Hey All, thanks for the lovely feedback:) I'm glad you liked the previous chapter...more to come!

Chapter 25

Surprisingly, their first week as a couple passed without incident. True to her word, Tara picked up Willow every morning, as early as she was able to, so the girls could stop on their way to school and have some quality alone time. They alternated between eating lunch with the gang on the quad one day and going out the next.

For Willow, going out with Tara's friends had been the biggest and most stressful challenge. The first time out had been awkward, Willow got more than a few looks and several whispers, but she tried not to let it affect her. All she had to do was look at Tara or receive a gentle inconspicuous touch and it was enough to put her mind at ease. The blonde was reassuring and sweet and they were growing closer everyday.

They'd also fallen into a routine over the last five days; Willow would meet Tara at her locker before lunch and then they would head out. Willow would usually linger down the hall, waiting for Cordelia and Harmony to get their things and leave before she approached the lockers, especially if Tara wasn't there yet.

It was finally Friday and Willow's third period English teacher sent her to the office with a memo a few minutes before the bell was to ring and allowed her to go straight to lunch from there. When she arrived at Tara's locker, no one was there at all, so she decided to wait on the green vinyl sofa in the common area; across the hall from the dingy brown lockers. Willow made herself comfortable, sitting cross-legged and pulling a book out of her backpack. She was so completely engrossed in the story that she hadn't even noticed Cordelia and Harmony at their lockers until Harmony's high-pitched squeaky laughter pierced her brain like an ice pick.

Willow made a disgruntled face and glanced up briefly over the top of her book. The two girls chatted cattily about the boys in their lives as they adjusted their short skirts and freshened up their hair and makeup. Willow remained still, as not to alert them to her presence; they seemed more high strung than usual. After a few minutes, Harmony pointed down the hall and the girls whispered to each other before turning their backs completely to the blonde girl when she arrived.

The girl clutched her books close to her chest and tried to keep her head up confidently. "Hey guys! What's on the agenda for lunch today?"

Cordelia simply glanced over her shoulder, giving the girl her snottiest possible look and then turned her nose up. Willow's brow crinkled, she knew that particular look very well.

"We are going to the Shrimp Shack." Harmony said, nodding towards Cordelia.

The blonde looked back and forth between the girls. "Oh okay, just let me put my books away and I'll be all ready to go."

Cordelia looked at Harmony and rolled her eyes before closing her locker door and facing the petite blonde, "No, we're going, as in us two and Anya. You get it Buffy?"

Willow's head shot up at the mention of Anya. The girl had been noticeably absent on the quad during lunch and Xander had been very tight lipped when it came to discussing her.

Buffy simply nodded as she continued putting her books in her locker. "Anya? Umm, okay." She said with a look of complete and utter dejection as the other two turned and pranced off.

Buffy glanced around and caught Willow's eye. The redhead looked away; embarrassed she'd been caught staring. She was also stunned to find out Anya was getting in deep with Cordy. That's why I haven't seen her around much. Talk about your, out with the old and in with the new.

Buffy meandered over awkwardly, breaking Willow's train of thought and causing her to squirm uncomfortably. She acted as if she was interested in her book, glancing up at Buffy and then back down again, but not making eye contact.

"Hey," Buffy said as she sat down cautiously next to the nervous redhead.

"Hey," Willow replied as she absently flipped through several pages of her book.

"So, I guess you're waiting on Tara huh?" Buffy asked after a long awkward moment of silence.

Willow nodded, "Yeah, she's late. Have you seen her around?"

Buffy shook her head, "Not since second period, but that's the last class we have together until after lunch. So, I guess you heard that uncomfortable little exchange…"

Willow looked at Buffy with worried eyes, nervously toying with the edges of her book. "Oh! I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

Buffy shrugged, "It's fine, I'm getting used to you seeing my less than stellar moments," She said with a slight laugh.

Willow smiled, feeling less nervous and a little sorry for the girl. Willow knew all too well what it was like to be on the receiving end of rejection. "Hey, why don't you have lunch with me and Tara today? She's allergic to shrimp, so I don't think we'll be going anywhere near the Shrimp Shack."

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to intrude…" Truthfully, Buffy totally wanted to intrude because the thought of eating alone and being gawked at was something she did not want to endure.

"No, it's fine, you're more than welcome."

Buffy looked up and met Willow's eyes with trepidation, "Thanks, I think my days as a Cordette are pretty much numbered, if not completely gone already."

"And that's a bad thing?" Willow slapped her hand over her mouth and her eyes widened; suddenly realizing she probably just insulted the cheerleader. "Oh, I'm sorry…I-I didn't mean it like that! I just meant…okay I did mean it like that, but it's just…well they're not all that welcoming anyway and I-I don't see how you could really be yourself around them and after what they did last week they don't seem to be what I would call real friends and well, who needs them anyway?!" Willow finished with a flourish and a sharp nod of her head.

Buffy's eyebrows were both arched and she wore a completely astonished expression. "Wow, that was the mother of all babble. You get an A+ from me!"

Willow grinned and poked out her tongue. "Well, thank you, I am an overachiever!"

With the ice officially broken, Willow and Buffy continued to chat casually until Tara appeared at her locker in a what could only be described as a panicked rush.

"Hey Tare!" Willow called out to her girlfriend, "Over here!" She said as she waved a hand and put her book away.

A look of relief flooded Tara's features and she grinned brightly. Willow looked completely adorable today and Tara was smitten from the moment she'd picked her up for school earlier that morning.

Willow had her hair cut a few days earlier, shedding her long red locks for a shorter shoulder length cut. She told Tara she was tired of dealing with it and wanted a change. Willow's long-sleeved red cotton tee shirt under the blue overalls enhanced the glow of her hair even more. The ensemble was rounded out with a beaded choker, black Keds and multi colored socks. She looked comfortable and very Willow-like, something Tara had come to adore. Willow definitely had a style all her own and Tara no longer cared if it was the popular style or not. It was Willow and she wouldn't want her any other way.

Tara was so entranced with her girlfriend that it took a moment before she realized Buffy's presence. Her curiosity was peaked and so was her worry. Tara wasn't sure if she trusted Buffy alone with the redhead for fear of the girl hurting Willow's feelings. She had to admit however, that Buffy appeared humbled after the vomiting incident,[ as it came to be known. Buffy had made a point of saying 'hi' to Willow whenever they passed in the halls and was being nicer to Tara as well. Plus, there was nothing to suggest the two girls were having anything more than a friendly chat.

"Hi, sorry I'm late. Hey Buffy…not that I mind but, what are you doing here?"

"Just keeping Willow company while she was waiting for you." Buffy smiled sweetly.

"I invited Buffy to have lunch with us. Is that okay with you ba…Tara?" Willow almost slipped and called Tara baby; her face was practically glowing red as she stood and threw her backpack over her shoulders.

"Oh yeah, it's fine." Tara replied, with a questioning look; getting Willow's shrugging shoulders as a silent answer.

Buffy hopped up, completely clueless to Willow's near slip of the tongue. "Cool, so where are we going?"

"I was thinking Rusty's? I have coupons," Tara said.

Willow and Buffy both smiled in agreement as the three girls set off for lunch.

If Willow was pleasantly surprised by Buffy's behavior, she was stunned to find out that many of the other cheerleaders were also quite nice and nothing like Cordelia or Harmony; at least when the latter two weren't around. They'd run into several of the girls upon entering the restaurant and were invited to sit at their table.

Willow stayed relatively quiet while the others chatted amicably, discussing cheerleading, dancing, and boys. Three things Willow had very little interest in, unless Tara was doing at least two of those things and then maybe her attention would be piqued. Otherwise, she was at a loss.

Tara noticed how unusually non-verbal the redhead was and discreetly reached under the table and patted her on the knee. Willow smiled at the reassuring gesture; allowing her hand to drop under the table and linking their fingers together for several seconds. That was all it took before Tara announced she needed to use the restroom, with Willow agreeing to go with her.

Tara gently rapped her knuckles on the bathroom door and finding it empty, entered and motioned for Willow to follow. Luckily for them, it was a single restroom. Once inside Willow locked the door and found herself being tugged forward by the straps on her overalls.

"Mmmhmm," Tara moaned as she wrapped her arms around Willow's neck and brought their lips together. When Tara felt Willow's lithe arms wrap around her waist, she deepened the kiss for several long seconds. "Hi," She breathed, pulling back slightly.

"Hi," Willow returned breathily and she pressed their foreheads together.

"Sorry about lunch turning into a group event," Tara said.

"It's okay, it's my fault for asking Buffy. She just looked so sad…"

Tara nodded and massaged the back of Willow's neck; it was an unconscious action and she couldn't have stopped herself if she'd tried. "Cordy's been blowing her off left and right ever since last Friday."

"Is she being mean to you too?" Willow asked.

"No, you're little plan seems to be working," Tara grinned.

Earlier in the week when they'd decided to try and spend all of their free school time together, Willow had been worried about repercussions aimed at Tara. So, she hacked into the school computer, found the computer class lesson plans and was secretly feeding Cordelia information through Tara. As long as the information flowed and Cordy's grades improved, albeit only slightly, harassing Tara was put on the back burner.

"Are you okay?" Willow asked out of the blue.

Tara cocked her head quizzically. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Well, you were so late for lunch today and I was kinda worried."

"Ohhh, sorry sweetie," Tara cooed, kissing Willow sweetly on the nose. "I had to um…pump," She said, glancing down briefly at her chest.

"Pump? What do you mean? Oh…"

Tara smiled at Willow's surprised expression. "The nurse, Mrs. Klein? She knows about my situation and lets me come down and pump when I'm a little overly abundant."

Willow smiled goofily and quipped, "That's like, all the time, huh?"

"Hey! Little vixen…" Tara exclaimed with false indignity. "Anyway, she let's me store the milk in her mini fridge and pick it up after school."

"Do you have to do it often?" Willow asked as she absently rubbed Tara's lower back.

Tara shook her head, "Not too much, it just depends on how much Chel's eats in the morning. I guess she wasn't very hungry today. I don't mind it's better than leaking all over the place."

"Gosh, that seriously never crossed my mind before. Tare, what do you do at practice? You know, when they're all…um…bouncy?"

Tara giggled at Willow's obvious embarrassment. "I wear a very strong sports bra, sometimes two and nursing pads. I'm always praying they don't come flying out."

"Now that would be hard to explain."

Tara laughed and then sighed, "I guess we'd better…" She said, motioning towards the door.

"Yeah," Willow replied, pulling Tara closer and kissing her one more time. "Except, I actually have to um…a-and normally I would just go, but I have overalls and…"

Tara smiled, kissing Willow again before opening the door. "I'll see you back at the table."

Willow nodded, blowing Tara a kiss before shutting the door and going about her business.

Later that evening, after getting Chelsea to bed, Willow and Tara snuggled on the couch watching The History Channel just enjoying some alone time together.

"Those darn Salem judges! With their less-Satanic-than-thou-attitudes…" Willow rambled grouchily.

"Oh honey, let me change it. The Discovery Channel has koala bears!" Tara lifted her head from Willow's shoulder and reached for the remote, but was stopped when Willow picked it up first and shut the TV off. "Oooo-kay, maybe not…"

Willow sat the remote on the end table and cuddled deeper into her girlfriend. "Mmmm, this week was like, the best week of my life."

Tara grinned and pulled Willow tighter to her side. "I definitely like this schedule better than the last."

"And just think how much more time we'd have if there was no practice at all."

"Willow…" Tara scolded.

"Sorry, I just figured it was worth a shot."

Tara giggled, "I refuse to give up my high pony tail!"

Willow snorted, absently playing with Tara's fingers.

"Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to s-sleep together-I mean over, again tonight?"

"What?" Willow gulped and her entire body stiffened and she replied somewhat alarmed. "I mean, I-I-I don't think I'm ready for…"

Tara sat up, looking Willow in the eyes and brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Hey…it's okay. I didn't m-mean for that. I just thought it would be nice, the um…the snugglies?"

"Ohhh, that type of together…of course. I thought you meant the naked-kind-of-together…not that I don't want to, it's just that all this is so new and I know we've been friends for awhile, but the naked snuggles would seem really, really soon and…" Willow's rant was cut short by Tara's lips descending upon hers. After a few seconds Tara pulled away and Willow grinned. "Ummmm, what was I saying?"

"I'm not really sure…you were babbling." Tara picked up Willow's cell and shook it slightly in front of her. "Here, call your Mom."

"Okay…right…Mom…call…" Willow rambled incoherently; distracted by the girl placing butterfly kisses along her jawline. "Taara…"

Tara smiled slyly, "Sorry, I'm gonna go call and okay it with my Mom as well."

Tara moved to get up and Willow grabbed her wrist; pulling her back. "Wait!" She exclaimed and passionately kissed Tara into a puddle. A wicked little grin spread across her face, "You can go now, I think my work here is done."

Tara sighed wistfully, "Such a little tease…" as she floated on a cloud into the kitchen to call her Mom.