Title: WRITTEN IN THE STARS
Author: ambercissism
Disclaimer: Tara and Willow, and so are the other characters from BTVS are not mine, they belonged to Joss W. and ME, I’m just borrowing them. However, I do own this story and some characters that did not appear in BTVS. I’m not gaining any money from this, just here to provide some Willow-Tara goodness.
Author’s Note: I have been lurking for months now and decided to delurke coz I’d like to share this. This is my first story on Kitten Board, and I hope I could in any way please the Kittens with this fic. It’s totally AU and Romance. Just tell me if this sucks… A big thanks to my talented beta-readers, Rain and Trom DeGrey. Thoughts are in Italics.
Feedbacks: Yes, please. Constructive criticisms are welcome too. I’d be happy to know what are my mistakes and weaknesses in writing.
Rating: It’s PG for the first chapter. But it’ll go on to an R. Don’t worry I’m going to give a warning. There's gonna be angst on the later chapters.
Summary: Young Willow Rosenberg had her first crush and tried declaring her love to a beautiful but older girl. Unfortunately, her love was never accepted. A crush developed into an obsession, and now, as an adult, she was given another chance to profess her undying love to the same person… This time, will she succeed?
Chapter One [center]Puppy Love[/center]
* The Summer of 1995, Sunnydale, California *
”But why?!... Why can’t we be together?!” she blurted out in dismay. The girl rose from the couch and stomped into the next room. She was disappointed at the reply that she had just heard. She hadn’t been expecting rejection.
“Oh Willow!” the blonde sighed, following her. The young woman moved in front of Willow and took her hands in her own. “You don’t understand and you’re too young for this,” she said.
“No, I’m not!” Willow argued, and pulled her hand away. “I’m mature enough to handle this thing!” She walked towards the window and stared blankly outside.
“Sweetie, what you’re feeling for me right now is just temporary,” the blonde said.
But Willow refused to accept this and turned to face the blonde once again. “That’s not true! I’m in love with you.”
“Oh, I like you sweetie, but it just can’t happen,” the blonde reasoned.
“Why?!” she asked, her green eyes smoldering in pain and frustration.
"Coz... coz I'm 17. And... you're... you're just eight," Was the feeble reply. “I’m… I’m sorry..”
After hearing those words from what she considered the love of her life, Willow stomped out of the house, brokenhearted.
*****
“So, how did it go?” the boy asked, as she reached the top of the oak tree and took a seat beside him. “She turned me down,” came the bitter reply.
“Ouch! I’m sorry ‘bout that pal!” he consoled.
Knowing that she was in one of her grievous moods, the boy kept silent and joined in her sulking. Only a few minutes passed when they were rudely interrupted by a familiar voice calling her name.
“Willow! Willow!”
She looked down and was upset to find her mother glaring at them.
“Come down here young lady!” was the strict command. “We’ve been waiting for you at the dinner table! And Xander, your mother is looking for you!”
“Yes Mrs. Rosenberg, we’re coming down right now!” the skinny boy shouted from where they were sitting. Reluctantly, the two pals climbed down from the oak tree and Willow stomped towards her house.
“See you at school Willster!” Xander shouted as he made his way out of the Rosenberg’s front yard.
*****
The moment she had laid her eyes on the blonde, Willow knew that she felt something special. Wallowing in pain in the coldness of her room and still suffering from a broken heart after the painful incident with Tara, Willow recalled the first time Tara walked in to her life…
[blockquote]One rainy Friday afternoon, Willow was watching her favorite TV show in the living room. She jumped up from the leather sofa when her older brother arrived with a girl who seemed to be about his age.
Willow looked up at the girl and was instantly captivated by the pretty face beaming back at her. For a moment, Willow seemed to be in dreamland. She gaped openly and scanned every feature of the girl’s face. Never in her life had she felt this sensation before. It was totally different from what she felt the first time she saw Buffy. She had to admit that she had a weakness for blonde girls, but right now, her crush on her best friend faded away and was replaced by admiration for this blonde.
“Wow! She’s like a goddess!” Willow thought.
“This is my sister, Willow,” she heard Matthew say, but her mind was still engrossed in scrutinizing her brother’s companion.
“Hello, Willow,” was the enthusiastic remark.
And yet, Willow remained in dreamland, completely oblivious to the fact that the blonde had just spoken to her.
“Willow! What’s happening to you?!”
She was snatched from her daydream and the sound of Matthew’s loud, but obviously annoyed voice startled her.
“Wha-What?!” Willow asked innocently.
“You’re scaring Tara!” her brother snapped.
Feeling guilty about drooling over the blonde, Willow blushed at her brother’s remark. Embarrassed, Willow walked out of the house and didn’t even bother to greet Tara back.
*****
Since the day Matthew Rosenberg brought his study buddy home with him, Willow had never felt so delighted. She didn’t stop nagging Matt about Tara.
The following Friday, when Willow arrived home from school she was amazed to find a stunning blonde in Diesel boot cut jeans and red off-the-shoulder top, sitting alone on their black leather couch. Her heart jumped in excitement when she saw her “goddess”. She was overwhelmed to see Tara again. This time, Willow managed to speak.
”Hi Tara!” she chirped, and walked further in the living room.
“Hello there, Willow!” Tara replied, and smiled sweetly.
“Will you be studying with Matt again?” she asked eagerly.
“Uh huh,” Tara nodded.
“Could I come?” she asked.
“Sure,” Tara agreed.
“No, you can’t!” Matt disapproved, emerging from the kitchen with two bottles of Gatorade. “We have a test on Monday, and we don’t need a distraction!”
“But Tara said I could come,” Willow stubbornly insisted.
“No!” Matt proclaimed firmly. “Why don’t you just hang out with Xander!”
Willow snarled back at her older brother and left the living room fuming.[/blockquote]
Willow’s reminiscing was halted when her eyes caught the dictionary that was on her study table. She rose from the bed and walked to where it was laying. For a moment, she studied the dictionary and ran her hand carefully over its cover. Her thoughts went back the last time Tara was studying with Matt in their house. She remembered how Tara’s hand browsed through the pages of that book with such grace…
[blockquote]Tara’s visits became regular and that made Willow the happiest girl in Sunnydale. She was very glad that her brother was not as bright as her, or else, Tara would not have been Matt’s study buddy and she might have not met ‘the love of her life’.
“Tara?” Willow said when she saw her brother leave the room. “Do you like Matt?”
“Yeah,” Tara answered. “He’s a nice guy.” Willow studied Tara’s graceful movements as she turned the pages of her book.
“Are you and Matt going steady?” Willow prodded.
“No! Of course not!” was the sudden reply. “What made you think that?”
“Coz you said you like him,” was her innocent remark.
“Yeah, I like him. But just as a friend.”
“Good!” Willow declared and grinned naughtily.
“What did you say?”
Willow saw that Tara was still absorbed in the three books and a dictionary in front of her.
“Nothing!” she replied. “Tara?”
“Yeah?”
“Do…do you have a boyfriend?” she asked, and held her breath, waiting for the dreaded reply.
“Nope.”
Instantly, the answer alleviated Willow’s worries, and she grinned at the thought of it.[/blockquote]
*****
The following morning, as Willow prepared her things for school, she sighed in pain and was captured by another thing that reminded her of Tara. For a moment, she stood blankly in front of her study table as she stared at the different colored gel pens of hers organized in the open tin case. How was it that in every corner her eyes turned to, she always found something in their house that reminded her of the love of her life?
[blockquote]Within that short span of six months, Tara became Matt’s best friend, and being young and impulsive, Willow’s love and admiration for Tara developed quickly. Though she had a hard time telling it to the apple of her eye, Willow made sure to express it in other ways.
“What’s this?” Tara wondered.
“For you,” Willow said. “Those belonged to my precious collection,” she declared with pride, referring to the green, violet and yellow gel pens.
“Oh! That’s so thoughtful of you,” Tara said. “But why are you giving these to me, when it belongs to your collection?”
“Coz you’re precious to me!” was the quick and resolute answer, and then Willow ran out the door.[/blockquote]
*****
The time had come when Matt and Tara were to graduate from high school, and it worried Willow, because it would only mean one thing, not seeing Tara anymore. She found herself agonizing over the thought of Tara being away from her. So, she decided to take matters in to her own hands.
“How can I tell her that my love for her is pure and true?” Willow kept thinking at night before going to sleep, as memories of the day she declared her love for Tara kept hovering in her mind.
Convincing Tara that she truly loved her would be an enormous challenge for Willow. Since the time Tara did not accept her love, Willow had never gotten over it and was still devastated. She had refused to talk to Tara for almost a month now. Until one day...
“So, have you talked to Tara?” Matt asked after finding Willow in the living room.
“No,” she returned dryly, and went on organizing her different colored pens in a case.
“Well, you should,” Matt replied, and sat down on the couch and took the remote. “Coz she’s leaving tomorrow and she and her family are moving away to Canada,” her brother informed her nonchalantly, munching some chips.
“Leaving?! Tomorrow?! Canada?!!!” she exploded in panic. “Why didn’t you tell me?!” she accused.
“Well, I didn’t know that you weren’t talking to her!” Matt retaliated and resumed watching the NBA on the TV.
Willow stormed out of the house, not wasting any time.
The Maclay’s house was four blocks away, but Willow managed to get there quickly. Still panting, she knocked at the door and was answered by a lady who looked like an older version of Tara.
“Willow! Are you alright?!”
Unable to speak yet, she nodded in reply and tried to catch her breath.
“Good evening Mrs. Maclay… Is… Is Tara home?” she asked, hope painted on her pale face.
“Yes, she’s upstairs. Would you like to come in first?”
“No thanks. I’ll just wait in the yard,” she said.
“Alright, I’ll just tell her that you’re sitting outside. Give me a moment.”
“Thank you Mrs. Maclay, it’s so kind of you,” Willow replied, receiving a warm smile from the older Maclay.
It was one of those lovely summer nights when everything was calm and the sky was clear with stars scattered all over, a very pleasant moment for holding hands and strolling in the park with a loved one. However, the beautiful night didn’t suit Willow’s mood, she thought. Minutes later, the dreaded moment arrived, and Willow found herself sitting in the Maclay’s front yard to bid the love of her life farewell.
“Hey kiddo.” Willow’s heart jumped at the sound of her love’s deep enchanting voice. “I hope you’re not mad at me anymore,” she heard Tara say softly, and sat down beside her.
“Matt told me that you’re leaving tomorrow,” Willow murmured.
“Yeah,” Tara mumbled, seeing sadness written all over Willow’s face.
“Do you have to go?” Willow begged.
“Unfortunately, yes...” Tara returned softly.
“Can’t you just stay here and go to UC Sunnydale with Matt?” Willow suggested hopefully.
“I wish I could, but my dad is gonna work in Canada next fall, and all of us have to move there,” Tara explained sadly.
“Well, you could move in with us if you want,” Willow offered. “You don’t need to live in Canada.”
“Oh sweetie, it’s not that easy,” Tara opposed gently. Willow knew that there is no way she could change the future, and tried to accept her sad fate. But she lightened a bit when...
“By the way, I have something for you.”
She saw Tara take out a small envelope from the pocket of her jeans and handed it to her.
Eagerly, Willow opened it and beamed as she saw the contents. It was a wallet-sized photo of Tara.
“I know you’re gonna miss me, so I gave you something to remind you of me,” Tara said.
“Thanks! I’m gonna treasure this for as long as I live!” Willow said, and gave Tara a quick hug. Then she felt more desperate as the thought of seeing Tara only in picture, and not in person anymore struck her. “Tara,” she called weakly and gazed at her blue eyes with longing. “Will you wait for me?” she asked in her sweetest and most hopeful tone.
“What do you mean?” Tara asked.
“When I’m older and tall, then I’m gonna court you again,” Willow said, full of hope.
“Oh Willow! You’re so sweet. But soon, you’ll meet a lot of girls and boys too,” Tara tried to reason. “And you’ll fall in love with one of them, and then you’ll forget about me.”
“No, I won’t!” Willow cried. “I'll always be in love with you, Tara.” Willow looked at Tara with her puppy sad eyes and tried to gain some sympathy. “Promise you won’t forget me?” she asked anxiously.
“I promise,” Tara assured her, and then Willow felt Tara take her hand and put it closer to her heart.
“Umm... Could I ask a favor?” Willow asked uncertainly.
“Anything sweetie,” Tara returned.
“Could... Could I have a kiss... on the... lips?” Willow wished.
She was expecting that Tara would not grant her request, but instead, she was taken aback when she felt Tara cup her face gently and gave her a warm sweet kiss. For a moment, she remained in trance. She had been dreaming of being kissed by Tara, and now she thought, with her eyes still closed, “I could die now!”
“Does that make you feel better?”
Willow opened her eyes slowly, then grinned and nodded in reply. She seemed to have lost her ability to speak and was still in bliss from Tara’s unexpected kiss.
“Okay, young lady, you better go home now, coz it’s already late,” Tara proclaimed. “I’m gonna miss that!”
“What?” Willow wondered as Tara gazed at her.
“Your smile... It’s the cutest one I’ve ever seen,”
Willow blushed at the compliment. She did not expect that there was something about her that Tara liked so much.
They both stood up, and Willow hugged Tara so tight that it made her ear press against Tara’s chest and she heard Tara’s heart beating. Willow then reluctantly let go as she felt Tara loosen the embrace.
Not wanting to prolong her agony anymore, Willow walked out of the yard with a heavy heart and headed towards the gate. Before she could finally step out of the Maclay’s front yard though, she turned around and gazed at Tara who was still watching her.
“I’m gonna marry you someday! Yoooou’ll see!” Willow shouted.
Suddenly, Willow’s eyes darted up towards the sky and she saw a shooting star. She then closed her eyes for a second, and opened it again slowly. Afterwards she turned around to see Tara smiling at her remark, as if not taking her words seriously and waved goodbye.
Unknown to Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay, the stars had already decided their future. Their fate would be fulfilled a decade later.
TBC
I like the basic set up, and will be interested to see how you develop it.
anyways great fic 
getting ahead of myself here....
The first section appears to be Tara being set up with a guy (I'm guessing it's her from the description and slight stutter), while Buffy now appears to have a crush on Willow! I love this fic as I can't work out at all how you will get them as a pair. It's got me hooked. Well done!
So keep with it!
It's so nice to know that you find Willow cute with a short hair. I hope the others won't mind if they won't find Willow with a long hair. coz I really like trying something new. 
I'm looking forward to seeing how you develop things between Buffy & Willow.
. That was nice of Buffy to try and defend her. I do hope Buffy isn't crushing on Willow because Tara is the only one for Willow and that will leave Buffy disappointed and alone. I hope she finds someone to love. But not Willow, she's taken. 
And thanks, btw. Don’t worry I’m gonna try my best to keep ‘em comin’ and to make you laugh again. But I’m just not sure if you’ll find this chapter funny.
It’s not that excellent, but I’m glad you liked it. 
You just don’t know how overwhelmed and stoked I was when I saw your name on the reply thread! I have to look at it twice, and checked if you’ve really left a reply on my story or my eyes were just deceiving me. Really, it’s true! You are one of my favorite authors 
(I loved your Turned, I read it on Mystic)... Thank you so much for finding some time to read and reply to my humble story... 
Sorry, but I really can’t reveal my motives... anyway, your hints are almost correct. Just wait and see how Tara 
(and her body) is going to react once she saw the teenage Willow... Yeah, I remembered the woman that is 10 year older than you, the one you had a crush on. How strange that you’ve seen her lately, while we were just talkin’ about her. Gosh, I really felt sorry for you that you have to see her with her boyfriend. But I hope my story could make you feel better.
and emoticons here on Kitten Board! Yay! They’re so cool! 