lilyred: I'm glad you liked the update. Tour time begins!!
Phantasyland: Thank you for reading!
love_2003: I hope you enjoy the tour packed with...well, I can't give it away yet.
bluepaintbox: I hope you enjoy the update!!
JustSkipIt: Flirting...hmmm, did I put that in...oh yeah, I put that in!
fhiwda: I'm an only child so I am happy to hear that I got the teasing between siblings correct!
Finey_McFine: I am very happy to hear you are enjoying the fic thus far! Fun was definitely had on the tour and for the writer writing the chapter! Thanks for the feedback – glad to know I am on the right track with the story!
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<--- too cute!
=====================================Title: Meant To Be
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these Characters, just borrowed them and wish I did own them.
Rating: PG-13 - NC-17
Author: Branny72
Feedback: Pretty please…it helps me improve
Summary: AU – Willow is graduating from college at UC Sunnydale and has accepted a job with a company that is new in town. One night, while out with some friends Willow sees an attractive blonde who turns her life upside down. (No Vamps, No Hellmouth, No Magic...)
Authors Notes: Thank you to Willara4ever for all your help with this story. I appreciate your reading it and helping me with the idea.=====================================Chapter 6Buffy and Willow settled in for their movie/girlie night. Willow made sure she had several happy movies, because crying made for puffy eyes the next morning and that wouldn't be acceptable for her day with Tara. Buffy made plenty of popcorn for them to munch on during the movies. Buffy also grabbed the nail polish and manicure set so that they could do each others toe nails and finger nails.
“Buff, you realize that you have to be nice about painting my nails right?” asked Willow.
“Yes, I know, date with Tara means little fun for Buffy when it comes to painting,” laughed Buffy.
“It isn't a date Buffy, I am just showing my boss who is new to town around.”
“Your cute and intelligent boss around,” reminded Buffy.
“Yes, that one,” laughed Willow. “I am still trying to believe all of this.”
“Why is it so hard for you to believe Will? Is it because she is a woman?” asked Buffy.
“No, I don't think that is what is making it so hard for me to believe. With Tara that part feels right, like we are meant to be together. I'm more having an issue with me even falling for someone.”
“Okay, you are going to have to explain that to me,” said Buffy.
“Well, after everything that happened with Oz, I haven't even had an interest in dating or in anyone, then I see Tara at The Bronze and I can't think of anyone else, I dream about her, I am pretty much consumed by thoughts of her. What the hell happened? How is it that she has this effect on me?”
“Willow, you are thinking too deep into this. Oz hurt you, he destroyed your trust in people, not just guys or people you found attractive, you were questioning every relationship both those who you were friends with, those you just were acquainted with, and those that at one point you were attracted to. He essentially pulled the rug out from under you and left you devastated. Now, you are starting a new chapter in your life, you have graduated college, you are starting life as a full adult, complete with a full-time job, responsibilities there, this apartment and the bills that you are responsible for here, you have moved one from that life and your mind is now ready to move on as well. You couldn't keep shutting everyone and everything out because he hurt you, you can't continue to give him that type of power against you. It isn't healthy and you have done it for long enough. If I could have beaten him bloody for what he did to you I would have, but we both know that had I done it at that time you wouldn't have forgiven me and Angel would have been a bit pissed since he wanted the honors.”
“Wait, Angel wanted to beat Oz up as well?” asked Willow.
“Hell yeah he did. Willow, you seem to find this hard to believe but there are a lot of us that care very deeply for you and we don't take kindly to people hurting you.”
“It isn't that I find it hard to believe that you all care about me Buffy, it is more that I find it hard to understand why. I'm just a geeky nerd,” interrupted Willow.
“Stop right there, you are our geeky nerd and we love you and we wouldn't be who we are if we didn't have you a part of our life. Accept it and let's get on with this movie night.”
“Yes ma'am,” said Willow knowing that she shouldn't even consider arguing with Buffy on this.
“Alright, now put in the first movie and it better not be a vampire movie, you know they scare me.”
“Yes I remember the four nights you spent in my twin bed with me in college because we watched
“Interview With A Vampire” and you were convinced Angel was a vampire and he was going to kill you in your sleep,” laughed Willow.
“Well, it was an honest mistake,” laughed Buffy as she tackled her best friend on the couch. “So, what are we watching?”
“Well, I was going to put in Twilight, but Dawn took that home after I reminded her of your fear of vampires, so I put in
“Sweet Home Alabama” since it is my feel-good movie.”
“You just think that Reese Witherspoon is hot, admit it. You Willow Danielle Rosenberg have a thing for blonde-haired women!”
“Um, Buffy, did you forget that you happen to be a blonde-haired woman and I am sorry, I love you as a friend, but I do NOT have a thing for you,” laughed Willow.
“What? Am I not good enough for you to have the hots for? How can you pass up all this?” asked Buffy standing up her hair pulled back into something that resembled a pony tail, and she was wearing sweatpants with holes in them that were two sizes to big, her Sunnydale HS t-shirt with the paint and ketchup stains on it and her fuzzy bunny slippers.
“I don't know how it is that I am not drooling over you at this very moment,” giggled Willow as she started the movie and Buffy sat back down on the couch.
=====================================“Hey T,” said Faith as she answered her phone.
“Hey Faith,” Tara said with a wavering in her voice.
“What's up?”
“Do you have plans tonight?” asked Tara.
“Yeah, I was going to go over to my best friends and she was going to tell me what has her upset,” Faith said the smile coming through in her voice.
“Thanks Faith. I'll see you when you get here,” said Tara with a sigh of relief.
“Anytime Tara, you know this. I'll be over soon,” said Faith as she hung up the phone, put her shoes on, grabbed her keys and headed out the door.
Tara paced around her apartment waiting for Faith to arrive. She heard someone walking down the hall towards her place and opened the door and saw Faith.
“Hi,” said Tara sheepishly.
“What's going on?” asked Faith.
“Nerves about tomorrow I think,” said Tara.
“Tara, tomorrow you just need to worry about being yourself. Red is going to love you,” started Faith.
“I don't need her to love me Faith, I just need her to like me and want to spend time with me.”
“If she doesn't she's an idiot and not worthy of you.”
“You are biased,” laughed Tara.
“You bet I am! See over 10 years ago I met this goofy looking scrawny blonde who used to sit in the back of the classroom and try to become one with the wall. Nobody ever knew she was there, she wouldn't speak in class, she was so shy that I think when I first met her I scared the hell out of her,” said Faith raising an eyebrow towards Tara and receiving a nod in acknowledgement that she did scare the hell out of her when they had first met. “But I saw something in that girl, I saw a strength and a fire, a passion that I hadn't ever seen in anyone. I was drawn to her and I wouldn't let her continue to just hide through life. I have watched her grow up into an intelligent, smoking hot woman who has so much to offer her friends and the woman she gives her heart to.” Faith took Tara's hand as she saw the blond blushing. “Tara, you were hurt bad by Erin, you put yourself into your schoolwork and graduated at the head of the class, early even, and you have put everything into TDM since then. I know that this company wouldn't be where it is now without you, but now it is time to enjoy being young. If you and Willow are just friends, I think she'll be a pretty great friend from the vibes I get, if there is more to your relationship with her, well, it is about time. You are my best friend and I say this with all the love I have inside me, you need to stop being scared and get back out there.”
“Faith,” started Tara as a tear rolled down her face, she had never heard anything so sweet.
“I mean it T, you deserve more than just work in your life.”
“I have that, I have you and Donnie,” said Tara.
“You need more, I think tomorrow is going to be a great start. If things go well with you and Red, maybe the three of us can go to the beach on Sunday.”
“Maybe we should have her invite her roommate too, that way she doesn't feel like we are ganging up on.”
“See, you are already thinking ahead. You need to stop worrying about tomorrow and just enjoy the fact that you have met someone new and are getting out to enjoy the new town.”
“What would I do without you?” asked Tara as she threw her arms around the brunette.
“We'll never have to find out, you are stuck with me for life,” laughed Faith. “Now, pour me a glass of wine and let's watch a movie to take your mind off tomorrow.”
“Yes ma'am! What movie would you like to watch?”
“There is only one movie that makes you relax,” laughed Faith.
“Sweet Home Alabama,” said both Tara and Faith together.
“You know me so well,” said Tara handing Faith her glass of wine and then popping the disc in for them to watch.
They settled back and watched the movie, both falling asleep on the couch together.
=====================================Willow woke up at 7 and stared at the clock wondering what she should wear, where she should take Tara, would Tara regret spending the day with her, would she start to babble and embarrass herself. Her mind was going through different scenarios and most of them didn't end with her having a friendship with Tara, they ended with her being fired.
Buffy poked her head into Willow's room and saw the look on her face. “Stop with the negative thoughts Rosenberg! You are going to have a great day with Tara, you are going to get to know one another and start building a friendship or more from there.”
“What if she doesn't like me? You know the me that isn't at work?”
“Then she doesn't deserve to be a part of your life,” said Buffy. “Now get your ass up and get in the shower and get ready.”
“Yes ma'am,” laughed Willow as she got up and went and started to get ready for her day with Tara.
=====================================Tara woke up on the couch limbs tangled with Faith's.
“How the hell did I end up like this?” she thought to herself. Faith started to move and Tara was able to untangle herself and look at the clock which said 7:25.
“T, I love you, but next time we have a heart-to-heart and watch a movie we are doing it in your bed because this couch is NOT comfortable at all,” said Faith stretching.
“You seem to have slept okay,” laughed Tara.
“Whatever, now don't you need to start getting ready for your day?” asked Faith.
“Yeah, I do,” said Tara.
“Well, then get moving, I'll hang around until you leave to meet Willow, because I am that awesome of a friend.”
“Thanks Faith,” said Tara as she stood up and pulled the other woman into an embrace.
“Okay, enough Faith-loving,” laughed Faith as she friendly shoved Tara towards her room.
=====================================Willow finished showering, getting dressed, and doing her hair and she opted not to wear make-up. It was going to get warm today and all she needed was to have the make-up drip down her face. She was about to start getting her bag together when she saw Buffy standing in her doorway holding a fully packed bag.
“You are the best Buffy,” said Willow.
“I know, now get out of here and have a great day and I will be here waiting when you get home to hear all about it,” Buffy said hugging Willow and then handing her the bag.
=====================================Tara finished getting ready for the day and saw that Faith had gotten her stuff together for her.
“Thanks Faith,” smiled Tara.
“Go and enjoy the day. Call me tonight when you get home and I'll come over and you can tell me all about it.”
“I promise,” said Tara and they both headed out of her apartment. Tara was headed to meet Willow and Faith was headed back to her place to sleep on something more comfortable that the couch had been.
=====================================Willow arrived outside TDM about 10 minutes early. She had walked fast so that she wouldn't be late, not that she hadn't left in enough time, but what if she had fallen or run into a traffic jam of bumper to bumper cars that she couldn't get through because they were all so close together and then she had to go several blocks out of her way.
Tara saw Willow sitting on the benches near the fountain in front of the building. She couldn't help but smile at how beautiful the redhead looked sitting there. She was still unsure why she was so drawn to the redhead, but she had given a lot of thought to what Faith had said last night and she was ready to give even a new friendship a chance.
Willow looked up and saw Tara headed over towards her and she couldn't help but smile.
“Good morning,” said Willow as she got up from the bench to meet the blonde.
“Good morning Willow,” said Tara.
“So, are you ready for your tour of the happening and mega-metropolis oh, wait, we're touring Sunnydale,” laughed Willow and she saw Tara giggle.
“I am very ready for my tour of Sunnydale. I have to say that having my own personal tour guide is pretty neat,” laughed Tara as she casually touched Willow's hand.
“Remember that after the tour has ended,” laughed Willow relishing the feeling of Tara's hand as it had briefly touched hers.
“I will.”
“So, I know that you have been to the um beach, The Bronze, and Angel's, anywhere else?”
“No, unless you c-c-count w-w-work,” Tara said kicking herself internally for stuttering.
“Hey, there is nothing to be nervous about. I promise that I am not super creepy, I won't take you to the woods and leave you for the wild animals, nor will I do anything else that isn't part of us having a fun day exploring Sunnydale,” said Willow making an effort to contain the Willow-babble that was threatening to take over.
“Okay, I'm sorry, I will try to not be nervous.”
“Good, so should we get started?” asked Willow.
“I am all yours,” Tara said and Willow smiled at her.
=====================================“So, where do you want to start,” asked Willow.
“Well, as you said I’ve been to Angel’s, The Bronze, oh and the beach. What else is there?”
“Well, we have the mall, the zoo, the pier, UC Sunnydale, tons of places.”
“Well, let’s head left and go from there,” suggested Tara.
“Sounds great! Let's the tour begin,” said Willow. “Well, your tour begins with this elegantly styled building recently constructed by TDM Enterprise, a company new to the Sunnydale area. The view from inside is quite pleasant,” said Willow doing her best imitation of a bus tour guide.
“And what do you really think of this company TDM and their employees?” coyly asked Tara.
“Well, from what I know of the company and its staff, I’m inclined to say they are pretty good people,” Willow winked at Tara and then blushed when she realized that she was flirting with her.
“I’m very happy to hear that,” Tara causally flirted back.
“Though that is just a first impression as I haven't known them all that long yet, but I'm hoping to get to know them better,” said Willow.
“I'm sure they are hoping to get to know you as well,” said Tara.
“And here we have one of many strip malls in the fascinating town of Sunnydale. Ethan’s Costume Shop and Party Town are both great places to get costumes for your Halloween party or if you just want to have that dressed up fun feeling. I forgot to ask if you booked the tour with interesting stories of the area or just the blah boring tour of where stuff is?”
“I booked the interesting story tour, definitely booked that one,” said Tara.
“Great, now where were we...oh yeah the costume shops. When I was in High School, a bunch of us used to throw costume parties every few months depending on whose parents were out-of-town or willing to allow us to have a party at their house.”
“That sounds like a lot of fun,” said Tara. “Were you one of those popular kids in school?”
“Oh no, I was a total geeky nerd, not that I'm not now, but I wasn't popular. I had some great friends though. Buffy, who I live with was one of the first people to ever make me feel like I was more than a just a nerd.”
“I wasn't a popular kid either,” said Tara.
“I don't know why not,” said Willow.
“Well, I have Faith to thank for who I am today, she helped me, no, she forced me to come out of the shell that I was hiding in. If it wasn't for her, I don't know where I'd be right now.”
“Well, I'm glad she did, or you may not have come to Sunnydale,” said Willow.
“Stop flirting Rosenberg, she is going to think you are a creeper,” thought Willow.“So the parties sound like they were pretty interesting,” said Tara
“They definitely had their moments. A couple of parties almost got out of hand. And then down this street we have 'The Moonbeam Diner,' I don’t recommend their food unless you are looking for a great case of food poisoning and a way to get out of work, or a date, and now we need to make a small detour before we continue our tour,” said Willow with a sly smirk.
“I have a feeling that I should be scared about this so called detour,” laughed Tara.
“Um, er, no, not at all,” Willow said unconvincingly.
“Where are we headed?”
“Well, we are headed here,” said Willow opening the door to the Espresso Pump.
“And why are we here?”
“Because we have a distinct need for a caffeinated sugary substance before we get to the zoo. It makes seeing the animals better,” said Willow her face lighting up.
“Right, or is that just an excuse,” asked Tara raising her eyebrow and then offering the redhead a heart stopping lopsided grin.
“I know not what you speaketh of Ms. Maclay,” said Willow in her best Shakespearean speak.
“Willow,” called a voice from nearby.
“Oh, hey Dawnie,” said Willow as she was enveloped into a hug.
“What are you doing up so early? You aren't job hunting are you? You weren’t fired for being too anal about stuff were you? You know I’ll still love you and everything if you did. Please tell me you didn’t though, but again you will always be my Willow no matter what.”
“No, I wasn't fired and I am NOT job hunting, but thank you Dawn for both the care and embarrassment,” started Willow turning a medium shade of red. “Dawn, this is the head of marketing and one of my bosses, Tara Maclay. Tara this is my best friends little sister Dawn.”
“Hi, nice to meet you Dawn,” said Tara shaking the teens hand.
“It’s nice to meet you too. Please don’t hold what I said against Willow. She isn’t a bad person, just a little OCD about stuff. It is really a great quality at times.”
“I wouldn’t think of holding it against her,” Tara said winking at Willow.
“I know what I’d like to hold against her though.”“Again, thank you Dawn,” mumbled Willow under her breath.
“Does Buffy know you are in here getting mochas?”
“No, and if you know what is good for you, you’ll keep your little mouth shut,” laughed Willow putting her hand over Dawn's mouth and receiving a good lick on her hand from the teen.
“What is in it for me? Last time I kept my mouth shut we ended up, oh wait, boss right, um, sorry,” said Dawn as she giggled while Willow wiped her hand off.
“Oh, I am willing to hear whatever you are willing to tell on stories about Willow,” interjected Tara laughing at the interaction between the two.
“No way, you just met me, you have to wait for the dirty details,” laughed Willow.
“That doesn't really seem fair to me,” said Tara.
“It does to me,” laughed Willow playfully bumping shoulders with Tara.
“I think I’ll just go get you your mocha. And what can I get you,” asked Dawn as she turned to Tara.
“Whatever Willow is having would be great, thank you,” said Tara.
“Sorry about that, I forgot she was working today,” said Willow as Dawn left to get their drinks.
“Don’t be, you seem to have a fantastic relationship,” said Tara feeling a deep pang of jealousy for the closeness between Willow and Dawn.
“She is a great kid, most of the time,” said Willow.
“Ok, two extra large mocha’s Willow-style, anything else?” asked Dawn as she handed them their drinks.
“Willow-style? Okay, that scares me a bit,” laughed Tara.
“It should. Willow-style is triple the caffeine and extra chocolate,” said Dawn as she watched Tara's eyes get wider.
“Oh my,” said Tara.
“Consider it an adventure,” laughed Willow taking a drink of her coffee.
“Where are you headed now?” asked Dawn.
“We're going to make our way to the zoo,” said Willow.
“Those poor animals…” laughed Dawn as she started to walk away she called back “Don't get kicked out this time Wills.”
“You are an evil child Dawnie,” said Willow shaking her head.
“That is why you love me Will,” Dawn called back turning to see Willow shaking her head and Tara laughing.
“Willow, is there something that you need to tell me?” asked Tara playfully.
“I like caffeine and chocolate?”
“Triple the caffeine? Seriously, there is triple the regular caffeine in here?”
“Well, seeing as Dawn made it, there is probably bit more than that, but it will be close.”
“Well, so much for sleeping this week,” said Tara as she took a sip.
Willow smiled as she watched Tara’s reaction.
“Ok, that is amazingly good.”
“You seem surprised,” said Willow as she led them out of the Espresso Pump.
“I guess, maybe a little,” Tara said casting her eyes downward.
“It’s ok, really,” Willow said touching Tara's shoulder. “I know it doesn’t sound all that great, but we’ve tweaked it over the years.”
“I see, and why is it that um, Buffy isn’t supposed to know about you and the mochas?”
“Well, not exactly; come on, I’ll explain on the way to the zoo,” said Willow as she escorted Tara down the street.
“Now I’m really nervous,” laughed Tara as she turned and started walking towards the zoo.
“I tend to become a bit of a spaz when I have too much caffeine or sugar. Well, maybe spaz is an understatement.”
“Willow, you just got an extra large drink that is triple the regular caffeine,” exclaimed Tara.
“I did and I just finished said drink,” said Willow as she tossed the empty cup in the nearby trashcan.
“I’m now very nervous. I have barely made it through a third of mine,” said Tara as she noticed more of a spring in the redheads step. “So, did you grow up nearby?”
“Well, not far from here. This is Revello Drive, Dawn and her Mom live down there,” said Willow pointing to the left towards 1630 Revello Drive. “Buffy used to, and I spent a lot of time there; my parents spent a lot of time out-of-town so I was always over there. Dawn is more like a little sister than anything.”
“That sounds hard having your parents gone so much. My mom died when I was 17,” said Tara.
“I’m so sorry,” said Willow as she put her hand on Tara’s arm. They both secretly enjoyed the contact.
“She had been sick for a long time, but it was hard on us all at the end,” said Tara casting her eyes downwards briefly.
“Were you close with your dad and brother before then?”
“Yeah, we had always been a close family. When dad started TDM he made sure that Donnie and I got involved from the beginning, though we couldn’t do a lot, he still wanted to make sure that we learned it from the ground up.”
“That’s awesome, talk about a fantastic learning experience. I am an only child; I always wondered what it would be like to have a bigger family or a family most of the time.”
“Hey, this is where Anya lives,” said Tara as they passed the apartment building.
“She has a good location; I had a friend who lived there when I was growing up. And now that I know she lives here I may have to take a different route to the zoo.”
“She seems to like it,” Tara smiled. “And I understand that she is a bit intimidating and um bold until you get to know her better.”
“And down that way is Lovers’ Lane; every town has to have one.”
“So, did you ever go down there,” asked Tara offering Willow a smirk.
“Um, I’ll plead the 5th,” Willow blushed.
“From the shade of red you are turning, I’m going to guess that you have been down there,” laughed Tara feeling another pang of jealousy.
“Ok, once, but that was a very long time ago,” said Willow not wanting to divulge any details and ruin her amazing day with Tara.
“Hey, I see the zoo,” said Tara sensing that Willow wasn’t comfortable with the subject.
“Yep, it isn’t much, but it is definitely fun!” Willow started to bounce around a bit and her smile grew as she saw Tara had finished her mocha and was starting to feel the caffeinated beverages effects.
They walked in the front gate and giggling and acting like teenagers made their way to the monkey cage.
“I love the monkeys,” said Tara trying to reach over the railing to touch one of the monkeys.
“Me too,” said Willow doing her impression of one of the monkeys. The monkey appeared to have noticed and started to scream at them.
“Growing up I always tried to talk my parents into letting me get one, but I never managed to convince them. Um, Willow, I don't think that one likes you imitating it.”
“I tried to convince my parents too. Why do you, oh look out I think he has some poo to fling,” laughed Willow as she pulled Tara out of the poo-flinging range.
Willow then led them to the bears where they watched them swim, and then to the giraffes. Willow kept trying to pet one and convince Tara that its name was Melman from the movie Madagascar.
“Willow, I will not believe you that they named the giraffe in Madagascar after this giraffe and that his name is Melman.”
“Why won't you believe me? I said it with a mostly straight face,” laughed the redhead.
“You are a goof you know that?” said Tara realizing that she was having more fun than she thought she ever had before.
“Fine, spoil sport. Lets go watch the seals,” said Willow taking Tara's hand and leading her over to the seals.
They arrived at feeding time so the seals were as Willow described it being made to beg and perform for their lunch. As they were watching Willow heard Tara's stomach growl and the blonde blushed.
“If you are finding the raw fish appetizing I'm sure I could ask them for a little fishy for you,” joked Willow.
“Watch it Rosenberg,” laughed Tara.
“I want to say I'm sorry, but I just can't,” laughed Willow. “How about we head over to the food area and then we can hit the petting zoo and see the cute baby animals.”
“Sounds great to me!”
Since it was Saturday the food area was packed with families, kids running everywhere. Willow found an open table and quickly ran and sat down at it before a woman and her child could get to it. Tara caught up and told Willow that lunch was on her. After they got their food and ate they made their way to the petting zoo.
“Willow, look at the baby goats,” said Tara grabbing the redheads hand and pulling her over to the goats.
Willow did her best impression of a goat and three of them looked at her and started to talk with her. Tara took out her phone and recorded the interaction between Willow and the goats. They then got some food and fed the goats, Tara feeding the littlest one because she felt sorry that he was so small and couldn't fend for himself against the bigger goats. Willow tried to tell her it was a ploy, but Tara wasn't buying it.
As they were looking at the other animals in the petting zoo, Willow told Tara that she had volunteered in the petting zoo for a couple of summers because she wanted to play with the baby animals. They moved around the rest of the zoo talking about the animals and what they liked best about them or experiences with them. Willow and Tara had both ridden an elephant when they were kids, Tara had swam with the dolphins on a family vacation.
They had spent the afternoon at the zoo looking at the animals and talking. Both were having such a great time that they hadn't noticed the time passing.
“I can't believe we spent almost the whole day at the zoo,” said Willow as they were ushered out of the gates because the zoo was closing.
“I can't believe that the zoo closes at 5 pm on Saturday,” said Tara.
“Well, that just means that we need to continue on with our tour. How about we go to Angel’s? Good food, guaranteed a great table,” suggested Willow.
“That sounds perfect to me. The night we ate there the food was amazing.”
They left the zoo and headed down Whedon Avenue and when they arrived at Market Court, they went over to Angel’s restaurant to have dinner together.
=====================================TBC...=====================================