Willow and Tara met at UC Sunnydale, at a Wicca group meeting. The meeting was a bust, but the two seemed to sense that they had something in common. For one thing, an actual interest in spells, as opposed to "empowering lemon bundt" cakes. When The Gentlemen stole the town's voices, Tara sought out Willow to see if they could do some kind of reversal spell, but on the way to Willow's, she was spotted by The Gentlemen's lackeys. She found Willow, though - actually, they collided in a tangle of limbs. Willow twisted her ankle, but with their pursuers hot on their heels, the two witches barricaded themselves in the laundry room. Willow tried to use her magick to move the soda machine in front of the door, but she didn't have enough strength to do it. Then Tara took Willow's hand. Power arced between them, and the soda machine shot across the room.

For the next few weeks, the two of them spent more and more time together. Willow often visited Tara in the evenings, but she kept her new friendship secret from the rest of the gang. And then, even when she brought Tara into the group, she wasn't completely open about their relationship. A newly awake Faith had her suspicions, but Oz's return confirmed it: Tara and Willow had fallen in love. Willow's friends were still oblivious, though. Seeing a vulnerable spot, Spike suggested to Willow that her friends were disdainful of her new relationship, prompting Willow to angrily accuse Buffy and Xander of being unable to handle the fact that Tara was her girlfriend. Cat out of the bag. The news took a little adjusting to, but if Willow was happy, her friends were happy for her.

Tara, though, still had some doubt. She felt like she wasn't really a part of the gang, which she insisted didn't bother her very much, but part of the reason for that was her own self-doubt. She felt unable to be one of the really good guys because of a family secret. Apparently, the women in her family had demon in them, which manifested on their twentieth birthdays, and Tara's was approaching. Her father arrived to collect her, but the Scoobies blocked his way and insisted they were her family now. Spike verified that the demon story was just bunk to keep the womenfolk under control. Tara and Willow danced joyfully at her birthday party, and Tara finally felt like one of the gang.

All went well for them until they had their first fight. Tara expressed concern over how powerful Willow's magick was becoming, as well as a lingering fear that Willow's feelings for her might be just a phase. The fight itself was upsetting but not insurmountable. However, by the time Willow resolved to apologize, Glory had gotten to Tara. She destroyed Tara's mind, leaving her confused, crazy, and unable to care for herself. Willow went after Glory with an arsenal of dark magicks, intent on revenge, but Buffy pulled her out before Glory could kill her. Willow then dedicated herself to taking care of Tara, whom she clearly loved deeply. She also worked on a plan. Right before Buffy (well, the Buffybot) confronted Glory, Willow stepped up to the plate. She forcefully returned the neural energy that Glory had stolen, and Tara's mind was restored. Tara cried that she had been so lost, and Willow tearfully promised Tara that she would always find her. They pooled their magicks again to help stop Glory, but it wasn't enough to save Buffy's life.

After Buffy died, Willow and Tara moved into the Summers' house together to take care of Dawn. They were the very picture of domestic bliss, but Tara's concerns about Willow's reckless use of magick were soon justified. After a fight about that very subject, Willow worked a spell to make Tara forget the argument. Tara was heartbroken when she found out. She confronted Willow, saying she didn't think things were going to work between them. Willow didn't seem to grasp how deeply betrayed Tara felt. She promised Tara that she would go a week without magick, but the very next morning, she worked yet another spell. The very same spell that she had used earlier, this time to make Tara forget the fight about the spell to forget the fight... The entire gang lost their memories, and Willow and Tara were still drawn to each other. But that night, the spell was broken. Hurt and betrayed yet again, Tara left.

They continued to run into each other, though. Their feelings for each other hadn't changed, and Willow was making steady progress in her fight to give up magick. First awkward, then flirting, they began to talk again. Finally, Willow worked up the nerve to approach Tara about meeting for coffee. They caught up on everything that had happened since Tara left, clearly headed for reconciliation.

Later that night, Tara walked into Willow's room. She told Willow that one cup of coffee couldn't possibly be enough to repair all that had happened, but she didn't care. She wanted Willow back. The two kissed passionately, and all was right with their world. They spent the next day in varying states of undress, unwilling to leave each other's arms. Then the day after, Warren came to the house with a gun, looking for the Slayer. He fired wildly as he ran away, and one of the bullets went through the upstairs window. It pierced Tara through the heart, and she died instantly. In her grief and rage, Willow called on every magickal weapon she could think of. She killed Warren slowly and without mercy, her fury and power escalating until she stood on the brink of destroying the world. Xander pulled her back from that brink, but Willow was never quite the same again.

Pivotal Episodes:
Hush, New Moon Rising, The Yoko Factor, Family, The Body, Tough Love, The Gift, All the Way, Once More With Feeling, Tabula Rasa, Hell's Bells, Entropy, Seeing Red

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