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 Everyone! Another early update:) As always…if you see anything that needs fixing, PM me. Enjoy:) ********************************************
Chapter 23
To say that Tara was a nervous wreck was an understatement of gigantic proportions. Tara had been thinking all afternoon about the late night encounter with Willow’s Dad from a few days prior and had managed to whip herself into a full-blown panic. She’d not only changed her clothes at least a half dozen times, but had also done the same to poor little Chelsea and the infant was none too pleased about it. It seemed the entire content of Tara’s closet were piled on the bed as well as strewn all over the bedroom floor. Tara tugged on the hem of a muted gold turtleneck sweater she wore over a long dark red skirt and turned to her daughter.
“Okay, what do you think? I-Is this appropriate ‘meet the parents’ attire or should I wear pants?”
Chelsea simply sat in the middle of a clothes fortress on the floor in nothing but a diaper; staring blankly at her mother.
“Come on Chels,” Tara whined, “Help your Mommy out here. How about a big smile for yes and a poopy face for no?” Chelsea continued to stare for a few more seconds before going back to crawling in and out of the over turned laundry basket. “Chels…”
“Did you seriously just ask a baby for wardrobe advice?”
Tara jumped and emitted a small yelp. “Mom! Don’t sneak up on me like that, you scared me half to death!”
Jen giggled as she leaned her shoulder against the doorjamb. “Sweetie, what’s all the hub-bub? It’s just a casual dinner with friends.”
As Jen’s words began to sink in, Tara’s embarrassment caused her cheeks to become flushed. “I know, I’m just w-worried and I want to m-make a good impression with the Rosenberg’s.”
Jen eyed her daughter curiously, “You just saw Sheila a couple nights ago and you were wearing a lot less.”
Tara whirled towards the mirror again. “I know and t-that was probably a m-mistake, plus I’ll have Chelsea and it’ll be both of them and-”
“Sweetie, you’re babbling.” She pushed off the door and entered the bedroom.
Tara ducked her head nervously, “It’s just, I-I don’t w-want them to think I’m a b-bad influence on W-Willow or think p-poorly of me or…”
“Hey,” Jen said softly, wincing with every stuttered word as she lifted Tara’s chin and brushed the hair out of her watery eyes. “You have nothing to be ashamed of and they won’t judge you. They’re very nice people.” Tara smiled a little and nodded. “Besides, since when did you start wearing turtleneck sweaters in Southern California?”
Tara sighed in exasperation, “Too much?”
“Slightly, I like the skirt, but how about you lose the sweater and wear these instead?” Jen picked up a black camisole and lacey long sleeve scoop-neck blouse.
“Okay and what do you think about my black onyx necklace to go with it?”
“Perfect and how about my adorable little granddaughter?” Jen cooed as she picked Chelsea up off the floor. “I see you’ve tortured her with multiple outfit changes as well.”
Tara rolled her bright blue eyes as she peeled off the sweater and changed into the blouse ensemble; turning to the full-length mirror and straightening out the new top. “Better?”
“Much, you look beautiful. Now get a move on, you don’t want to keep Willow waiting, she’ll pace a hole in the floor if we don’t get there on time.” Jen smiled and winked as she handed Chelsea off to Tara and headed downstairs to finish getting herself and the dessert ready.
Tara smiled, knowing exactly how right her mother was in anticipating Willow’s state of mind. She grabbed an outfit for Chelsea off her dresser and laid the infant on the bed. “We’re going to see your Will-Will! How about we get you dressed?”
***************************************************
True to form Willow was manically pacing around her room, making sure it was just so having already smoothed out the bedspread at least a half dozen times. She gravitated to the fish tank and sprinkled in some flakes as the hungry occupants floated to the top for their dinner.
“You guys get to meet Tara tonight!” Willow said happily, rambling on to her fishy pets. “I think you’re really gonna like her and you already met her daughter Chelsea. Remember, adorable little blonde? Well, if you think she’s cute, you should see her Mommy. She’s the most beautiful girl in the entire world and she’s my girlfriend, I-I think. Anyway, I’ve never had one of those before, but it’s a good thing and you better get used to seeing her around a lot…hopefully for a very long time.”
Willow put the cap back on the fish food and sat it on top of the tank.
Is Tara my girlfriend? Willow felt like she was, but wasn’t sure if it was official or not. They hadn’t really said the words out loud and she had no idea how it actually worked.
Should I ask? Maybe give her my class ring to wear on a necklace? And she could give me her letter jacket or something. Do people even do that kind of stuff anymore? “No, they change their Facebook status and tag their significant other. Significant other,” Willow snorted with a chuckle, “That sounds so dumb and…and sorta generic. I mean why not lover, mate, companion or even…paramour!”
Willow jumped, startled by a slight knock on her door. “Honey, are you ready, I think they’re here.” Sheila spoke through the door.
A huge smile quickly spread across Willow’s face as she threw her door open and darted towards the stairs; passing her Mom in a whirlwind. Leaving Sheila behind, laughing at her daughter’s antics.
Just as Willow reached the bottom of the stairs, the doorbell rang. She stopped before opening the door, taking a deep breath and straightening her blouse one last time. She finally reached for the handle and swung the door open; grinning widely and unable to take her eyes off Tara.
The blonde looked absolutely radiant as she stood holding Chelsea. “Hi,” Tara said, her eyes never moving from Willow’s as if she were in some sort of trance. They stood unmoving and still on the porch until Jen waved a hand in between the girls and snapped them out of it.
“Hi…Oh! I’m sorry, come in…please.” Willow’s cheeks burned and she stepped back to usher in the three generations of Maclay women. “Here, let me help you,” Willow said as she reached for the diaper bag slung over Tara’s shoulder, but ended up with a squirmy, playful baby instead.
The infant squealed and lunged when she saw her Will-Will reach towards them. “Awww, hey cutie patootie! C’mere you. How’s my favorite little monkey?” Willow said as she tickled under Chelsea’s chin and rubbed their noses together. The happy baby responded with a bright smile and began to kick excitedly.
“Looks like someone’s happy to see you Willow,” Sheila said as she approached from behind her daughter. “Jennifer Maclay…as I live and breath! You look fantastic! It’s so wonderful to see you again.” Sheila reached out and embraced her old friend for several seconds.
“Sheila, it’s wonderful to see you as well. It’s has been way too long.” Jen responded. Ira soon joined them, with more hugs and much in the way of the Rosenberg’s doting over baby Chelsea.
As the adults chatted and gravitated towards the kitchen, Willow, Tara and Chelsea fell back towards the stairs.
“Hey you,” Tara whispered in Willow’s ear, reaching out and discretely running a hand down the back of Willow’s arm.
Willow smiled sappily, “Hey…wanna go up and see my room?” Tara nodded vigorously. “Um, we’re just gonna head up to my room…”
Sheila glanced over her shoulder and wave a hand, “Okay hun.”
Willow grinned at Tara as they started up the stairs, stopping every few steps so Tara could look at the many photos that hung on the wall. Tara felt a slight twinge of jealousy at how happy they all looked together. The closeness between the three Rosenberg’s were apparent in every photo.
She couldn’t stop her mind from wandering back to her family and how cold their photos were in comparison. In fact, there were only a few with all four of them that she could even remember and they were all in albums. Her father considered it decadent to hang things on the walls and had only allowed crosses or framed bible verses. The only picture hanging on any wall in the Maclay house was a huge artistic rendering of Jesus nailed to the cross, which had hung above the fireplace. Thinking about the bloody image caused a chill to go down Tara’s spine and she instantly broke out in goose bumps; wrapping her arms around herself and squeezing her eyes shut.
“Hey, are you cold?” Willow asked, mistaking the defensive move as one of needing warmth.
“Huh? Oh, a l-little, but I’m fine.” Tara shook the unwanted thoughts from her mind.
Over, it’s over and doesn’t matter anymore. I’m happy now and all that is in the past. She walked up a few more steps and paused once again. This time with a huge grin. “Awwww, look at you! Oh my gosh, this is the cutest picture I’ve ever seen!”
“It’s not…I-I look like a redheaded Eddie Munster!” Willow protested, her cheeks flushing madly.
“You look precious. How old were you? Looks like you were around Chelsea’s age?” Tara said as she ascended the last several steps and followed behind Willow down the hall to her bedroom.
“Over a year, I think? I’ve always looked young because I was a preemie.”
“Really?” This was new information for Tara.
“Umm hmm, I was over two months early and spent about eight weeks in the NICU until I weighed enough to come home. I was only three and a half pounds when I was born. My Mom had lot’s of complications and that’s why I don’t have any siblings.”
Tara’s brow crinkled in sympathy, “Oh Sweetie, I’m sorry.”
Willow shrugged her shoulders and grinned, “It’s okay, being an only child has its perks.” She said as she opened the door to her incredibly large bedroom.
“Oh wow,” Tara breathed, “You have a balcony?”
“Yep, but don’t worry, I bought a sliding lock and installed it at the top so Chelsea can’t get out a-and child safety plug thingy’s and made sure there were no sharp corners and mmmhh…” Tara’s lips effectively silenced Willow’s babble, but only briefly.
“Taaara!” Willow exclaimed as she pulled away and pointed towards Chelsea, who was still snug in her arms.
“What?” The blonde asked innocently.
“She’s watching,” Willow whispered.
“And she needs to get used to it.” Tara grinned, leaning in towards Willow for another kiss. This time the redhead used her free hand to try and shield Chelsea’s eyes, but Tara caught the movement and pulled her hand down before pressing their lips together again.
Willow was allowing her lips to linger as she felt an extremely bored Chelsea attempting to push away; anxious to get down and explore the new space. She broke the kiss, giggling and placed the baby on the floor and turned back to Tara, cupping her cheeks and pulling her closer for a proper kiss.
After a long moment, they pulled apart. “You look nice…beautiful even,” Willow commented, running her hands down Tara’s arms.
“Thanks, you do too. You look really good in green.”
“Oh, it’s just a shirt and jeans but…thanks.” Willow wasn’t used to such comments and fidgeted anxiously.
“So, I really love your room.” Tara couldn’t help but smile as she began to take in her best friends bedroom.
Willow’s room was tidy, but full of personality. The walls were covered with various posters, clippings, pictures and stickers. In one corner there was a small table with a large lit up rocket shaped lava lamp, which Chelsea was completely mesmerized with. Next to it, against the same wall, was Willow’s desk. Her laptop was open with the screensaver running, looking as if she had just been on it only moments before. There were other desk type items neatly placed on the desk, a completed Rubik’s Cube and several small-framed pictures of Willow, Xander and Jesse.
Tara continued to take in the room while Willow diligently watched over Chelsea. The blonde wanted to absorb everything Willow. She gravitated towards Willow’s bed with its thick wicker headboard that held a large green stuffed snake draped across the top and an eclectic set of pillows and bedding. Tara ran her hand across the top of a lampshade that was covered with a sheer scarf; matching the one on the opposite side of the bed. She imagined Willow shaking out the scarves and delicately placing them over the top of the lamps to dim the light.
One of the things Tara decided she loved the most was how nothing really matched; yet everything seemed to flow. On one side of the bed was an apothecary type nightstand with six small drawers and on the other side was a funky postmodern black and white checked table; once again the word eclectic came to mind. It was all so very…
Willow. Tara observed another lava lamp on the dresser and numerous candles on just about every surface. She closed her eyes and pictured the room lit only by those candles and how romantic it must be. Tara sat down on the bed and pulled Willow’s favorite stuffed puppy into her lap. She gently pet its head, then snuggled it to her chest and inhaled Willow’s gentle scent radiating from the toy.
Willow watched in rapt fasciation as the girl moved gracefully about her room, taking everything in and leaving nothing to chance. Willow felt her stomach flip at the sight of Tara on her bed and snuggling her puppy. She didn’t mean to stare, but she couldn’t look away either. The soft light from the covered lamp cast a light glow over Tara’s smooth ivory skin. The girl was absolutely breathtaking.
Before she even knew what she was doing, Willow crossed the room in three quick steps and found herself sitting next to Tara on the side of the bed. Tara barely had a chance to turn fully before Willow was cupping her cheeks and kissing her passionately. The puppy tumbled from Tara’s lap as her hands moved to Willow’s waist and encircled her back.
They melted against one another and pressed their bodies as close as the position would allow. Willow could feel the arousal building to dangerous levels and squeezed her thighs together, trying desperately to keep her hormones at bay. Willow’s body was begging her to satisfy the need, but logic finally prevailed as the haze began to clear. She pulled back with several quick kisses and rested her forehead on Tara’s.
Willow was breathing heavily as she opened her eyes. “Tara…” She whispered.
Willow stopped even before she started. There were things that she wanted to say, but the words eluded her. She wanted to open up and give voice to her feelings, because they were intense; beyond intense. What Willow was feeling was bordering on the big, mother of all words. It was too late to say she was falling; she was well beyond falling and already deep into fallen territory. But there was something there, in the back of her mind, something niggling and keeping her from completely opening herself up to the girl. It was telling her to keep quite and keep her feelings to herself, so she did.
Tara gazed into Willow’s soft green eyes and kissed her again. “I know…” No more words were needed as they sat, foreheads together and holding each other tightly.
The girls were pulled from their reverie by Chelsea’s delighted squeal from across the room. She had managed to pull herself up to a standing position and was excitedly slapping the front side of the fish tank.
Tara smiled tenderly, making sure her daughter wasn’t into anything she wasn’t supposed to be and then turned back to Willow. “Are you okay?” She asked holding Willow’s hands tightly.
Willow nodded, “Yeah, I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s okay, I get it. I
really, really get it. I…I know we haven’t actually talked about everything and what it all means, but I was hoping you’d-”
“Yes!” Willow quickly interrupted. She wholeheartedly agreed to the partial question, pushing the niggling aside. She was finding it hard to say ‘no’ to anything Tara asked of her these days.
“But you don’t even know what I was going to ask,” Tara responded with a sultry smile.
“Whatever the question, the answer is unequivocally yes.”
“Oookay…so, you’ll change Chelsea’s poopy diaper then?”
“Wha…” Willow was confused and her eyebrows knitted together for about half a second before she figured out Tara was kidding with her. “Well, I mean, if you need me too.” She grinned, poking her tongue out between her teeth.
Tara grinned back. “So, you’ll be my girlfriend?” Tara asked in a whisper, looking up expectantly.
The grin on Willows face grew wider. “Absolutely a million times, yes.”
“Cool,” Tara replied, officially laying claim to her girlfriend’s lips.
by Willow_Friendly » Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:12 am 
I really like Sheila you can tell she was like Willow when she was young. I'm really worried about Xander now and hopefully he's not running with a bad crowd or he might get violent with Willow because his mine frame is not right at this point of time. And i know Willow would ask Tara for rides to school but i think for Willow meant more by Tara saying it first because of her popularity and being seen by cordillera.
... I guess their couple-ness is going to be revealed during the familydinner... Extra big yay for Tara asking Willow if Willow want's Tara to be her schoolride every morning (with mandatory 
Thank you.
I was woudering did Chelsea say Will-Will or has Tara been saying it to her. Because i really like to know Willows reaction was or will be when she says it. Now that Tara said that there girlfriends i can't wait when they say i love you to each other. I was a little worried that someone might walk in on them when they where kissing that would've been a awkward dinner.
to Tara asking Willow to be her girlfriend, about darn time to, and another YAY 