Disclaimer: Buffy and all characters are owned by Fox, I don't, etc., etc.

It was late afternoon, and Buffy and Willow were once again immersed in Professor Walsh's Psych class. They were, as usual, seated near the front, and Riley was off to the side, sneaking wistful glances at the Slayer as she listened intently to the lecture.

"So this is what it is. Talking about communication, talking about language. Not the same thing. It's about the way a child can recognize and produce phonemes that don't occur in its native language. It's about inspiration, not the idea but the moment before the idea when it's total, when it blossoms in your mind and connects to everything, before the coherent thought that gives it shape, that locks it in and cuts it off from the universal. When you can articulate it, it becomes smaller. It's about thoughts and experiences that we don't have a word for. A demonstration. Buffy Summers."

Buffy was legitimately surprised, and mouthed, "Me?"

"Thank you for volunteering," replied the professor with a snakelike warmth. "Come down to the front here." Buffy complied hesitantly, standing next to her instructor in front of the entire class as Professor Walsh continued speaking. "Typical college girl, one assumes. Lie down on my desk."

"What?"

"Go ahead," replied the professor with the same poorly comforting tone of voice. "You're perfectly safe." Again, Buffy consented, drawing a few scattered snickers from the class as she lied on her back before propping herself up on her elbows. "Ms. Maclay," announced Professor Walsh, "If you could oblige?"

Buffy looked across the room and noticed Tara, who was off to the opposite side of the room as Riley, who was visibly upset at being passed over for the demonstration. She was obviously very nervous, having reverted to her previous form of slouching, looking at the floor, and fidgeting with her shirt and dress (which Buffy noted were of the bland and more ill-fitting type she had worn before becoming comfortable with herself and her new friends). "Y-y-you w-w me t-to d-demonstrate?"

"Yes," confirmed the professor. "If you can't, I'm sure that Riley will be happy to help."

Tara glanced nervously at Riley, who looked eager to please. "N-no. I-I-I'll h-help." She scurried over to the back of the desk, unable to even look Buffy in the eye. The Slayer reached out and held her girlfriend's hand supportively, which earned her a blush and a faint hint of a smile from the witch.

Turning her attention back to the class, Professor Walsh said, "A kiss is just a kiss, I believe the line goes. The rest comes from you."

Quietly, Buffy said, "I guess this is what I get for not wanting to keep things a secret."

Tara smiled and said, "I-it's OK. I-if we kiss, it'll make the sun go down." Tara leaned in and kissed Buffy, taking the Slayer in her arms as things grew more passionate. True to Tara's word, the sun went down as their kiss deepened, and when the two pulled apart, it was night. "See?"

Buffy grinned widely. "I love you."

"I know."

The comment confused Buffy, knowing that Tara's date with Star Wars wasn't until tomorrow. But it had to wait, as Buffy went into Slayer-mode, standing up and looking around cautiously. "Did you hear that?" It sounded like….a girl humming?

Tara didn't answer, but Buffy noticed suddenly that she was wearing her scabbard and sword before leaving the empty classroom. Now alone, Tara smiled and whispered, "Along came a spider…."

Walking down the hall, Buffy followed the humming sound, which turned into something like a nursery rhyme: "Can't even shout. Can't even cry. The Gentlemen are coming by. Looking in windows, knocking on doors….They need to take seven and they might take yours…."

Turning a corner in the hall, Buffy saw a little girl standing at the other end, holding a small, wooden box. She said, "Can't call to mom. Can't say a word. You're gonna die screaming but you won't be heard."

Tara turned the corner that Buffy just had, and reached out to her girlfriend wordlessly. However, instead of Tara, Buffy turned to see a horrific, grinning white face!

With a start, Buffy woke up to find herself still in class.

"So, I'll see you all Monday for a final review session."

With everyone else gathering their things, Buffy tried to get a sense of what was going on. Besides class being over, it wasn't night, or even dusk, and Tara, the girl, and that…..thing were nowhere to be seen.

"Boy, that was an exciting class, huh?" asked Willow with a subtle playfulness in her voice.

"Oh yeah," lied Buffy. "Wow."

"And that last twenty minutes," continued Willow, now openly having fun at her friend's expense, "it was a revelation. Just laid out everything we needed to know for the final. I'd hate to have missed that."

With her lie exposed, Buffy replied somewhat shamefully, "Just tell me I didn't snore."

With a reassuring smile, Willow said, "You were very discreet. Minimal drool."

"Oh, yay."

After they both left the empty classroom, Willow asked, "So, were you dreaming?"

"Yeah," admitted Buffy, "it was kind of intense…." Her train of thought was completely derailed as Tara approached. The witch stifled her laughter at seeing the Slayer swoon. "Look, Will, it's my girlfriend!" When she realized what she had just announced for everyone to hear, Buffy only got giddier. "Oh my God, I have a girlfriend!"

"Hi, Sweetie," said Tara as she linked hands with her girlfriend before kissing Buffy sweetly. "How was your class?"

Buffy looked to Willow with a frown before admitting, "I, uh, fell asleep during class."

"If you're tired, you should tell me," scolded Tara gently. "We have all the time in the world for, you know…." The playful leer in Tara's voice was unmistakable to both Buffy and Willow.

Willow recognized that she was something of a third wheel, and declared shakily, "You know, I'm gonna do the thing. With Xander. And we're going to do it together."

Buffy and Tara shared a conspiratorial look as they let Willow's unintentional entendre pass by without comment. "You have a thing with Xander?" asked Tara.

Willow immediately began to stammer. "I-i-it's not a thing thing," she said. "We're just spending time together."

"Alone?" asked Buffy with a barely-disguised eagerness.

"W-w-well, s-sort of," admitted Willow as her cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "B-but we're just going to talk, and watch some TV…..you know, friend stuff."

"Is he going to tell you about his job at the male strip club in Oxnard?" asked Buffy, going right for the jugular.

"I was thinking about…WHAT?!" Buffy shared a devilish grin with Tara as Willow's ever-active mind started to kick into overdrive. "Xander never said anything about being a stripper!"

"Well, now that you know," replied Tara, "you can ask him to demonstrate for you."

Willow turned pale as her imagination filled in the gaps. "Igottagobye!" she exclaimed nervously before taking off for parts unknown.

"Do you think Xander will be angry that we told Willow he had a job as a stripper?" asked Buffy as she looked in the direction that her best friend had retreated to.

"Maybe, but we did no such thing," declared Tara authoritatively. "We just said that he had a job there, not as one. There rest was entirely a figment of her imagination."

"Which you happily fed, you minx," replied Buffy with a playful edge. "I may need to spank you if you keep being naughty like this."

"How kinky," joked Tara, effectively silencing her now-stunned girlfriend.