“Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching our last stop, and will be arriving at Sunnydale Station in approximately 15 minutes. Please make sure you have all your belongings before exiting the train.”
Willow looked out the window, deep in thought.
“I don’t know, Buffy.”
“C’mon Will, don’t get a jelly belly on me now. It’ll be okay. If you’re gonna go through with it, we’re gonna do it right.”
Willow fidgeted in her seat. “I’m starting to regret asking your advice on this.”
“Hey. I have an embarrassingly non-existent love life, so I need to live vicariously through yours. What are you so nervous about? You’ve got it in the bag Will, no doubt about it.”
“Do I have to do it this way?” she whined. “It’s not going overboard, is it? You know how shy she can get sometimes . . .”
“Willow. Puh-lease,” Buffy scoffed. “Three words. Sparkly. Pink. Thong.” Willow visibly paled, mouth forming an ‘o’ as stared at her friend in shock.
“How did you-“
“So don’t sell me the sweet innocent Tara bit, cause I’m not buying. And for the record, Will? Whenever you and Tara decide to do the nasty in the dining room, make sure you Lysol the table and pick the underwear out of the chandelier. “ Buffy laughed out loud, and Willow couldn’t help but smile through her embarrassment. “Guess you had something good to eat that night, huh?” Buffy joked. Willow replied with a smack to her arm. “Ow! Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.” She looked lovingly at her best friend, whose face was lined with worry. “Relax, Willow. You have nothing to worry about. Sure, this is kind of a grandiose way of professing your love, but hey, what woman could resist a heaping dose of romanism . . . ro – roman-tism . . .”
Willow giggled at her best friend’s befuddled face. “Romanticism.” She exhaled slowly. “Just . . . I’m just nervous. I mean, this is huge. Huger than huge. This could quite possibly be the defining moment of my life. What if it goes wrong? What if I mess it up?” She looked at her best friend, wide eyed and panicked. ”Buffy, what if she says -“
“Willow, breathe.” She reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “You know, you’re going to feel really stupid afterwards, thinking about how wigged you are now right. Trust me, Will. You’re gonna look at her, and you’re gonna know exactly what to say. Cause it’s Tara. And no matter what, she loves you, okay? Don’t forget that.”
Willow looked at her and smiled. “Okay. I can do this,” she said, putting on her best resolve face. “But if anyone asks, it was all my idea, okay?”
“Deal.” Buffy extended her hand and Willow sealed the agreement with a firm shake.
“Coast Starlight Train, now approaching from San Francisco. Platform 12.”
“They’re here!” Dawn squealed in excitement. Giles got up from his seat, stretching out his arms and legs.
“It’s about bloody time,” he complained.
“Tara back from the bathroom yet?” Xander asked as he threw away his empty cup of coffee.
“Yep, I’m right here,” chimed a familiar voice from behind. “Wouldn’t miss
it for the world.” As Tara approached the group, Buffy emerged from the train.
“Buffy! Over here!” Dawn rushed to her sister, and greeted her with a warm embrace.
“Hey Buff!” Xander took her bag as she exchanged hugs with the rest of the group.
“Where’s Willow?” Tara asked, anxiously scanning the exiting passengers
for her beloved.
“Oh,” Buffy replied. “She had to use the bathroom.”
“She couldn’t wait until she got off the train?” she asked, a bit miffed, but Buffy just smiled and shrugged.
Tara felt something tug at her pants. She looked down and saw a small, dark haired boy standing at her feet, hand behind his back, as if he were hiding something. He looked up at her shyly, before glancing at Buffy, who gave him an encouraging nod. Tara eyed both of them curiously.
The boy regarded Tara for a moment, then brought his hand from behind his back, revealing a single white rose, which he offered to the surprised blonde. Tara bent down on one knee, and accepted the gift.
“Thank you, sweetie,” Tara said gently. “What’s this for?”
The boy did not respond. He giggled as he ran off towards a couple Tara presumed were his parents. The boy waved good-bye as his parents gathered their luggage and walked away. She turned and faced Buffy, who had a big grin on her face.
“Looks like you’ve got an admirer, Tara. Personally, I think he’s a little too young for you,” Buffy teased.
Tara was about to reply when an elderly couple appeared by her side. They smiled knowingly, before handing her another white rose.
“Th-thank you,” she stammered.
“Good luck, dear!” the woman whispered as she gave Tara a hug. Eyebrows raised, Tara shot another look at Buffy.
“Okay, what is going on?” Tara demanded, smiling nervously as she looked helplessly at her friends.
“Yeah Buff, what is this?” Dawn asked as she watched Tara accept yet another white rose from a gentleman wearing a business suit.
“Shh . . .” she admonished. “Just watch.”
More people exited the train, each armed with a single white rose. Tara laughed in disbelief as she accepted the hugs, handshakes, and well-wishes that accompanied the flowers. Pretty soon, she was left cradling a rather large bouquet in her arms, surrounded by the train's many passengers, who were now crowded around Platform 12.
“Buffy, you’d better start explaining,” she threatened through her smile as she looked at the people gathered around her. “Why are they still here? And why are they looking at me like some sort of circus freak?”
Willow watched nervously from her seat in the train, awaiting the signal from the conductor at the front of the car. When he nodded at her, Willow felt her stomach do a somersault. Now or never, she thought as she quickly checked her pockets. Once satisfied that everything was in place, she made her way to the exit.
“Looks like every man, woman and child can’t resist Tara’s witchy charms,” said Xander giving the crowd the once over.
“Buffy,” Giles whispered. “Is there something we should know about?” Once again, she shrugged her shoulders and feigned ignorance.
Suddenly, the platform went still as Willow appeared at the exit of the last car, holding a single red rose. The crowd watched in silence as Willow approached Tara, eyes never leaving hers.
“Wow, for me?” Willow gestured playfully towards the massive bouquet Tara held in her arms. She smiled impishly. “You shouldn’t have.”
“Ha ha. Not so much with the funny right now, Will. You’ve got some explaining to do,” Tara said, a lop-sided grin betraying her intrigue.
“You’re absolutely right.” Trying hard to keep her jitters in check, she stepped closer, reaching for Tara’s free hand. “I know I’ve only been gone for two weeks . . . I mean, what’s two weeks compared to an entire lifetime, right?” She laughed nervously. ”Which, for females is approximately 79.5 years, unless you’re a smoker, which automatically knocks 14 years off your life. But you don’t smoke so-”
“Is that why I have a ridiculous amount of flowers in my hand, Will? You’re celebrating my life expectancy?”
“No I . . . Well, see, the thing is . . . we’ve been together what? Six years? Which makes us . . . twenty-five years old and . . . if you subtract that from . . .” Willow crinkled her eyebrows, doing the math, “ . . . that leaves us 54.5 years, if we don’t pick up smoking that is. Oh, and if we drink lots of milk and take our vitamins too. Osteoporosis is more common among women, so . . . we don’t want none of that now.” She smiled weakly.
“Will . . .”
“Yes, the point! And I do have one . . . It’s just that . . . 54.5 years is a long time . . . a lifetime really and . . . “ Her face softened. “I want to spend it with you,” she whispered in voice that could penetrate the heart of the most hardened cynic. “This lifetime, and the next.” Willow placed the red rose on top of the white ones, her eyes never leaving Tara’s. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a diamond ring. Around them, there were several gasps, and a few suppressed squeals.
Tara stared at the ring, speechless. When she finally raised her eyes to look at her love, they were moist with tears.
“Tara . . .” Willow whispered, taking her hand and placing it on her heart.
“Yes,” Tara answered breathlessly, a solitary tear streaming down her face.
“Yes?”
“Yes.”
As the crowd erupted in cheers, Willow slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly, like the last piece of a puzzle.
Complete, she thought, as Tara grazed her lips with a tender kiss. We’re complete.
Just my two cents: In California we're fighting a proposition that will ban gay marriages. It's neck and neck right now, and it saddens me to see so many people in favor of this proposition, even in the Bay Area. I guess that's why I'm posting this now, to remember that love is something we all share and marriage is something we should be able to celebrate regardless of sexual orientation. Course, I'm preaching to the choir here.
If you live in CA, please, remind your friends and family members to vote no on Prop 8.
RC 
Please? 
