She couldn't sleep.
Not even with a purring Miss Kitty Fantastico curled up in her lap and Willow nestled softly against her, emitting gentle half-snores.
The conversation they had had earlier still played through Tara's mind. Willow was so loving, so reassuring. But there was no way she could ever understand the position Tara and Dawn were in. They were outsiders.
Tara had told Willow that she wasn't sure she even wanted to penetrate that fortress surrounding the rest of the group, but mostly that was because she still had something to hide. It made her feel ashamed to admit this to herself, but, yes, she wished she could have a place like that to belong. A real family.
It should be enough that she had Willow. She knew that.
But seeing Dawn today, or, more exactly, really noticing how Dawn had been repeatedly pushed aside as an afterthought, made Tara feel such a pang in her heart. The girl was like a reflection of her in many ways, and you could never hide the truth in front of a mirror.
Willow smiled in her sleep then, mumbling something into Tara's skin, her eyes still firmly closed.
Tara cradled her lover closer, resting her chin on Willow's now-messy hair and watching the mauve-orange ripple near the horizon. She made a promise then, in the minutes before the sun peeked through. Maybe they'd never be Scoobies, but she and Dawn would always be family.