Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Willow, Tara,
Faith, Giles, Dawn and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated
series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, together with the names, titles and back story
are the sole copyright property of Joss Whedon, Fox and Mutant Enemy. No
copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All
other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of
the authors. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Please
contact the authors for permission to reproduce this story on any other
fanfiction site.
Distribution: The Rainbow Writer's Homepage:
http://www.therainbowwriters.com/
Mystic Muse: http://mysticmuse.net
Feedback: All feedback is welcome.
Author's Note: This story is set a little over eight
years from the current time place of the series in season five, (with the
premise that Glory has been defeated, without the loss of any of the gang or any
severe trauma to them i.e. Tough Love didn't happen in this storyline). It is a
severely traumatic story, which has come about in an attempt to deal with the
topic of loss and the variety of emotional responses that evolve from these
life-changing experiences.
Pairing: Willow/Tara
Summary: Willow needs Tara's and Faith's help in defeating the thing that killed Buffy.
Part Seven
With a soft smile, Tara carefully held the bottom of the red and green glass bauble she had just hung on the large tree in the living room before letting it go. It spun for a moment, sending sparkles around the room as it caught the bright gleams from the fairy lights wrapped around the green branches.
The blonde sat back on her feet and looked the tall tree up and down slowly. The noble fir was a little over six feet, dressed with a carefully chosen collection of red and gold ornaments. Strings of gold snowflakes and icicles looped in the spaces left by the fairy lights. The tree smelt strongly of the fresh fir forests, having only been brought inside that morning, and the smell was slowly permeating the whole room.
After looking at it for a long moment, Tara pushed herself up onto her feet and padded bare foot over to a large leather armchair that was pushed a little closer to the fire than it normally would have been. The rearrangement had partly been made to make room for the large festive decoration. Around the fireplace hung a simple garland that Tara had made the weekend before. Sprigs of holly and poinsettia flowers were carefully intertwined with pine branches. The blonde had carefully chosen variegated holly with plenty of bright red berries. The occasional pinecone lay nestled in the design, completing the festive arrangement. Two stockings were hung at either end of the fireplace, carefully hand knitted with Christmas designs. One had a large Santa comically perched in a chimney with a large sack of toys over his shoulder, while the other depicted Rudolf the Reindeer in all his red nosed glory. Tara smiled as she looked at them and made a silent wish that the owner of the second stocking would make it home soon.
Tucking her feet up under her, Tara glanced at the small table beside the chair, looking directly at the small photo frame that rested on it. The cheesy snapshot depicted Tara and a slightly older woman, caught up in a close hug. The pair were grinning wildly and waving to whoever the photographer was. Tara reached out a finger and lightly traced it over the second smiling face.
Sophie Mialer: twenty-five, gregarious and loud, all those things that in some ways Tara wasn't, but somehow together they worked. She eased Tara's nervousness and Tara softened Sophie's blow on the unsuspecting world. It was an odd relationship, but it worked – at least it did for Tara. One of the hardest things about her lover was that she was hard to read, and hard to work out.
It was clear from the picture that Sophie was taller than Tara, and thinner too, but that was due to her abuse of illegal drugs over the last ten years of her life. But since September 2002 Sophie had been clean, one of the many things that Tara was proud of her for.
The twenty-five year old had bright red hair that she kept severely short and large dark eyes that Tara saw such pain in. One of the reasons the blonde had agreed to go on their first date was because Sophie had looked at her sorrowfully with those dark eyes. That first date seemed like such a long time ago now, but in reality it was only eight months – though, Tara reflected sadly, eight months was a long time in a life.
Pulling her hand back from the picture, Tara got up from the chair and moved to a dark writing desk in the corner of the room. She pulled it open and there, looking back at her, were the green eyes and bright red hair of the first person that had taught her what Christmas was all about.
Tara laughed at the irony of it, a Jewish girl teaching her the great things about Christmas, but that's what Willow had done their first year together. They had spent it at the Summers' house. Joyce had done wonders with the meal and everyone had had a fabulous time, but it was the moments together, the words and expressions of love that they had shared huddled around their tiny Christmas tree, that were by far when she had learned the most.
The tree had of course still been in the ground, since Willow had refused to dig it up or chop it down – it wasn't good for the world to chop it down, she said. They had held hands and sung Christmas carols, then exchanged gifts. For Tara a necklace and for Willow a pair of boots, and then they'd gone back to Willow's dorm room and made love. It had been perfect.
The blonde still remembered Buffy knocking on their door at some ungodly hour of the morning because Dawn wanted them to be there for the present opening.
The knock-knock of the Slayer's hand on the less than substantial college door still rung in her ears as the blissful memory faded. It was only as Tara refocused on the small picture looking up at her from the drawer that she realized that the knocking wasn't in her head or her dreams, but it was coming from the front door.
Silently she closed the drawer and hurried to the door. She wondered why on earth Sophie would be knocking and not using her key. Tara opened the door to be met by four men, all of whom were bigger and wider than she was.
"Sophie Mialer?"
"Y…Y…Yes, that is…" Tara stammered, trying not to but failing as she looked into dark reflective sunglasses.
The speaker literally pushed the door open, sending Tara staggering backwards as the four of them bundled through and into the hall with her, and the last closed the door behind him. Tara managed to regain her balance before actually landing on the floor, catching hold of the wall for support.
"Why don't we make this easy and you just give us what we want and then we can leave?" The smallest of the four looked at Tara as he spoke with a smile plastered on his face. There was nothing warm about the smile, nothing at all. It was the kind of smile that made your heart chill, your stomach knot and your feet freeze in place.
"I…I…d-d-d-don't know what…" Tara shook her head, her eyes wide with horror and surprise.
The speaker nodded to the tallest of the group, who walked forward and quite calmly backhanded Tara across the face. The blow sent her flying backwards down the short hall, and she landed in a heap against the kitchen door.
"Our employer suggested you might not see the benefits in the easy option." The smaller man shook his head almost sadly, motioning to the two so far inactive members of the group who nodded sharply and moved through the hall and into the living room, making a beeline for the writing desk and the small filing cabinet.
In her dazed state Tara could hear drawers being pulled out, their contents rummaged through and then dumped on the floor.
"Bring her." The lead man growled.
Tara was grasped tightly round the wrists and dragged the length of the hall into the living room and thrown into the leather chair.
"The money or the drugs or we really start breaking things." The shorter man stared at her while the other two continued to trash the room. The tallest merely stood beside the chair, watching Tara in case she moved.
"I th-th-th-think someone's got something wrong." Tara managed to stammer out the words though the skin on her wrist burned and the back of her head throbbed.
"He said you were cocky and arrogant, not stupid." The speaker announced, shaking his head as the metallic snap of a switchblade opening filled the blonde's ears.
Before Tara could even begin to see the move the man beside her punched her low and hard in the stomach, the blade easily slipping into her flesh. All of the air emptied out of her lungs in one sharp push and sheer agony laced through her. Tears filled her eyes as her world lost a little of its clarity and focus. She pulled herself forward to try and nurse the ache but as she did so, her assailant shoved the back of her head hard, forcing her out of the chair and onto the floor.
"Let's try again…" The man's voice sounded just a little tired. "The money or the drugs. We don't care which."
Tara tried to lift her head, her effort only showing her through the tendrils of her long blonde hair the horrible scene that was developing around her. Torn paper and broken ornaments littered the floor, swept by uncaring hands off dressers and shelves or pulled from the desk in the hasty search.
She saw the picture of Willow that she had recently been looking at tossed on the floor among the myriad of letters the hacker had written her. One of the hired thugs stepped closer to her, and with stilled breath Tara watched as his heavy boot landed on the redhead's broad yet haunted smile. Tara squeezed her eyes shut, unable to watch anymore.
Without warning the same boot suddenly landed squarely in Tara's side, knocking her over onto her back. Once more the tall guy took over, kneeling down quickly and putting his knee across Tara's throat.
"Do you have any concept of pain?" The smallest guy queried, looking down at her as he adjusted the cufflink on his right sleeve.
Tara was vaguely aware of one of the other men raising something over his head, though she wasn't sure what. All she did know was that when they brought it down, they did so over her legs. The pain was so blinding in its intensity that she couldn't even find the sound to scream.
"Search the other rooms."
Tara vaguely heard the leader's instructions and the disappearing footsteps of two of his lackeys. The third kept his knee pushed up against Tara's neck.
"Drake, she's not going anywhere, and she's not talking. If we're not gonna get anything we might as well just torch the place and leave." The man pinning Tara down suggested a new course of action.
"Okay." Drake answered simply.
Suddenly the lump of weight was taken from across her windpipe and the heavy oppressive feeling around Tara lifted as the large figure stood up.
He walked silently over to her perfect tree and effortlessly pushed it over, sending it crashing to the floor. Glass ornaments shattered in a series of deafening pops before the strain ripped the light cord from the socket with a flash and a dull bang.
"Just check the chairs." Drake urged, his words instantly met with the sound of a switchblade opening and then sound of leather being sliced. "Then we can join Mickey and Vic in the car."
Then suddenly out of the blue came a new sound, a new voice.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to hit a lady?" The voice was fairly deep and yet obviously feminine. The speaker spoke with confidence and no emotion, her words coming with a self assurance that could only come from one who could carry out any threat they may be about to make. It was a voice Tara barely knew, and yet recognized instantaneously.
Faith.
"Oh you must be the girlfriend, you've been mentioned, though only in passing cause we kinda got the impression hurting you wouldn't do any good – she's not that fussy." The short guy smart mouthed off as his boot came down close to her head. She looked up trying to blink her eyes into focus on the dark leather pants and black jacket that could only belong one person, only belong to the dark slayer. "You got home just at the wrong moment sweetie."
"I think the ones with the bad sense of timing here are you guys. You not heard of Christmas, the season of good will to all men?" Faith announced before leaping forward. "I guess you didn't think that applied to women hey?" She snarled as she sent the small guy flying backwards with a high kick, before spinning on her landing leg and kicking the tall man hovering over Tara back as well. Both landed against the back wall with a hefty thud as more pictures and ornaments shattered to the ground. The noise caused the other two to come running.
Tara tried to move her head to see what was happening and possibly help if she could by remembering some spell or other, but she'd not done magic for years – not since she left Willow. The pain that laced through her body as she tried to move was unbearable, and so helping soon became an unthinkable idea.
Faith was a flash of movement joined by many assorted crashes and smashes as she fought Tara's attackers. Though in her frenzy she was too busy to notice the one thing thankfully Tara managed to.
It was the witch's good sense of smell that alerted her initially. Burning – she could smell definitely smell burning. Forcing her eyes open, Tara looked around, and the cause of the thick smell suddenly became obvious. The toppled Christmas tree had landed just a short distance from the fire, and in the direct heat it had begun to smolder.
Forcing herself to roll over, Tara tried to focus beyond the pain that started in her legs and flared up into her body, building in her stomach, where she knew something was horribly wrong, though she couldn't pin point what.
"Oh no you don't." A voice growled at her and a boot landed heavily again in her lower abdomen.
Tara let out a deep guttural groan and collapsed down the short distance to the floor, as tiny shards of glass from the smashed decorations lacerated any of her exposed flesh.
Balling herself up tight, Tara just wanted it all to stop: the fighting noises around her; the flying wood, ornaments and bodies; the beginnings of a low crackle of fire as the upper branches of the tree finally sparked into life; the complete agony that consumed her being. It was all too much for her to cope with. She felt the world becoming blacker and blacker, her mind shifting to a calmer safer place, a place so small that she could hide in it for as long as she liked. No one would find her there. It was her safe place, the place she used to go when Dad and Donny…
"Tara, Tara – come on, get up."
The blonde felt someone pulling under her arms, trying to get her to uncurl herself. The voice battled against the noise, the noise that was deafening her. Such a loud roar that echoed in her ears over and over.
"Tara!"
Then there was heat, such tremendous heat and pain, which clung to her, enveloped her like a blanket – and there was blood, lots of blood, on her legs, on her stomach, and her arms.
"Tara!" The voice urged as she was hauled bodily upwards, only to collapse again on useless, badly damaged legs.
"Oh Fuck!" The voice cursed as Tara felt herself being swept up into strong yet trembling arms, her world shifting sickeningly. "Shit, B, I'm sorry." The voice cursed sadly again before everything again became just black.
Tara blinked her eyes as the vision dimmed slightly. She took a slightly staggered breath in and focused on Dawn.
"Basically I was left with broken legs, here and here." Tara briefly indicated down at herself. "Hence why they give up on me, I think." She kept her voice tight and precise. "The rest was just bruising, some internal bleeding from the knife wound, lacerations. No burns, thankfully. Faith got me out before that could happen." Her voice began to waver just slightly. "Some of the internal damage resulted in pretty drastic surgery."
Dawn felt numb. The story had stolen every ounce of heat from her body and she felt cold and stone like. Slowly she dragged her eyes up, meeting Tara's, and flashes of happier days, sadder days, days she couldn't quite place flashed by her eyes. They all quickly shot through her and narrowed down.
Concentrating on one image, one moment in time, one thing. Her sister's voice, her sister's body just in front of her, her sister's typical hands on hip stance of defiance.
"We're family."
Buffy's words raced into her mind over and over. She didn't even hesitate, didn't realize that Tara was still talking as she moved up and without permission or question wrapped her arms around the blonde. She didn't think to stop her tears; she didn't think to quell her grip as she hugged her tightly, desperately.
For a moment Tara stiffened until she felt Dawn's sobs.
"Oh Dawnie." She whispered, letting her arms shift to hold onto the younger woman.
"It's okay, you're home now." Dawnie's voice spoke trying to soothe – her own pain, Tara's pain, she wasn't sure what. "You're safe now, we won't let anything hurt you ever again." She rubbed the blonde's back, not holding on to Tara for comfort now so much as offering it.
Tara let herself lean into Dawn, not thinking, not feeling, and just leaning against her. It was almost as if her world had actually stopped for a moment, like she was suspended in space and time.
"I bet we'll have a thunderstorm tonight." Dawn commented softly, rubbing the blonde's back. "But don't be scared." She held on tightly.
"What?" Tara quizzed softly. "Why?" She added trying to understand.
"Cause Buffy's watching us and she'll be so angry to know someone dared touch you, dared touch her family." Dawnie whispered the words, hoping the blonde would understand.
"We might have to think about getting candles out then." Tara heard her own voice crack at the mention of the Slayer's name. "For when the power goes off." She choked out a laugh that turned into a heavy sob.
"Yeah." Dawn nodded against her not letting go. "She won't love you any less, I know for sure now." The young woman whispered, starting to rub the blonde's back again.
"Tara, just let me make the call. I can have Red and Buffy here by the end of the day – they can take care of you." Faith stood with one hand clutching her cell phone and the other holding the safety bar on the bottom of Tara's hospital bed.
The blonde witch looked up at the dark Slayer and blinked slowly, her eyes dark and sunken in her sallow cheeks. Two IV's dripped slowly on a stand to her left and the long tubing wound its way to her arm. Both her legs were casted and held under a frame. She was covered with various stitches and minor cuts and abrasions, not to mention heavy dark bruising.
"It's gonna take months Tara, with the op, with what they had to do." Faith's voice was desperate.
"They never find out, Faith, either of them. Swear to me." Tara fixed the dark Slayer with blue eyes.
"They love you Tara, they will always love you." There came a slight sigh from the bed in response to her words and it caused Faith to stare extra hard. "What? You think they don't? You think this, what those bastards did, you think that will change anything?" She stared in disbelief.
"Promise me." Tara merely repeated her ultimatum.
Faith threw both her hands up and shook her head, about to completely lose her temper, when suddenly she stopped. She looked at Tara, and glanced over the broken form that looked back at her. She dropped her hands and slipped her cell phone back in her pocket.
"Okay Joan of Arc, we do this your way." She said, her voice incomprehensibly soft.
"Thank you." Tara whispered, her strength failing as she lay back on to the white sheet. "Thank you." She repeated softly letting her eyes close and the pain win once more.
"Faith wanted to tell her." Tara admitted for some reason as she let tears soak Dawn's top.
"I'm glad she didn't." Dawn felt a shot of cold race through her. "Buffy would have lost her mind." She whispered sadly.
"And Willow would have lost hers too." Tara agreed. She had known that Buffy wouldn't have been able to keep it from her.
"Willow would have been too worried about you to lose her mind." Dawn shook her head, not agreeing, and a sudden fact sliced into her mind. "She didn't think like Buffy, didn't think about revenge until..." She took a shallow breath. "Buffy died."
Tara pulled back a little and wiped at her damp face, knowing that they didn't have a chance of even scraping the surface of each other's pain and anguish for things done and undone.
"Before we end this conversation, which we must, soon…" She said carefully. "Because Jack and Willow will be home soon and we both need to stop looking like drowned rats." She tried to smile.
"Jack's used to it." Dawn laughed lightly.
"I need to ask you something, something about Willow."
"What?" She prompted her to continue.
"Children. Has Willow, over the years, ever made any reference to having any?" Tara knew how odd the question must sound, how oddly timed and how out of place. But it wasn't really, not for her.
"Children?" Dawn looked at her, confused.
"Its something we talked about once." Tara tired to explain without explaining. "When we were in college, before I left."
"Willow's always wanted some, that's why she wrote that line of children's online story programs." Dawn tried to answer. "I think that was one of the reasons her and Kristen..." She suddenly regretted saying the other woman's name. "Kristen didn't want kids ever."
"Willow was always very much in the 'I'd be a great support partner to you love' when we discussed it." Tara tried to smile to reassure Dawn that her words about Kristen hadn't been wrong or inappropriate. "Don't worry about my crazy questions." She ran a hand back through her blonde hair.
"You should ask her." Dawn suggested.
"Yes, perhaps I should." Tara replied, but rather noncommittally.
"Just keep in mind, I am not a built in baby-sitter." Dawn smiled trying to draw some brevity out of her. "And please don't give Jack any ideas."
"Duly noted." She assured laughing as she shook her head. Tara turned to go, with a sad but genuine smile.
"Tara." Dawn called, causing the woman to turn back. "Thanks for telling me." As soon as she had said it, Dawn wasn't sure she should have. Tara, however, nodded softly and turned away once more.
"I should have told you all a long time ago." She whispered sadly as she slowly walked out into the hall.
"Jack, are you sure this is such a good idea." Dawn slipped her hand into Jack's as the two of them walked into the kitchen. They were both dressed in light jogging suits and Dawn's hair was tied back off her face with a light gray scrunchie.
"It's only a couple of lessons, what harm could it do?" Jack smiled. "And Faith said she'd go easy on me."
"Are you sure you don't mind me watching?" Dawn queried as she glanced at Faith's door, which was still closed.
"I wouldn't want anyone else on earth watching me make a fool of myself." Jack laughed.
"But I can go and be busy doing something else." Dawn looked at her lover, trying to assess if she actually wanted her to be there. "If you want me to."
"It's up to you." Jack shrugged. "I just thought you'd want to be there and I didn't want to make it seem like it was any big secret or a bit deal, cause it's not either."
"I do want to be there, but I don't want to distract you by screaming or something in the wrong place." Dawn admitted her main concern.
"Babes, Faith is too good a fighter to hurt me or be distracted." Jack reached up and cupped her chin. "And far too good a fighter to let me do something stupid either."
"Don't worry Dawn, I won't break her while you watch." Faith gave a steely glare before grinning brightly as she suddenly appeared in her doorway. "Come on you two, I'm looking forward to fresh meat."
Dawn glanced at both women before following the dark Slayer's lead.
Faith led them in her typical jeans, T-shirt and boots into the training room. It was a hard procedure on one hand, because after all this was Buffy's sanctuary. This was a slayer's sanctuary, and she was not the true slayer it was built for. The hard concrete floor was partially covered in mats, while an extra heavy bag hung in one corner. A variety of weapons lined the bare white painted walls. It was not decorated; there was no need. It was a place to train how to not let yourself get killed.
"Dawn, do you want to pull us some short swords?" Faith called with a wicked glint in her eye as Jack stepped out onto the mat in front of her.
"Swords?" Dawn flicked her head round at the weapons mounted on the wall.
"She's joking, Sunny." Jack nodded to the Slayer, conceding that this was Faith's game and that the dark woman was in charge.
"Now the first thing Giles would teach you is to bow, but I don't go much for that shit so..." Faith went back into an open stance. "Let's see what you can do." She urged Jack to come at her.
Dawn eased herself onto a bench that was pushed against the wall, her eyes fixed on the two women.
Jack nodded as she put her hands up and quickly shuffled over to the Slayer, throwing a punch with her left hand.
"Keep going." Faith easily ducked out of the way, trying to assess what, if any, skills Jack possessed. As a clumsy kick came out, she caught it and shook her head as she let the dusty blond get her balance again. "This is not a movie and you are not Bruce Lee. Keep it simple."
"Okay." Jack dropped her hands for a moment then picked up again. She shot two punches at Faith, a low right that the Slayer blocked and a straight left that managed to graze Faith's shoulder.
"Better, but remember." Faith absorbed the blow and swept one leg down easily taking Jack off her feet and to the mat. "If you have no balance you have nothing." She offered her hand to help her up.
"Balance, right." Jack scrambled up.
"Try that combo again, but keep your back leg bent so you can duck to my left and away." Faith instructed, almost pleased when Jack repeated the move and when she tried a leg sweep it was met with moving resistance and Jack still standing.
"Okay?" Jack nervously backed off a few feet. She didn't know why but she was afraid, afraid of hitting Faith, afraid of hurting her. Dawn burst into quick applause.
"Yeah, except one thing...." Faith turned and looked at the peanut gallery. "This is not for fun, Jack, this is life and death." After throwing herself into a somersault, she came up, and, grabbing Jack's arm, shifted her into a locked hold. "I'm going to kill you." She hissed in the young woman's ear as she bent her arm up tightly, knowing it would cause a lot of pain. "Then I'm going to drink your girlfriend dry." She brought her other hand up and pulled Jack's head to one side, exposing her throat.
Jack had been surprised by the move, of course she had. Her arm felt like it was ready to snap, but somehow at the mention of Dawn it was something within her mind that snapped instead.
"Fuck you." She shifted one foot away as the other shot down to catch the curve in the instep of Faith's ankle. As the pressure at her arm slackened slightly she shrugged into Faith's body and,
using her slight height advantage, picked the dark Slayer up before turning and sandwiching Faith into the wall with her body. She felt the pressure at her arm release completely and scrambled away with the slightly numb limb."Much better." Faith shook off the jolt, more than a little impressed by the girl's sudden reaction.
Dawn let out the breath she had held when Faith had approached Jack. She couldn't believe how nervous she was, even though she knew it was what Jack wanted to do.
"Especially the running at the end." Faith admitted, stepping back onto the mat. "You are not the Slayer – don't act like one. Fight till you can run, then run."
"I've had self defense training." Jack admitted suddenly, holding Faith's eyes. "I know to run."
"Let's get you comfortable with some simple combos." Faith nodded and picked up two punch mitts. "Left, right, left, side kick." She stood in front of Jack and demonstrated.
"Left, right, left, side kick." Jack did the series slowly, then repeated it and repeated it.
"Dawn, this is going to get mighty boring. You sure you don't want to get a drink or something?" Faith looked up, not even concentrating on Jack as she threw a sweeping punch of her own, happy to see the young woman anticipate it and duck slightly between her right and kick.
"I could get drinks for everyone?" Dawn slid off the bench and looked at Faith for acknowledgment.
"Yeah, perfect." Faith nodded and repeated the sweeping block with the other hand, this time catching Jack unprepared. But in the next series the dusty blonde began to compensate for even that.
"Oh look, she might be nine and a half but she still does the rolling on her tummy thing." Tara reached out and rubbed the black and white tummy that was indeed being shown off to its fullest.
"She so missed you." Willow giggled and watched the cat struggling to get as much attention as she could.
"No, she's just an attention seeker." Tara laughed too as she moved both hands to rub over the furry little body.
"No, she missed you." Willow rolled onto her back on grinning madly. "And she's happy to have you home forever. Didn't I tell you I speak cat now?"
"My, you have been training." The blonde pulled her hands from the small cat and lay back on the bed settling her head back in the highly fluffed pillows.
"Actually speaking of witchyness... it is Thursday..." Willow looked at the dark navy face of her watch to check the date. "And Thursday is house magic maintenance day. You up for a few protection spells?"
"Oh you know how I love to do spells with you." Tara looked up from her place and grinned.
"I love doing anything with you." Willow rolled a bit to put their bodies closer together as she smiled at the blonde.
"No, I know one thing you don't like doing with me." Tara reached out and twirled her fingers in Willow's hair.
"What?" Willow gave her a curious look.
"Arguing." The witch grinned and kissed the small nose just in front of her face.
"No, I don't like it at all." Willow shook her head. "Though I do like the making up part." She gave a little wink.
"That usually lasts longer than the arguments." Tara agreed.
"Hummm.... Can we make up now?" Willow snuggled a little closer and kissed her softly.
"We haven't argued, silly." Tara kissed her gently, loving how they had slipped into their usual banter just like they used to, verging on the giggly and silly.
"We did on whether or not Miss Kitty missed you." Willow grinned and giggled. "Now we must make up with many smoochies."
"Oh I love you." Tara kissed her lover again, lingering longer this time on the warm lips beneath her own.
"I love you too." Willow kissed her back, warm breath pushing out the honest words.
"Talk to me about spells, what do we have to do?" Tara asked as she kept moving her hand through Willow's locks, though if she was honest her mind wasn't on magic; it was on the woman beside her, her beauty and her love. It literally made Tara warm inside, a feeling she had not had for so long.
"Well I usually do a general protection spell on the house..." Willow's eyes closed a little as warm loving fingers ran through her hair. "And then check that the 'vamp no entry' spell is strong, and then do a perimeter warning through the garden and a fortification on the front fence."
"Do you check the batteries in the smoke detectors too?" Tara grinned.
"On the first of the month." Willow opened her eyes and grinned back. "And the fire extinguishers."
"I'm so glad I came back with you." Tara kept up the movement of her fingers, letting it become almost unconscious.
"So am I." Willow closed her eyes again, leaning her head down on Tara's chest.
"And you're sure about us?" Tara quizzed as she moved herself a little closer.
"I love you." Willow opened her eyes, not moving her head as she spoke the words she hoped would show how sure she was.
"I know you do, but love…" Tara momentarily paused the movement of her hand. "Are you sure you want all the messy emotional stuff that being involved with someone brings?" She knew what she meant to say, she knew what was going on in her heart and head, but she just didn't know how to say it. It wasn't the only cloud that threatened to spoil the bright blue sky of their love, but it was a big one, and one that Tara knew she needed to talk about.
"Do I get you?" Willow turned a little, asking the question seriously.
"Yes, that much would be guaranteed." Tara looked into Willow's green eyes.
"Then yes, this is what I want, what I have always wanted." Willow underlined.
"And Dylan and Thomas, do you still want them?" Tara edged closer to the point of her comment. She couldn't help but smile as she remembered the conversation she had had so many years ago.
"Boys? Why would you want boys?" Tara laughed and rolled over onto her stomach, pulling the magazine she was reading with her.
"Cause just think of how cute we'd look as soccer Moms." Willow giggled as she brushed at her drying hair. Their run back to the dorm through the rain had gotten them both soaked to the bone.
Tara's laughter was louder still. She discarded the magazine in favor of just watching Willow.
"Come on, you'd be so adorable, all… 'Go Thomas, Go Dylan, that's my boys'." She slung her leg over the blonde's back, shifting down lightly on top of her as she reached her hands down and massaged Tara's shoulders.
"Dylan and Thomas?" The blonde nearly choked because she was laughing so hard. "You would label our babies Dylan and Thomas?"
"He was a brilliant poet." Willow objected, rolling off and landing beside the blonde, the robe she had changed into barely clinging to her body.
"I'm not doubting his gift, baby, more the appropriateness of his name."
"Well, what would you name them?" Willow reached out and played with a wisp of wet blonde hair.
"Hummm what, our boys?" Tara leaned in slightly to Willow's hand.
"Yes, if we had boys, what would you call them?" Willow slung her leg over Tara's, snuggling closer.
"Well probably while having them I would call them 'PAIN' and 'OW'!" Tara giggled as she slid her hand around Willow, 'accidentally' slipping her hand underneath the robe as Willow laughed with her.
"And who said you would have them, I would happily have your darling boys." Willow leaned in a bit further, kissing Tara's cheek. "Hummm I can hear Xander now, 'Preggers, Will!', he'll freak right out."
"Willow hips." Tara gently cupped the redhead's narrow hips. "Not good for babies."
"My Mom had me." Willow shook it off. "Just have to be careful."
"Oh come on, are you telling me that you wouldn't just love to be snuggled up beside me, proud as they come at birthing classes, in our multicolored overalls?" Tara questioned, not wanting to think of the risks that could come with her small lover being pregnant.
"I would love that." Willow giggled and kissed her cheek again. "You keep trying to convince me I'm the butchy one." She giggled again. "And I could hand out cigars, not real ones but those chocolate ones." She was entertained just thinking of how she'd run around the hospital, proud as any other father.
"Maybe Mr. Giles should have a proper one." The blonde mused back. "And besides which, you're going to be the worker." She tickled the warm flesh beneath her fingers.
"The worker?" Willow giggled under the tickling before she questioned.
"Yes, leaving at eight a.m. every morning to go to the office. Coming home at five, all stuffy and fed up."
"No, I can work from home." Willow laughed at Tara's take on her future employment. "And who says you won't be all busy Miss Art girl."
"Do you think we'd even be talking about all this if it weren't for Xander asking Anya to marry him?" The blonde stopped her hand movements and snuggled closer.
"Yes, of course." Willow surmised. "Cause we know we're going to get married and have kids and be all happy forever." She kissed Tara several times in succession. "That's how it's meant to be."
"Happy forever." Tara echoed.
"Forever and ever." Willow snuggled closer. "You, me, Dylan and Thomas." She giggled. "Oh and little Anastasia." She smiled at her lover, her eyes dancing. "But she will be a surprise that neither of us expected."
"I'm destined to be a baby factory." Tara giggled.
"Only cause I'll get to spoil you twice as much while your pregnant." Willow kissed her again, playing with the exposed skin on the Wicca's back.
"Wanna practice?" Tara winked slowly.
"Oh yeah." Willow answered huskily.
The blonde witch wiggled a finger towards the door and there came a loud click of the lock falling in place, before she closed her hand back around Willow's body and kissed her hard.
"So do you?" Tara asked again.
"Yes, of course I do. I want anything that has to do with precious you." Willow leaned against the blonde's chest again.
"They won't have anything to do with me." Tara whispered into Willow's ear, hating the words as they spilt from her lips. Though she was almost pleased to have actually said them.
"Of course they will." Willow locked eyes with her. "They will have your love, your guidance, and you to keep them safe."
"Of course they would have that, but they wouldn't be mine." Tara's eyes filled with tears, which spilled onto her cheeks instantly. "They can't be."
"Oh baby." The redhead whispered the words sadly as she saw the tears spilling out of her lover.
"I'm sorry Will, I should have told you earlier." Tara apologized, shaking her head.
"They will be yours." She shook her head at the apology. "They will be ours in every way, no matter how they come into our lives." She put her arms around the blonde and held her tightly.
"I know it changes things Will, I just didn't want to ruin it so soon." Tara almost refused to listen to Willow's words.
"No, no." Willow shook her head, a bit panicked by the idea. "It doesn't change anything." She kept shaking her head.
"Of course it does." Tara sobbed. It had been one of the worst things that she had had to face from the attack, the thing that had made her so much less of a person, so much less than the Tara who existed before they had robbed her of life. At least that's how she felt.
"Dylan and Thomas can be already named, they can be someone else's to bear... it won't change the fact that you and I will love them together, raise them together." She tried to explain, wiping tears off the blonde's cheeks with a soft hand. "As long as you and I are there together to love them, I don't care if we find them under a cabbage leaf." She pointed out the innate fact.
"Cabbage leaf?" Tara laughed through her tears.
"Yes, under a cabbage leaf, old fairy myth." She smiled softly. "East Coast, I'm surprised you never heard that line in Halifax."
"I have." The blonde witch sobbed, but her face was lit by a bright smile. "I just never thought I'd hear you say it."
"Even if they have wings, or are slayers, or can turn into cats at night..." Willow found herself rambling. "Our children will be precious not cause you or I carried them, but because they are 'our children,' Tara." She stressed the words.
"Oh Willow." Tara burst into a new round of tears, but this time they were brought on by overwhelming love. "I love you."
"I love you baby." Willow pressed her forehead to Tara's lightly and hugged her. "Forever and ever."
Faith rubbed the towel over her forehead and watched her young protégé complete a hard series of kicks on the heavy bag. They'd had about a week, an entire boring edgy week of no bitch angel sighting and not even one hint of her followers.
The entire scenario left Faith cold inside because, simply, she hated waiting. It was comforting that in that time the rest of the crew had been content to play house around her. Any reference to the angel and impending doom had only come in discreet conversations that never lasted very long.
On top of all of that her patrols had been soft, boring almost. She'd been doing this for so long, hunting a couple of newbie vamps barely whet her appetite.
She watched Jack's motions and appraised her own state of inactivity with a careful calculating mind. The young woman was a quick study, born with that natural instinct to survive that Faith knew bred a good fighter. With nothing else to fill the long empty days of waiting, she had agreed to start serious intensive lessons with her. She'd convinced herself the lessons weren't a complete waste of time. At the very least, when it all went to shit Jack could be another small line of defense between the big bad and Dawn. She knew that one thing she owed Buffy was making sure Dawn got out of this alive.
"Don't drop your fucking elbow." Faith barked angrily, watching as immediately within her concentration Jack pulled the once flailing limb in and corrected her stance.
Jack couldn't even keep count of how many times she'd now kicked and punched the hard leather before her. She had bruises on her bruises and muscles that she didn't even know could ache had given up aching and settled into sheer scared terror. Yet one thing kept her going, and that was Dawn, the idea that something was coming to hurt Dawn, and she might be the only thing there to protect her.
"Okay that's enough." Faith snapped the towel and knew that as Jack dropped her arms after the long interval it would feel almost like they were going to fall off.
The feeling to Jack was just that. Her hands were like dead heavy weight at the ends of her arms and she worried once she let them hang for a few minutes she'd never be able to raise them again.
"I have patrol, you should get a shower." Faith tossed a fresh towel at the young woman.
"I want to come." Jack broached the topic carefully.
"Jack, I'm happy to rough and tumble with you here, but I'm not ready to risk getting you getting your throat ripped out." Faith shrugged off the young student's request
"You said I was getting good." Jack countered. "How else will I know how good if we don't test me for real?"
"You are getting better." The dark Slayer turned. "But listen to me and listen good. I'm training you because you have the right motivation to fight. I'm not doing it because I think you should take up killing things as a hobby."
"I need to know I can protect her." Jack crossed across the mat, but kept a safe distance from Faith. She'd quickly learned that the fastest way to end up on her ass was to challenge Faith's personal space.
"You're doing great, Jack." Faith's tone was surprisingly warm. "I haven't known anyone to pick up the regime as quick as you, but I made a promise to someone." She turned away again and moved to the stairs.
"Who?" Jack questioned for some reason not immediately thinking it would be Dawn.
"There's really only one person I take orders from, Jack." Faith wrapped the towel around her neck, knowing that she should drop it in the laundry basket once she was upstairs.
"Soon I'll just go and figure out if I can hold my own without you." She bit back throwing herself back into a flip and landing to strike the bag again hard.
"Listen Boxy!" Faith put her foot on the step and turned. "I'll take you out, when it's time! Right now it's not time. I need you here. Vampires don't need to be killed by a tag team and Dawn needs watching."
"Fine. I'm on house duty." Jack put her hands out and stilled the bags swing.
"I'm serious about house duty." Faith caught the other girl's eyes. "It's been too quiet." She added.
"Eerie quiet." Jack turned, holding her look. "It was like this after the fire." She shook her head, realizing this might be a stupid comparison. "It was like she was gloating over her victory for awhile."
"Oh yeah, that and planning her next move no doubt." Faith agreed.
"She might be insane but she's not stupid." Jack nodded.
"Can I leave the house in your hands?" Faith checked before leaving.
"Yeah, I'm all over it." She grinned, trying not to be disappointed.
"You'll get to play 'stake it' with me soon, I promise." Faith vowed before jogging up the steps.
Willow cut up the last section of apple and arranged the pieces on the colored platter with a smile. Depositing it and the two glasses she just remembered to pull out of the cupboard on the tray, she glanced over her gathered offering.
"Perfect." She surmised before picking up a tea towel to wipe her hands. Absently she walked her way back through the hall and into the living room. She hung in the doorway for a second, smiling again at the sight on her couch.
Jack had the worst of the deal, acting as a leaning post for Dawn who was sprawled out under a patchwork quilt. The young Summers had even gone so far as to use one of her lover's knees as a place to rest her drink.
"Hey you two need anything?" Willow tried to draw their attention away from the television.
"No, we're good." Dawn looked up and smiled, moving her head into a more comfortable position. "Jack's going to make me nachos later." She tapped her lover's leg under the blanket. "And we've rented a movie, if you and Tara want to watch."
"No, it's okay. Maybe we'll watch it tomorrow. We're heading to bed early." Willow waved at them. "Sweet dreams." She made her way back to the kitchen.
"So baby, you think that I'm making you nachos, eh?" Jack messed up her lover's hair.
"Of course you will, because you know that I love them and that I love you and you know a girl can never get too much of the things she loves." Dawn semi-scowled at her lover for the mess she had caused in her long locks, before giving her a winning smile.
"Am I making these nachos before or after you reveal what this mystery movie is that you rented?" Jack ran her fingers through the knots softly pulling them out.
"It's written on the side of the case, under the barcodes and stuff. Is it my fault if you looked away at the moment that I actually made the rental decision? It's a golden oldie." She summed up. "Well about ten years old." She screwed up her nose thoughtfully.
"I was distracted, you were doing that rub my butt thing to tease the straight people." Jack grinned and massaged the brunette's shoulders. "So is it a 'nice' golden oldie?"
"And how would you define 'nice'?" Dawn retrieved her drink from off her lover and took a sip.
"You know what I mean by nice." Jack kept massaging, slipping her hands inside the open scoop neck of Dawn's top. "The nice kind, that usually leads to us not watching the end of the movie." She leaned down a bit kissing a bare patch of her lover's neck.
Dawn arched her back slightly and moaned softly.
"Oh you mean nice." She purred. "Well I was going to rent the first tomb-raider flick, I know a younger Ms. Jolie just sends you into raptures."
"Ooo something beat out me drooling at the woman with the 'guns'?" Jack joked as she massaged down a bit further over Dawn's collarbone.
"Well I decided that I deserved a little more of your attention than some over zealous grave raider." The brunette explained leaning her head slightly to rub against Jack's hand.
"Okay so no thigh girl. What would you define as nice then? A nice that still gives you most of my attention." Jack queried as she massaged one hand into Dawn's neck while the other drifted slowly downwards.
"Well I thought about a Disney, but you know there is something disturbing about singing and dancing animals."
"In a 'we deal with enough weird stuff anyway' sorta way." Jack agreed, her hands still massaging. "Action?"
"Again far too much, 'been there done that, better than they did'." Dawn replied.
"Do I have to torture it out of you?" Jack let her hand drift down purposely running her fingers down between her lover's breasts causing Dawn to shiver in pleasure.
"You don't have to but it might be nice…" Dawn leaned backed and closed her eyes.
"Oh would it now." Jack let her fingers twirl slightly at their lowest point before tracing them back up. "Is this the Missy who told me earlier that my mind spent too long in the gutter?"
"I meant in the gutter without me." Her girlfriend corrected. "It's American Pie 2, but I wasn't planning on seeing too much of the movie." She added as she carefully put her glass on the floor.
"Has the light of my life been making plans?" Jack smirked as she pushed both of her hands further, tracing over the straps of Dawn's bra and down over the outline of silk.
"You heard Willow - her and Tara are 'going to bed early,' and we both know what that means? Hey you've learnt what it means and you've only lived here a short while." Dawn replied.
"It means…" Jack laughed lightly. "They are going to bed early." She stressed the words. "And that Jack isn't thinking about what they do behind closed doors." She ran her fingers up under the front plastic clasp and expertly slid it apart. "Though confirm to me that means they won't be coming down till at least 9am?"
"Confirmed." Dawn said with a smile, her eyelids still heavy. She moved her hand and slid it over her own top, closing over Jack's hand and guiding it over to rest on her left breast. She arched up with a groan as Jack's fingers contracted instinctually. "Though we might want to wait until she has actually gone up." She added as the vague sounds of Willow still doing final preparations in the kitchen could be heard.
"Good call." Jack tuned in to the movements. "I don't want to have to explain to Willow why my hands are…" She moved the parts in question just slightly slipping under lace and sitting full on warm flesh. She let them rest for a second before beginning to massage gently. "So… are we even going to fake watching the movie? Or head up to bed?"
"The TV has volume control." Dawn opened her eyes and looked towards the remote control.
"I think they might notice if we have it on dance club level surround sound, my little screamer." Jack giggled as she nuzzled in and kissed her lover's neck.
"Hey, hey!" Dawn objected. "I don't scream, I moan." She playfully tapped her lover's arm.
"Actually my love…" Jack snuggled in her hands moving softly over ever warming flesh. "First you groan, then you moan, then you get quiet for a few moments before you start screaming and swearing." She kissed Dawn's neck again and laughed. "Which I love by the way." She whispered hotly into the brunette's ear.
"You do, do you?" Dawn queried. "And here's me thinking you'd never actually managed to hear me with all the 'Dawn, Dawn' panting going on from you." She grinned.
"Dawn, Dawn, Dawn!" Jack purposely panted her lover's name over and over as her fingers closed around erect nipples for a moment before massaging off.
"Jack don't, Willow has great hearing." Dawn tried to wiggle a little out of Jack's hands.
"Okay if you don't want me." Jack pulled her hands out in a playful harshness and wiggled her body back a bit away from her lover. "I'll go on the chair and be all good and untouchy feely."
"Hey, I didn't say no noise, no love." The young woman pouted.
"Yeah, but we both know you can't be quiet." Jack teased as she played with the brunette's breasts through her top, knowing the touch would be slightly lacking after the direct contact previously. "You think you can be quiet?"
"I can be if I try hard." Dawn drew in a tight breath as Jack's fingers encircled her tightly puckered nipple through her shirt. "Can you?"
"Dawn, Dawn, Dawn." Jack panted in a whisper. "Yep, I'm good to go." She turned her head slightly and heard the distinct noise of the hacker making her way upstairs. "And now that the coast is clear." She pulled up the bottom of her lover's shirt, drawing circles on her stomach upwards.
"Oh that feels good." Dawn whispered, tightening her abdominal muscles as Jack's fingers played over them. "Shouldn't we put the video in?"
"Go on then." Jack encouraged one hand playing over the contracting muscles of Dawn's stomach while the other went back to its place over her left breast. "I'm sorta busy."
"Well you sort of have to stop being so busy for me to get off the couch." The brunette pointed out.
"I swear a girl is starting to get the point that says I'm better off going upstairs and taking care of myself cause my girlfriend is uninterested." Jack squeezed one last time before moving her hands off.
Dawn tutted softly and slipped out of her resting-place.
"It's a good job I know you are joking." She said as she breached the small distance between the seat and the VCR. She slipped the tape in and flicked the television on before standing up and with a large smile she pulled off the top and let the unfastened bra drop to follow it down to the floor. "Else I think I'd be the one left alone in the living room feeling a little stupid."
"Naw, you're my anywhere girl." Jack smiled as she shimmied down a bit and opened her arm to the other girl. "You'd just amuse yourself when the good scenes came on."
"Well okay then bedroom or bike seat girl, I'll just pick up my shirt and bid you goodnight." Dawn made a vague dip down to retrieve the top from the floor.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Jack sat up straight swinging her feet around to rest flat on the floor as she snatched the shirt away and tucked it behind her back. "I wasn't suggesting that at all. Come here you." She crocked a finger at the brunette.
Dawn looked at her lover and stood up straight, haughtily placing a hand on her hip with her head tilted slightly on the side. She flicked her hair so that long trails of dark brown slid over her shoulder down onto her cream colored, still aroused breasts.
"You want me?" She asked playfully.
"Always, anywhere, anytime and in every imaginable way." The dirty blonde growled back.
"How much?" Dawn asked shifting her hands from her hip to hook into the hoops on her tight fitting hipster jeans.
"Well…" Jack stood up slowly, raising herself with a shake of her dirty blonde hair. "That would depend on how much you want me to want me you." She took a few wide steps and positioned herself behind Dawn. "How much do you want me?" She stepped up close to the brunette but made sure their bodies didn't touch.
"I want you more than I want a brand new car." Dawn replied flicking her head gently, making sure her long locks didn't fly up enough to knock into her love in their close proximity to one another.
"Not good enough." Jack underlined in a low voice. "Try harder." She sidestepped slightly, pulling her own top up and off her of her body silently, knowing Dawn wouldn't quite know what the move had done. Taking a short step forward, she slipped her fingers into the back side loops of her lover's jeans and pulled her back, effectively splitting Dawn's leg with her own.
"More than free ice-cream every day for the rest of my life." Dawn willingly shifted her legs even further apart, desperately wanting to let her head loll backwards onto her lover, but not one hundred percent sure that Jack's body was reachable.
"Better." Jack arched her leg up onto the ball of her foot, bringing her thigh up to press into Dawn's jeans. "But I know you can do even better."
"I want you more than I want to pass next semester." She slid her own hands over her jeans and pulled them down a little, as they were feeling suddenly snug in all the right places.
"Much better." Jack slipped her hands down and slipping them into the brunette's pockets, tugging up to counteract what Dawn was trying to do. "How do you want me?" She asked in a low tone, briefly pushing her upper body forward into Dawn's bare back just to let her know what was behind her.
"I want you completely, I want you utterly with every fiber of my being." Dawn pushed herself back at the brief touch and slid her own hand out of the belt loops at her hips, down over the hot denim, to rest on her lower stomach, more or less over where Jack's hands were.
"How exactly?" Jack slid her fingers down to the edges within the pockets, massaging her fingers into the inner curves of her lover's hips. "Any wants unfulfilled, any desires hidden."
"Well to be honest from behind is feeling oh so good right now." Dawn made a slow exaggerated rotation with her hips her fingers massaging Jack's through the thick cotton.
"Just what I was thinking." Jack took the chance to slowly lick her way down Dawn's neck. Slowly retracting one hand she slipped up to undo the closure of her jeans and pull down the zipper before both hands left the brunette's pockets and moved up to fully cover her breasts. "Anything you want to add?"
"Huh?" Dawn gave a slightly confused response as she pulled herself out of the blissful land she was heading quickly towards. She moved her hands to gently tug down the suddenly loose denim and let it slide as far as they could go before hitting Jack's leg. She then slid her hands over her naked stomach and leaned her head back. "No nothing to add, just keep going, keeping moving fast."
"Fast is what my girl wants eh?" In the background Jack heard the beginning notes of the movie's opening song. "Maybe I should slow down then." She massaged ever so slowly with her hands, shifting their hips into a slow circle. For the moment she refused to move her leg in order to let Dawn's pants drop.
"I want whatever you want to give me, I just want you Jack." The brunette's voice dropped lower as she closed her eyes and let her hips move naturally in motion with her lover's.
"I want you too." Jack growled as she swung their hips in a smaller faster motion, finally slipping her leg back long enough for the brunette to step out of her pants. She immediately urged Dawn back against her, one hand skimming down over her slim hip to cup the warmth at the apex of her legs.
"I know you do." Dawn drew her breath in through her teeth as Jack made the slick move. "I love you Jack." For the first time she reached her hands back and brushed up along Jack's naked sides.
"I love you too Sunny." The dirty blonde's voice was soft as she leaned in closer and kissed Dawn's neck. The hands on her sides made her shiver and urged her to slip a finger into awaiting silky wet. "And now I know how much." She teased as she flicked her tongue out to play with the brunette's earlobe.
"Mmmm, baby." Dawn relaxed her leg muscles slightly and leaned more heavily against Jack's body. "You complete me, you know that right?"
"I will in a minute." Jack teased, shifting her leg down and picking Dawn up on her thigh slightly. One thing she realized now was that all her training with Faith had provided her with an incredible amount of extra strength. As promised she snaked her fingers down lower, skimming over engorged flesh with a rough but loving purpose.
Dawn arched against her lover and snaked her arms up to loop around Jack's neck hoping that the added weight she shifted onto her girlfriend wasn't too much for her. She had noted the way her lover's body had changed recently, the added definition in her arms and shoulders, the strength in her legs and back. If she was honest, it had just turned Dawn on more and more as she watched her lover work out and train, perfecting an already toned body.
"It's okay baby, you're as light as a feather." Jack whispered to her as she brought her free hand up to encourage Dawn to hold on tighter. Slowly she looped that hand back down around her slim lover's waist and lifted her up as she took a shuffle step forward allowing her to brace her foot up onto the low couch so that Dawn was straddled above the ground on her thigh. "See." She shifted closer and let her swirling fingers tease even more.
"I'm getting fat." Dawn replied but she let her lover take more of her weight as she eased against Jack into a better position. "That feels good." She added the soft encouragement.
"You couldn't get fat if you gained a hundred pounds love, and you would still…" Jack punctuated her words with kisses to the brunette's neck as her fingers moved quickly within their liquid environment. "Be completely sexy desirable beautiful."
"You alone make me those things." Dawn said between deep breaths and harder movements. "Oh God Jack you…." Her words drifted off into a low passion filled moan.
"I?" Jack teased sucking hard on the junction of her neck and shoulder. Her fingers pressed higher as she rocked the leg they leaned on.
"You..." Dawn gave up her reply as she concentrated on the rocking, moving faster as the environment between them got significantly wetter.
"I…" Jack encouraged again as she rocked them back and forth even faster, the wetness soaking through her jeans and against her leg.
"Are a goddess." Dawn gasped as her muscles began their first spasm.
"I'm just a girl madly in love with you." Jack whispered, feeling the change in her lover as she finally slipped her fingers slightly inside as best she could with the close rock between them. Feeling more stable she massaged her palm into her lover's breasts moving back and forth between them.
"Oh Jack." Dawn's moan turned into a low groan her breathing becoming shallower. "I need more." She pleaded.
"Tell me." Jack mildly appeased by pushing Dawn's hips forward slightly so that she could slip further inside.
"I… I'm not sure." Dawn replied gasping harder and faster. "I don't want to suggest something that sounds I don't know, dodgy."
"Baby, this is me." Jack stressed, kissing her lover's neck as she kept up the fast pace between them. "Nothing is dodgy."
"Then perhaps, against the couch?" Dawn posed the question between breathy pants.
"Against the couch how?" Jack asked trying not to sound thick headed but having trouble keeping a creative open mind as she slipped in and out of her lover.
"Like this." Dawn untangled her hands and blissfully slipped off her lover's fingers and lower till her feet touched the floor. She moved off Jack's leg and then sank to her knees on the carpet. Folding her arms she rested them on the couch cushion and rested her head on them, her back straight with her butt in the air. "Take your jeans off darling."
"My pleasure, they were getting a bit…" She smirked to herself taking a long moment to appreciate the view. "Uncomfortable." She unlatched her belt and slid the pants and her boxers off her body, coming down behind her girlfriend. "This what you had in mind?" She pushed herself tight against Dawn, kissing her lover's back as her hand slid between them and played with the now exposed interior of Dawn's body.
"Perfect." Dawn acknowledged her body instantly slipping into s smooth rhythm.
"A nice idea, and completely dodgy." Jack growled as she ran her hand down Dawn's back her nails grazing slightly. "Especially for this." As she pushed to maintain a faster pace as she pushed in further.
"Yes…" Dawn dug her short nails into the soft cushions and lifted her head as she made it more of a whole body movement. "Shit Jack." She called.
"Dawn…" Jack panted back, her own body being urged on as she rocked her hips against Dawn's leg and behind. "God… you… are… beautiful."
"No…you…are." Dawn's movements became less coherent and orchestrated and more about wild reaction. "Oh that feels so…OH!"
"Come on baby." Jack urged her new found strength and power to push them faster and harder, Dawn's body pushing into the soft sofa with each push as she was sandwiched into it with each thrust. If the movement was uncomfortable the brunette didn't seem to notice.
"I'm sorry I can't stop." Dawn's gasped. "Please don't…"
"I'm not going to Sunny." Jack kept their pace strong and steady. "I promise, I've got you." She offered the shred of security she knew her lover needed.
"Oh fuck…" Dawn cried out, slightly louder than she had intended as her insides constricted hard and tight around Jack's fingers. She flung her hand out and caught the remote control that was on the side. It fell off the arm of the couch and onto the floor, taking with it the empty video case and catching Dawn's half-empty glass of fruit juice, which hit only a small patch of bare hardwood by the side of the carpet, causing a loud thud.
"Sssssh." Jack encouraged, knowing that they'd breached their own pre-set volume meter. She reached her long arm up, letting Dawn take it in both of her hands so that she might stop herself from flinging out again and causing more of a racket.
Dawn willingly gripped her lover's arm and then continued to push against Jack's thrusts.
"Jack, Jack…" She began her mantra as her muscles spasmed and released the exploring digits in rhythm. "JACK!"
"Yes, baby, yes." Jack panted back, keeping her own voice in a whisper as they rocked together harder. "Just keep going…" She took a hard breath as she pushed her hips in further. "Quietly."
"This feels incredible." Dawn felt the slickness of her own body as Jack's apparently tireless arm pushed her onto even higher heights. She couldn't believe the pleasure that each thrust gave her. "Is it okay for you?" She gasped.
"Oh baby." The dirty blonde gave a low moan. "Dawn, baby, it is so okay." She leaned her body over her lover's even heavier.
"It's so hard to be quiet." She cursed under her breath. "Jack this is so good." She pulled her hands off Jack's arm again and dug them into the couch cushions again. "Can I ask for harder?"
"I don't want to hurt you." Jack responded by throwing a bit more of her weight behind the movement but still holding back.
"You won't, you know me better than anyone, outside and in." The young woman pushed against her lover, leaning a little heavier on the support of the couch.
"Tell me if…" Jack moaned, even surprising herself as she pushed on much harder by just how good the movement felt. "If it does."
"I…oh…oh…will. Jesus Jack, tell me that doesn't feel good." Dawn panted.
"It does, it does." The co-ed hoarsely croaked back. "God, it does. We should have done this…" She groaned as Dawn pushed back suddenly at a different angle and a sharp flash of pleasure ran up her insides. "Sooner."
"We should have, but this can be the first… Mmmmm" Dawn gave up her speech and just groaned for a few moments pushing down harder as she felt her walls stretching around Jack's pushing. "Time of mannnnnny."
"I… think so." Jack moaned low, biting her lip as her lover groaned. "Definitely." She pushed a bit faster, automatically urged on by her own impending release.
"Oh God Jack!" Dawn's hard and earth-shattering orgasm hit with a swiftness that literally took her breath away. "Oh God, yes, yes, YES." She rocked harder, her arm flailing out again, smacking into the wooden side of the couch.
"I know." Jack underlined that she felt exactly what her lover was feeling. "Don't stop." She seemed to be talking to both herself and Dawn as their movement slowed a little but gained in strength.
"I…can't." Dawn panted. "So beautiful." She whispered.
"Because I love you." Jack whispered back, pushing hard and full, feeling completely in synch with Dawn in every movement, every heartbeat.
"I LOVE YOU!" Dawn shouted, completely forgetting the sound embargo.
Willow meandered her way back into the bedroom carrying the small tray of midnight snacks. The sight of Tara splayed out on the bed sheets reading was enough to almost make her cry with happiness. A slight red blush of love filled the blonde's face and the smirk that seemed permanently planted on her full lips was as precious as morning sunshine.
"Mmmmm what do I spy?" The blonde witch looked up from her book.
"You spy a collection of yummy nibbles to help build your energy after such a draining evening." Willow winked and blushed as she put the tray down on the bed and snuggled back into her place. The comment made Tara laugh out loud. "I meant the fruit and crackers, not me." She blushed more.
"Spoil sport."
"I'm dessert." She grinned and giggled.
"Oh okay then." Tara readily agreed.
"And we shouldn't be interrupted because Dawn and Jack have curled up to watch movies so..." Willow offered her a bite of apple. "It's just gorgeous you and me."
"So romantic." Tara leaned forward and bit the offered fruit in half.
"You know I have a lot of spoiling to make up for." She smiled, trying to underline that the comment was meant as a good thing, a very good thing, cause she was being given the chance to do it.
"Mmmmm years of it." Tara smiled broadly to show that it had been taken well.
"I'll have to pick up strawberries and champagne for tomorrow night." The redhead smiled and offered another bite of fruit.
"Mmmmm strawberries." Tara cooed as she took the offered food. "The bubbles still go up my nose." She added with a lop-sided grin.
"And a cute nose to go up it is." Willow grinned back then laughed.
"Ew!" Tara lightly smacked Willow's arm playfully.
"Okay that sounded funny, but you know what I mean." She giggled and tucked her head into the pillow, hiding.
"Oh Goddess, how can you be more adorable now than you were at twenty-one?" Tara appraised happily.
"Only you think that." Willow turned her face out of the pillow.
"No, actually Miss. Kitty thinks it too." Tara nodded sincerely.
"She does, eh?" Willow laughed and was about to respond when a sudden series of muffled noises came from downstairs. "What was that?" She looked up to the door listening intently.
"I'm not sure." Tara replied honestly. "Should we check?"
"None of my alarms went off." Willow took a quick look to the shaded window. "It might have just been Dawn and Jack."
"Jack and Dawn are watching a movie…" Tara began and then stopped and looked at her red haired lover. "Oh wait a minute, I was twenty one once." She said with a grin.
"You don't think?" Willow screwed up her face slightly. "Ewwww."
"Oh come on." The blonde lightly tapped Willow's arm. "How many times did we use the 'watching a movie' line on Buffy, or your parents for that matter?"
"My parents were oblivious." Willow laughed. "Even that time in the kitchen, when you…" She began to giggle.
"When YOU!" Tara stressed pointing a wiggling finger at her lover. "And your father so knew."
"Me?" Willow pointed at herself innocently. "I just had a bit of the whipped cream on my finger, you were the one who has bad aim apparently."
"And you were the one who said the table was reinforced." Tara retaliated, laughing.
"I thought it was." The hacker smiled broadly. "And I can't believe my Mom bought the 'it just collapsed' story."
"That wasn't the funny bit." Tara laughed almost uncontrollably. "It was your father's 'It's all right dear I should have mentioned that the leg was giving out.' that almost made me laugh out loud."
"I don't even want to think about it." Willow screwed up her nose again and pushed her face into Tara's arm. "So the vote is leave the girls downstairs and not question?" She wrapped her arms around the blonde.
"Well I could suggest leave the girls downstairs and see if we can make more noise." Tara winked.
"Good idea." Willow shifted up and kissed her heavily on the lips.
Jack held her lover's body cradled in her arms, her back leaning against the sofa as they both took a few quite moments to let their heavy breathing subside. The movie chugged on in the background.
"Sunny, I think we should get dressed." Jack smoothed her hand over her lover's sweaty brow. "Just in case…" She smiled to herself, hugging Dawn tight. "Since we weren't exactly quiet."
"Hmm, yes maybe you're right." Dawn shuffled herself in her lover's arms a little. "That was fantastic, darling." She added as her hand snaked out from its resting-place on Jack's breast, towards the discarded top.
"It was." Jack agreed, helping her slip her hot flushed body into the top. "We should have more movie nights."
"Does this one have to be over just yet?" Dawn asked feeling excited, even as exhausted shivers danced up her spine.
"No baby." Jack nuzzled into her neck kissing lightly. "But why don't we snuggle up for a bit till we catch our breath." She reached out grabbing her own shirt and shrugging it on.
"I love you Jack, I love you and I know I do. Recently I haven't known a lot, but you, you make me safe; you make me feel loveable. I haven't felt loveable since Glory." A myriad of feelings suddenly spilled out of the young woman.
"Sunny, I…" Jack was about to say a thousand things but she simply nodded. "I haven't felt worth ten cents since my mother died and you make me feel like I'm worth the entire world. I love you too, Dawn." She leaned in and kissed her tenderly.
"You are worth the world, you are my world. Jack…" She paused as she somewhat gingerly pulled her jeans on. "Since Buffy…" She stopped again, hating the tightening in her throat. "If I said I wanted us to leave Sunnydale, all of us, would you come?"
"Where will we go, when we go?" Jack gave her a bright smile as she too pulled herself into her pants before pulling the brunette to her tightly.
"Halifax. Tara has a place there; it's a start. We could go tomorrow." Dawn said, suddenly excited.
"Dawn, I think we have to see this through first then we can go." Jack held her a bit tighter, knowing her words weren't going to be met well.
"Why do we? People get away with murder every day, we can turn away from this, we can walk away, stay safe, stay alive. I have to keep you alive Jack. I have to." Dawn's voice trembled.
"Because Sunny, she won't let us walk away." She shook her head feeling more out of control and sad then she'd ever been before. "We have to end this, then we can have a fresh start and we'll make sure nothing ever hurts us again."
"I'm scared." Dawn admitted, suddenly her words surprising, almost horrifying, the solid reliable being she had created inside herself to deal with her sister's death.
"I know love, I know." Jack pulled the brunette into her lap and held her even closer, rocking her slightly. "You're allowed to be scared." She whispered, knowing how hard emotions were sometimes for her lover. "It is scary."
"But she can't hurt me when I'm with you." Dawn's voice took on a young-trusting tone. "You make me less scared."
"I won't let her hurt you Sunny, I swear to you." Jack felt her own once strong insides melting. "I won't let her hurt you." The idea of her lover meeting the same fate as her sister made her go icy inside to a point that she almost began to shake. "I can't be without you." She whispered rocking her lover a little harder.
Dawn nestled in closer, silent for some moments, her mind turning over and over.
"Don't die for me." She whispered suddenly.
"I will only die to protect you." Jack came back immediately. "And I don't even plan on giving the cursed angel that satisfaction." She seethed. "We're going to send her back to hell, Sunny."
"Jack." Dawn said suddenly pushing up from the taller woman's embrace. "I want you to go." She reached out for the keys to her sports car that sat on the table beside the couch. "Take my car. She knows your bike – go somewhere. Somewhere far away." She grabbed the dirty blonde's hand and pushed the keys into them.
"Dawn, listen to me." Jack pushed the keys away and took the brunette's face in her hands. "I have spent my entire life running, hiding, pretending I can make it all go away. I can't do it anymore. I won't do it anymore, not now that I have a reason to stop. I'm not leaving you. You can kick me out of the house. You can get Faith to kick my butt, but I'm not leaving you. I'll get a tent and camp out on the lawn. I'll build a treehouse in the oak across the street. I'll sleep on the front porch and follow you around but I will not leave." Her words were strong and even. "I love you. If you've never believed me before, know that I speak this with my entire heart right now, I LOVE YOU."
"Oh Jack." Dawn tightened her embrace. "I believe you, I so believe you and I love you. Should we get on the couch?" It was almost as if the last three sentences that had left Dawn's mouth hadn't actually been spoken before she asked the question. The young woman's tone was completely different as the calm center inside her took hold again.
"Yeah, let's curl up then." Jack smiled knowing the flip in her lover all too well. Slowly she led the brunette up and they settled down together, trying to accommodate their long forms on the short piece of furniture. She kept a strong loving grip on the body in front of her. Honestly, she wasn't watching the movie at all – only studying the woman she loved. There was nothing on heaven or earth that she would let hurt Dawn, especially not a crazy psychotic angel.
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