The Power of Three by DragonWriter17

Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All of the materials borrowed from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel belong to Joss Whedon and to the entities and companies associated with their creation. I have borrowed them for creative and entertainment purposes only. No compensation has been or ever shall be received for the writing below. No copyright infringement is intended.
Distribution: The Mystic Muse: http://mysticmuse.net
Cyber Lair: http://www.dragonwriter17.net/
If you are interested in posting my story on your site, please contact me first for permission.
Feedback: Yes, but only if it's of the non-flamey variety.
Spoilers: The end of Season 4's "Wild At Heart" and beyond.
Author's Notes: I have kept to the BtVS/Angel canon in some ways, borrowing directly from aired episodes; however, I have also made significant changes: deleting certain storylines, moving some, changing others, as well as adding some completely original plots.
Pairing: Willow/Buffy/Tara

Summary: After Oz leaves Sunnydale, Willow turns to best friend, Buffy, and new friend, Tara, for comfort, resulting in a remarkable new relationship for all three. Amidst the daily dangers of life on the Hellmouth, the three women forge bravely ahead, unaware that their relationship has been predestined.

Willow and Tara rushed into the emergency room. Willow searched the waiting room until she saw Giles, Xander, and Anya. She headed directly for Giles with Tara following right behind her.

"We haven't heard yet," Giles said. "The rescue team brought her in a short while ago. They're�ummm�trying to stabilize her."

Tara went immediately to Willow and wrapped her in a hug. As Tara held Willow, Giles made eye contact with the blonde witch.

"Yes, well, why don't you�" Giles trailed off and motioned towards the chairs.

Tara helped Willow into a nearby seat and continued comforting the crying redhead.

Riley sat in his room, writing a study guide for a psychology lecture. When he heard a knock at his door, he looked up from his work.

Riley rushed into the Emergency Room and headed straight for the information desk.

"I'm here about Buffy Summers," Riley said urgently. "She was brought in about an hour ago, on the helicopter?"

When Riley heard his name called, he turned to where the voice was coming from. He found Giles motioning him over. Riley quickly joined Giles and the others.

Giles motioned for Riley to sit. Willow was sitting up now and was no longer crying, but Tara still held her arm around Willow's shoulders. Xander held Anya in a similar fashion.

"It�ummm�it doesn't look good," Giles reported, "but�given Buffy's�ummm� constitution, there's hope. More than the doctors probably realize. Joyce�Buffy's mother�is speaking with the doctors now."

"What happened? Was it a�" Riley looked around at the strangers sitting nearby in the waiting room "�'a dog'?" Riley said, hoping Giles got his meaning.

"Tara and I found her in a gully between campus and town," Willow added. "I-I-It looked like she had fought the� 'dog'�and then�fell down the gully. It was bad. I've never seen her hurt this badly before."

Riley looked away for a moment and clenched his jaw tightly. Then he turned back to the group.

"I need to know everything," Riley said. "I'm going to get the entire Initiative on this. It's time for this�'dog' to be put down."

While Giles was outside in the parking lot telling Riley everything they knew about the demon, Willow and Tara and Xander and Anya waited anxiously. Xander fidgeted then rose to his feet.

"Anybody want anything?" Xander asked. "A snack? A soda? I'm feeling the need to do something."

Willow shook her head and stared at her hands. Tara looked at Willow then back at Xander; then she nodded, indicating that he should get something for Willow. Xander got the message.

Anya rose and took Xander outstretched hand, and the couple headed down the hallway to find the vending machines.

"No, Willow, it's not," Tara said, removing her arm from around Willow's shoulders so that she could take Willow's hands in her own.

"It is," Willow insisted, new tears filling her eyes and streaming down her cheeks. "I-I-I messed the spell up. If I had done the spell right, then � "

"But, I let her go out there alone! I knew she shouldn't go, I knew it! But I didn't stop her. I should've stopped her!" Willow began to sob again.

Tara reached up and took Willow's face in both hands and kissed her. "No, baby, no, don't do this to yourself." Tara wiped the tears from Willow's cheeks and looked into her eyes. "Buffy is going to be fine, you'll see. And this is not your fault. Okay?"

Tara held Willow's gaze until Willow finally nodded in acceptance. Then she pulled Willow into another hug.

Xander and Anya hadn't seen Tara kiss Willow, but they did see her talking to Willow intently and then drawing her into her arms. They paused at the edge of the waiting room, not wanting to intrude. Anya stared at the two witches and cocked her head.

"Are you blind?" Anya asked incredulously. "It's clear that there's more than one kind of magic happening between those two. Look how close they are!"

"An, I've known Willow my whole life. I think I'd know if she was gay. You're reading too much into this. Tara is just being a good friend, comforting her. Now come on, let's deliver the goodies."

As Xander and Anya dumped their wares on the table in front of Willow and Tara, Giles returned from the parking lot.

"He said that he wasn't familiar with that particular species, but that he'd get his organization on it right away," Giles reported. "He said to leave it to him and he'd take care of it."

"Good," Willow said, her eyes flaming. "I hope they kill it, rip its head off and tear it to pieces."

Everyone looked at Willow, surprised to hear such violent wishes coming from their normally gentle Willow. Their concerns for Willow were cut short when they saw Joyce coming from the treatment area. Giles immediately rose and put his arm around Joyce, leading her to a seat near the group.

"They had to do some emergency surgery," Joyce said. "She was�ummm�bleeding inside, but they've stabilized her, and they say she'll be fine, in time, once she's had a chance to heal."

"Not for a while," Joyce said. "She's still in recovery, and after that, they're moving her to ICU. I think you should all go home and rest. You can come back tomorrow, maybe after lunch?"

"Yes," Giles agreed, "I'll stay here with Joyce. The rest of you can get some sleep and check with us tomorrow."

Everyone stood, then Willow and Tara and Xander and Anya reluctantly left the waiting room, leaving Giles and Joyce alone.

Giles smiled reassuringly and pulled Joyce into a warm hug. That was all it took for her brave fa�ade to crumble. She fell weeping into Giles' arms.

"All right, here's what we know," Riley announced. "It's a Shagritoth Banesdrake demon."

"It's very rare, that's why we don't have any information in our databanks," Riley informed his team. "My sources tell me it's big and bad and hard to kill, so this is a full mobilization. I want every available man on this, armed to the hilt. You've got the specs in your report. Study up. I want this thing dead. We move out in one hour."

The team leaders filed out, taking their reports with them. Only Forrest remained.

Willow and Tara waved goodbye to Xander and Anya, who had dropped them off at Stevenson Dorm on the UC Sunnydale campus. Then the two witches stood awkwardly in place, making no move to go inside.

"I guess we should get cleaned up," Willow said, pointing out their clothes, which were still dirty from their rescue mission.

Tara knew what Willow was asking. She moved to Willow and took her hand and kissed it.

God, I love this woman, Willow thought as she stared into Tara's gorgeous blue eyes.

Tara smiled and pulled away, but not before giving Willow's hand a final squeeze.

Tara turned back around and headed down the sidewalk. Willow took a deep breath and went inside her dorm.

When Tara got in the shower, she finally let go. Her body shook as the sobs overtook her. She wrapped her arms around herself and fell against the shower wall. Then she slipped to the floor of the shower, unable to remain standing.

This is all my fault, Tara accused herself. I made this happen. Daddy was right, I am evil. Selfish, so selfish! I almost got Buffy killed. And that would have killed Willow. She's hurting so bad, and it's all my fault. I should just break things off before I do something worse. Oh, Willow, I love you so much, but you deserve better than me.

After another long stretch of crying, Tara finally pulled herself together enough to actually complete her shower. She put on her robe and toweled her hair dry, then changed into her underwear and a long t-shirt. She combed out her hair then brushed her teeth. She gathered up her dirty clothes and her bathroom caddy and trudged back to her room. When she opened her door, she was surprised to see Willow already there, sitting on her bed.

Willow was dressed in a baggy pair of sweat pants and an overlarge jersey. She also had a bag beside her, and she held a stuffed animal tightly to her chest. She looked up when she heard Tara come in. She smiled weakly and stood up.

"No, of course not, that's fine," Tara said. "I'm sorry it took me so long, I � "

"It's okay," Willow replied. "I kinda did a rush job over there. I�ummm�I didn't want to�you know."

Tara nodded, understanding completely that Willow didn't want to be alone, especially not in the room she and Buffy shared.

"Oh, this is Mr. Gordo," Willow replied, holding up the stuffed pig. "H-H-He's Buffy's. I thought maybe I'd take him to her."

"It's sweet of you to think of that," Tara said. "I'm sure she'll be glad you did."

Tara went to her closet. She put her dirty clothes in the basket, then set her caddy on the dresser. She turned back to Willow.

Willow nodded sadly and got up, moving her bag to the floor and setting Mr. Gordo inside it. As Tara turned off the lights, Willow pulled off her shoes and her sweat pants. When she finished folding her pants and laying them on top of her shoes, she turned back to the bed.

Tara was already there, and she held back the covers for Willow. Willow slipped into the bed and wasted no time moving into Tara's arms. She snuggled in as closely as she could, laying her head on Tara's shoulder and resting her arm across Tara's stomach. Willow sighed deeply.

The two witches closed their eyes, and soon they were both fast asleep, exhaustion having finally taken its toll.

Riley crept silently towards the cave where he had heard the growling. He motioned to his team to take their positions. When they were in place, he inched his way towards the entrance to the cave. Once there, he flattened himself against the rock and waited. Then slowly he peeked around the edge.

The Shagritoth demon was shredding the robe it was wearing. Once it had removed its robe, Riley could see its torso clearly. It was covered with multiple blister-like sacs. Riley watched in disgust as the skin over the sacs rippled and peaked as if something were moving beneath. He drew an involuntary gasp as a tiny clawed arm suddenly thrust out of one of the sacs.

"Jesus Christ!" he exclaimed before running from the entrance. He grabbed his radio and yelled into it. "Rocket launchers! Explosives! Now!"

The demon heard Riley and began to roar. It moved towards the opening. Its roar was cut off as a barrage of missiles caught it square in the chest, exploding it and half the cave into smithereens.

Riley and his team hit the ground and covered their heads as bits of rock and demon flesh peppered the ground around them.

When the worst seemed over, they stood up and looked at the damage. While his men began brushing the debris from their uniforms, Riley merely stared at the cave, clenching and unclenching his jaw, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

Lindsey got out of his limo and walked up to the Summers' home on Revello Drive. Once on the porch, he straightened his tie and buttoned his coat. Then he knocked on the front door.

He listened, expecting to hear someone coming to the door. He heard nothing. He knocked a second time. Again, there was no response.

Willow awakened slowly. She blinked her eyes and leaned up on her elbow. She cocked her head to listen. She was sure she had heard something. When she started to lie back down, she heard it again: a whimper and a soft sob. She turned to the other side of the bed. Tara wasn't there. Willow scooted over and looked over the edge of the bed.

Tara was on the floor, curled into a fetal position, her body wrapped around her pillow. She was still asleep, shaking her head and crying.

Willow threw off the covers and went to Tara. She knelt beside her and touched her shoulder.

"Tara?" Willow said softly, not wanting to frighten her. "Baby, wake up, you're dreaming."

Tara looked around the room, gasping for air, trying to figure out where she was. Then her eyes settled on Willow in front of her. Tara's eyes were full of such grief and anguish that Willow's heart nearly broke when she saw it.

Tara looked around the room once again, then pulled out of Willow's grasp. She scooted back until she was leaning against the night stand. She felt herself trembling, so she pulled her pillow tightly to her chest. She met Willow's eyes and simply nodded wordlessly.

Willow wasn't convinced. "Tara, baby, what is it?" Willow eased into a cross-legged position in front of Tara, but didn't try to move any closer.

"It was�" Tara had spoken the words so softly that they were barely audible. She swallowed and tried again. "It was a b-b-bad dream, that's all."

"It was about my m-m-mother," Tara said, forcing the words out. "When she died."

"I don't know why I'm being such a big b-b-baby," Tara said, attempting a chuckle and wiping the tears from her face. "It was over two years ago, it's not like it happened yesterday."

"I'm okay, I'll be fine," Tara insisted. "I've�ummm�I've got to go to the bathroom."

Willow watched in shock as Tara fled the room. She blinked back the tears in her eyes, got up, and started to get dressed.

As soon as Tara was seated in the stall, the grief hit her again. She doubled over as the wracking sobs took over. Mama, I miss you so much!

When they got to the hospital, Willow and Tara went immediately to the ICU waiting room. They found Joyce and Giles asleep, with Joyce neatly tucked against Giles' shoulder, his arm held protectively around her. Willow and Tara stopped in place and took a moment to softly croon "Awww" to each other. They crept back into the hallway and made a much louder and slower entrance to give the grown-ups a chance to extricate themselves with minimal embarrassment.

By the time Willow and Tara had returned to their original position, Joyce and Giles were sitting up with a respectable distance between them. The two witches tried not to grin.

Joyce tugged the stuffed pig that Willow carried in her arms. Then she hugged Willow tightly. Tara stood by nervously.

"You must be Tara," Joyce said, taking Tara's hand. "I'm sorry we didn't have the chance to get introduced last night. I'm Joyce, Buffy's mom."

"I wanted to thank you, both of you, for finding Buffy. If you hadn't found her when you did�" Joyce trailed off.

"The doctors are worried about that," Joyce said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Buffy hit her head pretty hard, at some point, and they're concerned that she hasn't woken up yet."

"Sometimes i-i-it just takes time. I know it did when I was here," Willow said, referring to her brief stint in the hospital that came courtesy of being crushed under a huge library bookshelf.

"Oh, yes," Joyce said. "They're letting us go in by two's for short periods of time. Just go in that door and tell the nurse and she'll take you in."

Willow and Tara eased into Buffy's ICU room. They stopped at the end of Buffy's bed. They frowned when they saw how battered and frail the Slayer looked. Her face was bruised and swollen, and a bandage covered the right side of her head. Her right wrist was enclosed in a cast. An IV was running into the top of her left hand. Various tubes and cords came from under the covers and were hooked into machines softly blipping nearby.

Willow breathed deeply and suppressed the sob that was threatening to come out. She moved to Buffy's left side. Tara stood behind Willow, holding her arm around Willow's waist. Willow set Mr. Gordo on the bed beside Buffy and then carefully took Buffy's hand.

Willow paused for a moment, then continued. "Tara's here, too. Oh, a-a-and Mr. Gordo. He kinda insisted on coming along. I told him only two visitors at a time, but you know how pig-headed he is."

Willow quickly sobered. "I know you had a bad day and all, but it's time to wake up now, okay?"

Willow couldn't stop the tears this time. "Please, Buffy," she pleaded, "come back to us."

Buffy lay sleeping on a blanket in a meadow. The sun shone warmly on her body, and the breeze just barely tickled her skin. She was content and relaxed. Then she heard a voice.

Buffy's eyes popped open, and she sat up on the blanket. She gazed around the flowery meadow, wondering where the voice had come from. She stood up and turned in a slow circle, listening intently. Then she heard the voice again.

Buffy moved toward the voice, leaving the sunlight for the forest. The warm meadow gave way to a shadowy, tree-darkened path. Buffy followed it in deeper.

The path became hard and rocky, and the air chilled. She stopped and glanced back, then suddenly found herself at the bottom of a cave, looking up at the mouth. She heard the voice echoing down from above her. She began to climb.

The more she climbed, the harder her ascent became. Soon she was sweating and struggling, the muscles in her arms and legs trembling. She pressed on. When she neared the top, she could hear the voice more clearly.

She forced herself to keep moving toward the lighted entrance of the cave. She got her arm over the edge, but then felt herself slipping. A strong hand suddenly took hold of hers and pulled her up.

Willow was bent over, crying, her head near Buffy's hand. Tara stroked Willow's back, trying to comfort her. Tara pulled back quickly when Willow abruptly straightened.

"My hand, she squeezed my hand!" Willow exclaimed. "Come on, Buffy," Willow coaxed. "Come back to us!"

The two witches stared at Buffy's face, looking for any sign of her regaining consciousness. They were rewarded when they saw Buffy's eyes gradually flutter open.

Willow turned to Tara. "Go tell the nurse!" Tara hurried from the room. Willow turned back to Buffy.

Buffy blinked slowly a few times until she could focus on the face in front of her.

A few hours later, Buffy was taken off the critical list and transferred out of ICU to a regular private room. Giles and Joyce went home to rest for a few hours. Xander and Anya dropped by for a short visit and then left again, allowing Willow and Tara to take the first leg of BuffyWatch.

After the move and the visits, Buffy was exhausted. She fell asleep, clutching Mr. Gordo in her right arm. Tara got up from her spot on the bench seat chair and looked at Buffy closely. Tara turned to Willow and mouthed, "She's asleep." Tara switched off the overhead light and returned to her place beside Willow.

Willow and Tara smiled then hugged. Within a short time, the two witches themselves were fast asleep.

Willow and Tara were entwined in each other's arms, sleeping soundly, when a knock on Buffy's hospital room door awakened them. They both looked towards the door. Willow quickly pulled out of Tara's arms. She moved several inches away and sat up straight. Tara felt the intentional separation keenly and reluctantly duplicated Willow's actions. When the two witches turned their eyes to the door, they saw Riley sticking his head in. He made eye contact with them and slipped inside the door.

Willow's eyes were drawn to Buffy, who was trying to sit up in her bed. Willow went to Buffy's side and helped her sit up.

Riley stepped around the corner of the room's bathroom so that Buffy could see him. He gave a small wave.

Riley moved to Buffy's bedside across from Willow. He smiled briefly at Willow and Tara as a way of greeting. No one spoke for the next few breaths. Willow finally broke the silence.

"I think Tara and I will go check out the snack bar," Willow said. "Right Tara?"

"We'll catch you guys later, okay?" Willow said as she and Tara moved towards the door.

Willow and Tara exited the room, leaving Buffy and Riley alone. Another moment of silence ensued. Then Riley spoke.

"A good thing we did, too," Riley added. "The thing was just about to give birth to ten or twelve little spawn just like it."

"Thank you," Buffy said sincerely. "I'll rest better knowing that thing's not out there."

Riley looked at Buffy with a hurt expression then looked quickly away. He moved towards the door.

"Well, I guess I better be going," Riley said awkwardly. "I just wanted to check on you and give you the news."

"Thank you, Riley," Buffy said earnestly. "It means a lot to me that you came and that you took care of that demon."

Riley smiled and nodded. "You get better. Maybe we could talk later, when you get out?"

Willow and Tara sat in the snack bar, drinking coffee. Willow fidgeted in her seat, looking back towards the elevator repeatedly.

"Oh, sorry," Willow said, realizing how fidgety she was being. "I'm just worried about Buffy. She and Riley are in a tough spot at the moment. They each learned that the other was a secret demon fighter, and it kinda put a kink in things."

"Yeah," Willow replied. "I saw what keeping secrets was doing to Buffy and Riley, and I didn't want that to happen to us. Buffy was really hoping Riley was a 'normal guy' and then he wasn't. I mean, I think he really cares for her, but�I'm not sure if we can trust him. We don't know what this 'Initiative' of his is really up to."

Buffy sighed deeply as she watched the door shut behind Riley. She leaned back against her pillow and draped her arm across her eyes.

Oh, god, what am I gonna do? Buffy thought. Riley is so sweet. And he likes me. A lot, obviously.

But he's some kind of secret agent soldier working for some government demon patrol! Buffy's logical self reminded her. How can you trust him?

Well, he must not be too bad, Buffy countered. He blew up that demon for me. Maybe he's just the right kind of boyfriend for a Slayer.

You said you wanted a normal relationship for once, and Riley isn't normal, Buffy's logical self responded.

So what? Buffy answered. Riley is a good man. He likes me. And I like him�sort of. No, really, I do like him, I just�

After receiving a response to her tentative knock, Willow slipped in the door to Buffy's room, with Tara following. They saw immediately that Buffy was alone. Willow went to Buffy's bedside. Tara remained standing at the end of the bed.

Willow was relieved to find Riley gone. She hadn't wanted to intrude; plus, she just didn't want Riley here. It was stupid, she knew, but she didn't like sharing Buffy time with him. I was best friends with Buffy long before Riley came around, Willow justified to herself, so I should get visit priority.

"It's history, he said," Buffy replied. "He and his fellow commandoes blew it up."

Willow and Buffy reached an awkward moment in the conversation. As the two best friends wrung their hands and kept cutting their eyes away from each other, Tara watched them.

Tara narrowed her eyes and focused, trying to read their auras. At first, their auras darted about in the same way Tara had seen them move when she had observed them at the Bronze. But then their energies settled down and began slowly intertwining with each other, intensifying as they did so.

Tara released her focus and turned her attention to what the two women were doing. They had stopped looking away from each other and were now staring into each other's eyes. Willow rested her hands lightly on Buffy's arm.

Tara tore her eyes away. After a moment, she cleared her throat. Willow and Buffy looked her way.

"I'm�ummm�gonna go," Tara said, not meeting their eyes. "It's�ummm�almost time for Mr. Giles and Mrs. Summers to come back anyway, so I'm just gonna go."

"No, that's okay," Tara replied. "I've got some errands to run on the way. I'll just see you back on campus."

Tara hurried out of the hospital and headed towards the campus of UC Sunnydale. Her mind swam with thoughts of Willow and Buffy.

Willow and Buffy are best friends, Tara's logical self replied. They're close. Buffy almost died. Of course, their auras would touch and intertwine.

But it was so�intense, Tara countered. There's more than friendship going on here, there must be.

You're reading too much into it, Tara's logical self insisted. Willow likes you, remember? It was your bed she slept in the other night, it was your lips she was kissing, right?

Yes, Goddess, yes, Tara thought, remembering with joy the night that Willow had stayed over.

Stop it! Don't even say that! Tara's logical self interrupted. It's you Willow wants, she's made that clear. So accept it, enjoy it. And don't jinx it.

Okay, you're right, Tara thought finally. I love her, and I want to be with her, and she wants to be with me. I just have to make sure I don't screw things up.

Tara sighed and took a deep breath, committing herself to do everything she could to make her relationship with Willow work.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure she is," Willow replied. "She's probably just feeling a little like an outsider in all this."

"Plus, I don't think she likes hospitals much," Willow continued. "Her mother died a couple of years ago. I think it's been hard for her, being reminded, you know?"

"I'm sorry," Buffy said, "about what I said the other night, about Tara. I didn't know what I was talking about."

"That's okay," Willow said. "You were just upset about the spell not working. I still don't know why that spell didn't work. I know we did everything correctly, and Tara is really powerful. You should have seen her when we were looking for you. She made a huge flare shoot up into the sky to alert the helicopter � she did it with just magic. And before that, she so kept her cool. I was totally freaking out, but she calmed me down and made me focus so that I could follow my connection to you. She � "

"Oh. Well, I�ummm�I felt it when you were fighting the demon," Willow explained. "I was sitting there at Giles' doing research, and wham! I was suddenly hit with this intense pain, and I just knew it was you. I don't know how I knew, but I did. We split up to look for you. I called Tara, and she went with me. She encouraged me to try to connect with you again, and I did, and that's when we found you."

"What were you thinking, you know, before we got there? Do you remember?" Willow asked.

Buffy hung her head and didn't meet Willow's eyes. How sorry I was, Buffy thought, that I had broken my promise to you, how sad you'd be when I died, how I didn't want to die without having told you how I feel.

"How much it hurt," Buffy said out loud to Willow, "how I didn't want to die, not like that. I remember wishing that you would�that you guys would find me somehow."

As the limo pulled into UC Sunnydale, Lindsey caught sight of a blond girl who was just heading onto campus. He directed the driver to pull alongside of the girl. Then he hit the power button lowering the tinted window.

Tara turned when she heard the voice and was startled to see a handsome man addressing her from an expensive limousine.

"Oh, it's not hard to find," Tara answered. "Just stay on this road till you see the sign for the residence halls. Follow that sign. You'll go past a few buildings, then Stevenson will be on your left. You can't miss it."

Tara watched the limo pull away, wondering which rich girl in Stevenson was about to be visited.

Lindsey entered Stevenson and went immediately to the second floor. He wound his way down the hallway until he found Room 214. He knocked on the door and listened. No one answered.

He turned from the doorway just as a male resident came out of his dorm room and headed for the stairwell.

"Excuse me," Lindsey said, catching the resident by the arm to stop him. "Is this Buffy Summers' room?"

"Yeah, but I haven't seen her in a couple of days," the male resident said. "She's probably hanging out at her mom's house, doin' laundry or something."

As the dorm student went down the stairwell, Lindsey put his hands on his hips and frowned.

The next morning, Buffy woke to find Tara sitting with her. Tara was on the cushioned bench, quietly reading a book.

"That good, huh?" Tara said teasingly. Then she asked, "Can I get you anything? Some water maybe?"

"I know you were expecting Willow," Tara explained, "but she had an appointment with one of her professors, and she just couldn't get out of it. She asked me to fill in. She'll be back this afternoon. Oh, but your mom'll be here before that."

"Tara, that's fine, but you don't have to stay with me," Buffy said. "I'm a big girl. Besides, I know that you � " Buffy caught herself before mentioning Tara's mother. "I know that you probably have better things to do," she corrected.

Buffy sat up in her bed. She repositioned her pillows and tried to get comfortable. But no matter how she redid her pillows, she couldn't get situated. Tara rose and came to the bed. She punched a button on the bed railing, and the head of the bed tilted up. Tara stopped the bed's movement.

Buffy redid her pillows once more and seemed pleased with the results. She sighed and settled in.

As Tara touched her, Buffy could feel the positive energy radiating from the blonde witch. It was peaceful and nurturing. Buffy could see why Willow had been drawn to the girl. After the upheaval of Oz's departure, Willow needed that kind of energy, that kind of comforting. It was something she hadn't gotten � couldn't get � from Buffy. How could someone who dealt daily in death and violence offer anything even remotely close to what Tara exuded so easily?

When Tara went to withdraw her hand, Buffy quickly caught it in her grasp. She gave Tara's hand a squeeze and then held it.

"Willow told me what you did," Buffy said, "when you guys found me. I just wanted to say thank you."

Tara immediately tucked her face behind her hair. "Oh, I-I-I didn't do anything special," she mumbled in embarrassed shyness.

"Yes, you did," Buffy insisted. Buffy paused until Tara finally met her eyes. "And it's not just me you've helped," Buffy continued. "I know you're a big part of why Willow has been doing so much better, you know, since Oz. You've been a good friend to Willow, and I want you to know how grateful I am for that."

Tara smiled, but pulled away, knowing that if she didn't, she'd probably cry. Tara had never felt such a tumult of emotion. Ever since she had moved to Sunnydale and met Willow, Tara's world had been turned upside down. She had felt more and done more in the last few weeks than she had in all her previous years combined. She had fallen in love for the first time, she had helped to save someone's life, and now she was the recipient of such sincere gratitude that she was simply overcome.

Tara cleared her throat then spoke. "I'm gonna go for a little walk," she said. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Not long after Tara returned from her walk, Joyce came to check on Buffy. Tara quickly excused herself, leaving mother and daughter alone. Despite her earlier protest that she was a big girl, Buffy was glad to see her mother. She didn't fuss when Joyce pulled her into a hug; instead, she hugged her back tightly.

"You're not just saying that 'cause I brought donuts, are you?" Joyce said teasingly while holding up the bag of goodies.

Buffy's eyes lit up at the sight of the bag. "Donuts? For me?" Buffy asked with a big grin.

Joyce laughed at her daughter's enthusiasm as she dug into the sugary treats. She was glad to see Buffy returning to her usual self, both physically and emotionally. Her injuries were healing with the usual rapidity that came courtesy of being the Slayer, and her naturally light and funny personality was slowly re-establishing itself. Still, Joyce was worried. She'd never seen Buffy sustain injuries this severe, and she wondered how Buffy was handling things. Joyce didn't want to dampen Buffy's good spirits; she filed that topic away in the back of her mind for another time.

That afternoon, Willow came back as promised. When she came in the door, she found Buffy swinging her legs over the edge of her bed.

Willow reluctantly stepped aside and allowed Buffy to get off her bed on her own. Willow hovered nearby as Buffy successfully trudged towards the bathroom.

Almost immediately, Buffy's knees buckled. Luckily, Willow caught the falling Slayer and pulled her safely into her arms.

Buffy didn't respond to Willow's gibe; instead, she closed her eyes and focused on the feel of Willow's arms around her, the touch of Willow's hand at the small of her back. Willow unconsciously pulled Buffy closer and began to caress her back. Buffy opened her eyes.

After an intense moment of breathless staring, Willow cleared her throat and moved to support Buffy from the side.

"Come on, let's get you back in bed," Willow said as she helped her roommate back into her hospital bed.

After Willow left, Buffy was alone. She was relieved. Although she appreciated the efforts of her friends and family, she was feeling a little overwhelmed by all the attention. She needed some time to think.

She knew she couldn't go on like she was. Even though she liked Riley and thought he was a good man, Buffy couldn't continue seeing him. It wasn't right. Not when she was in love with someone else. Not when she was in love with her best friend and roommate.

Buffy knew she couldn't deny her feelings for Willow any more. She would have to tell Willow the truth � whether Willow returned those feelings or not. She prayed that the revelation wouldn't ruin their friendship.

Buffy thought about how it had felt earlier to have Willow's arms wrapped around her, how Willow herself had reacted to their closeness. Maybe I'm seeing what I want to see, Buffy thought, and not what's really there.

Buffy sighed and snuggled under the covers. She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.

"The three, the three, we shall see the three," Zephenia babbled for the umpteenth time, still pacing about her bedroom in the large hotel suite she and Lindsey shared.

In his own room, Lindsey groaned and wrapped his pillow around his head. Zephenia's babbling voice, though muffled, still penetrated.

Lindsey heard Zephenia continue as if she hadn't heard him at all. "The three, the three, we shall see the three�"

Abruptly, the babbling stopped, and the suite became quiet. Lindsey sighed in relief. "Thank you," he said, turning over to try to go to sleep.

In her room, the seer was frozen in place, listening intently. Then she fell to the floor and prostrated herself with her ear pressed into the carpet. She smiled and then giggled with glee.

"Oh�he comes," Zephenia whispered in awe. "He comes, he comes�" she repeated.

In the ruins of the old high school, in the lower levels below the destroyed library, a faint light seeped from the crack in the foundation. As the light gently pulsed, the surrounding rock began to vibrate in time with the light. The result was a deep hum, barely audible, that sounded like a heartbeat.

The hospital room was dark, and Buffy was alone. Since she would be going home the next day, Buffy had convinced her overly-attentive family and friends to take the night off from BuffyWatch. She had been restless once they were gone, but she had finally succeeded in going to sleep. Unfortunately, her sleep brought no respite. It only brought a dream � a special Slayer dream.

In her dream, Buffy crept through the ruins of the old Sunnydale High School. Slowly, she made her way to what used to be the library. As she passed through the remains of the entrance, she saw Xander standing just inside, leaning leisurely against the wall, perusing the centerfold of a porn magazine. He looked up at Buffy and smiled.

"You know, there used to be a door here," he confidently informed her. "It swung both ways." Then he turned back to his magazine.

Beyond Xander, Buffy saw Giles sitting at a clearly-out-of-place tea table. On the table were a tea set and a silver tray of cookies. Giles sat formally in a wing-backed chair and sipped his tea.

"Oh, Buffy, I'm so glad you're here," Giles said, setting down his tea cup. "He's coming, you know. So, you have to be ready. Biscuit?" Giles said, holding out the silver tray.

"No�thank you," Buffy said, walking past Giles, to descend into the area near the Hellmouth.

Down on the lowest level, Buffy found Willow standing at an artist's easel. On her easel was a large newsprint pad with a boldly-painted outline of an equilateral triangle. Around Willow were discarded pages of newsprint with similar triangles on them. When Willow saw Buffy, she grinned excitedly and put down her palette and brush.

"Buffy, tell me," Willow said, picking up one of the abandoned pages. Willow held up the sheet so that Buffy could see. The triangle had its point on the top. "Should it go like this?" Then she rotated the page so that the second point was at the top. "Or like this?" Then she rotated the page again so that the third point was at the top. "Or like this?" Willow waited expectantly for Buffy's answer.

"That's what I thought," Willow said, pleased to have her opinion confirmed. Then she went right back to her painting.

Buffy moved past Willow and headed for the crack in the foundation that led to the Hellmouth. She noticed the light pulsing from it and felt the stone beneath her feet vibrating. She eased towards the edge and looked down into the Hellmouth.

At Tara's words, Buffy suddenly awoke in her hospital bed. She sat up and looked around the room, unnerved by her dream. She pulled Mr. Gordo into her arms and held him tightly.

Buffy rapped her fingers on the bed railing and glanced at the door. Then she walked to the window and looked out. She walked back to the bed.

Just then, Buffy heard a knock on the door. Here goes, she thought. "Come in," she called towards the door.

Riley slipped inside. He smiled when he saw Buffy dressed and standing near the bed. He walked in and stood on the other side of the bed across from Buffy.

"It's that good ole Slayer healing," Buffy said. "It definitely comes in handy."

After Riley's reply, an awkwardness set in, and the two of them shifted restlessly on their feet, looking at each other only occasionally in short nervous glances. Finally, Riley clenched his jaw and spoke.

"I just don't get it," Riley said. "I know you like me, and it's not like we don't have anything in common."

"Oh, god, not that line," Riley grumbled. "Every time someone says 'it's not you,' that only means that it is you. I guess next you'll say 'let's just be friends'."

"I hope we can be friends, Riley, I really do," Buffy said sincerely. "But I want you to understand that this is not about you. You are not the problem here. I am. You're a great guy. And, yes, you work for a secret government agency that I'm not sure I trust, but that's not the issue. The issue is�I've got some baggage, some heavy-duty baggage that I haven't dealt with yet. I thought I had, but � "

"Can't we work on it together?" Riley asked. "That's what people do, they help each other."

"No, we can't," Buffy insisted. "You see�there's someone else, someone that I � " Buffy stopped and took a deep breath. "There's someone else," she just said finally.

Riley clenched his fists, getting the picture. "You should have told me," he said.

"I couldn't�I didn't even�I wasn't even sure that�I mean, I thought that it was�" Buffy tried to explain. Then she sighed and hung her head. "You're right. I should have. I'm sorry."

"I'm gonna go now," Riley said, heading for the door. Then he turned back. "I'm glad you're feeling better," he said simply. Then he left the room.

Buffy watched Riley go. She hurt inside, knowing that she had hurt him. But she knew that she had done the right thing. She couldn't pursue a relationship with Riley when her heart clearly wasn't in it.

That was the easy part, Buffy thought to herself. The hard part's gonna be when I try to talk to Willow. God, please don't let her freak!

Buffy plopped on the bench seat next to the bed and looked at her watch. She still had a couple of hours at least before her mother was due to arrive to check her out. She groaned in frustration. She couldn't imagine waiting here for another two hours.

I'll just call Mom and take a cab back to the dorm, she finally decided, heading for the phone.

Lindsey entered the Sunnydale hospital and went directly to the information desk. He smiled at the young woman when she looked up.

"I'm here to see Buffy Summers," Lindsey said. "Can you tell me what room she's in?"

"She's in room 326," the young woman said. "You just go down this hallway to the elevators. When you get to the third floor, just follow the signs."

As Lindsey passed the information desk and headed for the elevators, his smile faded away, and his face hardened.

Lindsey exited the hospital elevator onto the third floor. He read the signs on the wall then turned right and followed the corridor of rooms on that side. When he reached the nurses' station, he glanced about nervously. The nurse at the desk looked up and made eye contact. He smiled at her, and she went straight back to her work, not giving him a second thought. He kept moving down the corridor.

He finally came to room 326. It was the last room on that side, right next to the emergency stairs. He took a deep breath and knocked. There was no answer. Lindsey looked back towards the nurses' station, but no one was in the corridor. He quietly pushed the door open and sneaked into Buffy's room.

Once inside, he eased the door shut. The bathroom door was open, and the light was on, but no one was inside. He crept past the bathroom and peeked inside the main part of the room. Lindsey expected to find Buffy in the bed, sleeping soundly. What he discovered was an empty room.

"Damn!" Lindsey said, shaking his head, wondering where the Slayer had gotten to now.

Lindsey headed back down the corridor to the nurses' station. He stopped at the desk. The same nurse he had seen earlier was still there.

"Excuse me," Lindsey asked, "I came to see Buffy Summers in room 326, but she's not there. Do you have any idea where she is?"

"Oh, you just missed her," the nurse answered. "She left just a little while ago. I'm surprised she was able to leave at all."

"When they first brought her in, I thought for sure she'd be here for a week or two at least," the nurse said, "but she got better, practically overnight. It's a miracle really."

"She certainly is," the nurse agreed. "And so loved. Why her family and friends were here day and night staying with her! How did you manage to miss out?"

"I'm from out of town," Lindsey explained. "I only just heard about her�accident."

"I'm sure she will," Lindsey said with an evil little smirk. "Thanks for your help," he told the nurse. Then he headed for the elevators.

With Tara at her side, Willow unlocked the door to the dorm room she shared with Buffy. Once the door was open, the two witches went inside.

"Thanks again for coming over," Willow said to Tara. "I know we're both supposed to be in class, but Buffy will be here this afternoon, and I'd really like to surprise her."

Willow picked up a bag and pulled a long banner from it. She held the banner up for Tara to read. "What do you think?" Willow asked.

" 'Welcome Back Buffy!' " Tara read from the banner. "Looks great," Tara said encouragingly.

"Good," Willow said, relieved. "I thought maybe we'd straighten up a little and � "

"Very funny," Willow replied, rolling her eyes. "As I was saying, I thought we'd clean up a little first and then put up the decorations. I figured the big banner could go outside, over the door, and the rest could go in here. What do you think?"

After Tara nodded in agreement, the two witches started cleaning. They dusted and swept, gathered dirty clothes and picked up garbage. The room didn't need a lot of cleaning. Neither Willow nor Buffy was an especially messy roommate. Willow was insistent, however. She wanted everything perfect for when Buffy came back.

Tara paused in her cleaning by Buffy's closet and looked back at Willow, who was picking up some trash under her desk. Tara could tell that Willow was worried about Buffy's return. Tara could sense it in Willow's energy. Tara felt her doubts come flooding back. She thought of how anxious Willow had been when Riley was visiting Buffy, how Willow and Buffy had stared at each other, and how their auras had intertwined. Then she thought of how Willow had abruptly separated herself from Tara when Riley had come knocking.

She doesn't want her friends to know about the two of you, Tara's critical self whispered to her. She's ashamed.

No, that's not true, Tara thought firmly, returning to her work near Buffy's closet.

She's probably not gay at all, Tara's critical self said. She's probably just experimenting. College girls do that, you know. Yeah, she'll have her little thrill and then head back to boys' town. That's why she's hedging her bets now.

Tara felt a pang in her heart as she was assailed by her doubts. She stopped working again. She placed her hand on her heart and tried to drive the doubts away.

Willow picked up the now-full garbage can and headed for the door. She started to open the door, intending to go down the hall to empty the can. She stopped suddenly when she felt her chest constrict. She left the door cracked and placed her hand on her chest. It was like what she had felt when Buffy had been hurt, but not as strong. Willow concentrated on the feeling. Then she slowly turned to Tara, knowing instinctively that it was coming from her.

Tara was standing at Buffy's closet, with her back to Willow, seemingly deep in thought. Willow put down the garbage can and went to Tara.

Tara jumped a little, startled by Willow's arrival. She turned around, her hand still on her chest. "You s-s-scared me," she said.

"What is it?" Tara asked, fidgeting in place, moving her arms into different positions and not meeting Willow's eyes.

"N-N-No," Tara denied, crossing her arms tightly. "Why would you think something was wrong?"

Willow looked at Tara intently, but she could feel Tara's walls slamming into place. Willow was unsure of what to do. She knew something was wrong, but she wasn't sure if she should press Tara about it or just let it slide. She decided a little pressing couldn't hurt. She moved closer to Tara. She reached out and stroked Tara's arm.

"There is something wrong," Willow insisted gently. "I know 'cause I can feel it."

Tara dropped her eyes and shook her head. Willow lifted Tara's chin so that she could look at her.

"I don't believe you," Willow said, taking Tara's arm and leading her to sit on the side of Buffy's bed. "Tell me."

"I just�I just n-n-need to know how you w-w-want me to act, you know, around your friends," Tara finally managed to stammer.

"When we were in the emergency room, you didn't s-s-seem to mind me t-t-touching you, but when Riley came to Buffy's room, you pulled away." Tara hung her head once again. "So, I just need to know, you know, h-h-how you want me to be."

Willow could feel the pain emanating from Tara, and she was instantly sorry for causing it. She had pulled away when Riley had come in. And she wasn't sure why. It'd been an instinctive response, one based in fear. Fear of what, she wondered. Rejection? Ridicule? Did she really expect that from her friends? She wasn't sure. What was she sure of?

Tara. That's what she was sure of. If there was one thing Willow was certain of, it was that she loved the beautiful blonde beside her and that she wanted to be with her, no matter what. She just needed to convince Tara of that.

"Tara," Willow began softly, "I'm sorry for pulling away at the hospital. I shouldn't have done that. I didn't really want to do it. I just reacted, without thinking."

"No, it's not okay," Willow disagreed. "It was wrong, and I don't want you thinking that you have to 'act' when my friends are around."

"I just m-m-meant that I understand if you don't want to t-t-tell them about us," Tara said. "And I'm okay with that."

Willow looked at Tara. She wondered who had hurt Tara so deeply that she would settle for a secret relationship, as if she would always be second-best and had to be happy with whatever she could get.

"Tara," Willow said, squeezing Tara's hand until she looked up, "I do want to tell them, and I'm going to, I promise. It just may take me a little while. I'm�" Willow paused, lowering her head. "I'm scared," she said finally. Willow chuckled ruefully then looked up. "Stupid, huh? I mean, I can face anything the Hellmouth can throw at me, but I can't face my best friends and tell them I've got a girlfriend!"

"It's not stupid," Tara responded firmly. "It's normal to be afraid. This is so new for you. But I have to tell you, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I think your friends will take it just fine. They love you. Nothing is going to change that."

"Please don't be mad at me," Willow said, her eyes pleading with Tara, "but I need just a little longer. And please don't think that I'm ashamed of us, 'cause I'm not." Willow lifted her hand and caressed Tara's cheek. "I want this. I want you, so much!"

Willow leaned in quickly and kissed Tara, trying to put all of her love and desire into that one kiss. Tara responded in kind, kissing Willow deeply, wrapping her arms around the redhead. Doubts, reservations, fears, and worries all fell away in the wake of the two witches' passion. While it washed over them, nothing else mattered.

Outside Stevenson dorm, Buffy paid the driver and got out of the cab. She carried her bag in one hand and Mr. Gordo in the other. As she walked in the dorm and made her way to her room, she mentally rehearsed her plan.

Okay, while Willow's in class, I'll get unpacked and get settled in, Buffy thought. Then, when Willow gets out of class, I'll tell her that we need to talk. Or that I need to talk. No, I'll tell her that I need to tell her something. Arrgghh! I thought I had this all worked out!

Buffy came out of the stairwell and moved towards her door. She didn't even register that it was already open; she just pushed the door and walked in.

Okay, while Willow's in class � Buffy's thoughts were stopped dead in their tracks when she looked up into her room.

Willow and Tara were sitting on Buffy's bed, kissing passionately. Buffy dropped her bag in surprise.

When they heard the bag hit the floor, Willow and Tara jumped in fright and immediately pulled apart. Willow stood and made a step towards Buffy. Tara stayed seated and hung her head, hiding behind her hair.

"Buffy!" Willow said nervously, "W-w-what are you doing here? I mean, we weren't expecting you until later. Not that we're not glad to see you, 'cause we are. I mean, yea! You're back!"

"I�ummm�couldn't stand waiting any more," Buffy said, her eyes darting about, "so I just called a cab."

"Good�that's�great," Willow replied, wringing her hands, "I know you were probably going stir crazy in there, and everything."

The conversation stalled, and the two roommates stood awkwardly looking in any direction but each other. Tara ventured a glance. Seeing the stalemate, Tara decided a hasty retreat was in order. She stood up and started towards the door.

Before anyone could stop her, Tara dashed from the room, leaving Willow and Buffy alone.

Willow and Buffy remained silent. Willow sat back down on Buffy's bed, not looking at Buffy. She stared at her hands. Buffy looked at Willow, shook her head, and took a deep breath. Then she went and sat on Willow's bed, facing her roommate. Still, neither one spoke.

Finally, Willow whispered, "This wasn't how I wanted to tell you." Willow lifted her eyes to Buffy. "I'm sorry."

Once more the conversation lagged. Willow began wringing her hands again, and Buffy pressed Mr. Gordo tightly to her chest. After a few moments of anxious squirming, Buffy broke the silence.

"Yeah," Willow replied quickly, wanting to ease Buffy's discomfort at putting it into words.

"Lesbian?" Willow supplied. When Buffy nodded, Willow continued, "I-I-I don't know. Maybe. Is that�going to be a problem�between you and me?"

Willow dropped her eyes, afraid of what she would see in her best friend's eyes.

Buffy glanced at her roommate. She had never seen the redhead looking so fragile, so vulnerable. No matter what Buffy herself was going through, she didn't want Willow to feel rejected. So Buffy pushed down her own anguish and buried it under a layer of be-the-best-friend and do-the-right-thing. Buffy got up and moved to sit beside Willow, setting Mr. Gordo on her pillow. She took Willow's hand and held it until Willow lifted her eyes.

"No," Buffy said softly but certainly. "Absolutely no to that question." Buffy smiled weakly. "I'm shocked, maybe even a little freaked," Buffy admitted, "but I promise you, it's just a momentary wiggins. I would never let something like that hurt our friendship. Nothing in this world means more to me than our friendship."

"Oh, god, Buffy!" Willow exclaimed, hugging Buffy tightly. "Thank you, thank you so much for understanding." When the two girls separated, Willow continued, "I wanted to tell you, but I was so scared."

Willow laughed nervously, then smiled, then wiped the tears from her face. But as before, the room became awkwardly silent. Buffy decided to plunge in.

"There's something very powerful between us," Willow explained. "I-I-It wasn't something I was looking for. But it's there. And it's totally different from what Oz and I had."

"I think Tara's a great girl, Will," Buffy said reassuringly. "Does�anyone else know?" Buffy inquired.

"Oh�god, no," Willow said firmly. "If I couldn't even tell you, I sure couldn't tell Giles or Xander or my par � Oh my god, my parents!"

Willow jumped to her feet and began pacing about the room. "They are so gonna freak!" Willow exclaimed. "I-I-It was bad enough when they found out I was a witch and then dating a musician a-a-and then choosing to come here instead of Oxford or Harvard or MIT. They are gonna go ballistic�"

Buffy sighed and settled in. She was in for a marathon Willow-rant, and she knew it. Buffy felt her pain beginning to push through, but she willed it back down again. She couldn't lose it, not here, not now. She'd wait, until later, when she was alone.

Lindsey stuck his head out of the emergency stairwell on the third floor and glanced around. Satisfied that no one was about, he exited the stairwell. Then he held the door open, allowing Zephenia to enter the hallway. The old crone bobbed her head and hummed to herself as Lindsey pulled her into the hospital room most recently occupied by Buffy Summers.

"Okay, Zephenia, get a quick read, then let's get the hell out of here," Lindsey ordered.

Zephenia showed no sign of hearing Lindsey at all. She was mesmerized by the room itself. She moved her hands around her as if she were touching the air itself. Then she moved to the bed and felt the crumpled sheets and cover.

"Yes, yes, she was here, here was she, one of three, one of three," Zephenia crooned, leaning over to rest her upper body on the bed. "Mmmm�the Slayer�such pain�ahhh...so sweet�yes, yes, so sweet�" Zephenia smiled as she felt the echoes of Buffy's physical and emotional pain.

Zephenia continued to bask on Buffy's bed. Lindsey was quickly losing patience. He rolled his eyes. Right when he started to speak to her, Zephenia shot up from the bed. She moved to the other side of the bed and resumed her air touching. She touched the bench chair and then the bed railing.

"The three, the three, the three were here," Zephenia said, pointing at the area where she was standing. "Here they were, here they were!" she said with glee then she stopped. A confused look came over her ancient features. "Three, but not three, not yet, not yet," she said.

"What do you mean?" Lindsey asked, grabbing the old seer by the arms. "Tell me! Are they joined yet?"

Zephenia looked intently at Lindsey's face. Then she giggled and patted his face. "Not yet, not yet," she said.

Lindsey smiled at the news, then took Zephenia by the hand and led her from the room and back down the emergency stairs. As the two wound their way towards the ground floor, Zephenia cackled away, "Three, but not three, not yet, not yet�hee-hee�not yet, not yet!"

Back in Stevenson dorm, Willow stood nervously by the door, looking back at Buffy, who stood near her bed.

"I just want to go tell Tara," Willow said, "you know, about how well things went between us. I won't be gone long."

"Willow, go," Buffy ordered. "Tara's probably worried sick about the whole thing, so get!"

Buffy let out her breath. She felt a lump forming in her throat and tears filling her eyes. She swallowed and brushed her eyes with the back of her hand. She took off her shoes, grabbed Mr. Gordo, and climbed under the covers of her bed. Her head hadn't even hit the pillow before the grief came gushing up.

Willow rushed down the stairwell, ecstatic with joy over how well things had gone with Buffy. She couldn't wait to tell Tara. When Willow came out the front doors of the dormitory, she felt a sudden pang in her chest, and she stopped in place. She turned around and looked up at the second floor windows. Her brow furrowed with worry. She made a step back towards the building and then stopped again. After a moment of indecision, Willow shook her head. Then she continued on her way to Tara's dorm.

Tara paced about her room, trying unsuccessfully to get her emotions under control.

Okay, okay, just calm down, Tara told herself. You just got through telling Willow that her friends would accept her no matter what. They're probably fine, both of them.

Tara closed her eyes, deciding to just shut up and send Willow and Buffy some positive energy. She regulated her breathing and concentrated. Soon she began pulling energy from the earth, blessing it, and sending it on its way to Willow and Buffy.

Moments later, Tara gasped when a sharp pain struck her chest. For split second, there was agony, and then nothing, and then a building excitement. She immediately ceased her meditation. Her hand went to her heart, and she wondered what in the world had just happened.

Her musings on the matter were interrupted when she heard someone knocking at her door. Tara got up and opened the door. She barely had time to smile before she was attacked by a grinning redhead.

Willow threw her arms around Tara and kissed her soundly and repeatedly. "You were right, you were right!" Willow said between kisses.

"About what?" Tara said, pulling out of Willow's embrace long enough to ask her question and to guide them to the bed to sit down.

"About Buffy," Willow replied. "She was sooo cool about it. I should've known better, I mean, we've been friends for so long, I don't know why I didn't trust that. She was a little freaked, but who wouldn't be, walking in on us like that, but�"

Tara sighed and settled in against her pillows. She hadn't known Willow that long, but she knew a major babble-fest when she heard one. She smiled indulgently, just happy that things had gone well.

Buffy didn't know how long she had been crying. It seemed like hours. She knew Willow would be back eventually, and she didn't want Willow to see her like this.

"Oh, I'm just totally crushed and devastated because I'm in love with you and can't have you, that's all," Buffy said sarcastically.

Buffy felt the tears coming again. She flopped back down on her bed and clawed the covers in frustration as the sobs overtook her.

Buffy was crying so hard that she didn't hear Willow come back in the room. She jumped when she felt Willow touch her back.

"Buffy?" Willow said with deep concern in her voice. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Buffy said, not meeting Willow's look. "It's nothing. Just leave me alone."

"Buffy, please don't shut me out," Willow begged. "Tell me. I-I-Is it about me, what we talked about earlier�"

Buffy sat up and put some distance between herself and Willow. She pulled Mr. Gordo into her lap. "It's just�everything. I almost died�again! And�it was different this time. It hurt�so much�and then�"

"Still, you should have said something," Willow insisted. "I wouldn't have stayed gone so long."

"Oh, okay," Willow said, understanding. "But I want you to know that I'm here for you, when you're ready," Willow said, reaching for Buffy's hand and giving it a quick squeeze.

Buffy met Willow's eyes, smiled, and nodded, grateful that Willow hadn't tried to hug her. She would've lost it again for sure, then.

"I'm just gonna try and get some sleep," Buffy said. "I'm really tired. Could you get the light for me?"

When Willow returned, Buffy was already in her bed, tucked under the covers, facing away from Willow. Willow frowned then turned back to her side of the room to attempt some studying.

Buffy and the rest of the Scoobies sat around Giles' living room, listening intently as Buffy described the dream she'd had while she was still in the hospital.

"I was looking at a porn mag?" Xander asked accusingly. "Is that really what you think I spend all my � "

"Which one was it?" Anya interrupted. "Xander has so many. I've told him he doesn't need those now that I'm around. Was it the one with � "

"Thank you," Giles said exasperatedly. "I would venture that it's the Hellmouth that's important here. You said it was glowing and vibrating?"

"Not a something�a someone," Buffy clarified before turning to her Watcher. "I'm worried, Giles, this sounds big."

"Well, it is Sunnydale's most attractive commodity," Anya said matter-of-factly. "If you're on the side of evil, that is," she added when the group glared at her.

Xander sighed at his girlfriend then continued: "I mean, just for once, I'd like a demon to come to town and just want to do something only barely naughty. Like, make everyone sing songs from Broadway shows."

Buffy and Giles and Anya just rolled their eyes, but Willow got a look of terror in her eyes.

"Don't even say that!" Willow said to Xander, flashing back to her opera nightmare.

"So, what's the plan?" Buffy said to Giles, hoping to get the conversation back on track.

"Well, we should research the Hellmouth," Giles replied, "and see what we can find about how it can be opened."

Everyone rose to gather books from Giles' shelves so that they could begin the research.

"Wait!" Willow said sharply, freezing everyone in place. "Sorry," she said in apology.

Then she motioned everyone to sit back down, and they did. Willow looked over at Buffy with fear on her face. Buffy realized what Willow intended. Buffy smiled and nodded in encouragement.

"I�ummm�I have something to tell you all, and it's not going to be easy for me, so please bear with me," Willow said.

"First of all," Willow said, "Xander, I want to apologize to you for not telling you first, when we were alone, I mean, you're my best friend, since like forever, and if anybody should've been told first, it was you, but it just didn't turn out that way, and I'm sorry for that, but I didn't think I'd have the courage to go through three or four separate confessions, so I'm telling you all at the same time. Okay?"

"Will, it's okay, just spill," Xander said, ignoring Anya's comment. "You can tell us anything, right Buffy?"

"What? You could tell Buffy, but you couldn't tell me?" Xander asked in a hurt voice.

"No�no!" Willow said. "Buffy found out by accident, otherwise she'd be finding out now, too."

"Now, let's not press Willow too harshly," Giles said to the group. "This is hard for her, she said, so let's be supportive." Then Giles turned to Willow. "Go ahead, Willow. Take your time."

"Okay, I-I-I know it hasn't been that long since Oz left," Willow said, "but I wanted to tell you that�well�I'm seeing someone." Willow paused to let this information sink in.

Xander blinked his eyes and looked around. "That's it?" Xander asked. "That's what you had to tell us that you were so worried about? Will, we want nothing but the best for you, you know that. Oz is our friend, but he's gone, and if you've found some other guy that you're interested in, that makes you happy, then we're happy for you."

"Thanks," Willow said softly, hanging her head. "I have found someone that makes me happy, but it's not�it's not a guy."

" 'Cause I would sincerely hope that you had learned from your best friend's doomed romance that � " Anya continued.

"I told you so!" Anya said, slapping Xander's arm. Then she turned to Willow. "It's Tara, isn't it?"

Willow pulled her eyes from the bragging ex-demon and looked at Xander and Giles. Giles was polishing his glasses. No surprise there. But Xander was just staring, locked in place with his mouth wide open. Willow frowned in pain at his reaction. She felt tears coming down her cheeks. Willow knelt in front of Xander and put her hand on his knee. He didn't respond to her touch. She pulled her hand away and dropped her eyes to the floor.

Slowly, Xander turned his face to hers. He reached out and lifted her chin. As he looked into her eyes, he cupped her face and wiped the tears from her cheek with his thumb.

"Hate you?" Xander asked softly. "I could never hate you, Will. I love you. You're my best friend, and I will always love you, no matter who you date." Xander grinned and shrugged. "Well, unless it's Spike. I'd have to draw the line at Spike."

Willow laughed in relief and hugged Xander tightly. "Thank you, thank you! For understanding!"

Anya looked at the two best friends hugging warmly. Then she looked at the rest of the group. "Don't worry," she told them. "Willow's gay now. I am unthreatened."

Willow pulled out of her hug with Xander and stepped back. She looked at Giles once again. The Watcher had returned his glasses to their place and was smiling at her.

"Tara seems like a wonderful person, Willow," Giles said. "I'm very happy for you."

Buffy returned the smile, though inside she was crying, realizing that the redhead was lost to her forever now. Willow looked at her roommate curiously, sensing something slightly amiss. Buffy cut off the witch's perusal.

The Scoobies reluctantly returned to the task of claiming books from Giles' extensive library, knowing they were in for a long session of research. As Buffy sat down with her stack of books, she fought off the sadness threatening to overtake her.

Lindsey plopped into the sofa in his hotel suite and exhaled. Then he scooted to the edge of the sofa and picked up the nearby phone. He punched in the necessary numbers and waited.

"The Slayer is definitely one of the Three," Lindsey said, "and Zephenia says that they haven't joined yet."

"And?" the Senior Partner said, in a drawn-out tone, clearly indicating that he expected much more.

Lindsey swallowed nervously. "So, there's still time to�ummm�make sure they don't."

"And who are the other two parts of this little trio?" the Senior Partner pressed.

"Ummm�I haven't�as yet�determined who exactly," Lindsey admitted, "but I know they're part of her inner her circle. Zephenia � "

"Find them, Lindsey!" the Senior Partner barked impatiently. "And as soon as you know who they are, inform us immediately."

When he hung up the phone, Lindsey let out a breath. He knew how important this assignment was and how dangerous it would be to fail. He had no intention of failing.

A week later, the Scoobies were no closer to tracing the clues from Buffy's dream about the Hellmouth than they had been before they began. Even with Tara's additional assistance in the research, they had found nothing useful. Buffy's dream hadn't returned, and no other unusual events had occurred. Although she suspected the others were beginning to think that her dream wasn't a special Slayer dream, Buffy knew otherwise. The dream was a portent, and a big one at that, and they were clueless about what it meant or how to stop whatever or whoever was coming. Buffy was getting frustrated.

And not just because of the research dead end. Willow's coming out had pushed her relationship with Tara into the open, where Buffy was constantly exposed to it, reminded over and over of what she wanted but couldn't have. Buffy sank into a deep depression.

Meanwhile, Willow and Tara were basking in the mutual glowage of their new relationship. In their alone time, they talked and touched, kissed and caressed, going from calm contentment to giddy joy and back again.

Despite her cloud-nine condition, Willow didn't fail to notice Buffy's darkening mood. Willow could sense what was going on, but her attempts to engage Buffy in a discussion of it were either ignored or deflected by the Slayer. Riley had made himself scarce, and Willow suspected that Buffy's depression had more to do with her personal situation than with the Hellmouth.

Willow said as much to Tara one morning as they ate breakfast in the dining hall on campus. As Tara ate her pancakes and looked on sympathetically, Willow spread some cream cheese on the second half of her bagel and continued pouring out her concerns about her roommate.

"I'm really worried," Willow told Tara. "She's getting worse, I think. She sits in class like a zombie, not even taking notes. And that's only when she actually goes to class. Then she comes back to the room and goes to bed until it's time to patrol. Then she stays out all night, by herself, even though I've begged her not to. I mean, she just got out of the hospital for goodness' sake! Then she just comes back and crashes."

"Yeah, right before I came here, when I was getting ready," Willow answered. "I asked her to come to breakfast with me, but she said she had to shower and get some sleep. I finally just grabbed her and ordered her to come to breakfast."

Tara's eyes widened at the thought of Willow ordering the Slayer to do anything. "What did she say?" Tara inquired.

"She looked surprised that I got so harsh with her," Willow replied. "Then she just said, 'Okay, let me shower first.' I said 'Fine, but I'll be waiting on you at the cafeteria.' She nodded and trudged off to the bathroom."

Willow turned and looked at the entrance to the dining hall. Once again not seeing her roommate, she turned back to Tara and chomped into her bagel.

Tara watched with amusement as Willow angrily consumed her bagel. She imagined Willow's internal dialogue: Take that, you stupid bagel! I'll show you who's boss! As Willow triumphantly popped the final bite into her mouth, Tara couldn't help but giggle.

"What?" Willow asked, seeing Tara looking at her with the cutest half-smile. "What are you laughing at?"

Tara was saved from answering when she saw Buffy enter the dining hall from the food line. She waved to get the Slayer's attention, and Willow turned to see Buffy headed their way. Willow sighed in relief. Buffy joined them and set her tray onto the table.

"Well, you need to eat, too," Willow replied. "I know how much food it takes to keep a Slayer going, so chow down."

Buffy opened her milk and started in on her pancakes. She didn't have much of an appetite, but she knew Willow was right. She needed food to do her job, so she'd force it down out of necessity.

Buffy turned her attention back to her food, and the table became silent for a time.

"Hey�ummm�Buffy?" Willow asked, getting her roommate's attention. "I think you should come to the Bronze with me and Tara tonight."

"Ehhh�not really in the mood, Willow," Buffy said, frowning. "Besides, I have to patrol."

"But that's why we need you to come," Willow said, beginning her lie. "We�ummm�we saw a�ummm�vampire there�the other night. Didn't we, Tara?"

"Oh�yes!" Tara said, catching on, but being a no-better liar. "We did! A vampire�right there at the Bronze�the other night�when we were there."

Buffy looked at her friends and merely raised her eyebrows in response. That was all the accusing she had to do.

"Okay, okay!" Willow caved. "We didn't see a vampire at the Bronze. But they go there all the time, you know. A-A-And we're going tonight, and we'd feel sooo much safer if you'd come with us."

Willow followed up her plea with a well-placed batting of the eyes. Buffy felt an involuntary grin spreading across her face. She tightened it down and just rolled her eyes and sighed.

Willow's pulling out all the big guns today, Buffy thought to herself. First, the grandmother of all resolve faces this morning. And now the pretty-please-can-I-keep-the-puppy eye batting routine. I'd better say yes. Otherwise, I'll be subjected to little-miss-pouty-lip next.

"Eight o'clock," Willow said, clapping her hands in glee. Then she looked at her watch in alarm. "Oh! I'm gonna be late for class! I gotta run!" Willow grabbed her backpack, kissed Tara quickly, then picked up her tray. "I'll see you guys later!" she said as she headed for the exit.

As Tara turned from watching Willow leave, she saw Buffy watching the redhead as well. Before Buffy stopped her stare, Tara focused her inner eye and really looked at Buffy. That was when she saw it. It lasted for only a few seconds before Buffy clamped it down and brought her eyes back to the table. Tara released her focus and smiled quickly, not wanting to give away her discovery of the Slayer's secret.

Shortly after Willow had left, Buffy finished her breakfast and excused herself, claiming a serious need for sleep. Tara herself felt a sudden longing for her own bed. She didn't feel like sleeping, though. She felt like crying. Now that she was aware of the real cause of Buffy's depression, Tara knew what she had to do.

Buffy was cutting across the quad at UC Sunnydale when she saw Riley headed in her direction. She started to turn around to avoid crossing paths with her former boyfriend, but then chose not to. She knew she had to face the uncomfortable consequences of her decision to break up with Riley. Taking a deep breath, Buffy continued on her way.

As she expected, Riley saw her. He hesitated momentarily in his stride, but then resumed, as if he had just held the same fight-or-flight debate in his mind that Buffy had held in hers.

When Buffy and Riley reached each other, they stopped in place. They both avoided eye contact.

Buffy watched Riley's back as he headed towards the building that housed Professor Walsh's psychology classroom. Buffy knew she'd done the right thing about Riley, but it still bothered her that she had hurt him. She hoped that they would be able to be friends at some point in the future.

When Riley arrived at the lectorium where his psychology classes were held, he found Professor Walsh waiting on him. As the students continued to arrive and take their seats, Walsh led Riley to the alcove in the back of the stage.

Walsh nodded ominously. "And he's sans tracer, so you'll have to track him the old-fashioned way."

"Don't worry, Professor Walsh, we'll get him," Riley promised. "I won't let you down again."

When Willow got out of class late that afternoon, she went straight over to Tara's room. They had about an hour before they were meeting Buffy at the Bronze for their group date.

Willow rapped a few quick knocks on the door of Tara's room, then slipped inside. She smiled widely when she saw her favorite witch curled up on the bed with her journal in her hands.

"You don't have to knock, Willow," Tara reminded her girlfriend. "I don't mind if you just come in."

"I know," Willow said, setting her backpack on the floor. "It's just�it seems rude not to."

Willow joined Tara on the bed and kissed her. "I missed you," Willow said sweetly.

Tara nodded. "Almost every day," she replied. "I've kept a journal for, gosh, years now."

"I've tried on and off," Willow said, "but I could never keep it up for very long."

"I like it," Tara said. "It helps me think. Especially when I've got stuff on my mind."

"Know what else you can do when you've got stuff on your mind?" Willow asked in a playful tone.

"Do something else to get it off my mind?" Tara replied in an equally playful tone, though with a sexier slant and one of her trademark mystery smiles.

"Yeah," Willow readily agreed, leaning in to kiss Tara, but stopping herself before she got there. "No!" Willow corrected. "I mean, yes, I do like to do those other things, but what I was trying to say was that you can talk to me�w-w-when you've got stuff on your mind, that is."

"I know," Tara said but went no further. After a moment, she changed the subject. "We should probably get going."

"Yeah," Willow agreed, hiding her disappointment at Tara's refusal to share what was on her mind.

Willow and Tara arrived at the Bronze well before 8:00. They bought drinks, found a quiet table in the back, and waited for Buffy to get there. The two witches hadn't said much on their way over, and now that they had arrived, they still weren't talking.

"No, it's okay," Willow said. "I understand. If it was something you wanted to tell me, you'd tell me."

"I do want to tell you," Tara said, reaching for Willow's hand. "I just needed to think about it some more first."

"What?" Willow exclaimed in surprise and confusion. "You think I'm making her depressed?" Willow pulled her hand out of Tara's grasp.

"I don't m-m-mean you're doing something to her," Tara rushed to explain. "She's doing it to herself because of you."

"Not because of you�gosh, I'm saying this all wrong," Tara chided herself. Then she just shook her head and spit it out. "She's in love with you!"

Willow looked at Tara in shock. After a moment of frozen disbelief, she managed to croak out, "What?"

"Well, it is crazy," Willow insisted. "Buffy is not gay. She has always dated guys."

"I've seen the way she looks at you, Willow," Tara said. "And�I-I-I've seen the way you look at her," she softly added.

Willow opened her mouth to shoot out a rebuttal but found that she couldn't. She stood up and walked away from their table. She had to think for a minute.

Willow thought back over the last few weeks, trying to find some sign that confirmed Tara's suspicions. She rattled her brain, going over every word and action. Finally, one stood out: the night Buffy had been hurt, their embrace outside Giles' apartment, when Willow had begged her not to go face that demon alone. Willow remembered how tightly they had held each other, how strong their connection had been, how Buffy had stared into her soul and then was gone. She remembered, too, how she herself had wanted to kiss the Slayer and be kissed back, feelings she hadn't allowed herself to recognize then.

"Oh, god," Willow said, finally realizing what Tara was trying to tell her. She turned to face Tara. "Tara�baby," Willow said in a choked voice, "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I � "

Tara left the table and took Willow's hands in her own. She pressed her forehead against Willow's. "I know," Tara said gently. "I know."

Tara reached up and took Willow's face into both of her hands. Then she kissed her. After the kiss, Tara maintained eye contact with Willow and said, "You need to talk to Buffy."

"Why are you doing this?" Willow demanded. "I-I-Is this your way of getting rid of me?"

"No, god no!" Tara answered. "I � " Tara stopped. "I just�it's the right thing to do," she said finally.

When Willow didn't respond, Tara decided to make one final push. "You have to talk to Buffy," she said firmly.

Tara and Willow froze when they heard Buffy's voice. The two witches turned to see Buffy standing beside their table, waiting expectantly for the answer to her question.

Willow returned Buffy's gaze but didn't know what to say. By the time she found an appropriate response and opened her mouth to speak, Tara had beaten her to the punch.

"Willow will fill you in," Tara said to Buffy. "I've gotta go. I'll see you guys later."

Tara abruptly left the table and headed for the exit. Willow ran after her and stopped her about halfway there.

"Tara!" Willow said, grabbing Tara's arm and turning her around so that she could face her. "Baby�don't do this."

Willow nodded in agreement, but still frowned unhappily. Willow watched Tara leave the bar, then she returned to the table where Buffy was standing and waiting.

"Well, it can't be about being gay," Buffy teased, " 'cause, hey, you already did the 'coming out' thing. Right on my bed, as I recall."

Willow blushed in embarrassment, but couldn't help smiling in response to Buffy's ribbing.

Okay, Willow thought to herself. Don't make a big deal out of it. Just mention it lightly, get a good laugh out of it, then move on.

"Well, there is something," Willow said before chuckling nervously. "See, Tara has this really wacky notion that�I mean�based on things she's sensed around us�she seems to think that you and I might�" Willow paused, looked down at her hands, then added hurriedly in a mumbled blur of words, "�have feelings for each other."

When Willow ventured a glance in Buffy's direction, she found the Slayer frozen, stunned.

"I know!" Willow said with another chuckle. "Wacky, huh? That Tara, she's�the wackiest!"

Buffy still didn't speak, so Willow continued, dropping her gaze back to her hands, "I mean, me, I can understand. Getting over Oz, finding out I'm gay, rooming with the powerful and beautiful Slayer, that'd make sense, really, but you�why would you have any reason to � "

Willow's rampant babble was interrupted by Buffy's timber-like fall to the floor.

Buffy was uncomfortable. She didn't remember her bed being this hard. She opened her eyes and found Willow at her side.

Buffy sat up on her elbows and opened her eyes more fully. She took in the sight of the bar and the crowd of people around her. Her gaze flew back to Willow.

Willow took Buffy's hands and pulled her to her feet. "She's okay, she's okay," Willow called to the crowd, hoping to disperse it. "She just forgot to breathe, that's all. You can move along now. Thank you."

While the curious onlookers went back to their respective places, Buffy cringed in embarrassment.

"Come on," Willow said, guiding Buffy towards the exit. "Let's get out of here."

After Willow led Buffy out of the Bronze, the two roommates started back towards the campus of UC Sunnydale. They didn't say anything at first, but eventually Willow spoke up.

"Just to be clear on this," Willow said, "should I take your�ummm�reaction�as confirmation of Tara's suspicions? O-O-On your part, at least?"

"H-H-How long has this�I mean, how long have you had feelings for me?" Willow asked.

"A long time, I think," Buffy admitted. "But I never really acknowledged them before now."

"I don't know," Buffy answered. "Maybe it's because Angel's out of the picture. With him gone, I can see more clearly now. I think I started really feeling it when that whole thing with Parker happened." Buffy stopped walking and turned to face her roommate. "You were so supportive, and I remember thinking, 'Why can't I find someone like Willow?' But you were � "

Buffy nodded solemnly and returned to walking. "And when he left, I just wanted to kill him. You were hurting so much, and I would've done anything to make the pain go away." Buffy drew a deep breath. "I wanted to say something then, but I didn't think I should because you were getting over Oz and you'd never given any indication that you liked girls."

"I hadn't allowed myself to even consider liking girls until recently," Willow interjected, "when I met Tara."

"No, it wasn't," Buffy said, coming to a stop in front of Stevenson. "I had just broken things off with Riley, all with the intention of telling you how I felt, and then�"

Willow laughed sheepishly as she pictured what Buffy must have seen when she came in their dorm room. "Surprise," she said with a smile of apology.

"Yeah," Buffy agreed firmly. Then she hung her head and continued. "I don't know why I was so shocked. I knew there was something going on between you two, but I just didn't want to see it, I guess. And then when I did see it for real, I knew I'd lost my chance. You had moved on�and ended up with Tara."

"But I didn't move on," Willow argued. "Not completely anyway. I'd been having feelings for you for some time, but I didn't realize what they were. I couldn't make sense of them. I mean, you were so there for me after Oz left, and I felt so close to you. By the time I started figuring it out, you were � "

Willow nodded then continued. "And then I met Tara. And everything changed. I changed. She made me see who I really was. We just connected from the very first time we met. There's definitely something between us."

"Then you should be with her, Willow," Buffy said firmly. "What you and Tara have is special, I see that. So, whatever this is between us, it's not � "

"But it is!" Willow insisted. "My feelings for you are just as strong as my feelings for Tara. I-I-I can't explain it, but it's true. I love both of you."

"You love � ?" Buffy shook her head in disbelief. "Will, you can't love both of us!"

"Because�you can't�it's just not�done that way," Buffy answered, clearly flustered by the question. "You'll have to choose, and I think you should choose Tara. You're already � "

"No! I don't want to choose," Willow said. "I don't want to hurt anyone, Buffy!"

"No matter what, somebody's gonna get hurt," Buffy said softly. "The important thing is�you just have to be honest. Or it's gonna be a lot worse."

When she saw Buffy look away, Willow began to cry. "Please don't make me choose, Buffy, please!" Willow said in a choked voice.

At the sound of Willow's broken voice, Buffy looked up. When she saw how upset Willow was, she pulled the redhead into her arms and held her tightly. She spoke reassuring words into Willow's hair and gently rubbed her back, trying to comfort her as best she could.

About twenty yards away, Tara stood in the shadows, watching the encounter between the two roommates. When she saw the two women embrace, Tara frowned in pain and looked away. When she looked back up, she saw them separate. She forced herself to keep watching.

Willow felt her tears finally stop. She lifted her head from Buffy's shoulders. She tried to pull away, but Buffy didn't release her. Buffy gently wiped the tears from Willow's cheek and looked into her eyes. Then she leaned in and kissed her. What was meant to be a comforting kiss became a passionate one as the two friends finally gave in to the love and desire that they had felt for so long.

Tara tore her eyes from the scene before her. She clamped her hand over her mouth, stifling the sob rising in her throat. Then she ran for her dorm.

A group of students walked past them, looking and snickering. Buffy and Willow both became self-conscious, wondering what the students might have seen. The two roommates quickly separated.

Once inside their dorm room, Willow and Buffy were unsure of what to do or how to act. Each went to her own side of the room and simply stood there, fidgeting in place.

Willow looked at Buffy in total shock. Then Buffy realized what she had said and how it had sounded.

"Separately!" Buffy corrected instantly. "In our own beds. To sleep. That's all. Just sleep."

"Yes! Sleep!" Willow quickly agreed. "We'll sleep on what we've discussed. Everything will be much clearer in the morning. After we sleep."

The nervous roommates set a record in the amount of time it took them to change into their pajamas, get into bed, and then say their good-nights. When all was said and done, sleep was the last thing on their minds.

Meanwhile, back in her dorm room, Tara sat in her chair, with her knees pulled up tightly against her chest. She held a tissue in her hand. With eyes red from crying, Tara looked anxiously at the phone.

Lindsey sat at the desk in his hotel suite, pouring over a set of photographs. A picture of Buffy was in the center; around her were pictures of her inner circle: Joyce, Giles, Xander, Willow, Tara, Anya, Riley. Scattered around these key photos were snap shots of Buffy interacting with one or more of each of her associates.

He picked up a facsimile copy of the prophecies concerning the "Power of Three." He studied the document intently, comparing its lines to the photos before him.

" 'Three shall die, and from their ashes, three shall rise. Should they be joined in love and light, no evil shall stand before their eyes,' " Lindsey read from the document. "Three joined in love?" he asked. "What kind of love?"

Lindsey pulled out a photo from the side, one of Buffy, Willow, and Xander together. "Friendship?"

Then he pulled out another photo, one of Joyce, Giles, and Buffy together. "Family?"

Then he pulled out a third picture, this one of Buffy, Xander, and Anya. "Threesome?" he asked. "Yeah, right," Lindsey said, throwing the picture down.

Lindsey ran his fingers through his hair. He closed his eyes and tried to think. A shrill sing-song voice intruded.

"Two of three already are, two of three soon shall be, two of three gone away, no three, no three!" Zephenia chanted like a nursery rhyme from her bedroom.

Spike looked around at his new crypt. He had just relieved the former occupant of squatter's rights when he had dusted the young male fledgling.

"Not too shabby," Spike said with satisfaction, plopping into the dingy recliner.

He picked up a box of CDs that was sitting next to a battered boom box on the floor. He started sorting through the music selections.

"Judy Garland? Oklahoma? Phantom? Oh, for god's sake, Yentl?" Spike said in total disbelief.

After an hour of staring at the ceiling, Willow finally gathered enough courage to speak.

"Oh�right," Willow said sheepishly. "I can't sleep," Willow stated, sitting up in her bed.

Willow crawled out of her bed and tip-toed over to her roommate's bed. "Are you sure?" Willow asked, wringing her hands nervously.

"I'm sure," Buffy said with a smile, scooting over towards the wall to make room.

Willow slipped into Buffy's bed and snuggled up against the Slayer, resting her head on Buffy's shoulder and draping her arm across Buffy's stomach. Once in place, she sighed.

Willow had thought that moving to Buffy's bed would still her mind, but she found her thoughts racing even more. Her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of her babbling brain.

Buffy tapped Willow's forehead. "I can practically hear the freeway that is your brain. Want to give me a traffic report?"

"Yeah, I got that," Buffy said. "What�are you thinking...about?" Buffy asked pointedly.

"I was just wondering," Willow answered. "Have you been interested in anyone else? You know, of the female persuasion? Before me, that is?"

"Upon retrospect, yes," Willow said. "It probably explains why I hated her so much. I think I must've been jealous."

Buffy sighed before answering. "Part of me did," she said. "The part that wasn't still clinging to the hopeless situation with Angel." Buffy paused for a moment then continued. "I think I was desperate to connect with someone, you know? And then here came Faith, another Slayer. Suddenly, I wasn't alone anymore. That shared destiny must have drawn me to her."

"Yeah, I suppose," Buffy said. "When I asked Giles about it, he said that most Slayers were bisexual. What about you, Will? You seem to be falling in the gray area, too."

"Oh, god, I don't know," Willow said. "I guess, based on my track record, I'd have to say I was bisexual. But lately I've been thinking about that age-old wish: 'If I only knew then what I know now.' If my mind had been open to the possibility earlier, would I have even gotten involved with Xander or Oz?"

"No, I guess not," Willow said, turning on her side to face Buffy. "All that matters is how I feel, and on that issue I am absolutely positively certain."

Willow leaned in and kissed Buffy, soundly but tenderly, as if underscoring her last statement.

When they pulled apart, Buffy ran her hand through Willow's hair and brushed her fingertips along her jaw line. Then she looked deeply into her roommate's eyes.

Willow returned Buffy's smile and then settled back into her former position snuggled up against the Slayer. It wasn't long before both of them were asleep.

Willow awoke to the sensation of someone slowly and softly stroking her hair. When she opened her eyes, she found Buffy wide awake, lying on her side, smiling happily.

"Watch it, Miss-I'm-the-Slayer-so-I-can-live-on-two-hours-of-sleep-a-night-for-weeks-on-end," Willow threatened.

When the kiss attack ended, Buffy laughed and said, "In that case, expect massive amounts of teasing from me. I'm a glutton for punishment."

"I can live with that," Willow said with a smirk. She kissed Buffy once more, then turned over to look at the clock. "Ugh, no time for snoozing or smooching."

As Willow swung her legs off the bed, Buffy pushed back the covers and sat cross-legged on the mattress. "What are your plans for today?" she asked the redhead.

"Well, I've got classes this morning," Willow answered, rising from the bed and stretching. "After that, I'm supposed to meet Tara at the caf � Oh, god! Tara!" Willow said in alarm.

"I was supposed to call her last night!" Willow cried. "I-I-I better call her right now!" she said, scrambling for the phone.

Willow hurriedly punched in the numbers and waited. The phone rang and rang and rang and rang, then it was finally picked up. Willow took a breath to speak, but then slumped when she realized it was only Tara's answering machine. Willow hung up the phone and turned back to Buffy.

"Maybe," Willow said. "I'm gonna go over there. Maybe she's just not answering her phone."

"Good�that's a�ummm�good idea," Buffy said awkwardly as Willow began changing out of her pajamas into regular clothes.

Willow picked up on Buffy's discomfort. When she finished dressing, Willow returned to Buffy's bed and sat across from the Slayer. She took Buffy's hand in her own.

"Buffy, I don't know what's gonna happen with all this," Willow said, pinning Buffy with her eyes, "but what I do know is that I love you. Okay?"

Waves of emotions crossed Buffy's face: longing, pain, terror, acceptance, trust. She took a deep breath and said, "Okay."

Willow kissed Buffy quickly, grabbed her book bag, and then rushed from the room, anxious to check on Tara.

Willow knocked on Tara's door and waited nervously. Within a few moments, she exhaled in relief when she heard the door opening. She smiled timidly when she saw Tara in the doorway.

"I can only stay a minute," Willow said, moving into the middle of the room. "I have class."

"I just wanted to apologize for not calling you back last night," Willow said sincerely.

"I-I-It's okay," Tara said, dropping her eyes. "I figured that w-w-would happen."

"Nothing happened. Well, not much anyway," Willow explained. "Buffy and I were just talking. We have a lot to talk about."

"You know�whatever happens�I'll still be here. I'll still be your friend," Tara forced herself to say.

"My 'friend'?" Willow asked, confused. "I-I-Is that all you � W-W-What are you saying?"

"What about what you mean to me?" Willow countered, moving close to Tara. "My life has been so good lately, and you're a big part of that. And then�" Willow trailed off, her eyes filling with tears.

"Then here comes the thing I've wanted for so long, even though I didn't even know that I wanted it�" Willow began to cry in earnest. "Oh, Tara! I love you so much, but I don't know what to do!"

Tara reached out and caressed Willow's cheek. Then she said in a choked voice, "Do what makes you h-h-happy."

Moved by Tara's unselfish words, Willow wrapped her arms around the blonde and buried her face in her shoulder.

Tara slowly returned the embrace, barely touching the back of Willow's hair, already beginning to distance herself, knowing without a doubt that Willow wouldn't choose her.

When Tara begged off their lunch date and Buffy went to class, Willow was left alone to contemplate her dilemma. Willow decided to apply a little logic to the situation. She got out a legal pad and a set of markers and sat on her bed with the pad propped up on her knees.

At the top of the pad, she wrote " THE PROBLEM: " in black marker. Underneath it, she wrote "I'm in love with both Tara and Buffy." She sat back and looked at what she'd written. Then she switched to a blue marker and wrote the following list:

Willow frowned at her list. She switched to a red marker. She crossed off the third solution. There was no way she would choose that option. She moved the marker up to the first and second solutions. She held the tip of the pen beside the first option.

I have had feelings for Buffy longer, Willow thought, even though it took me a while to realize it.

Willow growled in frustration and then scratched violently through the first two options.

Willow smiled, pleased with her decision. Then she frowned when she considered the task before her. Now she had to convince Buffy and Tara.

When Buffy came in from class that afternoon, Willow was waiting for her. Buffy knew she was in trouble when she found Willow sitting on the end of the bed, her hands clasped resolutely in her lap.

"About us," Willow answered. "You and me and Tara. I've given it a lot of thought, weighing the pros and cons, and in my mind, there's really only one solution."

"Will, I don't think that's a good idea," Buffy said, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"The whole�logistics of it�jealousy, for one�and-and�well, jealousy, mainly," Buffy answered.

Willow got up and knelt before Buffy. She linked their hands and looked into Buffy's eyes.

Willow pressed her fingers against Buffy's lips, halting the Slayer's impending objection.

"No buts," Willow said firmly. "With love comes trust," Willow continued. "And I'm asking you to trust me. We can make this work, I know it."

Buffy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she focused her mind to think, Buffy remembered her dream in the hospital. "Follow your heart," the dream-Tara had told her. Buffy decided to take her advice. Her heart told her to trust Willow, so that was what she would do.

Buffy opened her eyes. She found Willow looking at her with a pained and worried expression. Buffy smiled lightly and reached down to stroke Willow's cheek.

Willow's face immediately lit up like the sun. The redhead leapt from her kneeling position and tackled the Slayer onto the bed, mumbling "thank-you, thank-you" between repeated kisses until they fell apart laughing in pure giddiness.

When their laughing tapered off, Willow pulled Buffy closer and kissed her again. "I love you, Buffy," Willow said. "So much."

"I love you too," Buffy replied. "I think you're crazy, but I do love you. And I'm willing to try if you are. I figure, part-time with you is better than full-time with someone I don't love."

"Well, I'm going to be staying at home tonight," Buffy reminded her roommate. "You know, doing the mother-daughter bonding thing over popcorn and videos. Maybe this would be a good time to talk to her about it."

Willow knocked on Tara's door, but got no answer. She knocked again with the same response. She opened the door and called Tara's name. Then she looked inside.

Tara's room was dark, lit only by the string of Christmas lights. Willow checked the whole room, but Tara wasn't there. Willow frowned, wondering where Tara was. The blonde was close, Willow could feel it. She decided to follow what she was sensing.

Willow's connection to Tara led her to the roof of the dorm. There she found Tara sitting on a sleeping bag, her knees drawn up tightly against her chest, her eyes staring at the stars. When she heard someone approaching, Tara turned her head to see who it was.

"I just followed my heart," Willow said, joining Tara on the spread-out sleeping bag.

For several long moments, neither woman spoke. Then Tara said softly, "I come up here sometimes, when I need to think. Things just seem clearer when I'm here."

Willow shifted her position so that she was facing Tara and sitting cross-legged with her hands before her.

"No, I-I-I understand," Tara said, cutting her off. "You have to be with the person you love."

"I love both of you, and I want to be with both of you," Willow continued. "I know it sounds crazy, but I really believe that � "

"No," Tara said in a choked voice, "I can't�spend time with you, getting close to you, falling in love with you even more�I can't do all that, knowing that it isn't going to last. Eventually, you're going to m-m-make up your mind and you won't choose me. So, I-I-I can't do it, I'm sorry."

Tara started for the roof exit, but Willow caught her by the arm and stopped her.

"Tara, please," Willow begged, "listen to me. This isn't some kind of competition or contest where I'm the judge and I choose a winner and a loser." Willow moved to stand in front of Tara. "No one has to lose out here." Willow ducked her head and made eye contact with Tara until the blonde lifted her face. "I'm not saying that I want to be with both of you until I make up my mind. I'm saying that I want to be with both of you always."

Tara could see the love in Willow's eyes and feel it pouring from her, but Tara's mind continued screaming its objections. Tara closed her eyes and tried to calm her thoughts.

Tara's eyes flew open, and she whipped around to see if her mother was really there. She saw no sign of her, but she felt the echo of her mother's presence. And she knew that she had received the answer to her prayer.

Follow your heart, Tara repeated her mother's words in her mind as she turned back to a confused and anxious Willow.

Willow fell to her knees in relief and wrapped her arms around Tara's legs, unable to stop the flood of grateful tears. Tara began to cry as well and soon knelt before Willow. She took Willow's face in her hands and kissed away her tears.

"Oh, Tara, I love you so much," Willow said, pulling Tara into a tight embrace and a passionate kiss.

After many kisses and caresses, the two witches stopped to catch their breath. Once she could breathe normally again, Willow looked into Tara's eyes.

"I feel horrible about everything I've put you through," Willow said sincerely. "A-A-And I'm gonna make it up to you. Starting right now."

Tara's smile widened as Willow guided her down on the sleeping bag and began making her amends.

As Willow and Tara made up and out on the roof of Tara's dorm, Buffy sat on the couch with her mother in their home on Revello Drive. Popcorn bowls, soda cans, and pizza boxes littered the coffee table in front of them. Joyce Summers sat on the edge of her seat, entranced by the videotape playing on the TV.

Buffy tried to pay attention to the sappy musical, but found her thoughts always returning to Willow. Buffy knew that Willow was planning to talk with Tara tonight, and she was worried about the outcome.

Wait a minute, Buffy countered. Shouldn't I be hoping Tara will say no? I mean, that way I wouldn't have to share.

It would be simpler if Tara said no, Buffy admitted, knowing that the prospects of successfully maintaining a three-way relationship weren't good.

Buffy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The very idea of Tara's refusal just didn't set well. She didn't know why, but something felt right about this insane course of action that the three of them were taking�that is, if Tara agreed.

Buffy frowned. She hated not knowing how things were going back on campus. She looked over at the phone, wondering if she should call. Immediately after she had decided not to, Buffy felt her heart constrict in pain. She groaned and put her hand on her chest.

Joyce noticed the reaction and immediately became concerned. She knew her daughter had remarkable recuperative powers, but she still worried, especially after this last incident.

"Oh�ummm�nothing," Buffy answered. "A little heartburn is all...from the pizza." Buffy felt herself flush, as if the room were suddenly getting too warm. "Ugh. Remind me never to get pineapple and sausage on the same pizza."

Joyce laughed, relieved that there was nothing to worry about. "Want me to get you something from the medicine cabinet?"

Buffy went up the stairs to the bathroom. She turned on the cold water and splashed some on her face. Then she patted her face dry with a towel. As she replaced the towel, she felt a fire rush through her body. She swayed on her feet and had to steady herself with a hand on the wall.

"Oh, god�" she mumbled as she was hit by a deluge of images and sensations. Hands roaming�clothes flying�bodies arching�and, curiously, stars.

When the ride was finally over, she straightened back up. She pulled the towel from the rack again and wiped the sweat from her face.

"I guess things went well," she said to her reflection in the mirror, not doubting for a moment the origin of her strange sensations. She wondered how it was possible that she could sense Willow and Tara from so far away. She shook her head. She didn't want to waste energy thinking about it.

Buffy left the bathroom and headed back downstairs, hoping that Willow and Tara didn't give a repeat performance before her mother went to bed.

The next morning, Buffy was sitting at her desk studying for a test she had that day when Willow returned to the room.

"Buffy," Willow said with a huge smile as she came straight over and wrapped the Slayer in a warm hug, kissing her soundly.

"Stop," Willow said, swatting Buffy playfully as she pulled away and started gathering her books for class.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly," Willow answered. "I guess we'll just play it by ear. I'll have to make a special effort to spend time with Tara, though. I mean, between rooming together and going to Scooby meetings, I see you all the time. I don't want Tara to feel left out, like she's a third wheel or something, you know?"

"And I'd like for us to do some things together, all three of us," Willow added.

"A-A-All three of us?" Buffy asked nervously. "W-W-What kinds of things?" Buffy couldn't help her thoughts from jumping to the obvious sexual possibilities.

"Going out for coffee, hanging out at the Bronze, going to dinner and a movie, that kind of thing," Willow answered.

"Oh!" Buffy said in surprised relief. "That kind of thing. I can do that."

In response, Buffy merely raised her eyebrows suggestively and cut her eyes towards the bed.

"Oh!" Willow replied, finally getting it and blushing a deep red to prove it. "Ah�yeow-well�I-I-I hadn't even�gotten that far yet�I mean, I don't even know if we'll ever�not that I wouldn't want to, 'cause I might, I don't know, I've never, well, I mean, you and I haven't even�Shutting up now."

Buffy just laughed at Willow's blushing babble-fest. Then she walked over and kissed the redhead. "You are so cute when you're nervous," Buffy said, rubbing noses with Willow. When Willow smiled, Buffy asked, "Will I see you today?"

"Sure," Willow said. "I was hoping we could get together tonight, just you and me?"

As the moon and stars shone brightly in the sky above, Willow and Buffy walked hand-in-hand down the tree-lined sidewalk of Revello Drive. In their unlinked hands, they each held an ice cream cone.

"Mmmm�cookie dough," Buffy murmured in delight before attacking her cone once again. "This was a good idea," she mumbled through a mouthful of ice cream.

"Mmm-hmm," Willow agreed, working busily on the edges of her own cone, trying to stave off the inevitable melting. "Definitely," she said after swallowing her latest lick of sugary goodness.

"You missed a spot," Buffy said, bringing them to a halt on the sidewalk and pointing in the direction of Willow's ice cream cone.

"Right here," Buffy said with a smirk as she moved in and licked a small spot of ice cream off Willow's chin. "Mmmm�sweet."

Willow grinned and kissed Buffy, tangling her free hand in the Slayer's hair so that she could pull Buffy closer.

Willow blushed at the compliment. She pulled her hand from Buffy's hair, caressed Buffy's cheek, and smiled. Then she dropped her hand to link it with Buffy's once again, and the two of them started back down the sidewalk.

By the time the two roommates had finished their ice cream cones, they had arrived at Buffy's house. Buffy unlocked the front door and held it open for Willow. Once Willow was safely inside, Buffy locked the door and turned off the porch light.

"When's your mom coming back from the art show?" Willow asked as she moved into the living room and sat on the couch.

"Late tomorrow," Buffy answered, taking a seat next to Willow. "She's already made some great finds, she said." Buffy picked up the remote. "You wanna watch some TV?"

Willow shook her head, then snuggled up close to Buffy, finding her place tucked against Buffy's shoulder. "Mmmm�this is all I need, right here," she said contentedly.

Buffy wrapped her arm around the redhead and hugged her warmly, leaning her cheek on Willow's hair. She sighed happily. She couldn't believe how quickly her life had changed in just a matter of days. She'd gone from the blackest pit of despair to the stereotypical heaven on earth. She didn't understand it all � whatever this was that she and Willow and Tara shared � but she knew it was real, and she was determined to do whatever it took to make it work.

Willow pulled back slightly so that she could look at Buffy while she answered. "Well, like I said before, I could just feel it when you were hurt, and Tara helped me focus on it enough to find you."

"Ummm�no," Willow replied. "I felt it after I left to go see Tara. You know, the day you got out of the hospital?"

"A-A-And I think I'm getting the same thing with Tara," Willow added. "Last night when I went to her room, she wasn't there, and I didn't know where she'd gone. I could just sense that she was nearby. So I followed my feelings like I did with you. I found her on the roof of her dorm."

When Buffy heard the reference to the roof, she started to giggle. Willow looked at Buffy funny, then smiled, then joined her in her laughter.

"You were on the roof!" Buffy said to herself, still chuckling. "That explains the stars."

"I've been having feelings too," Buffy explained, "like yours. Shared experiences, shall we say. Mine came last night." Buffy waggled her eyebrows at Willow.

Willow continued to look lost until it finally sank in. "Oh!" Willow said, blushing furiously. "You mean, you could�"

"I was right here watching videos with my mom when it hit me," Buffy continued. "I had to give some lame excuse about heartburn and go to the bathroom."

Willow burst into laughter and lifted her head to look at Buffy once again. Now it was Buffy's turn to be embarrassed.

"It's not funny," Buffy said, trying not to laugh herself. "We were watching 'The Sound of Music' for goodness' sake! Can you imagine me explaining my Sally-in-the-diner-like reaction in the middle of 'Do-Re-Mi'?"

Willow clutched her stomach and fell over into Buffy's lap, now in complete and total hysterics. Buffy began to laugh, too, as she milked the scene for even more humor.

"I can just see it now," Buffy continued between giggles. "Julie Andrews singing 'Do-Re-Mi' and me crying 'do me, do me!' "

Buffy smiled at her girlfriend and stroked her back as the redhead fought to get her giggle-fit under control. Finally, Willow sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Oh, god," Willow groaned. "I haven't laughed that hard in, I don't know how long. Owww, I think I'm gonna be sore!"

"That's what you get, you little vixen, you and Tara!" Buffy chided before suddenly changing gears. "Hey, do you think it works both ways?"

"Well, if I could feel what you and Tara were doing," Buffy said slyly, "do you think that she could feel what we were doing?" Buffy waggled her eyebrows suggestively once again.

"Oooo�who's the vixen now?" Willow said, moving in to plant a heated kiss on Buffy's lips.

As Willow began to shift into a more comfortable position, she found herself suddenly flipped onto her back, sitting in Buffy's lap, held firmly in place by the strong arm of the Slayer. Mmmm�girlfriend with Slayer strength, Willow thought to herself, I'm marking that one in the plus column. Then all her thoughts stopped as Buffy gently pushed Willow's hair out of her face and looked deeply into her eyes.

After a long stare, Buffy's gaze drifted from Willow's eyes to the rest of her face. She studied each feature as if memorizing it. She brushed her fingertips along Willow's cheek and jaw line, ending up at the witch's lips. God, she's beautiful, Buffy thought. Buffy leaned down and captured Willow's lips.

As their embrace intensified, Buffy felt Willow reach behind her neck, pulling her closer, seeking to deepen the kiss. Buffy gladly obliged. Soon, the two best friends were entwined in an active tangle of limbs, with naughty little rewritten remnants of 'The Sound of Music' echoing in the back of their minds.

Tara threw off the covers and gripped the fitting sheet tightly in her fists. She groaned involuntarily as images and feelings of mutual pleasure flooded her mind. Fingers, tongues, and breasts�oh my!

What is it with the musicals? Tara wondered as another groan was forced from her throat.

Buffy hurried down the carpeted aisle and then joined Willow and Tara on a pew about halfway down the length of the church. She leaned over to the two witches.

"Nah, same ole, same ole," Willow answered with a bored look. "Hell-fire, brimstone, damnation, apocalypse, yadda, yadda, yadda�"

Buffy turned towards the pulpit. There, in the full vestments of the priesthood, was Giles, who was giving an impassioned reading from the Book of Revelation.

"Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!" Giles recited. "It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit�a haunt of every foul and hateful beast�Alas, alas, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in one hour, your judgment has come�For in one hour, all this�has been laid waste!"

Buffy rolled her eyes, tuning out the dramatic reading. Then she began to stare at the stained glass window behind Giles. It featured a shield, blood red in color, triangular in shape with its apex pointed down, divided into quadrants by a white cross. In the center of the shield were three gold rings linked together. Buffy tilted her head, contemplating the meaning of the symbols.

Suddenly, it was time for communion. Buffy, Willow, and Tara rose from their pew and joined the line moving towards the front of the church. When the three women reached the communion rail, they knelt side by side: Buffy then Willow then Tara.

Accompanied by an acolyte who carried the elements, Giles stood before Tara first. He picked up a communion wafer from the tray and dipped it into the wine-filled cup. He held it before Tara's eyes.

"Believe in the Blessed Three," Giles intoned as he placed the wafer on Tara's tongue.

Then he moved to Willow, repeating his previous preparations. He held the wine-stained wafer before Willow.

Then he stepped to his right to stand before Buffy. Once again, he retrieved a wafer, dipped it, and held it up.

"For by Love are we saved," Giles said with a smile as he placed the wafer on Buffy's tongue.

Buffy smiled back then rose from her kneeling position. When she turned to go back to her pew, she found herself no longer in the church. She was alone and in the old high school, standing at the Hellmouth. She watched in fear as something began to emerge from the crevice. She backed away�then abruptly woke in her own bed.

Buffy was breathing hard, the terror from her dream still lingering. She looked to her left and saw Willow next to her, lying on her back, sleeping soundly, her right hand touching the red hair at her temple. Buffy smiled and felt her breathing return to normal. She curled up next to Willow, resting her head on Willow's shoulder and draping her arm across her stomach. When Willow unconsciously wrapped her right arm around Buffy, the Slayer sighed happily and fell fast asleep.

Buffy and Willow woke up at exactly the same time, when an annoying buzz came blaring from the clock-radio on the night stand. Buffy groaned and rolled away from the sound, wrapping her pillow around her head. Willow grinned at Buffy's reaction then reached over and shut off the alarm. Willow crawled behind Buffy and spoke under the pillow by Buffy's ear.

"Buuuuu�ffffffy," Willow called out with syrupy-sweetness, "it's time to get uuuuuppppp."

"But we're meeting Tara for breakfast, remember?" Willow reminded as she pulled the pillow off Buffy's head.

Buffy just groaned and rolled back towards Willow, burying herself in Willow's chest.

"Don't you wanna see if our little experiment last night worked?" Willow teased.

Buffy's eyes shot open. She pulled back so that she could see Willow's face. An evil glint appeared in Buffy's eyes, and she grinned mischievously. Then the witch and the Slayer began to chuckle.

Lindsey angrily shut off the beeping alarm. He draped his arm over his eyes and groaned. After a moment, he sighed and dragged himself out of the bed. As he stumbled towards the kitchenette, he noticed that Zephenia's bedroom door was open. He began preparations to make coffee.

"Zephenia?" Lindsey called again, this time with a little more worry in his voice.

When he didn't get a response, he ran into the seer's bedroom and searched it thoroughly. He did the same for the bathroom and the living room and even for his own room. Zephenia was nowhere to be found.

Lindsey hurriedly put on his clothes. "Zephenia, when I find you, I'm gonna kill you!"

As soon as he was dressed, Lindsey rushed from the hotel room to search for his missing seer.

At the UC Sunnydale dining hall, Willow and Buffy started in on their breakfast. A few minutes later Tara joined them.

As soon as Tara put down her tray, Willow pulled her into a warm, long hug. When they separated, Willow kissed Tara earnestly.

Buffy watched the exchange with interest, wondering why she wasn't turning into the green-eyed monster, insane with jealousy. What am I feeling? she asked herself. She looked away to consider the issue for a moment. Happy, I guess, she thought finally, happy that Willow's happy. She looked back up at the two witches, who were now taking their seats.

"Now, I don't know why you would say such a thing," Willow replied teasingly. "You make it sound like I was up to naughty things last night."

"And how would you know that?" Willow asked. "You wouldn't have�sensed it by some chance, would you?"

"Sensed it?" Tara asked, at first confused then realizing. "Oh my god�you knew!"

Willow and Buffy both burst into laughter as Tara looked at them in amused shock.

"You two little hussies!" Tara continued. "You knew I could feel what you were doing!" Tara tore off two pieces from her toast and threw them at Willow and Buffy as they continued to laugh.

"You're just lucky I don't have a roommate," Tara threatened, "because if I'd had to explain myself to a roommate, you two would be toads right now."

"It's only fair," Buffy said, "after what you two put me through the other night."

"I-I-It's just�it's�well�weird, don't you think?" Tara asked shyly, "That we have this connection?"

"I don't think it's weird at all," Willow said. "I think it's neat. And in my opinion it just proves that what we have is something very special."

To emphasize her last comment, Willow grabbed the hand of each of her girlfriends and squeezed. Buffy and Tara returned the gesture and smiled first at Willow and then at each other. Buffy and Tara locked eyes for a moment, sending a silent message to each other: This is special, so we can do this � we can make this work. They nodded in response.

Willow released her girlfriends' hands, and the three of them went back to eating their breakfast.

"I think we should tell the others about us," Willow said. Then she waited expectantly.

"Was that the question? 'Cause it sounded like a statement to me," Buffy teased.

"I agree," Tara said, winking at Buffy. "It was clearly a statement, a prime example of the declarative sentence."

Willow glared at her girlfriends. "Ooooo-kkkaaay, let me rephrase: 'Do you�agree with me� about telling the others�about our relationship?' "

"Yes, she's beginning to grasp the concept of the interrogative form," Tara said to Buffy.

"I know the gang will freak a little," she said, "I mean, you've only just told them about Tara, and now you're adding me to the mix�it'll be weird for them, for all of us, but�" Buffy paused and looked down at her hands. Then she added in a quiet voice, "I don't want to have to pretend around them."

Willow touched Buffy's hand until she looked up and met Willow's eyes. "I don't want to either," Willow said. Then Willow turned to Tara. "Tara?" she asked.

"But I want them to be your friends, too, Tara," Willow said, touching Tara's hand.

"If we're going to be friends, then we shouldn't pretend," Tara said softly. "W-W-We shouldn't keep s-s-secrets." Unless you have to, Tara added in her mind.

It was only after Willow gave Tara's hand a grateful squeeze that Tara lifted her eyes. Willow was smiling, her eyes bright with joy.

"Okay then, it's a plan," Willow said. "The next time we get together, we tell the gang about us."

"Speaking of getting the gang together," Buffy interjected, "we need to. And not just because of us."

"Yes," Buffy said. "I think a Scoobies meeting is in order. Are you guys free this afternoon?"

Buffy rose from her seat and picked up her tray. Willow and Tara did the same. As the three women made their way towards the garbage can, Tara cleared her throat.

"Ummm�I have a question, too," Tara said, emptying her tray and setting it aside.

Willow and Buffy both dropped their trays, sending them clattering to the floor. They blushed and then looked at Tara. Tara gave them one of her patented half-smirks and raised her eyebrow expectantly.

Having searched the entire hotel, Lindsey was quickly losing patience. He stood outside the hotel with his hands on his hips watching his driver return from checking the back parking lot. Lindsey cursed when he saw his driver shake his head.

He knew that, given her unusual demeanor, Zephenia was a likely prospect for police pickup. She was the type that would be taken to the psych ward for "observation."

Lindsey motioned his driver towards the limo and, once inside, instructed him to head to the local hospital.

Barefoot and still in her night gown, Zephenia lay on her back on the stone floor of the ruined high school library, near the glowing fissure of the Hellmouth. Her withered hands were drawn up against her chest as the old seer giggled to herself.

When her giggling ceased, she turned over onto her side and reached out her hand to touch the air above the crevice's opening. Zephenia seemed to draw energy from the action. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and a grin spread across her face. Shortly, she flopped back over and began giggling once again.

Once again, the Scoobies were gathered at Giles' apartment. This time, Tara was with them, sitting on Willow's right while Buffy sat at Willow's left. The gang listened intently as Buffy described her latest dream.

"Like I would know," Buffy replied. "My family is very non-religious-like, i-i-in an un-atheistic sort of way, of course."

"And I was with you in a Christian church?" Willow inquired. When Buffy nodded, Willow shuddered. "Oh, my father would be so disappointed."

"But what does it all mean?" Xander wondered out loud. "I for one am deeply concerned about any verses from Revelation appearing in one of Buffy's prophetic dreams. It simply does not bode well."

"The 'Babylon' reference clearly refers to Sunnydale," Giles stated. "Its location on the Hellmouth would certainly make it a 'dwelling place of demons'."

"Well, it's not the demons that are already here that I'm worried about," Anya said. "It's whatever � or whoever � is in on its way here. That's two dreams in a row that feature some new Big Bad emerging from the Hellmouth."

"We should check it out," Buffy announced and then looked to Giles for confirmation.

Xander stood and went to Giles' weapons chest. "Okay, folks, step right up," he called out. "I've got something for everybody." When Buffy approached, he grinned and said, "What's your pleasure, little lady? A cross-bow or a nice shiny sword perhaps?"

"Hey, everybody?" Willow said, getting the gang's attention. "Can we wait on the weapons dispersal for a minute?"

"I�ummm�I have something to tell you all, and it's not going to be easy for me, so please bear with me," Willow said.

"Will, you've already done the whole 'coming out' thing, remember?" Xander reminded his best friend. "We know about you and Tara, and we're cool with it," he added, flashing a smile at Tara, who smiled gratefully in return.

"Oh, I know," Willow said, "but this is new. It's not about Tara. Well, actually, it is about Tara, but not just Tara, there's a lot more to it than that, and � "

"No!" Willow denied instantly. "For the last time, I am not dating a vampire!"

"But you are dating a Vampire Slayer," Buffy said cheerfully, then immediately slapped her hand over her mouth. She looked at Willow and apologized with her eyes.

Willow just shrugged, as if to say, 'Oh well.' Then she turned back to the group. Giles, Anya, and Xander were all frozen in place, staring at Willow in disbelief.

Anya was the first to move; she merely raised her eyebrows and looked at the three women thoughtfully, as if considering the possibilities.

Giles was next; he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Dear Lord," he murmured.

When Xander finally emerged from his frozen state, he looked at Tara first, then Buffy, then back to Willow. "But I thought that you were � " He tilted his head at Tara.

Xander moved closer and whispered conspiratorially to Willow alone, "Do they know?"

"Right�sorry," Xander said, shaking his head. "My brain is fried from the Jerry Springer-like similarities." Xander turned to Buffy suddenly. "And since when are you � "

"So have you had sex yet?" Anya asked curiously. "You know, all three of you together?"

Willow, Tara, and Buffy stared at Anya in embarrassed shock, but the former-demon simply sat patiently awaiting their answer. When they didn't speak, she continued.

"I've often thought of a m�nage `a trois, but not with three women, of course, 'cause hey, I am not a lesbian. Which is a good thing apparently since there are plenty of those around at the moment."

"Leaving now," Willow said in a mortified voice as she rose and headed for the door. Tara and Buffy quickly followed.

Lindsey looked down into the ruined library and saw Zephenia on the floor near the crevice.

When Zephenia showed no signs of having heard him, Lindsey moved quickly through the rubble until he was at her side. He went to speak again, but then paused to watch the ancient seer.

Zephenia lay on her side, touching the glowing air above the opening of the fissure.

Lindsey squatted across from Zephenia so that he could see her face. "Who's coming?" he asked gently.

Lindsey turned his eyes from the seer to the glowing Hellmouth. He felt a cold chill come over him, and he could not prevent himself from shivering.

Then he rose quickly and took Zephenia's hand. Once he had pulled her to her feet, he began to usher her out of the ruined library.

Just as Lindsey and Zephenia came out of the entrance to the old high school, they bumped into Buffy and the Scoobies. Lindsey held Zephenia's arm tightly and backed away.

"Oh�ummm�hi," Lindsey said. "You scared me. I wasn't expecting anyone else to be around this place."

Zephenia stared openly at Buffy and the others, cutting her eyes from Buffy to Willow and then to Tara.

"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked while she crossed her arms authoritatively.

"My dear old grandmother here unfortunately has Alzheimer's," Lindsey explained.

Zephenia began to point mutely at the woman in front of her. Lindsey pulled her hand down.

"She has a tendency to wander off to the strangest places," he said to Buffy. Then he turned to Zephenia. "Isn't that right, Grandma?" Lindsey turned back to Buffy and the others. "I'd better get her home. She's been gone all day."

As Lindsey led the seer away, she resisted his efforts and continued to point towards Buffy, but Lindsey managed to drag her away. Buffy watched the pair until they were out of sight. Then she turned back to the entrance to the high school.

In the depths of the old library, Buffy and the others found the Hellmouth exactly as she had seen it in her dreams: glowing and vibrating. Buffy and Willow and Giles stood right next to the fissure, examining it in detail. Xander, Anya, and Tara stood nearby. Tara had her arms wrapped tightly across her chest. She shifted nervously on her feet, her eyes darting from side to side.

Willow ran her hand through the glowing air above the crevice. She frowned and pulled her hand back. She turned to Tara.

Tara shook her head and backed away. "No�no," she said with terror in her voice.

"No!" Tara screamed as she turned and fled, scrambling over the rubble and out of the library.

Outside the high school, Willow and Buffy finally caught up with Tara. When Buffy grabbed Tara's arm to stop her, Tara whipped around and socked Buffy with a burst of magic, sending the Slayer flying back several feet.

"Oh, god!" Tara exclaimed, realizing what she had done. Her knees buckled, and she fell crying to the crumbling sidewalk. "I'm s-s-sorry�"

Willow wrapped her arms around Tara and looked in Buffy's direction. Buffy was sitting on the grass, shaking her head to clear the stars away. Willow turned back to Tara. The blonde witch was trembling violently and sobbing.

Tara just closed her eyes and shook her head. Then she felt Buffy take her hand. Tara reluctantly opened her eyes.

"It's okay," Buffy said, giving the witch's hand a squeeze. "I'm fine. You didn't hurt me. But that is quite a punch you're packin'!" Buffy said, smiling reassuringly. Then Buffy sobered and looked at Tara intently. "Tara, you need to tell us what happened in there. We know you sensed something. What was it?"

Tara's face twisted in remembered terror. She closed her eyes again and shook her head as if to quell her fear. Then she opened her eyes and met Buffy's and Willow's gaze.

Tara shuddered involuntarily, and both Willow and Buffy moved to comfort the upset woman. Willow hugged her more tightly and kissed her on the temple while Buffy gently touched her cheek and wiped away her tears.

A distance away, Lindsey watched the three women kneeling in front of the old high school. He gripped Zephenia tightly, his hand held firmly over her mouth to keep her silent. She struggled against his hold, pointing in the direction of the school's entrance.

Lindsey changed his position so that he had his back to the three women. He kept his hand over Zephenia's mouth as she pointed more fervently over Lindsey's shoulder. Lindsey forced the seer to look at him.

"Quietly," he ordered. When Zephenia tore her eyes from him and back to the three, he shook her. "Quietly," he repeated.

When Zephenia finally calmed down, Lindsey removed his hand from the old woman's mouth.

"The Three," Zephenia stated matter-of-factly, straightening up as Lindsey loosened his grip.

Lindsey stared open-mouthed as the three women rose to their feet and then were joined by their friends who had just emerged from the high school. Lindsey shut his mouth and tugged Zephenia's arm, leading her towards the waiting limo.

Once safely inside the limo, Lindsey pulled out his cell phone and dialed the office.

"You know who the Three are?" the Senior Partner said, turning Lindsey's dramatic announcement in a question.

"It's the Slayer and her two witchy sidekicks, Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay."

"I'm familiar with Rosenberg. According to our records, it was she who restored Angel's soul after he lost it in his doomed romance with the Slayer. But the other, she is unknown to us. What do you know of her?"

"You don't think so?" the Senior Partner boomed. "Well, find out! Find out everything, about all of them."

"Yes, Sir," Lindsey responded quickly. Then he asked, "Do you want me to take them out?"

The Senior Partner paused then answered. "No, not yet. Not without knowing if they're Joined or not. We can't take the risk of�" The Senior Partner paused again. "Just watch them, learn what you can about them, find their weaknesses. When the time is right, we'll send in a specialist to deal with them."

"There is one more thing," Lindsey replied. "Ever since her first visit to the Hellmouth, Zephenia's been raving about someone who was coming. She kept repeating 'he comes, he comes.' Well, today she came up with a name: 'N'Faius.' And when the Slayer and her group went to the Hellmouth, the blonde witch, the Maclay girl, came out really spooked. So, whoever this 'N'Faius' is, he sounds big. Do you recognize the name?"

"Not offhand, no," the Senior Partner responded. "I'll get the Research Department on it. In the meantime, maintain surveillance on the Three and report your findings."

By the time Giles, Xander, and Anya had exited the old high school, Willow and Buffy were helping Tara to her feet. Willow kept her arms wrapped around Tara's waist while Buffy held Tara's hand.

"Yeah, you shot out of there like a bat out of hell," Xander added. "And where does that phrase come from anyway? I have never seen a bat manage to clock more than an enthusiastic flutter."

Tara was still trembling, but she managed a small smile and nod. "I'll be okay," she said in a shaky voice. "I just�b-b-bad vibes�" Tara shuddered again, and Willow gave the frightened blonde another squeeze.

"Well, if we had any doubts about the nature of what's coming up out of the Hellmouth," Anya stated, "I think they were just shattered."

Buffy kept her grip on Tara's hand but turned to Giles. "I think you and I need to talk some shop," she told her unofficial Watcher, who nodded in agreement.

"Buffy," Willow said to her roommate, "I'm going to take Tara back to her room and stay with her."

"Good idea," Buffy replied as they two of them helped Tara to her feet. "I'm gonna meet with Giles for a while and then patrol. I'll probably be out late."

"Why don't you walk Anya home and then meet me at Giles' a little before dark," Buffy suggested.

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit," Xander said. Then he and Anya started down the sidewalk.

Willow and Tara moved away, heading for the university. Suddenly, Tara stopped and turned back towards Buffy.

"Buffy! I just remembered something!" Tara said. "That man we saw today, the one with the old woman? I saw him earlier this week, on campus, looking for Stevenson Dorm. When you were still in the hospital."

"It's okay," Buffy assured Tara. "I know what he looks like now, so I'll be watching for him. I have a feeling we're going to see him again."

"Okay, what's the plan?" Buffy asked Giles as soon as they entered his apartment.

"Well, I've given the situation some thought," the former Watcher replied, "and I think we should contact the Council to see if they have any information."

"The Council!" Buffy objected. "You mean the ones who subjected me to that archaic Slayer test that nearly got me and my mother killed? The ones who refused to share the information that would have helped Angel? That Council?"

"I understand your anger, believe me," Giles replied. "However, we mustn't turn away from a possible resource. Not when it concerns the Hellmouth."

"I'm not working for them again, Giles! I want that to be made perfectly clear to them."

"Agreed. I'll ring Quentin this evening." Giles paused and looked at his Slayer. "I think that you should contact Riley as well."

"Yeah," Buffy reluctantly agreed. "I still don't trust the Initiative, but if Tara's reaction is any indication, we're gonna need some big guns."

Back at the hotel, Lindsey dragged Zephenia into the suite and plopped her onto the sofa. Then he sat on the coffee table right in front of her. Zephenia was in her own little world, swaying and humming to herself about the Three.

When she didn't respond, he repeated her name more firmly. When she still didn't look in his direction, he grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his eyes.

"Zephenia, I need you to listen to me, okay?" he said. "I need you to focus...focus on the Three. Tell me...are they Joined yet?" Lindsey released her chin when she appeared to go into deep thought.

Zephenia considered the matter for a moment, then shook her head. "Two and two, not through and through." Suddenly, she frowned and grabbed Lindsey's hand. With a look of grave concern, she said, "Soon they will be One." Then she went back to her humming and swaying.

Lindsey looked away and rolled his eyes. "Just once I'd like to get a straight yes or no answer from her!"

Tara stood at the sink in the bathroom, combing her hair in front of the mirror. She had headed for the shower as soon as she and Willow had arrived at her dorm. Her experience at the Hellmouth had left her feeling contaminated, touched by evil. Although she knew there wasn't anything physically on her body that needed to be washed away, her extra-long shower had still provided a psychological cleansing of sorts. She now felt much better than she had. She took a deep breath and headed for her room, where Willow was waiting.

Willow had showered as well, but unlike Tara, she hadn't lingered. She had cleaned up quickly and then returned to Tara's room. She changed into one of Tara's t-shirts and began preparing the room. Wanting to create a peaceful setting for her rattled girlfriend, Willow lit every candle she could find and placed them around the room. She put a soothing CD in the stereo and turned off all the lights except the string of Christmas lights. Finally, she rummaged around in Tara's mini-fridge and cabinets until she had scrounged up some drinks and snacks.

When Tara stepped inside the room and saw Willow's preparations, the blonde smiled gratefully.

"I've got snacks if you're hungry," Willow offered, holding out the plate of goodies.

Tara shook her head. "I don't think I could eat anything right now," she said. "But maybe later."

As Willow dutifully put away the drinks and snacks, Tara sank wearily onto the bed. Willow joined her, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and resting her head on her shoulder.

"Well then get yourself into bed, missy!" Willow ordered, standing Tara up and pulling down the covers.

When Willow pointed at the bed in a silent order, Tara surrendered and crawled into the bed. Willow climbed in beside her and pulled her into a warm embrace. Tara sighed and snuggled into place.

With the night fully upon them, Buffy and Xander walked slowly down a residential street, making their way from one cemetery to another as part of their patrol. The first few graveyards had been completely monster-less; consequently, Buffy was a little bit antsy. The whole Hellmouth thing had Buffy worried, and she needed a good Slay to relieve some of that pent-up tension. Unfortunately, Sunnydale's resident evils were not cooperating in the least. Plus, Buffy could tell that Xander was itching to talk about her earlier announcement that both she and Tara were co-dating Willow.

"Okay, okay," she finally said. "Out with it. I know you're dying to say something about me and Willow."

"Okay, here it is," Xander answered immediately, once given the go-ahead by Buffy. "How did this happen? And when did this happen? And where the hell was I when all of this was happening?"

Buffy grinned at Xander's barrage of questions. "Well, it didn't happen overnight," she explained. "I've known for some time that I was bisexual � "

"Since when?" Xander interrupted. "You've never dated anyone of the female persuasion that I know of. Was this pre-Sunnydale?"

"Au contraire," Xander corrected. "I have drooled for only one Slayer." Xander gave Buffy a playful to nudge. "So all those nights you and Faith were out 'slaying' together, you were actually � "

"Not all those nights," Buffy interjected. "It was complicated. Angel was gone, and then he wasn't. It didn't matter, anyway, we knew we could never be together." Buffy paused thoughtfully then continued. "And Faith was so m � "

"Nooo," Buffy chided. "Magnetic. I was just drawn to her. It was probably a Slayer thing."

"See, now that's gonna take some gettin' used to...you and me and Will checkin' out the same babes."

"It'll just give us one more thing in common," Buffy added cheerfully, linking her arm in Xander's.

"Okay, I get it with Faith," Xander said, pulling the conversation back on track. "But you and Willow...that just seems to be so out of the blue."

"Yeah, I know," Buffy agreed. "It's really not, though. We've loved each other for a long time, but just didn't realize it. Or when we sort of halfway did realize it, the timing was bad. We wouldn't have gotten together at all if Tara hadn't forced us to admit our feelings for each other."

"Why did she do that?" Xander asked. "She already had Willow. Why would she risk losing her to you?"

"So, how's this all gonna work with the two of you both dating Willow? You gonna alternate nights or something? You know, you're the Girl Friday-Monday-Wednesday, she's the Girl Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday, and you share Saturdays, or maybe that's Willow's night off..."

"God, I don't know," Buffy said. "It's not like there's a 'Three-Ways for Dummies' instruction manual out there. Is there?"

"Don't ask me," Xander said, lifting his hands in a stave-off motion. "My one-time three-way ended in complete and utter failure, if you recall. I lost Cordy and Willow."

"Ehhh," Buffy said, shaking her head. "I'm not gonna worry about it. All that matters is that we both love Willow and she loves us. We'll find a way to...oh my..."

Buffy stopped mid-sentence when a sudden hot shudder rolled through her body. Her hand flew to her chest as she felt herself flush in the wake of Willow and Tara's love-making.

"Fine! I'm fine!" Buffy answered way too quickly. "It's just...tacos! Yes, tacos, that's it. Dining hall tacos, revisiting, not good."

"You wanna call it a night?" Xander offered. "Doesn't look like there's gonna be much business."

"Yeah, good idea," Buffy agreed, her body still tensed up. "I'll...ohhh...walk you home." Man, payback's a bitch, Buffy thought to herself.

After walking Xander home, Buffy returned to campus. She headed for Stevenson, then changed her mind and went to Tara's dorm instead. She paused outside the dorm and tried to sense what Willow and Tara were doing. She couldn't pick up much, but she felt sure that the two were awake and not engaged in any heated activities. Buffy entered the dorm and went to Tara's room. She knocked on the door. After a few moments, Tara answered.

When Buffy walked inside, she saw Willow sitting on the floor with a spread of snack food in front of her.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Willow asked worriedly, wondering why Buffy had cut her patrol short.

"What do you want to drink?" Tara asked, standing beside her mini-fridge. "I've got bottled water and juice."

Tara retrieved a bottle from the fridge, handed it to Buffy, then sat down on the other side of Willow. Buffy thanked Tara, twisted the cap off her water, and grabbed a handful of cookies.

"Yeah," Buffy said. "Plus, I got really distracted about an hour ago. Now I wonder what could've possibly done that?"

Buffy laughed. "I had to give Xander some lame taco story to explain my suddenly-flushed condition," she said. "You know, the ole 'heartburn' excuse is gonna get old after a while."

"It's not that I don't appreciate the experience," Buffy said with a chuckle, "it's just that it can be a little embarrassing and definitely hard to explain."

"It's easy for you to laugh," Buffy told the redhead. "You're not the one who has to deal with this!"

"Yeah, you know...your psychological walls that block thoughts and feelings," Tara explained. "Telepaths and psychics have to learn how to close themselves off so that they won't go crazy from the constant bombardment."

"It works the other way, too," Willow added. "People who work magic together have to learn how to open their shields more fully so that they can form a stronger link during casting."

"Is this gonna be like meditation and stuff?" Buffy said unenthusiastically, remembering some of the sessions Giles had forced upon her.

"Not a lot, n-n-not really," Tara replied shyly. "My mom taught me some things. She could see auras and sense things, like I can, but she was way stronger than I am, so she had to learn to keep her shields up." Tara ducked her head. "I should have done that today at the Hellmouth, but I didn't."

Willow reached out and took Tara's hand. "Hey, what you were sensing at the Hellmouth was some big-time evil. It's understandable that you would react the way you did."

Buffy watched Tara raise her head and smile at Willow. She felt her heart warm at the sight. She decided to shift the conversation away from the Hellmouth.

"Speaking of mothers," Buffy said, "I'm gonna talk to mine tomorrow and tell her about us."

"Haven't a clue," Buffy replied. "What about you? Have you told your mom and dad yet?"

"Nah, they're still on the road," Willow answered. "They won't be back for a couple of weeks, and I am not going to try to tell them over the phone."

Buffy turned to the blonde witch across from her. "What about you, Tara? I mean, I know you can't tell your mom...is there someone else in your family that you're close to, that you � "

"Correction," Willow stated firmly but with a smile. "Now there's just us," she said, reaching out to take Buffy's hand as well.

With smiles all around, the three quickly forgot any unpleasant memories and soon dug back into their junk food.

After they had eaten and talked and laughed a bit longer, Buffy excused herself and left for her own dorm. Buffy was a little saddened by the separation but not in any way jealous. Buffy wondered again for the millionth time why she wasn't having any ill feelings towards Tara. The more Buffy thought about it, the more convinced she became of the fact that she simply liked Tara. She was sweet and funny and just an all-around good person. And she made Willow happy, which earned her a star in Buffy's book.

And she's got that adorable half-smile of hers, Buffy mused to herself before cutting off her errant thoughts.

"This is not normal," Buffy said out loud to herself as she walked along the sidewalk. "I should be all 'grrr...arrggh...get away from my girlfriend', but I'm not. God, I can't even figure this out for myself, I don't know how I'm going to explain it to Mom."

Buffy continued to debate the issue with herself as she slowly crossed the campus to Stevenson dorm. Her mind was so engaged with the matter that she didn't realize she was being watched...by two separate sets of eyes.

From the dorm parking lot, Lindsey peeked over the dash of his inconspicuous rental car as Buffy neared her building. He looked at his watch and stifled a yawn, then took a sip from his coffee.

From the shadows of the dorm next door, Spike glared at the Slayer's back as she headed up the steps to the front entrance of her residence hall. Once she'd gone inside, he threw down the cigarette he'd been smoking and crushed it under his boot heel. Then, casting a glance about for any Initiative scouts on patrol, he slipped away from the dorm.

Despite her late return the night before, Joyce had risen early, anxious to get her recent purchases from the art show to her gallery for sorting and cataloguing. She had just turned on the coffee when she heard the front door open quietly. She stepped into the foyer and saw Buffy easing the front door shut.

"Yeeeoow!" Buffy said, jumping in fright, then turning quickly to face her mother. "Holy cow, Mom! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"I could ask you the same thing, sneaking in here at the crack of dawn..." Joyce teased. "You know, if you were still in high school, I'd be grilling you about now."

"Thank god, I'm in college now," Buffy said, rolling her eyes as she and her mother moved into the kitchen.

Buffy put her hands on her hips. "Well, I was going to surprise you with breakfast, but now you've gone and ruined it."

"If I cooked the breakfast, it would be a surprise, and not a good one," Buffy replied. "I was thinking more along the lines of toast. I mean, the toaster has only one button, so I just punch it down and pop goes the toasties."

"Actually, the toaster has two buttons," Joyce explained. "One does the popping, and the other controls the toasting time."

"Oh, well, that settles it," Buffy said, throwing up her hands in defeat. "You're gettin' cereal then. I'm sure I can handle that."

As Joyce giggled and got a cup of coffee, Buffy retrieved the cereal, milk, bowls, and spoons. Then she got herself a glass of juice and sat down with her mother at the bar.

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?" Joyce asked pointedly as they began to eat their breakfast.

"What makes you think I have something to talk about?" Buffy replied innocently.

"Do you really expect me to believe that you came all the way over here this early just to have breakfast with dear old Mom?"

"Hey, it could happen," Buffy said. "But not today," she admitted. "I do have something I want to tell you. But don't worry, I'm not pregnant, I'm not on drugs, and I'm not flunking out. Oh, and I'm not dating a centuries-old vampire, either."

"But I am seeing someone," Buffy said with downcast eyes, "and it is a little complicated."

Joyce reached out and touched her daughter's arm until Buffy looked at her. "Buffy, I will love you no matter who you date, you know that, right?"

Buffy smiled and nodded gratefully. Then she took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm not gonna beat around the bush and give some long-winded explanation, I'm just gonna say it: I'm dating Willow."

"Then, Willow must be bisexual, too, because she was dating..." Joyce trailed off and shook her head. "I can see what you mean by complicated," she said.

"Well, Willow is dating her, too," Buffy said. "Willow's dating both of us. At the same time."

"Sort of," Buffy said with a guilty shrug of her shoulders. "But not really, 'cause Tara and I aren't slee...ah...seeing each other, you know, in that way."

Joyce dropped her head for a moment, then raised it. A worried expression covered her face. "Open relationships can be very dangerous," she advised. "They're almost impossible to maintain, human jealousy being what it is." Joyce took daughter's hand. "I'm just afraid you're going to get hurt. Someone always does in those kinds of relationships."

Buffy looked her mother in the eyes and squeezed her mother's hand. "I know all that, Mom, I really do. But so far, it's working, and we really want to see this through."

She was rewarded with a beaming Buffy-smile that Joyce hadn't seen in a long time.

If it can make her smile like that, then I can't be against it, now can I? Joyce thought to herself.

Buffy hopped off her stool and hugged her mother tightly. "Thanks, Mom," Buffy said excitedly. "I can't wait to tell Willow and Tara."

"Yeah, we've got a dinner date at the Grotto," Buffy answered as she gathered up their breakfast dishes and put them in the dishwasher. "Tonight, before I have to patrol."

"Well, tell them both that I said hello and that I'll be expecting them here at the house for supper very soon," Joyce said firmly.

Buffy sat in the student lounge nibbling nervously at one-half of the foot-long sub she'd picked up for lunch. She hadn't talked to Riley since that awkward passing on the quad about a week after she'd left the hospital. Last night, when she had called him, he had been civil, friendly even. She'd made it clear, however, that the reason for the meeting was purely business; she didn't want to mislead him. Still, she worried about how it would go, and now he was five minutes late.

Finally, Riley appeared and began looking for Buffy in the crowd. She stood and waved until Riley saw her. He smiled and headed her way.

"It's okay," Buffy assured him. "You want some of my sandwich?" she offered when she saw that Riley was lunch-less.

"Sure, thanks," Riley said, gratefully taking the other half of Buffy's sub. "I haven't had time to pick anything up." Riley bit into his sandwich. "So you had something 'work-related' to talk about?" he prompted as he chewed.

"Yeah, something big is going down at the Hellmouth," Buffy explained. "From what we can tell, someone is getting ready to come out of there, and whoever he is, he's bad news. I think the Initiative should take a look."

The two concentrated on their sandwiches for a while, not really knowing what to say, now that the business portion of the conversation was over. As a result, their subs disappeared quickly, and they were left with nothing to fill the empty space between them. Riley eventually bit the bullet and said what was on his mind.

"So...how's it going with your 'someone else'?" he asked in what he hoped was a neutral tone.

"Oh...ummm...good," Buffy replied. "It's going good. Great as a matter of fact. Better than I'd hoped."

"Oh," he said, unable to hide the disappointment in his voice. "Well, good. That's...good."

Once again, they were both awkwardly silent for a moment. And once again, Riley bravely pushed ahead.

"It's okay, no problem, I get it," he said quickly. Riley stood and moved a step or two away. "Don't worry about the Hellmouth. We'll check it out."

When she got out of classes that afternoon, Buffy went straight to Giles' apartment to check in with her unofficial Watcher. She told him that Riley had agreed to get the Initiative on the Hellmouth problem. Then she asked him if he'd been able to contact the Council. He said that he had talked to Quentin the night before.

Giles hesitated at Buffy's description of his former colleague on the Council, but then he answered.

"Quite a lot," he said. "When I explained what was going on, it sparked something in Quentin's memory. He told me he had to research something and he would call me back. When he rang me later, he told me about a manuscript that I was completely unfamiliar with, one that the Council had acquired it recently. It's incomplete, a mere fragment, actually."

"It talks about the Hellmouth," Giles answered. "It says that every thousand years the Hellmouth enters a period in which it becomes especially vulnerable to being opened."

"I'm afraid so. About three and half years past the thousandth mark, or thereabouts."

Buffy thought for a moment then asked, "Do you think that the Master knew about the Hellmouth's vulnerability back in '37?"

"Hmmm...I'll bet, though, once he realized he had his figures wrong, he made sure he got free at the right time so that he could finish what he started," Buffy theorized. "So, if the Hellmouth was so vulnerable, why didn't the Master's plan to open the Hellmouth succeed?"

"Oh, it did, at first," Giles explained. "But once you defeated him, it closed again."

"My guess is that the ritual he performed was tied directly to him in some way, and when he fell, the Hellmouth fell with him."

"At these times, though, a special Guardian also appears," Giles stated optimistically.

"In all likelihood, yes," Giles replied. "Unfortunately, it is at this part of the explanation that the manuscript is cut off. Personally, I don't think it's any coincidence that you moved to Sunnydale when you did."

"So...the Master's attempt to open the Hellmouth was actually just the beginning?" Buffy summarized. "Now every wacko demon from the Master to the Vahrall is gonna be taking a turn at the Hellmouth?" When Giles shrugged an affirmative, Buffy rolled her eyes. "Great," she added unenthusiastically.

Lindsey was staking out Tara's dorm when his cell phone rang. He put down the small binoculars, flipped open his cell phone, and answered.

"Lindsey, I have some information for you," the Senior Partner reported. "We don't know much, but we have learned some things about this 'N'Faius' you mentioned. He's a Demon Lord from the N'Krial hell dimension. Known for leading a huge demon army."

"So, what are we going to do? I mean, what do you want me to do?" Lindsey corrected.

"If this 'N'Faius' does indeed emerge from the Hellmouth, I want you to make contact with him," the Senior Partner instructed, "and offer him the services of Wolfram and Hart."

In the underground facility of the Initiative, Riley told Professor Walsh what Buffy had said about the Hellmouth. She seemed intrigued.

"We have been getting unusual readings of late," she said. "Especially since the last earthquake." She paused and thought for a moment. Then she looked at Riley. "I think it's high time we set up a perimeter at this...Hellmouth."

"We'll set up a lab there and monitor the readings," she continued. "Perhaps we can predict its opening. We'll need a fully-armed squad, of course. If this is the doorway that the sub-terrestrials use to enter our dimension, then we'd better be ready to kill whatever comes through."

It was late afternoon, and Buffy and Tara sat in uncomfortable silence at their table in the Grotto. Willow had told them earlier that she might be late because of an extra credit lab she wanted to complete. She said that they should go ahead and eat and that she would join them as soon as she could.

They had complied, and now, here they were, picking at their food, wondering what in the world to say to each other. It was easy, they thought, when Willow was around and it was the three of them. Buffy and Tara were perfectly capable of speaking to each other then. They even managed to joke around and do some tag-team teasing of their favorite redhead. So why was talking proving to be so difficult now that they were alone?

Buffy decided to break the ice by bringing up the one thing they knew they had in common: Willow.

"Willow's probably rechecking her lab report for the fifteenth time to make sure it's perfect," Buffy said with a small grin.

"Yes, she's quite the perfectionist, isn't she?" Tara agreed. "I mean, I think I'm a pretty organized student, but she takes it to a whole new level."

"You mean the sacred tin of pens that shall not be touched or woe be unto you?" Tara answered with a nod and rueful laugh. "Oh yeah. I made the mistake of trying to borrow one for a minute when she was over at my room studying. She was like, 'No! Not those pens!' Then she actually pulled out a separate box where she keeps her ordinary pens, those which may be safely borrowed."

Buffy laughed. "She's so cute when she's obsessing. The way her brow furrows up just so," Buffy said, pointing at her own forehead as she duplicated Willow's frown.

"Don't worry, you'll know it when you see it," Buffy told her. "It's her I-have-made-up-my-mind-and-shall-not-be-moved look."

"Ah, yes you can," Buffy warned her. "If you see it, it usually means she's about to drop a big bomb on you."

"Gosh, there is so much I have to learn about her," Tara said with a hint of jealousy that Buffy had been able to know her for much longer.

When Tara nodded enthusiastically, Buffy began her tale of life with Willow: their first meeting, their Scooby adventures, their friendship with Xander. Soon Buffy had Tara laughing until her sides hurt, and the two of them completely forgot about being uncomfortable with one another.

As Buffy and Tara continued to talk with each other, Willow sneaked through the trees until she was in a position from which she could surreptitiously spy on her girlfriends. When she saw them smiling and laughing, she grinned to herself, pleased with her little arrangement.

Buffy waved her hand in the air emphatically. "No, no," she said, "I have to tell you about the time we met Willow's double."

"Yes," Buffy confirmed. "Willow has a doppelganger from another dimension that she just accidentally conjured one day. And guess what?"

Buffy had Tara's full attention as she went on to describe Willow's decidedly evil, possibly gay, leather-clad twin.

"You know, seeing her doppelganger made me look at Willow a whole lot differently after that," Buffy admitted.

"Oh, no," Buffy said quickly. "Willow herself was firmly in straight mode at the time, and I was just..." Buffy dropped her glance to her hands. "...screwed up."

Buffy looked up, surprised that Tara knew about Angel. Then she realized that Willow must have told her. She nodded sadly.

"And not just Angel," Buffy said quietly. "Faith, too. From homicidal vampire to homicidal vampire slayer...it wasn't pretty."

"Yeah, I do," Buffy said with a small smile, which quickly faded. "That's what scares me."

Buffy shrugged in confirmation. "She makes me so happy, but I just know, that if there ever comes a time when Willow has to choose, it won't be me."

Tara's eyes widened in shock. She shook her head, not believing what she had heard.

"N-N-No, you're wrong," Tara said sadly. "I-I-I know she'll choose you. She's known you much longer, and you have a history together. You've had time to really bond. I don't even know about her resolve face."

"But you've got the big magic connection with her that I'll never have," Buffy countered. "Plus, you have the whole sweet and nurturing thing going for you."

"But you're the Slayer, a super hero, for goodness' sake. You've got super strength and Slayer powers a-a-and that lean, buff body of yours."

"But you've got the sexy voluptuous body and � " Buffy paused as a light bulb went off over her head. "God! No wonder Willow wants both of us!" Buffy exclaimed, talking more to herself than to Tara. "She's getting the best of both worlds. She's getting her cake and eating it too. She's � "

"Huh?" Buffy said before she finally realized what Tara had just asked. Then she straightened in her chair and smiled. "Well, yeah," she said confidently. "Don't you? I mean, don't you think you're sexy?"

She immediately dropped her gaze and hid behind her hair. Buffy reached out and grasped Tara's hand firmly until Tara met her gaze.

Tara ducked her head again, this time blushing at the compliment. Then she raised her eyes and looked deeply into Buffy's.

I can see why Willow loves her: she's beautiful, inside and out, they both thought, completely unaware that they were each thinking the same thing about the other.

Willow grinned when she saw her two girlfriends hold hands and lock eyes. It was what she had hoped for when she had arranged the supper date and her intentional tardiness. She wanted Buffy and Tara to be comfortable around each other, to become friends in their own right, outside of what they shared with her. Willow mentally patted herself on the back as she decided to watch them for a few minutes more before making her fashionably late arrival.

Suddenly, Willow felt the hair on her neck stand on end. Something wasn't right. She looked around, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She turned back to Tara and Buffy. She saw the air near them begin to shimmer and distort. Willow ran towards their table.

Buffy and Tara's moment of mutual admiration was abruptly halted when a blast of cold air slammed against them. Knowing it came from behind her, Buffy stood and turned in that direction. Both Tara's and Buffy's eyes widened when they saw a swirling portal forming ten yards away. A tendril of energy suddenly shot out from the portal and wrapped itself around the Slayer's waist and legs.

Buffy struggled in vain against the tendril as it began dragging her towards the portal. Tara dashed around the table and grabbed Buffy's arms, then dug in with her heels, trying to get leverage against the portal's relentless pull.

Buffy and Tara groaned from the strain. Soon the portal began dragging both of them. Then, with one final surge, the portal yanked the two blondes inside. In a blink, they were gone.

"Noooo!" Willow screamed as she arrived at the spot where Buffy and Tara had just disappeared. She fell to her knees, touching the ground where her two girlfriends had last stood. "Buffy! Tara!" she cried.

Lindsey dropped his coffee and made a step towards the Grotto, not yet believing what he had just seen. He looked around with his mouth wide open. Then he settled down and moved closer. He watched as the redheaded witch broke down, clearly just as shocked as he was. Lindsey pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed the firm.

"W-W-What did you do?" Lindsey asked in a rush. "With the Slayer and the Maclay girl?"

"Calm down," the Senior Partner ordered. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I-I-I was maintaining surveillance, and all of a sudden, this...this portal opened up beside the Slayer and started pulling her in," Lindsey explained. "The Maclay girl grabbed her and then zap! They both got sucked in and disappeared. Are you saying that you didn't do this?"

"No, of course not!" the Senior Partner responded. "I told you we weren't taking any action against the Three until we knew for sure whether or not they had Joined."

"Well, if it wasn't you, then I don't know what the hell just happened," Lindsey said exasperatedly.

"I think, perhaps, that someone has gotten to the Three before us," the Senior Partner mused happily. "The fact that they were vulnerable to the portal at all suggests that the Three are as yet Unjoined. If that's the case, then our problem may have just been solved."

The Senior Partner didn't say anything else, but just hummed thoughtfully as he considered the matter. Lindsey waited nervously for a few moments, then finally spoke.

"Maintain surveillance on the one remaining, the Rosenberg girl," the Senior Partner ordered. "Make sure that the disappearance of the other two isn't just temporary. And keep tabs on the Hellmouth. If N'Faius shows up, call me immediately."

Lindsey ended his call. He looked back at the spot where the portal had appeared and let out a deep breath.

Buffy and Tara tumbled out of the portal, landing hard on the concrete and rolling a few feet away before ending up in a tangled heap. They both groaned and began untangling themselves.

Buffy got up and then helped Tara to her feet. They looked at their surroundings. It was an alley � a typical, litter-strewn alley like any they would see in Sunnydale. Tara glanced at the sky.

"It's night here," she commented. "It was still light when we got pulled into that portal."

"So there's definitely a time difference," Buffy replied. "I mean, it felt like we were in the portal for, what? A minute maybe?"

Buffy and Tara started up the alley, but halted when a female figure stepped from the darkness. The figure walked slowly towards them, her leather-clad body moving in a sexy, confident slink. When the figure reached a spot of light in the alley, she stopped and put her hands on her hips.

When Buffy saw who it was, she immediately pushed Tara behind her and held her arm in front of the blonde in a defensive gesture.

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The Power of Three

by DragonWriter17

Copyright � 2004

DragonWriter17@aol.com