Author: JustSkipIt
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own Willow and Tara and the Buffyverse. No copyright infringement is meant by this fic and I will not make any money from it. J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and everything associated with Harry Potter (and much of the UK at this point). Again, I intend no copywrite infringement and will make no money off this fic.
Feedback - Yes, please. Please leave feedback on the Willtaralympics 2007 thread on the Kitten Board.
Spoilers - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Note - Thanks to Chris for the clarification on quidditch rules and the graphics for this series. Thanks to the RKT team for another great project.
Note - This story was written before the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Quidditch - If you don't know anything about Harry Potter or the game of Quidditch, you must be trying very hard to avoid it. In that case, I can't imagine that you're actually going to read this fic. But on the off, off, off chance you don't know what quidditch is but you want to read this, here is a very cursory summary (which I guess is true of Cam if no one else).

Quidditch consists of two squads of seven players apiece. Those players fly on brooms and are as follows: 1-Keeper who guards the three goals (kind of round hoops on very tall sticks at each end of the field). 3-Chasers who pass a Quaffle back and forth and attempt to score by putting the quaffle through one of the opposing team's hoops for 10 points. 2-Beaters who carry short fat bats and attempt to knock the two "bludgers" (vicious balls that attempt to hit players) toward the other team and away from their own team, 1-Seeker who attempts to catch the "Golden Snitch" (or just Snitch). The Snitch is "wicked fast" and flies around throughout the game. Catching the snitch is worth 150 points and immediately ends the game.

Willow turned quickly and speeded up her flight toward the ball. She knew she was going to reach it but sometimes she liked to set herself an extra challenge. She braked just in front of the ball and reached out her foot to kick the golf ball, catching it in her left hand off the bounce.

"Hot Dog!"

Willow grinned and stuffed the ball into the pouch on her belt as she waited for Tara's next hit. The blonde witch stood on the ground next to her broom belting out golf ball after golf ball with a bat. It wasn't that anyone doubted Willow's skills as seeker but the next match was very important. If Gryffindor won by more than 90 points, they would not only win the Quidditch cup but the house championship. If not Slytherin would win the Quidditch cup. If Slytherin managed to win by more 50 points, they would win the house championship as well (otherwise, Ravenclaw would win the house championship).

The entire team had taken an extra practice after dinner to prepare for the game and Willow had suggested that she and Tara, the team captain, stay late to give her extra practice. Gryffindor hadn't won the house championship in three years, not since Willow was a second year.

And this one seemed to be more important than years past. Willow suspected that it wasn't just her either. The trouble in the wizarding world had started and been concentrated in England but it had spread to America in the past year. Attacks had increased and the dark mark was seen more and more often. Wizards and witches seemed to live in fear except for those who reveled in the rising evil in Europe. Throughout the school year to end in a few weeks, students had been called to Professor Giles's office, been seen later in tears and then left the school either permanently or temporarily. In those cases, the student probably had some sort of tragedy in his or her family, although it escaped no one's notice that the students were rarely from Slytherin.

And some of those incidents had hit too close to home. Too close indeed. While Willow's parents were relatively shielded, being muggles, but she knew that He-ho-must-not-be-named was planning and executing attacks on her birth world as well.

"Willow! Are you still playing? You've missed three in a row!" Willow blushed as she looked down to see Tara standing with her hands on her hips. The quidditch captain and head girl looked quite put out. And why shouldn't she? She had told Willow that she had two scrolls to write for transfiguration before morning but Willow had begged her to stay late and hit balls. And now she wasn't even paying attention.

"Sorry, Tara. Let's finish the bucket and then you can go do your homework."

"Are you sure, Will? It's getting dark."

Willow nodded although she wasn't sure that Tara could see it as high up as she was. "It helps. Just the rest of those and then we'll call it a night."

Tara smiled and sighed, picking up another ball and tossing it in the air before hitting it with the bat. It wasn't that she minded being out here. Heck, sometimes the Quidditch pitch was the only place where things made sense. And watching Willow fly? The girl was like magic, no pun intended, on a broom. Her short red hair flew out behind her, baring the side of her face and Tara couldn't help but smile. Sometimes it seemed as if the girl was showing off but she always performed in games. Unlike Tara, Willow's powers were a surprise all over. Muggle-born, she had known nothing of magic or wizarding until the letter from Hogwarts-US had arrived.

Tara, on the other hand was half-muggle, half-pure-blood. Her mother was pure-blood but had fallen in love with her father while on holiday at the Grand Canyon and had all but defied her parents to marry him. Tara's name had been down for Hogwarts-US, or H-US as the students referred to it, since before her birth. Like her mother and her grandparents and as many generations as anyone could remember she'd been placed into Gryffindor by the sorting hat. Her success at the school, good marks, excellent OWLs and Newts, three years as a prefect, and this year as both Quidditch captain and head girl were fully expected.

She hit the last ball with a little extra gusto and tried to place it outside of Willow's range. She of course didn't actually succeed and the redhead grabbed the ball and sped toward the pitch. Tara knew what she was doing for it was one of the girl's favorite tricks. The first few times Tara had screamed, thinking the redhead would crash only to hear her laughter when she pulled out of the dive and landed on her feet. She was determined to deny the fiery fifth-year the satisfaction and instead inspected her nails as Willow came to a landing a few feet away.

"You used to scream when I did that."

Willow's pout was adorable but Tara hated encouraging her. She shrugged. "You did great. I'm sure you're ready for the match Saturday." She looked up at the darkening sky. "I need to go work on those scrolls..."

"Oh right. Hey Tara, want to try a trick with me?" Willow's excitement was palatable and Tara felt tugged. On one hand she needed to go study but she also felt pulled to stay on the pitch.

"Ok. But I really do have to go work on that assignment."

Willow smiled as she grabbed her broom. "Of course. It won't take that long and I think it's going to be cool. I've been thinking about this a lot." She placed her broom about a foot from Tara's but parallel so that both were laying on the ground, one facing one direction and one the other. She stepped between them and extended her hand. "Come here."

"Willow."

Willow rolled her eyes. "Tara."

The redhead stepped carefully so that one foot balanced on her broom and the other on Tara's. "Now put yours on here and hold my hands." Tara looked unsure but she stepped forward and placed her feet opposite Willow's so that they were facing each other and balancing on the brooms. "Ok... now..." Willow smiled as her broom started to rise 2-3 inches. Her left leg and Tara's right had to bend slightly to keep their balance. "Raise yours." When Tara didn't comply immediately she added. "It's a test of synchronicity."

Willow felt relieved as Tara began to raise her own broom and they could level out their feet. For a few minutes, they played with the exercise, first one then the other raising or lowering her broom a bit. Then they began to turn their brooms or fly forward or backwards a few feet. Willow felt elated at how the exercise was going and decided to be a bit more daring. "Tara. Did you decide about going to the village with me after the game?"

The school had a Hogsmeade-US weekend planned and both girls had signed permission slips ready. Tara looked away and felt her broom start to drop. As both girls tilted she had to raise it quickly. "I ... you know the whole team is going into the Village after the game, Will. Probably the whole house."

Willow squeezed Tara's hands in hers and ooched closed on the two brooms. "You know what I mean."

Tara shrugged. "I don't know if it's a good idea, Will. I mean everything's so... you know. And I'm just not very good with the..." She pulled away one hand and waved her fingertips back and forth between the two girls.

"Fly-shooing?" When Tara gave her a look, Willow allowed her broom to drop to the ground and Tara matched her descent. "I know? I mean I guess I know but maybe I don't. Everything's so... so what? Complicated? Things will always be complicated, Tara."

"Not complicated. Dangerous, Willow. Things are so dangerous."

Willow laughed as if to show how not scared she was when the truth was that everyone was scared. Everyone with any sense was scared. "And things are going to be dangerous for a long time too. I mean... maybe not always but for a while."

"See, so we shouldn't..."

Willow shook her head and interrupted. "Tell me that you don't like me. That you don't want to go out with me."

"What?"

"Tell me that you don't want to go out with me. I mean every time I ask you're busy studying or you're concerned or you're concerned about the difference in our ages. But it's never that you don't want to go out with me. Tell me that and I'll stop asking."

"I'm leaving for England in two months."

Willow took a step closer to the older girl. "To train to be an Auror. I know, Tara. But that's irrelevant. Do you want to go out with me?"

"It's... I mean..." She wasn't prepared for Willow to kiss her. And now the redhead was doing just that. Tara's hands rose and wound through the other girl's hair and around the back of her head seemingly of their own volition. It wasn't their first kiss. Actually it was their fourth and the first three flashed through her mind in the long seconds that this one went on. The first had been practically an accident. They were lying on a blanket by the lake studying when both looked up at the splash the monster made as he surfaced and dove and their lips happened to meet. The second had been completely spontaneous. Willow had just finished her anamagus transformation for the first time and was exhilarated by the experience. She had grabbed Tara and kissed her quickly on the lips before either of them could even think about it. And the third? Tara had left Professor Giles's office after hearing the news of her mom. Bad news. Very bad. And run into Willow. And the girl had comforted her and held her as she cried, leaning against the wall in a hallway no one ever used. And finally Tara had gotten herself under control and explained what had happened and then attempted to hide her face, saying she was all red and swollen. And Willow had taken her chin and disagreed, saying that she was beautiful as always and kissing her to leave no doubt.

And the fact was that Willow was right. She did want to go out with her. Or stay in. Or whatever. Forever. She just... she was going to train to be an Auror like her mother and grandfather, someone who hunts dark-wizards. She knew that Willow wanted the same and planned to come to England in two years. But it was going to be so dangerous, so unsure, and so far away. Tara just didn't know how she would stand the time away from Willow if they started... Well, this. She pulled away blushing and looked at the peak of the astronomy tower as if studying the movement of the stars.

She felt Willow's hand wrap in hers again. "Just tell me that you aren't interested and I'll stop asking, Tara. I promise." When Tara didn't respond she continued. "But I don't think that you can. Because you don't kiss like you don't like me."

Tara glanced at the redhead to see a combination of affection and optimism and a touch of self-satisfaction on her face. She smiled in spite of herself. "You're right, Willow. I can't say that I don't like you."

Willow's face broke into a smile. "So you'll go out with me on Saturday?"

Tara smiled to match the redhead. "I'll tell you what, Willow. You catch the snitch and win the game and I'll go out with you."

Willow stuck out her free hand and her broom popped up from the ground into it. "So you're just trying to motivate me?"

Tara grabbed her broom and the bucket of balls and they began toward the house dormitory. "Well, I am Quidditch captain after all."

Willow laughed. "Whatever it takes, Tara. Whatever it takes."

Two days later, Willow found herself flying slightly above the fray ten minutes into the Quidditch match. One of the many reasons she loved being seeker (besides the fame and glory she had enjoyed since winning the position in her third year) was the opportunity to see the game from this vantage point. Last year, she'd spent three weeks working on providing this view through enchanted binoculars but had never succeeded and had finally given it up to work on her required assignments.

From this position she could see then entire pitch and stands. Xander Harris, another fifth year and one of her best friends darted back and forth in front of the three goals at one end of the field. Faith Lehane and Buffy Summers wielded their beaters bats viciously in keeping the bludgers from hitting the Gryffindor players, particularly Willow, and directing them toward the Slytherin players.

Cordelia's voice reached her and clarified the play below. "There goes Dawn Summers with the quaffle. She's a quick one that Dawn, even if she doesn't dress nearly as well as her older sister. She's off down the field. Oh, and she passes to Tara Maclay who is nearing Ad Am in front of the Slytherin goals. Tara's hair seems lighter this week. I think it's just the sun but it could be a glistening charm."

"She's in the sun and the moon." Dru Cilla, Slytherin's insane contribution to the commentary responsibilities made Willow laugh. Her penchant for prognostication was well known but no one knew what her predictions meant so Willow couldn't see how it was a useful skill.

"And now the quaffle is taken by Oz... Oh wait. It's stolen by Kool Aide or The Master as his friends call him. And now he, Dickie Wilkins, and Glory Ificus pass the quaffle between themselves as they move toward the Gryffindor end of the pitch. I thought the dress Glory wore yesterday was quite beautiful but the shoes were a little off. Not the right shade of..."

Willow tuned out Cordelia's commentary for the moment and glanced over at Angel Lexus who had apparently decided to follow her rather than coming up with his own strategy. Or maybe he just wanted to bother her. "Mmm. You smell great for a mudblood, Rosenberg." He was only a second year but he seemed to be evil enough for an older student. There were rumors that he enjoyed practicing unforgivable curses on the pets of other students in his house. She turned and flew to the other end of the pitch, keeping one eye out for the snitch and the other on Tara below. The blonde had intercepted the quaffle on a pass from Glory to Dickie and was racing toward Ad Am at the other end of the field. She barely avoided a bludger aimed her way by Warren Mears, ducking on her broom, and tossed the quaffle through the hoop to put Gryffindor ahead 50 to 20.

Willow continued scanning the field and skies for a glimpse of the snitch, watching Angel out of the corner of her eye. He continued his running commentary on herself and her teammates. The best comments were just rude. The rest, crude, murderous, and truly sick. His detailed descriptions of what he would like to do to Buffy made Willow's stomach turn over. The sixth-year had been very clear with Angel that she wanted nothing to do with him but he continued pursuing her.

Willow sped off toward the Slytherin end of the field partially just to get away from Angel and partially in hopes that she would find the snitch there. More often than not, these hunches were correct. In ten games as seeker, she had caught the snitch seven times and woken up in the hospital twice. She tended to think that being knocked unconscious by a bludger shouldn't necessarily count against her average but they had lost both games so maybe it should. Speaking of which, she found herself having to dodge one smacked by ElP Rimer directly at her head. At least Faith was there to whack the ball right back at him. Faith's dislike, make that hatred, of the seventh year was well known.

Faith herself was somewhat of a celebrity in the wizarding community. She was pure-blood but lower class pure-blood. While most old wizarding families owned large manors, estates, and house-elves, her ancestors had pretty much drunk and gambled away any claim they had to a fortune. Her parents owned one of the more shabby taverns in the village and while they were friendly every time Willow visited, her father smelled like he tested his own product too much. And Ms. Lehane? Sometimes she was at the tavern and sometimes she was elsewhere. Willow knew that Faith rarely knew where her mother might be and she didn't send owls for months on end. Then the next visit, she'd be there, just as friendly and rosy cheeked as ever.

Angel hovered beneath her tossing up insult after insult and suggestion after suggestion. Rumors had flown far and fast throughout the last week including one, repeated often enough to seem true, that the entire Slytherin house team was leaving school the next day to join their parents and hundreds of others in following their "Dark Lord." Willow kind of doubted that Voldemort really wanted young kids like Kool or Angel or even Dickie but maybe he needed the cannon fodder.

Voldemort. Even the most confident wizard never spoke his name out loud. Yet he was ever-present in their lives with his unchecked reign of terror. There were rumors that Harry Potter was going to fight him to the death but if Potter lost... Willow couldn't even imagine.

And Tara was going into that? Not for a few years theoretically but Voldemort had killed Cedric Digory and he wasn't even done with school. And there was no telling how many more he had killed. No doubt Buffy and Faith and countless others would follow into the fight when they finished school and Willow had just two more years. At times the redhead's heart wanted to burst with love for Tara and at others she was gripped by fear, unable to move in her bed at night. Nights like that she wished that Tara or even Faith or Buffy or Dawn were in her year so that they shared a dormitory room. Instead she had Cordelia and she would no more confide in Cordelia than write her feelings across the sky in indelible ink.

"And Dawn Summers has the quaffle again. Gryffindor is threatening to put this game out of reach no matter who catches the snitch. I like Dawn's hair this length. It seems to go well with her robes..."

"And her bones are long and supple..." Dru's prattle made Willow laugh in spite of herself as she continued to search for the snitch. She thought she saw it briefly near the Slytherin goal but then it winked out of sight again. It was really making itself scarce today. She'd seen matches ended within the first fifteen minutes but this one, she checked her watch, had been going on for over an hour already. Of course games had taken days, even weeks before, although never at H-US.

Willow knew her reasoning wasn't logical. What was that reasoning? That everything depended on her catching the snitch. If she could catch the snitch, they would win the game. Gryffindor would win the Quidditch cup and the house championship. Good would triumph over evil. Voldemort would be defeated. And Tara would finally go out with her and they would be a couple and would send owls back and forth for the next two years and when Willow joined Auror training, they would continue dating and fight evil together. And Tara would be safe. And all she had to do was catch the snitch.

"And Daniel Osborne scores again. Ad Am can't seem to stop the Gryffindor chasers at all."

Willow could hear the crowd cheering again. 220 to 40 was a blow-out and she just wanted a glimpse of the snitch for a chance at ending the game. She completed her seven-stage scan of the field and skies and then glanced at the play below. Tara had the quaffle again and was racing toward the Slytherin goals. Willow gasped out loud as the blonde was hit in the face by a bludger directed her way by Warren who had had a seemingly random hatred of the blonde since starting H-US. In spite of the hard hit, Dawn caught the quaffle as Tara dropped it and completed the score to extend Gryffindor's lead even further. "Aw, your girlfriend just got hit really hard by a bludger. I sure hope nothing else happens to her." Angel hovered nearby looking broody and hateful and laughing viciously.

His taunt made Willow look back toward Tara and she gasped again but cut it off as quickly as she could. For there, near Tara's left elbow was the snitch. It quickly darted above the other players and Willow felt pretty sure that no one else, including Angel had seen it. She began to fly toward the snitch, not too quickly which would tip Angel off, but quickly enough to gain on the small winged ball. Perhaps he would just think that she wanted to check on Tara. She was about halfway to the snitch when it speeded up and she heard a massive shout from the stands. She glanced over her shoulder to see that Angel had finally realized that she was after the snitch and was speeding toward her. She leaned forward, now racing toward the snitch, still a few broom lengths ahead of the Slytherin seeker. The snitch turned sharply again and she matched the move, holding on tightly to her broom. Because of the direction of the turn, Angel had gained on both she and the snitch and he was now was nearly upon her.

As the snitch dove, Willow did the same and the three of them-snitch, Willow, and Angel-scattered the other team members as they went past. The redhead was only vaguely aware of Warren batting first one and then the other bludger at her head and Faith blocking one with her bat and the other with her body. She heard a sickening thud and then a scream from the spectators and hoped the Gryffindor beater would not be seriously hurt. Angel continued to gain ground and Willow knew that he would overtake her on his faster broom so she decided to take extreme measures. She swerved left and then right, nearly contacting the front of his broom with the back of hers the did a roll, turning upside down for a moment. While the move slowed down the Slytherin player a fraction of a second, it also incurred more of his anger and he began screaming even more foul and loathsome epithets than previous. The basic gist was that he would kill her and her filthy muggle parents slowly and painfully. Glancing down at Tara he then decided to move his focus to her, regaling Willow with promises of the pain and suffering he would enact on the Gryffindor Quidditch captain.

Willow attempted to schootch forward on her broom and felt it start to tip. It couldn't be helped though. At this point, for Angel to catch the snitch would still give Gryffindor the Quidditch win but not the house cup. The force of the air against her was heavy and she could hear it whistling in her ears. She used one hand to push herself up onto her knees on the broom and then onto one knee, leaning forward as much as she could with her opposite hand. The snitch was just inches from her outstretched fingertips and then she could feel the wings fluttering against her skin.

It seemed like an eternity that she hung there attempting to grab the snitch but it couldn't have been more than a fraction of a second. Straining against the pressure, she pinched one wing between her thumb and forefinger. She grasped it tightly as she pulled the ball back into the palm of her hand and wrapped her fingers around the still moving golden ball. Triumphantly she thrust her fist into the air and heard a cheer from the spectators.

Although the ensuing events occurred in a split-second, the scream which followed the cheer immediately Willow attributed to the fact that her broom had finally tipped forward enough to knock her off. She flung the hand not holding the snitch up and managed to get it wrapped around the broom. The redhead let out a sigh of relief and began to attempt to pull herself onto the broom. With one hand wrapped around the broom handle and the other around the snitch she had no opportunity to get her wand from within her robes as she heard Angel's voice boom in her right ear.

"CRUCIO!"

The following shouts to "take that, filthy Mudblood!" she had no awareness of. The only awareness she had was of excruciating pain throughout her body which was contorted backwards. She also didn't hear the repetition of the curse or Angel's maniacal laughter retreating from her as she plunged toward the ground. For those seconds, she couldn't think, couldn't pray. She could only feel pain like she had never experienced.

Then the pain was gone and she felt wind rushing by and had to close her eyes against the sight of robes and brooms and hands as she fell past them and the ground rushing to meet her. And then her body was hit by another sort of pain as she contacted the ground and she vaguely thought that it wasn't as bad as she had imagined it would be to die.

Tara paced in the hallway outside the infirmary. Her broom leaned in the corner with the other five Gryffindor player brooms. Willow's broom was lost but Buffy had caught Faith's in spite of not being able to catch the beater herself as she fell.

"You have to calm down, Tara," Xander pleaded with her as he grasped her shoulders. "Why don't we take a little walk. I'm sure Dawn will come get us."

"I'll come get you," the younger student agreed as she chewed on her fingernails.

"Calm down? Calm down?" She clenched her hands into fists as she screamed at her keeper. "He used an unforgivable curse! Because she caught the snitch. He used an unforgivable curse because they lost a game! And you want me to calm down? If it wasn't for Professor Giles, she would have been killed when she hit the ground."

"But he did slow her," Buffy offered. "And we just need to wait and hear how they are doing."

Tara collapsed into a chair. "He used the crucio curse." Her tears were falling freely now. She whipped her head around as if looking for support from one of the other players. "Did you see her?" Buffy had taken her captain's hand and was trying to comfort her by rubbing the skin. If she hadn't been sitting so close she wouldn't have heard the blonde's whispered question. "If it hurt her that much from a young wizard, what must it have felt like for my... Oh God."

The other players were quiet and let their captain just cry for a few minutes. Their vigil was interrupted as Mrs. Lehane ran up the stairs, led by one of the Professors into the infirmary. Standing near the door, Oz tried to look through and yelled that they needed an update but the door slammed in his face.

He uncharacteristically kicked at the wall. "They're not telling us anything. I feel tempted to go down there and take on all of Slytherin. It would be worth it."

Tara watched the normally quiet 5th year. She stood and walked in front of him, taking his hands. "We're all mad, Oz. But we can't do anything now." She took a breath. "And almost the entire team is gone anyway. Only Kool and Dickie stayed. Even Dru left with Angel." She shook her head. "They've all gone to serve their Dark Master."

The others nodded their heads. From the instant of Angel's curse they had known that the rumors were true: the Slytherin team was leaving school. The biggest surprise had been the two young students who had refused to leave with their teammates although many of the other house members had pulled brooms from under the bleachers and flown from the grounds as well.

The infirmary door creaked open and Professor Summers came out, closing it quietly behind her. "Mom!" Dawn and Buffy both ran over to her and hugged their mother while the entire team gathered around the head of their house.

The strain of the last hour showed in her face and she sighed before speaking. "Faith's arm is broken as well as three ribs but those should heal before morning."

"Willow?" Tara's voice was quiet but everyone heard it nonetheless.

Joyce looked away for a moment. "Both she and Faith were lucky that Professor Giles was able to arrest their descent." She took another deep breath. "Still she has ... extensive injuries. The nurse should be able to heal the bones although they will take longer than Faith's. Her other... she hasn't waken up yet so we don't really know the extent of damage...." She stopped and seemed to choke back a sob. "Even from such an inexperienced wizard as Angel, the crucio curse is, well, aptly named." She looked around the group, her eyes lighting on Cordelia for a moment. "Mr. Chase has volunteered to bring her parents. Being muggles, they could not otherwise find the school."

The professor sat heavily into a chair. "I'm sorry I don't have better news than to tell you that you have won the Quidditch cup and the house championship."

"Professor Summers? Can we go see them?"

Joyce looked up to see Tara's hopeful face and the others watching her as well. She nodded. "Faith is awake but shouldn't be tired. But I don't think that it's a good time for Willow to receive visitors." She waved her hand at the group. "Three of you at a time I think."

When her team looked to her for guidance, Tara pointed at Buffy, Oz, and Dawn. "Why don't you three go first? We'll go next." She indicated herself, Xander, and Cordelia. The other three players followed Joyce into the infirmary and Tara sank into a chair, putting her face in her hands and grateful that Xander and Cordy stepped away to leave her to herself.

All she could think was what if Willow never woke up? What if she ... What if Tara lost her? And she'd never had her. Really. Sure she knew that Willow loved her. The redhead had made that clear over and over. Sometimes it was spooky to Tara just how sure Willow was that she loved her. And even more so that Willow seemed so sure that Tara loved her back. Perhaps that was part of what made Tara love her so much-her determination and belief in them. Even after four years spent attempting to convince the younger girl that they shouldn't pursue a relationship, Willow had never wavered. And now... And now Tara could lose her before she'd ever had her.

"Tara?"

The blonde witch looked up to see the rest of the team gathered around her. "We can go in and see Faith now."

She breathed a sigh of relief and stood up to go with Cordy and Xander into the infirmary. Faith was propped up in the bed against a mound of pillows. Her face looked as if she had been in a fight, which wasn't entirely inaccurate and her arm was propped on a pillow in front of her. She attempted to smile her housemates came in but quickly grimaced and closed her eyes. "H-hi Mrs. Lehane," Tara greeted Faith's mother.

"I'll go let you kids visit for a little while." The three Gryffindors were uncomfortable for a moment but then Faith began joking and bragging about the game and how exciting it had been, not to mention how badly they had stomped their rival house. Xander took up the banter and it went from there. They pointedly avoided mentioning her injuries which were obviously being mended and the redhead behind the screen on the other side of the infirmary. At one point, Tara got up and started to walk toward the screen but first Xander, then Professor Summers, and finally Professor Giles stopped her.

She argued to but to no avail and finally was sent from the infirmary where she spent a completely restless night. She met Willow's parents the next morning and found herself in the position of attempting to comfort them rather than being comforted herself. While Faith was discharged the next afternoon to the cheers of her entire house and school, Willow remained in the infirmary but Tara was allowed to sit with her now, sharing or alternating shifts with the Rosenbergs.

She felt lucky to be sitting alone with the redhead when she heard the girl's scratchy voice. "You can't get out of a date that easily."

Tara's head snapped up from where she had been resting it on the mattress to see the other witch wince as she tried to smile. "Willow? How do you f-feel?"

Willow slowly opened her eyes and took a deep breath. "Like I got hit by an unforgivable curse and fell to my death on the Quidditch pitch."

Tara picked up the other witch's hand and softly kissed the palm. "Not to your death, sweetie."

Willow lifted her other hand to wrap it around Tara's. "Did we win?"

The blonde smiled. "Yes. You were brilliant."

Willow got a flirtatious, or as flirtatious a smile as one can have with the entire left side of their face swollen and discolored. "Did we go out after the game and have a wonderful time and make love beneath the trees in the forbidden forest on our way home?"

"Yes and I can't believe that you don't remember it." Willow tried to laugh but it turned into a cough and Tara quickly reached for a cup of water and held it to her lips. "Your parents are here. They're in Professor Giles's guest rooms."

Professor Giles's voice boomed across the infirmary as Tara looked up to see Willow's parents rushing toward them. "No, Miss Maclay, they are right here."

Willow greeted and was greeted by her parents who were overjoyed to see her awake. She saw Tara inching toward the door and quickly asked to speak to the blonde alone for a minute, promising to take it easy the entire rest of the day.

"You are supposed to be resting now, sweetie," Tara admonished as she brushed her fingertips along Willow's arm. The redhead just continued looking at her with obvious love and devotion and finally Tara's mood changed. "They'll kill you. How could I live with that?"

"By knowing that we didn't waste our time, Tara. I love you. I'm in love with you. Totally and completely. And yes, there's a lot of danger out there for both of us and you're being... stupid."

"You're confessing your love for me by calling me stupid?"

"Only because you're being stupid and stubborn, which I love about you, by the way." Willow pulled on the blonde's hand and she leaned closer.

Tara continued leaning closer until their lips were nearly touching. "I love you more."

When they broke their kiss Willow disagreed. "Nope. I love you more."

"You're so competitive, Willow." The blonde laughed. "Which I love about you, by the way."