Life's Surprises: Someone Different by Pat Kelly

Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: 'Tis Joss', FOX's, and UPN's. I'm borrowing. The movies in Kevin Smith's "Jersey Trilogy" are mentioned, so obviously, they belong to him.
Distribution: The Mystic Muse http://mysticmuse.net
If anyone with an archive wants it, just ask.
Feedback: Thank you.
Pairing: Buffy/Tara
Spoilers: S4. Up through Hush primarily, but there are others. So let's just be safe and say, any ep Tara was in.
Author's Notes: Uh, this is a story. It has words, sentences, even whole paragraphs. I wrote it to entertain those who choose to read it, and I hope it does. :-)

Summary: Remember when Willow first saw Tara in the Wicca meeting? What would happen if Buffy accompanied her...

"Okay, was that as lame as I thought it was? I mean, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not exactly up-to-date on the ways of Wicca, so I could be sticking my foot in my mouth, but I'm gonna guess that that wasn't what you were hoping for." Buffy said to Willow as they walked down the hall towards their dorm room.

The aspiring witch had asked the slayer to come with her to a Wicca group meeting that had been held on campus. Ever since Oz left, having someone around helped her to not focus on him; her friend readily agreed, despite magick not being her interest or forte. She'd hoped that she could find something productive that would occupy her time, but the forty-five minutes she took out of her life had been a huge disappointment.

"Understatement of the century. It was talk—all talk. Magickally savvy witches? I think not." The redhead muttered. "Blah, blah...Gaia...Blah, blah...moon...menstrual, life-force power thingy. They're just a bunch of wanna blessed bees." She frowned. "You know, nowadays every girl with a Henna tattoo and a spice rack thinks she's a sister to the dark ones."

"Well, I'm sorry it was a bust. I know you were looking to go farther in that department." The blonde was sympathetic. "But what about that one girl?"

"Tara, remember? She seemed to wanna back you up. Why don't you check her out, see if she's the real deal?" Buffy suggested.

It took the redhead a second, but a face was put to the name as she sat on her bed. Tara. Yeah, she did seem different than the rest of them. Buffy handed her a soda she'd gotten from their mini-fridge, and sat down with her.

"And it's not like you were *ever* that way." The sarcasm was laid on pretty thick, and her friend grinned slightly. "Anyway, she was probably just afraid she'd get laughed at."

They'd both been there before. The slayer got the impression that Tara was an out-of-towner (well, she didn't recognize her from high school), and she could see why the fellow blonde would want to keep her mouth shut and avoid becoming an outcast. It was a shame; hiding who you were was an all too familiar theme. Reading people was a talent that had become second nature to her, and when she looked at Tara, Buffy saw another side just dying to come out.

She looked at her for almost the entire meeting, drowning the words out. When the girl saw her staring, she felt embarrassed. Having a stranger leering at you couldn't be a comfortable thing; and when did she start leering at strangers? Girl strangers? She was going to focus on the discussion, but then this stranger locked eyes with her, and it wasn't like anything she'd ever experienced before. It was instantaneous, and the sensation was somewhat familiar, she just couldn't place it.

Only when Willow had something to say did the trance break, and they blinked for several moments, trying to clear their heads. She found out her name when the person running the meeting called for quiet to allow her to speak. Tara. She waited for her to defend Willow, but all the attention directed her way seemed to make her nervous. Tara just shook her head, and Buffy's heart broke, as it was doing for Willow now.

"Will, they're stupid, you're not." Buffy put her arm around them. "Am I speaking Chinese? Do I need to find a translator to get the message across? Cause if it has to come to that, then we have problems."

Willow smiled gratefully, shaking her head. "I'd just like to float something bigger than a pencil someday." She sighed, and then the smile was back, as she wondered how her little matchmaking attempt was working out. "Hey, how's with you and Riley?"

"We're with nothing." Buffy smirked. "Give it up, girl. He's not in consideration."

The redhead made a face. "Ugh. No thank you. Definitely gonna hafta pass there." When did Xander lose his mind? "But you will be kissing somebody before the year's over; that's a promise."

Buffy reddened a little. "Don't hold your breath...and, wait a minute. What about you?"

"Uh uh, no way. Situations like this have a system of rules. The most important? Cause your boyfriend left first, I, as your friend, have to set you up first." Willow's voice was firm. "I'm a non-budger with rules. Once you're all 'date-ho' again, then we'll worry about me. If...if I'm ready and all."

"Good luck." The blonde said, meaning it. If Willow was successful, it meant good things for her. "Hey, if Tara's really into witchcraft, you should tell her she can hang around with us. Maybe she'll wanna join the group and there can be a vote or an initiation or something. She'd know about demons, right? It's just...she looked like she could use a few friends, and misfits have to stick together."

An expression of confusion formed on Willow's face, but she shrugged. "K, sure."

There was nothing like losing your vocal chords to make you appreciate them. Everything else had passed through Sunnydale, so why not fairytale monsters called "the Gentlemen" who stole people's hearts and voices? Willow had finally caught up with Tara during the extended period of silence, and they had helped each other out, using their combined magickal strengths to move a vending machine in front of a door, protecting them from attack. The blonde was definitely the genuine article.

The two Wiccans walked into the lounge the following day. Shy was an understatement when describing Tara; Willow couldn't ever remember being as reserved as her fellow practioner. Even as they found seats, she managed to somehow duck behind her hair, and she had a tendency to stutter. It was kind of cute, but also kind of sad. The redhead could see why Buffy noticed her, though. The slayer was always able to appreciate someone's oddness from minute one; able to know that somewhere underneath the quirkiness was a good person.

Willow knew that first-hand, but generally Buffy wasn't that enthusiastic over someone who didn't speak much, very often. With Tara she was, though. At least that's how it appeared to her; she could've been wrong. The last time that happened was when they all first knew Angel—he'd say two words and disappear, but Buffy still swooned. There was no swooning with Tara, was there? No, there couldn't be. In the redhead's opinion, it was just a lot of unexpected interest. Weird no doubt, but she told Buffy she'd talk to the girl, so she would.

"I thought maybe we could do a spell, make people talk again? I-I'd seen you in the group—the w-Wicca group? You were...you were different than them. I mean, they didn't seem to know—" Tara began explaining.

"I think if they saw a w-witch they would, um...run the other way." The girl joked with a smile, and nervous laugh. "Uh, th-that girl, you were...sitting next to, is she your fr-friend?"

"Who, Buffy? Yeah, my best friend; but she's not a witch. She has...other hobbies." The redhead answered slowly.

"Oh, you know, girly stuff." Willow should've prepared better. "Shopping, cheesy romance movies, and...kickboxing."

"Buffy's big on self-defense. Sunnydale's a scary place." She didn't like being put on the spot; she wasn't a great secret-keeper. "She's real strong; I think it drives potential boyfriends away. Guys get all huffy and macho." She scowled. "If I sound bitter, it's cause I sorta am. We're recent dumpees."

"Thanks." Willow smiled gratefully. "We're coping okay, but when we run out of ice cream, it won't be pretty."

"You're really nice. I'm sure you and Buffy'll both...find n-new people." Tara got quiet. "And with the power you guys have—"

"Me? Powerful? Nooo." She got smiled at again. "Just Buffy. But come and eat lunch with us sometime—you can meet her."

"Oh, um, I dunno...I wouldn't wanna get...in th-the way..." The blonde avoided shyly.

"Uh huh." The redhead had to stifle a laugh. "So how long have you been practicing?"

Why was she always attracted to the wrong people? Boys, they liked boys. Buffy liked boys. At least she knew that now instead of later; she didn't have any chance whatsoever. And even if sexuality wasn't an issue, it wasn't like she'd get very far. She couldn't talk without tripping over her own words, she wasn't that interesting (she wasn't funny, either, and that was a serious disadvantage), and she didn't know what it was, but she felt like Buffy was special. They both were cool, and she knew she liked Willow, but when she saw Buffy in the meeting, she just couldn't look away.

The blonde witch searched for a spell book. She needed a distraction, needed to hole herself in her room, just like she did back home. She left to start fresh, to get away from her overbearing family. It hadn't worked yet; she was too afraid. How was she supposed to get friends, gain confidence, if she stayed afraid? Her conversation with Willow was the most she'd spoken since she'd arrived in town, and her mom was the only one who'd ever been encouraging. Unfortunately, the woman had gone.

If she had believed the things her mother told her, maybe things would be different. It was pathetic; she was pathetic. But she was invited to lunch, wasn't she? Buffy wanted to meet her, right? That was good. Though that didn't matter, because what would happen if she really started to like her? It wouldn't turn out well—especially because of what was inside of her. It'd be better if she remained in her bubble; no one got hurt that way. She'd adjust to the solitary life sooner or later. All she had to get was a few animals, and then she could live her life in peace.

"They're not crazy. They're sweet, and a l-little eccentric." She argued with herself.

"Yeah, I know." She sighed, giving in, when there was a knock at her door. Not believing that someone would want to visit her, it took a second for her to answer the door. "Hel—"

"You're coming to lunch with us, let's go. If we stand here it just keeps getting later and later, and then before you know it, dinner'll be here. Time's wacky that way." The slayer announced, she and her friend taking an arm each and dragging her with them. "Sorry about the barging in; should've told Willow to mention that the offer wasn't optional."

The trio of females sat in the college's food court, two of them eating unhealthy, grease-covered meals, the other sticking to a salad topped with a light amount of Thousand Island dressing. Tara ate less when she was nervous; her stomach couldn't handle anything too heavy. They were on the subject of magick now, though, and it was a calming subject. She kept discreetly glancing at Buffy, not wanting to be obvious about it, and wondering if what she and Willow were saying was being followed. The last thing she wanted to do was be rude.

It wasn't like there was no attempt to, but Buffy was out of her element—the blank look was a dead giveaway. Here they were talking about spells and twenty different kinds of warts, and all she could contribute were ointment suggestions. Willow had found herself a partner to learn from, and even though she was happy for her, the slayer still wanted to be in on the discussion. The more complicated the words got, the further distanced she became. She didn't completely understand why that bugged her, but it did.

Willow had been doing spells for the past year and a half, and when they came to that topic during conversations, being able to only absorb every other sentence hadn't bothered her. Her friend would let her know what was a positive thing so she could be congratulatory, and what was a negative thing, so she could cheer her up; it was a reliable system. Now she was just lost. Couldn't they veer off back into the land of generality? The witches were going to spend plenty of spell-casting time together—this was her hour. She was the one who told Willow to invite Tara to lunch in the first place.

Why did she want to sound interesting and knowledgeable to the new girl? She hadn't exactly thought that through. Still, if this went on any longer, she was going to start to fidget. There had to be something that was on par with magick in the attention-grabbing department. Something that would make her appear intelligent. As Tara turned to look at her for what seemed like the umpteenth time and gave her that cute half-smile/half-grin, she thought of it, unable to stop herself from blurting out—

The witches made the slayer go to the magick shop with them after they'd all finished eating, which just added to the "outsider" feeling she was already experiencing. Considering that Tara called the owner by name as they walked into the building, Buffy deduced that the girl must know her craft, and would steer her clear of poisonous things, amulets that would transport her to some inescapable demon dimension, or rarely heard of animal parts.

The blondes stuck together, and the redhead went off to search on her own, coming back at random moments to show her fellow Wiccan various objects. She wanted to let them talk, and they were. Buffy didn't know whether Tara was humoring or not, asking her about vampires' weaknesses (they were the things any good, monster flick got right), though she was glad for it after that rather one-sided lunch, which caused her IQ to plummet several numbers down the scale.

"Stakes, fire, beheading, sunlight—there's your big four. Actually, I think that's the only four. If I wasn't cheated out of that handbook..." The slayer was saying.

"That's the rumor." Buffy muttered. "Anyway, if you just want to injure or distract, there's crosses, holywater, and garlic." Her forehead creased. "You know what? I don't think I've ever put garlic to the test. Too smelly."

"Then you d-don't wanna open this." The witch inspected a jar, read the label 'Gabroth Exc.,' then showed it to Buffy and set it back down.

Buffy chuckled, and picked up a bag filled with what appeared to be leaves. "What's this?"

"Uh, Ginkgo. It helps with memory...st-stimulates the brain." The Wiccan told her.

"This would come in handy. It doesn't make courses any more interesting, does it?" The girl's amused look told her it didn't. "Somebody should sell this in drink-form at like, supermarkets and make a fortune."

"They already do. Health drinks h-have it in them, and you can take them like vitamins." Tara explained further.

"The leaves don't really have any major magickal properties," Tara continued, "b-but people just starting out sometimes think they do, so Mr. Bogarty p-puts them up for sale to make more money. They're good in tea, though."

"And you were ready to give up on me." The pleased slayer said aloud to her brain.

"Why w-would I wanna do that?" Tara wondered seriously, which made Buffy smile broadly. "Vampires—can they t-turn into bats?"

"Nope, and if they did, my hair would be gray right now. Purely a movie invention." The slayer revealed. "Can you imagine me running around a graveyard with a net trying to catch the damn things?"

Tara giggled. She could, and it was a funny image. Willow made her way over to them then, seeing the bags of Gingko leaves.

"Ooh. Great, I need more of these." The redhead announced, happily. The blondes exchanged knowing grins. "What?"

"Giles!" Buffy yelled, barging through his front door later that night after patrol. "I wanna learn about magick!"

"I need one of those." She pointed to it. "The thing with the pages. Only it has to be about magick, not..." She stood in front of the sofa and tilted her head to the side so she could see the title. "...'How to Basket Weave'?"

"History, I guess. Just your basic, general info." She got a mischievous look in her eye. "Unless ya want me bippity-boppity-booing stuff. Hey, I'll try anything once."

"Why the sudden interest in becoming the male, Martha Stewart?" She was answered with a stern, English glare. "What? Is there something wrong with a girl wanting to expand her mystical horizons? Wanting to grasp new and exciting concepts?"

"No, of course not. But past experience has shown that you're not the type to pursue knowledge...outside of a formal, academic setting." He said as gently as possible.

Giles was right, but she wasn't going to admit that out loud. She had come away from the lunch and the shopping trip wanting to study magick and its background, because she wanted to be able to relate to Tara. She wasn't going to deny that it was because of the girl, but questioning why the witch had made such an impression had taken her nowhere so far. It came down to this, she guessed: whatever happened in that meeting hadn't faded away, and...well, there was just something about her. It was different; being around Tara felt different. In a good way. It sure didn't feel bad. She liked her right off the bat.

"Could that be any more British? You Americanize, then you revert. Your girlfriend's a bad influence; pick a flag to salute and stick with it." Two glares in less than five minutes—she was proud. "Just say what you mean in 'normal person language' for once. You don't think I'm a go-getter when it comes to filling up my brain with...with..."

"And sometimes I still find myself wondering how." He remarked sarcastically, causing her mouth to hang open. "You could have asked Willow for assistance."

"I'm thinking that would've been a better idea. If I'd a known that I was gonna interrupt 'Basket Weaving 101'..." She laid her arms across her chest. "Do you have some or not?"

"Yes. Hang on." He turned to her, looking a tad concerned. "Are you all right? You seem somewhat distracted."

"I am *not* distracted." She responded adamantly. "It's assumptions like that that get people turned into demons."

"Man..." Buffy muttered leaving her English professor's office the next afternoon.

She had pulled a muscle in her back the previous night while slaying, but the pain hadn't yet taken effect when she was demanding books from Giles. And she didn't dare tell him about her little mishap, because he just would've made her train more. She'd been coping well, but having to run at high speed to deliver a paper on time, aggravated the area. That distraction coupled with lack of sleep because she was up late perusing a chapter on the basic points of Wicca, caused her to bump into Tara in the hallway.

Thankfully, her slayer reflexes enabled her to keep the witch from falling, and she latched onto her arms until Tara got her balance back.

"Hey, Tara...and sorry." She apologized, not doing a very good job of masking her pain. "Am I the only one who wants this day to be over?"

"You have no idea how much that just cheered me up." The slayer smiled slightly. "But do you know a cure for back pain? It's not cooperating with its buddies, 'The Other Parts of Buffy's Body.'" Tara opened her mouth, but the other blonde kept going. "Sworn duty? Who needs it? If anyone ever comes up to you and tells you you're a vampire slayer, run to Cuba and become a Communist. Sure, fighting the forces of darkness sounds glamorous, but it's all an illusion. With no dental plan."

"I'll remember that." The Wiccan said, replaying the mini-rant in her head. "I think."

Tara chewed on her lip, unsure of what this was going to get her into. "I-I could probably...I m-mean, if you mix the right herbs and in-ingredients and rub it into where it hurts...it loosens the muscle."

"Oh." Tara swallowed. "W-well, did-did you want me to do it for you? Back in m-my dorm. I have everything there. Or—"

"If that's a massage offer, I'm *all* for it." The slayer was enthusiastic. "Lead the way, but...slowly?"

During that slow walk, Buffy's mind wandered, contemplating what she'd assented to. This was simply going to be an alleviation of pain at the hands of a friend, right? No big deal. Then again, her back was preventing rational thought. Crossing into Tara's room, Buffy smiled. The lights were pretty, and it was a decently sized living space. It felt lonely, though.

"No, I don't kn-know why they didn't give me one." Tara answered, going to raid her supplies.

"Least you can do what you want without anybody asking questions." Buffy realized.

"Yeah, most of the time I like that." The other times the witch wished she had somebody besides herself in the room. Like now. "You can l-lay down on the b-bed, if..."

Buffy wasted no time; she was lying face up on the mattress and sighing in relief. "Oh yeah. Much better." While her savior was preparing things, she figured she had to fill the silence. "Willow's excited about doing magick with you. Almost as excited as the one time she had four mochas in a row; she's under strict watch now because of that. Don't expose her to caffeine under any circumstances—it leads to badness."

"I won't, and...so am I." The witch said, smiling. "She's got so much power, and she doesn't realize it. My mom was the same way—she said the m-most important thing about spells was learning to control them."

"And you'll help Will do that, right? Cause magick kinda scares me." Buffy admitted, even though she was becoming more informed about the subject. "No offense."

"N-no, it should. It's something you have to respect, cause it is dangerous. Like, you can't interfere with n-natural processes." Tara was always taught be afraid of the possibilities; if you feared it, you didn't cross the line. Finishing the mixture, she brought it over to the bed. "But don't worry, this is all-natural. I only u-use magick when I have to."

"Good policy." The slayer told her, and then without needing to be instructed to, turned over. "I appreciate this. Remind me to return the favor sometime."

Tara sat on the end of her bed, and stared down at the shirt that covered Buffy's back. She froze; this was a bad idea. "Does this kind of thing happen a lot?"

"If I'm lucky, it's all that happens." Buffy said honestly. "I've had worse, more visible injuries, believe me."

"I dunno. I just block it out during the fight, and hope I've got enough strength to limp somewhere afterwards." Buffy was completely nonchalant; it worried Tara. "Everything okay? Where's my relief?"

The Wiccan had to pull herself together; she didn't know how slaying worked, and it wasn't her place to butt in. She had to concentrate on doing the only thing she could at the moment—a harmless massage. This was going to be totally innocent, and she couldn't back out just because of her hormones. She could do this, it could stay within the appropriate boundaries, and she wouldn't wreck a good thing. Make a new friend feel better—a simple task. Lifting up the shirt so she could see the bottom half of Buffy's back, she shakingly gathered some of the green-colored cream she made onto her fingers, and began rubbing it in.

The initial contact caused both girls to suck in audible breaths, and Tara had to force herself not to stop right then. Calm, even breathing; that's all she had to do. Though Buffy's sighs and unintelligible noises of satisfaction were complimentary, they didn't make things any easier. Below her, the slayer had started off tense, but Tara knew what she was doing. It got even better when both of her hands applied pressure to just the right spot. She felt the offending "knot" untie itself under her touch.

"Ah...I think you..." Buffy intended to tell Tara that her efforts were successful, but the sentence died before it was fully uttered. She was still enjoying it, and her higher processes didn't care why. "Yow..."

"Not hurt...definitely...no...yowness good..." Her patient murmured, eyelids drooping.

The phone seemed to ring on purpose then, and the two blondes received a rude awakening. On the second ring, the shock wore off, the glaze vanishing from their eyes. Tara grabbed it as quickly as she could manage, while Buffy sat up, straightening her shirt and coughing for good measure. They glanced at each other, trying to pretend like everything was normal.

"H-hi?...Willow?" The witch said, recognizing the person on the other end. "She's r-right here..."

The slayer smacked her forehead. "We're supposed to be studying for Pysch. Tell her I'll be there in five minutes. And I think you fixed me; I owe you, thanks."

Tara nodded, gave a weak smile, and then her guest left. They both were waiting for their blood to make the journey back upwards to their brains. Once she hung up with Willow, she fell back onto her bed, praying the shower down the hall was unoccupied. That was bordering on something other than friendly—her mother's advice about control wasn't simply limited to magick.

"I'm glad you came; I know it's late." Willow said to Tara as she let her into the dorm room.

"I don't mind. It's f-fun doing spells with somebody else—there's more focus. We'll figure it out." The blonde responded.

"It's simple really, but I just can't get it." In the middle of the floor sat the design of a star, and inside of it was a circle of white powder. A rose lay off to the side. "We're gonna float the rose. Then use the magicks to pluck the petals off, one at a time. Probably hasn't been working cause the book says something about having more than one person. Duh me, right? It's a synchronicity thing." Willow detailed.

The redhead placed the rose in the center of the star, and Tara's eye caught sight of the high stack of magick-related books on one of the beds.

Tara recalled the name. "The man who used to be the librarian at your high school?"

"Yep, and he's still her watcher. Sorta-kinda unofficially, but without him, we woulda been flying blind the past few years. Uh, not in the literally, 'being airborne' sense, but...you get the point. Don't you?" Willow babbled.

"I dunno, but she's been staying up, reading 'em like a madwoman lately." Willow smiled again. "If magick was a class, her GPA would go through the roof; she won't tell me what it really is, cause she knows I'd faint." Tara got this huge grin on her face. "Ready?"

They held out their arms, grasped hands, and then closed their eyes. Willow was taking deep breaths, beginning to feel the energy flowing. Then her partner opened a lid.

"What kind of stuff does she like to do? Besides punching?" Tara was frowned at. "Af-after we're done."

Why couldn't the blondes just ask each other these things? They began again, and soon enough, a bright light appeared on the star. Feeling the breeze signaled to them that the spell was taking effect. After a few seconds, they opened their eyes; seeing the rose on the same level as their shoulders, they separated their hands and smiled.

"Now for the hard part." Willow said. Buffy was just getting in, though, and when the door opened, all concentration was lost. The rose flew at the slayer—who caught it. "Or not."

"You shouldn't have, guys." The slayer brought the flower to her nose, smirking. "Am I interrupting?" Willow looked between the two, and just threw her hands in the air. "Patrol was boring. I just wanna curl up with Mr. Gordo and read about Salem. I could skip it, but I hafta be thorough. No matter how disturbing it is...hi, Tara."

They both blushed at the same moment—every time they saw one another since the "almost something" incident, they recalled memories of beds and massages. It wasn't something they'd soon forget, and for Buffy, it added all new thoughts for her to analyze. Some less than platonic ones had been recently been sneaking into her mind, and implanting themselves into what she already thought about the witch. The funny thing? They weren't entirely unwelcome.

Willow was getting the impression that she was going to have to step in and do something with them if she ever wanted to grow as a witch, but she didn't know what, yet.

It took a couple weeks, but it was now at the point where Buffy and Willow didn't have to go to Tara and physically pry her from her room. The witch was willingly coming to them and asking if they wanted to do one thing or another. The awkwardness over the massage was gone, too. She didn't know what they saw in her, but she was grateful to the Goddess for their friendship. She wasn't going to waste the gift; if this was all she was allowed, she'd be happy with it. And she was in a blissful state of ignorance now, concealing the truth of what she was even from herself.

She and Willow had set aside practice time each day, and as they talked, the more comfortable she became. As soon as Buffy found out that their sessions were a regular thing, though, the slayer sat in on them. If Tara hadn't known that Buffy was straight, she would've thought that the visits were partially motivated by jealousy, but that was ridiculous. She'd seen references to vampire slayers in the odd book here and there—Buffy being one was the coolest thing. There were tons of questions, but when she started looking into her aura she saw a lot of pain there, and didn't want to upset her by asking too many.

She wanted to help her, only she wasn't sure how, so they'd talk about her friends and slaying techniques—she didn't know if she was ready for more people yet. Besides, they sounded strange.

Every once and a while Buffy would mention some magickal fact she'd come across, and Tara was more than happy to explain (and show) things to her. It was difficult to explain slaying, however, and the witch couldn't see her as this big superhero. Buffy seemed normal enough—a caring, strong-willed, yet still fragile, girl. She'd seen only brief glimpses of the other persona, which eventually caused her to decide to accompany the slayer on patrol to view a typical night. Buffy's reaction was somewhere between being worried and being thrilled, and Willow helped thrilled to win out.

They had just entered the cemetery, in mid-conversation; Tara wouldn't get hurt.

"We k-kind of understood each other. My d-dad and m-my brother...they didn't. She was amazing." Tara said fondly. "Not just with magick; she was good at—"

"Sounds like it. Looks like she was good at her job, too." Tara blushed at the indirect compliment. "I don't spend enough time with mine. She's had to deal with a bunch of stuff, but she's always been there for me...I think you'd like her."

"If she's anything l-like you..." Tara trailed off before she got in too deeply.

Buffy blushed next, and the conversation hit a lull for a few rows of headstones. Then a more fun topic occurred to her.

"Ooh. Idea. What celebrity and/or hunky movie star do you fantasize about the most? I'd ask the vampires, but I fear their answers. So dish." Buffy said. "And don't say you haven't, cause I won't believe you." She wasn't hearing anything. "Fine, I'll go first. It's a tie between George Clooney and Brad Pitt. You think they'd get uglier with age, but luckily for us, they don't. Yeah, they probably got some help from plastic surgery—"

"Whoa...Brad Pitt...really is a guy? But he a-always looks so pretty." Tara said with pseudo-seriousness.

Just when she thought she shouldn't have told a joke, Buffy started laughing, and she smiled in relief.

"It's scary—I can actually picture him in drag." The slayer remarked once the laughter stopped. "He might even be more attractive as a woman, and you know what? I'd switch like that."

"Sure, why not? I'm thinking of taking lessons from Anya and just turning my back on men all together. Things never, ever go right; mostly cause of compatibility issues." Such as vampirism, and asshole-ism. It was odd; Buffy generally wasn't this open. "I've gotta conserve my energy, and they're way too much work."

"Nothing but." Buffy sighed. "I'm just venting and ranting, really. I usually say all this to myself, but now that you're here listening, it sounds less insane. Thanks for the peace of mind."

"So? Which celebrity? It's not somebody old, is it? Well, 'Harrison Ford' old is okay; 'Bob Hope' old is just...a disturbing visual place." Buffy cringed. "Let's hear it already; I'm not easily shocked."

Her internal conservation was over when Buffy placed a hand on her arm and stared at her like she'd gone off to another planet. "Tara?"

Buffy's forehead wrinkled. "The guy from Blossom?" Tara shook her head with a smirk; when it finally registered, eyes bulged. "Wait, you're—?"

She couldn't process for very long, because Spike chose at that moment to emerge from the shadows. He'd been eavesdropping for the past twenty minutes, and what he watched he was having a hard time accepting. Approaching them, he realized that this was going to be extremely entertaining. The evil-looking grin on his face told Tara to back up, but Buffy just shook her head.

"Know the Initiative I told you about? They fixed him." Buffy whispered to her fellow, frightened blonde. "He can only pummel demons, so he basically just skulks around like a loser now, and it gets annoying fast."

But Tara wasn't exactly...not demonic. No. She shouldn't have come, shouldn't have deluded herself this far. She was going to lose her friendship for sure.

"Oh geez, that's right. Super-hearing is a perk for the undead. Don't I feel like a moron?" Buffy said sarcastically. "What do you want?"

"Was heading off to the butcher's for a refill, and I had to see who was making the big, bad bitch all-a-giggle. Why Slayer, I had no idea you were so liberated. Did it make the poof all jealous? He's still stuck in the 1700's, that one." Spike answered.

Buffy didn't want to deal with him. "Spike, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't tell me you're that bloody blind. She likes you," He pointed at Tara, stepping close to her as she hung her head, "in that *special* way. Ain't that right, luv?"

Buffy couldn't think, but she knew she wanted him gone. She got in between the two of them. "Leave her alone."

"There we are, secret's out now. Feel better? I know I do." Spike said with satisfaction. "Or are there more lurking about?"

"I c-can't..." Tara stuttered, and once she got her legs to work, she started running away.

"You're such a bastard." The slayer snapped at him. "And, oh yeah, the butcher's closed. Go find some rats." She took off after the other girl. "Tara, wait!"

It was going on five days since she'd spoken to her or Buffy, and this was the first time either of them had approached her. She was convinced that the slayer was avoiding her. Well, she was avoiding her, too, so it evened out. She didn't know what else to do; sheltering herself hadn't helped, it just let the fact that she wasn't honest, eat away at her. Now she'd pay for it. The other witch came to sit with her, and she looked away.

"How you doing?" The blonde didn't answer Willow's question. Neither spoke for several moments. "Um, I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to help me do some recon—for a psycho slayer."

This got Tara's attention. She drove her insane? "Is s-something wrong with Buffy?"

"No...no, she's totally fine. Oh, that's right, you don't..." The redhead paused. "It's a long story, but there's another slayer. Her name's Faith, and she's crazy, skanky, and evil. She was in a coma, but she's awake now, which isn't a happy thing. She's bad news; Buffy needs to find her before she hurts any more people."

"It will. But if we see her, we don't engage. That leads to bruised faces. Running, fleeing and skedaddling—that's the plan." Willow informed her.

"I'm not so good with the whole," Tara made punches that looked like she was pawing the air, "anyway."

"Mm hmm. And you wanna know what I think?" Tara braced herself. "Big whoop, you're gay. It doesn't bother us; not even a tiny bit. Why'd you run off?"

"You do? Seriously?" Willow almost tackled her in a hug. "That's great! But Spike's still a jerk."

"Yes! It's perfect. You guys talk about each other so much it drives me nuts, but that's okay, cause I get it now." Willow said excitedly. "I was Cupid in a play once. For Valentine's Day in the fourth grade." She looked embarrassed. "I broke my bow. This time'll be way better, though; she *so* likes you."

"Straight-schmaight! If she can date a vampire, she can date a girl. We'll make her flexible. It's my new mission." Willow was focused, and Tara couldn't help but smile. "And she hasn't come by only because she didn't want you to be uncomfortable. Plus, it's been a busy slaying week. With what happened to Professor Walsh and all."

"No way." Willow stared at her. "You gonna get up? The sooner we jail Faith, the sooner you two'll be trading smoochies."

Tara blushed, allowing herself to be pulled off the bed, but before they went any further, she had to be truthful—she'd be stewing about it for days, and she couldn't lie anymore. "Th-there's something else." She took a deep breath. "I'm...I'm a d-d-demon." She spoke to her feet. "I'm sorry. I'm so—"

"A demon?" Her friend looked shocked, and then slowly shook her head. "Who told you that?"

"My dad. All the women in my f-family, he said." Tara elaborated. "When they turn twenty."

"Then he's a poop-head." Willow concluded. "You're no demon, cause if you were, I wouldn't call you my friend. Or trust you."

"I'll find a way to be." She took Tara's hand, and gave her no choice but to look up. "You haven't um, checked me out, have you?"

Faith couldn't wait to ditch Sunnydale. With Buffy's body the world was open to her; she just had to keep the act up a little while longer. She was sitting in the Bronze across from Tara, a girl Buffy was supposed to know, so she'd nearly blown her cover. Willow was getting the blonde a bottle of water. The way she was being looked at—did the chick have the hots for Miss Goodie Two-Shoes? Holy sh...there was no mistaking that damn, mushy gaze. There was no mistaking the feeling happening down below and between the legs, either.

What the hell? Where'd this come from? Tara was okay if you liked the, "Disney, G-Rated" type, but she didn't really go for the innocent act—those people were the ones you shoved knives into. Wait, this body was still technically a loner...since when did Buffy get all warm over the smoother sex? The undead were usually more her style. So not only did she decide to the hop the fence, she decided to hop the fence for Minnie-Frickin'-Mouse? Jesus, it was pitiful how unadventurous she was.

"B's not driving stick anymore." She whispered in a voice that had yet to become anything other than foreign to her. "Who'd a thought it?"

If she'd been aware that Buffy was capable of swinging, she would've pushed a little harder last year. Well, if she had more time to play she would've taken full advantage of this development, but seeing as how time was of the essence, she'd have to settle for screwing with the girl's mind instead. The girl who was sitting there all awkward and mute after Willow practically made her take a seat. Oh, she wasn't going to pour her heart out, was she? That's just what Faith wanted—a Hallmark moment. Gag. Her choice to don leather seemed to be distracting the quiet one.

The second she saw her, Tara felt like...oh no. The pieces were just starting to fit, and on the other hand, they didn't. That was the problem. She had to be calm—she couldn't let on that...poor Buffy. The witch was surprised she knew the slayer's aura that well; she saw the holes in an instant. Goddess, where was she?

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Faith wondered. "Hmm. Maybe I oughta rephrase the question."

"You gonna spit that out sometime today, honey? Time's a precious thing, ya know." The rogue taunted.

"Sure, *I* can talk, but you? So far, the evidence looks like it's goin' against you." Faith dug in deeper. "Listen, here's some free advice. Get help. That little, broken record of a voice you got, isn't doin' you any good. I'm just saying this as a friend who cares about you, cause not pointing this stuff out...well, that would be wrong. We can't have you embarrassing the group, now can we? I love that gang of mine to death."

The corrupted slayer knew this was out of character, but when she had fun, she had a tendency to get carried away. One of her many flaws.

Willow came over just in time, sounding out of breath. "Buffy, guy in the corner."

Faith found the guy she was talking about leading a girl towards the back area of the club, but wasn't exactly enthralled. "Yeah. Good call."

"Wicked obvious." Again, Faith was disinterested. Until she realized what Willow expected from her. "So I should slay him." She got up.

While the impostor walked away, Tara knew they had to get out of there, and fast. Buffy's life was at stake.

"Okay, are you really feeling all blechy, or was that you trying to avoid Buffy?" Willow asked as they entered Tara's dorm. "Cause it's never gonna work if you can't be in the same place for more than five minutes."

"Are you sure? I mean, the resemblance was very Buffy-like." Willow didn't think her eyes were that bad.

Tara nodded in agreement—as far as the visuals were concerned. "But she's not."

"Well, uh, a person's energy has a flow, a unity. Buffy's was...was fragmented. It-it's grated, like something forced in where it doesn't belong. Plus, she was, um, she was kind of mean." The blonde fiddled with her hands.

That got the redhead onboard. "So you think Buffy's not herself? Like she's been possessed or something?"

"You didn't sense a hyena energy at all, did you?" Her magick partner asked with concern. "Because hyena possession is just...unpleasant."

"I-I think there's a way we can..." Tara went to her desk and opened the book that was lying out. Next to it sat Mr. Gordo—he could help. "Here..."

"Oh, uh, she said I could borrow him. She thought I needed it more than she did." The witch got focused again quickly. "The passage to the nether realm. There-there's a ritual. If you can find Buffy there, you should be able to see."

"Well, the nether realm exists beyond the physical world. Accessing it is...it-it's kind of like astral projection." Tara said. "It's very intense. I'd have to be your anchor. Keep you on this plane."

"I'd go, I-I wanna go, but I have more practice with anchoring, and it's not like anything we've ever—" Tara was interrupted.

"Hey, how many times do I have to say it? I trust you. With my life and with Buffy's. Now let's get her back."

stevedore during sex." Buffy in Faith's body was saying to Giles, trying to convince him that she was telling the truth. With his look, she stopped. "Do you want me to continue?"

He probably had no idea what it took for her to get here, what she was forced to do. The Council's team treated her like an animal. There was so much distrust and loathing in their eyes that it wasn't even funny. She got a taste of what it was like for Faith, and for a moment or two she felt sorry for her, but then she remembered that the brunette had brought it upon herself. Maybe she was partially to blame; she could've been there for her more. But damn it, Faith had to take responsibility for her own actions.

Key words? Her own. She didn't drive her to murder, and she hated being made to feel guilty for that.

Mostly what kept her from quitting was her desire to save her friends from whatever Faith was planning to do to them. And Tara. Tara didn't know Faith like they did, and the girl would be caught in the middle. If the Bostonian figured out that the witch had feelings for her, and that she was sort of thinking she possibly did, too, it could've been bad. That's what got her inside Giles' house. She didn't even get the chance to talk to her yet, after what happened with Spike. Her reactions to that massage made sense now—she was attracted to every aspect of the girl, and she wasn't sure how to deal with it.

"You're Buffy. You and Faith switched bodies." Willow addressed the English bachelor next. "Probably through a Draconian Katra spell."

"Tara knew right away that you weren't you. So we connected with the nether realms to find out what happened. And we conjured this." Willow opened the jewelry-box to reveal a small, emerald sphere inside. "It's a katra. Or the home-conjured version." She gave it to Giles. "It-it should switch you back, if you can get a hold of Faith."

Buffy looked at Tara, who had been silent, and squeezed her in a tight hug. "Tara, thank God." The witch hugged her back, despite the oddness. "If this is too weird, we can stop and wait till I get my body back."

It was night in the cemetery. The vampires that had been in the church were dust, Buffy had her body back, and Faith had run. It was doubtful that she'd return, but in that split second when they switched, there was a flicker of the real Faith in her eyes. But whatever threads were still holding the other slayer together, were extremely thin ones. She was exhausted; she just couldn't chase after her again. Too many lines were crossed, and she'd probably push her over the edge, anyway. Maybe someone else had the power to save her from herself.

She was with Tara—Willow had told her what the blonde had said about being a demon, and that simply wasn't true. It wasn't something she'd enjoy, but there was only one way to prove it to her. Her dad and brother sounded like two, very close-minded individuals, so she had her own suspicions about why they would lie to her. She wondered if they cared at all about the trauma they had obviously put her through. With the exception of Giles, Xander, and that guy who lent her a pencil in class last week, she was having difficulty not hating the male race.

"Do you really think you should be out here?" Tara was asking her. "You've been thr-through a lot; you should rest."

"Don't worry, no slaying on the agenda, and this'll only take a minute, I promise." Buffy assured the witch. "I'm not letting you go around thinking you're not human. I bet your dad wouldn't know a real demon if it kicked him in the..." Her whole body tensed. "God, that pisses me off. See, as a rule, I don't trust dads." Her eyes saddened. "Mine could care less about me and my mom. One second I was his daughter, then the next it was, 'We're divorced now; see ya! Oh, and you'll get a couple empty promises from me a month!'"

Tara tried to kill the butterflies in her stomach, but didn't say a word. She wanted to believe she was human, yet she was trained to believe his word was final, and blind obedience got mistaken for love. She had known her father wasn't a good man even when her mother used to hear most of his commands, but if she saw him again, she'd probably fall into line without a fight.

"I'm getting off track, aren't I?" The slayer said, apologetically. "We're not here for me, and...I should keep my mouth shut."

"No, it's...just another thing we have in c-common." Tara attempted to make light of it, but it didn't quite work.

They trekked quietly for a while, thinking to themselves. Buffy thought about her numerous, unresolved issues with her father and how she still hated that she missed him. Her magickal companion thought about how she had a tendency to take the negative things said about her to heart more than she did the positives. Which was why the belief that she was demon was so rooted in her, and it was why what Faith had said continued to stick.

"B-Buffy? When I...d-do what I just did..." Tara trailed off, which was explanation enough.

Tara nodded. "Does it b-bother you? I've done it, um, since I was a little girl. I get nervous and-and...I sound like a dork."

"You're definitely far from being a dork. It's...cute." They both turned red. "But there's no reason to be nervous." Buffy wanted to convince her of that fact. "Everyone met you, right? They liked you, Willow likes you, I like you—"

"Oh." Buffy cleared her throat. "Yeah, I guess we should talk about...things. First you have to see that you're as human as the next, uh, human person, though. Which is gonna happen right now."

They reached a crypt that was inhabited by a certain vampire, and Buffy shoved the door open to find Spike watching his television. He turned his head in their direction with a scowl, clicking the off button on the remote. Taking a cigarette out of the pack that was sitting on the arm of his chair, he stood, moving to acknowledge the visitors who weren't polite enough to knock. When he could see the vein pulsing in Buffy's neck, he stopped and lit the cigarette.

"Ellen," He addressed Tara, "Anne." He glanced at the slayer. "What brings you by the grave all unannounced?"

He raised his eyebrows. "See, here's the thing. Charity got old a century and a half ago; never been the generous type. And last time I checked, helping out the Slayer's little bird wasn't on my 'To-Do' list."

"Does it look like I do?" He shot back. "Go on, you're interrupting my Tele-Time."

She charged him, planting her forearm against his neck so he would stay in place along the right wall of the crypt. The cigarette dropped from his mouth, and she promptly stomped on it.

"It's okay, Tara." Buffy focused on Spike. "Look, her family made her think she was a demon, all right?"

Spike eyed the witch over Buffy's shoulder. "Her? A demon? Oh, that's rich. Musta been some tale. I knew it—as gullible as she looks. Had her pegged from the start."

"Stop talking." She increased the pressure. "Help me show her she's not a demon, you live."

"That threat has me quakin' more and more every time I hear it." He pushed her off. "You offering me a free shot, Slayer? I wouldn't wanna scar the girl, even though I don't see much there that needs savin', anyway. What's the big draw?"

"Good, and lots of it. Something you don't have, so I'll be watching." Buffy spat. "Tara, c'mere." The witch hurried to the slayer's side, who was instantly having doubts. "We can just go. Him hurting you..."

"Not while I'm here, and not if he wants to avoid a massive headache followed by a staking." The last comment was pointedly directed at him, as Buffy wrapped an arm around the slightly taller blonde's shoulders. "I mean it."

Spike looked bored. "Where're the violins and the choir? Let's just get on with it." He hit her nose with the thick part of his palm, and then reeled back in pain, grabbing his head and gritting his teeth, which forced back any screams that would've made him appear any less tough. "Happy?!"

"And it hurt him." Buffy was wincing, but sort of smiled, grabbing Tara's hands and checking her nose for injuries. It looked fine. "So what's that mean?"

"How's the weather up there? Any cobwebs?" Buffy called. Leaving, her arm remained on Tara's shoulders. "You know, I watched Chasing Amy a few days ago, and I think I figured out why you like Joey Lauren Adams." Her friend flushed. "Can she kiss or what? But what I thought was even cooler, was how someone who liked girls could fall in love with a guy. You think that works in reverse, but with a happier ending? Like, on occasion?"

Twenty-four hours later, Tara walked into the Bronze, finding Buffy sitting at a table near the stage. Willow had asked to meet here, but she didn't see her fellow Wiccan anywhere in the club. She was happy to see the slayer, though, and hoped she didn't mind some company until their mutual friend made her appearance. The witch was in high spirits, being secure in her humanity, and there was a chance that Buffy might feel like she did about her. Best of all, the revelation hadn't scared her off.

"Tara!" Buffy called when she got closer to the table, motioning her over. "What're you doing here?"

"You mean...? I w-wonder where she is, then." Tara looked around as she situated herself in the chair.

"Beats me. When she shows, she shows, I guess." Buffy shrugged, her fingers drumming on the tabletop. "Want a drink?"

Buffy sat her hand over Tara's, anger bubbling up. "Whatever she said to you, it's not true."

"I know. I got it the first ten times." The Wiccan smiled when her friend blushed. "I appreciated all of them, though."

The music being played distracted them from talking, and so their only other option was to look at each other, which they did quite extensively until Buffy decided to give conversing another shot.

"Good, aren't they?" She asked, referring to the band. "But what kind of a name is 'The Spayed Cats'?" Buffy made a face.

"I've wanted a kitten since I was four. I'd get one, but there's n-no pets allowed on campus." Tara said, disappointedly.

"Want my opinion? Rules are meant to be broken." Came Buffy's less than legal endorsement for her having an animal companion, and then she sighed.

"It's just...every time I watch people play up there, I think about Oz. Then about him and Willow, and then about what he did."

"If he's smart, he will. Who'd be dumb enough to let Willow go for good? The werewolf issue doesn't cut it." Buffy thought that was an excuse.

"I don't know the whole story, but the way she talks, she lov-loved him a lot." Tara added. "I'd hate to see her stay lonely."

"Our lives are really twisted. The only guys we can see ourselves with are vampires, and ones that literally turn into dogs three nights a month." The slayer considered that. "We need therapy."

"Maybe th-that's a sign." Tara said it more bluntly than it had sounded in her head, which shocked her. "Uh..."

They both knew what she was getting at. To Buffy, the fact that Tara was attracted to her was flattering, and the more she thought about it, the fact that the attraction went both ways became less of a concern.

"Maybe it is." The slayer agreed with a small smile. "I dunno what the hold up is with her, but are you sure you're not thirsty? Cause I was gonna get sodas."

"I am a little." The blonde witch withdrew her previous answer, so she could say this: "I'll come with you."

"Have you thought about what you're gonna call it?" Buffy questioned. "The kitten?"

They left the table holding hands, and from her viewpoint backstage, even though she couldn't hear the words, a redhead threw a fist in the air with an exclamation of, "Yes!"

Buffy was sitting on the floor in Tara's room two weeks later, eating pizza, drinking soda, and watching Mall Rats. Willow had talked to them both earlier in the day, telling them to meet her at a restaurant, where reservations were made. If she wasn't there when they showed, the instructions were to order without her. But she wouldn't ever show, because given that similar conversations had taken place over the past fourteen days with the same result, it was considered a pretty safe bet. Willow's efforts were appreciated, but they were capable of hanging out without her assistance.

There was the Bronze, the movies, the Pump, and they were always duped. It was part of the redhead's crack plan to hook them up. When they realized she wasn't going to arrive, they figured they'd stay anyway, so as not to waste a trip. Three unofficial dates had transpired, but they were finally wise to her tricks. Staying in and pigging out was their original, very own idea, and the blondes were continuing to discover more about one another. Now that Tara didn't have to carry the burden of being a demon, she talked openly, and with confidence.

"This I don't get." Buffy commented, watching the screen. "In Chasing Amy she wasn't even naked once, and you think she would've been. Was there or was there not some serious sex talk in that movie?" She pointed. "But here, she plays a totally different person, and you see her breasts for two seconds in a dressing room."

The slayer, who was taking a sip of her soda, spit it out when she heard that, and swatted the witch. "Y-you...you don't say that when someone's drinking! Especially Coke! What if it came out my nose? It burns, you know. Could be toxic."

Tara laughed, and they continued eating their dinner and watching the film. "I never see the Magic Eye pictures, either. Some witch." She said, frowning at one of the many scenes where that guy was trying desperately to see the sailboat. "What is it?"

Buffy had grown quiet. She was physically and emotionally feeling things around Tara that hadn't been issues until her arrival, and as much as she was coming to grips with her attraction, not all of the internal barriers had been broken down yet. On their 'dates,' she was completely relaxed, but her small quip just now had the shorter blonde questioning whether or not she really was disappointed in the lack of nudity in that dressing room. Which then led down a tricky path, ending with a question she wasn't sure she had a right to ask.

It was none of her business, but the words left her before her brain could catch up with her train of thought. "You don't have to answer, but...when did you realize...?"

"Only if you wanna tell me." Buffy said. "No pressure—pressure free question."

Tara smiled, took a bite of a slice, and once it was swallowed, she began. "It was after my mom died. Between her and my cousin Beth, they were like, my w-world. When she was gone, Beth didn't come around much, and it...I got lonely. I think her dad told her what mine told me, and she was the only family I felt comfortable around."

"Yeah. My dad always had his friends over—sometimes their sons came, but they weren't allowed to talk to me cause no-nobody could know. I guess they were good-looking, but I didn't notice; I didn't even know I was supposed to. I went to school, but I didn't have any girls as friends because I was...kinda scared of them. I didn't know what to say, or-or do. And guys th-thought I was weird. Usually it was okay, I could handle it. I had my mom, and we'd do magick when my dad and brother were out of the house; that was all I cared about. With her not there though, I was pretty lost.

"In tenth grade I, uh, got the courage to sit next to Ashley Michaels. I wanted a friend; I needed to t-talk to someone so much that it was driving me crazy. I missed her, but I had to heal...you know?" The slayer nodded encouragingly, so the girl trudged forward. "At first it was sort of strange, and then you couldn't separate us." Buffy smiled at Tara's wistful look. "We stayed best friends through senior year. Michaels and Maclay—M&M. That-that was our nickname." She smiled an embarrassed smile at the silliness of it. "The only thing she didn't know about me was what...I-I could do. We lived in a small town, and Mom always told me not to tell anybody. Especially Dad. But I wanted to. I wanted to show her everything.

"I didn't know what I was f-feeling until a week before Prom. We were talking about who we were gonna ask, and I was staring at her, and something inside of me just said, 'Kiss her.' When it happened it surprised us both, but then I knew I was in love with her. I r-really was, and I figured she felt like...like I did. I hadn't been that close to anyone since my mom, except...it was totally different than before." Tara hung her head. "Th-that's when she screamed to her parents and called me a d-dy..."

Buffy placed a finger underneath her chin, and guided her head back up, seeing tears streaming down her face. "You don't have to say it, Tara. Ever."

The Wiccan had to finish. "Well, m-my dad gave me the money he'd been saving to fix our camper, and ord-ordered me to buy a bus ticket with it. He didn't want me embarrassing him anymore." She sighed. "So I packed what I had, then I l-left. It was a good thing I got accepted to UC Sunnydale, otherwise I would've had no place to go."

While Tara wiped the tears from her eyes, Buffy hugged her with enthusiasm. "Thank you. And yes, your enrollment here is a very good thing. There's much gladness for your attendance. Somebody in this town actually did something right for a change; it's a miracle that should be documented."

"I think that's a slight exaggeration. My mistakes have my good, slayerish deeds outnumbered by like, a thousand." Buffy wasn't joking.

"Maybe, but you're still a better person than Ashley. *Multiplied* by a thousand." Tara cracked a smile. "You've been so cool about letting me into your life, gr-great about it. Thanks to you and Willow, I know the truth...about a-a lot of things. You...you guys, are the best thing that's ever..." She tapered off. "I'm glad I'm here, too."

"Happy to hear that. And the Fates must be on your side." The slayer grinned, pulling back so she could see her face. "I've been doing my homework again, can you tell?"

"They wouldn't care about what ha-happens to me..." Tara diminished her self-esteem.

Buffy decided something then. To hell with that other meaningless crap. She was falling in love. Or was she there already? This girl appeared so plain and ordinary upon a glance, but was really indescribable. Still, it was worth a shot—sexy while being cute, incredibly sweet and polite, powerful, knowledgeable, caring...and despite some attacks, innocent. Her own innocence was taken from her, and she could never reclaim it. She had to make sure Tara kept hers for as long as possible; she'd failed Willow as soon as Oz left.

"If you had a quick cram session, you'd remember that nothing and nobody is insignificant to the Fates, and never will be—you're slipping. We've all got important parts to play, right?" Buffy never thought knowledge would be useful, but here she was applying some.

"I'm sorry you had to go through what you did," Buffy said sincerely, "but it would stink, after They went to all that trouble, if we didn't just do this, don't you think?" She paused. "You've never had a girlfriend." Tara nodded. "I've never had a girlfriend." Nodding again. "But we both want one."

"Not saying anything." The slayer leaned forward, effectively capturing the Wiccan's lips and staking a claim, so to speak. It was brief, however. "I didn't misread the whole situation, did I?"

Tara's response was to kiss her back. Again and again and again. All the things she could possibly want she was getting, and she wouldn't have believed Buffy would ever feel like she did. It was just another way in which the strong blonde was different than her once friend back home; she was *not* going to shy away from this. She wasn't going to shy away from much any longer.

"And I thought your hands were talented." Buffy winked, and the sly, strangely confident grin Tara gave her said that there was plenty in store for the future. "Now more kissing. Must be kissing..."

"Aha! I knew I'd..." Willow charged into the room to find them in the midst of their intimate activity. "Eep."

The blondes turned in her direction, and Buffy spoke for them. "Willow, hey. What, you call the restaurant and we weren't there?"

"How'd you know?" The redhead frowned. "Shoot. I didn't do a darn thing. Cupid? Sure, a Super Stupid Cupid."

"No, you did, and we'll give you all the credit if anyone asks." Her new magickally-inclined girlfriend was busy sliding her fingers down the long locks of hair that were situated behind her ear. "Won't we?"

"Absolutely." Tara agreed, though she was a little too ecstatic to focus on reality.

"Really? You promise?" They nodded their heads affirmatively. "Okay, but I'm still owed some more vicarious smoochin'. So get the show on the road." Willow requested.

"Fine, if you won't kiss, then...then I get to eat the rest of that pizza!" The redhead stuck her tongue out. "It's only fair."

"Whatcha up to, Buff?" Xander said as he sat beside her on Giles' couch a few weekends later. She lifted up the magazine she was reading. "Ah, the feminine joy that is Cosmo. Which top-notch article is so distracting?"

"Not an article. Quiz. Significant other. Important. Ssh." Buffy responded despite her engrossed state, and then he took the magazine from her. "Hey!"

Yeah, the gang knew about them; she didn't waste any time conveying the news. From Xander's perspective, it would've made more sense for Willow and Tara to be together, but he had little objection. After all, what did he know about girls? He was an ex-demon's sex slave for crying out loud. It led him to the conclusion that Angel had to be quite the specimen of maleness if Buffy felt the need to change her gender preference now that the vampire was gone. That didn't do much for his pride, but he'd learned to shut up.

She bit her lip. "White. She's got white Christmas lights hanging in her dorm. That makes it her favorite color, doesn't it?"

"Course it is. There's different shades; like off-white and milky-white." Buffy stated matter-of-factly.

They looked at one another. Stumped, they looked toward the kitchen and inquired together, "Giles, is white a color!?"

"I'm rather, ah...busy, at the moment. I'd like to keep my house in one piece." The adult of the group couldn't figure out how Anya had talked him into letting her cook something in his oven; smoke was emerging from it. "Back away. I beg you."

"I don't get it! The overweight man on TV just says 'Bam' and the food appears. What am I doing wrong?" The ex-demon yapped.

"Xander says all we do is have orgasms, and that that's not enough. Wouldn't you be happy with orgasms?" That was worth a shudder from him. "I don't know what his problem is, but I just wanted to make him an appetizing meal. For some variety. Because I've been reading about fetishes, and we can have sex with the leftovers afterwards."

"You're obviously cranky." She deduced. "Why, because you were born British? Well, stop it. Just hope you die soon and get reincarnated in a different country."

"Xander, tell him it's not my fault he's got such an odd, easily misinterpreted vocabulary!" Anya said loudly.

Xander slouched out of view, and whispered to Buffy. "This is me ducking." She snickered. "Where's your witchy woman, anyway?"

"She went with Willow to the magick shop." Buffy told him. "They should be back soon."

"That's brave. You can really leave them alone?" She glared at him. "Which is a dumb thing for me to say, cause when it comes to gayness and girls and boundaries, I'm clueless." He paused. "Are there orgies?"

"Hmm." Xander scanned the page. "Two blondes walk into a bar. One's a slayer and one's a witch. How long does it take 'em to screw," She gaped. "in a light bulb?"

"Don't you trust me? That hurts." His pained expression couldn't get any more hammed up.

She grinned sweetly. "Xander, do you like your arm?" The Wiccans had good timing, walking in, then. This distracted him, so she took back her property. "I knew it wasn't! Now make room for my girlfriend."

"Would someone please remove her from my kitchen?" Giles was on the verge of pleading, so Xander jumped to it.

Tara occupied his vacated spot, accepting a kiss and a small squeeze around her waist.

"Later." The girlfriends grinned. "Um, there was...we-we r-ran by campus on the way here, and there were all these police outside Lowell House."

"The Initiative's place? What was going on?" The slayer asked. The only response was a face turning red. "Will?"

The redhead sat on the arm of the sofa. "We asked a couple people. They uh, they all said they heard two...uh, you know, somebodys inside, having sex every time they walked by. Since yesterday morning, I think. It must've been noisy...and they're, um, sorta dead now."

"That's horrible! Does this mean I have to be celibate? Cause I can't do that!" Anya exclaimed.

"No, you don't understand! Abstinence kills! I've had a few nuns as clients, and they're always frustrated! Sometimes to the point of insanity! So you have to do something!" Anya was insistent.

Buffy was sure they would—once they all stopped being embarrassed. "Tara, white's a color, isn't it?"

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Life's Surprises: Someone Different

By Pat Kelly

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