A Fluke Between Two Wiccans by SpikeMe4Now4200

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: This Story is mine. However, I don't own the Buffyverse or any of the characters created by Joss Whedon et al; you all know who they are. I don't wish to harm them; I simply want to play with them a little :-)
Distribution: http://au.geocities.com/spikeme4now4200/index.html http://mysticmuse.net
Everywhere and anywhere, just let me know where.
Feedback: Yes Please!!!! I would really appreciate feedback on this story; I'll reply to anyone who emails me. Constructive criticisms are very welcomed; outright flames will be ignored.
Spoilers: It would help if you've seen season 3.
Author's Notes: We know Tara was born in 1980; and since Willow graduated in the class of '99; that would mean our blonde Wiccan was 18 going on 19 during that year. Theoretically that would make her old enough to be at college. Furthermore, since it was never established exactly when Tara started college, my storyline could technically have taken place... in my own mind anyway... <lol>
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!
Pairing: Willow/Tara

Summary: What would have happened if Willow and Tara had met at the start of Tara's freshman year at UCSD?

"Hi Oz," Willow greeted her ex-boyfriend as she and Tara reached the front gates of the school grounds.

"Hey," the young man smiled at the two girls, not quite knowing what to say. This was the first time he'd seen Willow since that night, and naturally he felt a little uncomfortable. "So," he ventured, deciding to speak his mind. "The two of you are…?"

Willow shook her head instantly. "Oh no," she glanced nervously towards Tara and then back at Oz, "we, uh…we're not, um…I mean…"

"We're just f-f-friends," Tara supplied as Willow looked to her for support. She too felt uncomfortable with the situation.

"Oh," Oz replied stoically, furrowing his brow in confusion. What did that mean? Was Tara not interested in Willow? Had Willow changed her mind about how she felt about Tara? Or had Willow decided she wasn't gay…?

Willow and Tara glanced at each other for a brief moment, both having noted the young man's confusion. But what were they to say?

"Um," Willow spoke up first, figuring since Oz was her ex-boyfriend, that she should be the one to explain. "We, uh…we spoke and um…Tara thought it'd be, um…best if we were just friends…at least until I, um, figure out some stuff…come out to everyone…you know...?"

"I'm in recovery mode," Buffy explained as they began walking up the steps towards the school.

"Recovery mode?" Tara questioned the Slayer with a smirk. "Tough night patrolling?"

Tara chuckled in response and shared a smile with Willow. "Oh, I remember those. I kept dreaming my No. 2 pencil would break, and by the time I finished sharpening it, the exam would be over."

"Aww, poor baby," Willow giggled, grasping Tara's hand. "You must've done okay though…what with your scholarship and all?"

Tara squeezed Willow's hand as they neared the quad. "Yeah," she blushed modestly.

Willow beamed with pride and squeezed Tara's hand back affectionately. As they continued walking, Willow didn't let go of her friend's hand, choosing instead to lace their fingers together.

Oz couldn't help noticing this, but did his best to stay calm. If he wanted to remain friends with his ex-girlfriend, he was going to have to get used to the subtle displays of affection between her and Tara.

"Mine was monsterific," Buffy interjected, oblivious to all but her own problems. "I dreamed that the whole exam paper was possessed by the SAT demon," she continued.

"It was scary," Buffy chuckled. "First, all the words kept jumping out of the paper and trying to blind me…"

Buffy smiled good-naturedly at her best friend's ribbing. "Yeah, but that wasn't the end of it."

"Nope," Buffy shook her head in response. "And then I was being chased by an improperly filled-in answer bubble screaming, none of the above! "

"Wow! I hope that wasn't one of your prophecy dreams," Willow teased. "Probably not," she stammered, off Buffy's stern look

"Hey, you know, I took it last year," Oz piped in. "I could help you get ready. There's this whole trick to antonyms, but…this isn't the place."

Willow smiled at this, feeling proud despite the ex status of their relationship. Even though she wasn't in love with Oz, she still cared for him a great deal.

"Oz is the highest-scoring person ever to fail to graduate," Willow turned towards her ex instinctively, momentarily forgetting that they weren't together any more.

Tara moved her eyes to the ground uncomfortably. While she didn't begrudge Oz, she did however feel a little disgruntled. She couldn't help but be reminded of his history with Willow and it brought her thoughts to a very disturbing place, leading her to question Willow's recent decisions.

Oz felt pleased one moment, and then uncomfortable the next. As he and Willow made eye contact, he could see the warmth and affection she held for him. But then he remembered they were no longer together and his mood quickly shifted.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Willow instantly realized what she'd done. She then moved her eyes from Oz, to Tara and then down to the floor, chastising herself for making everyone uncomfortable.

"Isn't she cute when she's proud?" Buffy teased, completely unaware of everyone's discomfort.

Willow blushed at the compliment as Tara continued to look at the ground uncomfortably, causing the young man to instantly regret his words.

"We could work on it tonight," Willow turned to Buffy, hoping to break the tension.

"Work on what tonight?" Xander inquired as he and Cordelia came up from behind them.

"Buffy SAT prep," Oz explained, doing his best to avoid eye contact with Willow and Tara.

"Um, my exit," Tara suddenly stopped walking. "I promised to return these to Giles," she held up a couple of books. "And I've got class in a while…"

Willow watched dazedly as Tara headed in the direction of the library, unable to take her eyes off her friend. She was unconsciously checking her out, taking in the way her light blue jeans accentuated her curvaceous backside, the way her long hair bounced with every step…

"Hey," Oz tapped her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts. "You coming?" he asked her gently, wanting to save her some embarrassment.

"Huh?" Willow turned to face Oz, who was now pointing up ahead at the rest of the gang. "Oh," she blushed, embarrassed to be caught staring at Tara. "I, um…I-I-I…"

Willow smiled warmly at her ex-boyfriend as they joined up with the rest of the gang. She was glad there weren't any hard feelings between them. She knew it would become increasingly harder for her to keep her secret and when she did finally come out, Oz was definitely someone she'd be looking to for support.

"Tara," Giles smiled, standing up from behind the counter. "It's nice to see you."

"Hello Mr. Giles," Tara walked up to the front counter. "I brought your books," she placed them down on the bench. "They were very helpful."

"I'm glad to hear it," he said, moving out from behind the counter and motioning for Tara to follow him as he walked up the steps. The spells in those books were designed specifically to test a person's level of concentration and control. "How did Willow fare?"

Tara smiled as Giles began shelving the stack of books he held in his hands. "She was great," Tara beamed with pride. "She managed each spell almost perfectly. Some of them she only had to attempt once before she executed them. She was amazing. You should have seen her Mr. Giles, the way she's improved in just a short time…"

Tara chuckled as she broke off her ramble. She found it slightly ironic how speaking about Willow seemed to actually infect her with patented Willow-babble. She was extremely proud of her student though, and she wasn't ashamed to admit it.

"I-I-I guess I'm j-j-just proud of her," Tara smiled shyly. "She's, um, very special…"

Giles looked down at the young Wiccan with affection. It pleased him greatly to know that Willow had such a caring magickal teacher—one who was also her friend, and had her best interests at heart. What pleased him even more was that Willow had stopped going to Amy for advice about magick, but instead received all her information and instruction from Tara.

He had always been wary of Amy on account of her mother, and his dislike of the girl had manifested itself fully after she'd turned Buffy into a rat. Regardless of the fact she'd been under a love spell at the time. She was the one who'd cast it anyway…

"Yes," Giles said in agreement. "Willow is very special, and I'm glad to see she's found such a caring teacher."

Tara blushed as Giles began walking back down the stairs. She wasn't used to being praised or complimented, and Giles opinion meant a lot to her. He was the father figure of the group, and in the short time that she'd known him, she too had begun to look on him as a surrogate father. He was everything her own father wasn't…

"I can see how much you care about her," Giles continued, motioning for Tara to sit down at a nearby desk. He then quickly took a seat opposite her. "Willow is…I see a lot of myself in her and I worry that she'll…"

"Give in to darkness like you did?" Tara surmised, sensing the general drift of his thoughts.

"Yes," Giles automatically replied, before he realized exactly what Tara was implying. "Wait," he took off his glasses and began cleaning them, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. How did Tara know about his past? "Willow told you…?"

"Yeah," Tara smiled softly. This was a talk she'd wanted to have for a long time now, but had been waiting for the right opportunity. "I-I could sense the d-darkness in you when we first met and I asked Willow about it. I knew it was in your past, but…that kind of darkness…"

"It never actually leaves you," Giles sighed, putting his glasses back on. "So you can see why I worry about Willow? She is extremely bright and her inherent power is a lot stronger than mine and…and if she ever…"

"She could end up destroying not only herself…" Tara sighed, leaving the rest of the sentence unfinished.

Giles nodded in agreement. "Yes. But now that you've taken it upon yourself to train her, I have to admit, some of my worries have been laid to rest."

"Why is that?" Giles frowned. What was Tara getting at? Was there something about Willow's use of magicks that she hadn't told him?

"Willow entered the world of m-m-magick by doing that curse," Tara began. "I'm scared that by awakening her power with dark magicks…it's got to be a bad thing. And even though I don't sense darkness in Willow, I do sense a potential for it. If she'd awakened her magick properly…"

Giles agreed with everything Tara had just said, and couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it himself. Maybe it would be better if Willow didn't practice magicks at all…at least that way she wouldn't be in danger. But he could tell by Tara's determined tone of voice, that she had something else in mind.

"What are you suggesting?" He interrupted, wanting to get straight to the point. "I can see you've thought about this."

"I have," Tara smiled. She'd spent a long time researching cleansing rituals on account of her inner demon. After finding out about Willow's curse though, her motivation had doubled. If she could find something that could both rid her of evil and cleanse her of all darkness, then that very same ritual could be used on Willow as well.

"Willow needs to go through a cleansing ritual. I've done a lot of research on the subject, but I still haven't found exactly what I need. I, um…I was hoping you might know of something…maybe have some books we could research. I don't want to tell Willow about this until I've found a way to help her. She'll just get worried and…and I don't want to scare her. I don't want her thinking she has darkness inside her. Because she doesn't…not exactly…"

Giles was utterly amazed by the great insight Tara had just shown. A cleansing ritual? Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it before?

"I'm impressed Tara," he smiled at the young girl. "You've obviously given a great deal of thought to this, and I commend you for it. Although, in retrospect, I should have come to the same conclusion. Curses are not a part of the Wiccan way, so naturally there are side effects. And you are absolutely right. We need to find a ritual as soon as possible."

Giles stood up and headed over towards his office. He was quite excited now. "I have a few books in the back room that could be of use," he said over his shoulder. "But I'm sure the council has a more extensive collection. I will give them a call right now and ask them to send over any books they have on the subject."

Tara waited patiently while Giles spoke on the phone, feeling excited herself. Not only would she now have a better chance at finding a cure, she would also have a way of helping Willow. What's more, she was constantly afraid of hurting not only Willow, but her friends as well, and as long as her demon-side lay within her, she'd never feel right asking Willow to be her girlfriend. Although, for right now, Willow was far from ready for a relationship anyway. But in the future…

"It's settled then," Giles made his way back to where Tara was sitting, interrupting her thoughts. "The books should be here as soon as the request is approved."

"But until then, you can have a look through these," he placed three books on the table in front of her. "I'll see if I can locate some more as well, and if I find anything useful I will call and let you know."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Giles," Tara accepted the books graciously. "Do you have my number?"

"Just a moment," Giles turned around and headed over towards the counter to grab a pen and some paper.

"Here you go Mr. Giles," Tara handed back the pad once she'd written down her address and telephone number. "And thanks again. I really don't want Willow to worry, you know?"

"I understand," Giles said with a smile. "She does have a tendency to be a touch sensitive. And I think discretion is best in this matter."

"Right," Tara agreed as she stood up. "Well, anyway, thanks again for the books, but I…I've got a class to get to and…"

"Of course," Giles followed her as she headed towards the exit. "Your studies must come first."

Tara couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so touched. With his simple directive, Giles had let her know he'd accepted her into the fold.

"Okay…Giles," Tara grinned, blinking away a few stray tears as she walked through the doors.

As she made her way down the halls of Sunnydale High, Tara took a slight detour towards the cafeteria. She knew that's where Willow and the others had been heading towards, and was hoping they were still there. She wanted to say goodbye one last time before leaving for class. She was hopelessly in love—she knew it. But what was she to do? She just couldn't get enough of her Willow. And one last look at her smile, a quick grasp of the hand…well, that couldn't hurt…right?

When she entered the cafeteria, Tara frowned at all the commotion. What was going on here? Why were there so many people? And what was with the boxes of chocolates? Glancing around the room, Tara smiled when she spied Willow and the gang in a corner, each of them holding a box of chocolates.

"Hey," she greeted the Scoobies, although her eyes met and fixed on Willow's alone. "What's going on here?"

"Hey Tara," Willow smiled, pushing down the urge to reach for her and pull her into a warm hug. Instead, she merely reached her hand out and briefly touched Tara's arm in greeting.

"Snyder's using us as free labor," Cordelia ventured, holding up her own box. "It's unfair. I mean, we're not even in the band, and we're forced to sell these like…like some kind of common salespeople. There should be a law against this. Imagine, me as a salesgirl. What's the world coming to?"

"Right," Xander chuckled, intending to let go with some snide remark. However, he got a sudden flash of guilt over his actions with Faith the other morning, so decided against it. "Snyder's a bad, bad man," he quipped instead.

As if on cue, Snyder chose that moment to spot the new member of their group, and walked over towards them. "You," he growled at Tara. "Why don't you have a box?" He grabbed one from the nearest pile and handed it to Tara. "You think you're too good for this?"

"U-u-u-um n-n-n-n-n-no s-s-s-s-sir," Tara stammered nervously. She graciously accepted the box from Snyder, placing it on top of the books she'd borrowed from Giles.

"This isn't the first time I've seen you with this group of delinquents," Snyder continued, ignoring the girl's sudden distress. "I'll be keeping an eye on you." He said menacingly, before turning around and heading over towards another group of empty-handed students, shouting directives left, right and center.

"Are you okay, Tara?" Willow asked softly, reaching her hand for Tara's shoulder.

"Yeah," Tara instantly relaxed at Willow's touch. "He um…he just s-s-surprised me…th-th-that's all…"

"Well, don't worry about him," Willow reassured. "He's just a big ole nasty…" she trailed off, her voice rising with every emotional word. "What I wouldn't give to have a minute alone with him. I'll teach him to speak to you like that. He's just a mean, mean, man and I…I'll put a curse on him. That's what I'll do. I'll turn him into a…a frog. Yeah, a nasty, slimy, disgusting frog. No, wait, that's too good for him. He should be…"

"Will," Tara chuckled, interrupting her friend's diatribe. "It's okay, really. I don't mind."

"Oh," Willow smiled sheepishly. She felt very protective of Tara, and hated the idea of anyone hurting her—in whatever manner. "Sorry…being silly…"

Tara chuckled in response, giving Willow a warm smile and the two girls shared a touching moment.

Oz watched the entire display in silence, noting how warmly the two girls looked at one another.

"That's my Will," Oz took a step forward and placed a hand against her shoulder. "And it's not silly, it's cute."

Willow turned to face Oz, instantly realizing his intentions. She couldn't help blushing; to realize she'd once again been caught staring at Tara. However, she was glad the gang would attribute her embarrassment to his compliment instead. "Thanks Oz," she gave him a sincere smile.

Tara simply lowered her gaze to the floor, letting her hair cover her face and in turn her own embarrassment. However, she couldn't help feeling a little upset that Oz had to cover for them. This reminded her of why she'd told Willow they were better off as friends. Willow was definitely not ready to come out to everyone…and when even a warm glance between them caused Willow embarrassment, she could just imagine how hard it would be for her if they were actually involved.

Hiding a relationship would be impossible. She already had a hard enough time keeping her emotions in check around Willow. And she could only imagine how hard it would be if they were actually a couple. Knowing they shared intimacies in private, but having to hide how they made her feel…

Tara cringed at the thought. Yes, she had definitely made the right decision. Friendship was all they could have at the moment. No matter how tempting it was to be with Willow on a deeper level, she'd have to resist. She didn't want to add to Willow's anguish; she'd already done enough.

"Um, I…I g-g-guess I should, um g-g-get to class," Tara ventured, feeling a sudden urge to be elsewhere.

"Oh," Willow frowned, realizing where her friend's discomfort was coming from. She wanted to apologize, but knew that would only bring questions from her friends. In their opinion she'd done nothing wrong. Too bad they had no idea she was hiding such a huge secret. So, why couldn't she just tell them? Why did she have to be such a coward?

"Oh, " Tara offered, the idea suddenly occurring to her, "if you w-w-want me to, I don't mind selling your candy for you. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to get c-c-college students to buy chocolates…"

"Hey, that's not fair," Cordelia cut in. "Why should she get out of manual labor? I mean, how hard would it be to sell chocolates to a bunch of half-stoned college kids anyway?"

"You want me to try and sell yours too, Cordelia?" Tara offered bemusedly, not really minding.

"I'm not taking advantage…" Cordelia began to protest indignantly, but off Willow's look she thought better of it. She'd never seen Willow so antsy before. There was just something about her steely gaze that warned her to back off.

"Fine," she sighed, pulling back the box of chocolates, "whatever. Like I care anyway. Xander," she turned to her boyfriend and grabbed him by the arm, "lets go. I don't wanna be late for class."

With a shrug, Xander loyally escorted his girlfriend to class. He still felt too guilty to put up any form of protest. "Later guys."

"So," Buffy turned to face Willow after Xander and Cordelia had disappeared from view. "Spill," she demanded with a grin. "You took some asserto-pills or something, right?"

"You know, the Meow act—the way you stood up to Cordy. And what was the whole thing about you turning Snyder into a frog? Can she really do that?" Buffy demanded mockingly of Tara. "What Witchy mojo have you been teaching her?"

Tara giggled at Buffy's teasing. "N-n-no curses that's for sure," she turned back towards Willow. "Unless there's something you're not telling me about?" she decided to join in with the teasing. It was better than wallowing in her discomfort.

"I, um, I'll see you guys later," Tara ventured, moving to leave the cafeteria. "You want me to take your candy with me?" she asked Willow.

"I don't mind," Tara insisted. "Cordelia was right. It'll be no problem to sell them…really."

"You sure?" Willow asked, gingerly handing the box to Tara. She didn't want to take advantage of her friend.

Tara simply gave her a warm smile as she placed the box of chocolates on top of her own, using her books as a tray. She wouldn't have offered if it wasn't okay.

"Bye," Tara gave one last glance at Buffy, Oz, and Willow, before making her way out of the cafeteria. She didn't want to prolong her goodbye, afraid of what would happen if she did. Knowing that Willow had feelings for her was making it extremely difficult to keep her own emotions at bay. She just hoped for Willow's sake that she'd continue to remain strong.

That afternoon, Willow knocked on Tara's door and waited patiently for an answer. When none was forthcoming after about a minute, she realized that Tara was probably still in class or out somewhere. She knew Tara's last class for the day finished at around 4pm, and it was just past that time now. Choosing not to wait for her outside, Willow decided to enter Tara's room instead. Tara had always told her to enter at will if she wasn't there. She rarely locked her dorm room.

Willow looked around the empty room in silence, wondering where Tara could be. It wasn't like Tara to be late. So where was she? Maybe she's out selling chocolates? No! Wait! What if she's out on a date with someone? What if she's out with Faith? No…she'd have told her about that first…right?

Willow sighed, feeling a little disgruntled that Tara wasn't there. Heading over towards Tara's bookshelf, Willow decided to kill some time by going over one of Tara's magick books. She knelt down to take a look at what was on the bottom shelf, but as she pulled out a couple of books, a pile of paperbacks came crashing down to the floor.

Putting aside the spell books, Willow picked up one of the paperbacks and felt her eyes widen in surprise. On the cover of the book was a drawing of two women in a very passionate embrace. She turned the book around and quickly read over the blurb, wanting to see if this was what she thought it was.

Oh my god, she thought to herself. It's a lesbian romance novel. Tara reads lesbian romance novels. Since when does Tara read lesbian romance novels? Why does Tara read lesbian romance novels? Well, of course, Silly, Tara's a lesbian, so why wouldn't she read lesbian romance novels?

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Willow opened the book and began skimming over it. She'd heard that romance novels always had good sex scenes in them…and naturally she was curious. She'd only recently discovered she was gay, and she didn't have the slightest idea what two women did in bed, how they made love. Well, okay, she had some idea, but she had never really given it much thought. She didn't know the specifics or anything like that. And what better way to find out?

When her eye caught sight of the words naked breasts, Willow quickly skimmed back a few paragraphs, wanting to start reading from the beginning of the section. If she was gonna find out about lesbian sex, she might as well read the whole scene – not just the juicy bits.

Not knowing who the two women were, Willow skimmed back a bit further to read over some character descriptions. She soon found out that their names were Zoe and Vicky, and that they were both in their twenties. From the cover art Willow could make out that both girls were brunettes, and the blurb at the back had let her know that they both worked for the Federal government as partners, which is why their relationship was taboo.

Figuring she knew enough about the plot now, Willow returned to the sex scene. She was stalling; a part of her was a little nervous. It was one thing to think you were gay, another one to allow yourself to get turned on by lesbian sex…and that's just what Willow was about to do.

But what if it didn't turn her on? What if she found the actions of two girls together disgusting, repulsive? What then? Would that just make her a terrible lesbian, or would it mean she wasn't a lesbian at all? And if she wasn't, then why did she feel so attracted to Tara? Maybe she shouldn't read this after all…

By now, Willow had stopped reading the characters as Vicky and Zoe, but had inadvertently replaced them with herself and Tara. Zoe was Tara—the older, more experienced lover. She was Vicky—experiencing all this for the first time.

Therefore, as Zoe's lips moved against Vicky's skin, Willow imagined Tara's lips moving against hers. She could see Tara licking at her breasts, her stomach, pressing kisses against the soft skin of her inner thighs, before her tongue finally reached out for her throbbing pearl.

She was living vicariously through these characters and as Vicky finally came from Zoe's expert tongue movements, Willow could only imagine what it would feel like to do the same. She could smell her own arousal now and the undeniable wetness between her legs was a mere testament of the insistent throbbing she felt down south.

She continued to read on however, curious to know what would happen next, hoping that it would be Vicky's turn to taste her lover. Willow was not disappointed and pretty soon she was imagining the sensation of pressing her own lips against Tara's skin, of tasting her essence as her tongue extended into her folds.

When Vicky finally experienced the satisfaction of bringing her lover to orgasm, Willow couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to do the same for Tara. What would Tara sound like as she writhed in ecstasy? Would she call out her name, call out God's name, or would she run her fingernails down her back as she moaned incoherently? Regardless, Willow knew that however Tara reacted, her orgasm would be nothing less than spectacular to witness.

Willow was about to stop reading then, but noticed that the characters weren't finished with one another yet. Zoe had one more surprise in store for Vicky and no one was more surprised than Willow as she read what it was. Reading how Zoe strapped on a leather harness with a double-sided dildo, Willow's eyes almost jumped out of her head in amazement. She'd never known such things existed, let alone how they were used.

Willow was so taken with this unique form of lovemaking, that she was now completely enthralled in her fantasy. In her mind, she and Tara were like one person, rocking together in a rhythm as old as time, and it was taking all her willpower to keep the fantasy purely fantastical.

Luckily, Willow hadn't given in to temptation, because Tara chose that moment to come through the door and drop her backpack next to her desk. At first, Tara didn't notice that anyone was in her room, but as she turned around, she spotted Willow on the floor next to her bookshelf, engrossed in one of her books.

Willow squealed as she looked up from the book, automatically thrusting it behind her back. She couldn't remember the last time she'd squealed so loudly, or been so startled. "T-T-T-Tara," she stammered. "W-w-what are you-you d-d-doing here? Oh, it's y-y-your room, right. Of c-c-course you're here. You're here, in y-y-your room and I…I wasn't doing anything. Really. N-n-nothing going on here. I was doing nothing. N-n-not reading anything. No, not m-m-me. I-I-I was just, um…n-n-nothing."

Tara smiled bemusedly as Willow stuttered nervously, wondering what was going on. She couldn't remember when she'd ever seen Willow so worked up before, so flustered and her nervous stuttering was adorable. Willow was so cute when she stuttered.

"Will," Tara knelt down next to her friend and placed a hand on her knee. "What's wrong?"

Willow jerked away form Tara's touch, her whole body tingling with pent up sexual energy. "Nothing," she insisted, her face turning an even deeper shade of red.

"Then what are you hiding behind your back?" Tara raised an eyebrow, confused by Willow's reaction. Why did she pull away? What's going on?

"Me?" Willow protested innocently. "Why do you think I'm hiding something? I'm not—"

Willow sighed as Tara gazed at her knowingly. She couldn't hide anything from Tara—not that she wanted to—it's just that she was slightly embarrassed to be caught reading lesbian erotica.

Like a guilty child, Willow looked sheepishly at the floor as she extended her hand, holding out the illicit material. She couldn't bear to look at Tara. She felt utterly mortified.

"Oh," Tara chuckled as she took the book from Willow, making sure to keep it open. She looked down and read a couple of sentences before looking back up at her friend. Willow was so adorable and so obviously aroused. The poor girl was flustered from reading a lesbian sex scene, and Tara couldn't help but find the situation entirely amusing.

"I see I caught you at a bad time," she teased. "You want me to leave you alone to, um…finish the scene…maybe come back in say…ten or fifteen minutes?"

"W-w-what?" Willow looked up, her cheeks burning even more fiery now. "I-I-I wasn't, I mean, I don't…I'd never, I-I-I'm not—"

"Relax Will," Tara smiled, instantly regretting her bad humor. "I was just teasing," she said softly. "I'm sorry."

Willow's behavior now made perfect sense to Tara, and she couldn't hide the knowing grin that covered her face. To think, lesbian erotica had turned Willow on. This was definitely a good sign—and as she thought about it, she realized it was only natural for Willow to be curious. In fact, if Willow was anything like her, then she'd want to know everything she could about what it meant to be a lesbian. Maybe it was time she gave Willow her first lesson. Magick could wait.

"Hey, Will," she ventured softly, daring to place a gentle hand on Willow's knee. She smiled when Willow didn't pull away this time. "Look at me," she appealed, keeping her voice soft and inviting.

Shyly, Willow lifted her eyes to Tara's, scared of what she'd find there. When all she saw was warmth and understanding, she couldn't help but smile back.

"It's okay," Tara began. "You sh-shouldn't be embarrassed. I, uh…I read them all the time you know…and if anyone should be embarrassed, it'd be me, right? It's my book after all…"

"But I'm not," Tara continued, "so you shouldn't be either. There's n-n-nothing wrong with reading about…you know. I mean, how else would I learn, right?"

Tara chuckled, as did Willow, lightening the mood in the room. Tara was pleased to see she'd managed to ease her friend's tension somewhat.

"Besides," she squeezed Willow's knee gently, "you're Research Gal—isn't it in your job description or something?"

Willow chuckled in response, words escaping her for the moment. She was still getting over her sudden embarrassment, as well as trying to deal with what she'd just read. She'd had her first initiation into the world of lesbian sex, and her senses were reeling from it. What's more, her mind was now buzzing with so many questions and thoughts, that she had no idea which one to address first. There was so much she wanted to know.

Sensing this, Tara realized that she'd have to make the first move. Willow was never going to ask her anything unless she coaxed it out of her. She just hoped she'd be able to answer all her questions. Willow wasn't the only one who was shy here. But Tara would do anything for Willow, and if she had to answer difficult sex type questions, then so be it. Not that she was much of an expert on the subject—but she had read quite extensively, and she did know more about it than Willow at this stage.

"Will," Tara took a deep breath to steady herself. "You know, it's only natural that you'd um, be interested in…in these type of books. Why do you think I read them?"

Willow laughed in response, even while her cheeks reddened. "Yeah, hot. I, uh…I never knew, um…you know, about…"

Ignoring the blush in her own cheeks, Tara decided to help Willow out by finishing her sentence. She could tell she was struggling with the word.

"Yeah," Willow's cheeks warmed even further. "Do, um, girls really use…I mean…have you ever…oh, sorry, I-I don't mean…I-I…you don't have to, I was just—"

"Will," Tara said her name softly, putting the book down before reaching for both of her hands. "You w-wanna t-talk? You can, um, t-talk to me about anything, you-you know…ask me anything. I-I don't m-m-mind, really."

"Come on," Tara stood up, dragging Willow up with her. "W-w-why don't we sit down," she guided Willow towards the bed, "we'll be m-more comfortable here."

Willow quickly made herself comfortable on the bed. Tara did the same and the two girls were soon sitting opposite one another.

"So," Tara began nervously, her heart racing. She was about to have a sex talk with Willow, and she couldn't be more flustered if she'd tried.

"Yeah," Willow returned, feeling just as nervous. What could she say? Would it be okay to ask her questions? She really wanted to know how far Tara had gone—what she'd done. She also wanted to know about what was normal between two women and what wasn't. She'd never given it much thought before, but reading that sex scene had gotten her thinking.

Did women always use toys to compensate for not having…? Or was that only right for some women? She'd always thought that lesbians didn't like that part of a man so wouldn't need that. Obviously she was mistaken. The two girls she'd read about seemed to enjoy that just fine.

If she and Tara ever had sex, would Tara want to do that? Would she expect it? Would she herself enjoy that kind of penetration? The way the book described it made her feel like it would definitely be worth a try. Although, the part with the fingers and the tongue between the legs was good too. In fact, that part seemed more intimate, more personal somehow.

And what other things did women do? Was there more she didn't know about—more ways of bringing pleasure to each other? And how much did Tara actually know about this? Had Tara fooled around with girls? She knew Tara had kissed at least one girl before, but had there been others?

Had Tara touched another girl's breasts—had her own breasts fondled? Had she gone even further? Had she allowed another girl to touch her more intimately? Had she touched another girl intimately? And if so, what did it feel like? Did she know what another girl smelled like—tasted like? Did she like it? Would she herself like the taste of another girl? Would it make her a bad lesbian if she didn't? Were all lesbians expected to do that kind of thing?

"W-w-what's on your m-m-mind, Will?" Tara prompted, bringing Willow out of her thoughts. "You can ask me anything."

"I…" Willow hesitated, embarrassed by all the questions in her head. However, as soon as she opened her mouth, she unconsciously moved into babble mode and all her thoughts came pouring out of her uninhibited.

"I, um…It's just, there's so much I…I don't know and, um, reading that scene it um, you know, it made me think about what girls do and…and what's right and wrong and, and, and do all girls use, um, you know, toys? And, and I, um, I can't stop thinking about the, you know, the taste. What does it feel like to, you know? Have you ever? Oh, sorry, I'm way out of line. You don't have to answer that. It's none of my business; I'm sorry. I just, I…I never really knew girls did that either. Well, maybe I did kinda know they did it, but I never knew the details of how they did it and, and it, you know, made me think about it and…and what if I don't like it? That would be bad right? Make me a bad lesbian? And…"

Willow realized that she wasn't giving Tara a chance to respond. And if that wasn't bad enough, she'd also revealed just a little bit more than she'd intended to. She hadn't planned on being quite so open.

Tara's own cheeks now matched Willow's in color, as she took in the girl's thoughts. Even though Willow's questions were exactly what she'd expected to hear, they were still a little overwhelming. How did she go about answering them? I guess I should start with my own experience and go from there…

"Wow," she ventured with a smile, "that's, um, a l-l-lot of questions. B-b-busy thoughts…?"

"Oh, no, it's okay," Tara reassured. "I um, I d-d-don't mind. I…I just d-d-don't know where to um, start. You see um…I…I haven't really ever, um, you know b-b-been with a girl. Not c-c-completely. I've, um…I've only well, um…I think I've gone as far as, um, you and Oz have, you know. I mean, I've t-t-touched girls b-b-before, but never…never without c-c-clothes. W-w-well, okay, I-I-I-I've, um…I've had my hands under a-a girl's, um…sh-sh-shirt a few times. B-b-but that's all…I've never…I mean…not f-f-further…not really…not for long…I'm still…you know…?"

Willow blushed at the thought of Tara's hands under a girl's shirt. She instantly thought of what it would feel like to have Tara's hands under her shirt, but quickly pushed the thought out of her mind. She was already flustered enough. However, Willow couldn't help but smile at the idea of Tara still being pretty much untouched.

"So you've never, um, you know…with a girl before…?" Willow just had to ask—needing confirmation.

"Yeah," Tara blushed in response. "I've never…. I, um…I've never b-b-been in love…before…"

"You haven't?" Willow asked softly, her lips curling into a gentle smile. She couldn't help but notice the way Tara trailed off, hinting at something neither of them were ready to deal with just yet.

Tara smiled in response, lowering her gaze to the bedspread before continuing. "To me, making love is about being in love and…and since I haven't been in love before, I guess I've always held that part of myself back."

"Although," Tara interjected, "I understand how you'd, um…be worried about the, um, the t-t-taste…"

"…but to me," Tara chose to overlook Willow's embarrassment, "it, um, it wouldn't m-m-matter. I'd um, it'd b-b-be about l-l-loving the person and…and if you l-l-love someone, you love all of them, r-r-right? So their t-t-taste would be just another part of them and I'd love it cos it would be th-th-theirs. You know what I-I m-m-mean?"

"I know what you mean," Willow smiled timidly, her embarrassment lessening somewhat. Tara always had a way of making her feel at ease, as if she could tell her anything and it would be okay. "It's an expression of l-l-love. So it wouldn't matter…it would be spiritual, like…like…like a union of souls…"

Tara couldn't help but smile at Willow's romantic notion. What's more, as she met her gaze, she could feel her cheeks burning with emotion. Willow was looking at her almost as if she was directing the notion at her. But that was impossible…Willow wasn't in love with her…was she? No, she was just reading too much into her words. The girl was merely speaking hypothetically.

Willow's breathing had now become a little ragged. She couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like to make love with Tara. Reading that book, indulging in her fantasy, and now talking openly about love and sex with Tara, was pushing her hormones into overdrive.

Unconsciously, Tara had started to lean in towards Willow as she spoke, so that now their faces were mere inches apart. She could almost feel the girl's breath against her lips, and it was causing her mind to freeze up. She knew their relationship needed to remain platonic, but that notion was becoming increasingly difficult to stand by. Especially given their current conversation.

"Um, yeah…" Tara choked out awkwardly, forcing down the urge to kiss Willow. Now was not the time. So why were her lips still moving towards Willow's?

"Yeah," Willow whispered back, her eyes dropping to Tara's lips. "Making love would be about…about love. So I guess it, um…it also wouldn't matter if you made love to a man or a woman. Would it?"

"R-r-right," Tara agreed breathlessly, as her forehead met Willow's. "L-l-love is b-b-blind…"

"Mmmm," Willow agreed, closing her eyes as she bridged the final gap between their lips.

Tara also closed her eyes; the sensation was too much for her not to give in to. Her lips started out by merely brushing against Willow's, pressing against them softly and pulling away slightly. This happened repeatedly, only each time her lips met Willow's, they lingered just a little bit longer until eventually, they no longer pulled away. Instead, her lips were now opening and closing against Willow's, while her hands had reached out to cup the girl's face.

Willow in turn reached out and wrapped her arms around Tara's neck and waist. Her pulse was racing, her panties were soaked through, and in the back of her mind she somehow registered the fact that she could no longer feel her legs. It was an incredible feeling to be kissing Tara. Her lips moved instinctively against the girl's, obeying a primal call deep within her. She wasn't acting; she was reacting.

Therefore, Willow couldn't help but deepen their kiss even further. She needed to explore; to taste the woman in her arms. Which is why she boldly thrust her tongue between Tara's lips, and was now working it around the inside of her mouth.

Tara moaned in response and could feel an instant increase in the wetness between her thighs. In fact, as Willow's tongue continued to explore her mouth, she began to feel very light-headed. So much so, that pretty soon, she could no longer sustain her upright position, and found herself falling down to the bed, pushing Willow down with her.

"Mmmm," Willow moaned, surprised to find Tara's body draped on top of hers as her head hit the pillow. She instantly moved her hands so that they rested against Tara's back. Her legs meanwhile had spread to accommodate Tara's, so that the girl's thigh was pressing up against the wetness between her legs. Her own thigh was in a similar position, only since Tara was wearing pants, she couldn't quite feel the girl's wetness.

Tara gasped, moving her lips from Willow's as she reacted to their new intimacy. She had direct contact with Willow's soaked panties and tights and the girl's arousal was so pronounced it was apparent even through Tara's cotton pants.

Her eyes still closed, Tara moved her lips back to Willow's, wanting to have her turn at a little exploration. When she pressed her tongue against Willow's however, it caused an increase in her own wetness and when Willow's thigh suddenly moved up to press against her heat, she began to tremble.

Tara's reaction registered in Willow's mind, just as her hands moved beneath the edge of the girl's blouse. She wasn't thinking coherently though, but was still reacting. Therefore, as Tara shuddered in response to her touch, Willow's hands continued to move upwards against the silky skin of her back and her thigh began to press harder and harder into the source of her need. Meanwhile, her own desire was also being fuelled as she instinctively thrust herself against Tara's thigh, her skirt riding up higher with every movement.

Tara couldn't believe that Willow's hands were now pressed against her naked back. The thought didn't quite register properly in her brain. She'd never felt so electrified by another girl's touch. It was amazing, and she too was now beginning a rhythmic hip thrust—desperate to relieve the ache in her core.

However, when she suddenly felt Willow's fingers unsnap her bra-clasp, Tara experienced a brief moment of clarity. The sensation of the metal fastenings being released, acted like a pistol shot in her brain. What the hell was she doing? She and Willow were meant to be keeping things platonic—not helping one another to orgasm. Mustering all her strength and willpower, Tara dragged her lips away from Willow's and used her hands to push herself away from the girl.

Both girls whimpered at the loss of contact, but Tara remained firm. Now was neither the time nor the place for such intimacies. If and when they made love, their first time could not be about a primal need for release. It had to be because they were both ready to accept who they were, and wanted to show how much they loved one another. And Tara was in no way convinced that Willow was ready to accept her sexuality, let alone that she was actually in love with her.

It took Willow a moment to realize Tara had moved away from her and was now standing over the bed. She'd been so absorbed in her own arousal, and she now felt the loss of the girl's body keenly. But looking up at Tara, seeing her flustered expression, noticing the way she trembled as she struggled with her bra-clasp, Willow quickly began to feel guilty.

"Oh, God," Willow sprang out of bed. "I'm so sorry," she apologized, moving to stand in front of Tara. "I-I don't know what came over me. I was all grab-y and molest-y and…and I…"

Tara's trembling was getting worse by the second; she was frustrated with her inability to re-clasp her own bra. Willow noticed this and moved behind Tara to help. She was responsible for this after all.

"Here," she pulled Tara's hands away, letting the girl's blouse fall down over her back. "Let me," she continued softly, lifting the material back up to reveal her bra strap. Not waiting for an answer, Willow ignored the sensuous appeal of Tara's exposed back and quickly re-clasped her bra. "There," she whispered huskily as she moved back to stand in front of Tara. "I'm really sorry."

"Oh-oh-oh-oh, n-n-n-n-n-no," Tara finally found her voice, blushing as she realized what had to be said. She was well aware of how sensitive Willow was and didn't want to repeat past mistakes. She had to be totally open with Willow.

"It's n-n-n-not your f-f-fault Willow," she insisted, reaching for the girl's hands. "I mean I…I t-t-too was um…I mean, I…I d-d-don't m-m-m-mind you t-t-touching me. I just…I th-th-think it's…it's too s-s-s-soon. I w-w-want you Willow, but I…l-l-like I said…I want my first time to be, you know…about l-l-love and…and r-r-r-right now it was just s-s-s-s-sex. Right? You were r-r-reading that b-b-book and…and we were t-t-talking about it and…and you know? I mean, all I w-w-wanna do right now is t-t-touch you and k-k-kiss you and t-t-taste you, but—"

Willow could feel her own cheeks warming from Tara's words. The girl wanted her. Tara Maclay was attracted to her. And hearing her say she wanted to taste her was like a mind numbing experience. Despite her stutter, or maybe even because of it, Willow felt that the way Tara had said those words had been the most erotic thing she'd ever heard.

Without thinking, Willow surprised Tara with a forcefully hard kiss. She pressed her lips firmly against Tara's, moaning passionately. However, she pulled away before either of them could deepen it, not wanting to lose control again.

Tara gazed into Willow's eyes as she breathed heavily, doing her best to regain some composure. She'd been caught off guard by Willow's kiss and had now forgotten what she'd been about to say. Her lips could still feel the impression of Willow's and her whole body was buzzing with energy.

Willow was also breathing heavily, taking a moment to steady herself, before speaking. "So, you want me?" she asked huskily, her lips curled in a teasing grin.

Tara chuckled softly in response, recognizing the humor in Willow's voice. "You kn-know I do," she blushed. "I'm sure you could t-t-tell just how m-m-much a minute ago…"

Willow inhaled sharply at Tara's response, aroused by the overt sexuality of her words. This was a side of Tara she hadn't seen before and it intrigued her. For such a shy girl…she sure knew how to talk sexy.

Tara instantly regretted her words, feeling as if she'd gone too far. Willow obviously wasn't ready for that much sex-talk. "I'm sorry," she apologized, giving Willow's hands a gentle squeeze. "I—"

Willow shook her head at Tara's apology. "Oh, no," she interrupted. "Don't be sorry. I just, you, um, I…I wasn't expecting you to say that. But I, um, I…I, um, me too, I mean, I was wet too. I, uh, I still am w—"

Willow blushed as she realized she'd gone one step further than Tara in her admittance. She was now more than a little embarrassed. Saying you were wet was more intimate than admitting you were aroused, even if it did essentially mean the same thing.

Tara blushed as well, but felt for Willow's embarrassment. "Hey," she soothed, pulling her student closer towards her. Leaning in, she pressed her lips against Willow's right ear. "You're not the only one who's still w-w-wet," she whispered, her blush deepening with every word.

Willow's eyes widened in shock as she heard Tara's revelation. She immediately felt a jolt of arousal rush all the way down to between her legs. Hearing Tara say she was wet, as well as the sensation of the girl's breath against her earlobe, caused her knees to wobble and her legs to tremble.

As Tara pulled away from Willow, she gave her a shy smile. She was embarrassed by her disclosure, but was pleased to note an answering blush had appeared on Willow's cheek. Even though it was best for the two of them to remain platonic for the moment—Tara knew that it would be hurtful to Willow if she kept her desire a secret. Willow needed to know the truth, especially since she too seemed to have similar stirrings. There was obviously a mutual attraction here, and she would have to tread very carefully.

Willow smiled back, her blush deepening as she took a few steadying breaths. "I—"

Tara lifted a finger and placed it against Willow's lips, silencing her. "I know," she smiled warmly, not wanting to travel down that road. The two of them could so easily be dragged into a very revealing conversation that would inevitably end in another heated embrace. That wasn't what she wanted.

"M-m-maybe we, should, um…g-g-go for a walk," she suggested instead. "We could, um, get s-s-some d-d-dinner and…and f-f-fresh air. It's kinda hot in here…"

Willow chuckled as Tara removed her finger. "Yeah," she agreed huskily. "Very hot." Willow gave Tara a sly grin, letting her know exactly what she was thinking.

"So," Willow continued as she followed Tara towards the door. "Where do you wanna go?"

Tara opened the door before turning to face Willow. "Um I, uh, how bout the, uh, the Rocket Café. We can get dinner with my, um d-d-dining card."

"Okay," Willow smiled in agreement, closing the door behind her as they headed out.

"Where were you this afternoon?" Willow ventured as they approached the Café, asking the question that had been bothering her earlier.

"Oh," Tara smiled, "I'm sorry I was, um, a little late," she apologized. "I was j-j-job hunting."

"Yeah," Tara continued with a smile. "My, um, my scholarship p-p-pays for my dorm room and basic school expenses like-like text books a-and dining cards a-and stuff, but, it d-d-doesn't cover anything else…"

"Lesbian erotica," Tara finished off with a chuckle, unable to resist. She knew something had to be said to relieve their earlier tension.

Willow smiled in response, chuckling under her breath as she blushed. "So," she changed the topic, "um, did you get a job?"

Tara shook her head and sighed. "No…the Magick shop isn't hiring at the moment."

"Oh," Willow replied sympathetically, before she realized exactly what Tara had said. "You went for a job at the Magic shop?" she burst out excitedly. "That's so cool. A witch in a magick shop. I bet you'd get all kinds of discounts too. You could have half priced candles and eyes of newt and—"

"Yeah," Tara giggled. "It would've been great. I guess I'll just have to look somewhere else…"

"There'll be other jobs," Willow consoled, reaching out and grabbing a tray for them to share.

"Thanks Will," Tara smiled at her friend fondly. "It's not a big problem though," she explained. "I still have my scholarship money…and I can afford all the basics."

Tara smiled back, before taking the tray from Willow and stepping into the end of the queue.

"Yeah," Tara agreed as she took a seat opposite her student. "I got us a couple of burritos, too."

"Oh, hey," Willow ventured after a while. "How'd it go with the chocolates? Did you sell many?"

Tara chuckled in response. "Not really…there's a party at Porter dorm tonight and I figured the frat boys would appreciate some chocolate-y goodness…"

Willow chuckled. "But thanks though, for, um, selling them. It was so mean of Snyder to talk to you like that. You don't even go to high school…and I bet he doesn't even know—"

The girls giggled before going back to their food. They ate in silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts.

"Um, Will…" Tara ventured a minute later. She'd been thinking about their situation and what had happened between them, and had come up with a great idea.

Willow chuckled as she nodded. "Yeah, Research Gal. And somehow I don't think you're talking demons here…"

"No," Tara smirked in agreement. "No d-demons. But I, um, I guess what I'm s-s-saying is that it's in your n-nature to wanna know everything about being a, um…a lesbian…"

Willow blushed but nodded. "Yeah…I'm curious. Especially after reading that, um…that scene…" she trailed off, giggling nervously. "I mean, it um…it made me realize there's so much I-I don't know. Like the toy thing…"

"You f-found it sexy?" Tara asked softly, forcing herself to be as open and upfront as possible. She wanted Willow to feel comfortable talking to her about this.

"Just unexpected," Willow clarified with a shy smile. "I was surprised and…and it made me wonder what else I don't know. You know?"

"But now you know things?" Willow asked. "How—? I mean, I-I-I don't mean experience, I mean…have you read stuff…you know…sorry…"

"Don't apologize," Tara said softly, giving Willow a warm smile. "It's okay for you to ask me stuff. I want you to feel like you can talk to me about anything."

Willow smiled at this and reached out, gently squeezing Tara's hand before letting it go. "Thank you," she said softly.

Tara smiled back shyly. "You're w-w-welcome, Will. But, um…I guess I'm not that big a Knowledge Woman when it comes to being a-a lesbian. I mean, I've only ever had one real girlfriend and—"

"You've had a girlfriend?" Willow interrupted, surprised by the revelation. "You never told me you'd had a girlfriend…"

"Nope," Willow shook her head. "You said you'd gone to like second base before, but you never said you had a girlfriend. Although, now that I think about it, I should have figured you'd only do that with a girlfriend." Willow chuckled sheepishly. "You're not the type to just…"

"Right," Tara smiled as she blushed. "But our r-r-relationship didn't last long…"

"Were you in love with her?" Willow asked gently. "Did she break your heart? Oh wait, you said you'd never been in love…"

Tara's smile widened at the concern in Willow's voice. "Yeah," she said softly. "It wasn't that serious. We met one night at a youth club. It was an hour's bus ride from home, but I used to go there every night…it was part of my r-r-rebellious stage. When my mom died, you remember I told you I—?"

"Yeah," Willow interjected, "I remember. You put a curse on your family and everything. Kinda ingenious…"

"Not really," Tara disagreed. "It wasn't a good thing for me to do…but I guess I felt it was my only choice at the time."

Willow smiled in response. "But, you know, I think it would've been cool to see you all rebellious. What did you do? Hey! You didn't start smoking and doing drugs did you?" Willow frowned. "Cos, you know, smoking kills and…and drugs are even worse and—"

"I didn't do that," Tara interrupted with a smirk. "I just wanted to get away from things, that's all."

"A bit like the Bronze," Tara explained. "I'd go there and just sit and read in a corner. Sometimes I'd look up and watch people. I liked to wonder what their lives were like…who they were, why they were here, you know?"

Willow smiled at Tara's revelation, pleased to be getting a tour of her psyche. "I do that sometimes, too," she admitted. "And is that how you met your girlfriend…er, ex-girlfriend," Willow chuckled at her slip up.

"That's right," Tara nodded. "She'd noticed me sitting there by myself everyday, and one night she came and sat next to me. We started talking, and I found out she was a freshman at UCLA and that she was taking some time off cause both her parents had just died in a car accident. I told her about my mom and we kinda bonded."

"Yeah it was," Tara agreed. "She helped me to finally move past my grief. I think I helped her, too, in a way…"

Tara thought for a second, taking a moment to decide how best to answer Willow's question. "We started out by meeting each other every night," Tara began. "We were just friends at first and we'd sit and talk over sodas and coffees, but after a while…"

"Not serious, more like…I don't know…it's like we moved into a new level of our friendship," Tara struggled to describe her situation accurately. "I mean, we started looking into each other's eyes a lot, touching hands frequently—lingering longer than we should. And then one night, she asked me to dance..." Tara closed her eyes as she remembered. "That's when things really changed," she continued softly, opening her eyes again.

"The dance was nice," Tara smiled. "It was slow, and I rested my head on her shoulder, and we held each other close—closer than we ever had before. I could feel every part of her against me as we moved and it was…it was, um…"

Willow smiled as Tara blushed, thinking how adorable she looked. She was very pleased the girl felt comfortable enough to share this story with her. And while a part of her didn't like the idea of Tara being so intimate with someone else. She knew it was in the girl's past, so that made it okay.

Tara's blush deepened as she nodded. "Yeah…hot. And afterwards, when we pulled away I felt warm all through and…and a little, um…"

Tara smiled in response, her cheeks turning an even warmer shade of red. "Yeah."

"So that's when things changed?" Willow continued. "Did you become girlfriend's that night?"

"Not exactly," Tara began. "That night, when she'd walked me to the bus station, we were both feeling a little embarrassed. We couldn't quite look at one another, but when our eyes eventually met, she leaned in and we kissed for the first time."

Tara chuckled in response. "It didn't last long. But every night after that, we'd kiss goodbye. We never discussed our feelings or if we had a relationship, but the kisses got longer and longer each night. This began to bother me after a while, cos I started to have feelings for her. It wasn't love, well, not exactly…I didn't really know what it was…but I cared for her and I couldn't keep going on like we had…"

"I did," Tara smiled. "One night when she moved to kiss me I pulled away. I told her I couldn't do this any more. I asked her what we were…if she thought we were girlfriends, and told her I couldn't keep kissing her and have it mean nothing."

"She said it was about time I said something," Tara chuckled. "She'd wanted to bring it up herself, but didn't wanna push…wanted me to set the pace cos I was so new at this…" Tara paused at the thought, recalling the girl's kind words to her.

Willow waited patiently for her to continue, allowing Tara to travel down memory lane at her own speed. She was pleased the girl had good memories in her past. She liked knowing that Tara had happy times in her life.

"We became official girlfriends that night," Tara continued after a moment, her smile widening, "and she asked me if I wanted to spend the night with her. I thought she meant, you know…but she told me she just wanted to talk…in private…"

"Not that night," Tara shook her head. "I was too scared. This was all kinda new to me. And I wasn't ready for anything more than kissing—even if she did say she just wanted to talk. I told her I wanted to talk, too, but I also wanted to take things slowly and I wasn't sure going home with her would be a good idea."

"She was okay with it," Tara continued with her story. "She said she understood and that she wouldn't push. So that's how we started out and the next night when we met she kissed me hello and we talked and danced and kissed...it's like there was a different vibe between us now and because we were girlfriends—it felt okay. I mean, we didn't even care if anyone saw us…you know? And things got better from there. A few nights later I took her up on her offer and went to her place. That's when we started really making out…"

"Oh," Willow's blush mirrored Tara's. "Is that when you put your hand under her shirt?"

Tara nodded shyly, not quite meeting Willow's gaze. "Our hands were, um, lotsa places…."

"Right," Tara was quick to respond. "We never made l-l-love. We only got to like second base…although, this one time, now that I think about it, we did kinda get to, um, third—just for a second…"

"Really?" Willow's curiosity was peaked. "What happened? Oh, sorry, you don't have to answer…"

"It's okay," Tara smiled shyly. "We, um…we were kissing and-and I was wearing a skirt and…well, um…her hand kept getting higher and higher on my leg and…she touched me…between the legs…"

"Not i-i-immediately," Tara gave Willow a sheepish smile. "It um, f-f-felt nice, you know? And I…I wanted her to touch me. But when her hand slid under my, um…my p-p-panties…that's when I pulled away."

"Oh," Willow smiled, her cheeks burning and the wetness between her legs doubling. She couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to touch Tara so intimately. Especially since she'd had a sneak preview this afternoon.

"So, what happened between you?" Willow asked, forcing her naughty thoughts away. "Why'd you two break up?"

"We weren't in love," Tara said wistfully. "We were together for a few months and even though we were attracted to each other, we both realized we were kinda using the other. It was a hard time for both of us cos of our grief. It was good to be close to someone…but that's all it was. I couldn't keep being with her when I didn't love her…and she realized it too. So we broke it off, but still remained friends. At least for a while. I started going to the youth club less frequently and so did she…and eventually we lost contact."

Tara smiled softly in response. "It was for the best," she contemplated. "People grow apart…they come and go…it's all part of life. And no one got really hurt, so…"

"Yeah," Tara agreed. "I'm glad I met her, and we came into each other's lives when we needed one another the most. I guess fate or the gods or whatever, figured our part was done—we'd helped each other and now it was time to move on…"

"That's a very interesting way of looking at things," Willow noted. "So, you believe fate controls our destiny and that nothing happens without a reason?"

"To an extent," Tara replied. "I think that fate plays a big part in our lives, but we're the ones who ultimately choose which path to take. We have decisions to make in life and fate merely guides us to those crossroads. It's up to us to take it from there…"

Willow's smile widened at Tara's words. She was enjoying the philosophical turn of their discussion. Tara was definitely intelligent…and to her, smart equaled sexy.

Willow blushed as well, realizing what she'd let slip. It was too late to back up though, so she might as well reveal all. "Smart girls are sexy," Willow lifted her eyes to Tara's meaningfully.

"It's okay," Tara responded graciously. "I'm just not used to-to c-c-compliments…"

"Well, you better get used to them," Willow quipped mock sternly, "cos when you're around I can't help myself…"

Tara smiled back and giggled. "Thanks Will," she said once her giggling had died down. "Which reminds me…I had an idea before…"

"What are you getting at?" Willow asked with a smile, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I was just thinking, that um, after we've eaten, you might wanna go to the mall with me. It's open for another hour or so. We could go to the book shop—"

"Oh," Willow interrupted, suddenly understanding. "That would be cool. You could help me look for books on being a lesbian…"

"Yeah," Tara smiled. "And maybe I can even get a new romance novel…I'm sure you're gonna want to borrow all the ones I've got now. I'm gonna need something to read on lonely nights…" she chuckled.

Willow giggled as she reached out for some more nachos. "Time's a wasting then," she stuffed the food into her mouth.

Tara found her enthusiasm adorable. "Right," she smiled warmly, grabbing the last fajita. "No time to waste…"

"So this is it," Willow stated, taking a moment to glance around the small shop as they crossed the threshold.

"It's not big," Tara acknowledged, moving towards the romance section, "but it's got what I'm looking for," she chuckled.

"Yeah," Willow smirked, a blush creeping to her cheek as she recalled the afternoon's events.

Tara turned to face Willow and gave her a shy smile, before moving her attention back to the various romance novels on display.

"Oh," Tara tapped Willow's arm a moment later. "CN Winters has a new book," she reached out and grabbed the book from the shelf in front of her.

"I've read a lot of lesbian romance novels," Tara explained, "and her first is one of the better ones out there…one of the few that sticks in my mind. I've got her book at home—Irrefutable Evidence'— if you wanna read it."

The girls continued to browse for another half an hour. Willow wanted to buy every lesbian related book in the shop, but unfortunately her allowance had a limit.

"I guess I'm maxed out now," Willow sighed, looking down at the small stack of books she was holding.

Tara moved towards her friend with a smirk. "Maybe I should try for a job here…" she joked. "Looks like you need someone on the inside…"

"What did you settle on?" Tara looked down at the pile of books in Willow's hands.

"Um, well…" Willow blushed as she noticed the topmost book on her pile. "Purely for research purposes…"

Tara smirked as she picked up the book. "Tough girls. Down and dirty dyke erotica," she read out loud, her lips curling into a smile. "By Lori Selke and Laura Antoniou."

Willow couldn't help but smile at Tara's attempt to make her feel more comfortable. She looked up gingerly at her friend and forced down a fit of nervous giggles. "Sure," she grinned.

Tara smiled back and picked up the next book on Willow's pile. "Early embraces. True life stories of women describing their first lesbian experience. Edited by Lindsey Elder."

"Yeah," Tara smiled, "and I'm sure you didn't get it for the raunchy descriptions…"

"Of course not," Willow quipped with mock horror, before the two of them burst into giggles.

"Well, this one's a little more respectable," Willow ventured, holding up the next book.

"How to be a happy lesbian," Tara read as she accepted the book. "A coming out guide by Tracey Stevens and Katherine Wunder. You're right," she agreed. "Next one?"

Willow paused as she looked down at the last book in her hands. "This one's, um…not so, um…innocent…"

"Well, there's some more, um, technical books," Willow justified herself, "but, um…well, I can't afford all of em and I…well, these seemed good for now. I can always, um…"

"It's okay, Will," Tara handed the books back to her friend. "I did the same thing when I first started my collection."

"Yeah," Tara confirmed. "When we get back to my room, you can check it out. Lotsa good reading…"

"Cool," Willow replied. "You gonna get anything?" she asked Tara as they made their way towards the counter.

"Oh, yeah," Tara grinned in recollection, making a detour back to the romance section. She quickly grabbed a copy of C.N. Winter's One Belief Away, before joining Willow at the counter.

As the girls made their way across campus to Tara's room, they had to make their way passed Porter dorm. The party was in full swing by now, and the sounds of laughter, chatter and music could be heard from a mile away.

"Yeah," Tara agreed, noticing the slightly wistful tone of Willow's voice. "You wanna check it out?"

"I guess I can't wait to start college," Willow stopped outside the entrance of Porter dorm. "Not for the parties," she nodded in the direction of the party, "but…well…"

Tara gave her an encouraging smile, and grasped Willow's free hand, the one that wasn't holding onto the bag of books.

Willow smiled at Tara, and squeezed her hand affectionately, warmed by her touch. "It's just that…" she continued with a sigh, "I never get invited to parties and…and, well, it might surprise you to know this, but I'm not really that popular at school," she explained in a mock conspiratorial voice. "But at college, geeks are in and…"

Tara smiled as she began to understand where Willow was coming from. "And things would be different," she finished off, looking deep into Willow's eyes and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "You'd be with people who respected your intelligence. You wouldn't be the only smart one and…and you could party with anyone you want cos you wouldn't be out of place."

"Yeah," Willow grinned, surprised at how accurately Tara had pegged her thoughts. "In High School, knowledge is pretty much frowned upon. You really have to work hard to learn anything. But here, the energy, the collective intelligence, it's like this force, this penetrating force, and you can just feel your mind opening up, you know, and letting this place thrust into and spurt knowledge into…"

Noticing her friend's bemusement, Willow trailed off, catching herself before she said anything even more embarrassing. "That sentence ended up in a different place than it started out in…" she grizzled good naturedly

Tara chuckled in response. "I mean, I…I couldn't wait to get to college either," she explained, "and not just so I could get away from my family. In my mind, I looked at college as a way of starting from scratch. I'd be here and…and no one would know me or judge me. No one would care if I were gay or straight, Wiccan or Christian, smart or dumb, popular or unpopular. I could be whoever I wanted to be. Learn whatever I wanted to learn…make my life my own."

Willow looked at her friend with complete admiration. Tara's way of looking at things was entirely profound, and made perfect sense. What's more, it struck a deep chord within her. "Wow," she exclaimed. "I…I never would've put it that way, but…but it's exactly how I would've put it if I'd thought about how I'd put it and…and you're totally right…"

Tara applied a gentle pressure to Willow's hand. "We can go in if you want," she said softly. "The group of guys I sold the chocolates to told me I was more than welcome to come to the party and bring along any friends. Although, at the time I never thought I'd actually take em up on the offer. But if you want, we can go in for a while…just to see what it's like…I can see you're curious—"

"No, I," Willow interrupted, but faltered as Tara gave her a knowing look. "Okay," she admitted, "I guess I'm a little curious," she smiled sheepishly, " but that doesn't mean we have to go in. It's just…" she trailed off wistfully. "I don't go to any parties, especially college parties. I've never been to a real college party. Buffy has though…with Cordelia of all people. They went last year and…and of course I wasn't invited, but…but Buffy went and…and okay, so they were almost eaten by this underground demon, but it still would've been nice to have gotten an invite…"

Tara merely smiled, realizing now was not really the time or the place for explanations. "Does that mean you wanna go inside?"

However, before she could properly form a response, a couple of guys walked up towards them. They were both in high spirits and the scent of alcohol was more than just a little apparent.

"Uh, hi," Tara shook the guy's hand gingerly, recognizing him as one of the boys she'd sold the chocolates to earlier that day.

"I, um…I'm g-g-glad you liked em" Tara stammered shyly. She always had a problem talking with someone she barely knew.

"Hey, you girls gonna come inside?" the guy turned his gaze to Willow and then back towards Tara. Not waiting for a response, he headed towards the door, opening it for the two girls. "Lotsa fun to be had inside," he grinned, "right Nick?"

"Right," the guy agreed, holding up a couple of large brown paper bags as he joined his friend. "We just got back from a booze-run. We've got more than enough wine here if you girls aren't into beer…"

"I, um…" Willow faltered, not wanting to offend the guys. Maybe they could go inside for just a little while…?

Willow thought it through for another moment, before finally chickening out. Much as she wanted to check out a college party, she still felt kinda out of her league.

"You're missing out on a great night," the guy holding the door open smiled, gesturing once again for them to come inside.

The guy smiled ruefully, genuinely regretful that the two girls weren't gonna join them. However, a second later, his face lit up as his half-drunk mind got an idea. He reached into one of the bags and pulled out a bottle of wine.

"Sure you can," the guy insisted. "If you won't come inside, then at least take some of the party home with you."

"I…" Tara began, but quickly realized that the guy wasn't gonna take no for an answer. Which is why she gracefully accepted the bottle, knowing it was better to humor a half-drunk frat boy, than to argue with him. "Thank you."

The guy gave her a huge grin, obviously pleased she'd accepted his gift. "Enjoy your evening, ladies," he said, before he disappeared through the doors and in to the party, quickly followed by his friend.

"Looks like we scored some wine," Tara chuckled, handing the bottle to Willow, who deftly placed it in her book bag.

"A little," Tara admitted. "I guess I'm just not used to it. I never really had many friends in high school," she explained, looking up as the door opened again.

Willow looked up as well, and was surprised to see her ex-boyfriend heading towards them.

"Oz," she greeted him with a smile, unconsciously giving him the once over. He looks real good tonight, she noted to herself, her heart skipping a beat, and he's got his good hair…

"What are you doing here?" Willow questioned, forcing down her confusing thoughts.

"Gig," he explained. "Dingoes are playing. I just stepped out to grab some more guitar strings." He motioned towards the direction of his van. "You two going inside?"

"Oh, no," Willow shook her head, wondering how she hadn't noticed Oz's van parked there earlier.

"We, um…we're just going back to Tara's…" she trailed off, feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

Tara looked down at the floor and shuffled her feet, stealthily letting go of Willow's hand. The tension in the air was so thick, it would take a sword to cut through it.

"I see," Oz said with his usual stoicism. "I hope you have a good night," he smiled graciously.

The three of them stood there in silence for another moment, until Oz finally cleared his throat.

Tara watched in silence, feeling even more uncomfortable than she had a moment ago. It was obvious that Willow missed Oz, and she'd bet her prize tarot deck that the girl was still in two minds as to whether she was doing the right thing; whether she really was gay. It'd be so much easier for Willow if she were with Oz. She wouldn't have to deal with the stigma of being gay, of coming out…

"Sure," Willow nodded, deciding not to prod further into Tara's mind frame. Besides, it wasn't too hard to guess why the girl appeared so uncomfortable.

With that, the two girls walked the rest of the way to Tara's room in silence. Oz's appearance being the catalyst for introspective thoughts regarding their relationship.

"Will," Tara ventured once they'd reached her dorm room and had taken a seat on her bed.

"If you, um…wanted to go back to the party…hang out with Oz…I'd understand…"

Willow sighed again, not knowing quite how to respond. She did miss Oz, missed their relationship. However, what she and Tara were on the brink of enticed her more and more each day.

She'd recently realized she was gay…only, sometimes, like tonight, seeing Oz with his good hair, looking so adorable, well, it gave her a lot to think about. She still cared for him a great deal, and the fact that she could care for a guy in that manner, while also being attracted to a girl confused her terribly.

Tara couldn't help but sense this. She wasn't stupid, and Willow's reaction to seeing Oz had not gone unnoticed. She'd seen the way Willow's gaze had locked onto Oz, seen the way she'd unconsciously run her eyes down his entire length, taking in his appearance. It was obvious that she still felt a little attracted to him.

"Can I ask you something?" Tara inquired gently. Off Willow's nod she continued tentatively. "You're still a little, um…attracted to him, aren't you?"

Willow blushed and shook her head vehemently in protest. "I'm not—" She couldn't lie to Tara however, so stopped herself mid-sentence. "I dunno," she sighed instead, unable to meet Tara's eye. "It's all so confusing…"

Being the dutiful friend that she was, Tara reached out and placed a gentle hand on top of Willow's. "You know, it's okay to be attracted to both men and women. There's nothing wrong with being b-b-bi-sexual."

"Is that what I am?" Willow sighed, turning her hand over and giving Tara's a gentle squeeze.

"I don't know Will," Tara squeezed back. "Only you can tell. But…but why do you have to be anything at all? Can't you just be Willow?" she quipped.

Willow chuckled at Tara's attempt at humor, her mood lightening despite herself.

"You don't have to pigeonhole yourself into a sexuality," Tara continued more seriously. "You—"

"I know," Willow interjected. "It's just…I'm a pigeon-holy type of gal. I like order and…and I just wanna know who I am, where I fit in, who I should like, who I shouldn't like…"

"I know," Tara smiled warmly. "But sometimes it's better to just let things be. You don't have to belong to any group but Willow-group. In fact, the way I look at it, you're actually just really open to love itself."

"You're not limiting yourself," Tara continued, pleased to see Willow taking to her idea. "You're open to a relationship, regardless of gender. It just means you've got more of a chance at finding happiness than someone who's written off half the world's eligible population."

"I guess I'm not," Willow replied sheepishly. "I don't know what I am Tara. I've never actually had an interest in guys…or girls for that matter. I've had a crush on Xander for years and because of that I never really noticed anyone else. Until Oz came along. But then I met you and…and I started to have thoughts and feelings and…and you know the rest. I just wish I knew for certain who I was…" Willow sighed and looked at her friend appealingly.

Tara pondered her response for a moment, before deciding that there really wasn't anything she could say that would help Willow.

Instead, she let go of Willow's hand and got up off the bed, an idea forming in her head. "Well, you don't have to decide tonight…"

Willow watched in silence as Tara walked towards her desk, wondering what the girl had in mind. When she grabbed the bottle of wine and uncorked it with a muttered spell, Willow's perplexity increased.

"Those guys had a good idea," Tara placed the bottle on the nearby table, as she searched for a couple of glasses.

"Not exactly," Tara finally located two small tumblers. "I can see Oz had an effect on you tonight, a-and you're all confused now…?"

"We can try to analyze your feelings, if you want," Tara began to pour the wine, "but we could also clear our minds for a while, drink a little wine, and not worry about what the world expects you to be. Tonight, we can just be Willow and Tara. Not gay, not straight, not bi…just us. What do you say?"

Willow looked at Tara, meeting her gaze, before looking down at the wine she was offering. She could definitely see the merit to Tara's plan. A glass of wine might actually be the best way to end such a tumultuous day.

"Here's to being yourself," Willow took the glass and clinked it against Tara's.

"To being yourself," Tara grinned, pleased that Willow had decided to follow her lead.

The girls clinked their glasses again, before each taking a long sip of their wine. A second later they were both coughing.

"Me either," Tara smiled, taking a smaller sip this time. "I don't think we're meant to down it in one gulp."

"No," Willow giggled, before she too took another sip. "It's not too bad once you get used to it," she said a few sips later.

"Mmm," Tara concurred, getting up to pour them both some more. "It gets into your head pretty quick though," she noted, already feeling a little light-headed.

"Yeah," Willow agreed. "But it is nice…not that I really know much about wine," she chuckled.

Tara chuckled as well, feeling somewhat giddy. The wine was quickly beginning to work its way into their system, and both girls could feel themselves relaxing more and more with every sip.

"Tara," Willow ventured as she took yet another sip of wine, "can I ask you something?" she repeated the girl's earlier question.

Tara was a little surprised by Willow's question. However, seeing as the wine was having its desired effect on her, she merely curled her lips in a Mona Lisa type smile, before answering.

Willow giggled and took another sip of her wine. "Does that mean all the time?" she quipped.

"What do you think?" Tara smirked. "How often do you think about it?" she countered good-naturedly.

Willow giggled as her eyes met Tara's. "I used to wonder about it a lot…what it'd be like with Oz," she confided.

"I'd imagine what we'd do. I had these whole first time scenarios in my head…"

"Yeah," Willow admitted, the wine helping her to feel increasingly comfortable with the turn of their conversation. "But, um…lately…he's not the only one I've been fantasizing about …"

"I've been curious," Willow confessed shyly. "You've been on my mind so much…"

"Mmm hmm," Willow smiled. "And…and I, um…when I was reading that book earlier…I couldn't help but, you know, think what it'd be like. I could see us doing that…see us…you know…"

Tara's heart was pounding in her chest. She knew the book in question quite well, and the notion of Willow imagining the two of them making love in the manner described within it, caused an immediate flood of warmth to fill her lower belly.

"You've been on my mind a lot too," Tara ventured, taking another mouthful of wine in the hopes of cooling herself down a little. However, it merely served to make her even more heated.

"Sometimes," Tara whispered shyly, suddenly unable to meet Willow's gaze. "I think about you a lot Will," she confessed gently. "You mean so much to me, and I…I can't help but think about…"

Willow boldly reached for Tara's thigh. "Tell me…" she appealed softly, gently squeezing the girl's thigh before removing her hand.

Tara exhaled sharply, her gaze moving up to meet Willow's. She could see the intensity in the girl's eyes, and for some reason (probably having a lot to do with the amount of wine she'd consumed), Tara felt strangely bold. It was like she simply had to let Willow know…

Willow smiled and reached for the end table to pour them both some more. "About me?"

"Mmm hmm," Tara blushed as Willow refilled her glass. "I seem to remember you playing a large role in it…"

Willow blushed and giggled simultaneously, placing the now empty bottle of wine back on Tara's end table.

"It varies sometimes," Tara continued, gaining more confidence with every passing second. "But it's about our first time…"

"Where does it happen?" Willow prompted, feeling a sudden excitement building inside her.

Willow smiled and took another sip of her wine as she waited for Tara to continue.

Tara also took another mouthful of wine. However, feeling the need for a little more liquid courage, she fluidly downed the last of it and handed the glass to Willow to place on the end table. She'd never in a million years have thought she'd be revealing her fantasy to Willow. However, it was too late to back down now. Besides, a part of her was more than a little excited with the prospect of letting Willow know…

"We're dancing…slowly. I, uh…I love to slow dance," Tara confessed with a shy smile. "I'm holding you close and I can feel every part of you against me…"

"After a while," Tara continued, "I begin to softly sing the lyrics of the song, almost whispering them into your ear…"

"In my mind, you always like that. My breath keeps brushing against your ear and you close your eyes and, um…moan softly."

"I really like the sound of that," Tara admitted, smiling shyly, "and I stop singing. I press my lips against your ear and slowly reach out with my tongue. I run it around the bottom of your earlobe, before taking it into my mouth and sucking gently on it…"

Willow's cheeks were burning as the image of Tara's words imbedded itself inside her brain. "I'd like that…"

"Mmm hmm," Willow exhaled, taking a small sip of wine to cool herself down a little.

"What else would you like?" Tara found herself asking, feeling suddenly curious.

Willow's lips curled into a smile, deciding she could have a little fun with this. "Your lips…everywhere…"

"Everywhere?" Tara smiled saucily, the wine making her feel bold enough to rest her eyes on Willow's breasts and then her lap, before moving back up to her face.

"Yeah," Willow confirmed, her eyes locked with Tara's, and her heart racing at the way she was looking at her. She loved this flirtatious, saucy side of her friend…

Willow's mouth opened slightly as she exhaled. The sudden image of Tara's lips on every inch of her body was simply too much. Downing the last of her wine, she placed the glass on the end table, and in one quick move she positioned her hands on Tara's cheeks, and gently pulled the girl towards her.

Before Tara even knew what was going on, she felt the distinct impression of Willow's lips against hers. Instinctively, she moaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Willow's neck and back, opening her mouth to accept the girl's tongue, instinctively meeting it with her own.

Willow moaned at the contact, enjoying the way Tara's tongue felt against hers. She would never tire of kissing Tara, and with every kiss they shared, Willow's desire for her seemed to get more and more urgent.

The sexual energy between them was more intense than it had ever been between her and Oz. However, right now, all she could focus on was Tara's lips and tongue. She kept her hands against Tara's face as she continued to kiss her, holding her gently, moaning into the kiss every now and then. In turn, Tara just held her close, returning each tongue thrust with one of her own, losing herself in the headiness of it all.

After a while, the girls began to pull away from the kiss, finding it harder and harder to remain in control of their desires. However, pulling away was extraordinarily difficult. Each time their lips would break away, the girls would find themselves seeking to reclaim contact.

"Oh gods," Willow breathed against Tara's lips, capturing her bottom lip briefly.

Spurred on by Tara's reaction, Willow sensuously ran her tongue along Tara's lip, all the while continuing to gently suckle on it.

When she finally let go, she instantly felt Tara's lips follow suit, copying her earlier actions.

"Tara," Willow sighed, her eyes flickering open as Tara pulled away. "Your lips…"

"Mmm," Tara leaned in for another kiss, pressing her lips against Willow's briefly.

She pulled away so as to start pressing soft kisses against the corner of Willow's lips, along her cheek, her jaw line, before moving back up to her lips. She then boldly thrust her tongue inside, working it around in a daring circle, before retreating and pulling away, enjoying the way Willow trembled in response to her actions.

"Oh gods," Willow exhaled, her eyes flickering open again. "Your lips…" she repeated. "Your fantasy…show me…"

"Everywhere," Willow confirmed, closing her eyes as she felt Tara's tender kiss against her cheek. Unwittingly she began to gently move her thumbs in slow circles, softly caressing Tara's cheekbones.

"Oh Tara," she sighed, when the girl began pressing long, languid kisses all along her cheek, slowly moving down towards her jaw. "Mmmm…"

Tara moved her hand up from Willow's neck and gently entangled her fingers in the girl's hair, as she finally brought her lips to rest just underneath Willow's earlobe.

"Willow," she whispered, taking a moment to inhale the subtle scent of Willow's perfume and hair shampoo.

"You smell like strawberries and apples," Tara observed, moving her lips against Willow's skin as she whispered.

"Mmmm," Willow closed her eyes, shivering as Tara finally pressed an open mouthed kiss just below her ear. She only felt the slightest touch of the girl's tongue against her skin before she pulled away. She was just about to protest the loss, when she felt the warm wetness of Tara's tongue on the same spot her lips had just vacated.

"Oh God," Willow moaned, moving her hands from Tara's cheeks and entangling them within her hair.

With no conscious thought of her own, Willow instinctively leaned her head back, exposing the left column of her neck to Tara's lips and tongue. The only thought inside her was that she wanted to give herself to Tara. She wanted Tara to brand her and kiss her and claim her.

Her mind clouded with desire, Tara closed her eyes and sensuously moved her tongue in a small circle, moaning as she tasted Willow's skin for the first time. "Mmm," she pressed her lips where her tongue had just been, kissing Willow softly.

She then began to make her way slowly down the length of Willow's neck, using the same pattern. First, she placed a soft kiss against each new bit of skin, then she ran her tongue around it in a small circle, taking her time to fully savor the taste of the girl she loved. When she was finally satisfied, she placed a finishing kiss against her skin, sucking it into her mouth briefly, before moving down to repeat the process all over again.

The whole time, Willow merely trembled and moaned, wondering how anything on this earth could ever feel so good. She was wetter and more aroused than she'd ever been in her whole life, but she couldn't move if her life depended on it. All she could do was rest her fingers in Tara's hair, lean her head back, and offer herself up to be branded.

When Tara finally reached the point of her neck that met her collarbone, Willow wondered what the girl would do next. She opened her mouth to ask, but all that came out was a husky moan as Tara began to suckle on her skin, causing her to lose all feeling in her legs.

Tara lost herself completely as she branded Willow, not really conscious as to what she was doing. Subconsciously, she was putting her mark on the girl, taking what was being offered to her, leaving a sign that would tell everyone who this girl belonged to.

Consciously however, all that was going through her mind was how good Willow's skin felt, how nice it tasted. The slightly tangy, saltiness of her skin was like nothing she'd ever tasted before. It had a uniquely Willow type of flavor, and Tara just couldn't get enough of it.

After a long while, Tara eventually decided to make her way back up Willow's neck, languidly kissing, tasting and nibbling along the way. When she reached Willow's jaw she made a slight detour, extending her tongue to taste the soft flesh just behind Willow's ear.

"Mmmm," Willow moaned, as Tara's tongue began to taste the bottom of her earlobe.

As per her fantasy, Tara took her time in tasting Willow's earlobe, before she finally took it into her mouth and suckled on it.

"Oh…Tara…" Willow trembled, tightening her hold on Tara's hair. "You feel so…oh…mmmm…Tara…"

Spurred on by Willow's obvious enjoyment, Tara moved her tongue along the girl's earlobe as she continued to suckle on it. After a while, she finally released it, but only so that she could press some more kisses along Willow's neck, moving down towards her collarbone, and making her way up along the right column of her neck, which up until now had remained untouched. She lavished the same attention on it as she had the other side, until she finally reached Willow's right earlobe.

Willow didn't know how much more of this she could take. Despite not having had any contact with her sex, Willow felt as if she was damn near close to actually experiencing an orgasm. She'd had no idea her neck was such a center for erogenous zones, and Tara seemed to have found every last one of them.

"Tara," Willow quivered, as the extreme wetness of her desire began to trickle downwards, moistening her thighs. She didn't really notice this however. Her arousal was already so far gone that her mind was no longer forming conscious thoughts. All she knew was how she felt; how Tara was making her feel.

When Tara finally let go of her earlobe and started to work her lips and tongue back down along her neck, she began to quiver uncontrollably.

"Tara," Willow gasped, her lips half open as she threw her head back and fell down onto the bed.

Tara instantly followed suit, her lips attached to Willow's neck, tasting her and branding her at the same time. There was no mistaking what was about to happen, which is why Tara pulled her lips away from the girl's neck and pressed them to her lips instead. She kissed her softly, before shifting her weight and moving to lie on her back, bringing Willow along with her.

Feeling utterly close to the edge, Willow curled herself against Tara's body. She rested her head against her chest and draped an arm over her waist. She then closed her eyes as her breathing began to steady itself and the intensity of her hormones subsided.

Tara held Willow close, lovingly stroking the girl's hair as she calmed down. Her own breathing was also somewhat erratic.

"Willow," she sighed after a while, leaning down to press a soft kiss against the top of her head.

"Mmmm," Willow nuzzled her lips against Tara's neck, causing the girl to shiver slightly.

"Yeah," Willow replied breathlessly, still a little caught up in what had just happened. "A bit tired, but…okay…"

Willow shifted her body upwards, so that she could press a gentle kiss against Tara's cheek. She then repositioned herself and rested her head against Tara's shoulder.

"I'm, uh…a little overwhelmed," she admitted, not quite able to meet her gaze.

"I'm sorry," Tara apologized, moving her hand to stroke Willow's cheek. "I didn't mean to…"

"Oh no," Willow tightened her grip on Tara's waist. "It's okay, I…I don't mind you…I'm not upset. It's just...I…it's all so new to me," she struggled to explain.

"I'm sorry Will," Tara repeated, tenderly caressing her cheek. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable …"

"You didn't," Willow protested. She lifted her head a little so that she could look into Tara's eyes. "Besides," she quipped, trying to lighten the mood with a bit of humor, "all you did was give me a couple of hickeys. Although, in my defense, I gotta say…they were some hickeys…"

Tara couldn't help but chuckle, her anxiety lessening somewhat. "Oh Will," she leaned down to press a soft kiss against Willow's cheek. "I…"

"Hey," Willow shifted herself so that she was looking down on Tara. "It's okay Tara," she reassured, leaning down to kiss the girl's lips, making sure to keep the contact chaste.

"You know," Willow ventured as she pulled away, returning to rest her head back against Tara's shoulder, "I'm glad this happened," she said shyly.

"Yeah…?" Tara whispered, leaning down to press another kiss amongst Willow's hair.

"It means a lot to me," Willow began tentatively. She could feel her heart pounding as she made an unconscious decision to bare her feelings. "You, um…you mean a lot to me, and…and I'm glad this happened. It kinda brings me closer to you…binds us together in a way…"

Tara's heart skipped a beat and she couldn't help but reach out with both hands. She grasped Willow's cheeks and tenderly lifted the girl's face to meet her gaze, needing to see the truth in her eyes. "You don't think I crossed a line?"

"Well, if you did, I did," Willow chuckled, lowering her lips to Tara's for a brief kiss. "I, uh, in fact, you know, this is gonna sound silly but…but I kinda feel like I belong to you now, as if you branded me a-and claimed me and…and now I'm yours…"

Tara exhaled loudly, wishing to God that Willow really was hers. "Oh Will," she blinked away a sudden tear. "I w-w-wish you really were mine, but I—"

This surprised Willow and she sat herself up so that she could look down at Tara. "You don't think I mean it?" she exclaimed.

Tara sat up as well and turned so that she was facing Willow head on. "I t-t-took something you weren't ready to give," she sighed. "You said it yourself. You don't know who you are…who you want. How can you be mine when you don't even—"

"Maybe I didn't know at first," Willow interjected, desperate to let Tara know she was mistaken, "but when you were kissing me and…and I could feel your lips, your tongue…on my neck. All I could think about was you. I wanted you to, um…to brand me. I wanna be yours Tara." She took a deep breath before saying her final sentence. "I wanna be your girlfriend…"

Willow's words sounded oh so bittersweet to Tara's ears. She so desperately wanted Willow to be her girlfriend. However, because she loved the girl so much, she knew she had to be strong and not selfish. Despite Willow's vehement protests to the contrary, Tara knew the girl was still confused. Having a girlfriend was not something Willow was ready to handle just yet.

Taking a deep breath, she reached her hands towards Willow, gently grasping the girl's face. "Will," she said softly as tears began to well up and trickle down her cheeks.

Willow shook her head and extricated herself from Tara's grasp. She knew that look. Tara didn't think she was ready. "Tara, don't…" she pleaded, not wanting to hear the words. Her heart couldn't take the rejection just now.

"I'm gonna have a shower," Willow ignored Tara's protest. She leapt off the bed and quickly located the overnight bag she'd left there last week, all the while blinking away her tears. She didn't want Tara to see how upset she was. Deep down inside a part of her knew Tara was right. She just wasn't willing to face it…

Tara watched in silence, her own heart breaking. She hated to see Willow so distressed, especially since it was her fault. However, she knew it was for the best. Better a little pain now, than a whole lotta pain in the future. Right?

When Willow finally met her gaze, Tara relented. There were tear tracks staining her cheeks, and the pain and longing evident in her soul was like a knife in her chest. She couldn't resist the unspoken plea in her eyes.

Leaping up off the bed, Tara moved towards Willow with the swiftness of a cheetah pouncing on its prey. "Oh Will," she whispered, tears streaming down her own cheeks.

Willow wanted to protest, to move away and hide from the object of her pain. However, the moment Tara's arms reached around her, she melted. With an anguished sob, she dropped the overnight bag to the floor and returned the hug, burying her face deep in the crook of Tara's neck.

The two girls held onto one another for dear life, sobbing quietly, and drawing comfort from each other. They cried for a long while, neither of them moving or saying anything.

Tara was the first to speak "I'm so s-s-sorry," she mumbled against Willow's neck.

"Me too," Willow replied, her hands tightening around Tara's back. "I'm sorry Tara…"

"Oh Willow," Tara finally moved her head, but only so that she could press her forehead against Willow's. "It's all my fault. With the wine…I let things go too far…kissed you…made you think…"

"No you didn't," Willow protested. "It was just as much my fault. The wine might've made me a little giddy, but I'm not drunk. I know where things stand…what we have…"

"But you want more," Tara sighed. "So do I Will…you have no idea how much I want you. But I didn't mean to m-m-mark you like that. I—"

"But I'm the one who let you," Willow interjected. "I wanna be yours Tara. I really do. I just…I wish…"

Tara lifted her lips to Willow's forehead, kissing her as she spoke. "You wish you knew for sure if it was right."

"I'm sorry Tara," Willow appealed, pulling away to meet Tara's gaze. "You're right you know. I'm so confused. I really want you…and I wanna be yours, but…"

"It's okay Will," Tara smiled reassuringly. She moved her hands so that they cupped Willow's face tenderly. "I know you're confused, and like I said earlier. You don't have to figure out who you are tonight. I just wanted to make you forget about things for the moment, not make them more confusing for you. But you know what…?"

Tara took a deep breath as she built up enough courage to say what was in her heart.

"I know what I want…" she began with a hesitant half smile, "and I want you…"

Tara took another deep breath, intensifying her gaze. She wanted Willow to know the truth, even if it made her vulnerable.

"I, uh…I wanna give myself to you. If you, uh…w-w-wanna brand me…I'm yours…"

Willow felt her heart race as she took in Tara's words. "You mean it?" she whispered.

In response, Tara leaned in and gently kissed Willow's lips. "I'm yours," she whispered timidly.

Blinking away her tears, Willow recaptured Tara's lips, and wrapped her arms tightly around her body. After a moment, she moved her lips away and pressed an open mouthed kiss against the left column of Tara's neck, extending her tongue out for a small taste.

"Mmmm," Willow moaned, shivering as the tangy saltiness of Tara's skin invaded her senses. She slowly moved her tongue around in a small circle, savoring Tara's taste completely.

Tara couldn't believe this was happening. Willow's tongue on her skin was causing her whole body to tremble. The second Willow had begun tasting her, she knew she was lost. Oh gods, she thought to herself. I can't believe how wet I am…Oh Willow…Oh gods…I want you so much…

After a few moments Willow gradually began to work her way down the length of Tara's neck. Just as Tara had done earlier, Willow took her time in tasting and kissing and sucking. Only when she finally reached the base of her neck did Willow gently begin to suckle and make her own mark on Tara.

"Mmmm, Willow," Tara moaned, moving her hands so that she could entangle her fingers within Willow's hair. She now knew what heaven felt like. Willow's mouth and tongue on her skin felt incredible, but being branded by Willow was even more intoxicating.

Willow felt Tara's hands tighten their grip in her hair. She also felt the way her breathing was getting more erratic, and the way her legs had started to wobble. With great reluctance, she began to pull her lips away from the base of Tara's neck. She'd finished making her mark. Tara was hers now…

However, the extreme look of desire in Tara's gaze as she met her eyes, caused Willow to lower her lips to the other side of Tara's neck. She needed more of Tara's taste. She moved her hands to Tara's ass and pressed their lower bodies together as she began to taste, suckle and brand her girl.

"Oh gods," Tara trembled, surprised to feel Willow's hands on her ass. She returned her hands to Willow's hair, and threw her head further back in ecstasy. She felt like a bolt of electricity was running through her entire body and Willow's lips on her neck, and her hands on her ass, were the final straw needed to break her.

Willow could sense what was happening, and as Tara's knees buckled, she followed her gently to the floor, kneeling down with her as she continued to suckle at her neck. She moved her hands from Tara's ass and slid them upwards, deftly slipping underneath her blouse so she could press them against the silky smooth skin of her back.

In response, Willow reluctantly pulled her lips away from the girl's neck, and removed her hands from underneath her blouse. She then gently guided Tara's head to her shoulder and rested her own against Tara's. They both needed a moment to recover.

"Wow," Tara repeated, taking a few more deep breaths as her breathing slowly began to return to normal. "I never knew a hickey could be so powerful."

Tara smiled and lightly kissed Willow's lips. "I guess I'm yours now," she quipped.

"And don't you forget it," Willow grinned cheekily, before they both burst into nervous giggles.

The two girls were in uncharted territory here, and neither of them knew quite what to make of what had happened between them tonight. But right now, the girls were too worn out and mind frazzled to think about its significance. The events of the evening were definitely catching up with them.

Tara chuckled and pulled away from Willow, so as to gather her bathroom gear. "You think you're up for it?" she quipped over her shoulder.

"I'm game if you're game," Willow challenged. She leaned down and picked up her overnight bag, before moving towards the door to wait for Tara.

Tara merely giggled as she grabbed a couple of towels. She handed one to Willow, before following her out of the room.

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A Fluke Between Two Wiccans

By SpikeMe4Now4200

Copyright © 2003

Spikeme4now4200@yahoo.com.au