6 Years Later
"This is it Will!" Buffy smiled excitedly. "You excited?"
"Can't you tell?" Willow burst out into a wide grin.
"Tara's really lucky to have you."
"I feel lucky to have her." Willow agreed, glancing at her reflection in the mirror. She wore a beautiful white dress with lace cap sleeves and intricate embroidered designs flowing from a point below her bust all the way to the floor. Small diamond studs glittered from her ears and her eyes shone brighter than the sun.
"Oh. My. God." Dawn said slowly as she entered the room and Willow turned around, smiling. "Willow you look amazing!"
"So do you. Just so long as you don't steal my spotlight. Ok?" Willow joked.
"I wouldn't dream of it! Nothing could take away from you and Tara today. Nothing."
"Tara!" Holly gasped, completely in awe. "You look…." She paused unable to find the right word.
"Spectacular?" Anya suggested, closing the door behind her as she entered the room.
"Exactly! Thanks Anya." Holly smiled.
"Aww. Holly, I'm so glad you found me all those years ago. I'm so glad I get to share this with you." Tara hugged her little sister tight as tears formed in her eyes, threatening to fall.
"Oh no you don't." Anya warned seriously, coming closer and fussing over Tara with a tissue to wipe any moisture from her eyes. "No tears. You're not ruining my make up. You hear me?"
Tara nodded, turning to Anya and laughing lightly. "I'll try my best. I promise." She said, turning again to look at herself in the mirror. "You look like a goddess." Holly breathed, looking at Tara again. She wore a beautiful white halter neck with what appeared to be a million beads decorating the bust and a long, flowing skirt that dropped to the floor.
"You look like a princess." Dawn smiled, trying hard not to cry as she looked at Willow.
"Dawnie." Willow smiled affectionately. "You cried enough at the engagement. No tears now ok? It's happy!" Dawn nodded and hugged Willow gently.
"She's right Will." Buffy agreed, fussing over her best friend's hair. "You do look amazing. Just like a princess."
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and Dawn pulled away from Willow, opening it to reveal Xander. He walked slowly towards Willow, unable to find his words. "Will." He gasped as he came closer. "You look.." Xander stopped, studying her again. "Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful." Willow smiled at him.
"You ready to go?" He asked, holding out his hand. Willow nodded as the memories of planning came back to her.
"Dawnie, and Buffy. You'll be my bridesmaids right?" She could remember asking. "Buffy, I want you as my maid of honour."
"Of course I will!" Dawn had almost screamed with excitement.
"I'd be honoured Will." Buffy had smiled.
As she walked through the halls of the hotel, Willow remembered asking Xander to walk her down the aisle.
"Xander, will you walk me down the aisle?"
Xander had clapped her on the back as a smile erupted on his face. "I'd do anything for you Willow. You know that. Of course I'll walk you down the aisle. I wouldn't dream of anyone else doing it. It would be my honour."
There was a knock at the door and Anya opened it to let Spike inside.
"You're one fine looking filly." He smiled cheekily at Tara as he came closer.
"Thanks Spike." She smiled.
"Well, shall we m'lady?" He asked. Holding out an arm which Tara looped her own through. As they left the hotel suite, she remembered asking Anya and Holly to be her bridesmaids and Spile to walk with her down the aisle.
"Oh Tara! I wouldn't have it any other way!" Holly had smiled, hugging her sister.
"Sure." Had been Anya's simple reply. "It would be lovely. Get all dressed up." She had mused.
"Course I'll do that for you Love. It'd be my pleasure." Spike had smiled, rubbing Tara's arm in a gesture of friendship. He and Tara had begun to become quite close over the years.
The crowd hushed as the music started to play. The only problem was that they weren't quite sure where to look. There was an aisle on the left and another on the right that met in the middle and merged into one, leading up to the altar.
Dawn was the first to emerge from the right and walked slowly up the aisle, a bouquet full of white roses with a few violets dotted among them in her hand. The violets were a few shades darker than the lilac coloured dress she wore. The sleeves were four inches long and then another sort of see through material a slight shade lighter made up the rest of the three quarter length sleeves. The dress had three, pale purple coloured jewels that sat in the centre of a thin plaited section at the waist. From there, the dress dropped straight down, stopping neatly at Dawn's ankles.
Next to come was Anya from the left aisle, looking almost identical to Dawn, with the same mixed bouquet of white roses and violets and the same three quarter sleeved, ankle length dress.
Both Anya and Dawn stopped at the very head of the aisle as Buffy appeared from the right and Holly from the left, walking down their respective aisles almost in sync with each other. Buffy came to a stop beside Dawn and Holly beside Anya. They looked down the long aisle as the crowd rose and a different track began to play.
Willow slowly appeared with Xander, dressed smartly in his tuxedo. They paused where the two aisles met and looked down the left aisle, where Tara and Spike began to walk slowly towards them. They too stopped where the two aisles met. Xander gave Willow's hand one last reassuring squeeze before he kissed her cheek and stepped back. Spike pecked Tara's cheek quickly, a little embarrassed, and stepped back. Tara and Willow turned to look at each other and interlaced their fingers together. Hand in hand, they made their way up the rest of the aisle.
Giles struggled to keep his emotions in check as he began the ceremony and later, led them through their vows.
"Tara," Willow went first. "I love you with all that I am. Everyday, for the rest of my life, I promise to love you, to hold you and to always be there for you and support you no matter what happens. I promise to be yours and only yours and to love you and only you for the rest of my days."
"Willow," Tara said slowly, afraid her nerves might cause her stutter to show itself. "I love you with all that I am and I promise that I wi.. will." Tara paused, uncertain. Willow continued to hold her gaze and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, mouthing 'it's ok'. Tara looked at Giles, who nodded reassuringly and encouragingly, before continuing.
"I promise that I will love you with all that I am and give to you all I can give you. I promise to hold you and to stand by you and support you no matter what happens. I promise to be yours and only yours and to love you and only you for the rest of my days."
"It is my greatest pleasure, and honour." Giles said as Willow finished slipping the ring on Tara's finger. "To pronounce you married!"
Tara and Willow smiled wildly and with Giles' instruction, kissed each other tenderly. The couple turned to face the applauding, cheering crowd and squeezed one another's hand before slowly making their way back down the aisle.
"May I present Mrs. and Mrs. Roseberg !" Giles announced to more cheers and applause as he finally gave in and let a few tears fall.
At the reception, Buffy was the first to speak.
"I've known Willow for a long time, but I've never seen her happier then when she's been with Tara. She shines with a new light and they both bring out the best in each other. I wish them both every happiness for their new future together." Buffy raised her glass and the room followed her lead. "So here's to Willow and Tara, the happiest couple in the room."
"In all honesty," Xander smiled, looking over at Tara and Willow. "I've never met a more patient couple." The crowd laughed.
"Willow and Tara are a beautiful example of an everlasting love, proven by their waiting for six years for this day to come. Here's to Willow and Tara, the most beautiful, patient couple I've met."
"I haven't known Tara and Willow all that long but in the few years that I've come to get to know them, I've realised my finding them is a blessing. I'm really lucky to have Tara for a sister and she's really lucky to have Willow as her wife. I feel really lucky to know them both and I know they're lucky to have each other. I hope they have a wonderful life together full of nothing but happiness." Holly spoke, smiling at Tara and Willow as they started to cry a little.
"It was my pleasure to watch Willow grow at school and I'd have to agree with what Buffy said, when she met Tara, Willow was the happiest I'd ever seen her. I can see the changes that both Willow and Tara have caused in each other and it is my wish for their every happiness in their future. Here's to the perfect couple, Willow and Tara."
"Willow and Tara!" The crowd cheered, raising their glasses after Giles.
Willow was the last to speak. "On behalf of Tara and myself, I'd like to thank everyone for coming and celebrating with us today. I'm very lucky to have met Tara and I feel like the happiest and luckiest woman in the world to have her as my wife. It's been a long wait, but it's finally here, so thank you everyone once again for making this day so special and giving us a brilliant start to our future together."
"I don't believe it." Tara whispered, facing Willow in bed later that night. "We're finally married."
"And we only had to wait 6 years." Willow laughed. "I told you it would come, didn't I?"
Tara nodded, squeezing Willow's hand.
"I'm so lucky to have you Willow. I'm under your spell, and somehow I don't think I'll ever not be."
"I'm the one who's lucky to have you Tara." Willow smiled. "You make me better. You make me complete."
"I don't know what I'd do without you." Tara said.
"But now, we don't have to worry. It's official. We're together forever. Sorry Baby, but you're stuck with me." Willow smiled cheekily. "Because I'm not going anywhere."
"I don't care." Tara admitted. "I wouldn't want you to." She met Willow's lips with her own and kissed her lovingly.
A/N: If anyone would like to see more, let me know as I have ideas for a sequel but will only continue if people want to see more.
+ If you'd like to see more of Tara's sister Holly, I will happily write a story for her background also.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I hoped you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!