AN: This is the last chapter split into two parts for convenience sake. It all takes place in and around 'New Moon Rising.' If you know the episode, you will know when everything takes place. The story is drawing to a close so please review while it's fresh!

Tara awoke the next morning. She remembered a dream she had had the previous night and smiled. Suddenly, however, she realized that she was not in her own bed. The previous night had not been a dream, it really happened! Tara practically burst with happiness. Slowly, the girl next to her woke up as well.

The redhead smiled. Seeing Tara's face first thing in the morning was definitely something she could get used to. "Morning," she said sleepily.

"Morning sleepyhead," said Tara with her signature half smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"How could I not?" Willow asked teasingly. Incessantly flirting with Tara. Also something I could get used to.

Tara could not stop herself from smiling. It happened. She had finally slept with the girl of her dreams. Well, not 'slept with' except in the most literal sense of the phrase. But somehow that made it even more special for Tara. She had never been intimate with anyone before, male or female, and she wasn't sure she was ready just yet. Willow, being new to the experience entirely was certainly not ready for physical intimacy and, although neither of them said anything, they both knew how the other felt. For now, this sort of thing was exactly what they needed.

Willow was about to ask Tara what she wanted to do for breakfast when the phone rang. She reached over to grab it. "Hello?" "An hour?" "Uh, yeah I guess I can do that. At Giles'?" "O-okay I'll be there in a bit." She hung up the phone and turned to Tara. "Scooby meeting," she said apologetically. "I-I'm really sorry, I'd stay if I could I just—"

"Willow it's alright, I understand." Admittedly, Tara had been looking forward to spending the morning with Willow. Hell, she had been looking forward to spending every waking moment of the rest of her life with Willow, but reality had to hit eventually. Tara would always be on the outside. A sacrifice she was willing to make if it meant she could be with the girl lying next to her as much as possible.

"I know you do, I just still feel bad that—" Willow paused. She smacked herself on the forehead. "Oh, duh! Tara, come to the Scooby meeting with me!"

Tara's heart leaped back into her chest. "A-are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course I'm sure," Willow said excitedly. "Before, I was so intent on keeping the two parts of my life—you and the Scoobies—completely separate. But I don't know why I would ever want that. I want the most important person in my life to be a part of the most important thing in my life." She smiled and stroked Tara's cheek as she said this. She couldn't help thinking that she should be worried about sounding too presumptuous in saying these things to Tara, but she simply didn't care. Everything she said was true and she wanted Tara to know it.

"I-I'd love to come," she said, not in the least phased by Willow's words. "If you think it'd be okay with your friends I mean…"

"Of course it will be," Willow exclaimed. "And you shouldn't refer to them as 'my friends' anymore. They're as much your friends as mine. You're a part of the family now." The two smiled, gazing into each other's eyes as they had begun to do so often. They drew closer and entered into series of soft but passionate kisses. Tara pulled back for a moment.

"We really should get going, Will," said Tara, hating herself for saying the words.

"But…kisses…" said Willow with a pout.

Tara smiled. She pulled Willow's protruding lower lip into her mouth and quickly relinquished it. "We'll pick it up later sweetie," she said with a sly smile. She got up and left the room to prepare for the day.

Willow fell back onto her pillow and exhaled softly. "Wow."

Later never came.

Tara had been so excited for the rest of that day. She knew it would hold something special. She had practically been on cloud nine, and there was almost nothing that could bring her down. Almost. Obviously, as fate would have it, the one thing that could mess everything up for her had stood in the doorway earlier the previous day.

Tara was distraught. The conflicting emotions she felt were nearly enough to drive her insane. She loved Willow so very much, and that meant that nothing was more important to her than Willow's happiness. Tara was never one to look out for her own feelings, always putting others before herself. She had been taught from a young age that she didn't matter. What others had to say was far more important than whatever she was thinking. And so she wanted to put Willow's happiness before her own.

At the same time though, Willow had shown Tara something new about herself. Tara now knew that she was special, and that she did matter. Willow was the only person who had ever made her feel like she was important, and now that was making things more complicated than they already were. She wanted to be happy for Willow, she truly did, but she couldn't help feeling resentment towards Oz for stealing her happiness as soon as she had found it.

That's not fair Tara. It's not his fault and you know it. It's your own fault for letting yourself get attached. If you hadn't let this girl into your life you wouldn't have been happy for yourself, and wouldn't be taking pity on yourself now. Whenever Tara had a particularly self-deprecating stream of thought, it was always in her Father's disapproving voice.

I am happy for her. She was never meant to be with me, I see that now. And as long as she's happy, a little part of me can be happy too. Tara had finally accepted reality. Willow never wanted to be with her. She was the rebound girl, or something. It didn't matter now. She had to let Willow know that everything was okay and that she was happy for her.

She walked over to Willow's dorm, ready to have the conversation she was dreading. When the door opened, she received an arrow through the heart. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Oz had managed to cause her pain simply by standing in a doorway. Her brain shut down. She knew he had said something and that she had responded something in return, but for the life of her she did not know what words had passed between them. She ran from the dorm trying as hard as she could to keep from crying.