Friendship Factor by SpikeMe4Now

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. I don't wish to harm them, I simply want to borrow them and have a little bit of fun with them.

Feedback: Yes Please!!!! I would really appreciate feedback on this story. It's the culmination of my series, and I've worked really, really hard on it—so please, please, please, let me know what you think. Constructive criticisms are very welcomed—outright flames will be ignored. So please, please, please take a brief moment of your time to give me some feedback—It's the only reward I get for all my hard work. >>lol<< What's more, I'll reply to anyone who emails me. ^_^

Author's Note: This is in response to the challenge I posted a few weeks ago. I thought it would be cool to remember how the Willow/Tara relationship first started. This is a series of behind-the-scenes stories that deal with the start of the Willow/Tara relationship. Each story can be read as a standalone.

Special thanks goes to Chris Cook of Through the Looking Glass and Artemis for creating the title graphic at the top of the page. Thanks, Chris!

Summary: A behind the scenes take on what happened between Willow and Tara during the Season 4 episodes Yoko Factor, Primeval, and Restless.

Tara woke up that morning, and instinctively turned towards Willow's side of the bed. She reached for her girlfriend, and frowned when her hand met only air. "Mmm...?" she mumbled, wondering where her girlfriend was. Blinking her eyes a couple of times—she opened them and sat up. She smiled when she noticed her girlfriend sitting cross-legged on the floor, using a ball of string to play with the little kitty they'd smuggled into the dorm yesterday.

They'd spent the whole day doting over her, playing with her, being amused by her...and yet they still hadn't given her a name. They were just so giddy with the current state of their relationship to worry about such trivial things as naming her. Now that they'd both admitted their feelings for one another, the dynamics between them had changed immensely, and the kitty they'd just gotten was kind of a symbol for it all—a way of confirming what they meant to one another.

They had yet to discuss this though—the long term commitment thing. Tara had every intention of bringing it up today however; to let Willow know exactly what this relationship meant to her. The last few days had been a complete rollercoaster ride; what with Oz's return and everything. In fact, she was still a little in shock that Willow had decided to stay with her; that she loved her. She'd never been in a loving relationship before, and a part of her knew she would never love anyone else like she loved Willow. The redhead was now, and always shall be the only woman who held her heart, and she wanted to make damn sure Willow knew it.

Willow smiled and looked up at her girlfriend. "She's so adorable," Willow put down the string and scooped the kitty up in her arms. "I just couldn't resist," she explained, bringing the cat down to her lap as she stroked her coat. "Miss Kitty was making these really cute meow sounds, and I..."

"Well, we haven't given her a name yet, and the other day we were joking, and you said we could name her Trixie, or..."

"Yep," Willow giggled. "Miss Kitty Fantastico," she looked back down at the kitten in her lap. "You wanted some attention, didn't you?" she cooed at the cat, once again scooping it up in her arms. "Wanna play with your other mommy?" Willow stood up and moved towards the bed. "I think she wants to say good morning," she smiled at Tara, handing her the cat as she sat down on the bed. "Don't you Miss Kitty?"

Tara laughed at Willow's childlike tone as she accepted the cat. "Hey Miss Kitty," she greeted. "So you're the reason my girlfriend wasn't in bed this morning?" She stroked the cat gently, smiling as it began to purr in her lap.

"I think she likes that," Willow noted, moving her hand to pat the kitty as well. "She just loves attention..."

Tara looked up at Willow before responding. "She's not the only one," she said in her most smoldering voice.

Willow felt her breath catch as her eyes met Tara's; her girlfriend could be so sexy when she wanted to be. "Oh..." she whispered huskily, deciding to play along. "Someone else wants attention?" she asked coyly, her eyes locked with Tara's.

Whatever Tara had been about to say would now be forever lost, as Willow ceased stroking Miss Kitty, and pressed her lips against her girlfriend's. She lifted her hands to Tara's cheeks, as she thrust her tongue deep into the girl's mouth. There was no chaste good morning kiss happening here, this was an 'I want my girlfriend, and I want her now' kiss.

Tara instantly responded by letting go of the cat in her lap and moving her hands up against Willow's back. She moaned into the kiss as her tongue wrapped itself around Willow's—meeting each thrust and each parry with one of her own. This was more like it, she thought to herself. This is how I wanted to wake up this morning—me, Willow...a little tongue action...

All of Tara's thoughts ceased however, when she felt one of Willow's hands move from her cheek, and come to rest on her naked thigh—just below the edge of her shorts. "Mmm," she moaned, pressing her hands harder against Willow's back, pulling the girl closer to her.

Annoyed by the sudden lack of attention, Miss Kitty let out a few disgruntled mewling noises. When her pleas went unnoticed however, Miss Kitty decided she was bored with waiting for her Mistresses to lave some more attention on her, and made her way across the bed, and leapt to the floor. She scrambled towards the ball of string her short-haired Mistress had been teasing her with, and began to paw at it. She didn't like being bored, and if her Mistresses weren't going to play with her, then she'd find a way to amuse herself.

Ignoring the antics of their new kitten, the two girls continued to kiss each other passionately. Tara's hands were moving roughly up and down Willow's back, pushing the girl's nightshirt further and further up her body, until they were eventually pressed up against bare flesh. Willow's shirt was posing a problem for Tara, so she decided to do something about it. With one quick movement, she pulled her lips away from Willow's, while her hands hastily lifted her nightshirt up and off her body.

Willow was now almost completely naked, but for her panties, and the look in Tara's eyes told her exactly what effect this had on her girlfriend. "You like?" she asked huskily, resting both hands on Tara's thighs.

Tara could only nod, as she leaned in to kiss her girlfriend. "Wait," Willow stopped her, before their lips could meet. "Your turn." With that, she lifted her hands to the base of Tara's tank top, and dragged the material off her girlfriend's body.

"I want you naked," Willow continued, as she threw the shirt half way across the room. She then gently pushed her girlfriend down onto the bed as she straddled her hips. "These have to go too," Willow rested her hands on the waistband of Tara's shorts. Within seconds, she was throwing Tara's boxers to the floor as well. "That's better."

Tara smiled up at her girlfriend, enjoying her assertive attitude. However, she had plans of her own, and much as she wanted her girlfriend to take control...her own hunger was getting the better of her. "C'mere," she demanded softly, pressing a finger to her bottom lip. "I want you here."

Willow immediately leaned down to kiss her girlfriend's lips, misinterpreting Tara's request. Nevertheless, Tara took what was offered—but only briefly. "Will," she whispered a moment later, pulling her lips away. "I didn't mean these lips...although, they're nice too, but I...I had something, um...different in mind..."

Tara smiled sexily, locking her eyes with Willow's. "You're other lips," she explained. "I want to, um...taste you..."

"Oh," Willow grinned, understanding what her girlfriend wanted. "You sure you want me like that Baby?" she asked. Regardless of how turned on she was, Willow still wanted to make sure her girlfriend was comfortable...that she knew what she was doing. She didn't want to do anything to hurt her...even by accident.

In response, Tara moved her hands down to Willow's ass, and gripped her firmly. "I want," she whispered, moving her fingertips towards the waistband of her panties.

Willow lifted herself up onto her knees, as Tara worked the panties down her thighs. As soon as the material was completely off her body, Willow began making her way towards the head of the bed. Her knees were now on either side of Tara's face, and her girlfriend's lips were merely inches away from her nether-lips. Tara had never taken her this way before, and Willow was a little afraid she would smother the girl or something.

Tara knew what she wanted and trusted Willow enough to know she wouldn't hurt her. Lifting her head up, she answered the question by kissing her girlfriend in the most intimate way possible. She thrust her tongue between Willow's lips, tasting her essence, being careful to avoid her hidden pearl...for now anyway. She simply wanted a small sample...a prelude of what was to come.

Willow could feel her legs trembling as Tara kissed her, and was forced to press her hands up against the wall for support. She didn't want to hurt her girlfriend by putting all her weight on her, but was afraid she would if Tara continued to kiss her so erotically.

"Oh God Tara," she moaned, "I...mmmm," she closed her eyes as tingly sensations began to course through her body.

This was the response Tara was looking for, and gently broke the kiss as she returned her head back to the pillows on her bed. She forced herself to tear her eyes away from Willow's inner core, so as to meet her girlfriend's gaze instead.

"Of course," Willow replied, her whole body trembling from the loss of Tara's tongue. Why had her girlfriend stopped? Why was she asking her this?

Willow slowly began to smile as she took in the meaning behind Tara's words. The girl knew what she was afraid of. "I don't wanna hurt you," Willow began, "but I...when you...I mean, you always, um...make me lose control, and I...I might be too heavy, or..."

"I'm stronger than I look," Tara returned. 'You won't hurt me...I know you won't."

"Come here," Tara stopped her protest by pressing her hands against Willow's ass. "I want you down here."

Looking at the determination in her girlfriend's eyes, Willow could do nothing to resist her request. If Tara trusted her...then she should trust Tara. Besides, she had to admit, letting Tara take her in this way was definitely sexy. How could she refuse?

With that thought, she allowed Tara to guide her downwards, until her girlfriend's tongue was once again exploring her folds. She closed her eyes at the sensation, and returned her hands to the wall above Tara's head for support. She was determined to put as little weight as possible on her girlfriend.

Tara took her time in kissing Willow, savoring her flavor, her texture. She purposefully dragged out her exploration, giving Willow time to get used to the position she was in. Tara knew Willow was afraid of hurting her, but she instinctively knew that would never happen. More than anything, Tara's urge to take Willow in this manner was her way of portraying the trust between them.

Now that she knew Willow was in love with her, knew she wasn't gonna leave her, Tara's outlook on their relationship had changed greatly. She no longer had to worry that Willow would reject her. Up until a couple of days ago, there had been a constant fear that she was living on borrowed time. Willow had loved Oz so deeply, and Tara knew she'd never be able to compete with that; knew she'd always come in second. She was so glad to have been proven wrong.

Willow loved her, had chosen to be with her not Oz, and that gave Tara a whole new feeling of confidence—one she'd never had before. This in turn made her more comfortable around Willow, allowed her to give in to her basic urgings, and set her free to be herself...without reservations. She trusted Willow completely, and their anniversary was the perfect day to prove it.

Tara was now gripping Willow's ass even tighter, as she continued to tease her with her tongue. She knew her girlfriend wanted some satisfaction, could tell how much she needed it by the soft moans escaping from her lips. Figuring she'd teased her enough, Tara finally relented and moved her tongue towards Willow's clit. When she found the engorged nub, she pressed her tongue hard against it, moving it in firm but slow circles.

Willow moaned at this, as her legs began to give way. She was reluctant to rest herself completely against Tara, but was unable to control her reaction.

Tara knew what Willow was afraid of, but she also knew Willow had underestimated her strength. Her girlfriend's weight was ultra-light, and she knew instinctively that she'd be able to support it. Willow was so sweet for caring though, but Tara wasn't in a sweetness kind of mood. With determination, Tara pressed her hands even harder against Willow's ass and roughly sucked her pearl into her mouth. This was too much for Willow to handle, and her legs finally crumbled beneath her.

She was surprised when she felt Tara's hands grip her ass tighter still, as she continued to suck on her clit. Tara was using her hands to hold Willow to her mouth, partially supporting her weight so she wasn't smothered. In fact, she was enjoying the feel of Willow's weight against her chest and on her mouth. She felt like Willow's scent had surrounded her, engulfed her in its magnificence, and it felt so good to have her so close—almost as if she were a part of her own body.

Realizing her girlfriend was okay; that she wasn't hurt, Willow finally allowed herself to relax. Tara knew what she was doing. She wouldn't let her do anything to hurt either of them...she should have known that. Well, she knew that now, so she might as well enjoy herself. It's what Tara wanted after all.

With that thought, Willow gave herself completely over to her desires. She closed her eyes, rested her hands on the mattress, and threw her head back in rapture as she rode her girlfriend's tongue. Tara had stopped paying attention to her clit a few moments ago, and was now using her tongue to penetrate her in the most erotic fashion. Tara was an expert at finding her sweet spot, and with each thrust she curled her tongue skillfully against it, bringing Willow closer, and closer to the edge of deliverance.

Willow soon began to thrust herself faster, and faster against Tara's tongue; seeking more and more penetration. She formed her own rhythm and in turn made Tara's job a hell of a lot easier for her. Tara was utterly enjoying her girlfriend's reaction; loving the fact that she was finally allowing herself to lose control. She wanted Willow to be free, and to trust her completely as she came for her.

Neither girl knew how much time had passed, but Willow was now so close to her goal she could no longer form coherent thoughts. "Oh, oh, oh God, oh Tara, I...I...I...I love you Baby...I love youuuuuuuuu...ohhhhhhh..."

Tara dug her fingernails deep into Willow's ass as she pressed the girl hard against her mouth. Her Baby was coming for her, and she didn't want to let even a single drop escape her lips. Willow-essence was the best tasting nectar in the world. How could it not be? It was Willow's.

The sweet sting of Tara's fingernails pushed Willow completely over the edge, as wave after wave of pure ecstasy engulfed her. She was screaming loudly, trembling uncontrollably, and allowing herself to completely lose control. She trusted her girlfriend unreservedly to guide them both to safety; to set them free, but at the same time bind them to one another forever.

When Willow had finally stopped trembling, Tara kept her girlfriend pinned to her just long enough to soak up the last of her essence, before releasing her. Tara kept her hands against Willow's ass, but guided the girl down her body so that Willow was now lying on top of her. She then lifted her hands up to Willow's cheeks and brought their lips together in a gentle and loving kiss.

"Mmm," Willow sighed as Tara broke the kiss and wrapped her arms around her back. Her girlfriend hugged her tight, and Willow rested her head against her breasts. "I'm not too heavy, am I?" she asked softly.

Tara smiled and pressed a soft kiss against Willow's hair. "No Baby, you're just perfect."

"How could I forget?" Willow lifted her head up slightly, so as to meet Tara's gaze. "It's been the best month of my life," she said with utmost sincerity.

"Mine too," Tara replied. "I love you Willow...I will always love you...forever."

Tara giggled and kissed her girlfriend's lips. Willow's silliness was yet another thing she loved about her—it so closely matched her own quirky humor. Willow was definitely her soulmate—no one but a soulmate could ever understand her in the same way that Willow did. Willow always knew what she meant when she made a joke. Willow always understood her silent looks, and they only had to look into each other's eyes to get a feeling across. The connection between them transcended everything; time, space, as well as their physical bodies.

"I love you so much Willow," Tara said huskily as she broke their kiss. "I...I n-never want to be without you."

Willow looked down at her girlfriend, and blinked away her unexpected tears of emotion. The look in Tara's eyes as she'd said those words, the passion with which she'd said them, made Willow's heart pound. "I'm never gonna leave you Tara," she told her softly. "I've only just found you, and...I love you...love you so much it...it hurts when you're not around..."

With fresh tears in her eyes, Willow leaned down and captured her girlfriend's lips. She kissed her softly at first, showing her tenderly how much she loved her. After a minute though, the desire coursing through her veins urged her on, and she was now exploring her girlfriend's mouth with her tongue—pausing every once in a while to engage in a friendly tongue-battle with Tara.

Tara began moving her hands up and down Willow's back, gently scraping her fingernails against her skin. Willow's urgent kiss was fueling her sexuality...causing her whole body to ache for Willow-hand...for Willow-tongue.

As if she could read her mind, Willow soon began moving her right hand from Tara's cheek, down her side, across her thigh—until it finally found its way in between her legs. She then gently worked her fingers through Tara's curls, spread open her lips and pressed them firmly against her clit.

She knew exactly what her girlfriend liked, and was now deftly moving her fingers in a well-practiced rhythm. She pressed hard against Tara's sex, making sure to follow the circular motion she knew her girlfriend needed. She loved Tara more than she'd ever loved anyone in her life, and right this moment, the only thought in her head was to please her.

As if she was thinking the same thing, Tara chose that moment to move her own hand from Willow's back, and go on a little journey of her own. Before long, her fingers were copying Willow's as she dexterously worked her magick on her girlfriend's sex. She too knew what her girlfriend liked, and was determined to bring her along for the ride. Ever since they'd both admitted how they felt for one another, Tara had learned how much better it was to come together; how it made the experience that much more meaningful.

Within minutes, the two girls were screaming each other's names as they reached the pinnacle of their expedition. As usual, whenever they reached this point together, their bodies inadvertently began to float upward; propelled by the intensity of their energy release.

"I love this part," Willow said softly a minute later, referring to the fact they were both floating in mid-air. "It's so cool."

Tara looked up at her girlfriend and smiled. She had to agree with Willow—the floating part was pretty cool. However..."It's not the best part though," she told her huskily.

"No," Willow agreed with a soft smile, "not the best..." She leaned down and briefly captured Tara's lips. "Definitely not the best," she whispered as she pulled away.

"Then I say not," Willow replied sexily, suddenly feeling a little naughty. "You wanna go again?"

"Sure, why not?" Willow grinned. "We've never tried it from up here before. It could be fun..."

Tara's smile widened as she pondered the idea; liking it more with each passing second. "Fun..." she began.

In response, Tara moved her hand slightly, and gently used two of her fingers to penetrate Willow's sex.

Willow bucked into Tara's hand, and responded in kind. "Oh Baby," she sighed, closing her eyes with sensation. "Does that mean yes?"

It was a new experience for the two Wiccans—making love in mid-air, but they soon got the hang of it. In fact, as they continued their hip movements, the girls began to wonder why they hadn't thought of this before. Lovemaking in mid-air definitely had its advantages. No restrictions for one. They were not tied down to the confines of the bed, and were both free to move as they chose.

It wasn't long before they both realized yet another advantage of being in mid-air. They were both close to the edge of their peak, but as of one mind, an idea started to develop. They wanted to taste their girlfriend, but they wanted to do so together.

"You wanna..." They trailed off as they realized they were both thinking the same thing. Without another word, the girls made sure to keep their fingers buried deep within their girlfriend, as they repositioned themselves. Their movements came very easily to them, seeing as they were both weightless.

Pretty soon, the girls were floating on their sides, with their heads nestled in between their girlfriend's legs. Their tongues were paying homage to one another's clits, while their fingers continued to thrust into their girlfriend's bodies.

As they continued their lovemaking, the girls' bodies also continued to move. Their heated hip thrusts were causing them to continuously change positions, so that one moment Willow was on top, and the next it was Tara's turn, while at other times neither of them were on top, but they were both on their sides.

This form of lovemaking was so intense, that it didn't take the girls long to break through to the other side of reality. When they once again released their energy, the girls were doubly blessed, as they were both granted the chance to drink from their girlfriend's fountain of ecstasy.

It took them longer to recover from their release this time; on account of the intensity, and the fact that they'd already reached this point a few times this morning. When they were both finally lucid enough to form proper thoughts, the exact nature of what they'd done slowly began to seep into their consciousness.

With slow movements, the girls removed their lips and fingers from one another's bodies. The moment they did so, Willow turned around to face her girlfriend head-on, as they gradually floated back down to the bed. They landed with a gentle thump on their sides, facing one another.

"We're amazing," Willow continued. "I'm surprised we never tried this before—the floating thing is...it's...I...I can't find words to express how...how..."

Tara giggled as well, and once their laughter had died down a bit, the two girls were left staring into each other's eyes. The love they felt for one another was clearly evident in their gaze, and they suddenly couldn't pry their eyes away from their girlfriend.

"We should get some breakfast," Willow said eventually, when her stomach chose to remind her how hungry she was.

"And mochas," Tara continued, knowing her girlfriend needed her daily dose of caffeine in order to function properly.

"Um, Will..." Tara ventured as Willow moved to get up. "I...I wanna ask you something."

"What did you wanna do today...for our anniversary? I...I was gonna plan something, but when Oz showed up, I...I..."

Willow smiled warmly at her girlfriend, interrupting her before she could continue. "I get it," she said softly. "I...I thought we could go to a movie, maybe have dinner at a fancy restaurant, and then go to the Bronze for a while...although..."

"What?" Tara had to ask, wondering at her hesitation. She liked Willow's itinerary, and wondered what the 'although' was for.

"We could stay in," Willow explained. "Order food if we get hungry, and...you know...all day...if you want...?"

Tara thought about it for all of one second. What better way to spend your one month anniversary, than by making love with your girlfriend all day?

Willow smiled in response, and kissed her girlfriend's lips. "But breakfast first," she sighed as she pulled away.

"Right, breakfast," Tara agreed, sitting up in bed. She watched in silence as her girlfriend made her way towards the door. "Um, Willow..." she ventured, just as the girl was about to open the door and step outside.

Willow looked down at her naked body and grinned. "Might help," she giggled as she returned to the bed. "See what you do to me," she chastised her girlfriend mockingly. "I can't even think straight anymore."

Tara chuckled, and softly kissed Willow's lips. "You had fun though," she grinned. "Admit it..."

"No fun?" Tara asked, moving her hand to Willow's thigh. "You mean you didn't like this?" she rested her fingers gently against her girlfriend's mons, making sure not to apply any pressure.

Willow closed her eyes as she shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. She could feel the heat of Tara's hand against her, and to make things more difficult for her, it appeared as if her girlfriend was releasing a little of her energy as well—teasing her with magick.

"You don't play fair," Willow grinned. She opened her eyes, and lunged for her girlfriend, capturing her lips heatedly.

Tara chose that moment to press her fingers in between Willow's nether-lips, and latched onto her throbbing nub.

Willow moaned into Tara's mouth as her girlfriend stimulated her erotically. Breakfast is gonna have to wait, was the last thought she had in her head, before she pushed her girlfriend down onto the bed, and began thrusting into her hand.

Tara willingly gave Willow what she was after, enjoying her reaction. She loved watching her girlfriend come in her arms. However, when she felt Willow's hand reach down in between them to return the favor—she realized she loved this even more. There was nothing in the world that compared to mutual lovemaking...nothing at all.

A few hours later, Willow and Tara had finally made it out of bed long enough to pull on their robes and head towards the shower block. After their shower, they headed off towards the Rocket Café—too late for breakfast, but just in time for lunch. When they'd finally made it back to Tara's room, Willow had formed a perfect plan in her head. She'd thought about Tara's words; recalled how she'd talked about trust...how it cut both ways, and her busy little mind couldn't help but formulate an idea. It was their anniversary after all, and if they were gonna spend the whole day making love, she might as well add an element of trust to it.

"Tara," Willow ventured, once they were both inside, and the door was firmly shut.

"Yes Will?" she asked, moving towards her girlfriend and putting her arms around her waist. "What is it?"

"A game?" Tara asked tentatively, sensing Willow had something on her mind. "What kind of game?"

Willow's grin widened at the look of perplexity on her girlfriend's face. "Well...you were the one who brought up the whole trust thing this morning, so I...well, I kinda thought it was my turn to...you know...initiate a trust thing..."

"You're not talking anything kinky are you?" Tara smirked, only half joking. She didn't know what to think about Willow's words. She didn't really take Willow for the kinky type...but if she wanted to experiment...as long as it was tasteful...

Seeing the glint in her girlfriend's eyes, Tara knew that what she had in mind was probably of a sexual nature. "You mean I have to do everything you say?"

Becoming more intrigued with each passing second, Tara decided to comply. Besides, she could never refuse her girlfriend anything, especially when it was bound to be a lot of fun, and very sexy.

"Okay," she said softly, locking her eyes with Willow's. "I'm yours. What do you want me to do?" She did her best to keep a straight face, but was unable to resist a soft chuckle.

Willow giggled as well, feeling giddy about what they were about to do. "So you trust me with this?" she had to ask.

"Okay," Willow began, putting on her serious face. "I...I..." she paused, suddenly not sure of what to say. She knew what she wanted to do, but she hadn't really thought it through completely. "I want you to stand next to the bed," Willow continued, deciding to start small.

"Over here?" Tara asked, as she unlinked her hands from her girlfriend's waist and moved towards the bed.

Willow grinned, and folded her arms. She looked at her girlfriend and pretended to think. "Hmmm...let me see..."

"No!" Willow stopped her before she could drag it off her body. "I...I want you to do it slowly...undo the buttons first."

Tara let go of her blouse, and moved her hands towards her top button. "Like this?" she asked, working the button open slowly.

Tara smiled back at her girlfriend, looking at her from beneath her lashes as she worked each button open. When she'd reached the final button of her blouse, she didn't open her shirt, but merely looked up at Willow. She wanted to hear her girlfriend say exactly what she wanted her to do next. Willow's idea had the potential to be a lot of fun, and she was determined to make it as interesting as possible; to draw it out as much as she could. If Willow wanted to play, then she'd do some playing of her own.

Willow watched in silence as her girlfriend looked up at her, wondering why she'd stopped. "Keep going," she urged, feeling her own body buzzing with anticipation.

"With what?" Tara asked, feigning ignorance. "What exactly do you want me to do...?"

Willow chuckled, realizing what Tara was doing. Okay, she thought to herself, so that's how she wants to play this. "Slip the blouse off your shoulders," she told her huskily.

Tara was quick to comply, and smoothly let the blouse fall to the floor. "Satisfied?" she asked her girlfriend, using her most sexy voice.

Tara did as she was told, and then looked up at her girlfriend for her next command.

"Yes ma'am," Tara quipped, crouching as she unlaced her boots. When she'd slipped them off, she returned to a standing position, and eyed her girlfriend sexily. "All done."

Willow smiled, enjoying her girlfriend's tone of voice; her attitude. "I want you to take your jeans off now. Slip them down your legs and step out of them."

"Whatever you say...Mistress," Tara giggled, as she worked the material down her legs.

"Tara," Willow laughed, surprised by her girlfriend's cheekiness. The girl would never cease to amaze her.

Tara couldn't stop her own giggles as she took in Willow's reaction. She'd known the word would affect her that way, and was even a bit surprised herself by her own audacity. Normally, she'd never be so bold as to joke about such things, but knowing Willow loved her brought out a side of her she'd never shown to anyone else; a playful, sexy, confident side. This was definitely shaping up to be one of the best days ever, she thought to herself.

"What now...Mistress Willow?" Tara quipped, once the jeans had been completely taken care of.

Willow looked at her underwear-clad girlfriend, and felt the wetness between her legs building. Tara was the sexiest person she'd ever met. Despite her arousal though, she couldn't help giggling; the way Tara had said 'Mistress Willow' left her feeling entirely giddy. She was thoroughly enjoying her girlfriend's playful side.

"Oh God," Willow chuckled, moving towards her girlfriend, "no wonder I love you so much."

With that, she lifted her hands to her girlfriend's cheeks, and brought their lips together; kissing her ardently. She thrust her tongue deep within Tara's lips, exploring the well-known territory with as much passion as a lover's kiss would warrant.

Tara resisted the urge to kiss Willow back, wanting to stick with the game plan. Willow had said she wanted her to do whatever she asked...but only what she asked, and Tara was determined to make Willow ask. If Willow wanted something, then she was gonna have to tell her exactly what she wanted. It was Willow's idea after all, and two could play at this game...

It took Willow about a minute to realize she wasn't being kissed back, but when she did, she couldn't help admiring Tara's determination. So she wants to play, Willow thought to herself, pulling away from the kiss and smiling at her girlfriend.

Tara smiled back, doing her best not to giggle. She could see Willow had caught on to what she'd been doing, and was curious to find out how far she would take this; where this whole game would end up.

"You want me to do something?" she asked Willow innocently, her smile turning into more of a smirk.

Willow took a step back from Tara, and admired her semi-nakedness, deciding to take her time in responding. "Well...let me think..."

"Yes...?" Tara urged softly, feeling the heat rising in her body from Willow's gaze. The way her girlfriend was looking at her was enough to make anyone blush.

"Okay," Tara replied, reaching behind her to undo the clasp. She then shrugged her shoulders and let the cottony material fall to the floor.

"Now do me," Willow grinned, resisting the urge to pinch Tara's nipples. Her girlfriend's breasts would never stop having this effect on her; the effect of near intoxication.

"Oh," Tara smiled, taking a step closer to her girlfriend. "Where do you want me to start?"

Tara moved her hands to the base of Willow's shirt, and quickly dragged it up her torso, and over her arms. She then tossed it to the floor as she met Willow's gaze.

"Skirt," Willow whispered; her heart pounding. This game was the sexiest thing Willow had ever experienced, and she was enjoying every second of it.

She slowly brought them around to her back until she located her zipper. With tentative movements, she gradually worked the zipper down Willow's body, making sure to brush her knuckles against Willow's ass. She smiled when her girlfriend gasped at her touch; pleased with her reaction. She then guided the skirt sensuously down Willow's thighs, before standing up and allowing her to step out of it.

Willow didn't bother to ask Tara to take off her shoes, but kicked them off herself. She was eager to feel her girlfriend's hands on her body; to experience her touch, but she was also eager to touch her girlfriend as well. Looking at Tara, seeing her patient expression, Willow couldn't decide what she wanted more—Tara's touch, or to touch Tara.

"I don't know," she admitted softly. "I...I wanna touch you, but I...I want you to touch me too..."

Tara grinned, loving her girlfriend's dilemma. "It's up to you," she replied, not offering any help. "Whatever you want—all you have to do is ask."

"Touch me," Willow said, not really making a choice one way or the other, but deciding she couldn't remain in stasis any longer.

"Touch my breasts," Willow said breathlessly. "Take off my bra, and touch my breasts."

"Anything you want," Tara responded, quickly divesting her girlfriend of her bra. "How do you want me to touch your breasts?" she asked, deciding not to make this easy for Willow. Besides, it was turning her on intensely to hear Willow say what she wanted; to hear her say how she wanted to be touched...it was very sexy.

Willow blushed, realizing how far Tara wanted to take this. She'd always had a problem talking about sex; talking sexy. So why had she started this in the first place? Well, she hadn't planned that Tara would respond to it in quite the manner she had; that she'd be so insistent on dragging each directive out of her completely. Although, now that she'd started it, she'd have to finish it...and it was kind of a turn on—talking explicitly. Wait, who was she kidding? It was more than just a turn on, it was down right exhilarating.

Willow grinned. "Cup my breasts," she told her girlfriend softly, unable to stop the blush creeping to her cheeks. "Cup them in your hands for a moment, and then pinch both of my nipples."

Tara felt her own face turning red at Willow's directive; she'd sounded so sexy. "Oh...oh kay," she said breathlessly, unable to form a proper sentence. Keeping her eyes locked with Willow's, Tara moved her hands to her girlfriend's breasts, following her orders to a T. "Is this what you want?"

Willow closed her eyes at the sensation of Tara's hands on her breasts. "Mmmm," she moaned in response, arching her back and pushing her breasts further into Tara's hands. "Oh, yeah...oh Tara...your hands are...they're so...so...mmmm..."

Tara's pulse quickened as she witnessed her girlfriend's reaction. Willow could be so sensual when she wanted to be; the way she arched her back, moaned in desire...She just hoped she'd be able to stick to the game plan.

She kneaded Willow's breasts for only a brief moment, before deciding it was nipple-time. Keeping her palms in place on the underside of Willow's breasts, Tara moved her thumb and forefinger up to her girlfriend's nipples, pinching them gently.

After a few minutes of enjoying Tara's expert handling of her nipples, Willow decided she wanted more. The throbbing between her legs was so urgent now, that it could no longer be ignored. "Stop Baby," she sighed, forcing her eyes open.

"Oh no," Willow groaned missing her girlfriend's touch. "Don't stop." She wanted Tara's hands back on her breasts.

Tara giggled, wondering what Willow wanted. "Which is it?" she asked her girlfriend humorously. "Stop or don't stop?"

"I...I need to be guided." Tara insisted, knowing exactly how hard it was for Willow to say that word.

Seeing her girlfriend wasn't going to relent, Willow sighed in frustration. "Fine," she began, "then, um...start by taking off my, uh...my panties."

"Sure, I can do that," Tara grinned, moving her hands to Willow's waist. A second later, she'd worked the satiny material down her thighs, and helped her step out of them.

"You know what," Willow smiled sexily, hoping her girlfriend would comply without her having to say anymore.

"No I don't," Tara met her girlfriend's smile with a smirk. "You have to tell me. Just say it Willow," she whispered softly.

Willow pouted, making another attempt at avoidance. "Please?" she asked sweetly.

"Touch me," Willow responded, giving her girlfriend her most sexy pout. "Please..."

"You know where," Willow sighed, becoming more and more frustrated. "My sexy place..."

"You mean you really won't touch me unless I say it?" Willow pouted, her frustration clearly evident in her demeanor, as well as her energy.

"Oh Will," Tara sighed, taking a step towards her girlfriend. "Of course I'll touch you," she whispered, using her right hand to cup Willow's sex. Tentatively, she pressed her fingers between Willow's folds, and deftly located the girl's clitoris. She could never refuse her girlfriend anything, and even though they were playing a game, Willow's happiness meant more to her than winning.

Willow gasped at Tara's touch, closing her eyes with sensation. She was ecstatic her girlfriend had given in, and loved her all the more for it. She knew why Tara had relented, and her heart filled with joy to realize how much the girl really loved her.

Lifting her hands, Willow wrapped them around Tara's neck, and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "Thank you," she said quietly against the soft skin of Tara's cheek. "Thank you for touching my...my..." she trailed off, taking a deep breath before whispering the word into her girlfriend's ear.

Tara's mouth opened in shock as she heard the word come out of Willow's mouth. She'd never heard anything sexier, and it was all she could do to remain standing.

"Satisfied?" Willow asked, grinning devilishly; pleased with the reaction she'd had on her girlfriend.

"I love you Willow," Tara said, unable to think of anything else to describe the emotion she was feeling right now.

"I love you, too," Willow whispered, leaning in to kiss her girlfriend's lips. "Lets take this to the bed," Willow suggested huskily a few seconds later. "I want you to make love to me."

Tara nodded as she removed her hand from between Willow's legs, allowing Willow to move towards the bed. She watched in silence as her girlfriend lay down on the mattress, and motioned for her to do the same.

Not waiting to be directed, Tara quickly removed her panties, before joining her girlfriend on the bed. Their game was over, and Willow wasn't the only one who wanted to be made love to.

Willow grinned at Tara's actions, knowing exactly what the girl wanted. Funnily enough, she wanted the same thing. "Take me Tara," Willow demanded, as her girlfriend straddled her hips. "Take me now."

"Whatever you want," Tara replied, plunging her fingers deep into her girlfriend's body.

Willow responded by arching her hips, and moving her own hand to Tara's sex. "Is this what you want?" she asked her girlfriend, pushing her fingers expertly into Tara's sweet spot.

"Oh yes," Tara sighed, leaning down to capture Willow's lips. This was exactly what she wanted.

The girls spent the rest of the day making love to one another. Stopping only to take the occasional nap, or to go to the bathroom. For dinner, they decided to simply order a pizza; neither of them feeling much like leaving the dorm.

As a result of their marathon-like lovemaking, Tara never got around to bringing up the whole long-term commitment issue. However, she realized it didn't really matter; they had the rest of their lives to talk about it.

The next morning, Willow and Tara awoke to the sound of knocking. Seeing as it was Tara's room, the blonde hastily dragged on her robe, and moved to answer the door.

"Who was it?" Willow asked, as Tara returned to the bed a minute later. Her semi-awake state had made it difficult for her to focus on Tara and whoever had been at the door.

"Just my RA," Tara explained, sitting down next to Willow. "She wanted to remind me to sign up for next semester's classes. We've got exams all next week, and she said most students forget, and then don't sign up until next semester, and by then a lot of the classes they want are taken, and..."

"She's right," Willow exclaimed, suddenly worried. How could she have forgotten? She was usually the first one to remember such things. "We should do that now," she sat up in anguish.

Tara giggled at Willow's reaction. "It's okay Will," Tara said reassuringly. "We've still got a few weeks before the end of the semester, and the deadline isn't until after summer, and..."

"Will," Tara interrupted her, seeing where this was going. "You wanna go and grab the forms after breakfast?"

Willow nodded her head vigorously. "Right, after breakfast," she grinned. "We can choose our classes together."

Smiling adoringly at her girlfriend, Tara placed her hand gently against her cheek. "I love you Willow," she spoke her mind.

Willow smiled at her girlfriend, warmed by her words. "I love you too, Tara," she replied, realizing what she'd done. "I kind of overreacted, didn't I?" she asked her sheepishly.

"So you're saying you love me," Willow asked as she broke the kiss, "despite my quirks?"

"I love you because of 'em," she chuckled, her eyes locked with Willow's. "Your quirks make you...special."

"I can live with that," Willow grinned, leaning in to kiss her girlfriend again.

"So...breakfast...?" Tara asked breathlessly a minute later, pulling away from the kiss.

"Right...breakfast," Willow responded, debating whether or not to skip the meal entirely. The urge to make love to her girlfriend was fuelling her more at this moment, than the need for food...even more than the need to sign up for classes. Making her mind up, Willow leaned back in and re-captured Tara's lips. Forms and breakfast could wait; loving Tara couldn't.

An hour later, Willow and Tara had finally managed to leave the bedroom and have a shower, before heading off to the Rocket Café for breakfast. Afterwards, they picked up all the booklets and forms they needed to help them pick out and sign up for next semester's classes, and then headed back to Tara's dorm.

They were now sitting in Tara's room; Willow on the bed and Tara on a chest at the foot of the bed. Tara had the course selection booklet in her lap, and was helping Willow pick out her classes, while the redhead played with their kitten.

"Oh," Willow sighed, referring to Miss Kitty, "I keep thinking 'OK, that's the cutest thing ever,' and then she does something even cuter, and completely resets the whole scale."

Tara smiled in response, knowing exactly what Willow meant. "Did you see her yawn earlier?"

"Yes!" Willow exclaimed excitedly. "I thought I was going to die." She picked up the kitten and held it up to her face. "Oh," she cooed, "I love you Miss Kitty Fantastico," she put the kitten back down and began stroking it.

"We've got to get her a real name," Tara observed, smiling at Willow's antics. She loved watching her girlfriend play with their kitten; she was so adorable.

She paused when she realized what she'd said; realized the implications behind it. What if she'd presumed too much? "Uh, yours," Willow covered, feeling a little embarrassed. "That she's yours is-is cool..."

Tara smiled lovingly at her girlfriend, knowing now was the time to bring up the hidden meaning behind Miss Kitty. "She can be ours if you want?" she told her softly, hoping she'd read her reaction correctly.

Willow smiled in response, her eyes meeting Tara's. Her girlfriend's words had told her everything she wanted to know, and suddenly she felt a little choked up. They'd just reached a huge milestone in their relationship, and she had no idea what to say.

"You still need an elective," Tara changed the subject, feeling just as choked up as Willow. She looked down at the booklet in her lap. "How 'bout Sophomore Level Psychology?" she glanced back up at her girlfriend.

Willow's pulse quickened at Tara's words, finding her girlfriend's tone of voice entirely sexy. "Oh, kinda psyched out since Professor Walsh...maybe something fun like drama? I could be dramatic," she quipped, picking up Miss Kitty.

She held their kitten up to her face and looked at her mock-sternly. "You cannot have more catnip!" she exclaimed dramatically. "You have a catnip problem!"

Tara laughed at her girlfriend's playfulness; enjoying her cuteness. "Definitely drama," she chuckled, as the kitten pawed at Willow's face.

Lowering the kitten back down to her lap, Willow glanced up at Tara. "I haven't even dealt with the housing situation yet," she admitted. "Have you done anything? I here there's some off campus places that are way cool for groups to, you know...go in on..."

She trailed off, her heart racing. She kinda liked the idea of sharing a room with Tara; of living with her girlfriend. Although, they were practically living together as it was...but not officially. She still had her room with Buffy. What if Tara didn't want to live with her? What if she was moving things too quickly?

"Oh," Tara sighed, realizing what Willow was getting at. She'd love to live with Willow officially, but what about Buffy? The girl's best friend might be counting on her, and she didn't want to get between them. "I just figured you'd be dorming it up with Buffy again," she explained.

"Well," Willow pondered over Tara's point, "we haven't really talked about it," she admitted. "I used to assume we'd be roomies through grad school, well into little old lady-hood, you know...cheating at bingo together, forgetting to take our pills..."

"But...I don't know. It hardly feels like we're roomies now," she sighed. "I mean, she's busy with Riley...and I'm gone a lot too..."

Willow trailed off as she realized just how far apart her and Buffy had become. Their estrangement really didn't sit well with her.

Tara looked at her girlfriend sympathetically. "You miss her?" she asked softly.

"A little," Willow sighed. "I mean...it's like we've drifted apart, and I...I haven't been able to talk to her as much, and...well...I'm not too sure how she's handling the whole..."

"Maybe..." Willow hesitated. She wasn't too sure herself what she thought. "I think I kinda freaked her..."

"You mean when she walked in on us the other day?" She looked at her girlfriend questioningly. "Coz...you know, I don't think she took it too badly...seeing us together. I mean, anyone would be uncomfortable seeing their best friend making out...especially if it meant finding out for the first time that they were..."

"It's not like that," Willow interjected before Tara could finish. "She already knew about us."

"She did?" Tara asked, genuinely surprised. "When did you tell her? You never told me you..."

"It was the other day," Willow explained, sensing that Tara felt a little hurt. "I didn't tell you coz things were hectic. Oz had come back, and I was confused, and...and I didn't know what to do, and then Buffy walked in and I...I just told her, and...and she kinda freaked, then she told me to follow my heart, but...but I could sense she was freaked, and I didn't tell you coz I forgot I'd told her. You know how weird things were. Right after I'd told her, I saw you, and then after you made love to me, and Oz changed, and the whole Initiative rescue happened, and then we...well all I could think of was making love to you, showing you how much I loved you...getting over everything, and then...well I wanted to test Buffy the next day, but after she left...you know...talking was the last thing on my mind, and then we got Miss Kitty, and yesterday was...you know...amazing, and...and...and now I'm telling you. Okay?"

Tara smiled in response to Willow's babbling, her hurt feelings dissolving instantly. No wonder Willow hadn't told her. "So," she began gently. "Buffy freaked?"

Willow smiled back, relieved her girlfriend wasn't upset. "Yeah," she sighed. "She was all weirded out when I told her. I mean, she said she was cool about it...but I could tell she was covering. You know?"

"Yeah," Willow grinned. "I wanted to see if she'd gotten used to the idea...if she was just being polite. I don't want her to be freaked. I care about her...you know...?"

"I know," Tara said softly, "and I'm sure she's okay with it. She didn't seem too upset when she saw us...and besides; she's your best friend. She loves you."

"I hope so," Willow frowned. "We've been really distant lately...and I haven't been that good a friend either. I mean, I kept this from her...kept us a secret...maybe if I'd told her from the start..."

"Told her what?" Tara interrupted. "You probably didn't even know yourself what this was...how could you have told Buffy?"

"I kinda knew," Willow pointed out. "At first, yeah...I wasn't sure of what this was, but...it didn't take me long to realize I was attracted to you...that just being with you made my heart race, and that...that every second I wasn't around you I felt like something was missing. I loved you long before I could even admit it to myself, and I knew I was at the very least attracted to you—almost from the start."

Willow grinned. "Yeah, I did," she replied. "I even had, um...fantasies about you...about us...dreams too..."

"Remember when we were hiding out from the Initiative...when I asked if I could stay at your place for a few days?"

"Well...remember how I brought the pizza, and then afterwards we both went to the shower block...?"

"Well, I...I had my, uh...my first, um...that's when I had this really vivid sexual fantasy about you."

Willow nodded. "You were right there next to me, and I...I just started wondering what it would be like to, um...to kiss you...to touch you...to see you naked...to make love to you..."

Tara couldn't believe it; Willow had done it too. "You're kidding, right?" she exclaimed.

"I had it too," Tara admitted. "I mean, I...I had my uh...my first sexual fantasy about you. It was almost like I could actually feel what it would be like to um...to make love to you..."

"Me too!" Willow exclaimed excitedly. "Real, I mean. It was like you were actually there..."

The two girls stared at each other in amazement, surprised by what they'd just found out. It was amazing how they'd both fantasized about one another at the same time. It must've had something to do with their magickal connection; as if their energy had reacted to their proximity, and picked up on their hidden feelings—causing them both to vividly visualize their innermost desires.

"We must've been linked," Tara pondered. "Our energy...our heat...the need to be with each other..."

"And that's why it seemed so real...it was magick..." Willow finished off, a huge grin on her face.

The girls leaned in and pressed their lips together, kissing each other passionately. They were both suddenly turned on by the knowledge of their mutual fantasies...being in adjoining shower stalls; fantasizing about making love to one another. Just as Willow was about to deepen the kiss; about to reach her hands beneath Tara's sweater—the phone rang.

"It's for you," Tara said a moment later, extending the receiver to her girlfriend. "It's Mr. Giles. He says it's important," she covered the receiver with her hand as Willow stood up. "He sounded kinda funny," she whispered in Willow's ear, "almost like he'd been drinking or something..."

Willow giggled as she took the phone, placing her own hand against the receiver. "Drunk? Giles?" she chuckled.

"Yeah...his words were, um...kinda slurred—not too badly, but...just a little."

"I hope he's okay," Willow replied, before answering the phone. "Hey Giles, what's up?"

As Giles explained about Spike's trip to the Initiative to retrieve some computer disks, Willow couldn't help but agree with Tara's observation. Giles did seem a little drunk. He was lucid enough to properly explain the situation, but his voice did sound a bit funny, and he was kinda having a problem correctly pronouncing words with more than three syllables—which in most people would be quite a normal thing, but not in the ex-Watcher's case.

"You were right," Willow told Tara as she hung up the phone. "Giles did seem kinda drunk."

Tara smiled at her girlfriend as she sat back down on the bed. "What did he want?"

"Spike's gone to the Initiative to get some disks...apparently they have some information about what's going down, and..."

"So we gotta leave now?" Tara pouted, realizing she wasn't going to get a chance to make love to her girlfriend.

Willow frowned too, thinking the same thing as her girlfriend. "It's not fair...Scoobie duties are always getting in the way."

"Mmmm," Tara agreed, before relenting. "Although...saving the world...kinda important..."

Willow's mood suddenly perked up. "Yeah," she said excitedly. "We can make love tonight...all night...over, and over and..."

Tara chuckled at her girlfriend's enthusiasm. "It's a date then," Tara grinned. "You, me...a bed, and...lotsa sex."

Willow leaned in towards Tara, resting her forehead against hers. "Lots and lots of sex," she confirmed, before capturing her lips. She kissed her softly at first, but decided she wanted more after about a minute.

Lifting her arms up, she linked her hands around Tara's neck, pulling the girl closer towards her as she fell back against the bed. She then wrapped her thighs around Tara's waist, as she lowered her hands to the base of her sweater. A second later, she was working her hands up against her girlfriend's back, expertly lifting her sweater up off her body.

She pulled away then, and quickly removed Tara's blouse as well. Tara could do nothing to resist; she wanted to feel her girlfriend's hands on her body, just as much as Willow wanted to touch her. In fact, she too wanted to touch her girlfriend. This is why she lifted herself up slightly, and made quick work of Willow's shirt. A second later she'd unclasped her own bra, as Willow did the same.

They were both naked from the waist up now, and Tara couldn't resist lowering herself against Willow's body. She loved the feel of their nipples rubbing together. She also loved kissing her girlfriend, so she deftly captured Willow's lips, and thrust her tongue heatedly into her mouth.

Willow moaned into the kiss, and began to run her hands sensuously up and down Tara's back. All the while she made sure to move her torso in a rhythmical fashion, so as to give them both the pleasure of nipple-friction.

Pretty soon the girls were moving more than just their torsos, as their lower bodies began to thrust against one another's thighs—seeking pressure. As of one mind, the girls reached their hands in between their bodies, and quickly unbuttoned their girlfriend's pants. It didn't take long to remove the offending articles of clothing, and a minute later, both girls were completely naked.

Willow and Tara were now thrusting themselves into their girlfriend's thighs, seeking to put pressure on their clits. They wanted more however, and instinctively reached a hand down, so as to penetrate one another's sex.

They were thrusting harder now, and faster, as they both got nearer, and nearer to their peak. Their fingers pressed deeper, and deeper into their girlfriend's body, as they pressed their clits harder, and harder into their girlfriend's thigh.

A few minutes later, both girls were soon nearing their peak, and were determined to bring their girlfriend along with them. They were so linked to one another, that their energy had intermingled and was fuelling them both on in the same manner; making it easy for them to reach their summit together.

As usual, both girls arrived at their destination simultaneously, and were instantly propelled upwards as their energy was released. Not many couples were lucky in this fashion, but because the girls shared such a magickal connection, they were so in sync with one another that their release always happened in conjunction with their girlfriend's.

When the girls had finally regained their composure, they kissed each other softly, before allowing themselves to float back down to the bed. They immediately reached for one another, and intertwined themselves in a loving embrace; lying on their sides, legs entangled, and foreheads touching.

"I love you," Willow said drowsily, pressing a soft kiss to her girlfriend's lips.

"Love you too," Tara responded, allowing her lips to brush against Willow's as she spoke.

"Mmmm," Willow moaned, thrusting her tongue into Tara's mouth. She deepened the kiss, meeting her girlfriend's tongue, playing with it, teasing it, enjoying the sensation of kissing her girlfriend.

Neither girl wanted to stop with the kissing, but after a few minutes, they eventually pulled away. They didn't go far however, but simply returned to their previous position—resting their foreheads together.

Willow opened her eyes as well, her mind hazily processing her girlfriend's words. "Mmm," she sighed. "Leave...right...disks..."

"That's my Will...hacker-gal and resident Witch," Tara chuckled, pressing another kiss to her girlfriend's lips.

Willow instantly responded to the kiss, but pulled away a few seconds later. "We really should get up," she sighed.

Tara nodded, smiling warmly at her girlfriend. "You're right...Mr. Giles is waiting."

"Although," Willow interjected. "I bet Spike isn't back with the disks yet. Knowing Spike, he'll probably wait till nightfall to go there...the whole burst into flames thing..."

"Right," Tara agreed, seeing where Willow was going with this. "And with Mr. Giles being kinda drunk...maybe he won't notice if we're a little late..."

"It's not like we can do anything without those disks," Willow continued. "We'd just be sitting around..."

"So we could probably..." Willow leaned forward, resting her lips against Tara's.

With that, the two girls began to once again explore each other's bodies. They made love to one another slowly this time, making sure to completely savor every last inch of their girlfriend; not only with their fingers, but with their lips and tongue as well.

A few hours later, the girls finally managed to make their way to the shower block. After their shower, they stopped by the Rocket Café for a late lunch, before finally making their way over to Giles' apartment. It was actually getting a little dark outside when they eventually reached Giles' place. This made them feel a little guilty, but due to the semi-inebriated state Giles was in, they didn't really have to offer up an explanation as to their late-itude. Giles had simply ushered them in, before heading back to his bottle of scotch.

Willow was a little worried about his drunkenness, but didn't really feel it was her place to say anything. Whatever the reason for Giles' need to lose himself in alcohol—he was a grown man, and probably wouldn't take kindly to her questioning his actions. If Giles wanted to get drunk, then it was his prerogative to do so. Tara felt the same way, and the girls chose to simply ignore the actions of the drunken ex-librarian and immerse themselves in their own conversation as they waited for Spike to show up.

"I wonder how Buffy's doing," Willow pondered. "Do you reckon she'll be back from LA soon...?"

"I hope so...I hope she gives Faith exactly what she deserves...sends her right back into another coma, or..."

Much as she disliked what the dark-haired Slayer had done to the Scoobies—Willow included—she still didn't like the idea of her getting hurt. Violence had never been a popular idea with her, and no matter how bad a person someone was, she didn't believe hurting them was the solution. No one deserved to be hurt; no matter how badly they behaved. Her way of thinking probably had something to do with the way she'd been treated all her life, and she would never believe it was right to hurt someone—ever.

"Willow..." Tara said in surprise. "No one deserves to be hurt...no matter what they've done."

"She tried to kill us," Willow pointed out, surprised by Tara's reaction. "She's a bad, bad person...evil...someone should put her down...and I say Buffy's the best one for the job!"

"But she's human," Tara continued, "and what if she's sorry? You don't think she deserves a chance to make up for what she did?"

"We gave her a chance...more than one and she...she broke 'em all. You know what she's done...she's evil..."

"But human," Tara insisted. "I could sense the good in her...when she was Buffy, she...it's like she was conflicted...as if being in Buffy's body confused her."

"Her energy grated, but it wasn't evil, more like...confused. I could sense that she didn't know who she was...who she wanted to be. She needs help Willow...guidance..."

"Everyone does," Tara replied. "There's no such thing as a completely evil person—we all have good inside us...just like we all have evil..."

At least, that's what she hoped. She was fully aware of the evil inside her and the only thing that kept her going was the hope that she'd be able to find some way of controlling in...hopefully before her next birthday...

"Oh no," Tara shook her head, bringing her thoughts back to their conversation. "I think she wants to try though...I just have a feeling that Faith feels sorry for what she's done."

Tara nodded. "Kind of...I mean, I...I sometimes get these hunches...like a sudden idea in my head, and it, um...it usually turns out to be true. It's not exactly a premonition...I just know it...you know...?"

"And you sensed that Faith was sorry...that she felt confused? Why can you sense that about Faith?" Willow asked; feeling a little disgruntled. Why would her girlfriend be connected to Faith? It didn't make sense.

Tara immediately picked up on her girlfriend's jealousy, and quickly moved to set her straight. "It's not like that," she insisted. "I only sensed it after you brought it up...that's how it works. I...I think about something...wonder what's happening, and that's when I get the feeling..."

"Oh," Willow smiled sheepishly, feeling a little silly for her reaction. "Sorry..."

"It's okay, Will," Tara smiled warmly at her girlfriend. "You know you don't have to worry about—"

"I know," Willow interrupted. "I was just being silly...you know how I feel about Faith...she's already taken my people, and..."

Tara took a step towards her girlfriend, and smiled warmly. "Well, she'll never take me," she said softly. "I'm already taken."

Willow smiled at that and was about to respond, when she heard the loud thump of Giles' front door slamming. Standing up in surprise, she turned around and noticed it was Spike; he'd finally made it back from the Initiative.

Reaching into his pockets, Spike pulled out the disks in question. "Took what they had," he began, handing the disks to Willow. "Should be something useful in one of them."

"Hope so," Willow replied, grabbing the disks from the Vampire, before sitting back down at Giles' desk.

Tara moved towards Willow, and looked over her shoulder as the girl slipped a disk into her laptop. "What are we looking for?" she asked.

"Anything about Adam," Willow explained, moving her full attention towards the computer.

"No," Spike replied. "I mean, a couple of them made me on the way out...but I took care of 'em."

"Gave them a good running-away-from-them, did you?" Giles interjected sarcastically.

Spike looked up in annoyance at the half-drunk ex-Watcher. "Well yeah. When do I get paid?"

Spike turned his attention towards the aforementioned redhead, and couldn't help noticing the way Tara was absently stroking a lock of her girlfriend's hair. He could see how much Blondie cared for Red—he could almost smell the love in the air. This gave him an idea though, a way to begin his plan. All in good time, he thought to himself, as he took a few steps towards Giles. It was Watcher-boy's turn now.

"I could've gone straight to the Slayer, you know?" he pointed out. "I cut you in, let you pretend you're actually in charge...now you wait for Red's permission to finish the deal?" The vampire grinned inwardly as he noticed the reaction his words had invoked in the ex-Watcher.

At that moment, Willow had finally managed to access the disk, and opened it up to look at it. Unfortunately, the file she'd opened didn't seem to make too much sense, and the computer began to beep and squawk.

"Oh, wonderful," Giles said sarcastically, before stepping away from the bar and moving down the hall.

"Crack a government encryption code on my laptop? Easy as really difficult pie," Willow quipped, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why?"

Spike sighed, deciding it was time to execute his plan. "You're not exactly the whiz these days either," he pointed out. "God, I'm never gonna get paid."

Willow looked away from Spike and tapped the keyboard of her laptop—causing the file to stop beeping.

"Your mates said you weren't playing with computers so much," Spike continued, pointing towards Tara. "Into the new thing..."

"You know...you two," Spike explained, doing his best to sound nonchalant. "The whole Wicca thing..."

"They-they were talking about that?" Willow asked, feeling as if all her fears about Buffy were coming to pass. She should've known her best friend was freaked, that she wasn't handling this well.

"Can we get back to business here?" Spike asked—playing his card. "I've got a deal at stake," he reminded her.

Spike's deal was the last thing Willow cared about at the moment. "What did they say?" she asked him.

Spike made a point of sighing impatiently. "Talking about, you know...it's a phase...you'll get over it."

"What?" Willow demanded, suddenly feeling a little queasy. "Who said that? Was it Buffy?" She turned towards her girlfriend, needing to point out her previous observation. "Coz...you know what she means by that..."

"No," Spike interjected. "She was defending you...coz Xander said you were just being trendy."

"Trendy?" Willow exclaimed, her queasiness reducing, only to be replaced with anger. They think I'm being trendy? How could they think that? I love Tara...don't they get that?

"I don't know what they were going on about," Spike continued, oh-so innocently. "A person wants to be a witch, that's their business.

Willow shook her head, upset that she'd been right about her friend. "I knew Buffy was freaked," she said softly.

"Pressing business ladies," Spike interrupted, pointing towards the screen. "Don't want to get sidetracked," he tapped the screen with his finger. "Still got your monsters to fight."

A few hours later, Willow was still seething from Spike's comments, furious with her best friends. She hated the idea of Buffy and Xander talking about her; hated the fact that her relationship with Tara freaked them out—that they didn't think she could actually love a woman...love Tara. She'd thought more of her friends. Sure, she'd expected them to be a little freaked...but for Xander to dismiss her relationship as just being trendy...well, that grated on her more than anything. Who was Xander to talk? At least she was in love...what were he and Anya...they were all about the sex...where was the love there?

Anya and Xander had chosen a very inappropriate time to walk into Giles' apartment—seeing as how Willow had just been thinking about how annoyed she was with Xander. This is why she'd barely looked up from her laptop, practically ignoring him. Although, Xander didn't really seem to notice the coldness of Willow's non-greeting; he was too preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Not long after Xander and Anya had arrived, Giles' door opened, and in walked Buffy. Under normal circumstances, Willow would have leapt up from her chair and demanded to know how her best friend had fared in LA...but seeing as she was more than a little upset with her, she merely looked up and nodded in greeting. Obviously Buffy was fine, and according to Tara Faith was feeling repentant, so the dark-haired Slayer was most likely locked up somewhere—atoning for her actions.

It didn't take long for Buffy to find out what was going on, and she immediately moved to stand behind Willow. "So, what does it say?" she asked her friend, eager to find out what was on the disks.

"It's still encrypted," Willow sighed in frustration, doing her best to remain calm. How dare Buffy just barge in and demand to know how it was going...as if she could produce miracles or something. She'd spent hours trying to figure out what was on these disks, and the frustration of getting nowhere, mixed in with her hurt and angry feelings...well, they were doing nothing too keep her calm...to keep her energy from sizzling around her erratically.

Tara didn't blame Willow for her reaction...in fact she too was feeling a little uncomfortable being around the Slayer. If what Spike had implied was true, then the Slayer didn't really think she and Willow belonged together...didn't like them as a couple. Did that mean Buffy disliked her...?

Tara turned towards Buffy, deciding to defend her girlfriend's actions, and hopefully to diffuse the situation a little. "Well, Willow's working really hard on it," she pointed out.

"Okay," Buffy sighed in frustration. Knowing they had information, but being unable to access it was greatly annoying her. "Well...how long before you...un-crypt it?"

"Hours...days maybe," Willow said roughly. "Anyone suggesting months would not be accused of crazy talk."

"Whatever happened to Latin?" Giles interjected from the kitchen—having become more and more inebriated with each passing minute. "At least when that made no sense, the church approved."

Buffy ignored her ex-Watcher, deciding there were more important things to worry about. "I can't just wait around, Will," she said impatiently. "The disk is no good to me unless you crack it soon," she continued, moving towards the living room.

Willow did her best to keep her mouth shut; Buffy's words had cut through her majorly. How dare she be so demanding? She thought to herself. I spend hours trying to decrypt them, and she acts as if I'm useless...as if I'm just wasting her time.

Anya and Xander weren't too pleased with Buffy's attitude either. "Hey!" Anya exclaimed. "We worked really hard getting that. Xander delivered clothing."

"Church approved," Giles interjected, grinning as he closed the cork of his liquor bottle.

"Sorry, you guys," Buffy sighed, oblivious to the withering looks her friends were giving her. "But we're on a clock here. Okay, Adam was at the cave, so maybe he was there for a reason? I-I can...I can go back...scope it out...track him if I have to."

"Right," Willow said sarcastically, standing up and moving towards the living room. "And then maybe you'll get lucky and he'll be there and he can rip your arms off for you?" She gave her friend a very hard pointed look. "Buffy, you can't go back alone."

"You never train with me anymore," Giles pointed out. "He's gonna kick your ass."

"Sorry," he said, stepping out of the kitchen. "Was it a bit honest?" he grinned drunkenly. "Terribly sorry."

"So she doesn't go alone," Xander stood up. "Giles," he continued, turning towards the drunk, "weapons all around."

"Y-you'd get hurt," Buffy explained, surprised by the intensity of his gaze. Sure, she'd expected him to be a little disgruntled, but what was with the anger?

"Oh, OK," Xander seethed. "You and Willow go do the superpower thing, I'll stay behind and putt around the Bat cave with crusty old Alfred here," he pointed his thumb towards Giles.

"Ah-ah, no," Giles burst out. "I am no Alfred, sir. No, you forget...Alfred had a job."

Realizing that things were just about to heat up, Tara decided to make herself scarce. She could sense Willow's turbulence, could sense the heated emotions emanating from all the Scoobies, and figured it would be best to let them sort this out for themselves. With that thought, she quietly slipped passed Giles, and headed towards the bathroom.

"Oh, Great," Willow said sarcastically, moving to stand closer to her friends, not noticing her girlfriend's retreat. She was too annoyed with her best friends right now to think of anything else. "And then when you have your new 'no arms' we can all say 'Gee, it's a good thing we weren't there getting in the way of that!' "

Anya took that moment to stand up from the couch, and followed Tara's example. She also didn't feel too comfortable being around the squabbling Scoobies.

"Right!" Xander exclaimed; ignoring his girlfriend's exit, just as Willow had ignored hers. "Maybe we can help in other ways?" He turned towards Buffy. "Want some fighting pants, Buff? I can get ya some new fighting pants!"

"You guys," Buffy whined, wondering why her friends were being so unreasonable. "This isn't helping."

"Oh, wow!" Willow exclaimed sarcastically. "We're already getting in the way. We're pretty good at this, Xander, huh?"

"Right," Xander sighed. "I'm so good at it you might have to ship me off to the Army to get me out of the way!"

"You didn't think I knew about that, did you?" Xander replied. "You two talking about me behind my back."

Willow frowned at Xander's words, wondering where they were coming from. Since when had she and Buffy talked about Xander? What did he mean by that? Wasn't it Buffy and Xander who were talking about her?

"Us talking about you...?" Buffy began. "How about you telling Riley every last detail of my life with Angel?"

"And besides," Willow interjected. "When is there any 'us two?' You two are the two who are the two. I'm the other one."

"Uh-huh," Xander nodded. "But maybe that all changes when I'm doing sit-ups over at Fort Dix...?"

"Are you drunk?" Buffy demanded, as all three of them turned towards the ex-Watcher.

"Well, stop it!" Buffy demanded, turning towards Willow and Xander. "This is stupid."

"Stupid?" Xander asked; affronted. "So you finally have the guts to say it to my face?

"I didn't say you were stupid!" Buffy defended herself. "So...stop being an idiot and let me fix this!"

Xander rolled his eyes in exasperation, before moving to take a seat on the couch.

"Okay, I need you," Buffy conceded. "I need both of you...all the time, just...not now. Adam is very dangerous."

"Witch stuff?" Willow demanded angrily. "What exactly do you mean by witch stuff?"

"Oh, no it's not," Giles pointed out, moving towards his desk. "It's all finally making perfect sense, and I'm not going to miss a moment of it."

With that, he set his drink down on the table, before attempting to take a seat. He was too drunk to properly coordinate his actions however, and promptly ended up on the floor.

Meanwhile, as the Scoobies were fighting amongst themselves, Anya and Tara were doing their best to ignore the proceedings.

"Hard to say," Anya replied, feeling a little uncomfortable. She didn't really know Willow's friend too well, and this was the first time they were actually alone together.

What's more, it didn't help that her boyfriend was arguing with his best friends in the other room; this meant he probably wouldn't be wanting any sex tonight. What a shame; she really felt like having a few orgasms right now—get her mind off the fighting. Maybe she could convince him of that...let him know that sex would make him forget about how his friends didn't need him. Who cared about his friends anyway—she needed him.

"Nice bathroom," Tara continued, doing her best to make the situation as comfortable as possible.

The girls smiled uncomfortably at each other, before once again falling silent. They had no idea what to say to one another.

"Um...Anya..." Tara ventured a moment later. "You, um...wanna thumb wrestle?" she suggested, figuring it might get their minds off the fighting. She hated conflict; hated the idea of Willow being at odds with her friends.

"It's a game my mother taught me," Tara explained. "Come here, and I'll show you."

Anya thought about it for a second, and then moved towards the bathtub. She was always interested in learning new things about humans.

It didn't take her long to explain the game to Anya, and they were soon doing their best to ignore the fighting outside as they thumb-wrestled. However, the shouting just seemed to get louder, and louder, and when Xander voiced his surprise at Tara being Willow's girlfriend, Anya simply couldn't ignore the revelation.

Tara simply nodded, unsure of how to take Anya's reaction. The ex-vengeance demon was apparently freaked by the idea of two women being in a relationship.

Tara blushed at Anya's explicit question. "Um...w-w-w-we, uh...w-w-w-we m-m-m-manage..."

"How?" Anya continued, oblivious to the blonde's embarrassment. "What do you do? How does she give you those lovely orgasms without a penis? You don't have interlocking parts, so how do you manage it? What do you use to stick inside—?"

"Anya!" Tara said the girl's name loudly, not wanting to hear anymore. She was really embarrassed by this conversation. However, she realized she would have to tell the girl something...she probably wouldn't let up otherwise, and seeing as the fighting was still going on outside, they were kind of stuck here together—at least for a little while. Besides, Anya was just being Anya...

"Th-there are, um...other w-w-w-ways..." Tara ventured, feeling her face heat up with embarrassment.

"Like how?" Anya asked, genuinely interested. The idea of two girls having sex together intrigued her.

"Y-y-you know..." Tara sighed. "We, um...we have f-f-f-fingers, and, um...t-t-t-t-t-t-ton..." she trailed off, unable to continue.

"Oh," Anya grinned in understanding. "You mean oral sex? Yeah, Xander does that sometimes...and he uses his fingers too, but that's usually just to get me wetter than I already am. I've never had an orgasm that way—he always sticks his penis inside me for that." She paused, as an idea hit her.

"So, you're saying I don't need his penis to have an orgasm—he can give me one without it? Why didn't he tell me this? I'm gonna have a serious talk to him about it. I've been short changed. Xander can give me plenty of orgasms before he uses his penis...and even after it's been all used up. Tara, thank you very much for the advice. I'm going to make sure Xander learns how to give me plenty of orgasms without his penis."

Tara could only nod, her cheeks burning from Anya's openness. Although, she couldn't help liking the girl, despite her crudeness. Anya was merely unschooled in the way of human behavior, and she couldn't blame the girl for her lack of social graces. Maybe she could actually become friends with this girl? She didn't seem to be a bad person; not really. She was just a little bit too honest, and that wasn't such a bad trait to have in a friend.

Both girls were startled out of their thoughts as they heard a door slamming. A moment later, Willow stuck her head through the bathroom door.

Tara nodded, instantly noticing Willow's distress. She could tell her girlfriend was on the brink of tears. "You okay?" she asked her softly, going to Willow's side and grasping her hands.

"Goodbye Tara," Anya ventured, following them into the living room. "Thanks again for the sex tips."

Willow was shocked by Anya's words. "Sex tips?" she exclaimed, her eyes moving to Tara's. "You gave Anya sex tips?"

Xander was instantly intrigued and turned his full attention over to Willow's girlfriend. "You gave her sex tips?" he asked, repeating Willow's words.

"Sh-sh-sh-she w-w-w-w-wanted to um...to kn-kn-know how, um...h-h-how w-w-w-we, you know, and I...I j-j-j-j-just...I just..." Tara trailed off, her shyness getting the better of her.

"She told me you don't need a penis to have an orgasm," Anya interrupted, looking at Xander in accusation. "You never use your tongue or fingers to give me an orgasm," she stated indignantly. "Why don't you? If it's good enough for lesbians, then why can't you do it to me?"

"I..." Xander began, feeling not only cornered, but extremely embarrassed as well.

"We should go," Willow interrupted, not wanting to witness this conversation. She squeezed Tara's hand gently, before guiding her out the door.

"So," Willow began once they were both outside. "What exactly did you and Anya talk about?"

Tara smiled softly at her girlfriend before replying. "It's not what you think...you know what Anya's like..."

"We heard you," Tara explained. "Anya was um...she was a little surprised to find out you were my girlfriend."

"Oh no," Tara shook her head. "Nothing like that. She just...well, she was just a little curious. She wanted to know how we had sex...how women had sex without a-a...a you know..."

Willow chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds like something she'd wanna know. What did you tell her?"

"Nothing much," Tara admitted. "I was, um...I was kinda shocked by the question. All I said was that we managed, and I mentioned the use of fingers and...she kinda picked up the rest for herself."

"Sort of," Tara chuckled. "I, um...I was stuttering so bad I'm surprised she even understood me."

The girls fell silent for a bit and Tara couldn't help noticing Willow's anguish.

Willow shook her head in response. "Not now," she whispered. "I...I'm afraid if I think about it now, I'll...I'll end up in tears and..."

"We'll talk about it at home," Tara interjected softly. "I'll put on some music, light some candles and we can talk in bed. How does that sound?"

As soon as they reached Tara's dorm, the girls quickly put on their nightshirts and crawled into bed, but not before Tara had lit up a few candles like she'd promised. They decided to forgo the soft music though; figuring it would be easier to talk without it.

"Oh, Tara," Willow sighed, curling up to her girlfriend. She rested her head against Tara's chest and wrapped her arm around her waist. "I feel so..."

"Yeah," Willow agreed, blinking away a few tears. "They're my best friends and I...I feel like I don't even know 'em anymore..." she trailed off as the tears began to fall.

"Oh, Will," Tara whispered, pressing a soft kiss against her girlfriend's hair. "It'll be okay."

"No it won't," Willow began to sob. "They hate me...they'll never understand, and...and..."

Tara wrapped both her arms around Willow's back as she began to cry; holding her tight. "It's okay, Willow," she whispered against her hair. "It's okay to cry...let it out..."

Willow did just that and allowed herself to let loose in Tara's arms. She sobbed loudly at first, but as the minutes ticked by, she could feel the calmness of Tara's energy enveloping her and her sobs eventually reduced themselves to quiet tears.

"Why do things have to be so hard?" Willow sighed, the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I m-m-miss them...I miss how we used to be and...and I love you so much Tara. Why can't they just accept that? Why does it have to be so hard? I knew Buffy freaked, but...but I thought she was over it. And Xander, well...oh God...Xander just...I expected more from him...thought he'd be more understanding but...he thinks I'm just being trendy. How can he say that? And Giles...well...you heard Giles...how he freaked..."

Willow tightened her hold on Tara as her sobs began to intensify again. "When did things get so bad?" she mumbled into Tara's chest. "Why is it such a big deal that you're my girlfriend? Why should it matter? I love you...that's all that should matter...right...? Ohhhhh...Tara...I love you, I love you so much I...I...I...but I m-m-miss them...I miss them...ohhhhhhhhh...Tara..."

Tara could feel the tears streaming down her own cheeks at Willow's outburst. It hurt her so much to see Willow in pain, especially since she felt partly responsible. If it weren't for her...maybe Willow wouldn't be having this problem with her friends...

"I'm sorry Will..." she leaned down and whispered against her hair. "If it weren't for me—"

"Oh no," Willow burst out, lifting her head up to meet her girlfriend's eyes. She could tell instantly what Tara was thinking and she was desperate to reassure her otherwise. "It's not your fault," she insisted. "If it weren't for you, I'd never have discovered who I really was...never have found out what it meant to truly be in love. . ." she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Tara's lips, brushing their lips together softly for a moment before pulling away.

"You are the most important person in my life Tara," Willow said with utmost sincerity. "I'd give up my whole life for you...I just wish I didn't have to give up my friends..."

Willow's words affected Tara profoundly. The love shining in her girlfriend's eyes was amazing, as were her words. She'd give up her life...wow. With tears in her eyes, Tara lifted her head up and pressed her lips to Willow's. "I love you Willow," she growled as her lips met with her lover's. She kissed her hungrily, greedily, aching to taste her essence...her soul, and to give herself to her girlfriend.

Willow kissed Tara back with equal vigor, her love spurring her on. As her tongue made its way into Tara's mouth, Willow decided she wanted to forget about everything that had happened between her and the Scoobies. Right now, she wanted to lose herself in Tara and push away the pain of the night...to take comfort in Tara's arms...in her lips...her skin...her touch...and to reaffirm their love.

If loving Tara meant that the Scoobies disowned her, then Willow was more than happy to remind herself why she was giving them up. She didn't want to have to choose between Tara and her friends...but there was really no choice. How could she give up the one person who made her feel complete?

Instinctively, Tara could sense what Willow wanted...what she needed. Funnily enough, she needed it too. With a moan, she fell back against the pillows, pulling her girlfriend down with her. She spread her thighs wide and enveloped Willow between her legs, embracing her as completely as she could. Willow needed to be loved right now, and Tara was more than happy to give her that love.

With purposeful movements, Tara continued to kiss her girlfriend heatedly, but was now moving her hands slowly up and down her back—dragging her nightshirt up with them. Before long, she had her hands pressed against Willow's naked back and moaned as she felt her girlfriend tremble at her touch.

Spurred on, Tara began to slowly move her hands along her skin as her hips thrust up against Willow's crotch. Willow thrust back as well, meeting Tara with every buck of the hips. She was glad to lie there for the moment, grinding against Willow as her hands moved sensuously beneath her nightshirt. There was no urgency to her movements. All she wanted was to be close to Willow, to hold her, to touch her, to kiss her, and to enjoy just being with her.

Willow felt like that as well, which is why she continued to thrust herself against Tara in a sensuous manner, keeping her movements slow and steady; allowing her arousal to deepen gradually with every thrust. Pretty soon, her clit was throbbing mercilessly and her wetness was beginning to seep through the material of her panties; as was Tara's. However, she wasn't ready to deepen their lovemaking just yet. It was nice being this close to Tara and gently teasing them both as their tongues parried mercilessly while their lower bodies continued to meet and pull away.

Making love didn't always have to be about release. In this case, making love was about being with the woman you loved; enjoying her company and allowing your energy to seep into her as her energy seeped into you. This is why the girls were now making love spiritually—exchanging a part of themselves while they embraced.

After a while, Willow could no longer tell where her own essence ended and where Tara's began. It was like they were one person and the only thought in her mind was how at peace she felt. She no longer remembered how hurt she was by her friends' reaction to her...all that mattered was Tara.

Tara felt like this as well, only she was a little more focused than Willow. While a part of her felt at peace—as if she and Willow were the one person—another part of her felt like there was more of her to give. Simply lying here thrusting herself against Willow was not enough; she needed to do more to show her love for Willow.

With that thought, she gently pushed her girlfriend away from her in order to lift her nightshirt up and off her head. Without a word, she tossed the cumbersome material to the floor before removing her own as well. She then recaptured Willow's lips and once again retreated to the pillows on the bed. This time however, a new sensation was added to their closeness; the feel of her nipples brushing against Willow's as they lay on the bed; skin against skin.

Willow was lost in a torrent of sensation. She could feel her whole body burning up as her hardened nipples kissed Tara's, moving in opposing rhythm to the meeting of their soaking wet panties. Her crotch would rub up against Tara and just as her clit felt some friction, she would pull away and their nipples would meet. Through all this her lips copied the movement as well...opening and closing against Tara's...capturing her bottom lip, her top lip, allowing her own to be captured as their breathing began to get more and more labored.

Her hands were on either side of Tara's face, while Tara's hands continued to caress her back; only now the movements were beginning to get progressively heated. Pretty soon she felt Tara's hands reach all the way down to her ass and she thrust herself roughly against Tara's crotch; needing to feel the pressure against her clit. Tara met her thrust with one of her own, and the two of them remained in place for a moment—pressing their clits hard against one another.

As their lower bodies pulled away, Tara deftly grasped the material of Willow's panties and slid them down her ass. Willow responded by moving her legs one at a time and pretty soon her panties were being tossed to the floor. A second later, Tara's panties joined Willow's and the girls were now able to hold each other in complete nakedness.

As Willow lowered herself back down against Tara's body, she returned her hands to the sides of her face and pressed her forehead gently against Tara's. She loved this girl more than she'd ever thought it possible to love someone and as she lifted her head slightly to look into her eyes, she could feel the emotional tears welling up.

Tara felt teary as well and she couldn't help but sigh when she felt the warmth of Willow's tears falling against her cheeks...joining her own. "I love you Willow," she whispered breathlessly.

"I love you Tara," Willow whispered at the same time, her words mingling with Tara's in the same manner as her tears.

Her body trembling, Tara kissed away her girlfriend's tears as she moved her hands slowly down her back, until they came to rest on her ass. She then continued to move her right hand until her fingers were making their way through her girlfriend's wetness and pressing against her clit. It was time she showed her exactly how much she was loved.

Willow gently bit Tara's bottom lip when she felt the pressure against her clit—the sensation overpowering her senses. She immediately moved her tongue over the bruised flesh; soothing any pain her girlfriend might be feeling.

Tara moaned in response and increased the pressure of her fingertips. She moved her fingers in a circular motion, pressing harder and harder with each circle, yet keeping the movement purposefully slow. She knew how much Willow loved a gentle buildup...a hard pressure prolonged at first and then becoming shorter and shorter but more frequent as her orgasm neared its closure.

Giving herself over completely, Willow allowed herself to lose all self control as she bucked into Tara's fingers. It didn't take her long to crash into the abyss, but before she could even finish convulsing, Tara moved her hand and thrust two of her fingers deep into Willow's core.

"Oh, Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!!!!!" Willow screamed, throwing her head back in utter abandon. Gone were any notions of what was right and proper...all that mattered was the feel of Tara's fingers pressing into her as her second orgasm hit her unexpectedly.

Tara smiled at Willow's reaction as she continued to thrust her fingers. This was the first time her girlfriend had let herself go so completely that she'd actually let loose with a profanity. This pleased her in a way she could hardly describe. It showed her how much Willow trusted her...how much she loved her, and how she'd finally lowered her final wall of shyness. It was what she'd been trying to get her to do yesterday with the sexy talk.

When Willow's spasms finally began to ease up however, Tara still continued her movements. She wasn't ready to let her girl come down completely and Willow responded in kind.

Willow might have been utterly worn out by her consecutive double-orgasm, but she was unable to resist the promise of another. However, this time she didn't want to come alone. Therefore, as she continued to thrust herself into her girlfriend's hands, Willow moved her own right hand down and buried her fingers expertly between Tara's folds.

"Oh God Will," Tara moaned as she thrust herself upwards; allowing Willow to enter her deeply.

Copying Tara's movements, Willow began to expertly work her fingers in and out of Tara's body, while her thumb skillfully massaged her clit. It didn't take long for the young Witches to reach their peak and begin convulsing simultaneously. When they finally came down from their mutual high, they curled their naked bodies together underneath the covers. Willow placed her thigh in between Tara's and rested her head against her chest, resuming her earlier position.

Tara smiled down warmly at her and tightened her arms around her back. "You tired Sweetie?"

"Then sleep Baby," Tara kissed her cheek again. "Sleep...and everything will look better in the morning." She kissed her lips this time.

Willow didn't really feel up to arguing, so allowed herself to relax in Tara's arms. Pretty soon she could feel a state of slumber overtaking her and remembering her lover's words; 'everything will look better in the morning,' she allowed herself to succumb to it.

The next morning, Willow woke up to the smell of hot mochas and pancakes. She opened her eyes and smiled at her girlfriend—who was sitting on the bed next to her, purposefully holding a steaming mocha up to her face...allowing the aroma to seep into her senses.

"Thanks Baby," Willow smiled as she accepted the coffee. She leaned over and pressed her lips to Tara's before taking a sip.

"Thought you could use a perk up this morning," Tara chuckled as she took a sip of her own coffee.

"Well," Willow leaned over towards her girlfriend. "If it's a perk up I need," she moved her lips so that they were almost touching Tara's, "then—"

Tara didn't let her girlfriend finish the sentence. Instead she bridged the gap and captured her lips. She kissed her languidly; opening and closing her mouth sensuously for a few minutes.

"You taste sweet," Willow smiled as she pulled away, licking her lips. "Like syrup and mochas and a hint of minty toothpaste..."

Tara chuckled and kissed her lips again—briefly. "And you taste like mochas," she observed, suckling at her bottom lip for a brief moment before returning to her drink. "It's better than a real mocha coz it's a Willow-mocha..."

Willow joined her girlfriend with the chuckling, enjoying her play on words. "A Willow-mocha, hey?" she grinned.

"Well," Willow drawled, getting a naughty idea. "If you wanna taste something sweet...those pancakes came with packets of syrup..." she trailed off, seeing the glint in Tara's eye as she picked up on her intention.

"You can taste all you like..." Willow offered huskily, extending her tongue and tracing a seductive circle around her own lips. She was really enjoying herself with the flirting, and couldn't help but wonder if Tara would take her up on the suggestion. Truth be told, she couldn't wait to be tasted...

Tara didn't need anymore of an invitation. With a swift move, she placed her mocha on the bedside table and reached for a couple of syrup packets. She was just glad her girlfriend was still naked from the other night...

Willow took one last sip of her mocha before putting it down on the table next to her side of the bed. She then laid herself down on the bed and looked up expectantly at Tara, eager to see what her next move would be.

"So I can taste?" Tara flirted as she pulled the covers completely off the bed, before straddling her girlfriend.

Willow could feel her heart pounding and her clit throbbing with anticipation. Her girlfriend sounded so sexy when she asked for a taste. "Oh yes," she sighed. "Taste me..."

With that, Tara ripped open the first package and drizzled a few drops of syrup onto Willow's lips, before leaning down for a taste.

"Just a sample..." Tara said huskily as she began to drizzle syrup over Willow's nipples, around her breasts, on her neck and over her ribcage.

Willow looked up in anticipation as Tara fumbled with the second packet of syrup. She could hardly wait to feel her girlfriend's tongue on her body...tasting her...

Her task completed, Tara began to drizzle the contents of the second packet along Willow's stomach, on her thighs, over her legs and the rest she poured over her mound.

It was all Willow could do to remain still. The sensation of syrup drizzling all over her body was quite the turn on. Especially since she knew she'd soon feel her girlfriend's tongue lapping it all up. Unable to speak, she met Tara's eyes and smiled warmly at her, letting her know she was ready to be tasted.

Licking her lips, Tara slowly lowered her head to Willow's lips, capturing her top lip briefly before moving down to her bottom lip. She then pulled away and ran her tongue sensuously over Willow's lips, along her jaw line, down her neck—tracing the path of syrupy goodness until she reached Willow's left breast.

Taking a deep breath, she extended her tongue and languidly licked a path around Willow's nipple, enjoying the sweet stickiness of the syrup, before taking the nipple completely into her mouth. At Willow's soft moan, Tara sucked harder, pulling the nipple as deeply into her mouth as she could.

A few seconds later, she let go of her nipple, so as to lick around her syrup covered breast. She closed her eyes as her tongue tasted Willow's syrupy skin, not quite believing how great it tasted. Why hadn't she thought of doing this before...maybe they could try honey next time...or chocolate...no, wait...whipped cream...?

"Mmmm," Willow moaned as Tara began to lick around her other breast. She was thoroughly enjoying her girlfriend's tongue and couldn't help but wonder why they hadn't done this before. Well, next time it would be her turn to have a taste...

"Mmmm," Tara moaned as she sucked on Willow's sweet nipple, enjoying it like a piece of rock candy. She felt like she was in heaven; tasting the food of the Gods...

Neither girl said much as Tara ran her tongue all over Willow's chest, over her neck, back down to her breasts, along her stomach—pausing to dip into her belly button for a few minutes, before diving down to her thighs. She expertly licked off all the syrup on her skin, but purposefully avoided her center; wanting to save the best for last.

Eventually however, she ran out of skin to taste...syrup to lap up...so was now licking her way from Willow's navel down to her mound. Willow couldn't help but reach out for her girlfriend and tangle her fingers into her hair. She held onto her tightly when she felt her tongue against her mound; licking away all the syrup before moving in for an even better treat—Willowjuices.

Tara moaned when she tasted her girlfriend's nectar mixed with the syrup that had trickled downwards into her core. She'd never tasted anything quite like it, and she was lost in its flavor. It didn't take her long to soak up all Willow had to offer so she moved her hand down and thrust two fingers deep into Willow's core, while her mouth latched onto her clit. Making sure to thrust against Willow's sweet spot, Tara continued to suckle at her clit—doing her best to draw out all of her juices.

Willow's fingers were now gripping Tara's hair even tighter, as she succumbed to the magick of her girlfriend's tongue. She could think of nothing else but her need...the desire for release, and before long she was convulsing uncontrollably around Tara's fingers—releasing her juices and giving her what she was after.

Keeping her thrusts going, Tara opened her mouth wide and greedily accepted her girlfriend's shower of affection. She could still taste the sweetness of the syrup in her mouth, and that sweetness mixed with Willowjuices made her feel like she too would explode with ecstasy. However, despite the urgency of her own wetness, tasting Willow was her number one priority.

With no more left to give, Willow finally removed her hands from Tara's hair and rested them on the side of the bed. She kept her eyes closed though as she slowly regained her composure.

Tara had now moved up the bed and was lying on her side next to Willow, resting a hand on her waist as she watched her come down. Tasting Willow like she had was something she'd been fantasizing about for a long time, and she couldn't believe Willow had actually suggested it.

Leaning over, she pressed her lips gently against Willow's—giving her a sample of what she'd just tasted.

Sucking on Tara's tongue greedily, Willow felt like her senses were being overpowered with goodness. Her girlfriend tasted of syrup and Willowjuice...a combination that left wondering what syrup and Tarajuice would taste like...

Pulling away from the kiss, Willow smiled, and turned on her side to face Tara. "That was some taste test," she giggled, pressing another kiss to her lips—wanting one more quick sample.

"I've wanted to do that for a while now," Tara admitted as Willow pulled away. "Taste you..."

Tara chuckled. "Well...not just with syrup...chocolate...honey...whipped cream...they all spring to mind..."

"Mmmm," Willow giggled, feeling her face turn red with the idea..."Well," she continued huskily, "we can try the whipped cream next time..." She moved her lips towards Tara's, brushing against them as she finished her sentence, "Only next time...it'll be my turn for a taste..."

Thrusting her tongue deep into Tara's mouth, Willow moved her to lie flat on her back, deciding it was her turn for some taste testing. There might not be any syrup left...but Tarajuices would do just fine all on their own...

A few hours later, both girls were walking hand in hand from Giles' apartment. They'd stopped by in order to grab Willow's lap top which she'd forgotten last night. The meeting had been quite an awkward one—with no one really knowing exactly what to say. It was clear that Giles had been totally hung over and embarrassed.

It bothered her because Giles was the one person she'd thought would understand. He was like a second father to her and she looked up to him...respected his intelligence. She would have thought a worldly guy like Giles would know she didn't have a choice about being gay. She hadn't chosen Tara...Tara was her destiny.

She remained silent as they walked back to Tara's dorm—lost in her own thoughts. Tara could sense she needed to be alone so had kept quiet. She could see how much her estrangement with Mr. Giles hurt her. She knew he was like a father to her, so it must be really painful to be at odds with him.

When they finally reached the dorm, Willow went straight into Hacker-mode. The disks needed decrypting, and besides...if she focused on solving their problem...it made forgetting about her pain easier...

Tara allowed her to work in silence for about an hour before she began to get worried about her. Willow was so focused on her work that she'd barely spoken two words. What's more, she could see how exhausted she was getting.

"Maybe you should rest," she ventured, taking a seat on the bed next to Willow', "clear your head..."

"Can't," Willow sighed. "Not now. I-I think I'm onto something," she looked up at her girlfriend as she continued her explanation. "I've been assuming the cipher-text was encrypted with an asymmetric algorithm. Then it hit me...a hex-agonic key pattern. It's—"

At that moment, Tara noticed coherent words forming on the screen. "Hey, look," she interrupted. "You did it..."

Willow looked down in surprise, wondering how it was possible. "I didn't," she exclaimed. "I haven't even finished typing in the new code."

"Must be programmed to self-decrypt at a certain point," Willow sighed in frustration. "That's so annoying. It's like someone blurting out the answer to a riddle just when you've..." she trailed off—realizing how that sounded. "I mean..." she covered. "Yippee! We have the information..."

"I'm not sure if Yippee's the right response either," Tara pointed at the screen. "Read that."

Willow moved her attention back to the computer screen as the phone started to ring.

Willow sighed and thought for a moment before finally getting up. She might be totally upset with her best friend...but she couldn't let her feelings get in the way of Scoobie duties. She'd just decrypted the disks...Buffy had to know. The world depended on it.

Willow nodded and sighed again. "I don't know what to say to her...to any of 'em. We've grown so far apart this year and now I feel like the gap's grown even further...coz of me..."

"They love you Will," Tara insisted. She knew her gal well enough to infer what was on her mind. "You'll work things out...I know it..."

"No!" Willow reached for Tara's hands and squeezed them gently. "You're not the problem...your kind and sweet and powerful...how could they not like you? Their problem is with me...coz of the whole gay thing...not you..."

"No," Willow interrupted. "They don't think that...they think I'm the one who's going through a phase...what were their words? That's right...'I'm just being trendy'...so you see...it's got nothing to do with you...they just think I don't know my own mind. They think I've made some crazy choices and..."

"Will," Tara sighed. "You have to meet with Buffy by yourself...it's a Scooby thing. The four of you have to sort things out between you and I'll just be in the way...I don't want that. I love you and I want to be a part of your life...but I don't want to come between you and your friends. For right now...maybe it's best if I didn't hang around with you guys...at least until they get used to..."

"Me having a girlfriend," Willow finished, realizing her girlfriend had a point. "But what if they never—"

"They will," Tara kissed her lips gently. "They might never accept me...but they'll accept you. I know how much they mean to you and from what you've told me...you mean a lot to them. Whatever happens, I'll be here for you—even if I'm never allowed into your circle of friends..."

"I won't let that happen," Willow pulled her girlfriend in for a hug, holding her tight. "You're with me...you're my gal. Where I go, you go...you got it. I come with a partner now and you're the most important thing in my life. If they can't accept that...accept you, then...well...they're not really my friends."

Tara turned her head and placed a gentle kiss to Willow's cheek. There were tears running down her face now and Tara purposefully moved her lips along the salty trail on her girlfriend's skin. "It's enough that you love me Will," she said as she pulled away, lifting her hands to cup her cheeks. Using her thumbs, she lovingly wiped at her tears while she continued to speak. "I don't need your friends to like me...all I need is for you to be happy...and I know you'll never be happy without them. That's why you have to meet with Buffy...and why I can't go with you...okay?"

Willow smiled—she knew Tara was right. However, it sorely grated on her nerves that they wouldn't accept Tara. Even though Tara hadn't said anything, Willow knew her gal well enough to see she was hurt by the Scoobies' apparent rejection of her. And she was damned if she'd let them hurt Tara. If they couldn't accept her girlfriend...then they couldn't accept her.

Much as she loved Buffy and Xander...and even Giles...she just couldn't be with them if they didn't accept Tara. What they didn't realize was that Tara was a part of her...she made her whole...and by rejecting Tara, they rejected her as well. How could she be friends with people who wouldn't accept her true self? Man, this was complicated.

But Tara was right...she did need to meet with them. Last night they'd said a lot of hurtful things, but they'd been fighting...heat of the moment...and in battle you do tend to overreact. Besides, she couldn't let their squabbles get in the way of more important things—like stopping Adam. She did have responsibilities...

"You're right," she said eventually, moving her head to meet Tara's eyes. "I've gotta do this alone. But...there's one thing you have to know. I love you. You're a part of me. And if they can't accept you...then they can't accept me either. You know what I mean?"

"You make me happy," Willow interrupted, knowing what Tara had been about to say. She lifted her hands and gently cupped her cheeks. "You're the only one who understands me. You've been here for me this year when they weren't. You know me in a way they never will. And even though it'll hurt me to lose them...it'll hurt me more to lose you. If they can't accept you, then all we can ever have is a working relationship. So, I'm gonna meet with Buffy, see what she wants...and we'll go from there. Whatever happens though—it's you and me all the way."

Tara smiled as she kissed her girlfriend's lips. Willow's words made a lot of sense to her and they also warmed her heart. Hopefully it wouldn't come to a choice though. She could sense that the Scoobies were good people and even though they might not like her, she was sure they'd eventually come to accept who Willow was—which meant that they'd accept her by default. Well, that wasn't the best way to be accepted by people, but she wouldn't complain. She knew she was nothing special and had long since given up on having a large circle of friends. Willow was all she needed. As long as Willow loved her, it didn't matter if her friends didn't.

"I'm not giving anyone up," Willow insisted. "The choice is theirs...they either accept me or they don't. And coz you're with me, it means they have to accept you too."

Tara knew when to give in. She could see Willow was in resolve-mode, and it was pointless to argue with her when she got like this. "Okay Will," she chuckled. "The choice is theirs..."

Willow smiled and pressed a soft lingering kiss to her girlfriend's lips. When she pulled away, she felt invigorated. It was time to face the Scoobies...

Tara sat by the phone, anxiously awaiting a call from Willow. She tried in vain to get some studying done...but finals were the last thing on her mind. She hadn't heard from Willow in hours...not since she'd left to meet with Buffy and she was worried. What had happened? Had they sorted things out? Were they friends again? And what about the disks...about Adam? What was going on? Why hadn't Willow called yet? She said she'd call. What if something had happened to her? No...she'd be able to sense if something had happened.

Just then the phone rang, and Tara nearly jumped out of her skin. "Willow?" she spoke hastily into the receiver. "Are you all right? What happened? Where are you?"

"I'm at Giles'," Willow smiled at the urgency in Tara's voice. Maybe she should have called earlier...? She'd just been so preoccupied with trying to figure out how to stop Adam...

"He kinda turned us against each other...made us think we all said things we hadn't..."

Willow sighed. "I don't know...she might not have said all that stuff, but...well...things still aren't totally cool between us. I mean, I know it was just Spike stirring up trouble...but I get the feeling that...you know..."

Tara chuckled. "Should've guessed...I bet Adam offered to take his chip out or something."

"Probably...but it gets worse," she sighed. "We finally figured out what Adam's up to. He wants to start a war between demons and humans so that he can make an army of demon-human hybrids."

"I know. But we've figured out a way to stop him...hopefully. That's why I haven't called yet. We've been in research mode...and I didn't wanna call till I knew what we were gonna do."

Tara thought for a moment...recognizing the name. Suddenly it hit her—exactly what they were planning. "Willow," she exclaimed. "Do you know how dangerous that is...?"

"Kinda..." Willow hesitated. She wasn't too familiar with the spell...but if it could stop Adam...

"Let me guess," Tara continued. "You're gonna try and do the spell with Giles and Xander...merge with Buffy...right?"

"But at what cost?" Tara sighed. She was torn. She knew they had no other choice...but she was worried about Willow.

"What do you mean?" Willow could sense Tara's distress—even through the phone line. "What cost?"

"You could lose your identity Will...you could die...you all could. You'll all be connected and...and if Buffy dies...you die...I...I'm scared Will. I know you have to do it but..."

"I know," Tara forced back a tear. "I'm just worried...that's all..." She trailed off as an idea came to her. "Will," she ventured.

"Good," Tara responded. "I'll go to the magic shop and get them. I want you to meet me at my dorm in an hour. Okay? I'll tell you what I have in mind then."

"Okay Tara," Willow replied without hesitation. She trusted her girlfriend entirely—especially when it came to the magicks.

When Willow entered Tara's room an hour later, she was a little surprised to see the room had been darkened—the curtains had been closed—and that Tara had pushed her bed into the middle of the room. What's more, she'd lit a circle of candles all around the bed and was now sitting on the mattress, mixing some herbs in a bowl.

"Hey," she greeted, closing the door behind her. "What's going on? You doing a spell?"

Tara looked up and smiled at her girlfriend. "Hey Willow. Yeah, I'm setting up for a ritual."

Willow stepped into the circle and sat down next to Tara. "What kind of ritual...you gonna make us more powerful or something," she chuckled.

Tara set the bowl down on the bed and took a deep breath. It was time she explained her plan to Willow...and she knew the girl would probably object to it. However, she could think of no other way to help out the Scoobies...and to make sure Willow was safe.

"I have an idea Will," she began hesitantly. "I...I hate the thought of you doing this adjoining spell alone...it's too dangerous..."

"I know," Tara reached for Willow's hands and squeezed them gently. "And I'm not saying you shouldn't do it...I just want to help...that's all."

"Help...how? You want to do the spell with us? Coz...I don't know if I want you in danger as well. Although, if you really want to help...I guess you can. You've helped with spells before and—"

Tara chuckled and pressed a finger gently to her lips—silencing her babble. "I'm glad you want my help Will," she pulled her finger away, "coz what I have in mind is probably gonna freak you out a little...and I'm not even sure if we're ready to do something so advanced...or even if you really want to do something so intimate with me..."

"I want to give myself to you," Tara explained. "I want you to take my power...my essence...my soul..."

"What?" Willow exclaimed. "Are you serious? Isn't that like totally dangerous for you? How can I take your power? I don't want to hurt you Tara..."

"I'll be fine," she insisted, gently squeezing Willow's hands. "I'll be inside you...It's like when we did that ritual to send you into the nether realms...only this time I won't just be your anchor...I'll be a part of you."

"For 24 hours," Tara explained, "and then I'll go back to my own body. We've always been more powerful together," she continued, doing her best to convince her girlfriend. "I can't let you do a dangerous spell alone..."

"So why don't you just come with us then...?" Willow asked. "We can do the spell together without you giving up your essence. Giving yourself to me will leave you catatonic...what if you don't wake up? What if something goes wrong? I don't want to put you in danger like that..."

"I'll be fine," Tara insisted. "I trust you...just like you trusted me to bring you back from the nether-realms. Will...this is the only thing I can think of to make you stronger...safer. Remember when we first met...when we merged our energy in the laundry room...? Ever since that night, we've improved our power...managed to do things we could never do alone. This is no different. We're stronger together...merging is the only logical choice..."

"Are you sure? I mean, I've got no problems with you being inside me," she gave her girlfriend a little smirk, "but I...I don't want you in danger...Tara..."

"And I don't want you in danger Will..." Tara looked into her girlfriend's eyes pleadingly, begging her silently to let her do this.

Willow opened her mouth to protest, but could not resist Tara's puppy dog eyes. "Fine," she sighed in resignation.

Tara leaned over and wrapped her arms around Willow's neck as she kissed her lips. "Thank you," she grinned as she pulled away.

"No," Willow countered, "thank you...you're the one who's putting yourself into a coma...Tara...are you sure it's safe...sure you'll be okay in your room...?"

Tara grinned in response. "I've already taken care of that," she explained. "I've put a protection spell around my room...anyone who's not you or me cannot enter for the next 24 hours. Unless it's an emergency, like a fire or something. I'll be perfectly safe...okay...?"

Willow could only nod—knowing it was useless to argue. She'd never seen her girlfriend so determined about something before...and she now knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a resolve-face.

"There's no arguing with you is there?" she chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to Tara's lips.

"Remember the nether-realms ritual," Tara began, unable to hide the glint in her eye.

Tara nodded, her smile widening. "It's the only way to merge ourselves completely...to become one...body, mind and soul..."

Willow could feel her pulse racing as she took in what Tara was saying..."I guess it makes sense..."

Tara stood up and quickly located her spell book. "Here's the ritual," she handed to book to her girlfriend. "You can read over it while I get undressed...oh and Will...you have to take your clothes of too..."

Willow chuckled as her girlfriend began to undress. She knew she should be reading over the spell...but hey...her girlfriend was stripping. How could she concentrate on anything else?

She couldn't take her eyes of Tara as she dropped first her blouse, then her bra, and then finally her skirt and panties. Doing her best to ignore the wetness between her legs, Willow continued to watch in silence as her girlfriend walked back to the bed.

"I'm gonna lie down," she explained, "and I need you to rub the contents of that bowl all over my body...okay."

Willow could only nod as Tara lay down on the bed and looked up at her. She looked magnificent...

Tara smiled softly, realizing her girlfriend still hadn't read over the ritual. "It's all in the book," she reminded her. "Why don't you read over it...?"

This brought Willow back to reality somewhat, and she chuckled sheepishly before picking up the book. She forced herself to focus on the words in front of her, and a few minutes later she knew exactly what she had to do.

Standing up, Willow put the book down on Tara's dresser, and quickly dropped her own clothes to the floor. When she was completely naked, she returned to the bed and grasped the bowl in her hands. She then knelt beside her girlfriend and began to rub the herbs over her chest, then her breasts, her stomach, her thighs, and then finally down her legs, arms and over her neck.

They both remained silent throughout the whole procedure, becoming increasingly buzzed with every passing moment. The herbs on Tara's skin and Willow's fingers were reacting to the sexuality between the two girls, causing them both to feel twice as invigorated as they normally would in the same situation.

When she finally finished with the herbs, Willow leaned down and placed the bowl on the floor. She then returned to the bed and laid on top of her girlfriend—allowing the herbs to transfer themselves over to her body. The girls lay on that bed—entirely naked—breathing heavily, but not moving an inch. Not for a few minutes anyway. After a while though, they began to slowly rub against each other—forming a well practiced rhythm as they chanted softly under their breaths and stared deeply into one another's eyes.

They were soon levitating off the bed, but they continued their chant and their rubbing. Knowing it was time; they finally moved their hands simultaneously and deeply entered their girlfriend. They made love slowly...rhythmically...giving themselves to one another as their herb-covered bodies began to glow.

When they finally reached their mutual orgasm, the girls released both their essences into the ether. As a result of the ritual, their essences merged together and became one, before returning back down into Willow's body.

Willow could feel Tara inside her as their bodies floated back to the bed. When she finally felt able to breathe properly, Willow opened her eyes and looked down at her catatonic girlfriend. "Oh Baby," she placed a soft kiss to her lips. "I hope you're okay..."

Tara's voice surprised her and Willow shot up into a sitting position. Where had the voice come from? She hadn't seen Tara's lips move...

"Tara?" Willow spoke out loud, her brow furrowing in confusion. "What's going on?"

"You mean it's really you...?" she asked in surprise. She still wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but she was beginning to get the picture. "Let me guess...you can like...read my mind now?"

"I'm a part of you Willow," Tara explained. "I don't need to read your mind...I'm in it."

"This is so cool Tara," Willow suddenly felt elated. She'd had no idea the ritual would end up like this...it was great. Having Tara completely inside her...being able to feel her...sense her feelings...hear her words...speak to her...well, that greatly appealed to her. How could she not love being a part of her girlfriend?

"I feel like that too," Tara ventured, picking up on her girlfriend's emotions.

Once again Willow was surprised to realize her mind had been read...but surprised in a good way. She had nothing to hide from Tara, and it was a good feeling to share herself this way. There were now no more barriers between them.

With that thought, she looked down at Tara's body and placed another soft kiss to her lips. "Are you sure you'll be okay like this?"

"I'll be fine Will," Tara reassured. "The protection spell will help me...and I'll return to my body in 24 hours. So you've got nothing to worry about."

Hoping she was right, Willow sighed and pulled the covers over her girlfriend's body. After a quick shower, she grabbed the ingredients Tara had picked up from the magic shop, and made her way back to Giles' apartment.

"Nervous?" Willow looked at Xander questioningly as they walked through Lowell house.

"No way," he responded, a little too eagerly. "I'm full of that good old kamikaze spirit..."

"Xander," Giles said in reproach, "just because this is never gonna work, there's no need to be negative..."

"The adjoining spell isn't powerful enough to defeat Adam?" Willow asked with a slight tremor in her voice, taking Giles' words to heart.

"I told you..." Tara's voice echoed in Willow's head, "It's dangerous...and..."

"And you're here with me," Willow interjected silently. "So you're in just as much danger...I knew we shouldn't have done this. If anything happens..."

"Game faces, guys," Buffy interrupted the silent conversation. "We're going in." With that, she kicked in the window and headed through.

"At least we'll be together," Tara spoke up while Willow strapped herself into her harness. "And we've always been more powerful together...we're a team...remember...just like in the laundry room..."

"Yeah..." Willow couldn't help but smile as she and Buffy began sliding down the elevator shaft. Tara had a point. Even though they were now both in danger...they had a better chance of success if they worked together. "We make a pretty good team..."

"We broke through the wall together," Tara finished off, recalling their conversation in the student lounge the morning after their laundry room encounter.

"No," Buffy sighed. "It's not what I was gonna say. I just...I'm sorry. I hate that things have been so strained between all of us..."

"Yeah, but I think trouble was stir-uppable," Buffy continued. "I think we've all sort of drifted apart this year...don't you?"

"Maybe a little..." Willow hesitated, "but...you know...first year of college...it's hard to keep the old high school gang together..."

"But I want it together," Buffy burst out, forcing down a tear. "Will, I miss you...and Giles...and Xander...and it's all my fault. I've been so wrapped up in my own stuff, I've been a bad friend..."

"You're the Slayer, Buffy," Willow responded graciously. "Your stuff is pretty crucial."

"And you've been wrapped up in me..." Tara teased, reminding Willow that she too hadn't been the most available of friends.

"Well," Willow smiled sheepishly at Buffy, "I haven't been Miss Available either. I-I kept secrets...I hid things from everyone..."

"That's not your fault," Buffy insisted. "Will...you were going through something huge..."

"You see...she does care..." Tara reminded her girlfriend. "You know, maybe she might be feeling a little upset that you—"

God...Tara was right. "I wanted to tell you," Willow forced down a tear as she met her best friend's eyes, "but I was so scared..." she explained, hoping Buffy would understand why she'd kept her relationship with Tara a secret.

"You can tell me anything," Buffy's eyes teared up with emotion. "I love you...you're my best friend..."

"I told you," Tara beamed…well, she would have if she'd had a face to beam with. "Now go hug you're best friend," she prompted her girlfriend, pleased she'd been right about the Slayer after all.

Willow did just that, and wrapped her arms tightly around the Slayer's neck. "Me too," she cried. "I love you too..."

The two girls held onto each other for dear life, allowing their emotions to consume them as their mutual weight hastened their descent.

"Oh," Willow observed, "falling now...!" She didn't let go of her friend though—she was just so pleased that they were all good again. She'd missed her...

When they finally landed on the ground, the girls still didn't let go of one another.

"I promise, I promise," Willow choked on her tears, keeping her hold on Buffy until she heard a thump. Looking up, she noticed that Xander had now joined them.

Xander looked at the two young women holding him...expressing love for him...and suddenly he got a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Oh God," he whined, "we're gonna die...aren't we...?"

Xander immediately felt better, and looked upwards at Giles. "Giles," he grinned, "hurry up!" He took another look at the two girls holding him tight and giggled like a schoolgirl. "You definitely wanna get down here for this!" he told the ex-librarian, giggling again. It was good to have his two best friends back again...along with a little girl action...okay...mind out of the gutter...but still...things were looking up...

As Buffy kicked in the elevator door, the gang came face to face with a team of Initiative soldiers. This posed a bit of a problem for the Scoobies, but—thanks to Buffy—the gang eventually overcame the obstacle and managed to locate a quiet room where they could do their spell.

Willow, Giles and Xander, were now sitting in a circle on the floor as Giles lit a candle.

"Okay Tara," Willow replied, focusing her mind and accepting her girlfriend's offering.

"The power of the Slayer and all who yield it," Willow began to chant—aided by Tara. "Lost to ancient first, we invoke thee. Grant us thy domain and primal strength. Accept us in the power we possess. Make us mind and heart and spirit joy. Let the hand encompass us. Do thy will."

"Spiritus...Spirit," Willow spoke as she set down the card. Picking up another card, she handed it to Xander.

"Animus...Heart," Xander chanted, copying Willow and placing the card down on the floor.

"And Manus...The Hand," Willow concluded, picking up a fourth card and setting it down.

"Now feel the power," Tara guided. "Feel it inside you...feel it inside your friends . . join with them."

Willow took a moment to do just that...and she slowly began to feel herself merging with Giles and Xander...could feel their essences...and could feel Buffy's as well. It was then that she knew it was time to continue.

"We enjoin that we may inhabit the vessel," she chanted, "the hand...daughter of Sineya...first of the ones. We implore thee...admit us, bring us to the vessel...take us now."

Everyone in the room—Willow, Giles, and Xander—suddenly felt a huge rush of power inside them...and as their eyes glowed...their essences merged...left their bodies...and found the Slayer. Tara's essence joined them as well—unbeknownst to Giles and Xander...but Willow knew...and so did Buffy.

As she waged her war on Adam, Buffy could feel the conjoined effort of her friends...could feel everyone inside her...and could feel herself linked to every Slayer that had ever been born and died—including the first Original Slayer. This power was enough to finally defeat Adam...and when she no longer needed their powers...they were instantly stripped from her.

Willow, Giles and Xander slumped to the floor when their essences were finally returned to them—pleased with the knowledge that their spell had worked and that Adam was finally gone.

After a lot of bloodshed and fighting, the Scoobies managed to save the day. They made their way slowly from Lowell house to Buffy's house, deciding a celebratory movie night was in order. They hadn't done that in a long time and it would be a good way of reaffirming their bond.

"Hey Will," Buffy tugged her friend away from the rest of the Scoobies, allowing Xander, Riley and Giles to walk on ahead of them. "We need to talk."

"Yeah...I guess...It's weird she found out though. I never expected anyone would guess what we did..."

"I just didn't think she'd figure out you were inside me Tara...I bet she's totally freaking..."

"If she was freaking, would she be smiling at you?" Tara pointed out with a chuckle. "Besides...she probably doesn't know I'm here with you now...she just thinks I helped..."

"We did a ritual," Willow began her explanation. "Tara didn't want me to do the spell alone, so she gave me her power...her essence. I didn't want her to do that, coz it would put her in a state of catatonia for 24 hours...but she insisted. You see, we're stronger as witches when we're together..."

"She's inside me..." Willow ventured. "It's like we're the one person, and I can hear everything she wants me to...she's in my head right now...speaking to me."

"Um..." Willow hesitated, feeling her face turn red. She wasn't entirely sure how much she could confide in her best friend without freaking her out.

"She'll be okay," Tara interjected, sensing her girlfriend's apprehension. "She did ask after all..."

"Yeah...but...you know...we made love. Do you really think she wants to know all the details?"

"I don't think we need to tell her everything," Tara chuckled. "Besides, if I remember correctly...wasn't it you who let us get caught making out the other day?"

Willow couldn't argue with that. She'd purposefully arranged it so that Buffy would walk in on them...wanting to gauge her reaction. "Okay, okay," she chuckled. "I'll tell her."

Willow could feel her face turning beet red as she looked down at her shoes. "We, you know..."

Buffy frowned in confusion. Why was Willow so embarrassed? What was so embarrassing about merging...oh...oh...they...oh...?

"Oh, um...cool..." Buffy forced the words out, her own face turning a deep shade of red.

Buffy knew this was a telling moment for them, so forced down her awkwardness and gave her friend a soft smile. She met her eyes meaningfully and reached for her hand.

"Will..." she hesitated, "I...I wanna thank you...and Tara. That's why I pulled you aside. This isn't the first time Tara's helped me. I mean, there was that whole Faith thing, and then the spirits of Lowell house and...and now this. Tara...if you can hear me...thanks..."

Willow smiled at Buffy's words—feeling strangely comfortable in her presence...more so than she had in a long time. She could sense that Buffy had finally accepted her...accepted Tara. However, she still needed one last confirmation of the fact.

"What do you think of Tara? I mean, really. I...I wanna know the truth...we both do. I know you freaked when I..."

"Will," Buffy interrupted her. "I...Okay," she sighed. "I admit it...I was kinda freaked...but only for like a second. I mean...you kinda threw me. I never thought you were, um...you were..."

"Yeah," Buffy smiled. "What with Oz, and...and I was just surprised—that's all."

Buffy smiled warmly at her best friend and reached for her free hand. "Are you happy?"

Willow nodded, smiling at the thought of how happy Tara made her. "More than you'll ever know," she replied. "Tara makes me feel like...she makes me feel so special...so needed, and...and I've never felt like this before. I feel so connected to her...and not just coz we currently share the same body. It runs deeper than that..."

"Then I'm happy for you Will," Buffy interjected. "You're my best friend, and as long as you're happy...I'm happy."

"Will...I like Tara," Buffy began. "She's a good person...she's like super nice. I've never met anyone as nice as Tara—"

"Now it's my turn for an 'I told you so'," Willow quipped. "I told you Buffy liked you. You're the nicest person..."

"And no," Buffy continued, oblivious to the conversation happening in Willow's head, "I'm not freaked that you're gay. I was never freaked—just surprised. I wish you'd told me about it sooner; I would've loved to have been there for you...and I'm sorry I wasn't; sorry I was so busy with Riley...with everything."

The two girls embraced for a moment—giggling. They knew it was impossible to never not fight again...but it was something to aim for.

"So," Buffy ventured as they pulled away and began walking. "You gonna tell Giles and Xander what you and Tara did?"

"You afraid of what Giles would say?" Buffy guessed. "You think he'd be all English and disapproving..."

"Yeah," Willow chuckled. "He'd probably start making that cluck, cluck noise with his tongue..."

"Yeah" Buffy giggled. "I know the one. He'd be like...'don't you know how dangerous that is...cluck, cluck...' hehehehe..."

"It's not just that Buffy...I mean...normally I wouldn't mind telling him. It's just...I think he's freaked about me and Tara..."

"Yeah. You heard him the other night...he wasn't too pleased to find out she was my girlfriend..."

"Will...I think you need to talk to him. I'm sure he's not freaked...surprised maybe. But not freaked. He loves you and..."

"Okay, okay," Willow grinned, "I'll talk to Giles. But not now..." she pointed up the street. "We're here..."

Just then Xander turned around and walked back towards the two girls. "Heya, I'm gonna go to the video store and grab some vids okay. I'll catch ya later."

"Okay," Xander looked back over his shoulder. "Will do." With that, he gave them all a quick wave before turning around.

As Buffy introduced Riley to her mom, Willow and Giles made their way into the living room. There was still an air of awkwardness between Willow and her mentor, and Tara could sense how much this was affecting her girlfriend.

Willow smiled awkwardly at Giles while she replied silently to Tara's directive. "I can't talk to him Baby...I don't know what to say. I feel so..."

"You're scared to hear the truth..." Tara inferred. "You think he really is wigged...and coz you care about him so much...it hurts that he doesn't understand..."

"Hey, no fair...it's like you read my mind..." Willow trailed off as she realized the absurdity of her statement. "You did read my mind," she chuckled.

"Okay," Willow chuckled. "So...you really think he's cool with it...it's just that I...I'm scared Baby. He's like a father to me...more than my own father and..."

"And he loves you..." Tara reassured. "You have to talk...you won't be happy until you put this out in the open..."

Giles wiped his glasses one final time before putting them back on. He too felt a little awkward in Willow's company. He wasn't proud of his actions last night. He respected the young Wiccan, looked at her as if she were his own daughter...and it had surprised him to realize she was gay. However, he regretted his outburst at the revelation...

Giles could also sense Willow's hesitation and he knew that as the elder, he should be the one to say something..."I'd like to apologize," he ventured.

"I..." he pulled off his glasses, taking a moment to wipe them before speaking...using that time to decide how to proceed. "I acted appallingly last night..."

Giles cleared his throat and wiped his glasses again. "Um, yes...I apologize Willow. I want you to know I'm happy for you and Tara...she's a nice girl and I'm glad you've found someone..."

Giles returned his glasses to the bridge of his nose. "I do Willow," he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "It's nice to see you happy..."

"Does anyone want something to drink?" Joyce asked, stepping out from behind Buffy. "Something to eat...?"

Just then, Xander entered the room, holding a bag of videos in his hand. "Hey guys, I'm back."

"Hey Xander," Willow smiled. "Where's Anya? I'd have thought you'd bring her around..."

"She's feeling tired...actually, I think she's had enough of the Scooby thing for a while. You know, on account of the fighting and stuff. Anyway, speaking of other halves...where's Tara? Why don't you invite her over...?"

Willow cleared her throat and looked up at Buffy for some help. She didn't really want to reveal what they'd done...not right now anyway. She'd just set things right with Giles and she dreaded to think how he'd react if he found out...

"Didn't you say she was worried about her finals?" Buffy asked Willow, doing her best to cover for her friend.

"Why don't you ask my mom?" Buffy suggested. "She's in the kitchen. Maybe you could help her...?"

Ten minutes later, Riley had left, the popcorn had been popped, and Giles, Xander, Willow and Buffy, were all curled up in the living room—all set for a video night. The instant the first movie started however, the gang unavoidably drifted off to sleep...their dreams invaded by the first Slayer.

Linked with Willow, Tara found that she too was drawn into slumber...but since her body was already in a coma, her essence became a conduit...entering first Willow's dream, then Xander's, and finally Buffy's. She had no control over her actions in these dreams...but she was fully aware of what was happening. It was like she was being used by something greater than herself...as if she were a vessel of some sort.

In Willow's dream she was the voice of reason...the voice of comfort...and finally the voice of what Willow feared the most—rejection by loved ones. .

Willow's dream gave her insight into her girlfriend's psyche. She hadn't realized how little Willow really thought of herself until now. She'd known Willow joked about being a geek in high school, but what she hadn't known was how Willow felt that she was still that geek...and that she was scared people would reject her once they'd found out the truth. That part of Willow's dream also scared her, because Willow's fear was like her own fear...

They both felt like they had to hide their true self from the world...and it frightened her. While Willow's true self would always be loveable...her true self was a disgusting demon, and she would do anything to hide this from Willow. She'd only just found her...she wasn't ready to lose her just yet. And the dream could to do just that...pull her away from Willow. Through her own lips, she'd almost revealed her secret...given Willow the idea that there was more to her past than what she'd told her.

What if Willow started asking questions about her past...about what she was hiding? She was a terrible liar...and lying to Willow left a bad feeling deep inside her. However...what choice did she have? If she told Willow the truth...the girl would leave her...wouldn't she?

As she'd watched helplessly while Willow was attacked, these thoughts continued to run through her head. She'd wanted to get up and help her...but it was beyond her control. She was just a vessel for a higher power, and pretty soon she found herself inside Xander's dream. There, she was the conduit for his sexual fantasy...one which she could hardly wait to tell Willow about. She knew her gal would get a laugh out of how Xander had pictured them. It would also ease her to know that he'd accepted their relationship...

Before Xander's fantasy could be fulfilled, she'd found herself once again floating in the ether...As soon as she entered Buffy's dream, Tara realized that her role here was the most crucial of all...she was the voice of the First Slayer. She observed in awe as her spirit was used to speak for the Slayer...used to tell her of what was to come. She had no idea what it meant—what her words implied...but she could tell they had a great significance.

When everyone had woken up finally, Tara still remained in the ether. Her job wasn't finished yet. She had one last thing to tell the Slayer—but she'd have to wait for the right time.

When Buffy headed up the stairs to the bathroom, she found herself unwittingly drawn into her bedroom. She entered the room and looked around.

"You think you know...what's to come...what you are," Tara's voice echoed in her head. "You haven't even begun..."

Her task complete, Tara's essence was finally allowed to head back into her soulmate's body, as Buffy pondered the words in confusion.

"You're back..." Willow grinned. She was still sitting at the table with Giles and Xander, doing her best to appear calm—however her girlfriend's absence from her mind had begun to worry her somewhat. She was consequently ecstatic to hear she was back. "Where did you go...I couldn't talk to you and I was getting worried? What happened?"

"I had a job to do," Tara explained. "I...I kinda made a guest appearance in your dreams..."

"You mean you could see what I was dreaming?" Willow's face turned red—recalling how she'd dreamt of Tara and Oz...and the whole geek thing...and the body paint. Okay, so...the body painting of a Sapphic love poem was kinda cool...but the other stuff...Man...Tara must think she was a total geek...

"I don't think you're a geek Willow," Tara interjected. "And you don't have to be embarrassed...I love you...secrets and all..." she trailed off, deciding to avoid the subject of secrets altogether. She didn't want to prompt some telling questions about her own past. "Besides," she changed the subject, "Xander's the one who should be embarrassed...you'll never believe what he was dreaming..."

"You were in Xander's dream?" Willow asked in surprise. "What were you doing in Xander's dream?" She couldn't help feeling a little possessive...not entirely liking the idea of her best friend dreaming about her girlfriend.

"We were both in it," Tara chuckled. "Apparently Xander has a thing for, um...girl on girl action..."

"Yeah, that sounds like Xander," Willow couldn't help but smile. "What did he have us doing?"

"We were making out. We had on these really sexy outfits and everything...and then we asked him to join us..."

"You mean all three of us actually—?" Willow choked, evoking a glance from Giles and Xander.

"Uh...yeah...just a little hot," she held up the hot chocolate. "Burned my tongue..."

Tara's laughter echoed in Willow's head. "Don't worry Will," she reassured. "Nothing happened...the dream faded into something else..."

"Oh," Willow smiled, feeling relieved. "That's good...I don't know how I feel about..."

"I know," Tara agreed. "I feel the same...you're the only one I want to be kissing...even in a dream..."

Willow was just about to reply, but Buffy chose that moment to enter the room. "Hey Will," she ventured. "Can I speak to you for a moment...in private?"

"Sure," Willow replied, taking her cup of hot chocolate and following Buffy into the living room. "What's up?" she asked as they took a seat on the sofa.

"I think she means about what the first Slayer said," Tara explained. "I kinda spoke for her..."

This surprised Willow, and she couldn't help feeling a little proud of her girlfriend. That was some job—the voice of the first Slayer..."Wow...Tara spoke for the first Slayer..."

"Yeah," Buffy grinned. "I wanna know what she meant...what's coming...what I am...?"

"It's okay Baby," Willow soothed. "She doesn't know Buffy," she told the Slayer. "She says she was just the voice..."

"Oh," Buffy sighed. "Figured as much...just wanted to be sure. The things she said were kinda cryptic. Something about dawn coming...and not knowing who I am...it was really weird."

"I dunno," Willow sighed. "He is you're watcher...or used to be. Maybe he knows something...?"

Buffy nodded in agreement. "You're right...he should know," she stood up. "Don't worry though," she reassured. "I won't say anything about what you and Tara did..."

"What did you and Tara do?" Xander asked as he entered the room, having decided to leave when Joyce had joined him and Giles...he felt a little awkward around her after his dream.

"Nothing," Willow chuckled, doing her best to make it sound as if they were talking about something sexy. "It's a girl thing..."

"Ooooh," Xander grinned, taking a seat next to Willow as Buffy headed towards the kitchen to speak with Giles. "I'm all ears...just think of me as one of the girls..."

"Seriously though," Willow began, once her laughter had died down. "You okay with me and Tara?"

Xander's face turned serious, sensing Willow's change in mood. "I just wish you'd told me," he replied softly, realizing it was time for 'the talk'. "I'm hurt you didn't trust me enough to..."

"I was scared," Willow interjected. "I didn't know myself how I felt at first, and then...well, everything was so new and...and I didn't feel like I could tell anyone. I'm sorry I kept it a secret...sorry I...I..."

"It's okay Will," Xander reached for her hands. "I get that you were scared. But you're my oldest friend; I thought we could tell each other everything, and...and you should've known I'd be okay with this. Why would I not be okay? I just want you to be happy."

Willow nodded, feeling a little guilty that she hadn't shared this with her best friend. He was right—she should've known. She and Xander had shared everything for as long as she could remember, and she knew him even better than he knew himself sometimes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I should've told you...should've known you'd be okay with it...forgive me?" She looked into his eyes and gave him her most apologetic expression.

"C'mere, you," he responded, pulling her into his arms. "You know I can never stay mad at you for long," he whispered into her hair. "I love you Will."

An hour later, Willow had asked Buffy to walk her back to Tara's dorm. She wanted to check on her girl...make sure she was okay. Despite Tara's reassurances that her body was fine, Willow needed to see for herself. She was still worried that something would go wrong...

Saying goodbye to Buffy, Willow entered the room, and switched on the fairy lights. She smiled when she noticed that Tara was still lying right where she'd left her.

"But I needed to make sure," Willow replied, slipping into her pajamas. "I don't want anything happening to my girl...I only just found you..."

Tara couldn't argue with that...she felt the same way. Now that she'd found Willow, she never wanted to lose her...

"You won't lose me," Willow ventured, picking up on Tara's thoughts. "I'm here to stay..."

With that, she curled up next to her naked girlfriend and pressed a kiss against her cheek. "And I'm gonna be here when you wake up..."

Willow smiled and tightened her hold. As she held her close, she realized that she was still too wired to sleep...and she couldn't help thinking about that dream...thinking how Tara had seen it all...seen her fears...

"You don't have to be embarrassed Willow," Tara reassured. "I love you...even if you are a geek...but I don't think you are. I've seen the real you...been inside your head...and I love you..."

"Will...I think you underestimate yourself. You're a powerful Wiccan...and one of the smartest people I've ever met. It's what I love about you...your intelligence...your good nature...who you are. Don't ever be afraid to reveal your true self."

She didn't know why, but Tara's words touched her deep, and Willow couldn't help but be comforted by them. "I love you Tara...you know that. And how is it that you always know exactly what to say...?"

She was secure in the knowledge that she was loved...cared for...and that she could be herself around Tara. She'd never felt more at peace in her whole life...but she would have felt a lot better if Tara hadn't still been catatonic. She suddenly couldn't wait for tomorrow to come...so that she could finally be sure that her Baby was okay.

Tara once again joined her girlfriend's dream, only this time she had full control over her actions...which she used to her full advantage by making love to her girlfriend over, and over and over again...

The next day, Willow woke up with a smile on her face. Half the day had gone by, but she hadn't wanted to wake up any sooner...not when she was having so much fun dreaming about making love to her girlfriend. What's more, she knew that Tara would remain catatonic until the full 24 hours were up. They'd known it was up when Tara's presence began to slowly disappear from Willow's dream.

Willow turned to face her girlfriend, hoping that everything was all right. "Tara...are you awake...are you okay...can you hear me?"

She held her breath as she waited for Tara to respond...each second feeling like an eternity. What if something had gone wrong?

Willow's heart burst with joy and she silenced her girlfriend with a kiss. "Oh my God," she cried as she pulled away. "You're awake...it worked..."

"Always," Tara responded, leaning up for another kiss. She meant it with whole her heart. She would always belong to Willow—in this lifetime, and in every consequent lifetime too. Nothing less could be expected from a soulmate.

As she continued to kiss her girlfriend, Tara made a pact with herself. From now on, she would be research gal...she'd gather up every spell book and occult book she could find. She didn't want anything to come between them...least of all her secret...and hopefully she'd find something over the summer that would help her deal with her dark side. It was her only hope...her life would mean nothing without Willow.

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Friendship Factor

By SpikeMe4Now4200

Spikeme4now4200@yahoo.com.au