"We're going to marché Rue Cler," Tara answered, bringing their conjoined hands up and pointing ahead, "Right around that corner."
Willow gave a small scowl.
"You know, it's not really telling me if you say it in French."
Tara laughed and shook her head.
"We're going to a market. One of the best in the city. We need to go shopping for our picnic."
"I knew that's what the basket was for!" Willow exclaimed, her face lighting up, "A picnic in Paris, that's so romantic."
"Well I think it's a day that deserves much romance," Tara replied, squeezing her wife's hand as they turned the corner to the market, which was bustling with people and chatter in the many shops.
"I'll be back in a sec," Willow said suddenly, walking off to left.
Tara laughed in her head that her wife got distracted by something so quickly and walked over to a cheese store that was near enough that Willow would be able to find her and conversed with the man who was in there, purchasing small samplings of a few different types of cheeses, making sure she didn't get anything too strong, knowing Willow could have a delicate stomach when it came to sharp flavours and smells.
She'd just handed over the money for her purchase and put the cheeses in the picnic basket when she was tapped on the shoulder and spun in place to see Willow standing there, extending a single red rose towards her.
"Thank you," Tara smiled, bringing it up to her face and twirling the flower under her nose and inhaling the scent.
"You're welcome," Willow replied, before taking the flower back and snapping off half the stem, sliding the remaining bit – thorn free – behind the blonde's ear, smiling at the end result, "You look beautiful."
Tara blushed and retook the redhead's hand, bringing it up to her mouth and kissing her knuckles. Willow grinned goofily as they walked the rest of the market, stopping to view some of the delicacies different stores had to offer, buying some fruits; cold meats; pasta salads; roasted, cheese-stuffed peppers and crusty baguettes for their picnic. When they'd seen all there was too see, Tara led them back the way they came until they were walking into the Parc du Champ de Mars, the Eiffel Tower dominating the skyline completely.
"Wow," Willow said as she took in the sight, "What a view."
"Isn't it spectacular?" Tara replied, in awe of the scene in front her, despite the many times she'd seen it before, "Wait 'til you see it at night. I know you've seen it from the hotel room, but it's even more amazing up close."
Willow looped her arm through the blonde's and rested her head on her shoulder as they wandered the lush, rectangular, manicured lawns, admiring the variety of trees, flowering shrubs and beautiful flower bed scattered everywhere. Other couples littered around the place and families with small children running around, playing with jump ropes or bouncing a ball back and forth between them.
They walked until Tara pointed over to a cleared area of grass that the sun was shining down on and they went over, both kneeling on the grass as the blonde opened the basket and produced a checkered red and white blanket, which she spread out onto the lawn, then sat down and opened her arms for Willow to sit between her legs.
"You should plan our days more often," Willow said as she relaxed her body into Tara's, feeling strong arms wrapped around her mid-section.
"It's only lunchtime," Tara replied, pulling the material of her wife's jacket back slightly and kissing her shoulder, "We still have the whole day ahead of us."
Willow smiled and pulled her handbag towards her, rooting for a second before producing her camera.
"You've taken so many photos this trip," Tara commented as the redhead took the camera from its case and snapped a few pictures of their surroundings, "You could rival Annie Leibovitz."
Willow giggled and turned her body slightly to take a photo of the looming Eiffel Tower to their side.
"Except I'm much happier taking pictures of all the sites Paris has to offer and not a naked John Lennon," she replied, then turned her head to meet the blonde's gaze with a grin, "Although I wouldn't mind taking some naked photos of you."
"Nice try, honey," Tara said, shaking her head but grinning as well, "But knowing our luck you'd accidentally show them to your dad or Xander or Jesse or someone when you're showing them the other photos. But...you can see the real thing whenever you want."
Willow seemed greatly satisfied with that answer and turned the camera around so they lens was on them, taking a few shots of them smiling and then a final, unintentional one of the redhead giggling wildly as Tara started a tickle attack on her wife.
"Tara, stop!" Willow laughed as the blonde attacked her sides.
"Say the magic words..." Tara responded, as her wife twisted and turned between her legs.
"I love you!"
Willow gasped out the words and Tara's fingers stopped, her hands moving to hold the smaller girl around the waist and kissed her neck.
"You're evil," Willow said, catching her breath.
"Can't be that evil if you love me," Tara grinned, before reaching into the picnic basket with one hand and producing the small container of strawberries they'd bought, "Want one?"
Willow turned her body slightly and opened her mouth, closing it around the sweet fruit and Tara put it in her lips. The juices from the strawberry spilled onto her chin and the blonde leaned forwards, licking it away in an open-mouth kiss.
"Mmhh, strawberries and Willow. Delicious."
Willow swallowed the fruit before grabbing the back of her wife's neck and bringing in for a passionate kiss, though they managed to keep it restrained, wary that they were in a public place.
They pulled back after a minute and rested their foreheads together, sharing a series of short, sweet kisses before they brought out the rest of their lunch, feeding each other some of the food as they enjoyed being with one another.
A couple of hours passed as the couple ate slowly and people-watched, mid-afternoon setting in as locals got back to work and tourists passed-by on their travels to whatever Parisian attraction they were going to until Tara glanced at her watch and moved to whisper in her wife's ear.
"Ready to climb the Eiffel Tower?"
Willow's face lit up and she nodded her head.
"Is that why you wouldn't let us visit it the other day when I asked?"
"Maybe," Tara grinned as they stood and folded up the blanket, placing it back in its basket, "I couldn't have you ruining all my carefully laid plans."
Willow looped her arm through Tara's and rested her head on the blonde's shoulder again, liking how close the contact was as they walked the remaining length of the park and to the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
"It's so big," Willow said in awe as she gazed upwards.
They bought their tickets to gain access, opting to climb the tower using the stairs and not the elevator and started their ascent, able to move up the stairs at a relatively quick pace as there weren't many others, given the time and day of the week. They browsed some of the exhibitions and displays and the various floors and strolling around the open spaces, viewing the city from various heights until they got the lift to the top floor and gazed at all the different landmarks.
"I used to imagine proposing to you up here," Tara said as they looked out over the park they'd just been sitting in, "But then you went and beat me to it."
"You did?" Willow asked with a big smile, "When?"
Tara got a fond, reminiscent smile on her face.
"Since the first time I visited."
Willow turned to face her wife, surprised.
"You thought about it way back then?"
Tara nodded her head and played with the redhead's fingers.
"I knew we were gonna get married. I didn't know when, but I knew we would."
Willow's smile beamed and she bit her lip, scrunching up her nose.
"How did you do it?" she asked excitedly, the idea of Tara knowing they were forever even back then thrilling her.
Tara's brow crinkled in confusion.
"Do what?"
Willow gestured around herself with her hands, grinning wildly.
"How did you propose? In your mind, how did you propose?"
"Ah," Tara replied, understanding and smiling as well, "Well...we were always on this deck...and we'd be looking over Paris...and then you'd say how beautiful it was and I'd say how beautiful you were and how there was only one more thing that could make you even more beautiful."
Willow stuck the tip of her tongue out between her teeth, following the blonde's train of thought.
"And then you'd produce an engagement ring and ask me to be your faithful bride?"
"That cliché?" Tara asked, kicking an invisible piece of dirt on the ground.
Willow shook her head and reached out to trace a line down her wife's nose.
"No. It would've been a wonderful proposal. But all I would've ever really cared about was the fact that we were getting married. And we did."
Tara smiled before an idea popped into her head and she took Willow's left hand, slipping her wedding band off before getting on one knee.
"What're you doing?" Willow asked, chuckling nervously when she saw they were attracting a few stares.
"I love you, Willow," Tara started, her voice adoring and her smile stretching from ear-to-ear, "I love your smile, I love your laugh, I love how your eyes light up when I walk into the room and I love the person you make me when we're together. Will you continue to be my wife and spend your life with me forever?"
Willow giggled and held her hand out, nodding.
"Of course I will."
Tara slipped the band back on the redhead's finger and stood up, pulling her wife into a deep kiss as others around them started to clap, unaware that the scene they'd just witnessed wasn't an actual marriage proposal, or at least not the first that had been made, until the two pulled apart and Willow grinned.
"Goof."
"Hey," Tara replied, pretending to be offended, "That was genuine."
"You don't need to propose, we're already married," Willow said, wrapping her arms around Tara's neck, "And you know I'm yours, eternally."
Tara smiled and held onto Willow's waist.
"Well that's true...but now you can say you were proposed to on top of the Eiffel Tower. Every girl's dream."
"You're my dream," Willow replied, then leaned up for another quick kiss, "My amazing, beautiful dream."
They stared at each other for a few moments before they both started giggling and shared a series of sweet kisses. Their noses nuzzled together for a couple of seconds before Tara took Willow's arms from her neck and grabbed a hold of one her hands.
"Are you ready to go?"
Willow nodded, her smile still beaming at Tara's actions as they made their way over to the lift again, where they were stopped by an elderly couple, a man and woman smiling at them.
"Congratulations," the man said warmly, in an American accent, "We got engaged right in that spot fifty years ago."
"Wow," Willow replied, her eye's simultaneously widening and lighting up, "Really?"
"Fifty years today," the woman smiled, "It's nice to see a young couple starting out where we did."
"We're actually already married," Tara admitted sheepishly, holding up her left hand to show them she was wearing both her engagement and wedding rings, "I just kind of got caught up in the moment. We're on our honeymoon."
"Well isn't that sweet," the woman said, holding a hand up to her heart, "We're sorry for stopping you, we just wanted to say congratulations on your engagement but I guess we can change that to congratulations on your marriage."
"Thank you," Willow grinned, "And congrats on your anniversary. Fifty years is...wow."
"Thank you, we've had a quite a life together," the man said, holding his wife's hand firmly, "I hope you girls are as happy as we've been."
"I'm pretty sure we will be," Tara replied, bringing the redhead's knuckles up to her mouth and kissing them.
Willow blushed and the younger couple waved goodbye to the older one, then they made their way back down the tower and through the park, walking the few side streets until they arrived back at their hotel, Tara returning the picnic basket to the front desk before they went up to their room.
"Thanks for planning such a wonderful anniversary," Willow said as she closed the door behind her.
"You don't think it's over yet?" Tara asked, facing her wife with a smirk, "We're just back here to change for dinner."
Willow looked over at the blonde curiously.
"Where are we having dinner?"
Tara just raised an eyebrow and Willow laughed.
"Okay, I know. I've played this game before. I just have to wait and see."