Tara Maclay was born November, 1980. Only a little of her early life is known, but she has a brother named Donny, and her mother practiced magic. She grew up around horses and loves riding and caring for them. When Tara was 17 her mother died. Her family convinced Tara that the women in her family were part demon. They told her the only way to suppress her demon side was to stay at home. Not willing to accept this fate, Tara left home and eventually enrolled at U.C. Sunnydale, in California, and also took on the study of magic.
Tara attended U.C. Sunnydale in 1998 where she joined a local Wiccan group, but wasn't accepted socially. While in that group she met Willow Rosenberg, and learned they were both the only real spell casters in the group. About that time the town of Sunnydale was attacked by the Gentlemen, who stole the voices of the whole town and proceeded to harvest the hearts of certain people. Tara attempted to contact Willow so they could find a solution to the loss of their voices, but the henchmen of the Gentlemen found her first and attacked her. Tara found Willow and the two of them were able to combine powers and defend themselves from the attack (Hush 4.10).
Willow and Tara became close, and eventually became very close. Willow told Tara about her adventures fighting the forces of evil. Eventually Willow introduced Tara to her friends Buffy Anne Summers, Alexander LaVelle Harris and Rupert Giles. Tara was instrumental in discovering that the rogue Vampire Slayer Faith had swapped bodies with Buffy Summers and aided in restoring her (Who Are You 4.16).
Willow and Tara's relationship started to take a romantic turn. When Willow's former boyfriend Daniel "Oz" Osborne returned to Sunnydale after learning to control his werewolf side, Tara became confused and told Willow she understood if she wanted to leave her for Oz. Sadly Oz didn't have his werewolf side as under control as he thought and the wolf attacked Tara. Tara was saved by soldiers in the Initiative, who captured Oz. Oz would eventually be freed and he left Willow and Tara (New Moon Rising 4.19).
Tara's family came to Sunnydale to attempt to get her to return home on her 20th birthday, but she refused, and learned that she was not part demon with help from the vampire Spike (Family 5.06).
Willow and Tara had their first fight when Tara was worried Willow was only experimenting with dating women and not really in love with her. When the banished hell god Glorificus, also called Glory, was looking for her lost key to dimensions in an attempt to return home, she suspected that Tara was the key in disguise. When she learned Tara wasn't the key she left Tara with a broken hand and drained of her sanity. When Willow learned this she used dark magic to attack Glory, but could do no real damage to her (Tough Love 5.19).
During their final battle with Glory, Willow was able to drain Tara's sanity from Glory and place it back in Tara, but in the battle Buffy died saving the world from a dimensional rift (The Gift 5.22).
Since Buffy's little sister, Dawn Summers, had lost Buffy as her legal guardian Willow and Tara moved into the Summers home and attempted to keep the death of Buffy a secret. Several weeks later a work crew under Xander unearthed a safe containing the demon Veeya, who had been trapped and burried in Sunnydale long ago. Veeya fed off the gangs dispair over Buffy's death until Buffy's sister Dawn was able to get the gang to remember all the goodness they felt for Buffy and fed it to the demon, killing it (Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Lost and Found).
Willow contacted Doc's three brothers about getting a reliable resurrection spell, which they gave to her in trade for her destroying a scroll they wanted to get rid of. Destroying the scroll caused the release of the Luper, a giant demon bird, which killed Doc's brothers and then went on the rampage in Sunnydale. Willow was able to defeat the Luper. She then approached Tara, Xander and Anya with her plan to bring back Buffy, fearing that Buffy was trapped in a hell dimension. They agreed to try the spell and not tell Rupert (Buffy The Vampire Slayer #45).
Several months later Tara aided Willow in casting a spell to bring back Buffy from the dead. This spell was interrupted by a band of demon bikers looking to set up shop in Sunnydale. Although they didn't think the spell worked, Buffy did return from the dead. In the battle with the demons, Tara killed the demon's leader Razor by axing it in the back (Bargaining Part 1 6.01 & Bargaining Part 2 6.02).
As Buffy adjusted to her return to the land of the living, odd occurrences started to happen. Images of the dead and short possessions by an angry spirit plagues the people who raised Buffy. Willow learned that as a side effect of her magic a demon had been created which was stuck between realities. When it was discovered that the spirit would dissipate unless it killed Buffy, the spirit attacked Buffy, but Willow and Tara were able to make the spirit solid enough for Buffy to slay it. Buffy confessed to Spike that she hadn't been in hell at all during her death, but was in heaven, and the forced return to the hard cold reality of Earth after such an experience was almost too much for her, but she made him promise not to tell the others (Afterlife 6.03).
After returning home from her visit with Angel, Buffy decided to attend classes at U.C. Sunnydale along side Willow and Tara in an attempt to ease back into them for next semester. The Trio decided they had to deal with the slayer before they could take over Sunnydale, so they put her through a series of tests, costing her her new jobs as a construction worker working with Xander and as a saleswoman at the Magic Box. Becoming depressed about her situation and inability to hold a job, Buffy spent the night getting drunk with Spike (Life Serial 6.05).
After Tara became concerned that Willow was using too much magic, the couple had a fight, and Willow used a spell to make Tara forget the incident (All The Way 6.06).
After Tara learned that Willow had used magic to make Tara forget a fight they had Tara warned Willow she was using too much magic. Although Willow agreed to go for one week without magic, Willow didn't keep her word and attempted to make everyone forget the whole event happened. The spell backfired causing Willow, Tara, Rupert, Anya Jenkins, Buffy, Xander, Dawn and Spike to all lose their memories for an evening. To make things worse was that fact that a demonic loan shark was hunting for Spike and attacked them all at the Magic Box, but even without memories they were able to fight off the vampires. Once the spell was ended Tara realized Willow lied to her and moved out of Buffy's house to get away from Willow (Tabula Rasa 6.08).
Willow was able to return Amy to human form and spent the night with her using magic, much to Tara's disappointment (Smashed 6.09), Buffy continued to have long nights of sex with Spike, putting stress on her relationship with Dawn because of her long absences. The vampire Velatti escaped from a pile of rubble and decided she could use Dawn to get to Buffy. Velatti and her demon bear companion kidnapped Dawn. Velatti attacked Spike and then Buffy, but when Buffy was winning Velatti mentioned Dawn and Buffy ran off to find Dawn. Buffy discovered the broken window at her house and found Tara, who helped her try to find Dawn. As Xander, Anya and Willow were getting food at the Doublemeat Palace the demon bear arrived with Dawn and Velatti. Xander tried to take them down, but was overpowered. Willow almost used magic to stop them, but couldn't bring herself to cast a spell. Anya was able to distract Velatti with magical bubbleflies Anya intended to use at her wedding while Xander took on the demon bear, leaping on it's back and choking it with a mop handle. Buffy arrived and took on Velatti, but she got the best of Buffy. As Velatti was gloating Spike snuck up behind her and staked her (Buffy The Vampire Slayer #46).
When Xander and Anya Jenkins were getting married Tara was invited to be a bridesmaid, along side Buffy, Dawn and the demon Halfrek. Willow was Xander's best man. Spike, attempting to make Buffy jealous, brought a date to the wedding. Through all the troubles that plagued the wedding, including Xander's drunk family, Anya's demon co-workers, and an attack by a demonic former victim on Anya's, Xander decided to call off the wedding, leaving Anya at the alter and heartbroken (Hell's Bells 6.16).
Anya then accepted D'Hoffryn's offer to become a vengeance demon again. She returned to Sunnydale and when Xander didn't want to marry her, just continue dating, she attempted to wish him out of existence, but was frustrated because she couldn't grant her own wishes. She attempted to get Willow, Tara, Dawn and Buffy to wish something bad on Xander, but they were not any help. She then planned on getting Spike drunk and getting him to make a wish, but they ended up having sex together in the Magic Box. Through a secret camera planted by the Trio that the scoobies had uncovered Xander discovered Anya and Spike having sex and nearly killed Spike for it. During the fight it was revealed that Spike and Buffy had been having sex, and Xander walked away disgusted in both Anya and Buffy's choice in lovers (Entropy 6.18).
Buffy spent the night looking for the Trio's base as Tara and Willow spent the night together making up, something that pleased Dawn to no end. Buffy found their base abandoned, and got out with some of their documents as she was attacked by giant buzz saws. Buffy returned home where Dawn, Tara and Willow aided her in going through the documents. Anya attempted to go back to avenging wronged women, but found she only was concerned with her own troubles and not those of others. The Trio acquired the skin of a Nezzla demon. Dawn visited Spike in his crypt, wanting to know if sleeping with Anya was worth it and if he really loved Buffy. Jonathan wore the skin of the demon to sneak into their lair and steal the orbs of Nezzla'Khan, which Warren used to to become super strong and invulnerable. Buffy visited Xander and tried to make up with him, but he was too hurt over finding out Buffy was sleeping with Spike. Buffy went out patroling and a vampire hurt her back. When she got home Spike followed her in and talked to her in the bathroom. He apologized for having sex with Anya. Buffy admitted she had feelings for him, but it wasn't love, because she could never trust him. Angry, Spike started for force himself on her, but she resisted him and kicked him across the room, shocking him into realizing what he was doing. Ashamed, Spike left her. At the Bronze Warren tested out the orbs by picking up women, beating on their boyfriends and robbing the place. Xander walked in and tried to fight Warren, but Warren was too powerful for him. Jonathan convinced Warren to leave so they could do a robbery they had planned. Xander returned to Buffy's place where he found her still lying on the flood in the bathroom. Willow arrived informed Buffy of a robbery in the plans that had to be done tonight. Spike returned to his crypt where Clem visited to share hot wings and watch Knight Rider. Spike told Clem he blamed the chip for everything and how he needed to change things. Warren then attempted an armored truck theft, but Buffy arrived and they fought. Warren was winning the fight, but Jonathan snuck Buffy a hint about destroying the orbs. Once they were gone Warren didn't stand a chance, so he used a jet pack to escape. Andrew and Jonathan were captured by the police. Spike rode out of town vowing things would change when he returned. The next morning Xander visited Buffy in her yard and they made up for their differences. Warren arrived wanting vengeance on Buffy and shot her, with a stray bullet hitting Tara, who was standing with Willow in the upstairs bedroom (Seeing Red 6.19).