Boris Yeltsin – Glad you thought so :)

doggie52191 – Isn't he? They always grow up so fast!

gecoma – :D Glad you liked it!

Dirty Tube Socks – You know, I never actually learned how to ride a bike. I remember starting to and clearly failing :P Glad you liked Jealous!Willow :D And baby girl's name will be…revealed soon(ish) ;)

StephenPG – Glad you liked! And you do, huh? Her name was never mentioned in Hacker so I don't think that train of thought will work out for you :P (it's not after Tara's mom if that's what you were thinking)

little old me – :D :D Very happy you liked it! Some Sunnydale fun first and then baby names!


"Don't you dare try to lift that."

Willow put her hands up defensively as she stepped away from the baggage carousel and let Tara yank the suitcase off. Tara pressed down the release button on the handle and pulled it up, huffing out a breath of effort as she turned it to drag behind her.

"I still don't see why we need this huge bag for one weekend."

"Because my body doesn't like to tell me where exactly it's going to bloat each day so I needed a lot of outfit choices!" Willow snapped, rubbing the back of her neck to try and ease the cramp she'd developed from sitting in a cramped airline seat for more than six hours.

Tara leant the suitcase back down and turned to Willow, putting her hands on her wife's neck.

"Come here. Let me."

Willow lolled her neck forward as Tara pressed into her sore muscles and sighed softly.

"Sorry for being catty."

"It's okay," Tara replied soothingly, gently digging her thumbs in a circular motion around Willow's neck, "You're doing great."

Willow rolled her shoulders backwards and looked over to Tara with a raised eyebrow.

"We haven't even left the airport yet."

Tara stilled her hands and dropped a kiss on Willow's cheek.

"Deciding to come at all was a huge thing."

Willow nodded and offered a weak smile.

"Thanks. My neck feels better."

Tara let her thumbs give a final rotation below Willow's shoulders before slipping her hand down and entwining their fingers together. She lifted the handle on the suitcase again and dragged it behind her as she led them towards the exit signs.

As they approached the main area of the airport, she felt Willow hand begin to grip hers tightly, before the redhead stopped short completely, rubbing her hand over her chest like she had heartburn.

"The last time I was here I was going off to college. Thought I'd be home for Hanukkah," Willow spoke with an obviously nervous chuckle, "My mother actually hugged me goodbye. I didn't think she'd be renouncing my existence a couple of months later."

Tara looked at Willow sadly as the redhead tried to hide the obvious hurt she was feeling with another laugh, then bent her knees to gently drop the suitcase on the ground and quietly embraced her wife. Willow instantly closed her eyes and smiled softly, rolling her eyes as she noticed a group of people staring at them before pulling away and touching Tara' cheek affectionately.

"I didn't think I'd fall in love with my soulmate within eighteen months either," she said warmly before taking her hand back and putting it against the small of her back, "I need to sit, can you deal with the car stuff?"

"Are you sure?" Tara asked, unsure if Willow was putting up a front.

"I didn't squash myself into that airplane seat for nothing," Willow quipped in response and gave Tara a reassuring smile, "Just hold my hand and I'll be okay."

Tara smiled and picked up the suitcase handle again with one hand.

"I can do better than that. C'mere."

She wrapped her spare arm around Willow's waist and pulled her close. Willow dropped her head onto Tara's shoulder and let herself be led through the rest of the airport and through the crowds of people until they were at the car rental booth that they'd booked a car for the weekend from.

Willow moved off to the side to sit on a bench and rest while Tara dealt with the paperwork, then they walked outside and waited for the rep to pull up with their rental.

"You can really smell the ocean," Tara commented, inhaling the air.

Willow inhaled as well and gave a soft smile.

"Yeah, I guess you can."

They waited another moment before a shiny red sports car pulled up and a man hopped out and handed Tara the keys.

"Enjoy your car, ma'am, please do call us if you have any queries."

"Thank you," Tara replied with a small wave as the man went back inside the building and she brought the suitcase around to fit in the trunk.

On the curb, Willow stared at the car, wide-eyed.

"This is ours?" she asked, contained excitement starting to bubble out in her tone, "You rented a mustang?"

Tara shut the trunk and walked back up to Willow.

"These are the ones you like, right? I know you talk cars with Angel, so I called him and he said a mustang was the way to go."

"Oh, a mustang was definitely the right choice," Willow replied, running her hand in awe across the side of the car before straightening up and pouting, "I'm too big to drive a mustang."

"Well you can still enjoy it if I drive, right?" Tara asked, gesturing towards the driver's seat, "I'll…rev the engine or whatever, whenever you like."

Willow smiled and placed a kiss against Tara's cheek.

"Yes, it's still great. Wonderful. Thank you."

"Come along, m'lady," Tara said, linking arms with Willow and bringing her around to the passenger side, opening the door for her.

Willow giggled and sat inside; pushing the seat back as far as it would go as Tara got in the driver's seat and went to put the keys in the ignition before frowning at the GPS Sat-Nav located between the seats.

"Willow, can you do the…technical stuff please."

Willow grinned and leaned forwards to key in the location of the hotel; she wasn't quite sure she remembered the way from the airport.

"Your technophobia's so endearing."

Tara cast a wary glance at the piece of machinery and finally did turn on the engine.

"This one won't speak to me in Spock's voice like yours does when I borrow your car, will it?"

The Sat-Nav burst to life in that moment, offering a greeting in a pleasant woman's voice.

"Nope. Standard suburban housewife," Willow said as Tara pulled away from the curb, "You'd appreciate the Spock voice if you'd just watch some Star Trek with me, you know."

Tara lifted her hand from the gearstick for a moment dismissively.

"I watched those movies they made a few years back. They were good."

Willow's eyebrow shot up straight up.

"My inner geek hates you right now," she said, bringing a hand up to slap her forehead, "Don't listen, brain. She knows not what she says."

Tara laughed silently before grinning over at her wife.

"Okay, I've pissed off your inner geek, but I bet I can impress your inner stud."

Willow took her hand down from her head and looked to Tara curiously.

"My inner stud is listening."

Tara continued to grin and pressed a button on the dashboard, making the top of the car begin to recede backwards. Willow looked on in awe as the top went completely down and leant back in the seat.

"My inner stud is impressed."

Tara threw a wink in Willow's direction.

"She'll have to show me later."

Willow blushed and moved her hand on top of Tara's on the gearstick.

"She most definitely will."

They were quiet for a few minutes until Tara noticed the numerous fields they were passing on their journey and began to comment on the various plant life she recognised from her own interest in flora and fauna.

"…those orange-y ones are California poppies, I'm sure you knew that. Did you know they're the state flower?" Tara asked idly as they passed an expanse of vibrantly coloured flowers before feeling Willow's hand tense and directed her gaze towards her wife momentarily, "You okay?"

Willow nodded weakly, but had gone deathly white, looking intently out the front of the car.

"Just…Déjà vu."

Tara followed her wife's eyeline and saw they were entering the main town, a slightly decrepit 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign zooming past them as houses and other establishments began to pop up. She could almost hear Willow's heart pounding as an echo and gently stroked her fingers in comfort.

"They're just buildings," she whispered, "I remember that first time we drove up to Rochester, I felt like my throat was closing in when I saw everything I'd worked so hard to get away from. But they're just buildings. They can only have a hold over you if you let them."

Willow blinked a couple of times as Tara's words sank in and she felt the tightness in her chest begin to ease. She watched the familiar buildings continue to go by in a haze, but didn't feel the imminent dread she had a second before as they passed her by. She turned Tara's hand to squeeze her fingers and looked over to her wife, her eyes shining with gratitude and love.

"Thank you."

Tara smiled as they stopped at a stoplight and leaned over to drop her lips against Willow's keep in a lingering kiss before breaking off with a few shorter ones. She began to hum quietly as the light turned green and the car pushed forwards until the redhead started speaking, calmly and happily.

"That's the park. I used to study there on nice days. I'd bring all my books and just lie on the grass," she said as they passed the local park, then rounded the corner and she recognised the steps and large arched entrance to her high school, "There's the school. I'll show you properly later."

Tara nodded from across the car.

"Our hotel shouldn't be far then, they said it was only a 2 minute walk to the school."

"Yeah, it's just around the corner," Willow confirmed, right as the GPS told Tara to take a left, "Right there."

A large building with the name of the hotel in large letters across the front greeted them and Tara drove into the parking lot, parking as close to the entrance as she could. She pressed the button for the top to come back over them before exiting the car and retrieving their suitcase while Willow walked around from the other side.

Tara took Willow's hand again as she walked them into the hotel lobby and checked them in without any difficulty. They rode the elevator to their floor and made their way to their room, a large and bright space with a big king-sized bed in the middle and windows that overlooked the town.

"Nice room," Tara commented as she shut the door behind them, then noticed Willow was trying to reach behind her neck, "Is your neck still sore?"

"My back," Willow replied with a sigh, sitting on the end of the bed and putting her hands on her lower back as she arched it in a stretch, "I knew I should've brought my lumbar support from work."

Tara pushed their suitcase into the open closet space and moved to sit behind Willow, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other square on her back, pushing her knuckles in lightly.

"We'll get you something at the airport going home. I'm sure they'll have one of those inflatable things or something."

Willow shifted around to guide Tara's hand where the ache was.

"Thanks," she replied, letting out a grateful moan, "That's really helping."

Tara dropped her hands to the base of Willow's shirt and pulled it out from her pants so she could dig her fingers into her wife's skin. After several minutes of contact, Willow let out a relaxed sigh and leant back against Tara's front.

"Magic hands."

Tara smiled and brought her hands around to rest on Willow's bump, pressing a kiss inside of her neck.

"Why don't you have a nap? Recharge those batteries before tonight."

"That does sound good…" Willow replied before looking over her shoulder to Tara, "What'll you do?"

Tara held her hands up with a shrug.

"I'll go for a walk. See the town. You can show me any special places you want to tomorrow."

"Okay," Willow responded with an errant yawn, a wave of exhaustion washing over her.

She began to shuffle up the bed towards the pillows and pushed her stretchy jeans over her bump and down her legs, letting them fall off the end.

"Be back before dark," she called over her shoulder to Tara, who had gone over to their bag to find a sweater. When she only gave a non-committal sound of agreement, Willow continued more sternly, "I'm serious. If the sun even looks like it's thinking about setting, get back here."

Tara started to button the grey sweater she's retrieved from top to bottom.

"Yes, Willow, you've told me all about 'Sunnyweird'."

Willow rolled herself onto her back with a grunt of effort and propped herself up on her elbows.

"Tara, this town is creeptacular. It emits some kind of frequency only the weirdest of the weird can hear or something. If you're not back, I will come out and find you; do you really want your pregnant wife wandering around alone in the dark?"

Tara sighed as she fastened the last button, then walked over to Willow and leant over her, popping a quick kiss on her lips.

"I promise I'll be back," she replied assuredly, "Now, would you like me to snuggle you until you fall asleep?"

Willow remained propped up on her elbows for a moment as she kept a steady gaze on Tara, ensuring she understood she was very serious about coming back at a safe hour before giving a shy smile and nodding.

"Yes, please."

"Okay, get comfy," Tara said as she climbed onto the bed and waited for Willow to turn herself back on her side.

When her wife stopped shifting, she settled behind and curled her body into the redhead.

"We should get under the covers."

Willow whined and shook her head.

"I'm hot."

"I know you are," Tara replied in a low murmur, lightly nibbling on Willow's earlobe, making the redhead giggle, "Just in case you get chilly while you're sleeping. Just under the sheet."

Willow groaned in annoyance as she was forced to move as Tara pulled the sheet out from under them.

"You're so bossy."

"I know, I'm a horrible wife," Tara replied, holding the sheet up, "Now get under the covers."

Willow settled again and sighed softly as the cool of the sheet hit against her bare legs.

"You're not a horrible wife," she said after a moment as Tara's arm fell over her waist and pulled them close together, "Back at the beginning of the Roman Empire there was an empress called Messalina. She used to have sex with anything that moved, then plotted to kill her husband so one of her lovers would become emperor. Now she was a bad wife."

Willow couldn't see, but she knew Tara was smiling as she felt a nuzzling against the back of her head.

"So, on a scale of 1 to Messalina, where do I fall?"

Willow smiled as Tara's fingers slid into hers against her stomach and closed her eyes as she got ready for sleep.

"Wherever my heart is."

She felt Tara cuddle closer into her and place a warm kiss against the back of her ear.

"Sleep well, beautiful."

Willow fell asleep within the minute, the smile never leaving her face.


Willow woke with a slight jolt as she heard a clicking sound from somewhere nearby. She slowly pushed herself up and looked around the room, confused by her surroundings for a second before finally remembering where she was.

She looked to the clock above the TV and saw she'd been asleep for a couple of hours but didn't have much time to ponder it before the clicking sound rang through her ears again.

She looked around to try and locate the sound but her attention was quickly brought to the door as it opened and Tara walked through, frowning at the key-card.

"Key is sticky. Hi gorgeous," she said cheerily, leaving a small boutique bag on the unit the television was sitting on before pointing towards the window, "Barely even dusk."

Willow looked over to the windows and registered the slightly darkened sky.

"Oh yeah," she replied, sleepily rubbing one eye, "Thanks."

Tara lifted her food to the end of the bed and began to unstrap her boots, looking up to Willow with a grin.

"Nice hair-do."

Willow shifted over in the bed to look at herself in the mirror directly opposite and giggled at the way her hair had coiled around itself and stuck up in various different places.

"I look like Medusa."

Tara gave a curious smile as she pulled off one boot and got started on the other.

"You're being quite the history buff today."

Willow bent one arm backwards behind herself in a stretch.

"I am a wealth of all kinds of information."

Tara raised an eyebrow, still grinning.

"Oh really?"

"Yes," Willow replied confidently, "I know that the square root of pi is 1.77245385, that every year about 98% of the atoms in your body are replaced and that that tingle you feel in your spine right now is because I'm turning you on, bedhead and all."

Tara shot a crooked smile in her wife's direction.

"I never said you weren't turning me on."

Willow blushed as she watched Tara leave her boots in the corner of the room, then noticed the small bag beside the television.

"Whatcha buy?"

Tara sauntered over to pick up the bag, then back over to Willow, sitting beside her. She reached into the bag and pulled out a miniature white dress with yellow and blue flowers embroidered down the front, which she lay out over Willow's belly.

Willow felt her heart melt as she looked at the tiny dress and smoothed it out over her stomach with one hand.

"It's adorable."

Tara smiled softly.

"I hadn't bought her anything since I found out she was a she. I passed a baby store and I couldn't resist going in."

"Baby store…" Willow whispered to herself, a look of curiosity crossing her face, "I wonder if Cordelia Chase's mother still owns it."

"Cordelia Chase?" Tara asked with a raised eyebrow, "The girl who bullied you?"

Willow shrugged one shoulder.

"One of them."

Tara's lips pressed together and she nodded.

"That might explain why the lady in there said I must only be 'three or four months along'. Must run in the family."

Willow's eyebrows shot up.

"What? You don't look pregnant. At all," she replied emphatically, reaching over and pulling Tara's shirt up, "You could spin a dreidel on that thing."

Tara pulled her shirt back down embarrassedly, but with a smile.

"I don't care if someone thinks I look pregnant. You look pregnant and you couldn't be more beautiful," she responded before taking the baby's dress back and folding it back into the bag, "How was your nap?"

Willow stretched her arms out in front of her with a satisfied smile.

"I slept right up until you got back."

"Good," Tara replied, standing up to leave the bag beside the TV again, "You must be starving. Will we just order room service? You can take me to that restaurant you wanted tomorrow night."

"Good idea," Willow replied, taking the room service menu from Tara as the blonde handed it to her and scanning the list of delicious-sounding food, "Can I get everything?"

Tara chuckled as she walked into the bathroom.

"If you want everything."

Willow tapped a finger down the various prices alongside the dishes.

"And it would probably cost a mere…$2,300."

Willow heard the toilet flush, then saw Tara walk back out, eyeing the menu warily.

"Why don't you order one thing off that menu and if you're still hungry I'll get you as many pizzas as you like."

Willow laughed and closed the menu, leaving it on the nightstand.

"I'm just gonna get the burger I think. With some mashed potato."

Tara walked over and picked up the menu.

"Instead of the fries?" she asked, then looked over to Willow when she got no response and saw the guilty look on her face, making her chuckle, "As well as the fries."

Willow pouted.

"Don't judge me."

"Not a single judgement entered my mind," Tara replied, sitting on the arm of the chair in the corner of the room as she perused the menu, "I like the look of the roast chicken. If I get some fried squid to start, will you eat some? There's no way I could eat both."

Willow lay her head back against the pillows and rested her hands on her belly with a content sigh.

"Any question that starts with 'will you eat', my answer will be yes."

One side of Tara's lips quirked into a grin behind the menu.

"I'll have to remember that," she murmured, though apparently loud enough for Willow to hear as she felt the menu being pushed out of her hands from an airborne pillow launched in her direction, "Hey!"

"You are a dirty woman," Willow replied with faux indignation.

"It's a side effect of having a sexy wife," Tara replied as she sauntered back over to the bed, "Scoot."

Willow pushed herself up on the mattress and groaned as she shimmied over.

"Asking a pregnant woman to scoot is like asking a flea to push a tonne of bricks."

"You're a very beautiful flea," Tara said as she lay down next to Willow and picked up the phone on the nightstand, dialling down to reception, "Hi, this is room 418. Could I order some room service please?"

Willow ran her hand down Tara's hair affectionately as she listened to her ordering their food, before giving a light tug on the end and whispering.

"Iced tea."

"And I get a pitcher of iced tea?" Tara spoke into the phone, "Sweetened. Thank you."

She dropped the phone back onto the hook and swung her legs off the bed.

"I'm going to go shower so my hair has time to dry. Do you need anything?"

"Could you throw me off the remote?" Willow asked as Tara walked past the TV and held her hands out to catch as it came flying in her direction, "Thanks baby."

She flicked the television on and watched an old episode of The Simpsons as she heard the shower run in the background until it shut off and Tara appeared a few moments later, wrapped in a robe and running a towel through her hair.

"Amazing shower."

Willow narrowed her eyes playfully.

"Should I be jealous?"

Tara gave a wry grin.

"Not that amazing."

Willow giggled but was stopped from saying anything as a loud knock came from the door.

"Just a second," Tara called as she picked up her purse from the floor and frowned when she peered inside, "Do you have any cash?"

Willow grinned and stuck her tongue out.

"Just open your robe a bit and you won't have to give him a tip."

Tara hid a grin to herself and started to turn towards the door, pulling the tie on the robe open as she did so. Willow instantly shot up in the bed.

"Don't you dare."

Tara turned back around and gave her wife a pointed look as she tied the robe again.

"Do you have any cash?" she repeated.

Willow crossed her arms over her chest and pouted slightly to herself.

"I broke a 20 earlier buying some gum at the airport. Check my back jeans pocket."

She watched as Tara picked up her discarded jeans and fished a 10 dollar bill from the back pocket before finally going to answer the door. She listened to her wife exchange pleasantries will the bellhop for a few moments until the door closed again and Tara pushed a rolling cart of covered plates and a jug into the room.

"That wasn't funny," Willow said as Tara poured some iced tea into two glasses.

"Yes it was. You can't out-tease a tease," Tara grinned, swinging her hips as she walked over to Willow and handed her a glass, leaning over her so their faces were just millimetres apart, "You know how much of a tease I am."

Willow closed her hand around the cold glass and rested it against the mattress. Her eyes fluttered down from Tara's eyes to her lips, which seemed to plump up invitingly just for her. She closed her eyes completely and leant forward to meet them, but found herself met with thin air, accidentally spilling some of her drink on herself in surprise.

She opened her eyes and saw the back of Tara standing over their cart of food, humming. She shook her hand free of the few droplets of iced tea that had run down her, then wiped it on her t-shirt as Tara turned back to her, two dishes in hand and a sly grin on her face.

"You are an amazing woman," Willow commented as Tara laid her plate and her extra order of mashed potato alongside her.

Tara's smirked a little more.

"You're just saying that because I have food in my hands."

Willow turned to leave her glass and the nightstand, then grabbed a hold of the collar on Tara's robe and pulled her down close again.

"I'm saying it because it's true," she said before finally claiming the kiss she had been denied before.

Tara smiled against Willow's lips as the redhead's hand moved to the side of her neck and gently responded for a few moments before pulling away slightly.

"Your food's getting cold."

Willow dropped her hand down Tara's arm and entwined their fingers.

"Eat with me."

"I am," Tara replied, giving Willow's hand a squeeze before going back to get the last two plates and placed them on the bed as well, then lay on her side opposite Willow, "Try not to spill, I don't want to sleep on ketchup stains."

Willow made sure the napkin wrapped around her burger was secure and narrowed her eyes.

"Are you calling me a messy eater?"

Tara shook her head as she picked up a piece of squid and tore off the end with her teeth.

"No, I'm calling a burger a notoriously messy food," she said, offering Willow the other end of the squid and lightly tracing her lips as she chewed, "You are a very neat…eater."

Willow was all too aware of where Tara's gaze was directed as she ate the squid and waited for her eyes to flutter upwards before shaking her head playfully.

"You're being dirty again."

Tara grinned and sucked the tip of her thumb into her mouth to get rid of the few crumbs that had gathered.

"Stop being sexy and I'll stop being dirty."

Willow blushed and dropped her gaze momentarily before fluttering her eyelids back up at Tara.

"I've told you you're an amazing woman right?"

"Mmhhmm," Tara replied as she took another piece of squid and placed one end in her mouth and held it up.

Willow understood and turned her head to take the other end between her teeth, slowly chewing her way around the coiled batter until they met in the middle and both giggled as their lips brushed.

"There was a reason Lady and The Tramp used spaghetti," Willow said as she swallowed the last bite, "It's not as twisty."

"Hmm," Tara replied, scanning the dishes lying between them before picking up a thin piece of asparagus from her roast chicken dish and copied the action she had done with the squid, placing one end in her mouth.

Willow dutifully took the other end in her teeth again and the vegetable was thin enough that they reached each other's lips again with one quick suck. More laughter escaped as they both bit down and kissed for a minute before going back to just chewing.

"It's probably not going to work with the burger," Willow grinned through a mouthful, wiping the side of her mouth.

"No, I don't think so," Tara giggled, picking up her knife and fork and cutting off a piece of chicken, which she offered to Willow, "We'll have to be more civilised and use the cutlery."

"Oh how fancy," Willow replied in a faux-affected accent as she wrapped her lips around the chicken, but had to bring her hand up to cover her mouth when she let out a snort of laughter.

They shared the rest of their meal, though Tara was full quite a while before Willow; just talking and laughing as they enjoyed each other's company.

When they finished, Tara piled the dishes back onto the cart and wiped the bed down to get rid of any crumbs while Willow watched on, sipping on her iced tea.

"This is so nice I almost forgot the little school of horrors we have to go to tonight."

Tara sighed and lay back down beside Willow.

"If you expect the worst, the worst will happen."

"If you expect the worst, you'll never be disappointed," Willow responded, head leaning on her palm above her outstretched elbow.

Tara reached up and cupped Willow's cheek for a moment.

"C'mere, I'm gonna transfer some optimism to you," she announced, putting a finger against the side of her mouth, "It only works lip-to-lip."

Willow smiled and shuffled towards Tara before leaning down and covering her mouth with her own.

Tara put her hand on the back of Willow's neck and sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. She heard Willow moan as she pushed her tongue between the redhead's teeth and started to play with hers.

She gently massaged the back of Willow's neck as they continued to kiss for several minutes until she pulled away and grinned at her wife.

"Did it work?"

"I definitely feel more…encouraged," Willow replied, her lips plumped and eyes heavy a she put a hand under the robe and onto Tara's collarbone, pushing it off to one side, "I don't know if it's in the way you were hoping."

Tara grabbed Willow's wrist as it made a beeline for her naked breast and pushed it away, covering herself with her robe again.

"Hands off until after the reunion."

"Why?" Willow asked with a pout, looking over to the digital clock on top of the television, "We have time."

Tara fastened the tie on her robe more tightly around her waist.

"Because then, no matter what, you have something to look forward to."

Willow narrowed her eyes in thought.

"Is that what eternal optimism feels like?" she asked after a moment with joking smile and got an affirmative nod from Tara in response, "So you're saying, all I have to do to alter my view on life…is to remember that you'll pretty much have sex with me whenever I want?"

Tara quietly chuckled and playfully rolled her eyes.

"Well you could think about how much we love each other or how we have a wonderful family and marriage, but if the hot and sweaty is what gets you through the day…"

Willow smiled softly and leant her head back onto her palm again.

"I read once that guys think about sex every seven seconds. That's about how often I think about your smile," she replied, feeling her heart flutter as her wife's lips quirked in just the way she was talking about, "It doesn't matter what else happens in the day, I know I'm going to get to see that smile and it'll all be okay."

Tara dropped her gaze momentarily and Willow watched them fill with love as they focused back up on her and look at her adoringly.

"I think you're a closet optimist."

"Hey, I'm not a closet anything," Willow responded haughtily, pushing out her chest, "I'm out and proud."

"And that's exactly what you're going to be tonight," Tara replied, poking Willow's shoulder for emphasis, "Why don't I run you a bath and you can relax before throwing on one of the nine dresses you brought."

"I only brought eight," Willow replied defensively before giving a small smile, "That does sound nice."

Tara smiled and pushed herself up and off the bed.

"Bubbles?" she asked, getting a nod from Willow before she disappeared into the bathroom.

Willow rolled over to the side of the bed and shuffled into a sitting position. She started to pull off her socks before a thought occurred to her and she called out to Tara.

"Don't forget to allow for water displacement!"

There was a beat of silence before Tara's confused voice called back.

"What?"

Willow stood and walked with a slight waddle into the bathroom, leaning against the doorframe as Tara poured a capful of bubble-bath into the half-filled tub.

"Water displacement," Willow repeated, "My density's higher than normal so you need to allow for the volume of water to rise proportionally."

Tara swirled the water around with her arm for a few moments before turning off the taps and wiping it against a towel on the handrail, then went to Willow and patted her shoulder.

"Normal people just say 'don't fill the tub as much'."

Willow just shrugged.

"You didn't fall in love with a normal person."

Tara gave a crooked smile.

"You're right. I fell in love with an extraordinary person," she said as she moved to embrace Willow from behind and left a gentle kiss under her ear, "You know chemistry really turns me on."

Willow leant back into Tara's touch and smirked.

"Gases are made up of particles where diameters are negligible compared to the distances between them."

"Oh, baby," Tara breathed as she dropped her head into Willow's neck and nipped at her skin

Willow bit her lip to stop herself from laughing and tilted her neck to the side.

"Activation energy is the minimum energy with which particles need to collide to cause a reaction."

She felt the hand Tara had on her stomach pull their bodies together more and a shiver went up her spine as her wife's breasts pushed against the very thin material of her t-shirt.

"Atoms."

Her normally full mind went blank as she felt Tara scrape her teeth along her pulse point and inhaled deeply before looking over her shoulder to her wife.

"Think there's room in the tub for two?"

Tara paused her actions and grinned.

"I don't think I allowed for the water displacement."

Willow giggled loudly and Tara pressed a series of quick kisses against her cheek.

"Enjoy your bath, sweetie."

She left with another quick kiss and picked up her make-up bag from the suitcase before taking a seat in front of the large mirror against the wall by the television.

She ran a brush through her now mostly-dried hair and sprayed some product in her hair to give it the bounce she wanted before tying it back away from her face so she could start on her make-up. She rubbed a thin layer of foundation into her skin and set it with a few strokes of face powder before moving onto her eyes, though didn't get a chance to bring her eyeline quite against her when she heard a groaning sound coming from the bathroom.

She dropped her eyeliner and looked in that direction only to hear the sound again. She went over to the doorway and peered in, seeing one of Willow's legs elevated and half-covered in shaving foam while she appeared to be struggling to lean forward.

"Everything okay?"

Willow jumped slightly in surprise and cleared her throat.

"Yes."

Tara was unconvinced and moved further into the room, perching on the edge of the tub.

"You sounded like you were having some trouble."

Willow remained stoic for a moment before sighing and tossing the razor she had in her hand onto the ledge of the bath.

"I can't reach my legs."

Tara took Willow's ankle in her hand rested it on her knee, rubbing the dollops of foam from the top of Willow's leg down the rest of the way.

"Let me help."

"No!" Willow squealed in alarm, pulling her leg back.

Tara put her hands up to stop her face from getting splashed.

"Why not?"

"Because!" Willow spluttered, her cheeks reddening, "That's not a sexy…wifey…thing…It's not…"

Tara rolled her eyes and grabbed the razor, keeping Willow's leg steady as she let it glide

"Hey!" Willow all but yelled, her eyes wide, "Hey, you can't…this is razor assault…Tara!"

Tara just continued and slapped Willow's foot lightly.

"Stop squirming or I'll nick you."

Willow did as she was told but looked away embarrassedly before finally speaking sheepishly.

"Thanks."

"You shouldn't be embarrassed to ask for help with these things, you know," Tara replied, eyeing around the area she was using the razor on before giving Willow a pointed look as she shook in clean in the water, "I'm your life partner, not just your sex partner."

She brought the razor down under Willow's knee and gave her wife a wry grin.

"I promised to love, honour and shave as long as we both shall live," she declared, making Willow smile before easing Willow's now hair-free leg back into the tub and patting her knee, "Next one."

Willow gave Tara her second leg without issue and looked on at her with adoration as she covered her with more foam and smoothed out her skin.

"Get around my ankle," she said as Tara was finishing up.

"I have been doing this myself for 20 years," Tara replied with a wink in Willow's direction, "Now, let me see…"

She placed the razor down and splashed some water onto Willow's leg, rubbing away the last of the foam before lifting her ankle up and placing three gentle kisses along her shin, then smiling at her wife.

"Passes the Tara seal of softness."

Willow blushed and took her leg back, slipping it under the water before reaching for Tara's hand.

"Thank you."

Tara smiled and stood to wipe her hand dry on a towel.

"Anytime."

"I will totally shave your legs if you ever get into a situation where you can't reach them," Willow said, making Tara hunch down beside her and grin.

"I thought we agreed to get this little girlie out before we started talking about the next one."

Willow grinned back.

"Hey, you're the one who jumped straight to pregnancy. I was thinking like…if you pulled a muscle in your shoulders or something."

"Sure you were," Tara replied, crossing her arms on the ledge of the tub, "Do you want more hot water or are you ready to get out?"

Willow held up her hand and wiggled her wrinkled fingers.

"I think I've gone right past raison and into Shar Pei territory."

Tara chuckled and grabbed the towel, holding it up. Willow stood and pressed the lever between the taps down to raise the plug before letting Tara wrap the towel around her.

"Thank you, baby," she said as she tucked the front in to hold it in place and took Tara's offered hand to step out of the draining tub.

They went back to the main room and Tara continued putting her make-up on while Willow mulled over which dress to wear, eventually settling on the blue one she'd bought during Anya's 'intervention' those months before.

She folded out the iron table from the closet and started to iron out the creases that had formed during the flight. When it was crease-free, she dropped her towel and put fresh underwear on, followed by the dress, securing it neatly around her bump.

She went into the bathroom to check that the back fell in the right way and once satisfied, picked up the blowdryer hanging from the wall and started to dry her hair.

When it was dry enough for her to curl, she left the dryer back in its holder and retrieved her curling iron pouch from the side of the suitcase and walked up to Tara.

"Can we switch? I need to curl my hair."

"Mmhhmm," Tara replied, coating her lips with a layer of lip gloss before standing, "All yours."

Willow took the seat and plugged her curling iron into the socket. She let it heat up on the heating pad while she started on her make-up and spent the next twenty minutes alternating between her hair and face, never content to be doing just one thing at once.

When she was content with how she looked, she stood to once again rearrange her dress and found Tara behind her after a second, wearing a sleek black cocktail dress with a single strap across her left shoulder that gave her ample cleavage and fell to just below her knee.

"We look hot," Tara said with a grin, putting one hand on Willow's shoulder and sliding it down her arm.

Willow pulled the hem of her dress once and grinned back through the mirror.

"Smokin'."

Tara let her hand continued to fall to Willow's hip.

"Let's go burn up the building."

"I don't think they'd appreciate that," Willow chuckled, "It just got rebuilt after those psycho kids blew it up, remember?"

Tara smiled softly and lifted Willow's hand to her mouth, kissing her knuckles. Willow inhaled deeply before giving a confident smile and spinning around, taking both of her wife's hands.

"Let's do this."