Part 3
"No mom, I wasn't just pretending to love Oz. I really did love him." Willow said into the phone.
"Well then why aren't you dating another nice boy?" Her mom asked from the other end of the line.
"Because I didn't fall in-love with 'another nice boy'! I fell in-love with Tara!" Willow lay down on the bed that she was sitting on.
"What about your friend Alexander? You always used to like him a lot. Maybe you just think you're in-love with this girl because Alex is dating Amy."
"It's Xander and Anya. And I haven't liked him the way you think I do since I was seventeen! Why can't you just except that I have a girlfriend rather than a boyfriend now?"
"Look honey, I think we should talk about this in person. How about you join your father and I for dinner tomorrow night? I can make pasta." Her mom offered.
"Can Tara come?"
"I think it'll be best if she didn't. Maybe another time though."
"I'll be there around seven. Bye mom."
"Bye honey. See you tomorrow."
Willow hung the phone up and walked over to where she had a photograph of her and Tara. She took the picture frame in one hand, and used the other to tenderly stroke a finger over Tara's image.
"When did everything get so complicated and confusing?" She wondered, sitting back on her bed with the photo still in hand.
"A year ago I was dating Oz. Sure, he was a werewolf, but we were in-love. Just as Tara and me are now. Only, Oz and I were allowed to be together." Willow tried not to let herself cry, but she couldn't help it. It was all so unfair! The not knowing was the worst part. Not knowing if she'd fallen for Tara because of some repressed sexuality thing. Or because of Tara as a person. After all, it wasn't as if whenever she saw a movie she found herself attracted to the actresses rather than the actors. And when she had first heard Giles singing a while back, she had found it to be quite sexy and even been reminded of the crush that she had had on him when they had first met.
"Why can't this be over? Why can't Tara and I just be together without worrying about people judging us? There has to be someone who understands what I'm going through." Willow thought. Then, realizing there was someone who could give her some advice. Willow put the photo back on the side and dug around in a draw until she found her address book.
Going back over to the phone, Willow flicked through the little book before picking up the handset and dialed a number.
"Cordelia? It's Willow."
"Mom! Mom!" Buffy yelled out for her mom as Dawn followed her into the house.
"I'm in here Buffy. Is your sister with you?" Joyce called from the lounge.
Buffy and Dawn entered the living room and stood in front of their mom, glaring at her.
"Dawn! I know I upset you, but you shouldn't have run off like that." Joyce scolded her youngest daughter.
"I had a right to be upset. My mom's decided she's going to get married to someone we didn't even know she was dating!" Dawn practically yelled, on the verge of tears.
"I never thought I'd say this mom, but Dawn's right. How could you do this? I'm mean, I know you two had sex when you were reliving your teenage years, but since when were you an item?" Buffy asked angrily.
"You and Giles had sex!" Dawn, clearly grossed out, interrupted her mom before she could even start to reply to her sister.
"Yes, we did. Not that my private life is any of either of your business's."
"It is our business when you decide we're going to have step-father, especially when he's, like, my friend!" Buffy declared, tears filling her own eyes now.
"Look, we're not going to get anywhere like this, so why don't you two sit down and let me explain the situation?" Joyce suggested. Slightly reluctantly, the sisters sat down next to their mom and listened.
"About two years ago, when Buffy was a senior, Giles and I were seeing each other. Then, when his old girlfriend Olivia turned up in Sunnydale last year, all of his old feelings for her came flooding back, and because we didn't consider ourselves to be an item as such, he got back with her. A few months ago however, Giles invited mer over to dinner and told me that he and Olivia had decided their long distance relationship wasn't working, and split up." Joyce told her daughters.
"So Giles stopped dating Olivia. What's that got with anything except that the two of you hurt one less person?" Dawn jabbed angrily.
"It has to do with Rupert and I because it was Olivia who had pointed out to him his feelings for me." Joyce said.
"Huh!?" Buffy and Dawn asked their mom in unison.
"Olivia new about mine and Rupert's relationship, and apparently he told her a lot about me. So, when they split up, Olivia told Rupert that it was obvious to her it was me he was in love with." She explained.
"You've been engaged for months without telling us?" Buffy asked, trying to hide how upset the situation made her.
"Of course not. We got engaged a few days ago. There is something else I should tell you though. About the wedding."
"Please don't say you're pregnant." Dawn practically begged.
"No, I'm not pregnant." Joyce reassured Dawn.
"Then what is it?"
"The date of the wedding. It's next week."