Copyright Disclaimer : Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Willow, Tara, Xander, Giles and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, together with the names, titles and back story are the sole copyright property of Joss Wheldon, Fox and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the authors. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Please contact the authors for permission to reproduce this story on any other fan fiction site.
Paring : Willow / Tara - Buffy / Other - Set in Season Seven, but as you will see quickly veers away from the events presented. The First is still the big bad, there is a gaggle of SIT's in town but something very different is about to happen…
Rating : M Contains scenes of violence, sexuality and nudity
Shades Of Grey : Part Twenty Five.
Buffy rubbed at her eye and moved to the back door seeing the light on. She looked out to see that her lover was on her hands and knees in the grass.
"Piper, what are you doing?" She moved out onto the back porch.
"Hey baby." Piper jumped up and flicked off the torch, managing not to blind Buffy with it. "You were asleep." She frowned softly.
"I was but I woke up." Buffy padded out barefoot onto the grass. "What are you doing?"
"Er... checking the yards lying flat." Piper offered.
"Really?" Buffy knelt down.
"Hey-hey, what you doing? You'll get all cold, come on sleepy back to bed." Piper shook her head and reached out for Buffy's hand.
"I'm checking on you and I'm not going back to bed 'till you tell me what you're really doing." Buffy looked at her in the very dim light.
"I'm... checking..." Piper sighed. "I've lost my labrys."
"You lost your labrys?" The Slayer looked at her confused.
"The double axe head pendant I wear." Piper reached up to her empty neck.
"Oh your axe." Buffy looked around. "When did you lose it?"
"I... I don't know, I think when we were fooling around with the SITs earlier." Piper pushed up. "But come on, you said you wanted to know what I was doing, that's what I'm doing, so you can come inside and stop getting cold now."
"Oh course I'm not going back to bed. I'm going to help you find your necklace." Buffy shook her head starting to look around in the grass.
"Buffy, come on." Piper shook her head. "You're dog tired and you need to rest up."
"But you lost your axe. I know how pissed off I was when I lost my diamond earring fighting the master." Buffy ran her hands over the ground.
"It's just a piece of jewellery, I don't even think it cost her much..." Piper stopped.
"Piper, we'll find it." Buffy reached out calmly assuring her.
"What I mean is… it... it doesn't matter if we don't, it's a charm, that's all, its not mystical or magical it doesn't mean we're going to loose, it just means I've lost her... it." She babbled.
"Piper." Buffy moved over closer taking her lover's hands. "We're going to find it." She pulled one up and kissed it.
"What time is it?" Piper suddenly asked as she went back to looking, as she didn't seem to be able to put Buffy off.
"Eleven thirty." The Slayer went back to scourging the grass.
"Oh I, I just have to do something, I'll be right back." Piper smiled and moved to the door.
"I'll keep looking." Buffy smiled back at her.
Buffy kept looking a few moments before she stood up and decided to do this a bit more logically. She did a general sweep while looking down before she picked up the flashlight that Piper had left on the stairs. She stood in one place scouring it across the grass until a sparkle reflected back at her.
"There you are." She smiled at her own success as she moved over to the area near the flowers and picked up the chain and locket. "Have to get you fixed." She looked at the broken link." She clutched it in her hand and made her way back inside.
"Piper... guess what I..." She came in stopping when she heard raised voices and moving to the living room she found the source.
"How do I have any idea of what I intend to do when all this is over?" Piper's voice was short and angry.
Buffy hung in the doorway unnoticed listening to what was going on before she spoke.
"It's just a question Piper." Giles' voice came back at her.
"Owl, my name is Owl." Piper snapped at him.
"Owl." Giles tried again. "The bond you have formed with Buffy is admirable, but have you considered the practicality of having more than one slayer in the same place? There are more Hellmouths..."
"There's no guarantee we're all going to make it through this Mr. Giles." Piper seethed.
"This is the conversation we are not having." Buffy injected moving into the room. "Giles go to bed you look like Hell. Piper, you need to sleep too."
"Ah Buffy." Giles turned. "Maybe you can help here." He smiled his voice trailing off when he saw the look on her face. "I asked to see Owl actually. There were a few things we needed to talk about."
"Do these things have anything to do with what we are facing right now?" Buffy questioned him. "And not some stupid Watcher agenda for the future."
"They have somewhat do to with what we are facing." Giles replied.
"Go ahead then." She crossed her hands over her chest.
"I was enquiring at how ready Piper felt to face what we have to do." Giles stood up a little straighter.
"I've already said I'll do my best, what more can I say?" Piper frowned harder, her fists balled up tightly.
"That's all you need to say isn't it Giles?" Buffy scowled at the Watcher knowing he had no idea the pressure he was putting on the other Slayer.
"Yes... that is... Sandra and I were wondering, a little along the lines of what Kennedy suggested when we activated Owl." Giles glanced between the two of them.
"Her hair brain idea about activating more?" Buffy tried to think back.
"Not more, just perhaps one." He offered. "A sort of back up as it were."
"Hell why don't we just activate everyone!" Buffy looked at him incredulously.
"Buffy, you and Faith are seasoned slayers." Giles kept his tone calm. "All I am suggesting is a back up for Piper so that the pressure isn't unbearable for her."
"My name is Owl." Piper snarled.
"Okay so giving your idea a shred of thought." Buffy glared at him. "How less pressure is it when say hmmm someone like Bea is activated? You're betting it's Kennedy and we have no guarantee of that."
"Look why don't I make this easy?" Piper snarled and picked up a dagger that was in the collection of weapons on the table. "How dead is dead?" She said her voice almost completely even. She tossed it in the air and caught it by the hilt over and over.
"Piper put that down please." Buffy looked at her and then seeing her lover's expression she changed her tone making it softer. "Please put it down." She asked again.
"He doesn't think I can do it, none of them do." Piper threw the dagger so that it embedded itself into the tabletop.
"He doesn't think I can do it Piper, it's his job to make us all feel useless." She glanced at Giles.
"Buffy please, that's not what I was suggesting at all." Giles frowned. "You have proved your worth time after time."
"Where as I've what?" Piper stared at him. "Got my Watcher killed, didn't act quick enough to save Dawn and Faith getting a nasty scare?"
"You were the only reason Dawn and Faith are alive, that is proving yourself." Buffy objected.
"Oh come on Buffy we both know the only way I'm going to prove myself is if I manage to somehow pull of a glorious heroic death right?" She glared at the Watcher. "After all I don't quite fit in do I?"
"This isn't about fitting in and it's not about dying. There has been enough death already." Buffy objected at both of them. "This is about being forced into being something none of us really want to be. This is about saving people anyway you can and this is about sometimes failing." She frowned. "A lot of times failing."
"Whatever." Piper shook her head. "I'll leave you to work out the details of the replace Piper plan." She pushed towards the front door.
"Piper." Buffy moved after her.
"Leave her Buffy." Giles called as the front door slammed shut.
"Why? So she can go do something stupid now that you've made her feel useless and second rate?" Buffy glared at him.
"That wasn't my intention in the slightest Buffy, Sandra and I thought of it as a completely supportive plan." He explained their rationale.
"Giles how would you feel if I told you we were going to kill you so that another watcher would pop up, you know just in case we need another stuffy tweed guy around?" Buffy accused.
"Supported?" Giles offered stiffly.
"Funny, since Sandra's been around second guessing you, you've been more irritated than supported." The Slayer pointed out.
"Buffy please, this is hardly constructive." Giles frowned.
"We can't go around killing ourselves so that more of us are activated." Buffy shook her head. "There has to be some cosmic reason why there is only supposed to be one. Piper is now that one. Faith and I are extra's, now your job is to support her, not undermine her and tell her she's not good enough." She moved to the door. "Start doing your job." She pulled it open. "Faith and I don't need watching anymore."
"Hey there Buffy, was just about to come and find you." In the doorway stood Spike blocking her path.
"I don't have time right now." Buffy tried to push past him.
"You might want to make time, when I tell you that your little love bird's just taken off on that bike of hers." The vampire pointed out.
"What way did she go?" Buffy cursed looking down the dark streets.
"Towards the high school." Spike pointed down the road.
"Keep watch, I have to go get her." Buffy ran back in grabbing the staff before she headed out towards the jeep.
"Want me to drive?" Spike offered.
"Please Spike guard the house." Buffy looked at him.
"That was just an offer to help." Spike pointed out.
"I know it was and what I really need is you helping me by guarding the house. The attack last night didn't work, I'm sure it's going to try again but I have to go get Piper. So I'm counting on you." She looked at her seriously.
"I won't let you down." Spike nodded.
"Thank you." She moved towards the jeep jumping in and taking off rather erratically down the road.
-x-
"COME ON, COME ON YOU BASTARD!" Piper paced in a small circle around the dormant Hellmouth seal. "There's no barrier, no magic to keep you out, no back up to save me." She called out into the darkness. "Come and get yourself a taste of slayer blood."
"Feeling a tad suicidal?" Buffy appeared suddenly in the far corner of the room.
"No, perhaps I am just tired of waiting." Piper shook her head and looked over at the ghost. "You're not as beautiful as her, you can't even get that right."
"Ouch." The First put a hand up to her heart. "That hurt Piper, really that was coarse."
"Well you base your images, your copies on the past." Piper continued. "Which is why they are second rate?"
"Is this more your taste?" The First shifted into the dark Slayer's form. "I can't wait to get a 'Piper' to try on."
"Won't I be a bit of a come down from both of the last two on show?" Piper retorted.
"Oh no Piper!" The First shook her head. "You're very different from Buffy and Faith but you are by far just as equal. I'm so glad they activated you, it's going to make beating you all that much sweeter."
"You knew they were going to didn't you? Did you know I would be next, is that why you killed Shanti, even though we had sworn against the lives the Council had offered?" She tried to get answers, even knowing that the First would probably lie to her.
"Actually Piper, I killed Shanti because she was far too dangerous to me." The First leaned against the wall.
"There is no way of knowing she would have got involved. She didn't have to die."
Piper's voice stiffened.
"You all have to die." The First explained.
"Why?" Piper put the question simply.
"Why not?" The First shrugged.
"Oh come on you can do better than that, never answer a question with a question, didn't your Big Poppa Evil teach you anything." Owl bated.
"The slayers have gotten too powerful, this alliance you've found with your little witches, and with other fonts of power, it had to be stopped." It explained.
"But you know that no matter how hard we work, how powerful out witches get, there will always be evil in the world." Piper shook her head. "We'll never completely win, so what makes you think you will?"
"Because dear Piper, you're all just little girls." The First laughed.
"And you're what, a big splodgy mess of nothingness right now." Piper laughed back. "You're pathetic, the First evil, the ultimate bad guy, reduced to what spiteful smoke?" She snorted.
"I don't need form to kill you all." Faith's face grew darker as the First seethed.
"No, you need puppets." Piper scoffed. "Little toys that you control, like some big kid in its playroom."
"And you need your witches, bubble, bubble toil and trouble." It scoffed back. "If your line was so great you could kill me without the hocus pocus."
"You know I'd have more respect for you if you got your hands dirty once in a while, Hell I'd have more respect for you if you even had hands." Piper turned away and shook her head, her back to the entity. "You mock our power, when you, the ultimate eeeevil has to use blind dumb and butt ugly monkeys to hack your enemies for you. You couldn't even get good looking attractive guys could you? No, and you know why, because that would require imagination. That would require you looking out of your tiny little window and taking a look around you. Because if you did that, you'd understand that you, you're not evil, you're just a power point, you're just a pathetic battery for it. Things like Ubers, Bringers, they don't inspire fear, not true fear, life inspires that facing each and every day, when you don't think you can crawl up off your knees. That's fear, that takes effort, facing your minions, that's just tedious."
"You're going to die Piper, on your knees, blood streaming down in your eyes as you spit out teeth and dirt." The First looked at her, her voice deep and dark. "Whether you are afraid or not doesn't concern me, just that you will die."
"You know what bring it on." Piper's eyes narrowed as she turned back. "But don't bank on the me dying bit, because you are so not worth dying for."
"You have to wait." The First laughed at her lightly. "Say hi to Buffy." She waved and disappeared as the door swung open.
"Piper!" Buffy came in with the staff looking around.
"Buffy what... why are you here?" Piper's concentration fractured.
"Because you shouldn't be here." Buffy eased a bit when she saw nothing around.
"I just needed to face something." The other Slayer frowned. "You really shouldn't have followed." She added. "Something may have happened to you."
"I followed you because I was worried about you." Buffy looked at her. "And because you forgot this." She held up the necklace.
"My Labrys." Piper focused on it instantly as it swung lightly back and forth.
"I found it, I told you we would." Buffy gave her a soft smile. "Now can we go home, this place makes my good hair day go bad?"
"I'm not sure I want to go back there if Giles is still around." Piper shook her head. "But you should go back, thank you for finding this." She stepped up and held her hand under the pendant.
"Piper, what are you trying to do by being here?" Buffy let her take it.
"I'm not sure." Piper was honest.
"I know what you're feeling." She tried to be honest. "And I wish I could say it's going to go away but it never does. Being what we are, it doesn't ever make you feel good enough."
"There's one thing I feel good enough at." Piper's voice dropped and softened.
"What?" Buffy questioned gently.
"Spotting beautiful women and telling them how amazing they are." Piper reached out and drew a fingertip over Buffy's collarbone that was just visible.
"Should I be jealous that you're out scouting for other beautiful women?" Buffy smiled under the attention.
"No, you see because when I find one, I kinda focus." Piper smirked. "And just pay attention to that one." She continued the light movement.
"You know if being smooth is going to help us win this, I almost pity the First since you're on our side." Buffy blushed lightly.
"Oh I pity it anyway." Piper pointed out. "Though I understand a little more now, the whole big evil thing."
"Do you?" Buffy questioned.
"Yeah I mean how pissed would I be if I got to see all this beauty and couldn't do this." Piper pulled Buffy close and kissed her deeply, releasing her the next second. "Whenever I wanted to. I mean, big angry ball of bad mood I'd be."
"I'd be really grumpy." Buffy smiled. "But I'm not sure making out on the Hellmouth is a good idea, can we go home say to bed?"
"Oh I don't know, a little positive action on the Hellmouth, who knows what effect it would have." Piper laughed looking down at the badly covered seal.
"You're naughty." Buffy smiled at her.
"You're sexy." Piper countered.
"We have to be quick." Buffy moved closer to her and kissed her again.
"If I was a boy, I'd say quick no problem baby, as I'm a girl, I can't promise anything under ten minutes." Owl pulled Buffy tight to her body.
The two Slayers began kissing and exploring one another as unseen by them both, the First materialised as Spike in the shadows of the basement, accompanied by two Ubers. The eager vampires were ready to pounce forward at the vulnerable pair, when the peroxide copy held up a hand then with a flick of its wrist the two beasts disappeared.
"Now this is something I want to watch alone." The First lit up an imaginary cigarette.
-x-
Dawn looked up from her magazine to where Faith was punching at the heavy bag she'd slung from the basement rafters. As always having the Slayer work out so close by made concentrating on anything else hard. The hard way that Faith was digging her hands into each of the punches made Dawn think back to her conversation with Tara.
"Faith..." She sat up and put the magazine aside. "Truth or dare." She tried to find some way to start this that wouldn't send Faith running.
"Truth." Faith gave a swing at the bag hardly breaking her attention.
"Why did you turn me down that first time when I asked?" Dawn asked the question softly.
"When you asked what?" Faith frowned slightly ducking the back swing.
"When I came down here..." Dawn pushed up and moved over to hold the bag steady. "And threw myself at you."
"Because it wouldn't have been right to say yes." Faith replied hitting the bag.
"Why wouldn't it have been?" Dawn asked softly.
"Because you were vulnerable and you weren't' thinking right." Faith reached out and stopped the swing of the bag so it wouldn't hurt Dawn.
"Has that ever stopped you before?" Dawn held the bag tighter to stop it from going out of control again.
"No, but that's not the point." The dark Slayer began pulling tape off her hands.
"No, it is the point." Dawn stepped back watching her.
"What is D?" Faith asked as she threw the used wrappings towards the bin.
"You didn't want to use me." She nodded confirming it to herself almost.
"Of course I didn't you're important to me D, I didn't want to hurt you." Faith shrugged.
"I don't want to hurt you either." Dawn moved closer to her. "I'm sorry I did that too you." She whispered. "I didn't mean to push you."
"It's okay D." Faith shook her head. "I've done my fair share of 'stuff' to try and get the attention I wanted over the years." The dark haired Slayer smiled.
"What was the most outrageous thing you've ever done?" Dawn shadowed her.
"Haven't I had my truth question?" Faith stopped and turned looking at tall young woman.
"Okay your turn then." The brunette relented momentarily.
"Dawn, are you trying to win some freaky epic truth or dare competition or something?" She challenged.
"No, I just want to talk to you." The brunette admitted.
"Then say, Faith can I talk to you." She towelled off her arms.
"Faith, can I talk to you?" Dawn repeated softly.
"Yeah what's on your mind D?"
"You, me." Dawn admitted softly.
"Oh right. Do you want to sit?" Faith coughed.
"Sitting is great." Dawn nodded moving over to the bed and Faith followed. "I know this is hard for you." She started softly.
"You think?" Faith raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't it?" Dawn lost her confidence for a second.
"That depends on what you mean by 'it'." Faith tucked her hair behind her ear.
"It, thinking about being with me." Dawn watched her.
"Being with you, being with you isn't hard." Faith replied frowning softly as she shook her head.
"It's not hard to be with you either. Being with you is the easiest thing." Dawn nodded her immediate agreement.
"D, can I just check what you mean by being with me?" The dark Slayer questioned before things got too out of control.
"Spending time with you, touching you..." Dawn reached her hand out and rested in on Faith's leg. "Kissing you."
"Okay, so this is the it." Faith nodded. "You want this talk."
"Yeah this talk." Dawn reached up tucking her hair away as well. "I want you to know, that I still want you but I know I can't have everything in the first night."
"By everything you mean sex?" Faith asked arching an eyebrow.
"Not just sex." Dawn shook her head. "But part of it is sex."
"Okay D now listen and listen good cause I ain't never gonna say this again." Faith cleared her throat a little. Dawn blinked brown eyes at her waiting. "I already love you okay. But I ain't like your sister, I don't have all this there are thousands of different types of love shit. For me there is 'I love you family' kind of thing, and 'I love you and want you in my bed' kind of thing. Now I was happy with you in the family bracket, but you've liked jumped ship." She stopped herself as she realised she was making less and less sense. "What I'm saying is I don't know what else you mean by 'other' stuff?"
"You mean other than sex?" Dawn whispered.
"Yeah." Faith nodded. "Other than the hot and heavy."
"Like talking, eating dinner together, watching movies, training, me sleeping on the twins." She blushed lightly.
"You wanna do that shit with me?" Faith questioned.
"Yes." The brunette nodded.
"When we win I'll take you to the movies if you like." Faith offered.
"That would be nice." Dawn smiled at her reaching down to link her fingers into Faith's. The Slayer looked down at their hands for a long moment.
"Wait a minute." Faith asked looking up. "Answer me something." She kept brown eyes.
"Anything." Dawn waited for her to ask and Faith's face grew serious. The look made Dawn swallow hard.
"Wanna be my girlfriend?" She asked her face changing into a slow smirk.
"Yes." Dawn's face lit up.
"You're gonna have to stop flirting with Andrew you know that right?" Faith winked.
"Okay wait, are you always going to be that controlling?" Dawn laughed and jumped on her giggling as they fell back on the bed.
"No, I'll let out the leash on weekends." Faith caught her and held her close.
"I want to kiss you again." Dawn leaned closer to her.
"D, I think being my girlfriend means you don't have to ask." Faith laughed feeling a little caught up in the moment. She felt for the first time in years like she wasn't 'The Slayer' or 'Faith who went wrong', she was just Faith.
"I just get to kiss you whenever I want?" Dawn licked her lips.
"Well when I'm twirling a sword I wouldn't suggest it." Faith pointed out.
"No fair, you're so sexy when you do that." The brunette leaned in and kissed her finally.
-x-
Buffy pulled the jeep into the driveway and looked around. She carefully checked that all the windows and doors were intact and the lack of screeching alarms seemed to suggest that there hadn't been an attack in their absence.
"It's quiet." She glanced at Piper in the seat beside her.
"It's early." Piper pointed out.
"Very." Buffy glanced at the radio clock and turned off the jeep.
"You okay?" Piper checked.
"I'm thinking wow we're crazy for having very hot sex on the Hellmouth." The blonde Slayer laughed lightly and shook her head. "But for some reason I feel more like turning on the sprinkler and running through it."
"Its called living Baby." Piper winked. "Feels good eh? And come on you did the Hellmouth a favour, I mean since when has 'oh God oh God more' been screamed there in pleasure?"
"Stop it." Buffy blushed and whacked her lightly on the arm.
"Why, come on sexy girl, admit it. It felt good making love there, pushing aside the shit it represents?" Piper continued.
"Making love with you anywhere feels good." Buffy smiled and leaned across kissing her quickly.
"We could do it in the jeep, again." Piper winked catching hold of her arm.
"Again eh?" Buffy flipped over landing to straddle over her body.
"Well the time in the parking lot wasn't really a proper time." Piper grinned. "That was just kinda a finish off." She pressed her hands up Buffy's thighs.
"You were wrong earlier. You're already an amazing Slayer." Buffy reached up pressing her hands through Piper's hair.
"You mean lover." Piper corrected.
"That too." Buffy nodded. "But I mean Slayer." She rubbed her hands through again.
"Don't let me let you guys down." Piper requested softly.
"Baby, you're not going to let us down." Buffy held her so they were eye to eye.
"You are the reason we are going to beat this thing."
"So you gonna help me choose which Hellmouth I guard after its done?" Piper linked softly.
Buffy stopped pulling her hands back slowly. The words hit her firmly in the stomach and took the air out of her lungs.
"You're going to leave?" She pulled back further.
"Giles said that Faith and I would be more useful elsewhere." Piper frowned.
"Now I understand." Buffy pushed down on the door handle and moved outside.
"Understand what?" Piper looked slightly baffled and scrambled after her.
"We should go to bed, we have lots to do tomorrow." Buffy walked around and pulled the staff out of the other side of the jeep.
"But I thought we were..." Owl pointed to the jeep.
"I'm not sure if that's on Giles' schedule." Buffy slammed the door and moved towards the house.
"Woo wait a minute." Piper reached out and grabbed the staff effectively stopping Buffy. "He said you'd asked him to talk to me."
"I asked him to talk to you about how ever single slayer has doubts and a period of adjustment, not to have him tell you to pack up and go to a new Hellmouth the minute we win this." Buffy hung onto the staff.
"And how every Slayer needs to prove herself and how she can only do that while standing on her own?" Piper recounted the spiel.
"He dragged out that stupid speech?" Buffy let go and her emotion went even angrier. "Piper, I've heard that speech from the minute I met him. Does it look like I ever listened to it? Willow and Xander, do they look like part of the prophecy?"
"Wait up, do I look like I took to this speech well? Hello, sped of to Hellmouth to take it out with the First." Piper pointed out turning angry.
"No, but you're saying you want to go to your own Hellmouth." Buffy looked at her.
"No, I want to buy a fucking little house, a dog with big ears and spend most nights making love to you." Piper growled. "But I'm a fucking slayer now. And apparently what I want means shit."
"You want to stay with me?" Buffy's anger was sidetracked.
"This is news?" Piper frowned.
"You've never said that before." Buffy nodded feeling everything shift around her, as she went from feeling angry to confused.
"Well as it obviously fucks you up, forget I said it." Owl pushed the staff back into Buffy's hands and began walking up the street.
"Don't you dare!" Buffy moved around her quickly and pushed her to a stop. "Don't you dare say something like that and then walk away from me. Don't you dare make me feel things for you and then walk away like I mean nothing, like I'm going to feel nothing."
"Mean nothing?" Piper stopped. "I've just more or less said I want to buy a house and spend the rest of my life with you, and you think I think you're nothing?"
"I don't feel nothing, I feel..." Buffy started harshly but her words went softer.
"I feel afraid that it's not going to happen, that you're going to change your mind."
"When I came here Buffy, I was angry, alone and destroyed, I wasn't even a person let alone a slayer." Piper stood still and looked at Buffy. "The First had taken everything, my past, my future, everything I was and am. Or at least that's what I thought. Until I met you."
"I don't want you to go." Buffy managed to push out the words.
"Then why ask Giles to talk to me about leaving?" Piper had to ask.
"I never told Giles to talk to you about leaving." Buffy put her hands up. "I asked him to talk to you to make you feel better about adjusting to becoming the slayer. I never asked him to tell you to leave. Why would I do that? So I can have someone else I love leave me? Be left alone again?"
"Why are we having this conversation?" Piper asked in a small voice as she moved up to Buffy and reached to stroke down her cheek with the back of her hand.
"Because I just remembered when you feel alive you are vulnerable to that being taken away." Buffy lip quivered. "You said you were leaving."
"Hey we both might." Piper smiled softly tracing the quivering with her fingertip.
"Might what?" Buffy brow furrowed.
"Leave, its a big world out there, I might wanna see it with you." She tapped her nose lightly.
"I used to feel dead Piper, not just alone, but completely dead." Buffy stepped closer. "I don't want to feel that way again."
"Come here." Piper opened her arms. Buffy moved closer into the embrace holding the staff in one hand loosely. "God this is cheesy but I want to do it." Piper took a step back from the blonde Slayer and pulled off her biker jacket. Buffy watched her not quite understanding. Moving back she wrapped it around Buffy's shoulders and pressed her lips to the slightly smaller woman's forehead.
"It's yours." She whispered.
"This is your jacket Piper, I couldn't." Buffy looked up at her taller lover.
"It's so you don't forget." Piper shook her head and held it on the other Slayer's shoulders
"Forget?" Buffy reached up holding it from the inside.
"That I love you, and want to be with you." She underlined.
"I love you too." The blonde smiled at her softly. "You know I should have known you were going to be the next one called." She leaned up looping her arms around.
"Why's that?" Piper slipped her arms around Buffy's waist.
"Because you've got a slayer's flare temper and a slayer's stubbornness." Buffy laughed lightly.
"And I was hoping for a great looks and vibrant personality praise." Piper smirked.
"You have the ego too." Buffy kissed her lightly. "Come on, let's go up to bed. It's going to be daylight soon."
"And you need to sleep I remember." Owl pulled back and let her go.
"I didn't say anything about sleep, did I?" Buffy grabbed her hand, pulling Piper along.
"Well you know you are the oldest slayer." Piper teased as she hurried.
"Watch it, I can still kick your ass." Buffy laughed at her.
"Only because I let you." Piper winked hard.
"You so wish." Buffy scoffed.
"I'm so damn lucky to have you." Piper pushed forward faster and lifted Buffy off her feet into her arms hurrying into the house.
-x-
"Buffy, Buffy honey." A soft sweet voice called to the sleeping Slayer.
"Mmmmm sleepy." Buffy turned and groaned.
"I know honey, I just need to speak with you for a minute." The voice called again.
Buffy slowly blinked open hazel eyes and felt her vision adjust into focus.
"Mmmmm wh... whh... what?" She sat bolt up right when she looked directly at the slightly glowing image of her mother. "How... did the shield fail... God are Will and Tara ok?"
"I'm not the First honey." Joyce shook her head softly.
"But you're… you're dead." Just saying it made Buffy's heart ache.
"I am." The older woman frowned. "Buffy that wasn't your fault, there was nothing anyone could have done."
"But I could have been quicker, I could have..." Buffy felt her eyes fill just at the thought and the image that forced itself into her brain.
"It wouldn't have made a difference." Joyce shook her head again. "Buffy, listen to me that's not why I'm here. Remember I came to you before."
"Yes, I remember." She gave a small nod.
"You're ready now." Joyce admitted with a soft smile.
"I am?" Buffy couldn't believe the childlike tone of her voice.
"You have everyone you need with you." Her mother nodded.
"But that doesn't mean I'm ready." Buffy shook her head.
"It doesn't." Joyce agreed with her. "But look inside yourself Buffy, you know the reason to fight again. You know why you struggle."
"Piper?" Buffy whispered her lover's name.
"Part of the reason yes, she's part of your heart." Joyce didn't look away from her daughter. "But it's bigger than that Buffy, look harder."
"Me?" Buffy's voice was even smaller.
"You." Her mother smiled. "One of the very best reasons I know for keeping up this fight."
"I… I wish you were here." Buffy admitted blinking.
"I wish I was too Buffy, I didn't want to go." She frowned slightly. "I didn't want to leave my girls, ever."
"I'm sorry I messed up with Dawn, I'm trying better now Mommy." Buffy felt her lip tremble.
"You haven't messed up." Joyce assured her. "Oh Buffy, trust in yourself more. Please."
"I'm trying Mom." Buffy whispered.
"Remember Buffy I love you, always." Joyce reached up blowing her a kiss.
"I love you too Mom, I wish you could have met Piper." She added reaching out to 'catch' the kiss.
"Buffy?" Piper's sleepy voice questioned as she pushed up a bit.
"Sorry." Buffy apologised softly.
"Are you okay? You were talking in your sleep." Piper blinked at her reaching up to cup her cheek.
"I... I had a vision" Buffy wanted to be honest.
"A vision?" Piper tried not to make her question sound quite so crazy.
"A visitor." Buffy changed her statement.
"Did the shield fail?" Piper sat up more panicked reaching for the stake on the side table.
"It was Mom." Buffy shook her head.
"Your Mom?" Piper lay back down. "Does she come around a lot?"
"She appeared to me before, when all this craziness started." Buffy admitted.
Piper pulled the covers up around them, resting her hand on Buffy's hip.
"What did she say?" She questioned without any hesitation.
"This time or that time." Buffy smiled softly and put her hand over the other Slayer's.
"Both." Piper encouraged her.
"Before she said I wasn't ready." Buffy admitted softly. "But now, now she says I am."
"Did you ask what she meant?" Piper didn't want to sound thick by asking, but she wasn't quite getting the big picture.
"I... not exactly." Buffy frowned. "She said I had everyone around me I needed and that I had myself again."
"Well I'd call that a good omen, right?" Piper squeezed Buffy's hips.
"Yes." Buffy moved closer to her lover. "I miss her." She admitted closing her eyes.
"I bet, was she like totally cool?" Piper urged her to lie down
"Mmmmm she was." Buffy snuggled in.
"Tell me." Piper encouraged.
"She spent years cleaning blood out of my clothes and bought ever one of my lame excuses." Buffy chuckled lightly.
"So what would she say about me?" Piper stroked her fingers up and down over Buffy's naked shoulder.
"She said you were part of my heart." Buffy moved her head to look up at her lover.
"Oh can I take that as approval, I want to take it as approval." Piper smiled tenderly.
"I think it was." Buffy smiled back.
"Okay you, back to sleep." Piper encouraged.
"Mmmmm tired." Buffy put her head back down.
"I'm not surprised." Piper kissed her head.
"I swear you're ego is getting bigger." The blonde chuckled as she yawned.
"Hey I actually wasn't talking about the five times we've managed since getting in." She grinned broadly.
"You counted?" Buffy looked up again.
"Actually no." Piper laughed gently. "I lost the ability to count after the second."
"You're so cute." Buffy laughed and turned snuggling her backside into the other Slayer. "Now come on sleep, everyone's going to wake us up in about an hour."
"Okay, okay." Piper folded herself around the other woman and kissed the back of her head.
-x-
Faith groaned and rolled a little over onto her back, in a deep comfortable sleep, that found her warm, safe and not alone, a perfect place for her to be. At the same time Dawn rolled onto her side so her body was flush up against Faith's. Searching for the blanket her hand slid down the dark Slayer's body. Almost as if sensing the need of the younger woman in her sleep Faith used her foot to bring the blanket in reaching distance and pulled it over them
Dawn let out a slight content moan as she buried her face lower, pressing into the side of Faith's right breast as her hand lay across her hip forgetting about the blanket.
Faith groaned a little louder, her core temperature raising a notch as the other woman's nose pressed just under the side edge of her dark tank top so that Dawn's warm breath breathed out over Faith's soft skin. Dawn's breathing stayed constant as she flung her leg over Faith's, her hand sliding up onto the Slayer's bare stomach.
It was then as the fluttering across Faith's stomach moved lower and became a recognisable throb between her legs, which the Slayer began to climb towards consciousness. Her climb was probably made faster as Dawn's leg pressed up higher, the brunette's long body making it easy for her to curl up in such a way. Her hand pressed up as went to brush a hair off her face leaving her hand to cup around Faith's breast.
"Mmmmm yes baby." The Slayer moaned before reality slotted puzzle pieces into place and dark eyes blinked rapidly open as her breast was squeezed in response to the mumble. Freezing in her place, Faith brought her breathing under control and stared up at the ceiling. She hoped that at any moment the other woman would move her hand and leg away.
"Mmmmm Faith." Dawn's thick voice showed she was in a deep sleep but the content of her dream was becoming more obvious as she pressed her face in closer, her own hips rocking against Faith's leg.
"Oh fuck girl don't make this easy will you." Faith whispered to herself and looked to the heavens. Putting her hand over where Dawn's cupped her breast she tried to lift it from her shirt.
A groan of protest came as Dawn slid her hand away from Faith's, slipping lower so that her fingers caught under the elastic of Faith's boxers.
"Oh no you don't missy." Faith's hand darted after Dawn's, this time holding the younger woman's tighter and pulling it up she didn't really mind if she woke Dawn up. It was better than her having to try and explain later when Dawn woke up to find her hand down there.
Another groaned protest came as Dawn's hand was pulled away from the warm area, in response she pressed her knee up harder into her groin.
"D, D, Hun." Faith decided to give up and just go for the direct approach.
"Mmmmm what?" Dawn looked up blinking sleepy eyes.
"You err..." Faith pushed. "You looked uncomfy, and I didn't want you to wake up all achy."
"I was having a dream." She gave a lopsided smile.
"Were you?" Faith tried to sound casual. "A nice one?"
"Very nice." Dawn leaned up. "We were kissing." She snuggled her face into Faith's neck.
"Kissing is good." Faith moved her hand to thread through Dawn's hair a little trying to push aside the distracting throb in her body.
"And other things." Dawn ran her hand up rubbing it over Faith's stomach.
"Other nice things?" Faith cleared her throat still focusing. She could hear her inner voice begin a chant she'd heard once on a TV show about monks and meditation.
"Mmmmm yes, you were touching me." Dawn tilted her head kissing Faith's neck up closer to her ear.
"Touching is good to, I hope I was good at it in your dream." Faith swallowed and tipped her head back a little without thinking.
"Very good." Dawn slipped her body over a bit so she was straddling Faith's leg, her body still warm and aroused from the dream as she kissed up to Faith's earlobe.
"D..." Faith swallowed again as the over powering warmth, smell and softness of the other woman made her body shiver.
"It was such a good dream." Dawn rolled her hips down pressing against Faith's leg harder.
"Dawn, Hun, listen to me." Faith moved both hands onto Dawn's thigh clearing her throat again as the throb turned into an almost unbearable ache.
"What?" Dawn looked at her trying to wake up fully to listen.
"It's really, really hard to not touch you, when you're doing that." Faith tried to word her predicament carefully, though the desperation was evident in her voice.
"Maybe I want you to touch me?" Dawn pressed her hips down, her lips opening a little as the pressure made her groan.
"Do you?" Faith forced herself to swallow her eyes unable to move from Dawn's lips.
"Well normally if I have a nice dream like that and wake up I…." Dawn whispered and blushed a little. "Touch myself.
"Knowing yourself is good D." Faith nodded with a smile trying to banish images of the young woman in her bed enjoying such moments.
"Do you want me to get off of you?" Dawn checked pressing down a bit harder.
"No, if I'm honest I want you to ride my thigh till you explode." Faith breathed out. "But you know, I'm trying to think couply here and not just with my…" She didn't finish.
"I think it's couply." Dawn smiled as she pushed down more.
"This isn't going too fast for you?" Faith checked running a little safety check through her head. They could stay clothed, well at least in what they already had on. There didn't have to be any direct stimulation, Dawn was close enough to not need that, she could tell that easily. 'Its innocent fabric fucking, almost everyone does that by the time they're seventeen.' She reminded herself.
"This is more me touching you, so it can't be to fast, as I'm the one doing the touching." The brunette groaned as she braced up her arms so she could angle down. "Don't you think?"
"Yeah." Faith reasoned nodded. "Here." She shifted them both higher up the bed "Put your hands on the wall." She guided. "It'll help."
"But..." Dawn whimpered as Faith braced her leg up more and she reached up her hands to the smooth wallpaper. "What about you?"
"This is good for me D, think where your knee is." She subtly pointed out as the mentioned body part bumped rhythmically against the throb between her legs.
"My knee? Oh my knee." Dawn grinned as she realized where her knee was.
"Mmmmm were you having a good dream too?" She rocked harder looking down at the dark Slayer.
"No, actually I was having a really nice reality." Faith smiled back.
Dawn leaned down and kissed her. Faith kissed her back trying to tone down the force and desire she wanted to put into the return. She wanted this to be about Dawn and not her overwhelming libido.
"You don't have to hold back." Dawn groaned as she reached down taking Faith's hand and putting it on her hip.
"Maybe I wanna hold back a bit, to make the night we... you know all the way, really special." Faith slid her other hand onto Dawn's other hip and helped the younger woman move. Internally she laughed at her chaste language.
"Are you sure?" Dawn whimpered as the feeling of Faith's hands on her skin.
"How do you feel?" Faith softly changed the subject and let her voice go deeper.
"Mmmmm God Faith." The brunette panted.
"That's it D, enough talking, just feel." Faith's voice urged her growing huskier as she pressed the young woman back and forth over her thigh, taking her just a little higher as she braced her leg at a slightly higher angle.
"Oh Faith." Dawn whimpered over and over as her hips began to move with less rhythm and finally she tipped her head back releasing a high pitched moan as her orgasm washed over her.
"There you go." Faith slipped one hand from off Dawn's hip up her spine to give her something strong to support the hard arch of her back as she rode out the climax.
"Oh God Faith." Dawn finally moved forward, her hand sliding off the wall as she collapsed on the Slayer's body as she gasped for air.
"That's it, easy, easy," Faith soothed using her strength and agility to move them both so that Dawn was on her back on the bed, propped up a little on the pillows. The dark Slayer was off to the side making sure the brunette had the freedom to move, as she needed. "Breathe." She moved her fingers to press back wet dark brown hair.
"Wow... its never felt..." She breathed out. "That good."
"Believe me D, you have just touched the tip of one hell of an mountain of pleasure." Faith winked.
"Are you okay? Do you… I mean you didn't." Dawn slowly moved lazily onto her side looking at the dark Slayer.
"Just focus on you for a bit there D." Faith smiled and put her hand on Dawn's thigh.
"Are you sure?" Dawn leaned back closing her eyes a little.
"Nothing should spoil how you feel right now or rush it or make it fuzzy, just wallow." Faith encouraged. "Here let me get you a clean pair of shorts that you can change into when you're ready." She leaned forward and pressed her lips onto Dawn's cheek.
"Mmmmm no, just stay." Dawn hugged her quickly.
"Or alternatively I could just stay." Faith couldn't help but smile at the strength Dawn put into the hug.
"Much better." Dawn snuggled closer.
"Feel okay?" Faith checked as she pressed her lips to Dawn's head.
"I feel amazing, all tingly." Dawn giggled.
"Damn no stars?" Faith smirked. "I was aiming for stars"
"Did I say I could actually see?" Dawn snuggled closer to her.
"Don't take this the wrong way D, but…" Faith paused. "You're cute."
"So are you." Dawn whispered.
"Go to sleep before I tickle you in punishment for damaging this Slayer's reputation." Faith chuckled.
"Mmmmm could be fun." Dawn opened her eyes.
"Sleep." Faith growled in a low voice but a grin was firmly plastered on her face and she closed her own eyes.
-x-
Faith knocked on the bedroom door, looking at the blonde witch who was surrounded by books and crumbled bits of paper.
"Hey, you busy?" She asked stupidly.
"You could say that." Tara looked up and tucked long hair behind her ear.
"Okay, I won't bug you then." Faith nodded and turned on her heel to leave.
"Faith no, it's fine, come in. Human companionship would be nice for a white, to clear my brain of ancient languages and spells." Tara beckoned her in.
"You're sure, I don't want to get in the way. I know how important all this spell shit is." Faith came in reluctantly sticking to the far areas of the room.
"They are important but so is every individual here and that includes you, friend." She added reaching forward to pat the bed. "Come sit down, what's wrong?"
"Dawn said she talked to you." Faith didn't sit but came closer to lean one knee on the bed.
"She did." Tara nodded and closed the book she was reading and cleared away her papers into a pile. "Is it your turn to spill the details?" She asked softly.
"Details? There aren't any details." Faith shook her head taking the comment the wrong way. "I haven't really touched her." She backed up.
"Faith, calm down." Tara frowned softly. "I didn't mean anything by that." She underlined. "I meant how are you, how do you feel about what Dawn spoke to me about?"
"Sorry, I keep waiting for someone to kick my ass." Faith sat down. "I mean I am so trying to behave here."
"I promise not to kick your ass." Tara smiled gently.
"What the Hell is she thinking?" The dark Slayer turned to her suddenly asking the almost harsh question. "I mean hello, worse choice on earth here."
"I don't think love is about best or worse choices Faith." Tara offered softly. "You are strong, beautiful, exciting and bold, it think that would make you an attractive option for just about anyone."
"She can't love me." Faith stood up shaking her head. "That is just insane, I mean she's got her whole fucking life ahead of her."
"So have you." Tara countered.
"Tara, you can't possibly be telling me that you're okay with her choice? Come on I want the truth." Faith stared at her.
"Faith…" Tara paused. "The person who will always judge you the hardest, is you, it's one thing prison will do for you, it will either make it so that you just don't give a damn, or it will make you think about what you did do. Now what you did, you did to and around the people that you cared the most about, so not only will you see what you actually did as a mark against you, you will perceive everything thing, everyway each action affected everyone of them as another black mark against yourself. But Faith…." Blue eyes looked up wanting to make very sure that Faith was more than listening to her.
"But?" Faith jumped almost immediately.
"Dawn hasn't fallen in love with a list of errors, nor a list of good things, she's fallen in love with you. Now I know she's young and I know that right now things might be crazy and judgements not what they should be, but what she's feeling right now, to her, feels real, and I cannot tell her that that's wrong or that she should choose someone else. She trusts you Faith, not completely, but she wants to. She wants to know you've changed into the person she always thought you were inside." The blonde witch continued. "What matters the most is that you are honest, not to me necessarily, but to yourself and to Dawn. If you're not in love with her, be honest about it, but if you are, be honest too." She said softly. "She might only be seventeen, but right now she knows what she wants, and she wants you. What's the worse that can happen? We beat the First, in a months or so she changes her mind about how she feels, but even then she's spent that time with you in a caring thoughtful relationship, I'm not seeing negatives here."
"No worse thing is in a few months she turns around and realises that everything was crazy and she's lost her virginity to me and you can't get that back." Faith turned looking out the window. "I know she knows what she wants, Hell she's probably got more sense than I do and I do have feelings for her..." She swallowed. "Mostly I don't want to hurt her."
"Put yourself in her position Faith." Tara nodded understanding Faith's point. "When all this goes down, there's a chance that we won't win, a chance we won't survive. Now, would you rather lose your virginity to someone who you love deeply and care about and then die or die not having experience what it is to share that most precious thing with anyone, even though you felt like you wanted to?"
"She's not going to die in this, I don't care what else happens she's not dying." Faith shook her head missing somewhat the end point as the idea of the brunette being killed or even hurt made her so angry.
"That's something you can believe with your whole heart Faith, but it doesn't make it a reality." Tara said softly. "The fact that you don't want anything bad to happen to her says so much." The blonde stopped. "She tells me you've kissed."
"Yeah, we had some fun last night but I made sure it was all about her." Faith remembered the night before with a smile.
"You want to define fun for me?" Tara frowned softly.
"I had to wake her up cause she was having this hot dream and pawing me in her sleep. Well you know what it's like when you wake up all hot and bothered, I just let her have a thigh on loan to work it out and get back to sleep." Faith shrugged.
"So you made love." Tara reworded the answer.
Faith looked at Tara almost as shocked as Zoë had when the blonde witch had slapped her.
"Tara I told you I didn't touch her, all seals intact." Faith made a motion with her hands to ward off any attack the blonde was going to make at her.
"You don't have to touch someone to make love to them Faith." Tara shook her head. "You brought her to release, you wanted her to feel good and you wanted to be the cause. You made love." She underlined again.
Faith stood there obviously stunned as she went down the checklist that Tara had provided and found every one of them was true.
"But I didn't... I mean I wasn't thinking like that I was... Oh fuck me." She cursed putting her hand up to tuck her hair behind her ears.
"Faith, if taking Dawn's virginity is the thing scarring you here, then quite simply, don't." Tara put forward. "I just know you know a hundred ways of pleasuring someone that don't include penetration."
"Okay I have one question, how the Hell are you having this conversation so calmly?" Faith looked at her amazed. "I mean hello we're talking Dawn here, little Dawnie? The girl who still comes to you for hot chocolate and a head rub."
"Because." Tara paused. "Because I love her and I want for her what makes her happy, you make her happy, obviously." She smirked slightly but then looked at Faith with bright intense blue eyes. "And because I trust you, and if you purposely hurt her, you'll find out just what a powerful witch I am."
"That was a threat right?" Faith moved over and sat down again. "Now I feel better. More my territory." She smiled and gave a sigh of relief. "I don't want to hurt her. She's so mixed up, she feels stuck between being a kid who everyone looks down on and being an adult which I mean I wish I could tell her stay a kid it's easier. But she's not, she is so not." She shook her head.
"Faith, have you ever been in love?" Tara asked softly.
"No." The dark Slayer shook her head.
"Then why not let yourself fall?" Tara questioned smiling gently.
"Oh my, I swear when we beat the First the thing I'm going to enjoy most is hot water whenever I want it." Willow came in rubbing at her wet hair interrupting without realising. "Oh Faith." She looked between the two of them.
"Faith was just asking how the search was going." Tara explained. "Come here let me do that." She held out her hand for the towel.
"Yeah just wanted to check in." Faith stood up as Willow came over relinquishing the towel as she moved onto the bed back on so Tara could help.
"You could tell Tara she needs a break, she's not listening to me." Willow teased her fiancée.
"Tara you need a break." Faith leaned in and took the book she had seen the blonde working on as she entered, before turning and hurrying out pulling the door closed behind her.
"What was that all about? She was acting funny." Willow leaned back a little against Tara.
"I think our proud Slayer is just a little bit wiggy like the rest of us." Tara replied with a soft smile.
"You didn't come in the shower with me, I thought you were going to join me." Willow looked up pouting.
"That was before we…" Tara blushed and looked down at the floor. "You know, on the rug..."
"Mmmmm but I still thought you were coming into the shower because I was going to wash your back." Willow smiled at the memory.
"But I thought you wanted to actually have a shower." Tara grinned as she empathised the word 'actually'.
"Yes, but I wanted you too." Willow snuggled closer.
"I thought you were worried we were too tired." Tara encircled her lover with her arms.
"If you're not in the mood baby you can just say." Willow leaned her head resting on Tara's arm.
"I'm in the mood." Tara leaned down and kissed the soft skin on Willow's neck.
"Mmmmm no, no if you're not it's mmmmm fine." Willow tipped her head further her actions not matching her words.
"Willow, I want you." Tara dropped her voice and more or less growled low into Willow's ear.
"Do you?" The redhead's voice was a breathy whisper as she shifted her hips, the growl making a new flood of desire pool between her legs.
"I do." Tara leaned back and drew Willow down with her so that the redhead was laying on her back on the blonde's stomach.
"How?" Willow felt the strange position and the way she could hear and feel but not see her lover.
"I don't know." Tara replied pressing them lightly over onto their sides so that she was spooned against Willow. She ran her hand over Willow's flat stomach as she licked Willow's neck again.
"Mmmmm you don't?" Willow gave a full body shiver in pleasure. It seemed that Tara already had some definite ideas of what she was going to do.
"Well this feels nice." Tara rocked her hips little into Willow's ass, and drew her kisses and licks back around to Willow's spine as she peeled the towel that the redhead had tucked around her body away.
"Very." Willow pressed her backside against the pressure, arching against the trace of her tongue.
"You taste of raspberries." The blonde whispered.
"The..." Willow groaned back. "Body wash."
"We need more of it." Tara nibbled across Willow's shoulder.
"We need lots more of it." She shivered and gave another moan.
"Goddess you are beautiful." Tara ran her hand down between their bodies cupping the soft round rises of Willow's ass. "Baby." She moved back up. "Lay on your tummy." She whispered huskily into her lover's ear. Willow gave a soft nod and then slid forward onto her stomach. "Perfect love." She moved to straddle across Willow's ass and smoothed her long hands up the redhead's spine.
"Mmmmm." Willow gave a soft moan as she pillowed her arms under her head.
"Feel nice?" Tara asked as she continued to caress.
"You know I love your massages." Willow nodded slightly.
"This isn't exactly a massage love." Tara admitted as she followed her hands with a soft trail of her tongue.
"Tarrraaa!" She groaned louder at this soft touch. Moving back so her own body was lower, Tara eased Willow's legs open ever so slightly and then pressed her hand between them. "Baby..." The redhead gasped at the unexpected touch.
Without hesitation, Tara curled her long fingers forward siding lightly through soft curls as pressed her flat palm to Willow's wetness. The response was another deep gasp as the redhead moved her legs open further.
Tara eased her palm in tighter to press the wet heated lips slightly open, and then keeping her arm in the unusual position she eased herself forward laying on top of her lover. With her arm down Willow's back and curving around her ass, her added weight pressed the redhead down harder on the bed.
"Mmmmm baby." The redhead groaned happily under the pressure.
Tara pressed her fingers rhythmically against the soft mound of Willow's pubic area while at the same time she pressed her hips against her lover's ass. Willow found herself pressing back against her lover's hand and body without evening thinking about it
"Mmmmm Willow, I love how you move." Tara kissed over Willow's shoulder.
"God baby you're driving me crazy." Willow groaned back trying to turn a bit to see the blonde but finding she couldn't.
"Good, how does it feel? I mean is it a good crazy." Tara checked softly.
"Amazing crazy." Willow nodded against the mattress.
"Anything my sexy redhead wants?" Tara kept her fingers flexing and her hips pressing knowing the indirect pressure and attention would be driving Willow more than crazy.
"Mmmmm." She whimpered in response. "I want you to do what you're doing, I love you all in charge." She made the soft admission.
"I'm not going to stop, not until I feel you flood over my palm." Tara stretched her body up and breathed the fact into Willow's ear.
"Uhhhhhh yessss." Willow pressed up more.
"Mmmmm, yes Willow." Tara rocked harder and rolled her palm in tighter still so that she could rub the flat base against swollen inner lips.
"Baby, I can't believe how you make me feel." Willow breathed out hotly as she felt her inner muscles contracting, seeking out something to capture anything but they found nothing.
"How do I make you feel?" Tara purred feeling her lover become more erratic in her movements and breathing.
"So wet baby, so turned on, I just want you to take me, anyway you want too."
Willow whimpered.
"Oh Willow." Tara groaned. "Do you have any idea how that turns me on?"
"No, how?" The redhead questioned, her hips pressing into the mattress harder.
"More than I could tell you." Tara admitted softly as she kissed and licked across Willow's upper back. "The words make my body ache, my temperature rise. My heart race."
"What do you want to do to me?" Willow whispered the question.
"I want to take you, I want to fill you and make you scream my name." Tara moved the position of her hand enough so that she could slip her thumb into her lover's body, finally giving eager muscles something to contract around.
"Ahhhmmmm yes baby." Willow nodded her agreement as she squeezed her eyes shut.
"Are you sure, I mean I-I'm not normally this de-demanding." Tara heard her voice shake a little as she questioned for a moment just what she was doing.
"Please Tara, I love you." Willow groaned. "Demanding is good." She added pressing her hips down to work her body against Tara's hand more. "Demanding is great." She underlined rolling her hips.
Tara pressed her lips to Willow's cheek and moved her hand back, pulling her thumb away from the redhead's press. She curled her fingers back and then pressed two into her lover, the motion strong and direct. Willow gasped in at the added pleasure. She braced one hand against the headboard pressing down as her inner muscles were stretched.
"Sweet Willow." Tara moaned as she eased her fingers in higher, feeling the soft but tight walls stretching to accommodate her eagerly. Willow pulled one knee up a bit so she could leverage her body to press down against the pressure obviously wanting to draw her lover in further. "Are you sure?" Tara purred before pushing as the redhead's body suggested she should, angling her elbow down more to meet the thrust from Willow's hips as her fingers went upward.
Another series of whimpers and moans greeted her and urged Tara to pull her body down a bit more behind the redhead's, giving her an even better angle and the ability to control more how her lover moved.
"Pull your other leg up honey." Tara instructed knowing the prone way that Willow's right leg was under her wasn't helping the redhead find the pace her body needed. She lifted her own weight, allowing Willow to settle up on her knees though her legs were widely apart. "See that's so much better." She shifted her other hand around encircling the hacker's thin waist and slid her fingers down her lover's fluttering stomach. Most of Willow's body was still pressed into the mattress and pillows making it a tight manoeuvre as she eased up to cup her warm hand around Willow's small breast, capturing and rolling the hard nipple between her thumb and forefinger.
"Please Tara." Willow bit her lip as she felt a roll of anticipation go through her stomach, her hips keeping a fast pace as she rocked back onto Tara's hand. The new flare of pleasure that peaked out of her breast made her lash her hand up to grip onto the top of the headboard. She pulled herself up to a bent knelling position, using both hands to brace against the wooden top. She quickly discovered the change let her push back harder and she groaned loudly as her hips circled and rocked faster.
"Mmmm that's better." Tara growled feeling the new flood of arousal that rushed past her fingers as Willow repositioned. Letting her lover settle first, she then moved behind the redhead's smaller body to brace her hand and allow them to rock together in a complete motion.
"Better…is… lacking word." Willow whimpered as she felt the full length of her lover press in behind her. Though for a moment she wished Tara were naked as well, she soon realized there was something just so deeply erotic right now about the fact that her lover was clothed while she was rocking against her fully naked. Something that underlined to her body it was Tara making love to her, taking charge of the pleasure in an attempt to give Willow as much of it as she could.
"Willow brain is still working way to well." The blonde teased as she squeezed the nipple she was still teasing lightly and then moved her hand down. She didn't hesitate, she could feel how close her lover was to release and she knew that the build-up had been long enough and wonderful enough that she was going to get exactly what she had told Willow she wanted. "Have to fix that." She slid her fingers down easily able to curl up and flick directly over the redhead's centre as her open hips allowed instant free access.
"Oh Taraaa." Willow's grip on the headboard dipped a bit as the strength left her arms, but the blonde's arm around her waist help keep her in place. "Baby… oh…" She gasped out a few disjointed words.
"Sounds fixed already." Tara dipped her head kissing the redhead's shoulder and neck as she flicked her fingers faster against the growing rock of Willow's hips. As the motion began to get more erratic, she pressed her fingers in onto the hard bundle of nerves letting Willow's own movements drive the stimulation.
"Ta-ra, oh Ta-ra." Willow knew she wasn't in control of what her body was doing right now as her back arched and her hips jerked and moved.
"Sexy, sexy Willow." Tara gave a throaty groan as she wiggled her fingers each time they reached the deepest point of Willow's thrust back.
"Baby, oh… baby I…" Willow knuckles went white around the headboard as her movements stopped being fluid, her muscles jumping and stuttering as she tried to keep up the motions there were giving her such pleasure.
"Remember I want you screaming." Tara licked over the redhead's shoulder as she began to move her fingers in a fast circle over Willow's centre when her hips could no longer keep up the direct stimulation.
"I… can't…" For a second the redhead tried to object as a flash of other people milling around the house filled her brain but as Tara eased a third finger into her tight body she was pushed over the edge of even caring about that. She felt the delightful sparks of her orgasm flaring up her back down to fill her hips and her head. "TAAARRRRAAA!" She tipped her head back trying to find an outlet for the almost overpowering feeling as it swept through her body.
"Oh Willow I love you." The blonde leaned her cheek down on Willow's hot skin, closing her eyes as she bathed in the fulfilment that was pouring off her lover. She could feel the quivering of muscles, the flood around her hands, the twitching of overwhelmed nerves and above all hear as Willow gave in to be overtaken by it all. Seeing again how trusting her lover was, willing to give her control now in a way she doubted that Willow would think she was safe to do if she'd taken the time to think about it.
"Oh Goddess baby." Willow managed to whimper the words as the strength in her arms disappeared, her body slumping against Tara though her hips still tried to keep rocking. "I love you."
"I'm right here." Tara whispered assurances as she slowed down their bodies and tenderly eased her hands away, moving her arms up to circle Willow's waist. "Lay down with me now." She instructed knowing that the redhead was long past questions or requests. She eased Willow's spent body down onto her side on the mattress, having to even help unbend the redhead's legs and settle her into what would be a comfortable position. "Feel good?" She teased lightly as she curled her body in to spoon around her lover who was still shaking and panting.
"Lacking…" Willow managed enough energy to press back against Tara, cupping her arms around the ones that held her. "Word." She felt her body shudder again from a blissful aftershock and it made her groan.
"I should make up new words to describe how beautiful you are." Tara kissed her shoulder lightly enjoying each flare and shudder her lover was still experiencing.
For a moment her mind flashed to their coming fight with the First and for a fleeting moment she didn't just believe they could win, she knew they would, there was nothing on earth that she would let take this love from her again. Nothing.
-x-