Disclaimer—Do you think that if I owned Buffy and her team that this season would be so dark and unhappy? Please. Joss the Shipper Slayer holds all the power. Shania Twain owns the song and the title.

Rating—dum de dum, we're gonna say PG but it's prolly not even that...

Summary—Tara thinks about her soulmate. Ship ensues.

Spoilers—Meh…not much, a little season 4, but this is a late season 5 fic, after Joyce's death, but before all the scary stuff happened.

Authors Notes—First I have to thank Sam the adorable purple plot bunny for being so sweet and nice when he bit me as I dried my hair that morning. You're the best bunny ever. ::pets soft bunny head:: Also hugs to my wonderful friend and beta Queen Gwen for her work on this.

Dedication—This is totally for my beloved Kat, my own personal Tara. I love you sweet.

~*~

From this Moment On

~*~

*I do swear that I'll always be there. I'd give
anything and everything and I will always care.
Through weakness and strength, happiness and sorrow,
for better, for worse, I will love you
With every beat of my heart*

*From this moment life has begun
From this moment you are the one
Right beside you is where I belong
From this moment on*

Soft sounds filled the air in the Summers house. Dinner was over and from her position on the couch Tara could hear Dawn and Xander chattering about the proper way to rinse the dinner plates before loading them into the dishwasher. Xander wanted to just to toss them in without rinsing the "Icky food stuff" off. Tara could see in her mind's eye Dawn standing at the sink, arms folded across her chest, ready for battle.

"Xander! The dishwasher can't scrub hard enough to get all the gunk off. You *have* to wash them off before you load them or little crusty bits'll get stuck on the plate." The teen scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"Why do they make machines that only does half of the job? If I had invented the dishwasher—"

"The same reason some people only work part time." Anya chimed in from the dining room table where she was flipping through the latest issue of Glamour magazine.

Xander poked his head out of the kitchen. "What was that Ahn?"

She looked up from her magazine. "I said, the people who made the dishwasher are like the people who only work part time." She smiled sweetly at him then went back to her reading.

"Huh? You lost me."

"She lost me the moment she opened her mouth." Willow muttered quietly from beside Tara. She had her laptop open and was searching for information about Hell Gods, hoping to find a weakness they could use against Glory, the newest of Sunnydale's big bads.

Tara smiled. Willow hadn't meant for her comment to be overheard, and she probably didn't realize she'd spoken. She scooted closer to the redhead and draped her arm over her shoulders.

Willow glanced up, slightly startled. She'd been so engrossed in her research that she'd forgotten Tara was beside her. Blushing faintly she whispered to her lover, "Oops...did I say that outloud?"

Tara frowned sympathetically, "Oh well, you didn't say it very loud. I t-think I was the only one who heard you."

Willow grinned, "Well then it's okay. You're special. I don't care if you hear me." She leaned over and quickly kissed Tara's cheek before returning her attention to her computer screen.

'Me, special?' Tara thought. 'Plain, quiet, shy, wallflower, stuttery me? Special?' She turned her head away, hiding her red face from Willow.

*From this moment I have been blessed
I live only for your happiness
And for your love I'd give my last breath
From this moment on*

As Anya rambled on about the similarities between dishwashers and part-time employees, Tara let her mind drift.

"I was drawn to her from the start, I knew she was different from the others in Wicca Group at the first meeting. She...was brighter then the others. Her aura was strong and she just felt powerful. The other 'wanna blessed be's' weren't half as bright as Willow. I could sense that she was a true witch, and if not that then a very talented sorceress.

"I felt myself becoming attached to her more and more. It didn't take long before I knew I was in love with her. But I didn't know if she returned my feelings. Those few weeks were a blend of heaven—spending more time with her, meeting the inner Willow and loving her even more—and hell—having those feelings and wanted to act on them but being too terrified of scaring her to do anything. But I loved her so much that I was happy to have her friendship alone."

*I give my hand to you with all my heart
Can't wait to live my life with you can't wait to start
You and I will never be apart
My dreams came true because of you*

"In those weeks before, I not only got to know Willow, but her friends...and Oz. She hadn't spoken about her former love much, just a reference here and there. I didn't know much more then that he had left her—claiming he needed to find himself—after she found him with another woman. I could tell that those wounds were still sore, so I didn't press. I could never hurt my Willow."

*From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment on*

"I nearly lost everything when Oz came back. It almost killed me to tell her that she needed to be with the one she loved, even if I wasn't that someone. I thought for sure that I had lost her. I hurried to my dorm room and cried till I was too drained to produce any more tears. I spent the evening in darkness, the only light that of the moonbeams that spilled through the window. I was huddled there for a long while, letting the soft, cool light sooth my wounded soul when I was startled by a quiet knock on the door."

*You're the reason I believe in love
And you're the answer to my prayers from up above
All we need is just the two of us
My dreams came true because of you*

"She chose me. She chose me. She wanted to be with me. She...she loves me. Willow loves me..."

"Hey guys! We're home and I brought nummies!" Buffy's cheerful voice jarred Tara out of her memories. She lifted her head from the pillow that was Willow's shoulder as Buffy, carrying a plastic grocery sack in one hand and two movies in the other entered the living room. Giles followed her, a medium sized battle ax swung over his shoulder and a stake in the other, and nudged the door shut with his foot.

"Back already?" Willow chimed in, as she closed her laptop.

"Yep, it was quiet tonight." Buffy set the movies down on the coffee table. "So we decided to have a family night," she turned and smiled at her Watcher, who was heading to the basement to dispose of the weapons. "I got ice cream and rented Toy Story 2 and The Princess Diaries."

"Sounds great. We haven't had one in a while." The red head leaned forward and peaked into the bag. "Ohhh yum, cookie-dough-fudge-mint-chip and Oreo cookie."

"Did I hear someone say ice cream?" Xander called from the kitchen.

The three girls grinned as Buffy answered, "Fatty frozen milk has arrived. Bring me some bowls and spoons."

Scuffles and muttered words drifted from the back room as Dawn and Xander nearly tripped each other in their rush. Buffy laughed and went to help them.

Willow stared to get up from the couch, but Tara grabbed her arm. Looking deeply into Willow's eyes she simply stated, "Thank you."

Willow blinked, her face puzzled. "Well you're always welcome, but what are you thanking me for?"

"For loving me."

"Ohh... you don't need to thank me Tara. Not ever." Willow leaned in, "I love you." And she sealed her words with a kiss.

*From this moment as long as I live
I will love you, I promise you this
There is nothing I wouldn't give
From this moment
I will love you as long as I live
From this moment on*

~*~

The End.