Soul Mates: A Day Off by Ravenhawk

Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They belong to Joss Whedon. Neither I nor any website on which this story appears receives any compensation for this work.
Distribution: The Mystic Muse: http://mysticmuse.net
Anywhere, just ask.
Feedback: Yes please.
Spoilers: AU in season 5.
Author's Note: Sequel to Soul Mates: Triad.
Dedication: Thanks to everyone who's sent feedback and suggestions so far.
Grouping: Willow/Tara/Xander

Summary: Willow, Tara, and Xander take a day off and have fun at the beach together.

Willow stepped across the bedroom to stand next to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "What? What's the matter, honey?" she asked.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror on the inside of their closet door, Tara paused briefly before answering Willow. It was Friday and Xander had taken the day off today. Since she and Willow didn't have any classes today, the three of them had made plans earlier in the week to go to the beach together. She and Willow had just changed into the bikinis they'd bought earlier that week, and Tara still wasn't quite sure what she thought of the idea of wearing hers out in public.

"I just…I'm a little nervous about wearing this to the beach," Tara confessed.

"What's to be nervous about?" Willow said. "You're gorgeous." She smiled at Tara's reflection in the mirror, and Tara turned to face her, running a hand down her girlfriend's arm.

"I was going to say that about you," Tara said, looking Willow over and taking in the sight of her in her bikini. Willow's was red, in contrast to the blue one she wore, and she did indeed look beautiful in it. But then, she looked beautiful in just about anything.

"But I just…" She trailed off and turned back to the mirror, frowning as her thoughts returned to the idea of going out in public like this. The bikinis that she and Willow had bought were actually fairly modest as bikinis went, and everything that needed to be covered was well covered, but there was no getting around the fact that any two-piece bathing suit was going to show a lot of skin. Could she really do this?

"What's wrong?" Willow asked, her expression turning more serious. "You know Xander and I see you in less than this all the time."

Tara glanced at Willow and gave her a quick smile. "I like you and Xander looking at me," she said. "But a bunch of strangers? That's different."

"Oh, come on," Willow said, grinning as she stepped around in front of Tara. "It'll be fun! And besides, we're going to the beach, so pretty much everyone there will be dressed the same way we are. I guarantee that nobody's going to be looking at you."

"Wait, that didn't come out right," Willow quickly amended. "What I mean is, nobody's going to look at you in a bad way. You'll be catching plenty of eyes, I'm sure – although not literally, cause, ew."

As usual, Willow's enthusiasm was infectious, and it only took a second before Tara found herself smiling in spite of her worries. Willow's eyes lit up as she saw Tara's expression change, and she gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "See?" Willow said happily. "You'll be fine. I mean, if I can do this, you can too."

"Okay," Tara replied, gathering her resolve. It was a beautiful day and she was going to spend it with her girlfriend and her boyfriend, and she didn't want to ruin it for herself before it'd even started. So she put her doubts out of her mind – they were going to have fun today and that was all there was to it.

Seeing her change of heart, Willow hugged her and gave her another quick kiss. "Great," she said, turning to take a last look at the two of them in the mirror. "Okay, let's finish getting dressed."

Tara nodded and went to their dresser, picking out a T-shirt and wrap-around skirt to wear over her bathing suit. Willow did the same, and they dressed quickly. Just as they were finishing, a knock sounded at their bedroom door.

"Hey, what's up? How come the door's closed?" Xander called from the hallway. "Are you two decent in there? Please say no."

The door opened and Xander stepped into the room. He was in his bathrobe, having just gotten out of the shower, and he took a moment to look Tara and Willow over, taking in what they were wearing. "Aw, I was hoping to see these bikinis you bought," he said as he walked over toward them.

"You'll just have to wait till we get to the beach," Tara replied, giving him a coy smile.

A disappointed look made its way onto Xander's face, and Willow laughed. "Xander…sweetie…" she said, "how long have the three of us been together now?"

"Oh god, was I supposed to be keeping count?" Xander said. He was clearly trying for mock panic, but the broad grin on his face ruined the effect. "Is this, like, an anniversary thing? Something else I'm supposed to remember?"

Tara had to laugh at his response, and Willow joined her, giving Xander a big smile. "Well," Tara said helpfully, "since you've moved in, we've made love almost every day."

"And more than once, some days," Willow added. "The point is, you've seen us naked how often now? So what's the big deal about seeing us in bathing suits?"

Willow giggled. "I guess not," she said. "But anyway, like Tara said, you'll just have to wait until we get to the beach."

Xander gave an exaggerated sigh, but didn't press the point any further. "Well, speaking of that," he said, "just let me get changed and we should get going. We wanted to try to get out there early to avoid the crowds, remember?"

"Okay," Tara said, nodding. "I need to get our lunch together, but other than that, I think we're ready."

"I'll be right out and I can help, too," Xander said, giving them a quick smile, which Tara and Willow returned happily. As Xander turned toward their closet, she and Willow made their way out of the bedroom and over to the kitchen. Tara reached for the refrigerator handle, but before she could open the door, Willow rested a hand on her arm, stopping her.

"Hey," she said quietly, stepping in close so Tara could hear her. "Do you want to have some fun with Xander today?" There was a mischievous glint in her eye as she spoke, and Tara only hesitated a second before answering her.

Tara listened intently as Willow answered her, and as she explained her plan in hushed tones, a slow smile made its way onto Tara's face.

Once they got out of Sunnydale, the drive to the beach took a little over half an hour. They'd picked a good time to leave – just late enough to miss the worst of the traffic, but early enough to reach their destination by mid-morning. The trip passed pleasantly, with the three of them chatting comfortably together, and Willow was pleased to see that Tara already seemed a lot more at ease than she'd been earlier that morning.

"Okay. Here were are," Xander said as he maneuvered the car into a parking space and turned off the engine. The parking lot they were in was situated on a bluff overlooking the beach below, and Willow took a moment to look out at the vast expanse of sand and surf before her.

"It's really nice here," she said. They could have gone to the beach just outside Sunnydale, but when they were talking about taking the day off, Xander had suggested that they come here. He'd found out about this place from one of the guys on his crew, and since it wasn't too far from Sunnydale, they'd decided it was worth checking out.

"Yeah, definitely," Xander replied. "Jack was right when he said this beach is a lot nicer than the one we have back home."

They got out of the car, and Willow looked up as she stretched. It was beautiful today, with only a few small clouds in the sky, and it was pleasantly warm, though it would undoubtedly get hotter in the afternoon. Looking around the parking lot, she saw several cars around them, and there were some people down on the beach, but the place didn't seem to be too crowded.

Tara moved to stand next to Willow as Xander walked around to the back of the car and opened the trunk. He pulled off his T-shirt, leaving himself clad only in his swim trunks, and folded it up. After setting it in the trunk of the car, he looked over at Willow and Tara expectantly.

Willow had to giggle at his expression – it reminded her so much of the way he used to look when they were kids and he was waiting for candy. Maybe neither of us has changed quite as much as we thought, she thought.

Well, there was no reason to keep him waiting any longer. She glanced at Tara, who nodded at her, then turned back to Xander and smiled at him. She lifted her shirt up over her head, then unfastened and unwrapped her skirt. Beside her, Tara did the same, and Willow watched Xander's reaction to seeing them in their bikinis for the first time with amusement. She'd seen that look of appreciation and desire on his face before, but this was the first time she's seen it when they were in public.

Willow giggled again. "Glad to hear you say something," she said. "I was afraid you'd gone totally non-verbal."

"I think he's still mostly non-verbal, honey," Tara teased. "That was only one syllable, after all."

"You're gorgeous. Both of you," Xander said. He simply stood there, looking them both over slowly, for several more seconds, and Tara and Willow obligingly turned around for him, turning back after a brief moment and looking at him again. "Okay, coming to the beach was a great idea," he said. "Whose was it, again?"

"Oh, right," Xander said. "Well, good for me." He grinned at them, and Willow and Tara both laughed at his expression.

"But you're right," Willow said, turning to face Tara. She gave her girlfriend a meaningful glance, and the corners of Tara's mouth turned upward in an almost imperceptible smile. "Tara does look gorgeous." She rested her hand on Tara's shoulder, then ran it down her arm, caressing her slowly.

"Thanks, honey," Tara replied. "You look beautiful, too." She rested one hand on Willow's hip, just above the bottom of her bathing suit, and moved her hand upward, tracing her curves. Willow smiled at her, holding her gaze for a moment before they both turned back to Xander. He was watching them intently, and Willow couldn't hold back a grin at the look on his face. It always gave her a little thrill, seeing how easily she and Tara could turn Xander on, and judging from the way Tara was smiling, she felt the same way.

"So why don't we head on down to the beach?" Willow said, and she and Tara walked over to join Xander at the trunk of the car.

"Sure," Xander said, smiling at them briefly before turning back toward the trunk. He reached inside and retrieved the backpack that held a couple of towels and the lunch Tara had made for them. He slung it over his shoulder and grabbed the large blanket they'd brought as well, then closed and locked the trunk. Together, they made their way over to the set of stairs that led down to the beach.

Descending the stairs, they stopped at the bottom to look around for a moment. This really was a beautiful beach, and the view was just as nice from down here. The area they were in was completely clear, though Willow could see some large rock formations a ways up to the north. The light from the morning sun glinted off the water as the surf gently lapped at the shore, and Willow looked out over the vast expanse in front of her. She'd always thought that the ocean was lovely and she didn't get out to see it nearly as often as she would have liked.

Finally, she turned toward Tara and Xander, smiling as they looked back at her. "Why don't we sit in the shade for a little bit?" she suggested, nodding toward a nearby bench located just under the bluff where it was hidden from the light of the morning sun.

"Sure," Xander said. They walked over to the bench and sat down, Willow taking the middle and Tara and Xander sitting on either side of her, and Xander set the blanket and the backpack down next to the bench. There were several people scattered about the beach, but there was no one in their immediate area, and it was quiet except for the sound of the surf and the occasional shout or laugh that drifted over their way.

They chatted together, looking out over the beach ahead of them, and as they talked, Willow couldn't help noticing that when Xander turned to look at her and Tara, his gaze often lingered on them longer than was necessary. When he was looking away for a moment, she glanced at Tara, who gave her a quick smile. She'd obviously noticed as well.

A few minutes into their conversation, a couple of large, well- muscled men walked by a little ways in front of them. They slowed down a little as they passed, looking over at Willow and Tara, obviously checking them out. They smiled in their direction, and Willow gave them a polite nod in return, which obviously wasn't the reaction they were hoping for, since they turned and resumed their earlier pace, heading up the beach away from them briskly. Xander stared after them, a slight frown making its way onto his face.

Willow could tell that he was uncomfortable, and she immediately knew why. "Xander, don't worry about them," she said reassuringly.

"I know," Xander interrupted. He turned back toward them and smiled. "I'm sorry. Forget I said anything."

Willow frowned a little, but didn't press the point. At least Xander had accepted that she and Tara had no interest in those guys. She was happy about that – it showed that he trusted them.

They resumed their conversation, and eventually, they decided to go out onto the beach. Xander gathered up their things, and they made their way away from the bluff and into the sun before turning and walking up the beach, heading for a section that was well away from anyone else. They walked by several people on the way, mostly in couples or small groups, and Willow watched Xander surreptitiously whenever they happened to pass other women. He didn't seem interested in looking at any of them for very long, but Willow noticed that he kept sneaking glances at her and Tara out of the corner of his eye.

After they'd gone a ways up the beach, Willow stopped them. "This is probably a good spot, don't you think?" she asked. The slope of the beach was gentle here and the sun was warm on her head and shoulders. Looking back, she could see that they were quite a ways away from anyone else.

"Sure, it looks fine to me," Tara said. "Xander, you want to put the blanket down?"

"Your wish is my command," Xander said, grinning. He set down their backpack and unfolded the blanket, spreading it out over the sand. Willow sat down on it, facing the ocean, and Tara and Xander quickly joined her.

"So, Xander," Willow said, trying her best to sound innocent, "we passed some pretty girls back there, didn't we?"

Xander looked back down the beach. "I guess," he said with a noncommittal shrug as he turned back to her.

Xander chuckled. "Why would I want to look at anyone besides the two most beautiful women on the beach?" he replied.

Willow had to smile at his answer. She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek, and next to her, Tara did the same, kissing his other cheek and slowly running her fingers along his jaw line. After they pulled back, Xander stared at them, clearly confused by their reaction.

"What was that for?" he asked. "Not that I'm complaining, but I was just telling you the truth."

"Well, thanks," Xander said, smiling back at them. "So, does anybody feel like swimming?" he asked, looking out at the ocean again.

"I'd just as soon stay dry," Willow said. "Why don't we just stay here? It's really nice, and it's not too hot yet."

"Fine with me," Xander said. He stretched his legs out on the blanket in front of him, squinting as he looked up at the brilliant blue sky. "You're right; it is nice here."

Tara nodded. "I think so too," she said. "Oh, hey Xander, could you hand me the sunscreen?"

"Sure," Xander said. He reached into their backpack, retrieved the bottle of suntan lotion they'd brought, and handed it to Tara. She accepted the bottle and turned toward Willow, casting her a meaningful look as she spoke again.

"Okay, honey, let's get you covered here," Tara said, giving the bottle a few good shakes. Willow smiled at her and laid face-down on the blanket as Tara squeezed some suntan lotion onto her hands. Tara straddled her hips and started rubbing the lotion into Willow's back, and she sighed happily at the soft touch of her girlfriend's hands.

Tara took her time, spending a minute or two working the sunscreen into Willow's back and shoulders. When she was finished there, she moved off to one side, and Willow pushed herself up, turning over so she was sitting. She leaned back a little, resting on the palms of her hands, and Tara shook up the bottle of sunscreen again.

"Why don't you do my legs next?" Willow said. She lifted her right leg a little and Tara knelt in front of her, letting Willow rest her leg on her knees. Tara squeezed some more sunscreen from the bottle and rubbed it into Willow's leg, starting at the top of her thigh and working her way down to her calf and finally her foot.

Afterward, she moved to Willow's other leg, and Willow turned to look at Xander. He was watching them intently, and Willow smiled when she saw the now-familiar look of desire in his eyes. She and Tara had talked about how Xander would react to seeing them do this, and it was good to see that it was having the desired effect.

But it was also having an effect on her. Having Tara touch her like this was starting to get Willow excited, and that was something she hadn't considered when she'd come up with this idea. She pushed her feelings aside as best she could, but she wasn't able to banish them entirely, and they remained at the edge of her consciousness as Tara continued massaging the lotion into her skin.

When Tara was finished with her legs, Willow sat up straight and held her arms out for her. After Tara had covered those, Willow took a little sunscreen from her and put it on her face. When she was done, she leaned back again so she was half laying down, resting on her elbows this time, and looked up at Tara.

Smiling, Tara squeezed some lotion out onto Willow's stomach, then closed the bottle and set it down next to her. She gently rubbed the lotion into her stomach, taking her time and making sure every bit of it was covered before moving to her sides. Tara's touches were gentle, almost caresses, and Willow sucked in a breath when she moved her hands to her upper chest, above her bikini top.

"Your skin here is really delicate, honey," Tara said. "We have to be careful. We don't want you to burn." She glanced at Xander and gave him a quick smile before turning her attention back to Willow.

Tara kept her eyes locked on Willow's as she softly rubbed the lotion into Willow's chest. Tara's hands had felt good the entire time she'd been putting the sunscreen on her, but now her touches were every bit as sensual as they were when they were making love. Willow's whole body tingled as Tara used her fingers to rub the last of the sunscreen into the space between her breasts, and Willow couldn't hold back a sound that was somewhere between a sigh and a moan. She could see a glint of mischief in Tara's eyes, and she knew that her girlfriend was enjoying the effect she was having on her just as much as she was enjoying Xander's reaction.

Well, she could play that game too. "Thanks, honey," she said. "Now it's your turn." She smiled and sat up, picking up the bottle of sunscreen and giving it a good shake. Tara grinned back at her and leaned in to give her a quick kiss before moving back a little and lying down on her stomach.

Willow rose to her knees and glanced back up the beach. No one was looking in their direction, so she turned back and knelt over Tara. She shot Xander a brief glance, then squeezed some sunscreen onto her hands and began rubbing it into Tara's back. She wasn't in any hurry, so she went slowly, enjoying the feel of Tara's soft skin under her hands. Tara sighed softly at her touch, and Willow could feel her relax as she worked her way down from her shoulders to her waist.

When Willow was finished with her back, Tara rolled over and sat up. Willow did her arms next, and after making sure they were well covered, she turned her attention to Tara's legs. As Willow slowly massaged the lotion into her soft, supple thighs, Tara turned toward Xander, smiling as she saw how closely he was watching them.

"Everything about her is wonderful," Xander replied. He was smiling, but the look in his eyes as he spoke was completely serious. "And the same goes for you, too."

Tara ducked her head a little and looked at Willow, and her smile brightened as she met Tara's eyes. It was true that sometimes Xander tended to say the wrong things, but he could be so sweet, too. After what he'd just said, she wanted to launch herself at him and kiss him senseless, but she forced herself to continue what she was doing instead.

"Someone's being awfully sweet today," Willow said as she moved down to Tara's calves.

Xander chuckled, but didn't say anything else. He just watched as Willow finished rubbing sunscreen into Tara's legs. When she was done, Tara laid back, resting on her elbows just as Willow had done earlier, and Willow moved to kneel beside her.

Watching Tara carefully, Willow squeezed some more lotion from the bottle and rubbed it into Tara's stomach. Sure enough, she noticed her breathing quicken a little at her touch, and Willow took her time covering her stomach and her sides with sunscreen, caressing her softly just as Tara had done to her a moment ago. When she was finished, she moved up to Tara's chest, and she closed her eyes as Willow gently massaged the lotion into the tops of her breasts.

"There we go. All done," Willow said a moment later as she rubbed the last of the sunscreen into Tara's chest. Tara opened her eyes, and Willow handed her the bottle of sunscreen as she sat up.

"Thanks, honey," Tara said, smiling happily. She took a little sunscreen and put it on her face, and when she was done, Willow leaned in toward her, and they shared another kiss before turning toward Xander.

"God, you two are beautiful," he said as they rose to their knees and moved toward him.

As tempted as she was to, Willow didn't answer the compliment. Instead, she just gave Xander what she hoped was a sexy smile. "Okay sweetie, you're next," she said. "Lie down and we'll do your back first."

"Sure thing," Xander said. He rolled over to lie on his stomach, and Willow couldn't help giggling as she watched him shift around for a moment, trying to get comfortable. She glanced at Tara, and they shared a small smile of triumph. It wasn't that she enjoyed Xander's discomfort, exactly, but it was nice to see the effect they'd had on him.

Willow put some lotion on her hands, then passed the bottle to Tara and waited as she did the same. They moved to either side of Xander and started rubbing the lotion into his back, and he sighed softly at the feel of both of them touching him at the same time. Willow smiled at his reaction, and she and Tara slowly moved down to his waist, taking their time, enjoying the way they were making him feel.

"Okay honey, sit up," Tara said when they were finished with Xander's back. He did so, and they moved around in front of him, putting sunscreen on his arms and legs next. Finally, they started on his chest, gently rubbing the lotion into his skin. Willow caressed him softly with her fingers and palms, loving the feel of his hard muscle and way it contrasted with Tara's softness.

They finished by covering his face and neck, and when they were done, Xander wrapped his arms around them, pulling her and Tara in close.

Willow looked around them. They were far enough away from the other people on the beach that no one had noticed what they were doing. She looked up the beach in the other direction, and she felt a thrill of desire and excitement at the idea that suddenly came to her.

"I bet if we went up the beach a ways, where those rocks are, no one could see us," she whispered, looking meaningfully over Xander's shoulder. Xander glanced up the beach, then looked back at her, nodding.

"It's still morning," Willow said. "There's hardly anyone around. And no one will be able to see us up there." Before Tara could reply, she leaned in and kissed her hotly. Tara hesitated for a second, but then kissed her back with equal passion. What they'd just done had obviously gotten her just as excited as it had Willow.

Xander held them closely, his breathing quickening as he watched them kiss. When they finally separated, resting their foreheads against each other, Xander moved his hand up Tara's back to rub her shoulder. "What do you say, honey?" he asked, and Willow and Tara both had to smile at the barely contained excitement in his voice.

Tara only hesitated a moment, and Willow's heart leapt to her throat when she saw the look in her eyes that she knew meant that Tara had made up her mind.

"What are we waiting for?" Tara said. She grinned, and Willow and Xander smiled back at her.

"Nothing. Let's go," Xander said. He let go of her and Tara, and they all stood, quickly gathering up their things. Willow took one last look behind her, then fell in step with Tara and Xander as they walked up the beach together.

Xander looked back over his shoulder as they approached the cluster of large rocks. He figured they'd probably walked half a mile or so, but it'd felt a lot longer than that. He could still see people sitting on the beach back where they'd first arrived, but he could only just barely make them out, and the sound of the surf drowned out any noise they might have made.

They made their way forward, being careful where they stepped, and it didn't take them long before they found a small area of beach in among the rocks. It was more or less surrounded by boulders of various sizes, the biggest of which towered several feet over Xander's head. But the path down to the ocean was unobstructed, and there was surprisingly little debris; Xander figured the tide probably kept this place clear.

Turning around, Xander saw that the view from the beach behind them was completely blocked by several large groups of rocks. "What do you think?" he asked as Willow and Tara took a look around. "How about here?"

Tara nodded. "Yeah, this is fine," she said. "Why don't you lay out the blanket?"

Xander set their backpack down and unfolded the blanket he was carrying, shaking it out before laying it down in the shade provided by one of the bigger boulders. It was breezy here, so he took a moment to look around and gather up a few rocks. As he was weighing down the corners of the blanket, Willow walked up to Tara, and the two of them whispered together for a moment before approaching and standing next to the blanket, across from him.

"What was that about?" Xander asked as he placed the last of the rocks on the blanket.

"Nothing," Tara said. She grinned at him, and Willow giggled as he stepped forward. Xander wrapped his arms around them and pulled them in close, feeling a surge of arousal as they pressed themselves against him.

He kissed Tara deeply, and she opened her mouth for him, sighing softly into his mouth as he slipped his tongue past her lips. Willow kissed Tara's shoulder lightly and rubbed Xander's back, smiling as she watched them kiss. When he and Tara finally separated, Xander kissed Willow with equal passion. Tara nibbled gently on his ear, and Xander had to moan at the way his girls were making him feel.

After a long moment, Xander and Willow broke their kiss, and she and Tara stepped back out of his embrace. "Sit down, sweetie," Willow said, smiling as she nodded down at the blanket.

Xander did as he was asked, and Tara and Willow knelt in front of him. They embraced each other, their lips meeting in a slow, passionate kiss, and Xander leaned forward a little as he looked on. Willow reached up to stroke Tara's hair, and Tara slid her hands down Willow's back, resting them on her ass and pulling her against her.

Eventually – Xander couldn't have said how long it was – Willow and Tara separated and turned toward him. "You shouldn't worry about any of those other guys, Xander," Willow said, smiling at him. "You know we think you're sexy."

Xander had to smile back at her. Willow knew him so well – when he'd commented about those guys who'd been checking her and Tara out earlier, she'd obviously known exactly what he'd meant. Normally he wasn't too concerned with the way he looked relative to other guys; all that really mattered was what Tara and Willow thought. But here on the beach, where everyone's physique was on full display, it was hard not to compare himself to other guys.

He was about to voice his thanks, but before he could reply, Tara spoke up. "Yeah, Xander," she said. "I bet you're the only guy here who's having regular sex with two lesbians."

Xander's mouth went dry at her words, and Willow and Tara both giggled at his expression. "That's right," Willow said as she and Tara scooted in closer, stopping when they were right in front of him. "We're lesbians, but just thinking about you gets us both so wet. There aren't any other guys who do that to us."

Tara moved behind Willow and wrapped her arms around her, slipping one hand under her bikini top. Willow sighed softly at the light touch of her fingers, closing her eyes and leaning back against Tara. Tara kept her eyes locked on Xander's as she ducked her head to kiss Willow's neck, and he stared back at her, fascinated by the intensity in her gaze.

Tara rested her hands on Willow's shoulders and kissed her earlobe, and Willow opened her eyes and turned toward her briefly, giving her a quick smile. Kissing her quickly on the lips, Tara slid her hands down Willow's back to untie her top. Willow turned back toward Xander and watched him closely as Tara removed her top, dropping it on the blanket next to them. Xander felt another rush of arousal, and his cock strained against his trunks as Tara reached around Willow and cupped her breasts. Willow moaned softly, but didn't take her eyes off Xander when Tara pinched her nipples, tugging on them softly and rolling them between her fingers.

"Come here, Xander," Tara said. Xander rose to his knees and approached them, stopping when he was right in front of Willow.

"Touch her," Tara said, sliding her hands back up to Willow's shoulders. Willow smiled at him, and Xander put his hands on her chest, moving them down slowly. Her skin was faintly slick from the sunscreen, but he loved the way it felt nonetheless. He caressed her breasts gently, running his palms and his fingers over her nipples, and Willow sighed softly, pressing her chest forward into his hands.

"Do you enjoy being the only man who gets to touch me like this?" Willow said, giving him a smoky look filled with desire. "The only man I'd ever want to touch me like this?"

"God, yes," Xander moaned. Willow smiled at his answer and lifted a hand to his face, caressing his cheek with her fingertips. Tara rubbed her shoulders as she looked on, and Xander shivered slightly at the look she gave him when he met her eyes.

Willow leaned back a little, and Tara moved to support her as Xander lowered his mouth to her chest. He caressed Willow's soft breasts one last time before taking one perfect nipple in his mouth. He was too turned on to start out gentle the way he usually did, so he was gratified to hear Willow's moan of pleasure as he sucked hard on her. He scraped his teeth over her nipple, tugging lightly on it with them as he flicked his tongue over the end before wrapping his lips around it again. He kept this up for a few moments, then turned his attention to her other breast, and Willow ran her fingers through his hair, grabbing hold of him as he sucked and nibbled on her.

When Xander finally pulled away from her chest, Willow straightened up and Tara moved to kneel beside her. As Xander and Willow both turned toward her, she reached behind her and untied her bikini top, shrugging out of it and letting it fall on the blanket in front of her. Xander couldn't help staring at her breasts, so different from Willow's, but just as beautiful. No matter how many times he saw his girls naked, he never got tired of seeing them undress.

Tara gave a soft chuckle when she saw where his eyes were drawn to. "Why don't you do that to me, honey?" she said, taking his hand and putting it on one of her breasts, pressing her nipple into his palm.

"Happy to oblige," Xander said, smiling. He scooted toward Tara, and Willow kissed his cheek, slipping around and embracing him from behind as he leaned down to kiss Tara's breast. He sucked hard on her nipple, just as he'd done to Willow a moment ago, and she moaned loudly at the touch of his lips and tongue. Willow ran her hands up his chest, scraping her nails downward as she watched what he was doing over his shoulder.

When Xander moved to Tara's other breast, Willow pulled his swim trunks down, finally freeing his cock. Just as he was taking Tara's nipple in his mouth, Willow wrapped her hand around his cock, stroking him slowly. A rush of heat spread throughout Xander's body, every nerve ending on fire, and he bit down on Tara involuntarily, only just managing to stop himself from biting too hard. Tara let out a sound that was somewhere between a yelp and a moan, and Xander started to pull away, but she quickly put her hands on his head, holding him to her breast. Xander relaxed – he obviously hadn't hurt her – and sucked her nipple into his mouth again, and Tara's blissful moan was music to his ears as he circled his tongue around it.

"Goddess, listen to her, Xander," Willow said. Her mouth was right next to his ear, but she spoke loudly enough for Tara to hear what she was saying. "I never thought a man would be able to drive her crazy like that before we got together with you."

Xander was starting to feel almost lightheaded with arousal, so he pulled back from Tara and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself a little. After giving him a second to breathe, Tara moved in close and kissed him passionately, her tongue swirling around with his. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and he could feel Willow's nipples hard against his back as she molded herself to him, kissing and nibbling his neck. Feeling their soft skin against his was driving Xander crazy, and it wasn't long before he had to break his kiss with Tara to take another deep breath.

Willow moved around in front of him, stopping when she was next to Tara. "So which one of us do you want first?" Tara asked, and Xander had to give her credit – she almost managed to make the question sound innocent. He also had to smile at the "first" – obviously there was no question in either of their minds that he wanted to make love to them both.

"Then you're the one I want first," he declared. Before Willow could reply, he pulled her in close and kissed her fiercely. As he slid his tongue into her mouth, he leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her and lowering her to the blanket.

"What? What's wrong?" Xander asked. He looked around quickly – there still weren't any people around. Confused, he turned back to Willow.

"We have to be careful. We don't want to get sand in bad places," she said, giggling and nodding toward the ground.

Xander chuckled. He hadn't thought about that, but she was right. "Get up on your knees," he said, moving around behind Willow when she did. He pushed lightly on her back, and she bent over for him, resting on her hands and knees. Xander pulled her bikini bottoms down, exposing her to him, and Tara lightly ran her fingers over her girlfriend's sex.

"She's nice and wet for you," Tara said. Willow sucked in a breath as Tara's fingers brushed over her clit, and Tara laughed, low and husky, lifting her fingers to her mouth and licking them clean of Willow's essence. She took off the rest of her swimsuit, then gathered up Willow's and Xander's, setting them in a pile at the edge of the blanket.

Tara grasped Xander's cock, leading him toward Willow's sex. She slowly rubbed the head of his cock against Willow's lips, and they both gasped at the sensation. Tara guided him to Willow's opening, releasing him when the head of his cock was nestled against her sex, and Xander pushed into her without hesitation. She let out a long moan as he slid into her, and when he was all the way inside, she clenched her muscles tightly around him, making him moan himself at the sensation that shot through his body.

Tara moved to kneel beside Willow and turned to meet Xander's eyes. "Feels good?" she said. "I've felt her pussy clenching around my fingers. It must feel amazing, wrapped around your cock like that."

"Oh god," Xander said. "You two are so sexy…I…" The rest of what he was about to say was cut off by a moan he couldn't hold back when Willow squeezed him inside her again. He started fucking her, going slow for a few seconds to get his cock wet all over, then speeding up when his cock was wet all over. He slid his hands up her back, rubbing her shoulders affectionately, then down her sides, caressing her soft skin, and finally underneath her to cup her breasts.

Some small part of Xander could hardly believe they were doing this on a public beach – even if there was no one around. But he was too wrapped up in the way he was feeling to pay much attention to it. In fact, if anything, the thought that someone might stumble across them like this gave him a little thrill – though that was nothing compared to the heights of arousal his girls were driving him to.

Xander fucked Willow steadily, losing himself in the intensely pleasurable feelings of her soft, wet walls grasping and clenching around his cock as he thrust into her. He rubbed his palms over her breasts, then took her nipples between his fingers and tugged at them. He was rewarded with another moan, this one from deep in Willow's chest, and he thrust into her harder in response.

Tara slipped underneath Willow carefully, stopping when they were face to face. She smiled up at her girlfriend, and when Xander slid his hands down Willow's sides again to grip her hips, Tara's hands replaced his on Willow's breasts. She caressed them none too gently, rubbing and pinching her nipples, and Xander gave Willow's ass a playful slap. Willow squirmed around, pushing back against him, and Xander rubbed her softly where his blow had just landed.

Just a few moments later, Tara slid one hand down Willow's stomach, keeping the other one on her breast as she moved toward Willow's sex. When she brushed her fingers over her clit, Willow screamed out loud, a raw cry of ecstasy, and her whole body tensed with the force of her climax. Xander didn't slow down; he kept thrusting hard into Willow as she rode out the waves that shook her body, and she barely had time to catch her breath before she was moaning and squirming again.

Tara looked up at Xander from her place on the ground underneath Willow. "I can't believe how much she's enjoying you fucking her, Xander," Tara said. "You know she's a lesbian." She didn't slow down, even for a moment; her fingers kept up their ministrations on Willow's nipples and clit even as she spoke.

Willow turned and looked at Xander over her shoulder, raw lust and desire in her eyes. "Yeah," she said, her voice practically a growl. "You know how much I love licking pussy."

Their words, combined with the way Willow was making him feel, was more than Xander could take. With a few final thrusts, he buried himself deep inside Willow, his own cry of release filling the air as he came. Willow joined him in another climax immediately after, tightening around him, and Xander stilled, his breath coming in short gasps as he reveled in the feeling of her inner muscles milking him dry.

Finally, he started to come down from the high, and he smiled as he felt Willow begin to relax as well. He rubbed her ass gently, and a moment later he pulled back a little, slipping out of her as he softened. Willow carefully lowered herself to lay on top of Tara, and they kissed deeply, their hands roaming over each other's bodies. Willow's caresses were gentle as she ran her hands over Tara's arms, shoulders, and sides, but Tara's touches were rougher as she rubbed Willow's back and moved her hands downward to squeeze her ass. Tara hadn't had any release and she was obviously still extremely turned on, and having Willow naked on top of her clearly wasn't doing anything to calm her down.

As loath as he was to take his eyes off his girls, even for an instant, Xander took a brief glance around to make sure they were still alone out here. Willow's screams had been awfully loud – and so had his, for that matter – but with the sound of the surf, they probably hadn't carried very far. Satisfied that there was still no one else around, he turned back to Willow and Tara just in time to see Tara start kissing and nibbling Willow's neck.

She only kept it up for a minute or two, though, before looking over Willow's shoulder at Xander. "Get up, honey," she murmured into Willow's ear. Willow pushed herself up onto her knees and turned to face Xander, smiling at him as Tara sat up as well.

Xander rose to his knees as Tara and Willow approached to embrace him, and he wrapped his arms around them, pulling them in close. He felt a new spark of arousal at the feel of their bodies against his, and it quickly warmed his entire body again as they kissed right in front of him, deeply and passionately. Willow and Tara turned slightly so he could see their tongues, and with the combination of seeing them kiss and feeling their soft skin rubbing gently against his, Xander soon felt himself getting hard again. It was a little surprising; as intense as his last orgasm had been, he hadn't expected to be ready to go again so quickly.

Willow and Tara broke their kiss, smiling as they glanced down at his cock. "Well, that didn't take long," Tara said, looking pleased.

"As always, it's completely because of you," Xander replied. "You're both so beautiful. You know that, right?"

They only giggled in answer, and Willow pressed her lips to Xander's, kissing him deeply. He drank in the sweet taste of her lips and tongue, basking in it for a long moment until she pulled away from him. He turned toward Tara, and she kissed him hotly, her tongue sliding into his mouth. He sucked on it, swirling it around with his, taking his time and enjoying the way she tasted, as well.

Finally, Tara broke their kiss. "Lay back, Xander," she said, and there was so much desire evident in her voice that he hastened to comply. He laid down on his back, on the blanket, and Tara straddled his hips. Willow took his cock in her hand, guiding him toward Tara's sex just as Tara had done for her a moment ago, and she turned and gave her girlfriend a quick kiss before lowering herself onto Xander. She was just as wet as Willow had been, and he sighed with pleasure as her warm, smooth walls enveloped his cock.

"I don't know what it is about you that gets me so excited," Tara said, her voice low and sultry. "I usually only get turned on by girls." She squeezed him inside her as she spoke, and Xander moaned loudly as a fresh wave of arousal shot through him.

Tara started moving on him, slowly at first, but it didn't take long for her to settle into a steady rhythm. "I love the way another woman's body feels," she said, looking down and meeting Xander's eyes as she spoke. "The softness of another woman's breasts pressing against mine is one of my favorite things."

Xander pushed his hips up toward Tara, and she grinned at him, clenching her muscles around his cock again. She picked up her pace again, riding him hard and fast now, and Willow embraced her from behind, looking over Tara's shoulder at Xander as she caressed the blonde's breasts. Tara moaned as Willow pinched her nipples, and Willow smiled, dipping her head to kiss and nibble Tara's neck as she caressed her girlfriend's breasts.

"What? Tell me. Please," Xander said. The way Tara's pussy was massaging his cock was driving him crazy, and that combined with seeing Willow touching her and hearing the things she was saying…It was all he could do not to come right then.

Tara opened her mouth to speak, but ended up gasping instead as Willow slid one hand down her stomach and stroked her clit. She sucked in a breath of air, grinding her hips down against Xander's as her eyes fluttered open and she fixed her gaze on him again. Willow continued rubbing Tara's clit, making her whole body tense, and Tara had to take a deep breath before speaking again.

"I love making another woman come," she said. "I love hearing her scream, seeing her squirm around while I fuck her with my fingers and lick her clit…Oh…oh goddess…" Tara trailed off into incoherent cries of pleasure as her orgasm took her, shaking her whole body with its force.

Willow didn't slow down, even for a second – she kept rubbing Tara's clit all through her climax. Tara hardly had a chance to catch her breath before she was moaning again, and Xander reached up to caress her breasts, squeezing them softly, rubbing and pinching her nipples. Tara shot him a look filled with desire, and he wished he could play with her some more, but he could feel his own release rapidly approaching, so he slid his hands down her sides to grip her hips so he could thrust up into her.

Willow smiled down at Xander. "You're really loving this, aren't you?" she said. "Fucking a lesbian."

"Yes," Xander groaned in between gasps for breath. "You two are so amazing…I can't even…Oh, god…" He trailed off as a strong wave of pleasure washed over him. He started moving faster, fucking Tara as hard as he could in this position, watching her breasts jiggle with each of his thrusts into her.

He could see Tara was on the brink again herself, caught between what he and Willow were doing to her. "Xander…" she said. "You know you're the only man I want inside me."

That was all it took. Xander cried out as his orgasm hit him, and in that instant, Tara joined him, screaming out her release. He slammed his hips against hers and came inside Tara, his head rolling back as she raked her nails down his chest. She clenched tightly around his cock, and he had to close his eyes at the wonderful sensations as they rode out their climaxes together.

After it was over, he took a moment to catch his breath, then opened his eyes just in time to see Willow give Tara a deep, slow kiss. She moved her hands to Tara's sides, resting them lightly on her hips, just above Xander's hands. They stayed locked together for a long moment, then Willow broke their kiss and moved to one side as Tara lifted herself off of Xander.

His girls laid down on either side of him, face down and half on top of him, and Xander gave them both kisses as they snuggled against him, resting their heads on his chest and entwining their legs with his. Xander wrapped his arms around them, running his fingers up and down their backs gently.

They laid together in silence for a moment, listening to the sound of the surf and the faint calls of the gulls, before Xander spoke. "That was incredible," he said. "I mean, every time with you is incredible, but this…" He trailed off, smiling and shaking his head.

"Well, we're glad you enjoyed it," Willow said, absentmindedly tracing patterns on his chest with one finger.

Xander chuckled. "I noticed," he said. He hesitated for a moment before continuing – he wasn't sure whether he should bring this up, but he was curious, and he figured Willow and Tara probably wouldn't take it badly. "So…That stuff you were saying…Did you mean it?" he asked. "I never really thought much about it, to be honest. I was too busy just being happy you were with me."

Xander grinned. "So, you're saying that I can seduce any woman out there, no matter if she's gay or not? Wow, I never knew I was so attractive!"

Tara and Willow laughed. "Hey, come on," Tara chided playfully, poking him in the ribs.

Willow fixed him with a stern look. "Xander, everything we said was true," Willow said, "but don't you dare let it go to your head, mister."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Xander said. He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Besides, I don't want anyone but you two anyway."

"Yeah," Willow said. "But Xander…When I said this is a special case, I didn't mean it's because you're special. Although you are, don't get me wrong," she added hastily. "But the specialness…That comes from us. All of us, together. What we have. Right, honey?" She turned toward Tara and gave her a questioning look.

Tara nodded. "Yes," she said. "We're special. This…" She took one of Willow's hands in her own and put their clasped hands on Xander's chest, then shrugged out from underneath his arm and led his hand toward theirs, smiling as they all laced their fingers together. "This is special."

And as Xander looked down at their hands and thought back over the past several weeks he'd been with Willow and Tara, he had to agree.

They laid together for a few minutes before standing up and walking down to the ocean to wash off. They were all still naked, and none of them had the nerve to stay out there for very long, so as soon as they were done, they quickly made their way back to their blanket. Xander made sure to walk a little ways behind Willow and Tara, admiring their bodies as they hurried back up the beach together. They both turned when they reached their blanket and noticed Xander watching them, and they smiled at him as he stepped up to join them.

Xander reached for his trunks and slipped them back on as the girls donned their bikinis again. They laid down on the blanket once more, and Xander rolled onto his back, pulling Willow and Tara to him. They laid on top of him, and Xander wrapped his arms around his girls, enjoying the feeling of closeness with them as they all shared soft kisses together.

"Can you believe we just made love on a public beach?" Willow said quietly after a moment.

"Me either," Willow said. "It makes me feel a little…wild," she continued after a brief pause. "I like it."

Tara chuckled. "Do we have an exhibitionist in the making?" she teased, rubbing Willow's back softly.

"Oh, no," Willow replied, giggling. "I wouldn't want to make this a regular thing. I mean, I can't even imagine what I would have done if we'd gotten caught." She blushed at the thought. "It's one thing for people to know that we're all together, but actually seeing us having sex?" She shuddered a little. "No thank you."

"Me too," Xander said, kissing her forehead. "Besides, bed is a lot more comfortable anyway."

"I don't know," Tara said, grinning. "I'm pretty comfortable right now." She kissed Xander's chest, then rested her head on it and closed her eyes. Xander chuckled as she snuggled against him, and he reached up and stroked her hair softly.

"Sounds like a good plan," Willow said. She, too, closed her eyes and snuggled up to him, laying her head on his chest as well. She reached for Tara and laid one hand on the small of her back, rubbing her softly there, and she sighed contentedly as she slowly relaxed against him.

Xander smiled. They usually slept this way at home, but it was nice to see that Willow and Tara were comfortable enough to do it here, too. They'd come a long way in the weeks the three of them had been together – and so had he, for that matter.

Of course, at home, they had pillows, while here he was stretched out on the none-too-soft ground with only a thin blanket between him and it. Hardly ideal conditions for sleeping. Still, the sound of the surf was soothing, and his girls felt so good against him that Xander soon found himself relaxing as well, and it didn't take long for him to drift off.

When he opened his eyes again, he blinked a couple of times, then looked around briefly. They were still alone. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the sun had moved a bit and was more or less directly overhead now. The shade from the rocks had all but vanished and they were half-laying in the sunlight now.

"Hey. Wake up," he said, nudging Tara and Willow. They both stirred, and Tara opened her eyes, smiling as she met Xander's gaze. Willow, however, didn't do the same – she shifted around, but stayed in the same place, keeping her eyes tightly shut.

Tara laughed and sat up, turning to face Xander and Willow. "Come on, honey," she said, brushing Willow's hair back from her face. Willow finally opened her eyes and Tara nodded down toward their legs, which were bathed in the bright light of the sun. "If we don't move, we'll burn."

"That's right," Xander said. "Besides, I need to sit up for a bit." His neck and back were already feeling a little stiff.

"Fine," Willow said with an exaggerated huff. She sat up and stretched her arms above her head, and Xander followed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in for a kiss. He circled his tongue around hers, staying locked together with her for several seconds before pulling away. He scooted back a little as Tara leaned forward and put her hands on Willow's cheeks, pressing her lips to hers. He smiled happily as he watched them kiss, and when they separated, he gently turned Tara's head toward him and gave her a long, deep kiss as well.

Willow smiled at Tara and Xander as they broke their kiss. "Want to have lunch?" she said.

"Sure," Tara said, and Xander nodded his agreement. "And maybe afterward, we can do a little sunbathing."

"You do realize that we'll all have to put sunscreen on again, right?" Xander commented with a grin.

Willow laughed and touched his arm lightly. "Don't worry, honey, it'll go a lot faster this time," she said. "Anyway, let's have lunch."

The sandwiches Tara had made were delicious, as usual, and when they were done eating, Xander carefully collected their garbage in a small bag they'd brought and stowed it in their pack. Then they got up and moved down toward the water a bit, away from the rocks and the shade there.

"What do you think? Is here good?" Xander asked, putting their blanket down on a clear section of the beach. The tide had risen a bit, but they were still a good thirty feet or so from the high point.

Willow was right – putting on the sunscreen did go much faster this time. When they were finished, Tara laid down on her back in the middle of the blanket, and Willow joined her, taking her hand as she settled in next to her. Xander looked down at them for a moment, smiling, then laid down next to Tara, taking her other hand and running his thumb over the back of it.

Xander stared up at the brilliant blue sky, watching a few distant clouds slowly drift across it. It had been a good idea to get out of Sunnydale for the day; he never could have been as comfortable on the beach back home. He really appreciated being able to just relax without having to worry about some demon or fish monster running across them. It was nice to be away from the Hellmouth, even if it was just for a little while.

Briefly, he wondered what it would be like to live somewhere where he didn't have to worry about danger around every corner. Even though things had been pretty quiet in Sunnydale lately, deep down he knew that couldn't last. Sooner or later there was going to be more supernatural badness to deal with, and now he had even more reason to worry about Willow and Tara. Even before he'd fallen in love with them, it would have torn his heart out to see anything happen to either of them, and now…

It helped a little that he knew that his girls could take care of themselves; they were witches after all, and it seemed that they got more powerful every day. The truth was, if something bad happened, they were more likely to be the ones protecting him than the other way around.

But there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn't about to suggest that they move; Buffy still needed their help and he wasn't about to abandon her. Willow would never go for that idea anyway – she'd made the decision to stay in Sunnydale years ago – and Xander was sure that Tara felt the same way, too. No, Sunnydale was their home, at least as long as Buffy was there and there was supernatural nastiness to protect people from.

So there was nothing to do but enjoy this quiet time while it lasted and deal with any dangers they might have to face when they came along. He shouldn't be thinking about this right now, anyway. They had come to the beach to relax, after all.

They'd been sunbathing for a little while – Xander wasn't sure exactly how long, but it couldn't have been more than half an hour or so – when Willow sat up and looked down at him and Tara.

Willow nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Even with sunscreen, I can't stay out in weather like this for very long."

Xander sat up himself and moved behind Willow, resting his hands on her sides. "I guess that's the price of having such beautiful skin," he said, giving her a soft kiss on her shoulder.

"Flatterer," Willow said, grinning. She turned and kissed him briefly, then leaned down and did the same to Tara. After she pulled away, Tara stood up, holding out her hands to Xander and Willow. They took them, standing up together, and the three of them shared a quick hug before stepping off the blanket so Xander could pick it up. He shook it out as best he could, then folded it with Willow's help and handed it to her. Then he picked up their backpack, and they started off down the beach together.

They carefully made their way back through the rocks, and when they emerged back onto the long stretch of beach they'd arrived at, they saw that it was substantially more crowded than it had been when they'd left it that morning.

"Well, this place has livened up a bit," Xander commented as they walked down the beach.

"It'll probably only get more crowded the later it gets," Tara said. "It's beautiful out today."

Willow gestured toward the stairs that led back to the parking lot. "Let's head back up," she said. "I need to find a bathroom."

"I'll go with you," Tara said as they started their ascent. "I need to fix my hair."

Xander thought their hair looked just fine – in fact, it was remarkably un-mussed considering what they'd been doing – but he'd learned long ago not to argue with women about stuff like this. So he kept quiet as they made their way up the stairs, moving aside when they reached the top to let a group of girls past them. They took a look around and quickly spotted a public restroom a short distance away.

Willow and Tara turned toward Xander. "We'll be back in a minute, honey," Willow said.

"I'll be around," Xander replied. His girls smiled at him and headed off toward the restroom, and he looked around for a place to wait for them. There were several picnic tables off to one side of the parking lot, near a hot dog stand, so he walked over and took a seat at one of them, away from the people who were eating by the stand. He glanced back over his shoulder, but quickly realized that he couldn't see the restroom from where he was sitting; his view was blocked by a corner of the hot dog stand. Well, it was no problem – Tara and Willow could find him easily enough here.

He'd been waiting for a couple of minutes when he heard a voice off to his right.

Xander turned just in time to see three well-built young men arriving at his table. He felt a sudden sinking sensation in his stomach as he recognized two of them.

They sat down at the table across from him. "Clark, you remember Xander, right?" Steve said to one of his friends. Turning to the other one, he said, "Brian, this is Xander. I know him from high school. He was one of the biggest losers at our school," he finished with a sneer.

"It's nice to see you too, Steve," Xander replied. It looked like he hadn't changed a bit from high school – he and Clark had been two years ahead of him, and they'd talked down to him like this all the time. They'd been part of the cool, popular crowd, and that was how things had often gone back then. At least they'd been all talk and hadn't actually bullied him the way Larry had – but Xander knew better than anyone how much words could hurt.

"So what brings you out here?" Xander asked, trying to steer the conversation to safer ground. This day had been perfect so far, and he didn't want to let these guys bring him down if he could at all help it.

"Oh, we just came down to do some surfing," Clark said. "And maybe pick up some girls. You can always find some hotties at the beach. I ended up taking a sweet one home last time I was here…Not that you'd know anything about that, right?"

"Xander here could never get a girl to give him the time of day," Steve said, glancing at Brian. "Probably still can't, I bet."

"Hey, that's…" Xander began, but quickly cut himself off. What was he thinking? If he started bragging about the women he was sleeping with, he wouldn't be any better than the guys he was talking to right now. Besides, he couldn't just go telling random strangers about his relationship with Willow and Tara without talking to them about it first.

Xander shook his head. "Nothing," he replied. "Don't you guys have better things to do than sit here giving me grief?"

Willow looked around as she and Tara exited the restroom. There were a few groups of people scattered around the parking lot, but there was no sign of Xander. "Where is he?" she wondered aloud. "He said he'd be waiting for us around here."

"Maybe over there?" Tara said, pointing to a collection of tables over by a couple of food concessions. "There might be some more tables around the side of that hot dog stand."

They walked across the parking lot together, and as they approached the corner of the hot dog stand, some more tables beyond it came into view. Xander was sitting at one of them, and Willow noted with surprise that there were three other guys sitting across from him. She scowled as she recognized them, and put a hand on Tara's arm, stopping her from moving any closer. She stepped back around the corner of the hot dog stand, and Tara followed her, a confused look on her face.

"I know those guys with Xander," Willow replied. "They were in high school with us for a couple of years. They were real jerks – always bragging about all the girls they'd been with, and running Xander down because he never had any dates."

Willow looked out around the corner, observing Xander's uncomfortable posture and the way that Steve, Clark, and their friend were talking and laughing. She could only make out snippets of their conversation because of the wind, but from what she could hear, Xander wasn't saying much of anything at all, but there was a lot of boasting from the other side of the table. Willow was momentarily torn between appreciating Xander's sweetness for not telling them about his relationship with her and Tara, and being angry at Steve and Clark for the way they were treating Xander.

Her anger quickly won out. "I can't believe those guys," she fumed. "I'm going to go give them a piece of my mind." She took a step toward the table, but turned in surprise as Tara caught her wrist lightly.

"Honey, wait," Tara said, and Willow noted the mischievous gleam in her girlfriend's eye as she continued. "I have a better idea."

Xander shifted uncomfortably as he listened to Steve describe yet another one of his so-called "conquests," complete with another jab at his own lack of experience at the end. Talk about a way to ruin his afternoon. And the day had been going so well up until now, too.

Wait, he suddenly thought. Why am I still listening to these guys? For that matter, why was he even still here? Back in high school, he hadn't been able to avoid them, but there was no reason he had to put up with them now.

Just as he was about to stand up, Xander saw Willow approaching the table. Before he could say anything to warn her off, she sat down next to him and scooted in close. "Hey, honey," she said, pressing her lips to his in a kiss only slightly less passionate than the ones she gave when they were making love. Xander's momentary shock at her boldness in front of other people quickly faded as their kiss went on for several seconds, and he had to take a moment to catch his breath when they finally separated.

Willow turned toward the guys sitting across the table from them, who were looking back at them in surprise. "Hey Steve. Hey Clark," she chirped. "Haven't seen you in a while. You remember me, right? It's Willow."

Xander opened his mouth to speak, but Willow gave him a quick poke in the ribs, so he remained silent. She was obviously up to something, so he'd follow her lead on this.

"Willow Rosenberg?" Steve said. He stared at her quizzically, obviously trying to reconcile the stunningly beautiful woman he was seeing now with the shy, mousy girl he no doubt remembered from high school.

"Of course, silly," Willow said, chuckling. "Who else would I be? You do remember me, don't you?"

"Yeah," Clark spoke up. "Yeah, definitely. It's good to see you. You look great."

"Thanks," Willow replied. She turned toward the third member of their small group. "Who's your friend here?" she asked.

"So…You two are together now?" Steve asked, glancing at Xander briefly before returning his gaze to Willow. His surprise was fading a bit, but he still didn't seem to be able to take his eyes off her for very long.

"Yep," Willow replied. She smiled happily and took Xander's hand. He laced his fingers together with hers and they rested their clasped hands on the table. "I finally got the guy I wanted."

At that moment, Tara walked around the corner from the front of the hot dog stand and stepped over toward their table. "Hey sweetie," she said, resting her hand on Xander's shoulder. "Sorry that took so long, but I stopped and put our stuff in the car."

Tara wrapped one arm around Xander's back and sat down in his lap. He rested his other hand on her hip, and she kissed him, deeply and with no less passion than Willow had a moment ago. They held their kiss for a long moment, and when Tara finally pulled back from Xander, Willow leaned in toward her, and they shared a long, slow kiss as well.

Afterward, they all turned back to the people sitting across from them, who were staring at them in utter shock and astonishment. "Oh!" Willow exclaimed suddenly. "I'm sorry. Where are my manners?" She nodded toward the other side of the table. "Tara, this is Steve, Clark, and Brian. Guys, this is Tara. Our girlfriend."

"G…G…Gir…" Steve stammered, but that was all he could manage. He and his friends kept looking back and forth between Willow and Tara, as though they were unsure who they wanted to stare at more.

Tara smiled at them, resting her hand on Willow's shoulder and rubbing her softly. "It sure is a great day to be at the beach," she commented. "I'm glad Xander suggested we come out here. Although, to tell you the truth, I think he just wanted to see Willow and me in bikinis."

Willow nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Although, I don't know why he was so excited about the idea of seeing us in bikinis. I mean, he sees us naked every night," she finished with a giggle.

Xander hadn't thought it would have been possible for Steve's eyes to get any wider, but he was quickly proved wrong. Clark's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Brian simply stared, not even trying to say anything.

Turning back toward Willow and Xander, Tara winked at them. "Guys, we'd better get going," she said.

Xander nodded. "Yeah," he said. Tara climbed off his lap, and the three of them stood up. "Well, it was great to see you guys again," he said, glancing at Steve and Clark.

With that, they turned and walked away, heading around the corner of the hot dog stand. When they were out of earshot, they stopped under the shade of a large rock, turned toward each other, and burst out laughing.

"I thought their eyes were going to fall out," Xander said. "How long do you think it'll take them to pick their jaws up off the ground?"

After they'd caught their breath, Xander gave his girls a hug, then stepped back and smiled at them. "I have to say, I wasn't expecting that," he said. "Who's idea was it?"

"Mine," Tara said. "Willow told me how they used to treat you, and it looked like they were up to their old tricks, so I thought this would be a good way to deal with them."

"Although I was a little surprised to hear you suggest it, honey," Willow said. "I mean, just this morning you seemed pretty nervous about just wearing a swimsuit out in public."

Tara looked at each of them in turn. "Well…When we made love earlier, you made me feel so sexy…I guess I just wasn't thinking about being anxious anymore." She shrugged.

Xander smiled and gave her a soft kiss, then turned and kissed Willow as well. He was so lucky. He couldn't believe that he'd been letting Steve and Clark get to him just a few minutes ago. Sure, he hadn't been with as many women as they had, but he'd had casual sex before, and it was nothing compared to his relationship with Willow and Tara. What Tara had said earlier was right – what they had was really special, and he knew with absolute certainty that he wouldn't trade it for anything.

Willow smiled at Tara and ran a hand down her arm. "So how about we get some ice cream?" she asked, smiling at her and Xander.

"Sounds good to me," Xander replied, and the three of them linked hands and stepped out into the warm sun together.

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Soul Mates: A Day Off

by Ravenhawk

Copyright © 2007

ravenhawk450@gmail.com