"Willow, honey, wake up," Tara said, gently shaking the smaller girl's shoulders.
"Not the frogs! Save Princess Tara," the redhead mumbled in response, pulling the blanket tighter around her body.
Tara's heart swelled and she lay back down on the bed, stroking Willow's cheek.
"Princess Tara is safe. She needs a kiss from her knight in shining armour though."
Willow seemed to almost contemplate this while still sleeping until her eyes fluttered open.
"My Princess," she said sleepily.
"My hero."
Tara leaned in and kissed her gently.
"What time is it?" Willow asked when they broke the kiss.
"Early, sweetie."
"Oh. Oh! Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas, my love. We don't have to leave for another hour, but I made coffee and pancakes. Can't have my girl's tummy rumbling."
"Pancakes? Funny-shaped or rounds?"
"Funny shaped of course. I even managed a Santa. Well, if you squint it's a Santa."
"I'll get changed and meet you downstairs," Willow said, getting up and stretching.
Tara sat up too but made no efforts to get off the bed.
The redhead went over to the dresser, pulling out clothes and underwear and started unbuttoning her pyjama top. She glanced back around and saw Tara staring at her intently.
"Um, baby? You okay there?"
Tara smiled a half-smile.
"You really think I'm gonna leave the room when my hot and sexy girlfriend is stripping?"
Willow blushed and turned towards her.
"We went three times last night, without sleep in between, then again when we went downstairs to get water so we didn't die of dehydration. I don't know what it with you and that kitchen floor… when I woke up in the middle of the night, your hands had somehow managed to end up under my shirt… and you're still not satisfied?" she said in mock-exasperation
"If we didn't have a time constraint I'd have your legs in the air, screaming my name."
Willow bit her lip and held onto the dresser. She took a few deep breaths to calm the stirring in the pit of her stomach and went over to her girlfriend, walking her towards the door.
"You cannot make me all horny today, okay? At least not anymore than you do by just being you. We have important family things and its Christmas and really, I think it says something about our relationship if we can't go one day without sex."
"We went three days once," Tara pointed out.
"That was when that work crisis was happening."
"Okay, okay," Tara conceded. She smiled sheepishly, "I will keep my hands and words to myself."
Willow smiled gratefully, but it quickly turned into a frown.
"Um, only for today and tomorrow right? 'Cause I'm gonna need your lovin' after that long. That three-day thing almost killed me."
Tara narrowed her eyes at her.
"Okay, fine, my name is Willow Rosenberg and I'm a Horndog. But you bring it out in me."
"C'mere for a sec."
Willow complied and stood in front of the taller girl who swooped down and kissed her passionately, exploring her mouth thoroughly.
She pulled away and rested her forehead against Willow's.
"If we only did that for the rest of our lives, I would be satisfied. Everything else is a bonus."
Willow was still breathing hard from the kiss and smiled.
"I love you."
"I know. I love you too. Now get changed. Pancakes are getting cold."
Tara turned to leave the room, giving Willow a playful swat on the behind before she left and went downstairs.
Willow finished getting dressed and arrived in the kitchen with a goofy smile on her face and one arm behind her back.
She sat on a stool at the island and Tara put a plate of pancakes in front of her and a mug of coffee.
"Hey, you're right! It does look like Santa!"
Tara smiled and sat across from her with her own pancakes and coffee.
She reached behind a plant that sat at on the island and pulled out a small wrapped box.
"Um, Merry Christmas honey," she said quietly, pushing it towards the redhead, who was shovelling pancakes in her mouth.
Willow looked up and swallowed her food. She saw the present and her face lit up.
She took Tara's hand and squeezed it.
"Presents! I love presents!"
She ripped at the paper and opened the velvety box to reveal two shinning earrings with a deep green emerald stone gleaming in them.
"Oh Tara…" she said as she touched them lightly.
"I-if you don't li-"
Willow silenced her with a finger on her lips leaned across to kiss her.
"I love them."
"Our, um, first date, you wore-"
"My emerald necklace."
"Yea. And I saw them and realised they matched."
"Tara, this is the nicest present anyone has ever given me. Well, the second nicest."
"The car," Tara said, nodding in agreement.
"No, doofus," Willow replied, cupping Tara's cheek and looking in her eyes, "Your love."
Tara sniffed.
"You're gonna make me ruin my make-up, Will."
"You'll still be gorgeous."
Tara turned her head and kissed the palm that was cupping her cheek.
"I got us something for the house too."
"I knew I kept you around for a reason," Willow quipped, "What is it?"
Tara took Willow's mug, which hadn't been touched, and brought it to her girlfriend's lips.
Willow looked confused but took a sip of her coffee and her eyes lit up.
"That's…Tara, you better not be toying with my emotions!"
Tara gestured over her shoulder with a half-smile to where a brand new coffee machine was sitting beside the toaster.
"It does everything. Mocha's whenever you want."
"You are absolutely amazing. Hey! This means we've got an extra 15 minutes in bed in the morning if we don't have to stop by Emma's…I wonder what I could do with you in that time…" Willow smirked and took another sip of her coffee.
"I have a few ideas."
"Your present!" the redhead blurted suddenly.
"Uh…"
Willow grabbed the shiny-wrapped present on the stool beside her and thrust it into Tara's hands.
"Merry Christmas, honeybun!"
"Will, you didn't have to…"
"Tara, I'm just sorry I can't give you the world. It's what you deserve."
Tara ducked her head and started unwrapping the gift. She pulled out a polished wooden box with celtic designs embossing it, standing on four legs.
"Willow, it's beautiful," she said sincerely.
"Um, Tara? That's not...I mean...You might wanna open it…"
"Oh."
Tara smiled sheepishly and opened the lid, pulling out the contents.
"Will…this is…"
"I had the inside done too."
Tara looked inside the box and saw a plaque on the felt lining that had an engraving on it.
Willow + Tara
Forever
She picked up the first item, a photo she'd taken of the two of them at what they had christened 'their place', the area of the park where Willow had asked her to be her girlfriend. Willow was looking at the camera with a goofy smile and Tara was kissing her cheek. It had been cut out into the shape of a heart.
"I, I remember this. We had a picnic, even though it was freezing out. I made you a daisy chain…" she looked at the pile and picked up something else, "This daisy chain. You kept it?"
"Of course."
She put them both back in the box and picked up the next item, a ticket stub.
"Our first movie date. Love Story. You cried."
"Hey, keep that quiet. Can't have my good reputation ruined," Willow said in mock-seriousness.
Tara put it back and continued, picking up a flattened forget-me-not. She twirled it in her fingers and a single tear ran down her cheek. She laughed at the memory that was running through her mind.
"Late night grocery shopping," she said, and met Willow's eye, "The car park was deserted. I was loading the shopping into the trunk and you put on the radio."
Willow giggled and Tara joined in.
"I was yelling at you to quit messing around and help me. Then you grabbed my hand and we danced around the parking lot. You picked this flower and put in my hair."
"Remember what I said?"
Tara choked up.
"That the flower was perfect because you could never forget how beautiful I looked in the moonlight."
Willow took her hand and kissed each knuckle.
"And I never will."
Tara put it down gently in the box and picked up a carefully peeled off bubble bath label.
"Our first bubble bath?"
Willow nodded.
"But certainly not our last," she said, giggling again, enjoying the reminiscing with Tara even more than when she was compiling the materials herself, "I was so nervous."
"So was I. I knew you'd seen me naked and everything, but it was different."
"And it was such a weekend of firsts. First major holiday together, first time you met my parents, first time we made love, first time I got to play with – uh, never mind."
"Did you just turn a romantic memory into a fantasy about my breasts?"
"But then once we got in the tub, all my nervousness melted away," Willow said, purposely ignoring Tara's earlier statement.
"Mine too," Tara replied, happy to let the redhead's verbal slip slide, "And I washed your hair. I remember thinking you looking so radiant. Just lying in my arms, letting me take care of you."
"So that's why you moved your hand lower a few minutes later?"
"I had to make sure all of your hair was washed," Tara smirked.
"I'm pretty sure you caressed every inch of me. I thought that if I died right there, I'd die happy."
"Well I for one want a long life of caressing."
"Count me in. There's just one thing left."
Tara put the label in the box and picked up the last thing – a smoothed shell.
"Only you would want to go to the beach in the middle of December."
"It was sunny. And we had coffee. And…we had the place all to ourselves."
"And you tripped over a rock. That makes two dates you cried on."
"Tara, I did not cry over a cut knee. The sea air made my tear ducts all flow-y, is all."
"Honey, you blubbered until I kissed it better."
"That part was nice. And if I didn't fall I wouldn't have found that shell."
"In the shape of a heart."
"You put it against your own heart and mimicked it beating to cheer me up."
"Willow, this is the most special thing anyone has ever done. I can't believe you kept all of this."
"I was kind of worried, to be honest. I didn't want you to think I was a baby or something."
"I don't even know what to say. I love you seems redundant."
"It could never be redundant when you're the one saying it."
"Well then I love you."
Willow leaned forward and nuzzled her nose against Tara's.
"We have to leave in five," Tara said softly.
"I'll get our bags."
"Already in the car."
"I always thought that when I'd get into a relationship that I'd be the organised one."
"You are the organised one. I know, for one, it's much easier to find the right mug ever since I moved in."
"A simple colour/height structure inside the cupboards is all it takes."
"I was just up earlier this morning. Had to make sure everything was okay for my Sleeping Beauty. Speaking of, there's a pillow and blanket on the passenger seat for you."
"You sure you don't mind driving?" Willow asked, standing up. Tara followed her lead, and they headed to get their jackets and handbags.
"I'm under strict instructions from Buffy to not let you arrive grouchy. She told me to use whatever means necessary to do so. She even suggested we have a quickie in the car before we go in to ensure happiness," Tara said, then frowned, "I'm regretting introducing her to Anya."
"She-she said that?" Willow asked, shocked.
"I can show you the text message…" Tara responded, taking Willow's woolly blue hat and putting over the other girl's head.
Willow looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head.
"If I see it, I'll have to confront her and there'll be a whole thing. You know, a quickie would guarantee my happiness…"
Tara opened the front door and ushered Willow outside. She put the key in the door and locked it. She fixed her girlfriend with a steady gaze.
"If there's no traffic and we make good time, you can get to second."
Willow grabbed Tara's hand and led them towards the car, grinning from ear to ear.
"Put the pedal to the metal then, baby. We've got traffic to beat."
