Tough Love

Willow and Tara are getting ready to go to the World Culture fair which is in Sunnydale.  Willow is telling Tara how Buffy is being very strict with Dawn now that Joyce is dead.  Dawn has been skipping classes and Buffy has been forced to come down on her hard.  Tara points out that it's very hard for Buffy now that her mother's dead and says that when her mother died she had to look after her brother. Willow gets a bit snippy, saying tha she's starting to feel a bit like the fact that her mother hasn't died makes her feel like her opinion doesn't count.

Tara assures her that isn't the case.  Willow says that she ddn't mean that, but she's starting to feel like the junior partner in their relationship.  Tara has been 'out' (as a lesbian) longer, as well as the fact she's been practising Wicca way longer.  Tara interupts there, telling Willow that doesn't matter as Willow is way more powerful than she is.  "It frightens me how powerful you're getting" she admits.  Willow takes exception to the word "frighten".  Tara tries to explain that that's not what she meant, but Willow

won't let it drop.  Tara tries to calm her down, saying that she only meant that she's a bit worried that eventually Willow will leave her behind.  Willow takes this to mean that Tara thinks that Willow will eventually dump her and head back to "boysville".  She takes exception to this, accusing Tara of thinking that sheis only experimenting with being gay and that after college she'll return to "normal".  Tara can't get a word in edgewise, but eventually asks if they can just go to the fair and forget about it.  Willow

says that she's not in a very multi-cultural mood and storms off, telling Tara to enjoy the fair.  Tara watches her go, distraught. Later, Tara sits in the middle of the fair, looking miserable.  Willow, looking equally upset, sits in the Magic Box. At the fair, a hand slips into Tara's.  Tara smiles and tuns her head towards... Glory!  Glory has had her minions watching all of Buffy's friends and has come to the incorrect conclusion that Tara is the key.

At the Magic Box, Giles asks Willow if she is alright.  Willow tells him about the fight with Tara, saying it's the first they've ever had.  He tells her that it's over.  Willow takes this to mean that the relationship is over and gets very upset.  Giles calms her down, saying that the fight is over.  And at least they know that they can now fight without the world ending.  As he talks he walks to the back door, opening it and then slamming it back on the head of the minion who is listening there.  Giles drags him to a chair and

"persuades" him to tell them what Glory is planning.  He tells them that Glory knows who the key is.  Willow goes to call Buffy, but the minions tells her that she cannot stop Glory and that she already has the witch.  Willow realises that Glory thinks that Tara is the Key and rushes off to the fair to find Tara. Glory is meanwhile talking to Tara, crushing her hand in the process.  As the blood pours out, Glory licks it, and spits it out.  She now knows that Tara isn't the key.  She is extremely angry,

telling Tara that she doesn't like being lied to.  Tara can do nothing as Glory threatens her, telling her that she will suck her brain out unless Tara tells her who the key is.  Despite the pain, Tara looks Glory stright in the eye, giving her a look which plainly says "go jump".  Glory losses her patience. Willow is at the fair, she spots Tara and Glory sitting next to her, as Willow runs towards them she tries to work a spell to stop Glory, but there's nothing she can do as Glorry buries her finger's in Tara's head, drawing out

her sanity.  By the time Willow reaches the bench Glory is gone and Tara is a fragment of who she was before.  Willow can only burst into to tears as Tara mutters incoherantly at her. At the hospital, Tara's crushed hand is plastered and the doctors admit her for the night to the mental ward.  Willow is distraught.  Against the advice of the others, she runs off on her own, going to the magic shop where she grabs some potions and a book called "Darkest Magic".  She

heads to Glory's, causing a minor earthquake and then bursting through the door, eyes blazing.  "I owe you pain" she tells Glory, before subjecting her to just that.  Although Willow beats a lot into her, Glory regains her strength and is about to gut Willow when Buffy shows up to save her. Back at the Halls, Willow, Tara, Buffy and Dawn sit in Tara's room eating lunch.  Willow feeds Tara and then allows Dawn to do it.  Buffy asks her what she needs.  Willow says that the

the doctors gave her lots of stuff to keep Tara calm.  They also said that she might have to restrain Tara at night.  Willow says that sometimes Tara's fine.  "She looks at me and she's fine".  Willow says that she's gonna take care of Tara "even f she never... She's my girl".  "You're my always" she tells the witch.  Tara looks at her and smiles. Suddenly, the wall collapses, Glory looks in and says "I told you this wasn't over".  Tara suddenly gaps at Dawn, saying how pretty and green energy she was.  Glory smiles.

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