Hey!

Leafsdude here. Tiff asked me to put a little comment in here for her, so here I am. Basically, this story's an AU version of what could have happened after "Wrecked".

Complete fluff warning ahead, too. Great to see someone forking these out constantly. Two thumbs up from me! :)

Anyway, enough from talkative me. Read the story!


Spoilers: "Entropy" and a little from "Gone". Nothing groundbreaking, though.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything (including BtVS, "My Immortal" by Evanescense, and "Without You" by Justincase/Michelle Branch). Don't sue!




Just That Easy


By: Willowbabe





Tara's Dorm

"...You still have all of me..." Tara sang over the sounds of the storm raging outside her apartment. A sudden shadow in the window caught her eye. She grabbed a pencil off of her desk and held it in slaying position. She pulled back the curtains and gasped as a familiar face and another non-familiar, more bumpy-like one stared back at her.

"Buffy..." Tara said.

"Hey, I need to talk to you. One minute." Buffy drop-kicked the vamp and then pulled a stake out of her raincoat and dusted him. She then climbed in the window.

"Hey" she said trying to dry herself off.

"I-I had a pencil." Tara mumbled, not knowing what else to say.

"Why?" Buffy asked. Tara embarrassedly stuck the pencil in her back pocket.

"W-What's up?" Tara wondered about the reason behind the surprise visit. Buffy ran her hand along the outline of the crystals in her pocket.

"How's life?" She asked.

"What's going on? Is everyone okay?"

"Can't a friend just stop by and say hello?"

"No, you're stalling. What's the matter?" Buffy pulled the crystals out of her pocket.

"Here. Willow asked me to give you these."

"So, everything's okay?"

"Better now. Willow's giving up magic." Buffy said. Tara smiled slightly.

"I-I'm so sorry. I got caught up in everything. Do you want a towel or dry clothes? I think I might have something that could fit you." Tara started rummaging through her closet.

"No, I'm good. Uh...Can I be honest?"

"Yea, always."

"Are you dating anyone?"

"Um, Buff...Are you feeling okay?" Tara asked.

"It's not for me, just...Are you dating anyone right now?"

"No. Why?"

"Because I think you and Willow should get back together." Tara shifted uncomfortably.

"Did she send you to ask me this? Cause I want nothing more than that, but I just can't-"

"Please don't get mad at her," Buffy quickly interrupted. "I promise she didn't ask me to do this. She doesn't even know I'm here. I just need to know...Do you still love her?"

"I-I do. I probably always will, but there's just so much that needs to be said and even more things that need to be worked out. She's been through so much. How do I even know we could go back to what we were?" Tara wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Well, why wouldn't you want to try?" Buffy asked. "People would just look at you two and could just see how much in love you were. It was like a little universe for just the two of you and it left everyone wishing that they could have what the two of you had. It was a magic more powerful that the mystic, it came from the soul. You made my best friend happier than I have ever seen her before. And yeah, she's been through a lot, but she got through it. She's giving up the only thing she thinks makes her special. For you. So forgive me if I'm being rude or inconsiderate, but I just want to see my friends happy again. Both of you."

With that Buffy walked to the door, knowing she had made her point. Tara pulled the pencil out of her pocket and nervously twirled it around in her hands.

"It's not that easy. What would you h-have me do? Just walk right up to her and say 'I know we have a thousand things that need to be forgiven but can we just skip it? Can you just be kissing me now?' It doesn't work like that."

"Why not?" Buffy asked. "Why can't it be that easy?"
"Thanks for coming. I'll think about it." Tara finally said. Buffy checked her watch.

"I got to go. I've got to meet the rest of the scoobies at the Bronze. All of them." She said pointedly.

Tara sighed as Buffy walked out. The Bronze. Willow would be there. Was she ready? Tara put the pencil back on the desk and headed toward the closet.




The Bronze

Tara watched as The Scoobies sat at a table close to the stage. She silently crossed behind them and headed up the stairs. She sat down at a table and tried to wish away all of the butterflies in her stomach. The DJ glanced back at her before turning his microphone on.

"All right now, we have a very special request. This song is dedicated from Tara to Willow. Feel the love."

It's been 2 weeks and 3 days long.
I'm all alone,
Since you've been gone.
I can't keep myself from asking why.
Just wanna see my reflection,
In your eyes.

Just know;
That I'm with you,
And what you feel,
I feel it too,
Yeah.

I'm feelin' lately,
I'm goin crazy.
Wonderin' how I'll go on without you.
I keep on tryin',
Slowly dyin',
Thinkin' about I need you here with me.

I wear your shirt,
The scent of you,
Rreminds me of the night,
When we became two.
There's nothing else,
That feels the same,
Everyday there's sun,
It feels just like rain.

Just know;
That I'm with you,
And what you feel,
I feel it too,
Yeah.

I'm feelin' lately,
I'm goin crazy.
Wonderin' how I'll go on without you.
I keep on tryin',
Slowly dyin',
thinkin' about I need you here with me.

If you think it's easy for me,
Well, you're wrong.
Sometimes I'm weak, And baby you know
I'm not that strong.

You're in New York,
And I'm in LA,
there's so much to tell you,
Words I need to say.
But your phone keeps ringin'.
(Ringin', ringin')

I'm feelin' lately,
I'm goin' crazy.
Wonderin' how I'll go on without you.
I keep on tryin',
Slowly dyin',
thinkin' about I need you here with me.

I'm feeling lately, (I need you here with me)
I'm goin' crazy.
Wonderin' how I'll go on without you.
How will I go on without you?

It's been 2 weeks and 3 days long;
I'm all alone since you've been gone.


Tara glanced down toward where they were sitting. She saw Buffy smile and look up at her, but she didn't see Willow anywhere.

Finally she saw Willow, tears streaming down her face; looking for her. Tara caught up with her at the base of the stairs.

"H-Hi."

"What does that mean?" Willow asked.

"What?"

"What does that song mean?" Willow asked wiping away the tears.

"I-It means that I miss you."

"That's an understatement, but where does it leave us?" Willow asked more confused than ever.

"We've got forever. I love you. If you want me to be your girlfriend than I will in a heartbeat, but if you need me to just be your friend, I'd gladly do that too. I'm yours."

The rumbling sounds of Willow's stomach broke the awkward silence.

"I think we should just start with coffee," Willow said, leading Tara back toward the table.

"Coffee? Isn't kind of late?" Tara asked.

"It's going to be another all-nighter of hitting the mystical books. I promise lots of fun and laughter, well actually not that much fun and even less laughter, unless Dawn mistakes the Demon's third hand for a p-"

"I'll be there." Tara said quickly, not wanting to hear the end of that sentence. Willow got up and headed toward the bar.

"So everything's better now?" Buffy asked.

"Getting there."

"That was sooo romantic. I wish someday somebody does that for me." Dawn squealed.

"Thanks, Dawnie."

"Smooth move there with the music." Xander commented.

"How come you don't do anything romantic for me anymore?" Anya asked him. "Now all you want is sex, sex, sex. Of course there was that one time with the wax and the funny scented lotions and the blindfolds and then we-"

"Anya, honey, I beg of you. Stop."

"Did I miss anything?" Willow asked returning to the table with two steaming coffees.

"Only the major gross story that Anya just told us," Dawn said.

"Tara has decided to join us for our research session tonight." Xander said.

"You will be joining us in our hour of complete and utter boredom? Hooray for you." Buffy added.




Buffy's House

"And...I've got nothing!" Xander slammed the book shut. "Why isn't there a whole section devoted to the Klingons? They were only like the best creatures ever!' He glanced around to find everyone staring at him strangely. "Oh yeah, how's the research going?"

"For your information we finished a half-hour ago and have spent the rest of the time mocking you," Giles said.

"Where is everyone else?" Xander asked.

"Buffy and Willow went to bed and Tara's in the bathroom. Do want to watch the movie with me? I have buttery popcorn goodness."

"I'll pass Dawnie. I'm going home to take a manly bubble-bath and then I'm going to bed." He was greeted from a very strange look from Giles. "What?!? I hurt my shoulder and it helps. Plus it smells really good."

"He was doing pushups in bed and then I got under him and-" Anya explained.

"God, you guys are kinky." Dawn said totally grossed out.

"Ahn, hon, didn't we have this talk before? What we do in the bedroom we don't talk about in front of other people."
"Well, what about the stuff we do in the bathroom, or the zoo, or here, Can we talk about that?"

"Here!?! You guys are disgusting!" Dawn said. Xander grabbed Anya's arm and pulled her toward the door.

"Bye guys, have fun with the research." He yelled slamming the door behind him. Dawn frantically started searching through the closets.

"What are you doing?" Giles asked her.

"Disinfectant, and lots of it, cause it's just so-ewwww!!!" She exclaimed.

"I'm afraid there's not enough disinfectant in the world."

Dawn heard the bathroom door close.

"Tara are you out yet? 'Cause you might not feel the same about bathrooms after I tell you what Xander and Anya...Tara?" She asked. Tara apparently didn't hear her, because she continued her way down the hallway toward the bedrooms.




Willow's room

Tara watched as Willow intently stared at the books on her bed.

She stood at her doorway, not wanting to disturb her yet as doubts started creeping in the back of her mind.

'Could this actually happen? Did I do too much, too soon? Is coffee all it took?' She shook her head. 'I'm going to go through with it.' She knocked slowly on the doorframe. Willow glanced up at the noise.

"Tara…" She said.

"You can't ever put them back the way they were..." Tara started.

"Are you okay?" Willow asked. They had agreed to be friends. The nervous tone of Tara's voice made her scared. Tara came closer to her and sat down. All the second guessing got louder and started pounding in her ears.

"I'm sorry, it's just...you know it takes time. You can't just have coffee and expect..." Tara tried to cover for herself, a chance if to back out if Willow didn't feel the same.

"I know." Willow said but the tone of voice seemed different, almost sad. Tara had come this far. She decided to follow Buffy's advice and put her heart on the line. She needed Willow too much to give up this easily.

"There's so much to work through. Trust has to build again, on both sides..." She started. "You have to learn if you're even the same people you were, if you can fit in each other's lives, it's a long and important process..." Tara paused. "And can we just skip it? Can you just be kissing me now?" Tara just watched as Willow looked so confused.

'Did I do the right thing?' She wondered.

Tara got up and moved toward Willow, feeling as if they were pushed toward each other by a force greater than she had ever known. Willow made a small noise deep in her throat barely noticeable except to Tara, who knew exactly what it meant. Tara took that as a great sign to move ahead. Tara kissed her releasing every fear and emotion she had hidden since they last kissed. In a moment to quick for either of them to process they reached towards each other, hands clasped, and kissed until Willow pulled her toward the bed, and Tara didn't protest.




Buffy's room

Buffy leaned back against the bed frame, listening to the exchange between Willow and Tara. She smiled softly.

'You see Tara, it can be just that easy.'




The End