AN: I own none of this. especially any dialogue maliciously stolen from the show.

Friend.

It was not a word Tara Maclay had ever dreamed of being called. Nor did she ever think she would have someone whom she could call a friend. Tara had always been quiet and shy, never really outgoing about anything. Besides her magic that is. But after her mother died, Tara didn't have anyone to share that magic with.

A few days before, that had all changed when one small redhead and a few tall, creepy demons entered her life. Well, the demons were only really important because they acted as the catalyst for her newfound friendship with the fiery-haired Willow Rosenburg.

Friend-ship.

The word still seemed foreign to Tara, but she was sure that was what it was. When they had held hands to keep the demons at bay, Tara had felt something unmistakable. She reasoned that this must have been friendship.

Tara felt a smile break across her face as she considered the idea. She had seen Willow a few more times since the incident, and each time had been just as novel and enjoyable as the last. The blonde-haired wicca checked her watch and double checked the wall clock just to be sure. According to the message she had just received, Willow should be stopping by any minute. Tara could hardly contain her excitement when she heard someone knock at her door.

The door opened to reveal a figure now very familiar to Tara. "Howdy," said the redhead, smiling. "You up for a spell-casting good time?"

"Hi W-willow," said Tara quietly, but with a smile on her face. Tara was still easing into this friendship thing. She had never been particularly good at greetings, let alone full conversations. She was trying to work on her awkward stutter but it had been a part of her for her entire life, it would take a while to get rid of.

Willow didn't mind the stutter though. To the contrary, she found it somewhat endearing. In fact, she found everything about Tara endearing. The way she spoke, the way she laughed, and especially the way she smiled. As glad as Tara was to have Willow in her life, that feeling was reciprocated by Willow and then some. Willow realized that the wicca was the first real friend she had made since, well since Buffy.

"So, I h-have some herbs and, uh, some spices," Tara began, "I'm sure there's some spell we can c-cast with these ingredients."

"Or, failing that, we could probably make a mean soup," Willow joked, making Tara laugh.

The two stayed up late into the night trying out some harmless and, occasionally, very entertaining spells.

"That was fun, I'm glad we got a chance to do this," said Willow. "We should really hang out more often."

"D-definitely," agreed her friend. "I think we could benefit from a repeat performance of my t-teddy bear doing the Macarena."

Now it was Willow's turn to laugh. The two said their goodbyes and Willow started off back to her dorm. On her way, she couldn't help thinking how lucky she was to find a friend like Tara. Meanwhile, Tara herself was also basking in the newfound bliss of friendship.