TITLE: Baby Makes Three
AUTHOR: Finey_McFine
RATING: PG13
DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other BtVS characters, as well as some random dialog, belong to Mutant Enemy. ALL other original characters belong to me! Mention of any ‘real’ people in this fic is brief and pure fantasy.
SUMMARY: Totally AU! Willow Rosenberg is a senior at Sunnydale High. She and her friends are bullied relentlessly until Willow stumbles upon a huge secret and decides to take matters into her own hands. There is no Hellmouth, just lot’s of teen angst, self discovery and of course Willow/Tara goodness...eventually.
Thoughts are in italics FEEDBACK: Yes! Any glaring issues…please send me a PM!
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hi all…many apologies for the long wait after that mini-cliffhanger. I ended up busier than I’d planned in June . Anyway…here you go! No beta, so all mistakes are mine; PM if you catch something. Enjoy!*********************************************************
Willow panicked. “NO, WAIT!” She jumped from her chair and shouted across the crowded food court; garnering more than a few looks from mall patrons. She quickly grabbed the shopping bags and shoved them into the stroller before taking off in the same direction as Buffy.
Willow struggled with the bulky stroller and did her best to carve a path through the evening dinner crowd, but seemed to be continually blocked by slower moving people. She’d already lost sight of Buffy and knew that wasn’t a good sign. She could only hope that Tara was done feeding Chelsea and had moved on to the changing table.
Finally breaking from the masses, she sprinted down the long hall and turned left into the restrooms. As Willow entered, she made a quick right and then a left; putting her in the middle of the nicely furnished sitting room outside of the stall area. She came flying around the corner so fast, that she almost smashed straight into Buffy. She could practically hear herself come to a screeching halt, like car tires on asphalt.
Willow was panting and slightly sweating as she took in the scene in front of her. Buffy was frozen in place, her mouth agape and staring wide eyed at her friend sitting on the couch. Tara, in return was also staring at Buffy, her face etched with shock and concern as she struggled to keep her nursing daughter under the receiving blanket.
Finally Buffy blinked and shook her head slightly. “Tara, what the fuck? She’s your sister!”
“Buffy please…I can explain-”
“No…no, not your sister…” Buffy interrupted, “You…you lied. To me…to all of us.”
Tara didn’t really quite know what to say and simply nodded in agreement, her eyes finally breaking from Buffy’s and glancing towards Willow.
The move did not go unnoticed by Buffy, who quickly spun towards the still panting redhead. “How long have you known?” She asked pointedly.
Willow shrugged her shoulders, “Awhile,” She said in a whisper.
“Unbelievable,” Buffy hissed angrily, before turning on her heels and marching out of the restroom.
“Shit…” Tara sighed, looking completely dejected.
Willow moved closer and parked the stroller next to her girlfriend. She squatted down in front of her; placing her hands on Tara’s knees. “Are you okay?”
Tara nodded, but her eyes said otherwise. The bright blue sparkle was gone, replaced by the cloudy gray of unshed tears.
Willow squeezed Tara’s knees and gave her a sympathetic look. “She’s just in shock, i-it’s a lot to take in. I’ll go talk to her. Will you be okay…here?” Willow asked as she stood. Tara nodded again and reached out for Willow’s hand; seeking some much needed comfort. “It’ll be alright Tare, I promise.”
As soon as Willow was back out on the food court, she began searching for Buffy, but the petite blonde was nowhere to be found. She walked the perimeter, making a quick sweep before wandering out into the main isle of the mall. The crowd was thinning as the evening wore on and Willow had a clear view in all directions. She made her way to a short brick wall surrounding a large planter and hopped on top to get a better vantage point. She walked all the way around, scanning the entire mall, but still no Buffy.
Willow sighed in defeat and decided to go back to Tara, but just as she passed the mall exit, a flash of blonde hair caught her eye.
Willow exited the mall to find Buffy sitting on a bench with her knees pulled up to her chest and lost in thought. She approached silently and sat next to her.
“Hey,” Willow said softly.
“Hey.”
“Are um, are you okay Buff?”
Buffy sighed heavily and turned towards Willow. “So, Chelsea is Tara’s daughter and not her sister?” Buffy already knew the answer; it was more of a rhetorical question, but one needing confirmation nonetheless.
“Yes.”
“All this time…I can’t believe she lied, straight to my face for months. How long is awhile?”
Willow looked questionable at Buffy; not completely following her train of thought. “Huh?”
“You said you’ve known for awhile. How long is awhile?” Buffy clarified.
“Oh um, a few months. Since right before I started baby sitting.” Buffy nodded in acknowledgement. “Buffy, please don’t be mad at her. She was only doing what she thought she needed to do, to protect Chelsea and herself.”
“From what? From her friends? Because the last time I checked you shouldn’t be afraid of your friends.” Buffy was still angry and her voice was laced with venom.
Willow squirmed uncomfortably and stammered, “I-It’s complicated Buff…put yourself in her position for a minute. Teenage girl back in town with a baby…” Willow choose her words carefully, because didn’t want to say too much, not knowing what would be okay with Tara to disclose. “Then there’s Cordelia and all that stuff…”
Buffy’s eyes widened, “Oh God, if she found out…” Finally hit with the clue stick, it suddenly dawned on Buffy why Tara stayed quiet and her initial anger began to dissipate. Cordelia’s knack for cruelty not withstanding, Buffy knew without a doubt, that Cordy would never have allowed Tara on the squad if she’d known the truth. She also would have gone out of her way to make Tara’s life miserable. Buffy hung her head. “I just feel so stupid.”
“Why?”
“Because I should have figured it out Willow. I mean, the signs were everywhere and my God they look exactly alike! Chelsea is like a little
Mini-Tara. I was so caught up in myself that I never even noticed. Here she is going through something huge, probably needing her friends more than ever and I totally failed her. I’m a horrible friend!” With that, Buffy burst out crying and dropped her head into her hands.
Willow scooted closer and wrapped an arm around Buffy’s shoulders. “You didn’t fail her Buffy and besides, you’re here now and that’s what matters.”
Buffy sniffled and nodded her head against Willow’s shoulder. “Thanks Will, you’re a really good friend…you know that?”
Willow nodded and smiled, “Thanks Buff.” Just as they pulled apart, Willow’s phone began to vibrate. She pulled it out of her pocket and smiled; an involuntary reaction that occurred whenever Tara called her. “Hey,” Willow said as she answered.
“Hi, did you find Buffy?” Tara replied with a concerned tone of voice.
“Yeah and everything is fine. We’re outside the food court exit.”
“Okay, I’ll be meet you there.”
“Okay.” Willow pushed the end button and returned the cell to her pants pocket. “She’s on her way.” Willow said turning to watch for her girlfriend.
A few minutes later, Tara emerged from the mall with a much happier baby. Chelsea was in the stroller cooing and playing with the toys attached to the car seat handle. As soon as they cleared the doors, Buffy jumped up and threw her self at Tara; gripping her in a tight hug and surprising her friend in the process.
Tara glanced over Buffy’s shoulder at Willow with a sweet smile and mouthed,
thank you in Willow’s direction.
“Oh God Tara, I’m so sorry how I reacted.” Buffy squeezed Tara tighter, “It’s not everyday you see one of your best friends with a baby attached to her boob.”
Willow chuckled at Buffy’s choice of words as she rose from the bench and pulled the stroller towards her.
“Buff, oxygen…becoming an issue.” Tara groaned.
“Oh, sorry. I guess I don’t know my own strength sometimes,” Buffy blushed.
“You’re surprisingly strong for such a small girl,” Tara teased as she caught her breath. “Buffy, I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you right from the start. I-”
“No, it’s okay. Willow and I talked and I really do understand why you kept it quiet and I promise, I won’t say a word to anyone. Just please promise you won’t keep any more big secrets, okay?”
Willow’s head shot up and Tara’s face turned scarlet as she began to fidget nervously. She looked up and met Willow’s eyes.
“What?” Buffy asked, looking between the two girls.
Willow sighed heavily, shrugging her shoulders and nodding; silently giving Tara the okay to tell Buffy about their relationship.
“Umm..w-w-well…uhhh, t-there is o-one other thing.” Tara grimaced as her stutter took over.
Willow noticed, hating how the speech impediment made Tara feel and reached out a hand; motioning for her girlfriend to come closer. Tara accepted the invitation as Willow stood. “Buffy, maybe you should sit down,” Said the redhead who was now holding Tara’s hand.
“Why? How bad could it be? What is it with you two and all the secrets? And the hand holding…” Buffy’s voice drifted off as she stared at their intertwined fingers.
As soon as Tara took Willow’s hand, she felt a calm wash over her almost instantly, followed by a sudden rush of confidence. “Buffy,” Tara said gently, “The r-real reason I didn’t want to
cruise guys or meet up with Scott is because…well…i-it’s complicated.” Tara said as she tightened her grip on Willow’s hand.
Buffy looked suitably confused by Tara’s half answer. “Why complicated? He’s likes you, at least that’s what Larry told me and plus he’s popular and super cute.”
Tara took a deep breath, wondering why this was so difficult to say out loud. She wasn’t ashamed of Willow or of her feelings for the adorable redhead, but at the moment, words seemed to be eluding her. “It’s complicated…because of Willow.”
Buffy looked completely bewildered. “You mean Willow has a crush on Scott? No, not…oh. Ohhh.” Buffy finally caught on, her eyes as wide as saucers. She was definitely thrown for a loop. She took a step backwards, breaking eye contact with Tara and pacing nervously.
“Well…that’s great too, right? I mean, she seems like a great girl.” Buffy was trying to be supportive and not blow it again, but her nerves were getting the best of her and she seemingly forgot Willow was standing right in front of her, still linked to Tara.
“She is,” Tara said meaningfully and turned to look Willow in the eyes, but still addressing Buffy. “And there’s something between us…I wasn’t looking for it, you know. It’s just totally powerful and different from anything I’ve ever felt for anyone before.” The girls smiled at each other, lost in each other’s eyes and almost forgetting the ponderous situation they were caught up in.
Then, as if hit by a truck, the full force of Tara’s words finally struck home and Buffy launched into an incredibly awkward babble. “Well, there you go then. You have to follow your heart, Tare. I mean, that’s what’s important, Tare.”
Tara cocked her head at Buffy’s odd behavior. “How come you keep saying my name like that?”
“Like what Tare?”
“She’s totally freaked,” Willow whispered, finally joining the conversation.
“Freaked…what would give you that idea? Just because I find out, over the course of…” Buffy glanced at her watch, “…oh about fifteen minutes, that not only does my best friend have a baby, but that she’s also a lesbian. Why in the world would I be freaked!?” Buffy shouted and then dropped unceremoniously on to the bench.
Willow let go of Tara’s hand and sat down next to Buffy, giving her an extreme sense of deja vu. “Buffy?”
“Is that it? Because there’s only so much I can take before my head explodes. You’re not about to tell me another crazy secret like…Percy is Chelsea’s father or something…are you?”
“NO!” Both Willow and Tara shouted emphatically at the same time. The three girls all looked at each other and suddenly burst out laughing; finally relieving the tension.
After several minutes, the laughter died down and Tara sighed. “Well, I hate to break up this happy little party, but it’s getting late and I need to get Chelsea home.”
Everyone nodded as they gathered their things.
“Tara?”
“Yeah Buff…”
“I hate to ask but do you mind giving me a ride home?”
Tara smiled, wrapping an arm around Buffy’s soulders. “Not at all.”
When they finally arrived at Tara’s car, Willow took the initiative and began the arduous task of securing Chelsea and the carrier to the backseat; leaving Tara to collapse the stroller and store it in the trunk.
Buffy followed, holding the shopping bags; ready to load them into the trunk as well.
“So, you’re really gay AND dating Willow? This is all so…surreal.”
Tara nodded, “Yeah…well, not really dating. We’re um…we’re sort of past that stage, I think.”
Buffy’s mouth dropped open. “You mean you’ve already had se-”
“NO! N-Not, definitely not…no. I just meant, we’re more in a relationship than actually
dating-dating.”
Buffy smirked, unable to pass up the opportunity to tease Tara a little. “Hmm, so that sounded a wee bit too denfensive. Are you sure you haven’t-”
“Buffy…” Tara warned.
“Okay, okay. So, it’s serious then?”
Tara bashfully ducked her head and nodded once again. “Yes…very.”
“Geez, no wonder you went all ‘overprotective gal’ on me earlier. How long has this been going on? And who is Chelsea’s father?”
Tara snorted with laughter and pulled Buffy by the shirt-sleeve. “Come on, I’m tired…you can grill me tomorrow and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
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)! Love how Tara was able to help Willow overcome the negative feelings her teasing about "beeing old reliable" may have caused. I have faith that the "coming out" conversation will turn out well, too. They should have it soon. The last moment was perfect too, I'm looking forward to more!
Willow has some issues, but I think Tara will be there to help her through it. 
