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: I've created a new mailing list,
Ravenhawk's Fanfic. It's going to serve as an archive for Soul Mates and the
rest of my fiction. I'll continue to post new chapters of Soul Mates here, but
there may be things I'll post to that list that I won't post anywhere else. I
haven't decided yet. Sequel to Soul
Mates: A Day Off.
Dedication: Thanks to Pete for helping out with this part. Also, thanks
very much to everyone who's given me feedback and suggestions. I really
appreciate it.
Grouping: Willow/Tara/Xander
Summary: A fight against supernatural evil reminds Willow, Tara, and Xander of the precious things in their lives.
Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11
Xander looked around, trying to get his bearings. He wasn't quite sure how he'd managed to get lost on the UC Sunnydale campus, but here he was, entering the same courtyard for the second time. He was coming in from a different direction, but this was definitely the same place he'd been just a few minutes ago – there was no mistaking the large building that housed the library directly ahead of him.
Well, it's a big campus, he tried to console himself. Anyone could get lost here. Besides, they added on to it over the summer. And sure, he'd been out here before, but that had usually been when there was supernatural nastiness to deal with – he hadn't exactly had time for a tour of the campus.
There was no supernatural nastiness happening today, thankfully. In fact, it was a very nice day – it had been raining off and on for the past few days, but today the sky was clear and although it was breezy, the light jacket he had on was more than adequate. A good day to surprise his girls at school and take them out to lunch – or so Xander had thought, anyway. He hadn't anticipated having this much trouble finding them.
He paused briefly to consider what to do next. He could head back to where he'd parked; there was a map of the campus there, which would hopefully be all he'd need to find the building where his girls were in class right now. But, glancing at his watch, he quickly decided he didn't have time for that. It was only a few minutes until noon, which was when Willow and Tara's class ended – they had class together today – and since they didn't know he was planning to meet them here, he doubted that they'd stick around for very long.
Better to just ask for directions. He was fairly sure that he was in the right general area, after all. There weren't too many people around yet, since classes were still going, but there were a few students scattered about, so Xander approached a small group gathered in front of the doors to the library.
"Excuse me," he said. The students ceased their conversation and turned to face him, and he gave them a friendly smile. "Hi. I'm looking for Meyers Hall. Could you tell me where to find it?"
One of the students, a slim brunette girl, returned his smile before answering him. "Sure," she said. "It's just on the other side of the library here. There's paths around, but if you're in a hurry, you can go straight through."
"Thanks," Xander replied. "I appreciate the help." He turned and made his way up to the library doors, and behind him, he could hear the students resume their conversation. He stepped through the doors and, passing through a short hall, he found himself in the main room of the library.
Slowing his pace a bit, Xander took a look around as he walked through the library. There were a good many students here, either sitting at tables studying or standing at the shelves looking through books. He made it halfway through before suddenly stopping beside the large central desk.
He took another long look around, and couldn't help feeling a vague sense of curiosity as he did. What would have happened if he'd decided to try going to college? Would he have been able to handle it? UC Sunnydale was far from the hardest school out there, but then again, he hadn't done very well in high school, so…
Still, how much of that was because he just hadn't tried very hard? He'd always hated studying, and once he'd decided he wasn't going to college, there was no reason to put any more effort into it. He'd done just enough to graduate, and that was that. He figured that he'd just make his own way after high school as best he could.
But things were different now. He didn't just have himself to think about anymore. He was in a serious relationship with two wonderful women, and if he wanted things to work between them, he had to start putting what would be best for all three of them ahead of his own personal likes and dislikes.
And that meant he had to start thinking about where he was going in his job. Sure, he'd made supervisor really quickly, but if he wanted to go much higher in the construction business, taking at least a few college classes would be a big help. It would probably mean a good deal more money in the long run, which they'd need if…
Xander stopped abruptly as he realized what he was thinking. He'd only been with Willow and Tara for a couple of months now, but he was already thinking about a future with them. It was a little scary, thinking along those lines, but it also just felt…right.
Except for one thing. They were still on a Hellmouth. And that made any kind of long-term thinking a dangerous proposition. How could he plan for the future when there was a very real possibility that he could be killed before the day was over? Or that Willow or Tara could be, for that matter?
And, god, that thought was too horrible to even contemplate. Even just his mind flashing on it for a second was enough to make him feel sick inside.
But the fact of the matter was, there was nothing he could do about it. The simple truth was that as long as they lived on a Hellmouth, there would be danger. He was just going to have to accept that, even if it was much harder to do so now then it had been back when he was single.
But still…
"Can I help you?"
A voice to his left broke Xander's train of thought, and he turned to see a young man looking at him from behind the library counter.
"I'm fine," Xander snapped. He instantly regretted the harshness in his tone – this guy hadn't done anything wrong, after all – so he quickly spoke again. "Sorry. I'm fine," he repeated more gently, giving the man a quick smile. "You startled me, is all. But thanks."
The librarian looked at him askance for a moment, but then nodded and turned away, moving to the other end of the counter. After he'd left, Xander sighed and shook his head, then turned and resumed his trek across the library. He couldn't afford to waste any more time worrying about things he couldn't change.
But when he reached the doors opposite the ones he'd come in by, he stopped again. There was a rack full of class schedules for the next semester beside the door, and on impulse, he picked one up. It couldn't hurt to at least look at what he could take next semester. Registration was still a few weeks away, so he had plenty of time to think about it.
Stuffing the schedule into one of his jacket pockets, Xander stepped outside and quickly spotted Meyers Hall across another courtyard. Hurrying over to the building, he walked inside and made his way past the students just getting out of class to Tara and Willow's classroom. He arrived just in time to see the doors open and students begin exiting out into the hall, and it didn't take long before he spotted his girls making their way through a small crowd just outside the classroom.
Just seeing Willow and Tara made Xander feel a little better. They were dressed simply – both of them were in jeans, and Willow had on a dark red T-shirt, while Tara was in a pink blouse – but they looked amazing nonetheless. And the way they both smiled when they saw him only made them more beautiful.
Xander couldn't help smiling back at them as they approached. "Hey, Xander," Willow said, walking forward and hugging him. He hugged her back, and they held their embrace for a few seconds before stepping away from each other.
"Hey, sweetie," Tara said, giving him a hug of her own. "What's up?" she asked after they separated. "We didn't expect to see you here."
"Yeah, I wanted to surprise you," Xander said. "I thought we could go to lunch. Are you free?"
"Yep," Willow replied cheerily. "We were just going to go home anyway."
"And I didn't have anything special planned for lunch," Tara added.
"Great," Xander said. "Let's go, then. I parked over on the other side of the library." The three of them fell in step together and made for the main doors of the building, walking slowly to get through the crowds.
"So did you have any place in mind?" Willow asked once they were outside. They turned toward the library, but instead of heading for the doors, they started down one of the paths that went around it instead. There were students everywhere on the grounds, but except for the occasional guy casting an appreciative glance at Willow or Tara, none of them seemed to pay them any particular attention.
"Yeah," Xander replied. "There's a sandwich place not too far from here that's pretty good. We get lunch there for work, sometimes." He fell silent for a moment as they made their way past a large group of students gathered around a notice board. "So how was class?" he asked when they were clear of the crowd.
"Oh, it was great," Willow enthused. "Sociology is really interesting. And we covered a lot of stuff today."
Xander glanced at Tara out of the corner of his eye as Willow continued, and the two of them exchanged brief smiles. Their girlfriend's excitement was always a great thing to see, and Xander found himself listening attentively as Willow chattered on animatedly all the way to the car.
Xander found himself in a very good mood when he got up the next morning. After lunch yesterday, Xander had dropped Tara and Willow off back at school and returned to work, and the rest of the day had passed pleasantly enough. He'd hurried home after quitting time, eager to see his girls again, and they'd spent the evening at home together, which was fast becoming a pleasant routine for all of them. All in all, it'd been a very good day.
It was Friday, which meant that Willow and Tara didn't have any classes, so they didn't get up when he did. He tried to be as quiet as possible as he went about his morning routine, but after he'd gotten done showering, he went back into their bedroom to get dressed and found the bed empty. He could hear Willow and Tara talking in the kitchen, so he dressed quickly and walked out to join them.
Crossing their living room, Xander saw Willow, in her bathrobe, sitting at their dining table. She'd turned her chair and was facing into the kitchen, looking at Tara, who was in her robe as well, closing up a Tupperware container. His girls smiled when they saw him, and Tara stepped forward, giving him a soft kiss.
"Hey sweetie," she said, handing him the Tupperware container. "I packed a lunch for you."
"Thanks," Xander replied, smiling back at her. He kissed her again and ran one hand down her arm, grasping her hand and giving it an affectionate squeeze. Then he set the container down on the table and stepped over to where Willow was sitting, and he leaned down and gave her a kiss as well.
"So what do you two have planned for today?" he asked, laying one hand on Willow's shoulder and looking from her to Tara.
"Lots of studying," Willow replied. "Oh! Speaking of that…" She abruptly stood up and hurried into the living room, returning a moment later with the class schedule he'd picked up yesterday.
"I noticed this on the floor underneath your jacket a few minutes ago," Willow said. "It's yours, right?"
Xander nodded. "Yeah. I picked it up yesterday. It must've fallen out of my jacket pocket."
"What made you decide to pick up a UC Sunnydale class schedule?" Tara asked.
"I was thinking about trying to get in. Maybe part time," Xander said, shrugging. "Just take a class or two next semester, nothing big."
"Xander, that's great!" Willow exclaimed. She had a big smile on her face, and Xander could tell that she was bubbling over with barely contained excitement. "We can be study buddies! We should figure out what you want to take, you know Tara and I still have some basic requirements left, so we might even be able to get classes together…" She started back to her chair, but stopped when Xander held up his hand.
"Whoa. Hold on," he said. "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, here. I said I was thinking about taking a class or two. I haven't actually decided anything yet."
Willow's face fell. "Really?" she said. "But why wouldn't you want to do it? UC Sunnydale isn't hard to get into, I know you could make it…" She trailed off, looking at him questioningly, and Xander shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.
"Well, there are lots of reasons, actually," Xander replied. He hesitated for a moment upon seeing the disappointed look in Willow's eyes, but continued nonetheless. "For one, college classes cost money, and if I end up flunking, that money's wasted. May as well just…burn it, or something."
"I don't think you'd fail, Xander," Tara offered. He could tell that she was trying to make him feel better, and he appreciated that, but he wasn't sure he could accept her reassurances so easily.
"Yeah, Xander, come on," Willow said. "I can understand you being worried about that, but you can't let it stop you. You'll do fine."
"It's not just that," Xander said.
"Well, what is it?" Willow asked, frustration creeping into her tone. "Come on, Xander, this is really important."
Xander sighed. How could he possibly explain this to Willow? School had always been one of the most important things in her life, as far back as he could remember – probably because she'd always been great at it. He seriously doubted that she was going to understand his point of view on this.
Still, he had to try to make her see where he was coming from. "I don't know that there's any reason for me to go back," he said.
"What do you mean? Of course there's a reason," Willow said.
"And what would that be, huh?" Xander asked, starting to get irritated. "I'm never going to be a scholar or anything. I think we all know that. And as for it helping out with work? I still don't even know what I want to do for a living. I mean, the construction business is okay for now, but I don't know if it's something I want to still be doing a few years from now."
"Well it's not like you'd have to pick a major right away," Tara spoke up. "I still haven't decided on mine, after all."
Sighing again, Xander ran a hand through his hair. "That's not the point," he
said. "The point is I'm still not sure if I even want to try going to college,
and if I don't know what I'm going to be doing for a living…"
"Xander, that's not the only reason to go back to school," Willow said, interrupting him.
Tara seemed to pick up on Xander's discomfort, because she turned from him to Willow and caught her eyes. "Willow, honey, he's not sure about this," she said. "This is his decision. We should…"
"No," Willow interrupted again, and the stubborn look on her face was one that Xander knew well from when they were kids. She wasn't going to let go of this easily. "There are other reasons to go to college," she insisted, turning back toward Xander. "If not to help you get a job, then just to…" She held one hand up in front of her, clearly having trouble finding the words for what she wanted to say. "You know, to better yourself," she finished after a moment's hesitation.
"Better myself?" Xander shot back. "So I'm not good enough if I don't do this?"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Xander instantly regretted both what he'd said and the anger in his tone. Tara flinched at his outburst, and Willow looked torn between shock and rising anger. He wished he could take what he'd said back, but it was too late for that now, and what was even worse was that he couldn't find the words for an apology.
"I didn't say that," Willow replied, anger clearly winning out over surprise. Xander could see how tense she was from her expression and the way she was holding on to the class schedule as she continued. "God, I can't believe you sometimes. You can be such a…a…" She fell silent abruptly, but she didn't need to finish her sentence for the message to come across loud and clear.
But even though part of him wanted to retaliate, Xander held back. It would only make a bad situation worse. He needed to try to fix this, but again, he couldn't find the words he needed.
Tara frowned and, looking behind him, gestured toward the clock on the wall. "You're going to be late for work," she said quietly. He could see some sympathy in her eyes, but there was no small amount of anger evident on her face as well.
Xander turned and looked at the clock. She was right.
"Willow…Tara…I'm…" he began, but Tara cut him off.
"Just go," she said, her voice still soft. "We'll see you later."
Xander hesitated for a second, then nodded. He walked over to the door and put his shoes on, then grabbed his jacket and looked back over his shoulder. Tara and Willow were still watching him, and he thought one more time about trying to say something to them.
But the fact was, he didn't know what to say, and right now, he was liable to say something that would make things even worse. In situations like these, he always seemed to be able to find the worst possible thing to say at the worst possible time. It was one of his talents.
So he left instead, closing the door behind him, and went down to his car.
On the drive to work, the full impact of what had just happened sank in, and he spent the rest of the morning feeling like a complete ass.
After Xander left, Willow threw the class schedule down on the table.
"I can't believe him!" she fumed. "Can you believe him? I was trying to help him see how good this would be for him, and he gets mad at me for that?"
Tara took a moment before replying. She was upset with Xander too – he shouldn't have lost his temper the way he did – but the truth of the matter was that Willow had been pushing him. He hadn't been justified in reacting the way he did, but this wasn't all his fault.
So the first thing she had to do was get Willow to see that. Then they could worry about Xander.
"Willow, honey…" she said, "Xander shouldn't have snapped at you like that, but did you really need to push him like you did?"
Willow frowned. "So you're taking his side?" she asked, giving her an accusatory look.
Tara sighed. "I'm not on anyone's side," she soothed, resting a hand on Willow's shoulder and rubbing her softly. "There shouldn't even be any sides here. We all love each other, right? So we're all on the same side."
Willow didn't say anything, but Tara could see her relax a little, so she continued. "Now, I'm not defending him for snapping at you," she said, "but I can understand why he was getting annoyed. You were pushing him toward a decision he's not ready to make yet."
Willow opened her mouth to reply, but Tara continued quickly, forestalling her. "You were," she said. "Wouldn't you get irritated if he did the same thing to you?"
"But this is different," Willow replied. "Xander would be so much better off if he went to college. I'm just trying to help him see what's best for him."
Tara took Willow's hand and led her over to their couch. They sat down, facing each other, and Tara stroked Willow's hand gently as she drew it into her lap. "Maybe you're right, sweetie," she said. "Maybe going to college would be best for Xander." She shrugged. "But we don't know that for sure. And anyway, Xander's an adult. This is his decision. We can tell him what we think, but…He has to make his own choice here."
Silence settled over the room as Willow looked into her eyes for a long moment. "You're right," she said at length, and relief washed over Tara as she saw Willow relent. "It's just so frustrating, you know? It is his choice, but I don't want to see him make the wrong one."
"Honey…College is the right choice for you," Tara said. "It might not be the right choice for Xander. I mean, maybe it is, but…" She shrugged again. "We have to leave this up to him."
"He still shouldn't have snapped at me, though," Willow said, frowning slightly.
"You're right," Tara said, nodding. "He shouldn't have done that."
"But…I guess I was pushing him too hard," Willow continued, looking down at her lap.
Well. That was good to hear. Tara loved Willow with all her heart, but there was no denying that her girlfriend had her flaws. And one of them was that she absolutely hated to admit it when she was wrong. So if she was willing to admit her part in making this fight happen, that was a big deal for her.
"Oh no," Willow said suddenly, her forehead creasing with worry. "I was being totally unreasonable, wasn't I? What if Xander's still angry? What if…"
"Shh," Tara said, silencing her. She reached out and touched Willow's cheek, smiling comfortingly as her girlfriend looked up at her. "It's okay. It's not that bad. Really."
Her words seemed to reassure Willow, but only a little. Tara could still see concern in her eyes as Willow looked up at her. "We should go see Xander at work," she said. "Talk to him."
Tara nodded. "Not right now, though," she said, letting her hand fall to her side. "It'd be better if you both had some time to cool off first."
Willow frowned. "What do you mean?" she said. "I'm cool. In fact, I've never been cooler."
Tara paused, taking a moment to study her girlfriend closely before replying. Maybe she was right. All her anger from before seemed to have vanished, and though Tara could see that she was still a little tense, that could very well have just been anxiety over trying to make things right with Xander. And from what she'd seen of Xander just before he left, he'd probably cooled off quite a bit by now, too.
Still, it was probably better to be safe than sorry. Willow was probably still a little upset with Xander even now. And Tara needed to put a little distance between herself and this argument, too – she'd been caught in the middle of it, after all. It'd be best to wait for a bit before going to see Xander.
"Maybe so, honey, but humor me on this, okay?" Tara said. "Besides, Xander's going to be busy with work right now anyway."
For a moment, it looked like Willow might protest, but then she nodded, and Tara smiled and leaned in to give her a quick hug.
"I'm going to shower, and then I'll make us some breakfast, okay honey?" Tara said after they separated. At Willow's answering nod, she stood up and turned toward the hallway, but stopped as her eyes fell on their dining table. She sighed softly as she saw the tupperware container with the lunch she'd made for Xander still sitting on the table.
"Sweetie…look," she said, nodding toward the table. Willow turned in her seat, frowning slightly as she followed Tara's gaze.
"Xander forgot his lunch," Willow said. "We could take it to him, around noon or so."
"My thoughts exactly," Tara replied. "Kind of like a…peace offering."
Willow briefly considered her words. "Yeah," she said, smiling after a moment. "That's a good idea."
"Good," Tara said. "Now, I'll make us breakfast, and then I really need to try to get some studying done."
That morning at work was the worst Xander had ever had.
It wasn't that there were a lot of problems on the site. He and his crew were measuring and cutting sheetrock, and that went about as well as he could have hoped for. When lunchtime rolled around, they were even a little bit ahead of schedule.
No, what made his time at work awful was how bad Xander felt about what had happened earlier that morning.
He still couldn't believe he'd lost his temper like he had. His relationship with Willow and Tara was the best thing that had ever happened in his life, and he'd let his annoyance and frustration make him forget that. Only he could be stupid enough to be so thoughtless about something so wonderful.
His worries had gotten worse as the morning went on, and it was only when he was really starting to panic that he finally managed to rein himself in. Perspective. Perspective was a good thing, right? It was just an argument. Couples had arguments all the time and were still okay, and, sure, he and Tara and Willow weren't a couple, but that should still apply to them, shouldn't it?
Still, he definitely needed to apologize, and sooner rather than later. He hadn't planned to go home for his lunch break, even though he'd forgotten the lunch Tara had made for him, but it didn't take him long to change his mind. Best to go home at his first opportunity, find Willow and Tara, and beg their forgiveness. Hopefully they wouldn't still be upset with him.
He spent the rest of the morning going over what to say in his head, and doing his job as best he could in the distracted state he was in, until he was interrupted about ten minutes before lunch.
"Hey, Harris!" Xander turned at the sound of his name being shouted into the half-finished room he and his crew were working in. He looked up from the interior wall he'd been measuring and saw one of the assistant supervisors standing in a doorway across from him. "There's a couple of girls out front looking for you," the supervisor continued as Xander turned to face him. "A blonde and a redhead."
"Thanks," Xander said, and the supervisor gave him a quick nod and left. He started for the doorway, nervousness running through him at the thought of seeing Willow and Tara again, but before he reached it, he paused and turned around, facing the guys on his crew.
"Guys, just finish up the measuring you're doing and then go ahead and knock off. It's almost lunchtime anyway," he said. Not waiting for a response – not that it would have registered if there had been one – he turned again and hurried through the doorway.
He quickly made his way through the building, stopping as he stepped outside. He blinked as bright sunlight hit his eyes, and raised one hand to shade them as he looked around. It only took him a few seconds to spot Willow and Tara standing a short distance away from the building. Several of the guys around the site were staring at them, their expressions both curious and appreciative, but Xander paid them no heed as he approached his girls.
"Hi," he said, stopping in front of them and looking at each of them in turn. Willow had on a tan sundress and had a bag thrown over one arm, and Tara was wearing a medium-length dark green skirt and a short-sleeved blue shirt. Even with all the anxiety he was feeling, Xander couldn't help taking a moment to just look at them. Even though he'd been in a relationship with Tara and Willow for a couple of months now, and he'd known them a lot longer than that, there were still times when he almost couldn't believe how beautiful they were.
"Hey," Tara said, giving him a small smile.
"Hey, Xander," Willow said. She didn't smile, but he didn't see any anger in her expression or her posture, either. Xander felt no small amount of relief when he saw that.
The three of them stood together in uncomfortable silence for a moment – none of them seemed particularly eager to say anything. It didn't take Xander long to decide that since he was planning to apologize anyway, he needed to take the lead here.
Looking around, he saw that there were a few people within earshot, so he nodded toward an oak tree that stood a little ways away from the site. "Let's talk over there," he said.
"Okay," Tara said, and she and Willow followed Xander to stand underneath the tree. Xander took a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking again.
"Willow…I'm sorry for snapping at you this morning," he said. "And Tara, I'm sorry you were caught in the crossfire like that. Both of you, I'm so sorry for how I acted, and I hope you can forgive me." His words came out in a rush, all the preparation he'd done in his head that morning forgotten, and he waited anxiously for their answer.
"I'm sorry too," Willow said, her expression betraying the nervousness she felt. "I shouldn't have pressured you like I did. It's just, you said you were thinking about going back to school, and I got excited way too early. I was planning out your schedule when you hadn't even decided if you were actually going to take any classes yet."
Xander sighed. "I'm glad to hear that, but…Really, you should know…" He shrugged and spread his arms to his sides. "This is me. Sometimes I do stupid things. And sometimes those stupid things hurt people I really care about. I mean, I love you both, and I'd never do anything to hurt you on purpose, but I have a gift for finding the wrong things to say, and…"
"Xander, stop," Willow said, interrupting him. He could tell from her tone and her posture that she was totally serious about what she was saying and she expected to be listened to. "I've known you my whole life. And I've always loved you and I've never been anything but glad you were part of my life. Sure, there were times when you hurt me, but that's just part of life. It's part of being human. People hurt other people sometimes, even if they don't mean to."
"Yeah," Tara said. "Xander, it wasn't a good thing you did this morning, but don't blow it out of proportion. I haven't known you as long as Willow, but don't sell yourself short. I know you're a good person."
"You're one of the best I know," Willow said softly. "I mean, there's Buffy, and Giles, and of course you too honey," she added, turning and giving Tara a quick smile, "but you'd better believe you're right up there too," she finished, turning back to Xander and fixing him with a no-nonsense look.
Xander wasn't sure how much he actually believed what Willow and Tara were saying – he tried to be good, but he wasn't sure how often he actually succeeded – but it was good to hear just the same. And he could tell that they believed it, and that meant more to him than he could possibly say.
"Thank you," he said. "Both of you – thank you for being so understanding." He gave his girls a tight smile. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, but…" He trailed off and shook his head. It was probably best not to start down that road. "Anyway, like I said, I'm sorry I lost my temper this morning, and I promise I'll do my best not to let it happen again."
"And I'm sorry for pushing you like I did," Willow said.
"So…Are things okay between us?" Xander asked, addressing the question to Willow and Tara both. Neither of them looked like they were still angry, but he had to ask just the same. He wanted to be sure.
"Yeah. I think so," Tara replied. "It looks like we made it through our first fight okay."
Willow frowned slightly. "You think?" she said. "There's nothing special we need to do, or…?"
"Well, there should probably be make-up sex," Tara mused, "but I don't think this is the time or the place for it."
Willow giggled, and Xander laughed along with her. "No, definitely not," Xander said. Looking past Tara and Willow, Xander could see some of the guys on his crew standing out in front of the building mingling with a few of the other workers. Occasionally one of them would glance in their direction, and Xander had no trouble guessing what they were talking about.
"We brought your lunch," Willow said, nodding toward the bag she was carrying.
"Thanks," Xander said. "Sorry about forgetting it this morning. I…had other things on my mind."
"No problem," Tara said, smiling. "And actually, we brought enough for all of us," she continued. "We were hoping we could have lunch together."
"I'd like that," Xander said. "Why don't we walk up the block to the park over there?" he suggested, pointing up the street to a park across the corner from where they were. "There are picnic tables and everything there. It's nicer than it is here."
"Sounds good to me," Willow chirped.
"Me too," Tara agreed. "Let's go." She took a step toward the sidewalk, but stopped when Xander held up his hand. She and Willow looked at him curiously, and he cleared his throat before speaking again.
"One more thing," Xander said. "I, um…I thought about it some more, and I think I am going to try to take a class at UC Sunnydale next semester."
"Really?" Willow's face lit up at his words. "That's great…I mean, if you're sure about it," she finished. Xander couldn't help smiling at the way she was obviously trying to contain her enthusiasm.
"Yeah," he said. "I am. This time, I'm sure." He hadn't decided anything about school until that moment, but now that he had, it felt right. "Just one class for now, and we'll see how it goes. I don't think I'll ever go back full time, and I'll have to schedule everything around work, but I'm going to give it a shot."
"Okay, now can I get excited?" Willow said, looking back and forth between Tara and Xander eagerly.
Tara laughed. "I think it's okay, sweetie," she said.
Willow threw herself into Xander's arms and kissed him fiercely. "Xander, honey, this is great," she enthused. "This is going to be great for you." She stepped back and gave him a big smile, and Xander reached for her hand, squeezing it softly. It was great to see her so happy, especially after this morning.
"So, what made you decide this?" Tara asked. "You weren't sure this morning."
Xander smiled at her and Willow. "You," he said simply.
His girls looked at him in confusion. "Xander, this isn't something you should do for us," Tara said. "You should do it for yourself. Because you want to."
Xander shook his head. "It's not that," he said. "It's…I mean, you two are so wonderful, I can't even tell you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me in my life. And when I think about you, you make me want to be the best man I possibly can."
"So, bettering myself sounds pretty good to me," he concluded.
Tara stepped in toward him and gave him a soft kiss, letting her lips linger on his for a moment. "That's really sweet, honey," she said, stepping back to stand beside Willow again and smiling happily.
"Yeah," Willow said. Then she smacked him lightly on the arm. "See, you don't always say the wrong thing," she chided, grinning at him.
Xander chuckled. "Okay, okay," he said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "So why don't we go have lunch? These serious conversations always make me hungry."
"Sure. Let's go," Tara said, and Willow nodded her agreement.
As the three of them started down the sidewalk, heading for the park, Xander glanced back at the construction site. Over in front of the building they were working on, he could see that the half-dozen or so guys standing out front were all staring at him now. From the looks on their faces, they'd obviously seen the kisses.
He knew he was probably never going to hear the end of this from his crew, but right now, he found that he didn't care. He'd made up with his girls, and he'd made a decision about his life that he actually felt pretty good about. Right now, that was all that mattered. And even though this morning had shown him that there were going to be problems between him and Willow and Tara sometimes, he knew that he'd find a way to deal with them, no matter what it took.
Because they were worth it.
Tara had always thought of Saturday morning as a good time to relax, but the sounds coming from the kitchen on this particular morning made that rather difficult.
It was the day after their first fight, and at the moment, Tara was lying in bed by herself. She was alone because when she and Willow and Xander had woken up, Willow had declared that she and Xander were going to make her breakfast to thank her for her role in resolving the argument they'd had yesterday, and Xander had agreed. Tara hadn't been sure that that was a good idea - Willow was a terrible cook, and Xander wasn't much better - but Willow had seemed so happy at the idea of bringing her breakfast in bed that she hadn't had the heart to object.
But what she was hearing from the kitchen was making her rethink that decision.
"Are you two okay in there?" she called out. It sounded like they were ransacking the place.
"Just fine!" Xander called back.
Tara wasn't so sure about that, but she decided to stay where she was anyway. She loved Willow and Xander, and they wanted to do something nice for her. The least she could do was let them try.
So she put what she was hearing out of her mind and tried to relax. It was a beautiful morning, and the sun was shining on the bed - Xander had opened the blinds on the windows before he left - and the warmth it brought felt good. She leaned back, resting her head against the pillows piled behind her, and closed her eyes. Who knows? she thought. Maybe whatever they're making will turn out well.
"Honey?" Tara opened her eyes at the sound of Willow's voice and saw her standing in the doorway to the hall outside. She sat up in bed, holding the sheets in front of her as her girlfriend stepped into the bedroom.
"What is it?" Tara asked as Willow stopped at the foot of the bed. "Do you need me to come out there?"
Willow shook her head. "No, we're okay," she said. "It's just…um…" She pulled at the tie on her robe nervously.
"What?" Tara said, confused.
"Is this a teaspoon or a tablespoon?" Willow finally asked, blushing a little as she held up a spoon in one hand. "I can never remember which is which, and Xander didn't know either."
Tara chuckled. Willow could be so cute sometimes. Okay, almost all the time. "That's a teaspoon, sweetie," she said.
"Thanks," Willow replied, giving her a big smile. Before Tara could say anything else, she turned and hurried out of the room.
Well, she's certainly enthusiastic about this, Tara thought. Sighing, she leaned back again, but didn't close her eyes this time. She wasn't really tired anyway.
Instead, she thought about what had happened yesterday. It had certainly been something of a wake-up call. For the past couple of months, things had been pretty close to perfect in her relationship, but the argument yesterday had been a clear reminder that no matter how good their relationship was and no matter how wonderful Willow and Xander were, problems were going to come up from time to time. There was no way around it, especially now that the newness of what they had was starting to wear off.
And the newness was starting to wear off. There was no denying that, even though deep down, Tara could still hardly believe that she was in a relationship with two other people, especially since one of them was a man. But they'd been together for a couple of months now and she was starting to get accustomed to her new living arrangements, and she could tell that Xander and Willow were, too. And even though things were going to change somewhat when Xander signed up for college next semester, they were already pretty well settled into a routine.
It wasn't a bad thing. This happened in any relationship that lasted any significant amount of time. But the longer they lived together, the more of each other they were going to see - and that meant both their good qualities and their flaws.
Tara winced as her train of thought was interrupted by another loud crash from the kitchen. Speaking of flaws…
She stood up and walked over to their closet where she retrieved her robe. Putting it on, she hurried over to the door. She needed to check on what was going on out there before things got out of hand.
"I'm sorry," Willow said.
Xander nodded. "Yeah, me too."
She and Xander were sitting in front of Tara on their bed, and Willow watched as she looked them over. "It's okay. Really," Tara soothed. "I enjoyed my breakfast in bed," she added, gesturing down at the tray in front of her.
"Yeah, but you made it yourself," Xander said.
"No I didn't," Tara replied. "I just helped you guys a little, that's all."
Willow sighed. It was more like the other way around. Tara had done almost everything in the kitchen, and she and Xander had been the ones who'd helped a little. Until Tara had come to their rescue, their attempt at making breakfast for her had been a disaster. She'd actually managed to break a dish, which was quite an accomplishment for what was supposed to have been a simple task in the kitchen.
"We were supposed to be doing something nice for you," Willow said. "It kinda defeats the purpose if you have to help out with it." She sighed again. "I'm totally hopeless in the kitchen, aren't I?"
Tara leaned forward and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Honey, don't feel bad," she said. "Not everyone can be good at everything. I mean, I'm not nearly as good with computers as you are."
Willow had to smile. She was so lucky to have Tara. Even now, when she'd just gotten through making a total mess of things, Tara was trying to make her feel better. And it was working - just like it usually did.
"You were trying to do something nice for me," Tara continued. "Both of you," she added, turning to include Xander in what she was saying as well. "And believe me, I appreciate it, no matter how it turned out."
Xander chuckled. "Well, that's really gracious of you," he said. He stood up, picked up the tray, and carefully set it down on the floor next to their nightstand. Then he sat down on the bed again, right in front of Tara, and took her hand, lifting it to his mouth and kissing it. Willow scooted in closer to her girlfriend, leaning in and kissing her cheek, and Tara smiled at them both.
"Maybe we can find something else nice to do for you," Xander said, running one hand down Tara's arm as he glanced at Willow out of the corner of his eye.
"Yeah," Willow said, grinning at the conspiratorial look in Xander's eye. "I'm sure we can think of something." She leaned forward again and kissed Tara deeply, and her pulse quickened as their tongues met. She guided her girlfriend to lay back against the pillows piled underneath her, and she stretched out next to her on the bed without breaking their kiss. Xander watched them for a moment, then laid down himself and opened Tara's robe a little, placing soft kisses on her chest. Willow rested a hand on Xander's back and rubbed him there encouragingly as he reached for the tie on Tara's robe.
Just then, the phone rang.
"Damn it," Xander swore, pushing himself upward and reaching for the phone on their nightstand as Willow broke her kiss with Tara. She thought briefly about asking him to ignore it, but quickly decided against it. It might be Buffy or Giles calling about something important.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Xander picked up the phone. "Hello?" he said, and Willow was impressed that he was able to keep most of his irritation at being interrupted out of his voice.
"Oh, hi Giles," he said a moment later. "What's up?" Tara sat up as Xander stood and turned to face them, and Willow did the same, wrapping her arms around Tara from behind and resting her chin on her girlfriend's shoulder. Willow kissed her softly behind her ear, and Tara smiled, resting her hands on top of Willow's.
Xander listened for a moment, then spoke again. "No, it's no problem," he said. "Just give us half an hour, or maybe a little longer, and we'll be there." He listened for a few more seconds. "Okay, see you soon," he finished.
"What's going on, sweetie?" Tara asked as Xander hung up the phone.
"Giles needs us," Xander replied. "Buffy saw something when she was patrolling last night, and they need our help to research it. He wants us all to meet them at the Magic Box." He paused for a moment, and Willow could tell that something had just occurred to him. "I hope you don't mind that I said yes for all of us," he finished, frowning slightly.
"No, Xander, it's no problem," Willow said. "Right, honey?" she asked, turning to look Tara in the eye as she released her and moved to sit next to her on the bed.
"Right. It's fine," Tara agreed. "If Buffy and Giles need us, I'm always happy to help, any way I can. You don't even have to ask." She smiled at Xander, and he returned the gesture, obviously reassured.
"Thanks," Xander said. "Anyway, we'd better get moving. I'll clean up the kitchen, if one of you wants to shower first."
"I'll help," Willow chimed in. "So you go ahead, sweetie," she said, giving Tara a quick kiss and then climbing out of bed to stand next to Xander.
"Okay. I'll make it quick," Tara said. Willow smiled at her and walked over to the doorway, stepping out into the hall. Xander followed after her, and they headed for the kitchen together.
"I guess there's a down side to fighting evil in your spare time," Xander said as they crossed their living room.
Willow nodded. "You're always on call."
The familiar sound of the bell at the entrance to the Magic Box rang out as Willow opened the door. Standing over by the sales counter, Giles looked up as she stepped inside, Tara and Xander following after her. She looked around as Xander closed the door behind them; even though the store was open, the place was empty of customers.
"Hey Giles," Willow said as she walked over toward the counter.
"Hey Giles," Xander echoed. "Pretty quiet in here," he observed as he stopped at one end of the counter, leaning against it casually.
"Yes, business tends to be slow at this time of day," Giles said.
"Well, that's understandable, I guess," Tara said. "It's still pretty early."
"Yes, I actually wouldn't even be open right now if I didn't need to be here anyway," Giles said.
"Might as well try to make some money while we're researching," Xander said. "I like the way you think, Giles. I need to find a way to work Slaying business into my job."
"That might be kinda hard, honey," Willow remarked. "Unless you guys unearth some ancient spirits when you're digging a foundation or something." Then she frowned as she suddenly remembered the Indian spirits from last year. "Er, again, I mean."
Giles chuckled. "In Sunnydale, I'm afraid that is a rather distinct possibility," he said.
Before Willow could reply, the bell at the Magic Box's entryway rang again. She turned to see who had opened the door, and smiled as she saw Buffy step into the shop.
"Hey, Buffy," she chirped as her friend closed the door behind her.
"Hey Will. Hey guys," Buffy said, smiling back at her and walking over to stand over by the table across from them.
"Well, now that we're all here, we can begin," Giles said, stepping out from behind the counter to stand next to Buffy. "First, Willow, Tara, Xander, let me thank you for coming in this early on a Saturday morning."
"No problem, Giles," Xander said.
Tara nodded. "We're happy to help."
"Well, be that as it may, it's still appreciated," Giles said. "Now, to the matter at hand. Last night, while she was patrolling, Buffy saw a group of vampires carrying an urn of some sort off a boat that had just arrived at the port."
"I tried to stop them, but three of them jumped me while the other two took off with the urn," Buffy said. "By the time I dusted the ones who came after me, the others were gone."
"Do you remember what the urn looked like?" Willow asked. If it was a magical object, they needed to find out what it could do as quickly as possible.
"It was pretty big, probably a few feet high, and it looked like it was made out of metal," Buffy replied. "And there was a word painted on the outside of it that I couldn't read."
"From the way Buffy described the letters to me, it sounds as though they were Cyrillic," Giles said. "It's not a lot to go on, I know, but I have some historical texts with information about artifacts from that region that might be of help."
"Willow and I could look through some magic books, too," Tara said. "I mean, you're concerned that this urn might be magical, or be used in some kind of spell, right? We could check that out."
Smiling, Willow nodded her agreement. "That's a great idea, honey," she said. She and Tara were thinking along the same lines, and it was always nice when that happened. Plus, looking through books about magic would be a lot more interesting than going through history books. Hey, we might even find some new spells along the way, she thought. That'd be a nice side benefit.
"So you're just going to leave me with the boring history stuff?" Buffy said. She glared in her direction, and Willow chuckled at her expression. "Some friends you are."
"Oh, come on, Buff. Research in foreign languages is always a barrel of laughs," Xander said.
"Yes, well, I do have some books on the subject in English. Why don't you start there?" Giles said, nodding toward Buffy and Xander. "I'll work on that as well. Willow, Tara," he continued, turning and fixing Willow with a serious look, "your idea of searching for spells involving urns is a good one, but please be careful with the magical texts I have."
"Don't worry, Giles. Your books are in good hands," Willow replied confidently. "We'll find your answer in no time. Come on, honey," she said, tugging excitedly at Tara's sleeve. Tara smiled, obviously taken by her enthusiasm, and followed after her as she led the way to the ladder up to the balcony overlooking the shop where Giles kept his books on magic.
Willow climbed the ladder, then turned and held out a hand to Tara, helping her onto the balcony as well. She could see Xander watching them, and she smiled and gave him a little wave. He returned it before turning his attention to a book Giles had just handed him, and Willow turned back to Tara. They sat down together, Willow crossing her legs in front of her, and looked over the books on the shelves next to them.
"So, if you see any spells that look interesting, let me know," Willow said, leaning toward Tara and speaking in a low voice.
"Sweetie, we're supposed to be researching something specific," Tara replied, a note of admonishment creeping into her voice.
"Sure we are," Willow agreed. "But if we happen to come across something else useful along the way, we should take a look. Who knows what might come in handy at some point in the future? I mean, think how much it would help Buffy if we could finally get that sunlight spell right, for instance."
Tara still looked a bit skeptical, but she relaxed after only a moment's hesitation. "Okay. You've got a point," she said. "But we shouldn't spend too much time on other things. I mean, if something looks really useful, we can always come back and read more about it later."
"That's fine," Willow said. It wasn't like they'd have time to read much of anything in detail right now anyway.
At Tara's answering nod, Willow looked into her eyes and smiled, then leaned in and gave her a brief kiss. "Okay, what books should we start with?" she said, turning to look at the shelves next to them again. "How about this one?" she asked, reaching for a book on material focuses for spells and taking it down from the shelf.
"Looks good to me," Tara said. "I'll take a look at this one," she continued, taking a book about magical artifacts and setting it in her lap.
Willow nodded. "Okay, let's get started," she said. "Hopefully this won't take too long and we can get back to our weekend soon."
In the end, it took almost the entire day.
It was well into the evening when Giles finally spoke the words Willow had been waiting to hear almost all day. "I believe I've found the answer," he said, and Willow looked up hopefully at his announcement.
"Thank god," Xander declared. "I think my brain is about to start leaking out of my ears." He pushed the book he'd been looking at away from him, knocking over a Chinese food carton in the process that, fortunately, turned out to be nearly empty. He grabbed it and turned it upright again before anything could spill.
"What's the good word, Giles?" Buffy asked, looking up from her own book, her expression cautiously optimistic.
Willow carefully climbed down the ladder to stand on the main floor and stretched her arms over her head as Tara made her way down to stand next to her. She really hoped Giles had found what they were looking for. They'd been at this for so long that even her enthusiasm for research had seriously dimmed; she could only imagine how the others must be feeling. She and Tara had managed to find a few spells that looked interesting and were definitely worth checking into further, but for now, she just wanted them to be done with this.
Giles stood up and stepped away from the table, turning to face everyone at once. Seeing that all eyes were on him, he cleared his throat before speaking again. "Well, according to this record," he said, nodding toward the volume he was holding, still open in his hands, "a few centuries ago, a powerful sorcerer from Eastern Russia bound his spirit into an urn fitting the description of the one Buffy saw last night in an effort to cheat death."
"Please tell me he was one of the good guys?" Buffy said, but from the look on her face, Willow could tell that she wasn't holding out much hope for an affirmative answer.
"Far from it," Giles replied. "By all accounts, he was a very brutal man, who specialized in the darkest sorts of magic."
"Okay, so, not the kind of guy who's fun at parties," Xander said. "But what's the deal with this urn? Is this something we need to worry about?"
"Well, it is believed that this sorcerer placed a contingent enchantment upon the urn before he transferred his spirit into it," Giles said.
At Buffy and Xander's blank looks, Willow spoke up. "A contingent enchantment is a spell that's set up to be triggered later," she said. "You can set up certain conditions, and when they're met, the spell will be cast. It's fairly complicated, as spells go." That was an understatement, actually - that kind of magic was way beyond anything she was currently capable of. "If this sorcerer could cast a spell like that, he was definitely pretty powerful."
Giles nodded. "According to this, when the urn is placed upon the grave of a fifteenth generation descendant of his at precisely three hours before midnight, the body of said descendant shall be restored to life and his spirit shall be transferred into it. He shall be reborn."
"I bet I can guess where this is going," Buffy muttered darkly.
"I'm afraid your instincts are correct, Buffy," Giles replied with a sigh. "Many of this sorcerer's descendants were wiped out, but according to the last records the Watcher's Council have on the subject, the few who remained immigrated to Sunnydale about fifty years or so ago."
"So it stands to reason that these vampires think they can bring this sorcerer back to life now," Xander said. "Otherwise why bother bringing in the urn?"
"Yes, that is correct," Giles said, setting the book he was holding down on the table. "If we are fortunate, they may be mistaken, but for now, we must proceed under the assumption that the conditions for the spell can be met."
"So if there is a grave with one of these sorcerer's descendants they can use, how do we find it?" Tara asked. "Do you know how many cemeteries there are in Sunnydale?"
"Twelve," Buffy, Willow, and Xander chorused.
Tara chuckled. "Okay, silly question, given how long you guys have been doing this," she said. "But the point is, we don't have time to check them all."
"Fortunately, we have extensive records on local burials," Giles said. "I've checked them, and the family we're interested in has a plot at the Restfield Cemetery."
Buffy stood up, fixing everyone with a look Willow knew well - she was all business now. "Then what are we waiting for?" she said. "We need to get going."
Willow looked at the clock. They had less than half an hour until nine o'clock - three hours before midnight. The Restfield Cemetery wasn't far away, but they'd still be cutting it pretty close. She hoped they wouldn't be too late.
Chaos.
It was true that fighting vampires or demons was never calm or orderly, but this battle was more chaotic than most that Willow had been in. Okay, it wasn't as bad as when they'd fought the Mayor and his vampire henchmen at their graduation, but it was still a mess. Sounds of fighting swirled all around her, and she wished that she could take a look around to see what was going on, but she couldn't. She had to stay focused on the spell she was casting and the target of it.
The large urn sitting on the grave in front of her.
The spell on the urn had already been triggered when they'd arrived; they'd gotten there just seconds too late. Thinking quickly, she'd immediately started a counterspell and had succeeded in blocking the flow of energy from the urn into the grave below it.
The problem was, she'd been continuing the spell for several minutes now and it was starting to become a strain. She'd only meant to use this counterspell to hold the urn's energy back for a short time - just long enough for Buffy or someone else to destroy it. But there had been at least a half-dozen vampires gathered around the grave when they'd arrived, and it was taking quite a while to deal with them.
Not for the first time since she'd begun the spell, Willow wished that Tara was with her. With Tara's power, in addition to her own, holding this counterspell would be a lot easier. They might even be able to force the energy back into the urn and break the enchantment completely.
But she and Tara had gotten separated as soon as the fight with the vampires had started. Willow was a little worried about her, but Buffy had been right beside her when Willow had lost sight of her, so she was as safe as anyone could possibly be in a situation like this. And as for Xander… He was with Giles the last time Willow had seen him, and they could handle a vampire or two for a few minutes. He'd be okay.
Or so she told herself. She couldn't afford to think otherwise. If she drove herself crazy worrying, she wouldn't be able to concentrate on her spell.
And it needed her full concentration. After the fight had started, Willow had briefly considered stopping her counterspell and trying to use her magic to help her friends. But she'd had to give up on that idea very quickly; if she dropped her spell for even a second, the enchantment on the urn would take effect and the sorcerer whose spirit it contained would be resurrected. And judging by the strength of the spell on the urn… Well, if it was this strong even given that it was a few centuries old now, Willow didn't figure they'd have much chance against the person who'd cast it.
So she kept her attention focused on her counterspell. The sounds of fighting were a little bit closer now, but she refused to let them distract her. She hoped that Buffy and the others would be able to finish off the vampires soon; she didn't know how much longer she'd be able to keep her spell going. She was drawing energy from the earth, but she was using more than she was taking in. Her own reserves were going to run out before much longer.
Suddenly, Willow heard someone crashing through the underbrush nearby. Her blood ran cold as a vampire emerged from the bushes in front of her. It looked around briefly before fixing its yellow eyes on her, a feral grin appearing on its demonic visage.
"Well, well," the vampire said, baring his fangs as he advanced on her. "What have we here? A little witch, all alone."
Willow fought to keep from trembling as the vampire closed the distance between them. "Well, if you know I'm a witch, you must know what I can do," she said, trying her best to hit the same calm, confident tone Buffy always used when facing down vampires. "You'd better get out of here right now, mister, or I'll, I'll…set you on fire!"
The vampire barked a harsh, guttural laugh. "No, I don't think so, witch." He spat the title out like an epithet. "If you could do that, you would have done it the moment you saw me. No, I think all your power is tied up fighting our master's spell."
And he was right. There wasn't enough time for Willow to end her counterspell and cast something else. And she couldn't move more than a few steps from where she was standing without breaking her spell, either.
The vampire gave her a cruel smile. "Which means as soon as I kill you, he will be reborn."
Willow fought down her rising panic. The vampire was only a few yards away now. Even though her instincts were screaming at her to run, she stood fast; keeping her spell up even just an extra few seconds might give the others the time they needed to destroy the urn. Keeping Tara and Xander and her friends safe was worth anything, even…
Just as the vampire was about to reach her, someone charged into it, knocking it away from Willow. As both figures sprawled on the ground together, Willow got a look at the new arrival.
It was Xander.
"You stay away from her!" he shouted, landing a solid punch to the vampire's jaw. The vampire had been trying to sit up, so when the blow landed, it knocked him back down and his head hit the ground hard. Xander looked around for a second before spotting a stake on the ground a few yards away - he must have dropped it when he'd tackled the vampire - and scrambled toward it as quickly as he could.
But the vampire recovered quickly, and just as Xander reached the stake, it sprang up and charged toward him. Willow cried out a warning, but the vampire was too fast. It reached Xander and struck out just as he turned, knocking the stake out of his hand.
The two struggled for a long moment - how long, Willow couldn't have said - until the vampire finally managed to shove Xander away. Willow realized that now she had no choice; if she was going to save Xander, she had to stop her counterspell now. Regardless of the consequences, she was not going to let this thing kill Xander. They'd just have to find a way to deal with the sorcerer later.
Except the vampire wasn't going after Xander. It turned and, fixing Willow with a murderous glare, advanced on her quickly…
Only to be stopped by an invisible force slamming into it, hard enough to knock it back a step.
Tara stepped forward to stand next to Willow, and she could feel the soft hum of power radiating from her girlfriend. "You don't touch her," Tara growled, her expression at once angry and resolute as she stepped in front of Willow protectively. "Ever." Willow felt another surge of power, and a fiery explosion erupted in front of the vampire's face, causing the creature to howl in pain, momentarily blinded.
"You will die for that, w…" it began, but it was cut off as Xander stepped in between them and slammed a rock he was holding in one hand into the vampire's face. The creature's head snapped back as several of its teeth were broken, and another cry of pain filled the air. But it was abruptly cut off as Xander followed up with a well-placed swing of the stake in his other hand, and the vampire exploded into dust.
Willow nearly sighed with relief as she saw the vampire disintegrate. But there was no time to celebrate. "Tara, honey, I need your help," she said.
Nodding, Tara took her hand without hesitation. Willow could feel her girlfriend's energy swirling around her, reaching out and joining with her own. Relief was almost immediate; with their combined powers, the strain from the spell was greatly reduced. The shield was holding easily now, keeping the energy from the sorcerer's spell trapped in the urn.
Tara watched her carefully, and when she saw that Willow had recovered, she spoke again. "Let's push back now, okay?" she said.
"Do you want me to try to break that thing?" Xander said, nodding toward the urn. He sounded unsure about his chances - the urn looked like it was made of cast iron, after all - but he seemed willing to try.
Tara shook her head quickly. "No. Stay back," she warned. "There's a lot of power concentrated over there. We'll take care of it," she said, and Willow smiled at the confidence in her tone. Now that they were together, she felt it too.
Xander nodded. "Okay. Do whatever you have to. I'll keep watch for vampires."
Taking a deep breath, Willow summoned up as much power as she could. She felt Tara do the same, and as their energies mingled, they increased the power of their shield and moved it upward to envelop the urn, pushing in toward it. It was a struggle, but inch by inch, Willow and Tara were able to push the enchantment it carried back into it.
The urn began to glow with a faint reddish light that looked almost angry in the darkness of the cemetery. They were close now, Willow could tell. The effort was terrible - like trying to push a boulder uphill - but just a few more seconds, and…
With a bright flash, the urn's enchantment was broken, and a loud crack echoed through the cemetery as the urn itself broke along with it. A wail of frustrated anger was carried aloft on a sudden wind as the sorcerer's spirit was banished, its attempt at resurrection thwarted. They'd succeeded.
Willow let go of the power she was holding, her shoulders sagging with relief. Tara wrapped her arms around her, holding her close, letting Willow rest her head on her shoulder. Xander hurried over to them and embraced Willow from behind, kissing her cheek softly.
"You did it," Xander said, stepping around in front of Willow and Tara and
smiling at them both. "Have I told you lately how wonderful you are?"
"I'd say Willow's the wonderful one tonight," Tara said, stroking Willow's hair softly. Willow smiled, a contented feeling settling over her, both at the praise and Tara's touch. "She kept the spell from taking effect, all by herself. And I know that couldn't have been easy - right, honey?" she asked, turning and meeting Willow's eyes as Willow lifted her head from her shoulder.
"No, it wasn't," Willow admitted. "But you two saved my life," she continued, stepping back a little to address Tara and Xander at the same time. "So I think there's plenty of wonderfulness to go around tonight."
Xander chuckled, and was about to reply when more sounds from the underbrush reached their ears. They all turned to face the source of the noise, and Willow relaxed when she saw Buffy and Giles step into the clear area around the graves, stakes in hand.
"Hey, guys," Buffy said, taking a quick look around. Satisfied that they were alone, she and Giles lowered the stakes they were holding and approached them. "Is everyone okay?"
"I think so," Xander said, turning to look at Willow and Tara, and they nodded their agreement.
"We're fine," Tara said. "There was only one vampire who found us here, and we took care of him. What about the rest?"
"I think I got them all," Buffy replied. "I counted seven vampires when we arrived, and with the one you took out, that's all of them."
"And the sorcerer's enchantment?" Giles asked, nodding toward the broken urn sitting atop the grave. "I take it that has been dealt with, as well?"
Tara nodded. "Willow held the spell in place, and then when I got back, we broke it together." Willow smiled at Tara's words - even despite the scare she'd had, she still felt no small amount of exhilaration at what she'd managed to do.
"Really?" Giles seemed a little surprised. "I would very much like to hear how you did that… But of course, that can wait," he added hastily. "You've done more than enough for one day. And that goes for all of you," he finished, gesturing toward all four of them with one hand.
"Good," Buffy said, tucking her stake in her belt and stretching her arms in front of her. "I don't know about anyone else, but right now I just want to get home. So how about we get going?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, and they started making their way out of the cemetery back to where they'd parked. It'd been a long day, but they'd faced down terrible danger and emerged victorious, and that was all that mattered.
The drive home didn't take long, and Willow's steps were still a little unsteady from leftover adrenaline as she and Xander and Tara climbed the stairs up to their apartment. When they reached their door, Xander opened it and they all hurried inside, eager to put the dangers of nighttime in Sunnydale behind them.
As soon as Xander had locked their front door and turned on the lights in their living room, Tara pulled Willow close and pressed her lips to hers. After a brief but fierce kiss, Tara pulled her head back, but continued to hold Willow close. "Goddess, at the graveyard tonight, for a minute there, I was scared I was going to lose you," she said. "I love you so much."
Xander stepped in and embraced Willow tightly as well. "I've never been so scared as I was when I saw that vampire charging at you," he said, and Willow could hear the leftover anxiety in his voice mixed in with his obvious relief that she was safe. "I love you," he said, and kissed her deeply, sharing his passion with her.
"I was scared too, but you were there, you protected me," Willow babbled after Xander broke their kiss. "I love you both so much," she murmured, nearly overwhelmed by what she was feeling. She'd nearly been killed, but Xander and Tara had protected her, and with both of them holding her now, she felt loved, and safe, and…
Tara kissed her again, more aggressively this time, sliding her tongue past Willow's lips. Willow moaned softly as Tara plundered her mouth, and Xander stepped around behind her, pressing up against her back and wrapping his arms around her waist. Tara lifted her hands to Willow's face, cupping it between them as their tongues swirled together.
When they separated again, Tara turned Willow's head to one side, and Xander gave her a deep, passionate kiss as well. Willow leaned back into his embrace and opened her mouth for him, granting him the access he desired. Tara slid her hands down to Willow's chest, massaging her breasts through her dress. Her touch wasn't at all gentle, and Willow's knees wobbled a bit at the surge of arousal that ran through her, but Xander tightened his grip on her a bit, his strong arms supporting her easily.
After Xander and Willow broke their kiss, Tara took her hands off Willow for a moment and murmured a quick cleansing spell. She ran her palms over Willow's hands, then Xander's, and finally her own, cleaning them of the dirt and grime they'd picked up during the fight in the graveyard. Once she was finished, she reached for the belt on Willow's dress and unbuckled it, and she and Xander lifted it to her waist.
"Lift up your arms, honey," Xander said, and Willow complied quickly. Tara and Xander raised the dress over her head, Xander making sure it didn't catch on her hair, and once it was off, Tara took the garment and dropped it to one side behind them. Tara knelt in front of her and slid her panties down her legs while Xander unhooked her bra and pushed the straps over her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor in front of her.
Tara stood again and dropped Willow's underwear back with her dress. She looked over Willow's shoulder at Xander, and something unspoken passed between them as they held each other's eyes for a few seconds. "You're ours," Tara said, her blue eyes fiercely determined as she turned and locked her gaze with Willow's. "Mine, and Xander's. You're the most precious thing in our lives."
"And no one will ever hurt you while we're around," Xander said into her ear, resting his hands on her shoulders. "You're ours," he repeated, and Willow felt another rush of arousal at the possessive tone in both her lovers' voices.
"Yes," she said. "Yes, yes, yes…" She repeated the word over and over, chanting it like a mantra until Xander silenced her with another kiss. As their lips met, Tara leaned in toward Willow and kissed her neck, nibbling and biting just above her collarbone. She slid her hands down Willow's chest, cupping her breasts, rubbing and pinching her nipples, and Willow moaned into Xander's mouth as she pressed in toward her girlfriend's touch.
Just as abruptly as she'd started, Tara broke the contact between them, and Willow almost whimpered at its loss. "Get her down on the floor," Tara said. She took a few steps backward into their living room, away from the door, and Xander broke his kiss with Willow and guided her to follow Tara.
Xander knelt down behind Willow, drawing her down with him, and she leaned back into his arms, resting her head in his lap. Tara knelt in front of her, giving Willow a look she knew well, a look that made her heart race in anticipation. Were they going to do this right here?
But there was no mistaking the intensity in Tara's eyes, and as she looked up at Xander, she saw it in his, too. They wanted to take her, and she wanted to give herself to them - to both of them. As Tara leaned over her, she met Willow's gaze again, and Willow could see the unspoken question in her eyes.
"Yes," she said, practically trembling with excitement. "Please."
Tara rested her hands on Willow's thighs, pushing her legs open and moving in between them. She slid one hand up her thigh to her sex, parting her lips and probing inside her. Tara smiled when she found that Willow was already wet - Willow could hardly believe that she'd gotten so turned on so quickly, but Tara and Xander did have that effect on her - and Willow moaned loudly as Tara pushed two fingers into her. She clenched tightly around her girlfriend's fingers and squirmed around a little until Xander put his hands on her sides to stop her.
Tara started thrusting her fingers into Willow, fucking her hard and fast with them, and Willow's whole body tensed at the pleasurable waves that ran through her. Xander moved his hands up to her breasts and rubbed his palms over them, not gently, but not rough enough to really hurt her, either. All three of them had gotten to know each other's bodies very well in the months they'd been together, and they all knew what felt good to the others - and what didn't.
Another rush of pleasure surged through Willow as Xander's fingers found her nipples. He pinched them, and Willow moaned again and pushed her chest up toward his hands. Her moan was abruptly cut off when she gasped as Tara stopped the motion of her fingers, leaving them buried deeply inside her, and brushed her thumb over her clit. As Tara rubbed quick circles over her most sensitive place, her arms shot out to her sides, and she dug her nails into the carpet. She had to close her eyes as she lost herself in the wonderful sensations her lovers were bringing her.
They didn't stay closed for long, though. Willow opened her eyes as Tara started moving her fingers again, fucking her just as hard and fast as before. She continued rubbing her clit, and Willow could feel her climax approaching rapidly. It usually took her at least a little longer to get to this point, but the intensity of this whole experience was almost beyond anything she'd ever felt before. Tara's fingers were rough, insistent, and so were Xander's hands, and it all just felt so good…
Meeting Willow's eyes, Tara gave her a look that was full of desire and passion - she knew that Willow was right on the brink. "Come for us, honey," she said.
Willow opened her mouth to respond, but all that came out was a cry of ecstasy as her orgasm crashed down upon her. Xander tugged at her nipples, and Tara kept up the motion of her fingers as her climax ran through her, hitting all her most sensitive places inside her. Her back arched, and she squirmed around, unable to keep still, until her orgasm finally passed and she collapsed into Xander's lap again, her chest heaving as she took deep breaths, trying to steady herself.
She didn't feel tired or drained at all - in fact, she still felt full of energy. She wanted more. So she was glad to see that Tara didn't slow down at all after her climax; she kept thrusting her fingers into her and rubbing her clit with her thumb, and between that and Xander's hands on her breasts, it only took a couple of minutes before Willow found herself approaching release again.
Just as Willow's orgasm was upon her, Tara leaned forward, and Xander moved his hands away as Tara lowered her head to her chest. Willow gasped as Tara bit her just above her left breast, hard enough to hurt, though she didn't break the skin. Tara looked up at her, and the look in her eyes was intense, almost fierce. It told Willow what she was doing - Tara was claiming her, and that knowledge was enough to send her over the edge again. A second climax tore through her body, even stronger than the first, and Tara lifted her head from her chest, watching her face as she was carried away on waves of ecstasy.
When her orgasm had passed, Tara withdrew her fingers, and Willow whimpered a little at the loss. Tara smiled down at her and brought her fingers to her mouth, tasting Willow's essence upon them. Afterward, she reached down and rubbed Willow's stomach affectionately, her gentle caress in stark contrast to the roughness of her touch just a moment ago, and turned toward Xander. He nodded to her as they reached an unspoken decision together.
Xander eased Willow off his lap, resting her gently on the floor. "Stay there," he said, and he and Tara stood. He grabbed a pillow from their couch and put it on the floor next to Willow, and she lifted her head slightly and allowed him to slide it under her. She looked up at her boyfriend and her girlfriend, shivers of excitement still running through her as they undressed quickly. They shared a quick kiss as they discarded the last of their clothes, then stepped in toward Willow.
Kneeling in front of her, Xander rubbed Willow's thighs as he positioned himself between them. He slid his hands upward to briefly caress her breasts, then down to her hips, gripping her tightly there. Tara knelt down above her, straddling her face, and Willow reached up and rested her hands on her girlfriend's thighs.
"Lick me," Tara said. Willow could hear from her tone that she was in no mood to wait for what she wanted, so she pulled down on Tara's thighs, guiding her girlfriend to move downward and lean forward a little until her sex was right above Willow's mouth. Willow slid her tongue over Tara's lips slowly - she was wet, as wet as Willow had ever seen her. Obviously, touching and pleasuring her had gotten Tara incredibly excited herself.
Xander rubbed the head of his cock against Willow's sex, then pushed into her, filling her with a single hard thrust. Willow clenched tightly around him as he entered her and moaned into Tara's sex at the sensation. This brought a long moan from Tara as well, and she pushed down a little, grinding against Willow's face. Willow circled her tongue around her girlfriend's clit, and Tara lifted her hands to her chest, cupping her own breasts and rolling her nipples between her fingers. Willow could tell that Tara wanted to come, badly, so she picked up her pace, swiping her tongue over Tara's clit, settling into a rhythm that she knew would bring her to heights of pleasure very quickly.
A second later, Willow had to moan again as Xander started fucking her hard and deep. He felt so good inside her that it took all Willow's concentration to remain focused on Tara. But she managed it, though just barely - given how excited she was, she knew that it wouldn't take very long for Xander to bring her to her own peak.
It was Tara who came first, just a short while later, pushing down against Willow's tongue as her cry of pleasure filled the air. Even though she was on the edge herself, Willow kept licking Tara's clit all the way through her climax, wanting to bring her as much pleasure as she could. She stopped when she finally felt Tara relax, and she smiled a moment later when Tara moved off of her.
Just after Tara had moved away, Xander leaned forward and met Willow's eyes, and she could see love and intensity in his eyes that was every bit as strong as what she'd seen from Tara a few moments ago. He dipped his head to her chest and bit her, on her right side just below her collarbone. The momentary pain was quickly carried away on a torrent of emotion - Tara and Xander had both claimed her now, she was theirs…
Willow moaned, long and low, from deep in her chest as another powerful orgasm shook her body. She wrapped her arms and legs around Xander tightly, holding him to her, loving the way his body felt against hers. Her head rolled back on the pillow and she closed her eyes, her inner muscles clenching tightly around Xander's cock as she let the pleasurable waves wash over her, a tide that seemed like it would never end.
Finally, her climax passed, and Willow relaxed a little, her arms and legs falling open once more. Xander gave her a quick but intense kiss before pushing himself up on his arms again, but stopped at the sound of Tara's voice. "Roll her over," Tara said, and Willow's eyes shot open at her words.
Xander pulled away, withdrawing from her, and put his hands on Willow's hips, pushing gently, but insistently. Willow rolled over, pushing herself up on her hands and knees to see Tara lying on her back in front of her. "Come here," Tara said, opening her legs and beckoning with one finger.
Xander slapped Willow's ass, hard, and she moaned softly and crawled forward, between Tara's legs, stopping in front of her sex. She could hardly believe all that was happening - Tara and Xander weren't asking her what she wanted, they were just taking what they wanted from her. Of course, Willow had no doubt that they'd stop if she protested, but she wasn't about to do that. She wanted this. She wanted to give herself to them completely, to let them have her however they wanted her.
Tara reached for Willow's head with one hand, threading her fingers through her hair. She pushed Willow down to her sex, and Willow wasted no time - her tongue darted out and swiped over her girlfriend's clit. Tara moaned and held Willow's head to her, her grip tightening as she played with her own nipple with her other hand.
Just after she'd started licking Tara, Xander thrust his cock into Willow again, her wet passage accepting him easily. He slid his hands underneath her, up to her breasts, where he pinched and tugged at her nipples the same way he had when Tara was inside her earlier. Willow moaned into Tara's sex as Xander's hands and his cock stoked the fire inside her again, and she slipped her lips over Tara's clit, flicking her tongue against the tip of it as quickly as she could. She knew that another climax was fast approaching, and she wanted Tara to get there with her.
Tara responded enthusiastically to what Willow was doing, moaning loudly and squirming around beneath her tongue. Willow rubbed her lips along Tara's clit, then circled her tongue around it quickly, just the way she knew Tara liked. It only took a few minutes of this before Tara cried out, her thighs pressing in around Willow's head, her fingers pulling her hair as her whole body tensed with her orgasm. The intensity of her girlfriend's response combined with the rhythm of Xander fucking her and his hands on her breasts was enough to make Willow follow along after her, joining Tara in that sweet moment of pure bliss.
When their climaxes had passed, Tara relaxed a little, but didn't loosen her grip on Willow's hair. She wanted more, and Willow was happy to give it - she resumed licking around and over Tara's clit, and was rewarded with a soft moan from her girlfriend. Xander moved his hands down to her hips and started fucking Willow harder, and she clenched her muscles around his cock, bringing a moan from him as well.
Willow kept up her attentions on Tara's clit, pleasuring her with her lips and tongue, and she was quickly able to bring her to another climax. Just a second later, Xander buried himself inside Willow deeply, and she heard his own cry of pleasure as she felt the warm, familiar sensation of him coming inside her. That was enough to send her over the edge one last time, and she lifted her head from Tara's sex, moaning loudly, her whole body tensing once more with waves of ecstasy.
Finally, when it was over, she collapsed, resting her head on Tara's stomach. A moment later, Xander withdrew from her, and silence settled over the room as the three of them took a moment to catch their breath.
"Wow," Willow said when she could speak again. "That was…"
"Amazing?" Xander supplied helpfully.
"That was way past amazing," Willow said, sighing softly.
Tara chuckled, low in her throat, and ran her fingers through Willow's hair. "Well, I think we can all agree, it was really something," she said.
Willow yawned. It was all catching up to her - the long day, the scare at the graveyard, and the intense lovemaking they'd just finished. She was exhausted. She wasn't sure if she could even summon the strength to stand up, let alone walk to their bedroom.
Fortunately, she didn't have to. Seeing how tired she was, Xander crouched down beside Willow and picked her up, cradling her easily in his arms. He gave her a long, slow kiss, and when he pulled away, Tara stood up and kissed her deeply as well.
Xander carried Willow into their bedroom, Tara following right behind, and set her down in the middle of the bed. He climbed in next to her, Tara lying down on her other side, and they cradled her protectively between them. With a contented sigh, Willow fell asleep almost immediately, nestled in between the two people she cared about most - warm, and safe, and loved.
Willow slept as well as she ever had that night, and she awoke the next morning to find the bedroom bathed in sunlight that filtered in through the partially closed blinds on their windows. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she saw that Xander and Tara were already awake. They were on either side of her, turned in to face her, and they smiled at her as her eyes opened.
"Hey," Tara said softly. "Morning."
"Hey," Willow said, smiling back at them. "What are you doing?"
"Watching you sleep," Xander said.
"For how long?" she asked.
"Not long. Ten or fifteen minutes," Tara replied. "Did you sleep well?"
Willow nodded. "Very well," she said. "I feel rested, and refreshed, and…" She paused for a moment, turning to look at the clock by their bed. It was just after eight o'clock - she'd slept for a little over nine hours. "And probably lots of other 're' words, too," she said, smiling and stretching her arms above her head.
"Although I am a little sore," she confessed as she lowered her arms to her sides again. Now that she was fully awake, she was starting to notice that her sex still ached a little from last night.
Tara and Xander frowned at her words. "I hope I wasn't too rough last night," Xander said.
"Me too," Tara said. "I'm sorry if I got carried away."
Willow shook her head quickly. "No, it's not bad or anything," she said. It was true - she was actually surprised that her soreness wasn't a lot worse, given how rough Tara and Xander had been with her last night. "I'll be fine. Really. Neither of you was too rough." She gave them a reassuring smile, and after a moment they both relaxed a little.
"So… What do you think about what happened last night?" Tara asked, resting one hand lightly on Willow's chest. She ran her fingers lightly over the place where she'd bitten Willow last night, just above her left breast. The mark was still visible, as was the one beneath her collarbone where Xander had bitten her. Xander reached out to touch her lightly there, tracing the outline of the mark he'd made as Willow considered her reply.
"I liked it," Willow said after a moment. "Are you worried about me? Don't be. I would have told you last night if you were doing anything I didn't like. I mean, I…" She felt herself blushing as she admitted this, but forced herself to go on nonetheless. "I really enjoyed it. I just… I don't know what I really think about it, you know?"
Xander and Tara stayed silent. She could see from their faces that they were concerned, but they didn't push her for answers, and Willow took another moment to think before continuing. "It's just that… You were taking care of me last night, you know? First at the cemetery, when you saved me from the vampire, and then again when we were making love. And it felt really good."
Smiling, Xander leaned down and kissed Willow's shoulder softly. "I'm glad," he said, obviously reassured. She smiled back at him and reached for his hand, taking it in hers and running her thumb over his palm.
Tara licked her bottom lip as Willow turned to look at her. Their eyes met, and Tara fixed her with a look that was surprisingly intense. "So, were you nervous, at all…about what we were doing?" she asked.
Willow shook her head. "No, not really," she said. "Maybe a little at the beginning. But I trust you, and I trust Xander, so I didn't think I needed to worry."
Sitting up a little, Tara gestured toward the bed next to her, on the other side from Willow. "Xander, honey, could you come over here?" she said. Willow could hear an undercurrent of excitement in her voice, and Xander looked up, momentarily surprised - he'd obviously noticed it, too.
He didn't let it stop him for long, though. "Sure," he said. He gave Willow a soft kiss, then stood up and walked to the other side of the bed. He scooted in next to Tara, and she leaned back against him, turning her head and kissing him as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"So, what was it like, last night?" Tara asked, looking back to meet Willow's eyes again.
"Well, like I said, it was a little scary at first," Willow replied. "But not the bad kind of scary, like when you have a vampire in your face going 'grr.'" She did her best approximation of a vampire's growl, and Tara and Xander both chuckled in response. "It was, you know, the good kind of scary. Like when you're on a rollercoaster, or something."
"But once I got over that, it was like I just…let go. You two were doing whatever you wanted to me, and it all felt so good, I just wanted to let you…have your way." Willow felt herself blushing again; this was a little hard to admit, but it was true.
Without taking her eyes off Willow, Tara took Xander's hands and guided them to her breasts. He started playing with her nipples, and she sighed softly, pushing herself back against him. "And you were okay with that?" she said, her voice low and her gaze intense. "Letting go?"
Willow considered the question for a moment. Even now, she felt a twinge of arousal when she thought back to the way they'd made love last night. "Yeah," she finally said. "It was exciting. It was like I didn't have to worry about anything. I could just lose myself in how I was feeling."
Tara didn't say anything in reply. Instead, she simply held out her hand to Willow, and Willow took it, sitting up and leaning in toward her. Tara kissed her, deeply and passionately, and Tara wrapped her arms around her and pulled her in close. Xander kept his hands on Tara's breasts, rubbing slow circles over her nipples, and Tara moaned into Willow's mouth. She ran her hands up Willow's back as Xander started nibbling her neck gently.
After a long moment, they broke their kiss, and Tara rested her forehead against Willow's as she caught her breath. "So, you two were planning something nice for me after I made breakfast yesterday," she said. "But we were interrupted."
Willow had to giggle at the obvious excitement in her girlfriend's voice. "That's right, we did," she said coyly, resting a hand on Tara's shoulder and rubbing her softly. She looked over Tara's shoulder at Xander, who met her eyes and smiled. He slid his hands down to Tara's hips and scooted out from behind her, and she laid back, resting against the pillows piled at the head of the bed.
After sharing another quick kiss with Xander, Willow leaned down to Tara's chest, kissing one of her breasts softly. Next to her, Xander did the same with her other breast, and Tara shivered at the touch of their lips. Willow took Tara's nipple in her mouth, and Xander again mimicked her actions, drawing a long moan from Tara in response. She reached down to their heads, running her fingers through their hair as they both sucked on her.
"Oh, yes," Tara whispered. "Goddess, that feels so good."
Pulling back a little, Willow looked up at Tara and smiled. Then she took Tara's nipple in her mouth again, scraping her teeth over it and sucking a little harder. She ran her fingers gently over the hollow between Tara's breasts, knowing how much she liked to be touched there, and chuckled low in her throat as Tara shivered in response.
Finally, Willow pulled away from Tara's chest and sat up, looking down at her girlfriends face, flushed with arousal. Xander sat up as well, resting a hand on Tara's stomach and rubbing her affectionately before turning toward Willow and giving her one of those big smiles she loved so much.
"Why don't you go first?" he said. "I want to watch."
"That's fine with me," Willow said, smiling back at him. She reached for his hand, squeezing it lightly before turning back to Tara and locking eyes with her. The passion and desire she could see in Tara's gaze sent a shiver up her spine.
She crawled forward, over Tara's body, stopping when they were face to face. Without taking her eyes from Tara's, Willow lowered herself gently, resting on top of her, and gave her a slow, passionate kiss. Tara wrapped her arms around Willow, running her nails up her back, and Willow moved gently on top of her, a delightful shiver running through her body as her nipples brushed against Tara's.
"Oh god," Xander said from his place on the bed next to them. "That's so hot."
Giggling, Willow and Tara broke their kiss, turning to look at Xander together. Willow glanced down at his cock and felt a little rush of excitement when she saw that he was hard. It always felt good to see how easily she and Tara could turn Xander on; it made her feel sexy in a way she'd never quite experienced before.
Willow smiled at Xander, then turned back to Tara, kissing her cheek and then her neck. Reaching down between Tara's legs with one hand, Willow ran her fingers over Tara's lips, prompting her to squirm around underneath her and sending another wave of arousal through Willow as their nipples brushed together again. She was a little surprised to feel how wet Tara was - even with her and Xander touching Tara together, it usually took a little longer for her to get this excited.
Well, there was no reason to make her wait. Sliding her hands down Tara's sides, Willow kissed her way down her chest, stopping at her breasts. She reached up and caressed them, squeezing them gently, loving the way they felt in her hands. It seemed that every time she touched Tara's breasts, she was surprised and delighted all over again by just how soft they were, and this time was certainly no different.
Willow nuzzled Tara's breasts with her cheeks, then rubbed her lips over one of her nipples. Tara sucked in a breath at the touch of her lips, and Willow smiled and kissed her nipple softly, then moved to her other breast to do the same. She was tempted to linger here for a while, but she knew what Tara wanted - what she needed - so after slowly circling Tara's nipple with her tongue, she moved again, kissing Tara's stomach as she scooted down to position herself between her legs.
Tara gasped as Willow kissed her lips softly, then ran her tongue over them, relishing the sweet taste of her essence. Smiling up at Tara, Willow parted her lips and swiped her tongue over her clit once, then again as she felt Tara's whole body tense in response. Willow put her hands on Tara's thighs, rubbing them softly, and Tara reached down with one hand and ran her fingers through Willow's hair. Her touch wasn't rough, like last night - instead of holding Willow to her, Tara simply stroked her hair softly. Lovingly.
Lifting her head a little, Tara looked down at her, meeting her eyes, her gaze intense and full of excitement. Despite the gentleness of her touch, Willow could tell that she already wasn't far from her climax. So she started circling Tara's clit with her tongue, licking all around and over it, enjoying Tara's enthusiastic response. She didn't move too quickly, but even so, it didn't take long to bring her to the edge.
When Tara's climax took her, Willow slipped her lips over her clit, sucking gently as she flicked her tongue over the tip. Tara writhed around on the bed, and she closed her eyes tightly as her head rolled back on the pillows beneath her. Her fingers tightened in Willow's hair, and she pushed herself forward, grinding her sex against Willow's tongue as her orgasm washed over her.
Finally, Tara started to relax, and she took a deep breath as she opened her eyes and looked down at Willow again. But Willow didn't give her any time to rest - just after she'd caught her breath, Willow slid two fingers inside her, quickly finding the sensitive places she knew so well. Tara gasped, then moaned, reaching down to play with her nipples as Willow started licking her clit again.
It only took a few minutes before Tara was crying out with her release once more. Willow lifted her head, rubbing Tara's clit with her thumb as she looked down at her, smiling in satisfaction as she took in the blissful look on her face. She could feel Tara clenching around her fingers, and she simply watched, entranced by her girlfriend's beauty as she rode out her orgasm.
After Tara's climax had passed, Willow withdrew her fingers, then kissed Tara's lips softly. Tara looked down at her, and Willow moved forward a bit to kiss her navel before sitting up.
"Thank you," Tara said, giving her one of those beautiful smiles she loved so much.
"It was my pleasure, baby," Willow said, resting her hand on Tara's thigh and rubbing her softly. "It always is."
"I think it was mine, too," Xander spoke up. Willow and Tara laughed and turned to look at him, and he grinned back at them. Moving in next to Willow, he kissed her shoulder softly, and she leaned forward and kissed him deeply, letting him taste Tara on her lips and tongue.
After they broke their kiss, Willow reached for his cock, and Xander tensed as she stroked him gently. "I want to watch you and Tara make love," she said, squeezing Tara's thigh with her other hand. Tara sat up, and Willow turned toward her as Tara covered her hand with her own.
"You can play too, if you want to," Tara said softly.
Willow shook her head. "No, it's okay," she said. She moved back on the bed, letting go of Xander's cock, and let her hands fall to her sides. "Like I said, I'm still a little sore. It'll be enough for me to just watch you two together."
"Are you sure?" Xander asked, and Willow had to smile at his obvious concern.
"Yes, I'm sure," she reassured him. "I'm really…" she continued, but abruptly fell silent as a thought struck her.
"Although… There is a spell I could use," Willow said.
"Don't worry, it's just something I'll cast on myself," she continued quickly, in response to the wary look Xander gave her. "It's simple. It's just a spell that, if I touch you, it lets me feel what you're feeling. So I can share in what you're experiencing. That's all. I've been wanting to try this for a while now, and this is the perfect time, so please say it's okay?" she finished, giving him what she hoped was her cutest smile.
Xander's expression softened, and he smiled back at her. "You know I can't resist you, right?" he said.
"That's just one of the things we love about you," Tara added, looking at her fondly.
"Yep," Willow replied cheerfully. "That's me - totally irresistible." She knew she was being silly, but she didn't care. She was too caught up in the excitement of the idea of using this spell.
Xander thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay," he said. "If you want to - that sounds pretty harmless. Tara? What do you think?"
"It's okay with me," Tara said. "It's a simple spell. I don't see any problem with it."
"Great!" Willow exclaimed. "Just give me a second." She concentrated, feeling the power of the earth flow into her, and she shaped it into the enchantment she wanted, draping it over herself like a blanket. "Okay. That should do it," she said after giving it a few seconds to make sure that nothing had gone wrong. "Go ahead."
Xander looked at Willow a moment longer, then, apparently satisfied that everything was okay, turned toward Tara. She smiled at him, and he scooted in close and kissed her. She lifted one hand to his face, caressing his cheek, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. Willow could hear Tara's soft moan of pleasure as she and Xander deepened their kiss, leaning into each other, sharing the incredible desire they clearly felt for one another.
Willow took a moment to just watch them together. The truth was, she treasured the deep, intimate connection her lovers had, not only with her, but also with each other. Even though it was nice when she was the center of attention, Willow knew that to make their relationship work, things had to be equal emotionally between all three of them. So she could appreciate how beautiful the love and passion that Tara and Xander had for each other was, because she knew that they both felt the same way about her, too.
Moving in toward them, Willow touched them both at the same time, resting one hand on Tara's arm, the other on Xander's. She gasped at the rush of sensation she felt - the desire and excitement and arousal of both her lovers at once was an incredible feeling. And she could immediately feel concern, as well, mixed in with the tide of everything else, and Xander and Tara broke their kiss and turned to look at her.
"Are you okay, honey?" Xander asked.
"It's not too much, is it?" Tara said.
Willow shook her head. "No, it's fine." Now that the initial shock was over, she was quickly adjusting to what she was feeling from them. It was intense, but it wasn't more than she could handle. "It feels really good, actually," she said, blushing a little. "Keep going. Please."
Xander and Tara smiled at her, then turned and kissed again, more deeply this time. Xander slipped his tongue past Tara's lips, circling it around hers, and she opened her mouth to give him the access her wanted. As they kissed, he slid one hand around to her front to cup Tara's breast, and Willow felt a surge of arousal from both of them as he rubbed her nipple softly. Willow moaned aloud as she felt two sets of sensations - Xander's excitement at touching, and Tara's excitement at being touched. She felt herself flush with arousal, heat spreading outward from her center as she lost herself in the intimacy of the moment.
Willow watched as Tara pushed in toward Xander's hand, and he pinched her nipple softly, prompting Tara to moan and suck on his tongue gently. Their tongues swirled around each other for another moment, then Xander pulled back slightly and kissed Tara's neck before turning to look at Willow. He rested his free hand on Willow's shoulder, running his fingers down her chest, covering one breast with his palm. He rubbed her softly, then caressed her nipple with his fingers. Willow shivered at the pleasurable sensations that ran through her at his touch, mixing with what she was feeling from him and Tara, quickly bringing her to new heights of arousal.
She only lasted a few seconds before she gently pushed Xander's hand away. He frowned slightly and looked at her with concern again.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
Willow quickly shook her head. "No, it's fine. It's just a little too much if you're touching me, too," she said. "That's all."
It was true - she knew now that there was no way she could possibly use this spell if she was going to be having sex, too. Still, what she'd felt from Xander when he was touching her made her happy. It was nice to know that he was just as excited and aroused by her as he was by Tara.
Willow took Xander's hand and led it to Tara's chest, and he smiled at her and turned his attention back to Tara. He kissed his way down her chest, and she rested one hand on his head, running her fingers through his hair. When he reached her breasts, Xander kissed the space between them, then licked one nipple slowly. Tara sighed softly as Xander took her nipple in his mouth, sucking on her gently even as he rolled her other nipple between his fingers.
Another soft moan passed Willow's lips as she felt what her lovers were feeling. She knew from experience - lots and lots of experience - how good it felt to have her nipples touched and sucked on, and if anything, Tara was a little bit more sensitive there than she was. But the real surprise was Xander. Ever since they'd gotten together, Willow had known that Xander was something of a breast man, but she'd had no idea just how exciting it was for him to touch and kiss and play with their breasts. It was no wonder he paid so much attention to them when they made love.
When Xander pulled away from Tara's breast and moved to her other one, Willow slid her hand from Tara's arm to her chest and caressed her there. Her nipple was still wet from Xander's mouth, and Willow rubbed it softly, enjoying the thrill of pleasure she felt from Tara at the touch of her hand and Xander's lips. Tara smiled lovingly at her, and she covered Willow's hand with her own, stroking it gently with her thumb as Willow continued to caress her softly.
Finally, Xander pulled away from Tara's chest and gave her a quick kiss. "Lay back, honey," he said, and Willow could feel the desire and anticipation from them both.
Tara lifted Willow's hand and kissed it softly, then laid back on the bed. Xander knelt in front of her, and she opened her legs for him, smiling as he moved in between them. He slid his hands up her body to her breasts, caressing them as he positioned himself in front of her. Willow grasped Xander's cock and guided him toward Tara's sex, letting go and resting her hand on his hip when his head was nestled against Tara's lips. Willow looked into Tara's eyes, watching her intently as Xander pushed into her.
Xander and Tara moaned in unison as he slid into her wet passage, but Willow's gasp was louder than either of them. She could feel their joining from both sides, and she had to close her eyes for a moment against the intensity of the feelings that ran through her from both of them. She opened them again and let out a breath of air as Xander started moving, slowly at first, but quickly picking up his pace until he settled into a steady rhythm. Willow shivered as tingles of pleasure ran through her, and Tara looked up at her, smiling as she squeezed her hand.
Over the next several minutes, Willow could feel Tara's arousal quickly building, and as Xander played with and pinched her nipples, it only stoked the fire inside her faster. She wrapped her legs around Xander and rested her free hand on his arm as she looked up at him. "Fuck me harder," she said, her voice thick with need that Willow could feel from her as surely as if it were her own. "Please?"
Smiling down at her, Xander picked up his pace, and Tara lifted her hips a little to allow him to enter her more deeply. "Oh, yes…" she moaned, even as Willow was gasping again at the surge of pleasure she felt. Tara's back arched, pressing her breasts up into Xander's hands, and she closed her eyes as she writhed around on the bed underneath him.
It didn't take long before Tara's climax was upon her. Willow saw her body tense, and Tara tightened her legs around Xander, using them to hold him close to her as she gave herself over to the waves of ecstasy that ran through her. Willow felt them as well, though it wasn't quite enough to send her over the edge - the sensations were just a little bit removed from the center of her consciousness thanks to the spell. Still, it felt incredibly good nonetheless, and when she felt a surge of pleasure from Xander as Tara clenched her muscles around his cock in the throes of her orgasm, she couldn't help moaning again.
After Tara's climax had passed, Xander leaned down and gave her a passionate kiss, which she returned eagerly. Her arousal had subsided, but only a little. She wanted to come again, and Willow didn't need her spell to know that - she could tell just from the look on her face.
Willow watched as Xander broke his kiss with Tara, then pushed himself up again. He slid his hands from her breasts to her hips and looked down at Tara, his gaze appreciative as it traveled up her body. "You're so beautiful," he said softly as he locked eyes with her. "And sexy."
"Thank you," Tara replied, her voice low and husky, and she smiled warmly at the compliment.
Rubbing her hips softly, Xander started fucking Tara harder, and she moaned softly as he increased his pace. Willow took Xander's hand and brought it together with Tara's, smiling as they threaded their fingers together. She covered their clasped hands with her own and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself against the torrent of sensations she was feeling from both of them. She could feel Tara nearing another climax, but Xander's excitement was quickly rising now, too, and the combination threatened to overwhelm her.
But even through that, Willow could feel Xander holding himself back, keeping his orgasm at bay in order to keep pleasuring Tara for as long as he could. Tara's climax wasn't far off, and Xander obviously wanted to keep going long enough to get her there. The effort warmed Willow's heart; she could tell that holding back wasn't easy for Xander. She remembered all the times he'd done the same for her when they were making love, and now that she knew what it took for him to do it, she appreciated it all the more. It was more proof of how much he loved her and Tara - not that she needed it at this point.
Xander slipped one hand between Tara's legs, rubbing her clit as he fucked her hard and deep, and it didn't take long to send her over the edge again. At Tara's first tremors, Willow could feel Xander let go, and he buried himself deeply inside Tara, his release following closely after hers. The combined force of both their climaxes hit Willow like a tidal wave, and she came without even touching herself, joining her lovers in their moment of bliss.
When it was over, Willow ended her spell, and they all took a moment to catch their breath. Tara let her legs fall open again as she relaxed, and Xander rubbed her thigh softly, staying where he was a bit longer before finally withdrawing from her. He laid down next to her, on his back, and he wrapped one arm around her as she rolled over to cuddle against him. Turning toward Willow, Xander smiled and held out his other arm, and he pulled her close as she laid down with him and Tara.
They rested together in silence for a moment, until a thought suddenly struck Willow, and she spoke up.
"You know, for a guy, you sure do like snuggling a lot," she said, poking Xander in the chest.
Xander chuckled. "The day when I don't enjoy having two beautiful women pressed against me? That's probably when you should start worrying about me," he said.
Willow giggled, and Tara laughed along with her. "Well, when you put it that way…" Willow said, smiling affectionately at Xander. She pushed herself up a little and pressed her lips to his, which turned into a round of kisses shared between all three of them.
"So, did the spell go okay?" Tara asked when they were done. "You looked like you were having fun." She rubbed Willow's back gently, and Willow sighed softly before replying.
"Oh, yeah," she enthused. "It was pretty amazing. I mean, I don't think it's something I'd want to do too often…"
"Because you like to be more active?" Xander interrupted with a grin.
"Definitely," Willow said. Xander kissed the top of her head, and she snuggled against his chest, resting one hand on Tara's hip. They passed another moment in silence, until Xander finally spoke again.
"Hey," he said, and Willow and Tara both looked up at him, surprised by the sudden seriousness in his tone.
"I love you," he said, his expression sincere as he looked between them. "Both of you. I just…thought I should say it. Especially after last night."
Last night. When she'd almost been killed. Sure, she was okay now, but that certainly wouldn't be the last time that one or all of them found themselves in danger. As long as they lived on a Hellmouth…
Willow quickly pushed those thoughts aside. She didn't want to think about that right now. Instead, she focused on what Xander had just told her.
"I love you too," she said. "Both of you. So much."
Tara smiled. "I love you both, too," she said.
It was such a simple thing to say, but hearing it from Xander and Tara always made Willow happy in a way that nothing else could ever quite manage. And this time was no different. Hearing those words was enough to silence her worries for the time being and let her just enjoy the moment she was sharing with them.
So she rested her head on Xander's chest and closed her eyes, content for the time being. She and Tara and Xander were all fine and they were together. Right now, that was all that mattered.
Tara awoke to the sound of Willow screaming in anguish.
Her heart racing, Tara's eyes flew open, and she rolled on to her back, pushing herself up on her arms. As she looked around the room, Willow thrashed around on the bed next to her, and Tara winced as she was elbowed in the shoulder. Before she could say anything, Willow sat bolt upright, gasping for breath and clutching the covers to her as she looked around wildly.
Xander sat up just as suddenly, and as he looked around, Tara quickly did the same. Their bedroom was empty except for the three of them, and no sounds came from anywhere else in the apartment. Satisfied that there were no physical threats nearby, Tara cast a quick spell to check the room for magical auras. There was no evidence of dark magic anywhere around them, either - there were some residual magical traces in the area, from spells cast earlier, but they were easily identified as being from her and Willow. So Tara dismissed her spell and finally let herself relax a little.
As she sat up, she could see some of the tension leave Xander's body as well, though there was still great concern in his eyes as he gently rested his hand on Willow's shoulder. "Will?" he said softly. "What's wrong?"
Willow turned to look at him, and she seemed almost surprised to see him there. "Xander?" she said, and Tara could hear distress and confusion in her voice.
"Willow?" Tara said. "Sweetie? What is it? What's the matter?"
Willow turned toward her slowly, almost as if she was afraid to look for some reason. Tara could just barely make out her face in the morning twilight that filtered through the drapes, but it was enough that she could see that Willow's eyes were full of tears. "Tara?" she said, a note of desperation in her voice now.
Tara opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say anything, Willow threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around her tightly, holding on to her like she never wanted to let go. Tara froze for a moment in surprise, but then embraced Willow as well, holding her as she buried her face in the crook of Tara's neck. She was trying to speak, but "You're here, it's really you," was all that Tara could make out before Willow's sobbing drowned out the rest of what she was trying to say.
Scooting in closer, Xander rubbed Willow's back softly and mouthed the word 'nightmare' to Tara over Willow's shoulder. Tara nodded back at him; that was what she was thinking, too. Although Tara had never seen Willow react like this to a nightmare before - this one must have been pretty awful.
Tara held her close, and Xander moved to sit next to them on the bed, resting his hand comfortingly on Willow's shoulder. It took a few minutes before she started to calm down, and when Willow finally lifted her head from her shoulder, Tara could see that she was still pretty freaked out. She rubbed Willow's back with one hand, and kissed her cheek as Willow's grip on her finally started to relax a little.
"What's wrong, honey?" Tara asked softly, pulling out of Willow's embrace. She brushed Willow's hair back from her face and looked into her eyes as she took her hands. "Bad dream?"
Willow nodded, and Xander squeezed her shoulder, running his hand down her arm to cover her and Tara's clasped hands with his own.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Tara asked.
When Willow spoke, there was fear and terrible sadness in her voice. "Tara, I…I dreamed you got shot," she said, tears welling up in her eyes again. "You died in my arms."
All the color drained out of Xander's face at her words. "Wow," he said, his voice suddenly a little shaky. "Okay, that definitely qualifies as a nightmare."
"But…sweetie, it was just a dream," Tara said, squeezing Willow's hands reassuringly.
"Yeah. That's right," Xander said, and Tara could see him push his own distress aside as he tried to help comfort Willow. "Tara's fine," he continued, nodding toward her briefly. "We're all here, and we're all okay. It was just a dream."
Willow sniffed. "I know," she said. "But, it felt *so* real. Like I was really there." She looked down at their hands, clasped between them, as she continued. "We were at Buffy's house, in her mother's room, and there were shots, and then…" She trailed off, tears rolling down her face, and Tara lifted one hand to her head, running her fingers through her hair gently.
"Shh. It's okay," she said. "I'm here." She looked into Willow's eyes, and was relieved when, even through the tears, she could see some of the fear there finally start to subside.
Willow nodded slowly, and Tara kissed her, then pulled her into her arms again. Xander kissed Willow's cheek and embraced her as well, and together, they held her close, sitting with her until the first rays of sunlight started to shine over the horizon.
When they finally got up, it was fast approaching the time when Xander had to leave for work, so he headed for the bathroom to take a quick shower, and Tara and Willow put their robes on and walked out into the living room. Willow sat at their dining table while Tara went into the kitchen. She didn't have time to do anything fancy for breakfast, so she just made some toast and sliced some melon, putting it in bowls for each of them. By the time she'd finished, Xander was already out of the shower, and it only took a couple of minutes before he'd dressed and joined them at the table.
Tara watched Willow as they ate. She seemed to be okay, though she wasn't quite as talkative as she usually was, and consequently their conversation was more subdued than usual. Tara noticed that Xander was paying close attention to Willow as well, and when they were finished eating and he stood up to gather the dishes, he rested his hand on her shoulder briefly, looking down and smiling at her, before picking up her bowl.
As Xander took the dishes into the kitchen, Willow stood and walked back into the living room. Tara followed behind and sat down next to her, kissing her cheek and wrapping one arm around her waist, holding her gently. Willow turned and smiled at Tara, and Tara kissed her again as Xander walked into the room.
"So, are you sure you're okay?" he asked, crouching down in front of the couch and looking up at Willow with concern as he laid his hand on her knee.
"I'll be fine. Really," Willow said. She gave a rueful smile as she continued. "It was just a nightmare, and…I feel really silly now, for waking you guys up and everything. I'm sorry."
"Hey, it's okay," Xander said. "Do you want me to stick around for a while? Cause I can. I can call in to work, and…"
"No, it's fine," Willow said. "But thank you for asking." She covered his hand with her own as she continued. "Go ahead and go to work. I'll be okay. Tara and I have classes later this morning, and that'll take my mind off my bad dreams."
Xander chuckled. "You're right, it probably will," he said. "When you're in school, everything else tends to fade into the background." He leaned forward and embraced Willow, kissing her tenderly and holding her close for a long moment. Tara smiled as she looked on, and she rubbed Willow's hip softly.
When Xander finally broke his kiss with Willow, he rested his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes. "I love you," he said.
Willow smiled at him, and Tara could see her eyes light up a little. "I love you, too," she said. Tara kissed her cheek, and when Willow turned toward her, she gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Tara couldn't help smiling herself at the look on Willow's face - for the first time since she'd woken up, she actually looked happy again.
"Okay," Xander said, standing up and stepping back a little to look at them both. "I'm going to work. I'll see you this afternoon."
"Why don't we meet at the Magic Box?" Tara said. "Willow and I need to pick up a few tings."
Xander nodded. "Sure," he said. "I'll see you there." He went into the kitchen to get his lunch from the refrigerator, and when he returned, Tara stood up and walked over to give him a quick kiss.
"We may be a little late today," she said. "We were planning to go to the library after our classes."
"No problem," Xander replied. "I'll wait for you if you're not there. If I'm not at the Magic Box, look for me down at the Espresso Pump."
Tara smiled and turned to go back to the couch, but Xander caught her arm lightly before she could move away. Surprised, she turned back, meeting his eyes, and the look on his face was as serious as she'd ever seen as he spoke.
"I just want you to know that, when Willow told us about her nightmare," he said, nodding toward Willow, who was looking up at them with interest. "I…I mean, the thought of anything happening to you…It's so awful, I…" He trailed off and looked down at the floor between them, clearly unable to even finish the thought.
"I love you," he said, looking up again and meeting her eyes. His gaze was intense, and when he stepped closer and kissed her, it took a second before she could react. But quickly enough, she returned the kiss, and Xander wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Willow stood and walked over to embrace them both, and as the three of them stood together, Tara closed her eyes and let everything else fade away for the moment, just enjoying the closeness she was feeling with Xander and Willow.
When they separated, Tara stepped back a little and smiled at Xander. "I love you, too," she said. She kissed him again, and he smiled back at her, holding her gaze for a long moment before he finally turned to look at the clock on the wall.
"Okay, I have to go," Xa