Disclaimer: All characters are property of 20th Century FOX and Mutant Enemy. Even if they don't deserve it, after what they did.

Rating: PG

Author: Me, Tasha

Setting: SunnyD, before and a little during the eppy "Family"

***

Willow snuggled up to Tara; she guessed it was about two o'clock in the morning. She closed her heavy eyelids before dozing back off to sleep. Tara sat awake though. She had a terrible nightmare, her father and brother were chasing her with a net and calling after her: 'MONSTER! DEMON! Get it!' It wasn't the dream itself that bothered her, what made her feel uneasy was that her own father had called her an 'it'. She thought about waking Willow up, right then and there. But telling her in the middle of the night like that? She might come off as, well, crazy. And the last thing she wanted was for Willow not to like her anymore. She kept her going. She is the one that Tara got up for in the morning. Willow had shown her a whole new side to herself, a side she was proud of. Thoughts of Willow finally put her back to sleep. She awoke the next morning to her alarm clock beeping in her ear.

"Mornin' sleepy head." Willow said from the other side of the bed

"Hey there...how long have you been up?"

"Oh, you know, an hour...or two. But now you're up so we can go get some munchies."

"Willow? There's s-something I need to t-tell you, alright?" Tara asked shakily, she always stuttered when she had to say something she didn't want to.

"What is it?"

"I'm...I-I am.... a...really hungry, c-can we go?" she heard the words come out of her mouth but could barely believe it. She had lied again. First with the demonic activity spell, and now she had lied about being a demon all together. What was she doing! She loved Willow and with every lie she just hurt her more.

"Sure! Lets get dressed and we'll go out someplace." Willow replied with a smile.

-Later that day...-

*I will tell her! I will. No more lies or hiding potions under the bed or- or nothing! Just say:' Willow I'm a demon.' No! It is to, straight and to the point. I need to break it softly, like: 'Willow I need to tell you something, I'm part demon and on my 20th birthday I'm going to turn into that part.' That seems okay, except for the Willow screaming and running away in horror part! UGH, how will I tell her with out breaking her heart? * Tara thought as she walked to the Magic Box after her class.

"Hey there Tara!" Buffy said from behind one of the bookshelves.

"Hi. Have you s-seen Willow?"

"Nope, maybe she's at the dorm. Or at Giles, or the library, or-ouch. I'm giving myself a brain-ache." Buffy replied rubbing her forehead

"Okay then, I'll just t-talk to her at home t-then. I'd better go a-and feed Ms. Kitty-Fantastico. So I guess I'll see you l-later."

"Sure, see ya." She said waving goodbye to Tara

"What was that all about?" Anya asked popping out from counter "Did it involve money? If it did tell me if not then leave me alone." She disappeared behind the desk again and Buffy could faintly hear: "one hundred dollars, one hundred-one dollars, one hundred-two dollars." *What a character* she thought

But at that same time Tara was back home and trying to regain the sleep she had lost the night before, but still no luck. She knew what she had to do and she needed to do it now. Before it was to late, before.before she changed. She thought about what she would look like as a demon. Scale-y, slimy, or just plain gross. She was scared, scared of herself. What she was capable of doing.to Willow and to everyone around her. Tara lie back on her soft pillow and she felt a warm tear trickle down the side of her face. It felt unusually comforting, she wanted to cry and not ever stop. But then she remembered that Willow would be home soon and she needed to put on a good face for her, at least. A half an hour went by before she did come home. In that time Tara looked up spells, incantations, potions, charms, anything that might just stop her transformation.

"I'm home! Ms. Kitty? Tara? Are you back too? Hiding maybe?" Willow shouted from the doorway

"We're in here. C-Come on tell me about your d-day."

"Well, after class I went to the library and then to Giles' house. And then I went to the Magic Box and now I'm home. By the way, Buffy said that you were looking for me?"

"Yeah, I-I was. Earlier, I just n-needed to, I mean.I wanted t-to talk with y-you. I was lonely." She said smiling sheepishly

"Awwwwww! That is so sweet, I missed you too." Willow ran over and put her arms around the girl. Tara took a deep breath and inhaled the young Wicca's scent. In the back of her mind she wondered, would this be the last time she would get to hug her? The thought pained her, but she tried not to show it.

"Willow, how about y-you and I go to the Magic Box? We can get supplies f-for stuff. Always g-good to be p-prepared, right?"

"Good idea! I need some more Bengla Root and some more incense. Let get our stuff and we'll head out." She said unaware of the tears welling up in her lovers' eyes. Tara went to her closet and grabbed a coat and wiped her eyes on a sweatshirt at the same time. She didn't like crying this much, she didn't want to be come a demon. In a few days she would be, the day she had feared her whole life was upon her. She just hoped she wasn't around people, as in Willow, when she changed. The two Wiccans walked to the magic shop and had a few conversations on the way. Nothing to interesting, they spoke about Ms. Kitty-Fantastico and their own magickal improvements and discoveries. By the time they arrived she was in a much lighter mood. She even laughed. But her mood would greatly change, she walked into the shop as usual and the clinging of the bell signified their arrival. Tara looked over to the table where Buffy and Xander were sitting. But there was also a new face, one not so new to Tara.

"Hey there birthday girl!" the man shouted

"H-How'd you find m-, I mean what are y-you doing here?"

"Well you don't think we'd miss your big day did ya?"

"We?!" she said in disbelief and confusion. The bell on the door rang again and a tall man and a girl walk into the store. Tara stood there with her jaw agape, unable to speak.



THE END