The North Koreans had their guns drawn on Tara. Satsu was on the ground—knocked-out cold. Things could be worse. Things could be worse, Tara. Honestly, what are you thinking? I'm thinking strategically. They think they just knocked out the strongest person out of the two of us.
While Tara still had the amulet to call for help, she still stood her ground. She didn't want Willow involved in this. It was Tara's mission. She was going to fulfill it no matter what the cost may be. If only she could guarantee that the glamour spell didn't fade and expose Satsu and Tara for who they really were. Let's just hope you're as good of a witch as you think you are.
After spending so much time behind the scenes, Tara needed the distraction. While she was devoted to the Slayer cause, she didn't want to be in the same vicinity as Willow and Kennedy. It had taken over a year for Buffy and Giles to develop Slayer Headquarters in Europe, and Tara was just as much of an asset to the team.
Sure, she had that limp that resulted from when Warren accidentally shot her. It was Buffy who was his main target, and Tara was collateral damage. Thank goodness she was on that ladder changing a light bulb, rather than standing full-fledged in front of the window. It was funny how life worked. Was it fate that put her in front of that window? It sure felt like it sometimes. The ambulance worked double-duty that day. They had Buffy, who was fatally wounded. Then, there was Tara, who was controlling the bleeding in her shin. According to the paramedics, it was a miracle that the bullet didn't sever the femoral artery.
Tara was rushed to another hospital outside of Sunnydale. There was a surgeon that specialized in leg wounds. Buffy was sent to Sunnydale's emergency room on account of her fatal wound. Tara would later find out that Willow went dark from the stress of almost losing her friend and girlfriend at the same time. It was Willow that saved Buffy from the bullet wound and resurrected her.
By then, Willow had already waged her reign of terror on Sunnydale. Warren, the man who shot Tara and Buffy, was skinned alive. The combined efforts of Anya and Giles prevented Willow from becoming even more powerful. But it wasn't enough. Willow threatened Dawn, fought against Buffy, and tried to conjure up a statute of Proserpexa. She was thankful that Xander was able to talk sense into Willow. It was his warmth and kindness which made Willow return to her old self.
For the months that followed, Tara didn't see Willow. Willow was in Europe recuperating with Giles. Tara herself tried to recuperate from her leg wound. She wasn't about to use magic to heal herself—not after how it changed Willow so drastically. Just as when Willow and the Scooby Gang wanted to resurrect Buffy, Tara knew that there were certain limits to magic. If you opposed nature, you stood a great chance of creating chaos.
When Willow finally returned from Europe, she and Tara tried unsuccessfully to rekindle their relationship. Tara had a difficult time forgiving Willow for going dark, and threatening not only the lives of the Scooby Gang but also the town and who knows else. Tara tried to place nice, as everybody else forgave Willow. Tara just had to remain positive. But the final straw was when Willow wanted to use magic to heal Tara's limp. After a bitter argument, the couple finally called it quits. Tara accused Willow of trying to forget about everything that happened.
"Life isn't like that, Willow. You don't just wave your hands and everything goes away in a neat package!" yelled Tara.
"Don't tell me that this is against nature! You weren't supposed to be like this!" yelled Willow.
"Be like what? It's just a limp, Willow. With enough physical therapy, I might get my leg close to normal," said Tara.
Willow was silent.
"It's not like I can't function or live my life! I'm still able to do things. It could've been a lot worse than it is. Why can't you see that?" said Tara.
Willow walked out of the room. That was when Tara knew that their relationship was over. Tara was even glad that Willow became involved with Kennedy. It allowed Tara to end the relationship, move on, and grow into the person she wanted to be. When she broke up with Willow, Tara even thought about moving out of Sunnydale.
It was only when Buffy approached her with a request that changed Tara's mind. She asked Tara to work with Giles and Robin to establish a Slayer Headquarters off site. As a result, Tara was out of the country when the final battle took place. Later on, Tara would find out that she wasn't the only backup. Angel was also given specific instructions if nobody survived the battle. Tara was apprehensive about leaving Willow and the Scooby Gang behind. But Buffy assured her that everything would be all right. It took all of Tara's willpower not to stay behind.
