FIC: The red headed Slayer 5/?

["jend1205" <jend1205@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ok, this part turned out to be a lot longer then I intended it to be. 
I still promise things will work out in the end but I'm enjoying 
taking the scenic route.

Author: Jen D
Disclaimer: I don't own just like it. 
Rating: G-R and all points between mostly language and violence
Pairing: Willow/ Buffy
Spoilers: I guess all of the shows this is A/U but some of it might 
come up.

Joyce knocked on the screen door, hearing the music coming 
through she smiled knowing the Slayer was up. She wasn't prepared
for 
the blonde dressed in boxer and a t-shirt to answer. "Oh?
um?is 
Willow here?"

"Yeah, she's upstairs giving Dawn a bath," Tara answered
studying the 
women.

"Oh, I'm sorry, where are my manners. I'm Joyce Giles,
from across 
the street," Joyce said and pointed out her house.

"I'm Tara. Your Buffy's mom?" Tara asked moving to
let Joyce in the 
door.

"Yes, I think she said she met you the other night at the
Bronze," 
Joyce said as she made her way into the foyer.

"Yeah, I didn't really get the chance to talk to her much but
Willow 
says that all the kids were very nice. Hey Will, Mrs. Giles is
here."

Willow appeared at the top of the steps, "Hey Joyce, I'll be
down in 
a minute. There's coffee in the kitchen."

"Can I get you some?" Tara asked moving them into the living
room.

"Yes, thank you."

Willow came into the living room and put Dawn in the playpen in the 
corner of the living room and gave her a book to look at. She sat 
down on the chair across for the couch and smiled at the older women 
that she had come to like in the last couple of days. "Good
morning, 
what brings you out and about?"

Before Joyce could start Tara brought her coffee in, handed it to her 
and turned to Willow, "I'm gonna go grab a shower."

"Hang on for a minute, Tara. The kids managed to talk Rupert into
a 
picnic at the beach today and I was wondering if you three would like 
to join us?" Joyce asked.

Willow looked hopefully at Tara and when she nodded she turned back 
to Joyce, "Sounds good. What can I bring?"

"Nothing but yourselves. How about we meet at my house say about
11?"

"I'd better get that shower so I can go back to the dorm and
get my 
stuff. It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Giles and I'll see you in a 
little bit," Tara said and headed up the stairs.

"Joyce, about Tara?"

Joyce raised her hand interrupting her, "Willow, your personal
life 
is none of my business. She seems like a nice girl."

"She is and it was nice to have someone to spend time with,"
Willow 
said, wiping the tear that had slid down her face.

"Again?"

"I went out with a girl in LA, we met at school. I cared a lot
about 
her and I think I part of me might have even loved her."

"What happened, honey?" Joyce asked.

"We were out celebrating being together for a year. We'd went
to 
dinner and a movie. My neighbor was even going to keep Dawn all night 
so we could have the house to ourselves. I tried to save her but 
there was just too many of them this time. I had killed two when I 
noticed she was down. I went into a rage and before the rest could 
even figure it out they were gone and so was my girlfriend."

"I'm sorry," Joyce said wondering how much one person was
meant to 
survive and come out with their sanity.

Willow shook her head, "Me too. It could have been so easy to
just 
shut down all of my feelings but I knew that I couldn't do that.
Not 
just because of Dawn but because of me. I need to move on."

"And you think Tara is the one to move on with?"

Willow cocked her head and scrunched her forehead in thought, "I 
don't know, maybe. She's nice and funny and I enjoyed myself
last 
night, a lot."

"Me too," Tara said from the bottom of the steps.

"Well I'd better get going. I can't even begin to imagine
how much 
food to pack. I never thought I would live to see the day that
I'd 
find someone to make Xander envious of the amount of food that they 
could put away until I met you, Willow."

Willow blushed and shook her head, "Well I?I have a high
metabolism."

Joyce grinned at the Slayer, "I'm just teasing you. I love to
see 
someone eat who enjoys it. I'll see you guys in a bit."

"Give me a ride to my dorm?" Tara asked.



Willow shifted the box from one arm to the other, trying to 
balance it and knock on the door at the same time. Buffy opened it 
and moved to let them in.

"Hey Will, glad mom could talk you in to coming," Buffy said
trying 
to not to stare at the Slayer in her cut off jean shorts and bikini 
top. 

"Like she had to twist my arm to convince me to spend the day at
the 
beach with my girls," Willow said, kissing Dawn on the head and 
patting Tara on the arm.

Willow was oblivious to the look that crossed the younger blondes 
face but Tara saw the look of hurt that Buffy's face held. Tara 
thoughts were interrupted when an older man appeared from another 
room.

"Willow, how nice to see you," Giles said taking the box out
of her 
hands and sitting it on the floor.

"Always a pleasure, Giles. I like you to meet Tara. Tara this is
Mr. 
Giles," Willow said introducing Tara to her Watcher. "Giles,
I 
brought you some reading material for later. That box contains 
Merrick's journals and some books that I'm sure he would want
you to 
have."

"Ah yes thank you, they will be most helpful in some of the
things 
that will come up in the next few months. Tara it's very nice to
meet 
you."

"You too, Mr. Giles. Willow has told me some very nice things
about 
your family. It's nice to know that Will has some nice people to
look 
after her here."

"Well I think the car is loaded and the kids are very anxious to
get 
this trip started," Giles said herding them to the door.

Willow strapped Dawn into the car seat in the back as Tara took her 
seat in the front and they pulled out behind the Giles' mini van.

"So who's Merrick?" Tara asked.

"He was kind of a mentor, father figure to me when I lived in LA. 
Merrick and Giles were old friends way back when. Giles is really the 
reason I came here."

"Well if I'd known that I would've thanked him," Tara
said and put 
her hand on Willow knee.

"You're a trip," Willow laughed.

"A good one like to Disneyland or a bad one to like
Cleveland?"

"Oh definitely Disneyland with maybe a layover in Cleveland,
cause 
bad can sometimes be a lot of fun."

"Vixen." Tara smirked and settled in watching the passing
scenery.

"I try, oh god how I try."




Willow pulled the jeep into the spot next to Giles and got out. 
Tara grabbed Dawn and ran for the beach right behind Buffy, Xander 
and Cordy.

"Well I guess it's just us adults to carry the load,"
Willow said 
throwing the diaper bag over one shoulder and Dawn's pack and
play 
over the other. Giles brought out the cooler first and handed it to 
Willow, followed by the box of other food and two folding chairs.

"Is that all," Willow grumbled.

"Oh wait, hold on," Giles said and then put the blanket on 
top. "There that's it."

"Rupert! You can't make the poor girl carry everything."
Joyce said.

"Thanks, Joyce. Glad to know someone in on my side," Willow
said and 
glared at her Watcher.

"What? I just wanted to test her strength," Giles said with
just a 
hint of amusement.

"Here let me help you," Joyce said grabbing the blanket from
the top, 
giggled and then dragged Giles toward the beach.

"Sure `come to the beach' she says, `you'll have
fun' she 
says, `test your strength' he says," Willow mumbled to
herself.  
Willow yelled at the retreating backs of the older couple, "You
just 
wanted me here to carry everything."





Tara walked along the beach trying to walk off the huge lunch 
she had eaten. She chuckled to herself, Joyce was right Willow and 
Xander could definitely put the food away. They where currently 
trying to work the food off by playing football. Cordy and Dawn as 
their impromptu cheerleaders. She looked up and saw Buffy sitting in 
the sand staring out over the water. Tara walked over and sat 
down, "Hey, Buffy."

"Oh hey Tara, I didn't see you come up," Buffy said and
glanced down 
the beach towards the others. 

Tara couldn't help but see the smile that crossed her face at
seeing 
the red head run past Xander and score a touchdown. "So how long
have 
you been attracted to women?"

"I think I figured it out in the eighth grade, my math teacher
was 
really hot. On the upside I did really well in math that year. What 
gave it away?" Buffy asked, drawing circles in the sand between
her 
legs.

"So Will isn't the first crush you've had then?"

Buffy flopped back onto the sand and groaned, "Oh god am I that 
obvious?"

Tara laughed and pulled the blonde back up, "Only to people not
named 
Willow."

"Well I guess that's a plus."

"Is it? I think you should tell her," Tara said.

"Are you crazy?" Buffy yelled.

Tara grinned and squeezed Buffy hand, "Well yeah but not the
rubber 
room crazy. Just the real fun to take to a party crazy."

"What about you and Will?" Buffy asked wondering way Tara was
even 
talking to her about this.

"What about us? Buffy we talked a lot last night. I like her, she 
smart and funny but I don't want a relationship right now. I came
to 
college to get away from my family not settle down. I want to 
concentrate on school and finding out who I am. Willow has so much on 
her plate right now, I have no idea how she handles it. Neither one 
of us wants to put ourselves in the position to where we try to 
pretend we want anything more then we do. I want to be friends with 
Willow. I enjoyed last and I had a lot of?"

"Good sex?"

"I was going to say fun but yeah good sex," Tara said and
noticed the 
blush that moved up Buffy face. "Sorry too much information,
huh."

"Nowhere near enough?oh boy I just said that aloud didn't
I?" Buffy 
asked and ducked her head.

"Yes you did and we'll just pretend you didn't because
we're avoiding 
the subject."

"So you'd be ok with her finding someone who wanted more?"
Buffy 
asked.

"If that's what she wanted then I would be head cheerleader
of the 
psycho pep squad, cheering them on."

Buffy chuckled, "I think you have some competition from Cordy for 
that job, even though I think your boobs would look better then hers 
in the sweater."

"Buffy!"

"What? Just because I have a crush on the red head doesn't
mean I 
can't call them as I see them."

Tara swatted her arm playfully, "Thanks?I think but I think
you 
should tell her."

"Again are you crazy?"

"Lets think about it this way, how would you feel if the roles
where 
reversed? What if Cordy came to you and told you she has had a crush 
on you for years and never said anything? Wouldn't you be upset
that 
she took the choice away from you to explore the chance that maybe 
you felt the same way?" Tara asked.

"Two things to that. One eww, I get what your trying to say but
eww, 
not Cordy. Two are you always so smart?"

"Oh of course but do you see what I'm saying. You taking the
choice 
away from Will as to whether she wants to pursue it," Tara said 
looking down the beach at Willow talking to Cordy.

"Do think she would want to?"

Tara sighed and turned to the younger blonde, "Honestly Buffy,
not at 
this point. I think she'll be very flattered, I would be but
there is 
still a real big age difference between you. I can say though that 
there may be a big difference between 16 and 20 but not so much 
between 18 and 22. Take the next couple of years and get to know each 
other as friends. Figure out what makes Willow Rosenberg tick. Be the 
best friend you can be to her, be there when she needs a shoulder to 
lean on or cry on. Accept the women or men she brings into her life; 
see what works and what doesn't. Then when you're 18 and if
you still 
feel the same way then you have so much to work with. You'll have
a 
solid friendship to base a relationship on but don't start that 
friendship without absolute truth. I think she'll respect you
more 
for it."

"Thanks Tara. I can see why she likes you, you're a pretty
cool 
person."

"Your welcome and Buffy if you ever need to talk I'm here. I
know how 
hard things can be at your age. Hell not that I'm a lot older but 
sometimes a few years is all you need and you know you can never have 
enough friends. Now come on lets go whip Cordy and Xander's ass
in 
some touch football. Willow and Dawn can be our cheerleaders."

"Can we put her in a tight sweater?"

"You are hopeless," Tara laughed and dragged her down the
beach.




Willow had to laugh when she looked at Xander down by the water 
trying to show Dawn how to build a sandcastle. Of course Dawn's
idea 
of help was to knock it down as fast as Xander could build it up. 
Willow was impressed with his patience with the two year old. "He 
going to make a great father someday," She said turning to Cordy,
who 
was also watching the scene by the water.

"Yeah he is. It's kind of surprises me though, considering
the way he 
was brought up."

"What do you mean?"

Cordy brought her attention back to the red head, "His parents
drink 
so much that sometimes I think that they forget that they even have a 
son."

"Well he seems to be a great guy regardless of how he was
raised."

"Joyce and Giles are to thank for that more then anything. They
kind 
of adopted us when they moved to Sunnydale. We were in the second 
grade and we always went to their house after school, Joyce always 
had cookie or brownies for us."

"What about your parents?" Willow asked, curious about the
members in 
her Watcher's extended family.

"Well their not drunks like Xander's but they both work most
of the 
time and if their not working their at some meeting or fundraiser. I 
can go days without seeing them."

"I can relate to that. I remember my mom used to disappear into
her 
studio and not come out for days on end," Willow said, trying to
hold 
back the tears. She wished she could go back to those days, even if 
she didn't see her she knew she was always just behind the door. 

"You miss her don't you?"

"All the time. I look at Dawn and I think about the fact that
she'll 
never get the chance to know our mother or her father. I try the best 
I can but I sometimes wonder if I should've let her go. She could 
have had a mom and a dad to take care of her. Parents who didn't
go 
out every night and risked getting killed."

"Willow, I don't know you all that well but from what I can
see, 
you're doing a great job. She's seems like a smart kid,
who's very 
happy with what she has. You love her and take care of her,
that's 
all she going to need."

Willow looked at the brunette beside her and smiled, "Thank you, 
sometimes I just get scared that I'm doing the right thing."

"Well just remember that you're not alone anymore. You got
Joyce and 
Giles and their great substitute parental figures and there's me, 
Xander, Buffy and now Tara. I think you have it better then any other 
Slayer in history if what Giles says is true."

"Speaking of which, according to Merrick, being the Slayer is
like 
some big deep dark secret. How did you guys find out about it?" 
Willow asked.

"Buffy and I were waiting for Giles to take us home after school
one 
day. Giles had a staff meeting, so Buffy and I were just hanging out 
in his office and the phone rang. Buffy was just trying to find a pen 
to take a message and found this book. Well, being the nosy teens we 
were we had to read it and let me tell you the things in this book 
were just disturbing. Demon, vampires, Slayers and everything else 
that we thought were just in the movies right there in that one book. 
Add that book to all the strange things that happen in this town and 
we knew that it was true. Giles had a whole lot of explaining to do 
when he got back."

"I can't believe he told you though. I mean the council must
have had 
a fit."

Cordy laughed, "Well I don't think you're like any other
Slayer 
they've had and I don't think Giles is like any other Watcher
they 
seen. I think you two will hit it off quite nicely. We even help 
sometimes. We had a friend that was killed; we went after the vamps 
that did it. Giles said we even prevented an apocalypse, well after 
her got done yelling that is."

"WHAT?! Willow screamed. "How, When, where?"

"Xander's dad might have taught him nothing else but he
taught him 
how to use a crossbow. We took them out in the cemetery. Giles said 
that we prevented something called the harvest or something or the 
other, we were to wound up to really listen. Of course we then had 
the next two weeks to think about it cause we got grounded."

"Good and there will be no more late night hunting trip for vamps
for 
any of you now that I'm here," Willow said raising her hand
to stop 
her from objecting. "Nope don't want to hear it. Promise?"

"Ok but only because you're a lot stronger then me. So
what's the 
deal with Tara? Is she your girlfriend now?" Cordy asked watching
the 
blonde heading back down the beach with her best friend.

"We're friends who may or may not continue to sleep together.
Why? 
Interested?" Willow teased her new friend.

"In you or her?"

"Either, both"

"You're warped but I like that," Cordy laughed and pulled her
to her 
feet.

"Hey guys. Xander get your butt up here. Me and Tara against
Cordy 
and Xander in touch football. Mom, Willow and Dawn are the 
cheerleaders. Mom, Dad, come here. Dad can be the referee," Buffy 
said coming up to the group.