Author's Notes: Boris Yeltsin: Hope that's a good holy moly. :D

Missocki: Glad you liked it! I was worried it was a bit much, but it was fun to have a bolder personality in Tara's shell for a while.

Shammy: Thank you. I'm trying to balance getting the chapters out in a timely fashion with making sure they're of good quality, so sorry if things take a while.

LEDlorien7: I always enjoy reading your reviews. Thank you so much. I've gone back and edited chapters three and five a bit with your suggestions in mind.

Dirty Tube Socks: To each their own. If you prefer the later seasons I am planning on doing a Season Three sequel and taking it from there. I don't think she ever did get that cigarette…

Chapter Six: Meeting the family

It was the morning of November first, and Tara was making breakfast for the family with her mother's supervision. There was a lot to look forward to today; her father was leaving for a company conference in Berkley in the afternoon, so she'd have a few days of peace at home. She knew he'd be expecting Donny to keep a close eye on them while he was away, but lately her brother had been staying out as much as he could. Tonight was also Samhain, so she and her mother would get to share time honoring the spirits of the departed and celebrating the turning of the seasons.

Tara had been keeping her mother informed about her extracurricular activities since joining up with Buffy and the others, if downplaying the dangers they faced. Eileen was concerned for her daughter's safety of course, but trusted her and was glad experienced people were around to look out for her. Tara had always been forthcoming with Eileen about her developing friendships and her tutoring of Willow, but she hadn't ever broached the subject of her crush. After last night's realization, she felt the need for some advice. This was the first time she'd ever had feelings this strong, let alone a close friendship for them to jeopardize.

"Mom, do you think it's wrong to really, really like someone and not tell them?" Tara asked as she moved the eggs around the pan with her spatula.

"Well, why do you think it would be wrong?" Eileen asked back as she poured orange juice into their glasses. She always encouraged her children to think things out for themselves before having some else tell them what was best. Tara appreciated that; being allowed to make up her own mind was a sharp contrast to the way her father laid out his black and white ideas of right and wrong.

"Because they might not act the same around me if they knew."

"Is this someone Willow?" Her mother asked with a knowing glance. Tara nodded. She was sure she gave off signs of liking the girl in her voice and body language when she talked about Willow. They would be obvious to someone who knew Tara so well. "Why would she act differently if she knew you really liked her?"

Tara sighed, grinding a small bit of pepper into the eggs as they cooked.

"She probably wouldn't touch me as much. I mean, I thought she might stop after I told her I liked girls, but she didn't. I, I feel like it's taking advantage of her to let her touch me when I wish it could mean more."

"Sweetie, it's not taking advantage of her. Some people just like hugging their friends. And you'd never pressure her into anything more if she doesn't want to be with you that way, would you?"

"Gods no!" She said looking at her mother in horror for a few seconds before the sizzling sound from the pan reminded her to flip the eggs. "I-I would never…"

"I know you wouldn't," Eileen said reassuringly, "So there's nothing to worry about. If you don't expect anything of her but friendship, then I don't think Willow minds being close with you." She returned the juice carton to the refrigerator and looked back at Tara with a small grin. "What would you do if she did like you back?"

"Oh that would never happen." Tara said shaking her head. "She likes Xander."

In a few minutes breakfast was done and Tara's father came in, opening the newspaper as he sat down at the table. Tara set out four plates, though she suspected Donny wouldn't be down until lunch as late as he'd been out partying. Donald grumbled as he read the front page article.

"They're blaming all that madness last night on drug gangs and a gas leak causing hallucinations." He said with a scoff. "The people in this town, they're all naïve sheep. One of our tellers was found in his backyard with a punctured neck, and my assistant manager tried to tell me it was from falling down on some rocks after a heart attack. The impudence of that man, to tell me such nonsense straight to my face."

Tara and Eileen had been quiet as they joined him, but today silence evidently wasn't a satisfactory response. Tara found her father staring at her as she cut into her scrambled eggs with the side of her fork.

"Do you know anything about that insanity that went on? The people acting like monsters?" Donald asked her. She looked down at her plate, unsure of how to respond. "Have you been toying with something dangerous Tara?"

"N-no sir." She said in what she hoped was a loud enough voice he wouldn't chide her for mumbling.

"Tara, give me some face." He demanded as he often did when his daughter wouldn't give him eye contact. "Are you lying to me? Have you been casting some kind of transformation spells?"

"N-n-no." Her father was still glaring her down, waiting for more from her. "I-it was the costume shop. E-everyone who, acted strange was w-wearing a costume from Ethan's. Th-that might have c-caused it, maybe. I don't know."

"Hmph." He took a sip of his juice. "So you say. We'll see if you're telling the truth. Once we're done eating."

"Don…" Eileen said worriedly. "I'm sure she didn't have anything to do with it. You don't need to…"

"If she didn't, then she has nothing to worry about." Donald said firmly. "Besides, it's been too long since we spent time quelling your demon. We mustn't neglect our precautions."

Tara and Eileen barely touched their food, their stomachs having gone queasy.

…

Monday morning came, and Willow was excited to go meet with Tara after their odd adventure on Halloween. Her excitement faded when she found her friend opening her locker, looking like death warmed over. She was hunched over and had dark bags under her eyes. Tara was looking at the floor as she left her locker for their classroom and almost bumped into her.

"Hey Tara." The older girl looked up, the normal smile Willow's presence put on her face absent. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I-I'm fine, I'm just, really tired." Tara could tell Willow didn't quite buy that, but the younger girl didn't dig any further.

"We um, missed you at the Bronze on Saturday. I told Buffy and Xander you were ringing in the New Year with your mom." Normally Willow would have asked how it went, but it was clear the weekend hadn't been kind to her. She wasn't sure how to suss out the details. There were always certain things Tara got sensitive talking about. For now she decided to change the subject. "Are we still on for this afternoon?"

"I um, I'm not sure…" Tara wasn't in the mood for magic lessons, but she didn't want to disappoint Willow. She didn't feel like what they were doing was evil, but she was always hesitant to do any magic after a session of 'quelling the demon'. She'd need to come up with some excuse if Willow pressed her.

Fortunately, the redhead had caught on to her reluctance and wasn't going to push.

"It's fine if you don't want to. I know I've been dragging you along to my house like every other day for a month now, being all needy."

Tara felt a twinge of guilt and frowned.

Willow took this as a sign her mentor was in fact weary of spending so much time teaching her.

"I-I hope you don't think I just keep you around for the spells and everything. I mean, I really like just talking, and hanging out with you and stuff."

Tara's face softened. Willow was blaming herself for Tara's glum mood, and given the distant way Tara was treating her it was no surprise.

"I know that." She said kindly, a sad half smile on her lips. She sighed, looking back to the floor for a second. "And I-I like coming over for spells."

Willow let out a huge breath in relief.

"Good. But it doesn't have to be this afternoon. We can just meet up whenever you're feeling better, not that I want to assume, you just, I mean…. I-if you wanted some time alone…" She offered, hoping it wasn't the case but willing to give her friend space if that's what she needed.

Part of Tara did want to be alone, but another part of her wanted the comfort of Willow's company, spells or no spells.

"We can still get together today if you want." She swallowed, considering how to phrase her request. "M-my father is out of town on a business trip, so we could go to my house."

Willow pondered Tara's statement for a moment. There was always that uneasiness when Tara mentioned her father, and apparently his absence was a factor in whether Tara felt comfortable having Willow over. She had never suggested it before, and now Willow was suspecting there was some deeper reason for that. Her curiosity was compelling her to pry for more information, but she fought those urges down.

"I'd like that. What about your mom, is she going to be there?"

"Y-yeah. I, really want you to meet her." Tara admitted. "Um, you should know, my mom has, c-cancer." Willow's eyes widened in sympathy. "She's getting treatment, so she's going to be okay and everything, but, the chemo makes her really w-weak, and she wears a head scarf. Just, you know, so you know."

"Oh of course, I would never stare or say anything rude." Willow said emphatically. "Wow, I'm sorry to hear that she's sick, but good that she's getting treated and everything. Did it make moving hard?"

"Actually it's one of the reasons we moved here." Tara said as they started to walk to class. "Her o-oncologist, he treated my great-aunt Lynn back when he was in Huntsville. He's known our family for years, and the practice he works at now isn't too far from town."

And that was certainly a benefit her father appreciated: a doctor who knew about the special condition of the women in their family and could keep the secret.

…

The Maclay house seemed like an average suburban dwelling, though it had a carved turnip hanging by the front door in addition to the yet to be discarded pumpkin. Tara led them inside and into the living room where her mother was sitting reading.

"Hi Mom." Eileen smiled at the girls as she placed her book in her lap. "This is Willow."

"Hi Mrs. Maclay."

There was a strong resemblance between mother and daughter, though the older woman was much gaunter and had sharper, more angular features. The scarf obscured her hair, and her eyebrows had faded to almost nothing so Willow couldn't tell if she and Tara shared a hair color. Her eyes were just as blue though.

"I really like your house."

The woman definitely had an eye for the artistic, having decorated almost every wall with intriguing paintings, photos and even a few hand sewn quilts. The chairs and sofa had tasseled blankets draped over their backs, making the room even cozier looking.

"Thank you."

Willow noticed Eileen holding out her hand for her to shake and rushed over to take it, not wanting to force her to get up from the armchair. She could feel a static jolt from the older witch's power. It was different from Tara's, stronger yet lacking the prickling she had come to associate with magic. Eileen glanced between the girl and her daughter, an inscrutable expression on her face.

"I've heard a lot about you."

"Good things I hope." She joked nervously. "I've heard a lot about you too."

The older woman nodded softly.

"Tara tells me she's been teaching you some of the craft. She wasn't exaggerating about your power."

The young girl tried not to blush. She still didn't feel powerful.

"I don't know. Every new thing I learn just shows me how much more there is to know." And she wanted to know it all.

"She's a really good student." Tara said taking a seat on the sofa. Willow hesitated a second before sitting beside her. "In just a few months she'll probably be able to make the Tinkerbell lights."

"So you've said." Eileen said with a smile. "I'd like to see what you've learned some time. Maybe I could even show you a few things." Willow's eyes brightened. "Not spells, I'm afraid I can't actually cast much these days. But it's also important to know how to focus, and control the energy inside of you. If you don't, it can get wild and manifest in dangerous ways, especially in someone with as much raw strength as you."

There was a hint of warning in the witch's tone, and for the first time Willow was frightened of the magic inside her. Maybe she hadn't been taking it seriously enough.

"We were actually taking a little break from spells today mom."

No further explanation was necessary; they both knew why Tara didn't want to do magic for a while. Instead the three talked about what the girls were learning in school, the stories behind the different pieces of art in the house, and the usefulness of different kinds of meditation. After an hour Eileen insisted that Willow stay for dinner, and the redhead agreed as long as she could help with the cooking to repay them for their hospitality. The Maclay women's supervision kept her from creating any major disasters in the kitchen and the meal was ready before Donny came back from practice.

The senior was surprised to see that his sister had company and didn't waste any time ribbing her.

"So you all hang out in the library a lot, with the blonde chick and that big goofball, Harris?" He asked rhetorically. "That's more people than you met at our last high school Tare."

Willow looked awkwardly at the siblings, not sure if this was playful teasing or actual mocking. The two barely ever spoke in school and Tara didn't talk much about him.

"I think it's great you all study together." Eileen said, which Tara was sure was an effort to cover up the real reason for the gang's frequent meetings. "It's good to take an active approach to your schooling like that."

"Yeah, I hear you're a regular bookworm. Some kind of computer genius?" Donny asked Willow.

"I know my way around a hexadecimal code." She agreed. "And you're on the wrestling team, right?"

"Right you are. So that Harris boy, if he ever tries anything with you Tara, you just tell him your big brother's gonna beat him down."

Willow's eyebrows shot up, wondering if he was serious.

Tara knew that he was. No boys had ever gotten close to her before, but Donny has always said anyone who tried to touch her would have to answer to him. It was pretty damn hypocritical of him, she thought bitterly, considering he already hurt her plenty on his own, though not the way he was offering to protect her from.

"Xander's a s-sweetie." Tara said with a bit of embarrassment.

"I've known him since we were in preschool, he'd never do anything like that." Willow said defensively, not wanting another jock looking to mess with Xander.

The rest of dinner passed somewhat tensely, Eileen trying to temper Donny's teasing and make her daughter's friend feel welcome. Willow and Tara cleaned up the dishes once they were done eating and went to Tara's room to finish their homework. Tara promised to show Willow her collection of artifacts and spellbooks the next time she came over, though she knew she'd have to plan it carefully to keep it secret, like her own practice sessions with her mother. Willow was pleased to notice her friend's mood had lifted over the course of the day, and when she left they both had smiles and a light feeling in their hearts.

…

The next few days were rough on Buffy and the Scoobies. First the Slayer saw Angel in a graveyard with a mysterious dark haired woman, who they later would learn was a vampire named Drusilla, a lover of Spike's. Ford, a friend of Buffy's from L.A. also arrived, having apparently transferred to their school. Unfortunately, nothing was as simple as it seemed. Angel didn't trust Ford and asked Willow to look him up online. The boy turned out not to have any school records transferred to Sunnydale High. Tara, Xander and Willow all accompanied Angel to a place called the Sunset Club to learn more about Ford. The club was full of young people desiring to be turned into vampires.

There was also more to Drusilla's story. Buffy learned Drusilla was a childe of Angel's, having been turned only after he drove her to insanity. Buffy confronted Angel about her, and in the end she decided she loved him, but she didn't know if she could trust him. The souled vampire told her about their visit to the club, and the Slayer was angry at all of them for going behind her back. It wasn't nearly as angry as she ended up being at Ford. She discovered he was willing to sacrifice all the other club goers' lives for the chance to be sired by Spike. In the end Buffy had to take Drusilla hostage to get Spike to let them all go. The vampire's love for his sire was strong enough that he didn't hesitate to free the humans. By the time the Scoobies and Angel came to rescue Buffy, she had already gotten out, leaving only Ford with the vampiric pair. She returned alone later to retrieve for his drained body.

The following night Buffy and Giles watched over Ford's grave, staking the demon that arose riding his corpse. Spike had apparently kept his end of their deal. She was depressed the next morning and confided in Willow and Tara about the story behind her former friend's desperation. They both comforted her about her loss, but Buffy was also unsure if it was okay to be angry at someone she was grieving for.

"He was dying of cancer," Buffy said, wishing she didn't have any sympathy for Ford's dilemma. "He wanted a way out, no matter what it cost him or anyone else. I want to just hate him, but it's not that simple."

"People do a lot of crazy things to stay alive." Willow said. "It's hard for me to imagine what that was like for him, knowing he was going to die."

Buffy shuffled, trying not to think about the prophecy about her and the Master and how that had made her feel. She hadn't exactly been obsessed with doing the right thing.

"It's horrible. That kind of s-sickness, it could drive anyone to do some awful things. Even so, l-letting a whole club full of people die, nothing could make that okay." Tara said. She knew she was being judgmental of Ford, but to her the line he had crossed was very clear. "I've thought about using the energy of the Hellmouth to help my mother, but she said no. There's always a choice."

"Exactly." Buffy said, reassured that it was okay to be angry with him. Along with her dozens of other feelings.

Buffy would always miss the boy she remembered from childhood, and would always regret that he like so many other teens in Sunnydale would never live to be an adult. Most of all, she hated that right or wrong, there was no choice Ford could have made that would have been fair to him. And that in the end all she could offer was the mercy of a quick, rather than slow end.

…

Tara and Willow decided to make Saturday their day for lessons at Willow's and Monday their day at Tara's, leaving the rest of the week open for regular hanging out at home or the Bronze, studying, Dawn duty, and of course impromptu slaying research. Eileen taught Willow about the Tarot, which Willow was interested to learn had started as a simple card game and only later had been adapted for mystic purposes. Like the Wheel of the Year, it turned out to be a story, the spiritual journey of the Fool through the major arcana. Both the Maclay women were great storytellers. The only thing Willow had found difficult about magic so far was the meditation. Clearing her busy mind was no small feat, and one she often failed at.

One thought that occupied her mind was the idea that she should reciprocate Tara's friendliness and introduce her to her parents. It was an odd notion; after all her parents had never taken an interest in who her friends were, or much else about her for that matter. Something was special about Tara though, and she didn't want Tara to think she was hiding her from them. She invited her over for Wednesday night, a day she knew they would be at least be home for dinner.

Tara was slightly anxious, wanting to make a good impression on the Rosenbergs. They watched television as they waited, not wanting to be interrupted in the middle of casting a spell and be discovered.

"So what do your parents do exactly?" Tara asked. "I know they're out o-of town a lot, at seminars and things, but what for?"

"They're both research social psychologists." Willow answered. "They give a lot of lectures at universities and conferences and try to get as many continuing education credits as they can." She saw the questioning look on Tara's face and elaborated. "You have to get a certain number of credits each year by taking classes to stay licensed. At conferences they're usually taking and teaching a several classes each."

"Wow. What kind of things do they research?"

"My mom's writing a paper on teenage peer group dynamics right now." Willow said with a scornful laugh. "And this is the first time they've had dinner with one of my peers since I was eight."

"They kn-know I'm going to be here, right?"

Willow could hear the light panic in her voice and put her hand over the blonde's.

"I told them. I can't promise they'll remember I told them, but I did warn them, so they'll only have themselves to blame if they don't know."

Willow followed Tara's gaze to their still touching hands. She hadn't let go, and she realized that she didn't want to.

Tara's heart was pumping faster by the second. This was the first time Willow had held her hand this long outside of spellcasting, and it still overwhelmed her. She looked up shyly, wondering when Willow was going to take back her hand.

Their eyes met and suddenly Willow's mouth felt very dry. Tara looked nervous, but wasn't pulling away.

Is… something happening here? Willow wondered.

She opened her lips to speak, babbling being her natural response to any tense situation but couldn't come up with any words. The girls were too distracted to hear the door being unlocked, not realizing Willow's parents had come home until they heard the sound of Sheila Rosenberg's voice.

"Willow?"

Sheila seemed to be confused by the presence of another teenager in her living room. Willow gave Tara's hand a squeeze before releasing it, turning to face her parents. The squeeze made Tara's heart do an extra jump before her pulse settled back into an anxious pace from meeting new people. Both the Rosenbergs were a bit taller than their daughter, and it seemed Willow got her hair from her mother and her features from her father.

"Hi mom, dad. This is Tara, from school."

Ira nodded at the girls before going to hang up his jacket. Tara greeted them with a 'hi' and a wave, but they were barely acknowledged by Sheila, who was getting a folder from a kitchen cabinet.

"Hello. You're in a study group with Willow, is that right?" Ira asked.

Willow heartened at him at least remembering that much. She nodded.

"She's in my college prep class too."

"That's great. Have you thought about where you might be applying Tara?" He asked taking a seat across from the girls.

The question threw Tara a little. She had hoped she'd be able to get as far away from her father and brother as possible after graduation, but that was all contingent on her being able to earn a scholarship, Donald not wanting to pay for her to leave them. There was also the chance that her mother wouldn't be well enough after her treatment to take care of herself and two men and need Tara to stay with them, in which case she wouldn't be going to college at all.

"I-I've thought about going somewhere small. There's a college called Beloit in Wisconsin that's supposed to be really good." She replied.

"Willow's aiming for MIT." Ira said with a small hint of pride in his voice.

"Dad, I don't know that yet." Willow protested. "I'm not even sure what I want to study."

"Well computer science, obviously. You spend so much time playing with your computers, don't tell me you weren't going to put that to some use?"

"Yes Willow, it's the information age." Sheila agreed. "You'll need to understand technology if you want to keep up, no matter what career you have." The older redhead pulled out a menu from the folder. "What do you think about Chinese Ira?"

"Sounds excellent."

It seemed her father was off again in his on again, off again attempts to keep kosher. He was usually enthusiastic for a few weeks, trying to make as many meals at home as possible before inevitably he'd get too busy and tired to bother and just order delivery.

"Are you staying for dinner Terry?" Sheila asked going over to the phone.

"Um, i-if that's okay." Tara said trying not to squirm.

Willow frowned at her mother.

"Her name is Tara, mom. With an 'a'."

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

Willow sighed.

Dinner was eaten in the living room over the sounds of the national news. Ira commented on the current events being reported while Sheila complained about the lack of rigor on the part of the journalists and the bias towards sensationalism. Tara guessed they were all right people; they clearly cared about the world they lived in. It was a shame that they didn't seem to take as much interest in their daughter, but that wasn't nearly as bad as other family situations. Tara imagined what it might have been like to grow up without the close bond between her and her mother, and without the cruelty of her father. It was such an opposite life to hers that she couldn't really picture it. Sheila and Ira did seem to care about Willow, they were just kind of clueless about how to connect with her. She was glad that at least Willow had the Scoobies to keep from being lonely.

…

Thursday afternoon Willow, Tara and Buffy filed out of the school and through the parking lot. Willow was surprised to see Tara go up to a Chevy station wagon and unlock the door.

"You drove?" She asked. "I thought you walked to school?"

"Oh." Tara remembered that they hadn't seen her leave for one of her mother's tri-weekly appointments. "I do. I live close enough I can walk, but I have to go pick up my mom this afternoon. For chemo." She added quietly.

"I didn't know you had your license." Buffy said, a little envious.

"Just my learner's… technically I'm not supposed to be driving w-without a licensed driver. Don't tell anyone?" Tara joked tentatively.

"My lips are sealed," Buffy agreed. "Is your brother not coming?"

"No." Tara answered, secretly grateful for the fact. "He-he came to the first two, but then he stopped."

Willow frowned, thinking that was unforgivably cold of him. Tara herself couldn't decide if Donny had stopped coming because he was too bored to stay or if it actually bothered him to see his mother lying helpless while she was pumped full of chemicals. In either case, Tara was fine with it being just the two of them. Willow wasn't as okay with that.

"Would it be crazy if I, we," Willow corrected herself, not wanting to exclude Buffy, "Came to see her too? If it wouldn't be imposing or anything?"

Tara opened and closed her mouth a few times in shock. Buffy smiled, liking the idea.

"I mean, it would have to be okay with your mom too, of course…" Willow continued.

"I uh, I don't know. I-I'd have to ask her." Tara said nervously. This was way more than she could ask of them. "It's not that exciting, we usually just r-read something together, or um, I read to her while she rests. You m-might be bored."

"Your mom's not boring." Willow insisted. "And maybe I can take a turn reading."

"I'd like to meet her. We can at least come to say hi to her before you guys go to the clinic." Buffy suggested.

"O-okay." Tara's friends hopped into her backseat and she drove them the short distance to the Maclay household.

Eileen was more than happy to have the extra company, and the four women passed the time chatting and joking, the therapy session being over before Tara knew it. She felt blessed to have such caring friends. Being in this friend group was tricky, what with Tara having fallen in love with one of them, but she wouldn't trade belonging to it for anything.

…

That night Willow was still trying to figure what had happened between her and Tara on Wednesday. Seeing Tara with her mother stirred even more feelings in her. Tara was just about the sweetest, most compassionate person she had ever met.

She had thought touching Tara just excited her because they were joining their magic, but the more she thought about it the more she realized the touching itself was plenty to get her worked up. Willow had no idea what that meant. She'd never felt this way about another girl, not anyone really. She wasn't sure if it meant she was attracted to Tara. The little witch imagined what it would be like to really touch her, to feel her skin, and it was a lovely feeling. But it was all hypothetical. The real thing could be completely different.

Willow wondered how on Earth she could know if she was really capable of having romantic feelings for a girl, if her emotions and urges meant she really was gay or bi. Unfortunately the only person Willow knew who had any experience with that kind of thing was the person who was causing her to question herself in the first place. As close as they had gotten, Willow didn't know if asking about sexuality was too personal a topic to bring up with Tara. She also didn't know if Tara was even interested in being in a relationship at all, let alone with someone inexperienced and spazzy like her.

By the time she fell asleep Willow decided she'd take her time to figure out where her orientation lied before making any rash decisions. Until then, maybe she could just subtly question Tara about how she had discovered she was gay and if she was interested in dating anyone. That way even if she didn't want to be with Willow, or if Willow was reading too much into her own emotions their friendship wouldn't be hurt.

…

Author's (Other) Notes: Donny's behavior may not be what you'd expect in this chapter. From his perspective, what he does is to protect his sister and mother, and in his own twisted way he does care about them.

Donald Maclay has at least some knowledge that the supernatural exists, being the husband and father of women who come from a long line of spellcasters. There will be more about what 'quelling the demon' entails in future chapters.