost too much for Tara to process. The vampire--the very pretty, sweet faced vampire--was saying she was Willow; her friend Willow. The one who had drummed into her head not to trust vampires and to fear them for the monsters they were. Yet, if this was Willow, then who was?--

Faith shrugged, a little sheepish as Tara swung accusatory eyes to her.

“She’s Willow,” was all the Slayer had to say.

“W-Wh-Why,” Tara stammered, now with a touch of anger in her voice. What kind of game were these two playing?!

“T’,” the brunette interrupted. “I just needed some info, and I thought it best to get you away from her. She’s a vamp, T’, and it looks like she didn’t even bother to let you--”

To Tara’s horror, the slender vampire suddenly reared up from where she had been kneeling and grabbed the brunette by the shoulders. The next thing she knew, the brunette was tumbling into the traffic of the street.

“Oh my g--” Tara exclaimed, getting up, but the vampire was standing before her, so Tara cringed, unsure if she was going to be flung headlong into traffic next.

“Now, now it looks like I killed her--” Willow was explaining, her hands out like she was trying to placate the blonde witch. A screech of tires and the sudden sickening smack of fender on flesh was heard. “But she’s the Slayer, see. They--they have superhero healing powers. I bet she’s already trying to get up, and stuff.”

When Tara could tear her eyes from the dangerous vampire before her in order to look, sure enough the brunette was staggering to her feet. She promptly fell down into the street again, however.

“So, you don’t have to go help her,” the vampire advised. “Cuz she deserved it,” Willow suddenly added with a near snarl. Tara shrank back again. Willow made a sound of dismay and then knelt down before Tara once more.

“I won’t hurt you,” Willow assured desperately, her eyes beseeching Tara to believe her. “I could never hurt you. I wish I’d told you sooner what I was, but it seemed better to wait for when we actually met.” Willow’s face fell to a look of heartbreaking sadness, the same expression Tara had seen when she’d first laid eyes on the vampire, and just like earlier the devastated expression tugged at her heart. She found herself slowly sitting down as the vampire resumed speaking.

“I’ll understand if you don’t want to see me anymore,” Willow continued, her voice soft and pained. “But I wanted you to know, when I said you weren’t a demon it was all true. You’re not. I can tell. S-So, never let that hurt you anymore, okay? Faith is the Slayer. That means she’s a moron and will say stupid things. You’re not a demon. And even if you were, you’d be one of the nicest, and gentlest kinds of demon there is. Because there are demons like that, you just don’t hear about them. You’re not evil.” Willow looked plaintively up into Tara’s eyes, hoping she believed. “You’re not bad,” she added in a whisper.

Willow slowly rose, staring into Tara’s eyes. She backed away, and though she said nothing, only holding Tara’s gaze with her own wide, green eyes, the blonde girl felt like as if Willow was saying good bye.

And just like that, the vampire disappeared into the crowd on the sidewalk.

Tara sat still, utterly numb. On the edge of her distracted awareness, she sensed the Slayer girl finally staggering to the curb and plopping dazedly to the ground.

* * *

Willow literally beat on Xander’s bare ass when she got home.

“I’m having a bad day! A bad day!!” she cried tearfully, as she laid into her sibling’s behind with a black rubber hose.

SWACK SWACK SWACK

“Auugh!!” Xander yelled into the pillows. He had been stripped, tied down, and spread for Willow on the bed. He appreciated it when Willow paid attention to him, but he had totally been unprepared for this. It was really turning him on. “W-wh-what happened, baby?” he groaned. He felt the rubber hose come down on the back of his thighs this time. “AAUUgh!!”

“Not telling, you’ll just laugh!” Willow accused, and before Xander could assure her that he wouldn’t laugh, he got another round of beatings.

Much later that night, Angel stirred slightly in his chains, hearing the familiar footstep of his mistress upon the basement stairs. He tensed when he saw Willow’s slender, sad figure and the rubber hose she held. She just stood, looking through the bars, emanating such heartwrenching sorrow.

“I’m having a bad day,” she whispered, as she pushed the cage door open. She dropped the hose, and when she moved to unlock Angel’s manacles he instinctively understood that he was meant to hold her. His mistress curled up in the circle of his willing arms and he smelled her rare tears.

* * *

Tara gazed out her dorm window and tried to make sense of her jumbled thoughts and emotions since last night.

It was another beautiful, blue sky day outside. She looked out and wondered if it was still possible to remain friends with a vampire. In the light of day--in a daylight they couldn’t share--Tara’s practical side was working industriously with mortar and bricks to shore up her defenses.

She’s a vampire, practical-Tara was telling her. She kills your kind to survive. She told you vamps have hardly any self-control. She told you never to trust them, that they are predators, that it is their nature to lie, seduce, manipulate. She--

“She never lied to me,” Tara finished out loud, dismissing her practical side. She stared out at the daylight she’d never be able to share with Willow. The vampire might have neglected to tell her one important thing--something she had said she was planning to tell Tara about, once the witch had arrived in town, but she had never lied.

“She is my friend,” Tara said to herself, remembering all of their conversations, the trust, the truths, the...affection. It was as simple as that. “She’s my friend.”

* * *

“Heh HehHehHehheh,” laughed Buffy, when she got a good look at the egg-sized knot on Faith’s forehead. The blonde Slayer snorted and then laughed some more.

“Shut up,” Faith said sourly. She was looking down at the bottle of pain killers in her hand that Giles had picked up for her after she’d gotten out of Emergency yesterday. She was thinking of upping the dosage and getting high, just to spite her stupid sister Slayer. Buffy can go running around after Red tonight, Faith decided to herself. The younger Slayer was calling it a night.

“So this Tara’s on campus now?” Buffy was asking her, as she played ‘balance the knife tip’ on her small palm.

“Yeah,” Faith answered. “She’s pretty.” Oops, her brain blurted. Wow Faith, maybe you should pretend you’re high on meds right now. The dark haired Slayer immediately favored a glazed look to her eyes. Buffy just looked at her. She wasn’t buying it.

“Magic-girl, huh?” Buffy remarked. Faith just nodded, then looked cross eyed because her noggin apparently didn’t like nodding.

Buffy smoothly got up and good naturedly slapped Faith on her asphalt-scraped back. “Don’t kiss anymore car bumpers until I get back,” the blonde Slayer bade cheerfully, and sauntered out of the school library’s doors.

* * *

Tara walked slowly up the campus path, carrying her bag of groceries. It was afternoon, and maybe Willow was sleeping now. She wished the vampire had a phone number.

Wicked: a phone? I don’t have one, but I can get one.

‘Get one’, Tara had come to understand, meant stealing one. Now that Tara knew Willow was a vampire, so much of her friend’s disregard for law made sense, and also why her friend lived in the back of, what she had called, a defunct night club.

Vampires, Wicked had typed. Live in sewers, cemeteries, and anywhere that’s abandoned. Think of where monsters would be, and that’s where you’ll find a vampire.

Tinkerbell: Under my bed?

Wicked: lol

Tara smiled wistfully.

There had been fears that had been all too real in Tara’s life, from harsh words and harsher hands. The fears right now that she was seriously meant to consider were perhaps not as real as ‘facts’ would have her believe.

Willow may be a monster, but then...

“I thought I was going to be a monster,” Tara whispered to herself.

* * *

“Thank you, Puppy,” Willow acknowledged gently, as Puppy laid the last of Tara’s boxes by her dorm door. Angel was surprised; mistress never said ‘thank you’. “Go wait for me in the sewers,” she further bade.

Now Angel really was surprised. He was unshackled, he could finally run away. He took one look into mistress’ sad eyes and knew he wouldn’t. He also did what a Puppy shouldn’t. Impulsively, he kissed the little childe on her forehead. Mistress looked curiously up at him, a little unsettled by the gesture, but she only smiled.

“I’ll have to punish you for that,” she remarked innocently, a mischievous twinkle in her green eyes, and then they narrowed. Angel knew that was his cue to be gone.

When Puppy left, Willow sighed and turned to her witch’s door. She really hoped Tara wasn’t in, but she didn’t want to leave her witch’s things out in the hall. At least the vampire had learned the spell for magicking a lock open. If the barrier was in effect, Willow could shove Tara’s boxes through the doorway. She listened hard.

No heartbeat. Willow didn’t know whether to be relieved or just plain sick. She missed her friend already. But it was better this way, the vampire tried to rationalize to herself, as she got the door open and was suddenly hit by the subtle, lingering fragrance of her witch’s scent. Surprisingly, tears stung Willow’s eyes and she angrily blinked them away. She began pushing the boxes through the barrier. It was better this way, that Willow made a clean break of it, because Tara didn’t deserve to be associated with an evil thing like her.

“W-Willow?” she heard spoken softly behind her.

Willow turned slowly around, trying not to scare her witch.

“Willow...is me,” the vampire whispered, looking apprehensively into Tara’s eyes. Though she knew it would be impossible, she hoped not to see fear there. In Tara’s blue depths there was nervousness and discomfort. The witch could not hold her gaze and her shy eyes dropped.

“A-A-About last night...” Tara began. Willow’s undead heart fluttered to hear her speak. Oh, Willow realized. Her stutter! It endeared the vampire all over again, since she’d only heard it from afar last night. Then she tried to drop kick that feeling of fondness. If she became more enamored of Tara she wouldn’t be able to let her go.

“I’m ss-sorry,” she heard Tara continue. “I d-didn’t realize--”

“No,” Willow interrupted, stepping back. Fear gripped her undead heart. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t stick around for the ‘maybe it’s better if we were just nothing to each other’, speech. “I have to go,” she managed to abruptly eject, and then she fled.

“No, Willow! Wait!” Tara desperately called, but vampires were really fast, the witch realized to her dismay. Willow was gone before Tara could even take a step.

“God, Tara, you just,” she berated herself, stamping her foot uselessly. She hated that she was so slow of speech. Willow had a really nimble mind, it could have gone in fifty different directions on just the little Tara had tried to say. Completely disappointed in herself, she dejectedly entered her opened door to put her groceries away. Somehow, she decided, she was going to have to speak to Willow again. At least she still had the Bronze address. She glanced at her doorway.

It had been sweet of Willow to bring her boxes to her, Tara thought. As she knelt to pull the biggest one through her door, Willow having not completed the task, Tara was surprised to see a set of small, black combat boots before her eyes. The worn set had steel toe inserts--the dull glint could be seen beneath the broken toe leather.

“Ulp,” Tara emitted at the sudden presence of the feet and fell promptly back on her ass. She looked up in surprise. A small, sinewy, tanned, blonde girl looked down at her in cold amusement. She had a white scar running along her cheek and chin.

Tara could only stare dumbly as the girl brazenly stepped over her to enter her room. As the witch scrambled to her feet, the other girl reached out a hand to casually spin one of Tara’s personal admissions papers that was lying on her desk. The girl briefly read it and then returned her cold attention to the rest of the room.

Tara didn’t know what to say. ‘Leave, now,’ was what immediately leapt to mind, and then the lame, ‘who are you?’, which just sounded too predictably mystery novel-sh. Or horror film-ish. Tara was getting really tired of being the clueless female protagonist in these Sunnydale scenarios.

Before she could think of an indignant something or other to say, the smaller girl finally returned her unblinking, hazel eyed regard to the witch. It looked interested.

“So,” the girl finally spoke, turning with a casual stance to fully face Tara. “What do you see.”

“W-what?” Tara murmured, not understanding what this was about. The other girl touched her own nose at the side.

“Whadaya smell,” she said. “Give me a read.”

Tara’s eyes narrowed. This one knew she was a witch.

“You’re like the other one, f-from last night,” Tara gave, watching the smaller girl warily. Her aura of presence was almost the same as Faith’s; it was powerful, rich, but far darker. Tara swallowed as the other girl smirked. She couldn’t help feeling afraid. Right that moment, she was wishing Willow was there with her.

“Bingo. You win a prize,” the girl praised. She looked up meaningfully into Tara’s eyes. “I’m the Slayer.”

Tara only nodded. Fine, she thought. She’s the Slayer. And maybe I should kiss the Slayer ring, too, her inner Tara-amazon snarked.

The Slayer smiled again, looking amused. Tara knew her own eyes were expressive. Even when she kept silent at home, dad or Donnie still found a reason to hit her, saying that they didn’t like the way she looked at them. She was certain the Slayer could read her resentment. The girl moved deliberately around the witch, Tara feeling her cool eyes checking her out, and then planted her small frame near the open door. She put one of her combat boots out, and slowly toed the biggest box into the dorm room.

“You’ll do,” she finally said.

Tara was exasperated. ‘Do’? Do for what? She felt like that pig in that movie.

“You and Willow,” the Slayer added, finishing toeing the last box into the room. Tara tensed even further. The nerve of this girl!

“S-So does everything need your approval in this town?” Tara snapped before she could prevent herself.

“Ha HaHa!” the Slayer suddenly laughed at her. Tara hurriedly shut her mouth. She hoped her rash remark wasn’t going to earn her a Slayer-smack.

“Yeah. I’m the pope. I even do marriages,” the Slayer quipped easily. She looked at Tara with what almost appeared to be genuine friendliness. Then in a heartbeat, it was gone, and the Slayer was in place once more, radiating a power and presence that was increasingly unnerving to the witch. The Slayer finally moved out of the door and stood in the hall. She appeared to be waiting for Tara.

“So do you want to see her,” the smaller girl asked casually. “Or not?”

* * *

Willow stared forlornly at her laptop screen, and then finally logged off and powered down. She didn’t know why she even tried. Even if Tara had internet access already, she shouldn’t expect anything more from her witch.

Willow sighed heavily and wished these sad, poopy feelings would just go away. She could take Puppy in his car for a spot of random killing outside of the Slayer’s Sunnydale territory, but she doubted that would make her happy. Even beating on Xander’s ass hadn’t alleviated her misery.

Willow noted the sudden sounds of disturbance and excitement outside her lair’s door, but felt too depressed to investigate. She didn’t stir from her spot on her bed even as she felt that icky Slayer buzz. The Slayer casually kicked her door in with an abrupt bang and strolled into Willow’s lair, making her ‘super-chick’ entrance. That blonde bitch did everything for effect, Willow mentally groused. Her grinning sibling prowled behind the Slayer, openly checking out the small blonde’s ass.

“Hey,” the Slayer simply tossed to the red haired vampire, as Willow sat in her bed. “Brought you something.” The Slayer gave a brief glance over her shoulder. When Willow followed her gaze, she saw Tara standing hesitantly in her doorway.

“Tara!” Willow exclaimed, standing up immediately. “W-What are you--” The vampire looked bewildered at the Slayer and then at her friend.

“I-I wanted to see you,” her witch explained softly, stepping into the room. A feeling of elation overwhelmed Willow’s silent chest at the words. “A-And the Slayer knew where you were, s-so....”

Tara approached close enough to stand a few feet before Willow, and then looked shyly to the floor. Willow’s fingers twined nervously. She didn’t know what to say. Tara was here! Tara was here! was all her undead heart sang to her.

“Um...” Willow whispered, as she and Tara checked out each other’s shoes.

“Got anything to drink around here?” she heard the Slayer comment rudely. The smaller blonde moved to Willow’s dresser and threw herself on top of it, legs dangling. She picked up one of Willow’s books and read the title. Or at least she pretended to. Willow was certain that the blonde Slayer was illiterate.

Before Willow could snarl at the Slayer to get out, Tara spoke again.

“I’m glad you weren’t her,” Tara hurriedly gave, her eyes finally locking with Willow’s surprised ones. “A-And I don’t mind, really, that you’re a vampire. You’ve been good to me, and I can’t see why that would change......would it?” she queried softly. Willow shook her head rapidly.

“No! No! Never change!” she assured, almost reaching out to the witch to emphasize with touch what she was promising. “I li-li--I value you too much. We’re friends. I wanna be friends.” Tara’s mouth broke into a huge grin at hearing that. Willow smiled a wide goofy one in return.

“They’ve got the hots for each other,” Xander spoke sotto voice to the Slayer, his dark, gleaming eyes only on her. He held out a bottle of uncapped cool beer he’d gotten a minion to fetch for him. The Slayer glanced at it.

“That’s not drugged, is it?” she asked.

Xander just grinned.

Tara blushed deeply when she overheard what the male vampire had said to the Slayer and her eyes dropped again to the floor. She was infatuated a bit with Willow--her smart, funny, considerate friend, but she had no idea if Willow felt the same, and oh god Tara, she reminded herself. You’re talking about a vampire here. Even if it is a sexy, yummy--

She peeked up to covertly check her friend out once more.

“Do you two mind, this is my lair,” Willow growled at the Slayer intruder and her stupid sibling. Xander was now offering the Slayer a cigarette (untainted), from a pack, his dark eyes only for the subject of his obsession. Buffy took the offered single and put it between her lips.

“Here to protect her,” the Slayer simply said, pointing her chin in Tara’s direction. The cigarette dangled from her lips. “Make sure you don’t eat ‘er or som’thin’.”

“I wouldn’t,” Willow resentfully snarled, taking a menacing step towards the Slayer. “Now get ou--”

She stopped, feeling Tara touch her for the first time on her arm.

“Please,” her witch said. “L-Let’s, um.” She made a gesture with her head at the Slayer, who was accepting a light from Xander’s match. “C-Can we just ignore them?”

“Okay,” Willow agreed immediately, although her desire to inflict violence on the Slayer’s scrawny flesh and bones needed a little more convincing. She struggled just a little with it. She can show Tara she had control.

Willow smiled finally at her witch and took her warm hand--which gave the vampire a thrilling shiver. She led Tara to sit on her bed.

Buffy exhaled smoothly into the air, watching the two through the haze of her smoke. That was what she came to see. She had a hunch Tara could handle Willow and it looked like the magic-chick could easily do that--and more. Buffy already had Xander eating out of her hands, but Willow had been the unknown factor. The red haired vamp ran the current Aurelius Order that her male sibling was fronting, and though Willow was capable she was also way too independent--and smart. Buffy had nothing that could keep Willow in check. Not until now.

“I gotta nice, new, shiny sword I can...show you,” Xander was murmuring seductively into Buffy’s ear.

Buffy took a draw and then exhaled, watching the two on the bed.

“Yeah, sure,” Buffy replied. Her work here was done. She jumped off the dresser and strolled out of Willow Vamp’s lair, Xander prowling behind her.

“I-I want to i-introduce myself again, since last night was--” Tara began.

“Okay!” Willow interrupted eagerly. She put a pale hand to her slender chest. “I’m Willow,” she stated solemnly. She felt like she couldn’t say that out loud enough to Tara. That Faith-bitch did steal her identity afterall. Tara appreciatively grinned and it was so sexy, Willow completely forgot what they were talking about.

“I’m Tara,” Tara greeted, smiling. She opened her arms. “It’s so good to meet you,” she said warmly, as Willow entered her arms for a hug. She felt the vampire give what sounded like a hitched breath, and then Tara felt herself gripped in a very tight embrace.

Good god, Tara thought. She’s really...really strong.

“I thought I lost you,” Willow whispered almost desperately. “I thought I messed up.”

Willow suddenly let Tara go but her hands remained on Tara’s arms. The vampire stared into the blonde witch’s eyes, searching them.

“You have to understand,” Willow said seriously. “I am a monster.” She really wanted Tara to get this. If she didn’t, she could hurt her witch terribly with just being her vampiric self.

“Are you under the auspice of, of the Slayer treaty too?” Tara asked instead, to Willow’s surprise. She’d explain to Tara long ago about the ‘vampire truce’ for her town, where the agreement was that noone of the Order would kill innocents. If that hadn’t been in effect, she would’ve talked Tara out of coming to Sunnydale for school. It would have been too dangerous for her witch.

“Yes,” Willow affirmed.

“Then. Then I’m okay with my...‘monster’ friend,” Tara gave shyly, but her eyes on Willow were completely warm and sincere. Willow sucked in an unneeded breath. Hoorah!! Her inner Willows cheered.

“So we’re okay?” Willow asked, watching Tara carefully. She just had to be sure.

“Yes.”

Hoooorah!! All the inner Willows cheered. They did the wave.

“I like you,” Willow blurted, before her inner Willows could do the ‘hooligan’ in the spectator stands. She wished they’d risen up and piled on her instead to shut her up. Tara blushed prettily at her abrupt confession, but it didn’t quite remove the fear that now gripped Willow.

“I’m just telling you, because--well, as a vampire, we can be friends, but if I like like you? I might start stalking you and stuff, and that would ruin our friendship, so I just wanted to say it, and, and, then you don’t have to say anything,” Willow ended hurriedly, hoping she’d managed to salvage the moment.

“Um,” Tara murmured. They were still holding hands, so she squeezed the vampire’s gently, feeling their coolness. She’d never met someone who was so--just so many things. Besides Willow being pretty, and besides the cuteness, and the smartness, and the dangerous air--which Tara found really very sexy, if she were honest. She was just so special. Tara thought the world of Willow, and here was her chance to finally tell her.

“I like you too,” Tara gave softly, and she gazed meaningfully and warmly into Willow’s wonderful green eyes.

It seemed like they stared at each other for a very long time after that. An eternity, even.

“We should date,” Willow finally murmured, a little dazedly.

“Okay,” Tara agreed. “W-Would you like to go out with me...this coming Friday?”

“Oh! I was going to ask you!” Willow exclaimed, clearly disappointed.

“I asked first,” Tara said firmly. She wasn’t going to budge on this.

“Yes,” Willow agreed demurely. She looked up coquettishly beneath her lashes. Just this little hint of butch-Tara was giving her the naughty thrills. Already, she was thinking of how to dress for their date. Xander had just stolen a lovely new corset for her.

“How would, um...” Tara was now saying to her, a slight frown marring her smooth forehead.

“What?” Willow quickly asked, giving the warm fingers in hers a little prompt.

“Um, Xander,” Tara vaguely asked, blushing again.

“Oh,” Willow oh’ed. Ohhh, was right, Willow mused. Her sibling and sometimes mate Xander. Hm. “We’re not serious anymore,” Willow answered pensively, finally working out what exactly Xander and she were to each other now. “We’ve played games, but I haven’t done anything serious with him since getting to know you,” she further realized. “And he has a thing for Buffy, the Slayer, so we’ve not been couple-y for a long time now. I’m not going to run back to him or anything,” she assured her witch with a shake of her head. “And I’m not sharing you with him,” she stated emphatically. “Unless....you want to?”

“Oh,” Tara declared. “Oh. No thank you.”

“Okay,” Willow acknowledged happily. Phew! She thought. Xander problem solved. She had no interest in him like that anymore--nor he in her, really. She’ll have a talk with him later to make that clear. “I really want to just be with you,” Willow added honestly.

“Me too,” Tara agreed, nodding happily. She was very happy, actually. The friend she had come to this town to meet was right here before her, and not only were they hitting it off--beside the little ‘I’m a vampire’ stumble--they might possibly become more. Tara couldn’t help but feel that life was very, very good right at that moment.

“What would you like to do now?” Willow was asking her softly, looking at her with expectant, green eyes.

Well, Tara thought. She was a little curious about the vampire side of Willow’s life, but maybe that would be a bit scary to get into right now. So....

“Um, can you show me your puppy?” Tara suggested. Willow had often mentioned her pet. Tara loved animals.

“Okay!” Willow agreed, delighted to be able to show off something to Tara. Puppy was a great prize. He was 240 years old, big and strong and good looking, even. She could have Puppy give Tara a pony ride. She got up from the bed and led Tara by the hand to her back door. She stopped a moment at the doorway, turning with bright, happy eyes to Tara.

“I wanna say a cliché,” Willow stated.

“Okay,” Tara gave, realizing that Willow needed her approval. She smiled invitingly.

“Sweetheart, I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship,” Willow pronounced in her worst Bogie accent. Tara laughed in delight.

“C’mon,” Willow urged happily. “Puppy’s down here.”

the end!