Chapter Thirteen: Tara's Story

Previously in Beauty Within...

"What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?" Willow said, using the same words from before.

Tara chuckled slightly, unable to stop the laugh that slipped from her lips. "A lot. I'm not sure where to start," Tara admitted, looking at Willow with fear reflecting in her eyes.

"Tara, its okay. You can tell me whatever you want. Start where ever is easiest for you," Willow offered, taking Tara's hands in hers.

"None of it's easy, Will," Tara whispered, looking down at their hands.

"We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to, but I'm here for you if you want me to be," Willow told her, squeezing Tara's hand in comfort. "I'm always here for you."

"I want to talk about it, Will, but I'm scared of what you'll think," Tara said softly, ducking her head to hide behind her hair.

"Hey," Willow whispered, reaching out to put her hand under Tara's chin and lifting it. "You don't have to be scared with me. You don't have to hide."

Tara smiled slightly at Willow's words, before leaning in to kiss the redhead. It surprised her when all the tension left her at the feeling of Willow's lips against her own. They kissed for a few minutes, lost in each other before Tara finally pulled back, taking Willow's hand in her own as she played with the redhead's fingers.

"The reason I reacted the way I did to that guy was because it brought a lot of bad memories back," Tara admitted, looking into Willow's eyes as she spoke.

"What kind of memories?"

Tara was silent for a moment, trying to think of the best way to explain everything to Willow. As she gathered her thoughts, Willow sat silently, waiting patiently for Tara to open up.

"Before my mom and I moved to Sunnydale, my life was very different. My father was a cruel man. If something wasn't how he wanted it to be, he'd get angry. When I was young, my mom always told me not to let it get to me, he was just over reacting..." Tara paused, trying to collect her thoughts as she remembered her past. "I remember this one day when I was about 10. I was walking into the living room and I heard my parents arguing. It wasn't anything unusual, they argued a lot. This particular day, when I walked into the living room I saw my dad slap my mom. I was shocked. I wasn't sure how to react or what to say. It was the first time I had ever been right there when he hit her. After the shock wore off, I went on the offensive. I started yelling at him, demanding he apologize to her." Tara went silent, remembering the day that she learned what kind of man her father truly was. "He hit me, well, slapped me hard across the face and knocked me to the ground. My mom was furious about it. She told him never to touch me again."

"Oh, Baby," Willow whispered, reaching out to touch Tara's cheek in a comforting gesture. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"That's not the worse thing, Will. He did a bunch of horrible stuff to me until my mom took us away from there. I have the scars to prove it. Physical and emotional," Tara explained, leaning into the redhead's touch.

"You don't have to tell me, Tara. If you need some time, I understand," Willow told her, concerned for the blonde and not wanting to push her too far.

"I need to get this out. I never felt comfortable enough to tell someone about this, but with you, I don't feel as afraid," Tara admitted, looking at Willow.

"Take your time. I'm here for however long you need," Willow whispered, gently brushing her thumb over Tara's cheek.

Tara nodded and gave her a small smile, enjoying how the redhead's touch had a calming effect on her. "He started out just hitting me, slapping me across the face if he disapproved of something, but when I came out to them, it was worse. That was the first time he beat me. I remember laying on the ground, crying as he continued to hit me," Tara explained, stopping as she took a deep breath to calm herself. "After a while, the beatings stopped effecting me and he knew it. It infuriated him that I stopped crying when he'd hit me. So he allowed Donnie and all his friends to use me as they wanted. He didn't care what happened to me. I was just a mistake."

"Tara..." Willow said softly, whipping the tears from the blonde's eyes before pulling her into her arms. "You should not have been treated like that."

"My mom found out what was happening by walking in on it. She was so angry that he allowed them to hurt me like that. That night we packed up our things and left. Mom had money saved up from my grandfather and she got us a bus ticket to the furtherest place she could find. We ended up staying in a hotel a lot on the road. We even lived in a hotel for a few months while she was looking for a house and a job, but she found everything she needed here. She made us a good life here," Tara remembered, a distant look filling her blue eyes as she remembered the fear and calmness that had filled her when she left her father's home.

"I never knew any of this. I don't think anyone knew about why you were there. We all just thought your mom got a new job or something."

"I didn't want anyone to know. I didn't want anyone to look at me like I was a victim," Tara explained, staring into Willow's green eyes.

"That's why you became popular because people didn't care. They just saw a pretty face," Willow realized as she stared into the blue eyes that she loved.

"That's all I needed them to see. Cordy was too shallow to try to learn about me and so were the others. Anya was the only one who wanted to know about my life, but she seemed to understand it wasn't something I felt comfortable talking about. She was the only one who knew who I was without knowing about me being a victim," Tara explained.

"That's why you two were so close in high school? Because she was the only one who really knew you?" Willow asked, trying to understand Tara's friendship with the strange woman.

"Yeah, and Anya is just...Anya. She's not stuck up like Cordy and the Cordettes, and she's not afraid to express her feelings and thoughts. It was easy to spend time with her and not worry about what she truly thought of me," Tara told her, smiling. "Anya was the only one who knew I was a lesbian in high school."

"Must have made it easier. Everyone knew I was," Willow admitted, smiling at Tara even as the memories of the torments and cruelty came back.

"I'm sorry that they treated you like that."

Reaching out, Willow took Tara's hand in hers. "I'm not. It made me better. I was a nerd in high school and was treated badly for it, but now I'm one of the most successful people and I'm dating everyone's fantasy girl," Willow said, a huge smile on her face. "Four years of torture was worth it."

They sat there silently for a few moments, lost in thought as they looked out at the ocean before Willow spoke again. "I'm proud of you," Willow whispered, causing Tara to look at her in confusion.

"Huh?"

"After everything you've been through, you're still such a strong and thoughtful person. You don't let them control you anymore."

A/N: Thank you Gimpy72 for all the help with this chapter. I really appreciate all your thoughts and help with rewriting pieces.