Chapter 21: Sometimes Tempers Flare

Monday came quickly and neither Willow nor Tara was quite ready for the suddenness of the morning. After their heart to heart, they made love into the early hours of the morning. Their lovemaking was slow and tender, as they mapped each other's bodies, wanting to explore every inch of skin and memorize each little curve. They finally fell asleep, wrapped around each other, after sharing light kisses and murmurs of devotion.

Tara had to be on the set early, but Willow didn't have class until noon. They checked the video monitor and noticed that a few pesky Paparazzi were already hovering in the driveway; apparently they knew around what time the blonde normally left for the studio. They decided that Tara would leave first and hopefully the Paparazzi would follow. Kelly left right after Tara, so Willow found herself alone in her lover's house. She showered and made herself breakfast, settling on the patio with Ralphie to eat and enjoy the morning.

After cleaning up the kitchen and starting the dishwasher, Willow checked the monitor again and it looked as though the coast was clear. Willow had seen exactly how stealthy the Paparazzi could be, so just to be safe, she devised a full proof plan...just in case. She rummaged around her trunk until she found a screwdriver and an old hoodie. She used the screwdriver to remove the license plate, then put on the hoodie, tucking her hair up under the hood. For the final touch, she slid on her Oakley sunglasses. Willow glanced at her reflection on the car window and chuckled. Geez, I look like a cross between Eminem and the Uni-Bomber.She took a picture of herself on her cell and sent it to Tara, knowing that her girlfriend would get a good laugh at her appearance.

As Willow slowly exited through the gate, three photographers leapt from the bushes and started snapping away. Evading the Paparazzi was becoming something of a game to Willow and her competitive streak was starting to show. Willow smirked at the annoying men and sped away before they had a chance to follow. Ha! Willow Rosenberg does not lose. Figure me out now, fuckers.

Even though she had successfully avoided the evil trio, she couldn't help but wonder why they were still there. She'd only told a few people about her Halloween plans and had shut her phone off before the party. When she turned her phone back on earlier that morning, there were several voicemail messages from Stacey and a text from Hunter telling her to check her email. She tried to shake it, but the wheels were already in motion and the more she thought about it…the more she realized that someone must have tipped them off.

Tara's morning had been crazy busy and she was exhausted already. Before heading to her dressing room for a lunch break, Tara grabbed a chef salad and a Diet Coke with lime from the Kraft Services table. She had about an hour before she needed to be back on set and she was starving, having only eaten a banana for breakfast. When she entered her dressing room she found Kelly on the phone and typing on the computer at the same time. She was busy booking Tara on a couple talk shows to promote the upcoming sweeps episodes that were to air throughout November. Tara sat her lunch on the counter and then dug through her purse for her cell.

She turned on her phone and saw that she had a couple voicemails and a couple texts from Willow. Tara had made it a point to never have her cell on the set. Some actors carried their cells on the set and checked them obsessively, which annoyed Tara to no end. She'd always considered the phones to be an unnecessary distraction. Tara had gotten into the habit of always turning hers off and leaving it in her dressing room, even now that she actually had a reason to leave it on and carry it with her.

Tara checked the text messages first and a huge grin spread across her face.

"What are you grinning about?" Kelly inquired, clicking the end button on her phone and setting it in her lap.

"Willow sent me the cutest picture of herself," Tara beamed.

"Hmmm, really?" Kelly asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Not THAT kind of picture, geez Kel!" Not that I would mind. Tara mused internally, as she handed the phone to Kelly.

"You really like her, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. She's really something special."

Kelly looked quizzically at Willow's picture, "Tare, why is she dressed like that?"

"She said there were a few Paparazzi still at the house when she left for school this morning."

"Why would they stay after you left for work? I mean wouldn't have they followed you?" Kelly asked as she handed Tara's phone back.

"I don't know Kel, it's weird. It's like somehow they knew Willow was there. But how?" Tara asked Kelly, but it was more of a rhetorical question.

"No idea."

"Kelly, can you please call Cyndi? See if she can meet with me later today?"

"Sure thing. What do I tell her?"

"Just tell her that I really need to see her and that it's very important. Thanks Kel, I don't know what I'd do without you." Tara put her hand on Kelly's shoulder and smiled.

Kelly smiled, picking up the phone to call the office of Cyndi Bargerson, Tara's publicist, and arranged for Cyndi to meet Tara late that afternoon. With the meeting set, Tara felt better and went about eating her lunch. She sent a text back to Willow, but got no reply, guessing that the redhead was probably still in class. Tara saved the picture Willow had sent and made it her cell phone wallpaper. The blonde smiled affectionately at the photo and ran her finger across her girlfriend's face. My girl.

Willow was relieved that her academic day was finally over. She'd had a very tough time staying focused, between the Paparazzi and the email that Hunter had sent; she was preoccupied to say the least.

After Willow's initial conversation with Hunter, he'd set up Google alert for 'Tara Maclay.' He received a nightly email with anything related to Tara that was posted on the Internet. When he'd checked earlier that morning, he came across several pictures of his sister and her girlfriend at the Halloween party. Not only was it on the front page in the entertainment sections of the mainstream media websites, but it was quickly picked up by the celebrity gossip sites and random bloggers. No one but Hunter knew it was Willow, but the media had latched on and now they were officially interested. It was only a matter of time before they were photographed together.

On the way home Willow stopped at the grocery store and picked up the items necessary for their dinner. She arrived home in the mid afternoon, stunned to find Morgan sitting outside her front door.

"Hey," Willow said reluctantly.

"Hey Will, sorry to show up like this, but I was hoping that we could talk?" Morgan replied.

"Yeah, I guess," Willow shrugged her shoulders, sliding the key in the lock, she opened the door and invited Morgan in, "Just let me put this stuff away." She said as she began to empty the contents of the grocery bag.

"Wine huh? Tara coming for dinner?"

Morgan was being nosy and Willow wasn't interested in playing along, so she just ignored the question.

Morgan knew Willow pretty well and she took her silence as a yes, "So, how have you been?" She asked tentatively.

"Fine." Willow was short with her answers, clearly uncomfortable having Morgan alone in her apartment.

"Listen Will, we really need to talk about this. I seriously hate all this tension between us and it's not good for the team." Morgan stared intently at Willow, with her best concerned look.

Willow smirked, knowing that the part about the team was Morgan's way of trying to lay guilt on her, "What's there to talk about? I'm in a relationship with someone that I genuinely care about and you want to sabotage it; no way I'm gonna allow that to happen. End of story."

"Willow, please don't be like this. I wanna make things right, I want us back." Morgan pleaded.

"Us? There is no us Morgan. Why is that so freakin' hard for you to understand?"

"I don't mean us-us, I mean friends us," Morgan took a step closer to Willow, "I just want things back the way they used to be. I miss you." She reached out and slid a hand down Willow's arm. Allowing her fingers to linger longer that Willow thought was appropriate and causing her hair to stand on end.

"But, you know Will, us-us would be nice too." Morgan added in a small voice, peering up at Willow through half lidded eyes.

And there it is. Willow furrowed her auburn brows, taking a step back and shook her head, "What's wrong with you? Seriously? Did you not hear what I just said?"

"I...I'm not pushing Willow. I just thought that maybe in time…"

"Morgan, it's been three years! That ship has sailed. Why would you think that my feelings would be any different now?" Willow's voice had raised an octave, as her patience was being stretched to the limit.

"Will, I just miss you, we miss you. I mean, you never hang out with us anymore and you blew us off Saturday to go to some snobby celebrity party with people you don't even know. You're hurting the team and you don't even care."

"Wait a minute," Willow cocked her head and glared at Morgan suspiciously, "How did you know where I was on Saturday? I didn't tell anyone." Willow knew that wasn't exactly the truth since she did tell Stacey, but she also knew that Stacey wouldn't blab.

"There's pictures of you and Tara are all over the Internet. Do you think that your friends wouldn't recognize you? What kind of relationship do you think you have Willow? She's so embarrassed to be seen with you in public, that she has you dressing in drag!"

Willow laughed sarcastically and shook her head, "Morgan, it's not what you think. You're so far off base on this, you have no idea."

"Well, then why don't you try explaining it to me?"

"Because my personal life is none of your business."

"When it affects the team it is."

"And just how is it affecting the team?" Willow questioned, defensively crossing her arms across her chest.

"Because you were so distracted with your little girlfriend in the stands last week that you allowed yourself to get injured and we ended up losing the game."

"First of all, I wasn't distracted and secondly I didn't allow myself to get injured. Shit happens," Willow face was now beet red and she was on the verge of screaming, "This conversation is ridiculous! What do you hope to accomplish? Do you want me to say, Oh Morgan you are so right! Why didn't I see it before? I'll break up with Tara right away! Is that what you want to hear?"

"I'm just saying-"

"I know what you're saying and you're completely out of line. You're behavior is disgusting and if you don't plan on apologizing, you can leave now."

"Willow, I just wish you'd listen to reason!"

Willow inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh, trying to calm her nerves, "Morgan, we're done, period. I no longer consider you a friend in any way, shape or form. You are a teammate and I will treat you with respect on the field, but off the field, we will have no personal relationship of any kind. Don't call me, don't email me and don't ever come here again."

"You can't be serious! We have history, you and I are best friends and you're gonna let some Hollywood cunt end our friendship?"

Are you kidding me? I so cannot believe she just went there! "No, YOU ruined our friendship. Now get the fuck out of my house before I physically throw you out on your ass!"

Morgan was livid and Willow actually thought she saw steam coming out of her ears. She spun on her heels and stormed out of Willow's apartment, slamming the door behind her. Willow was a lot calmer than she thought she'd be. Though she was still angry and her hands were slightly shaking, she actually felt a mixture of relief and pride at standing up to Morgan once and for all. She shook her hands and clinched her fists, attempting to alleviate the jitters and shake off some of the anger. She took a deep breath and decided to call Tara. She knew that just hearing Tara's voice would instantly calm the stormy emotions that were swirling within. Unfortunately, the blonde didn't answer.

Morgan's mood was considerably darker as she paced at the foot of the stairs to Willow's building. At that moment, she had nothing but revenge on her mind. She stopped suddenly, turned and jogged to her car. She popped the trunk, rummaged through her school bag and removed a notebook. Morgan grabbed a pen and began writing. When she was done, she ran back up to Willows and quietly inserted the folded paper into the space between the door and the molding. She knew that Tara would be the one to see the note first, and a wide nasty grin spread across her face.