Tara and Willow
A/N Ok yay, Willow and Tara chapter, because why not? Sorry last one wasn't really 'real time' but it worked better for the idea. This one will be. They're in the library by the way, I didn't really make that clear. I will be continuing this scene at some point to include more Willow in a chapter of Very important moments, but now for a while so hang around.
Sunnydale, the world without shrimp, November 12 2002 8:23 PM
"Willow?" Tara said in a quiet singsong tone as she tried so desperately hard to not to poke Willow in face with her outstretched finger. She had been glancing over a couple of books when she noticed Willow's hand drop off her lap. The redhead had seemingly drifted off from a tired day and now Tara was hovering over her trying her best to rouse her from her sleep. When Willow just shifted and didn't wake, the blonde stroked a fingertip down her cheek and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Ok honey, you sleep, I'll just be here." But then the books seemed too boring to read so she decided to watch the tiny breaths coming from the girl beside her.
Willow was so adorable when she was asleep, her face slightly flushed as dreams whirled around her brain. Hair flopped over her face, lips curled into a cheeky smirk at whatever ideas were coming to her. And every so often, if Tara was lucky, she'd start to mumble phrases in non coherent English. Most of the time, Tara would get out some paper and scribble down the things she said to see if they came up later. Now she had a frightfully large collection of papers marked 'Willow dreams' all tied together with a rubber band and littering the bottom of one of her drawers.
"Little gnomes with their big hats- woah hey, I'm up." Willow began mumbling before waking herself up, Tara who was still gazing upon her eagerly began to laugh, tucking some red hair behind an ear. Willow lifted her head gently off the table and smiled at the girl watching her. After all this time, it still felt, new in a way. Like that excited, happy, new relationship feeling had outlasted time and they were still as madly in love as they had been. Tara gave one of her half-smiles and leant down for a quick press of their lips together, warmth a resounding feature.
"What was that for?" Willow said in a nice, contented tone, they were supposed to be studying and yet she found herself to be sleeping on a table with Tara watching her instead of reading. A fact to which she was not exactly going to contest against, but they may not pass any mid-terms if they kept studying like this.
"I just, I've been wanting to do that for about ten minutes now. But you were sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to disturb you." The blonde said, turning back to her books. Willow suddenly feeling a little dropped clung to Tara's shoulder for some more attention. After all she'd just been sleeping and that was time without Tara so making up for it now she was awake seemed like the correct course of action. Her chin rested skillfully on Tara's shoulder, gently kissing into the soft skin of her neck and trying to get comfortable.
"Will, what are you doing?" Tara asked cautiously, not the kind of nervous cautious more of a 'if you turn me on too much I might not be able to stop and we're kind of in a library' kind of cautious. A tone to which Willow picked up on perfectly out of intuition and let their fingers entwine as she breathed out a careful sigh and began to explain her predicament.
"Well, you know, we're alone, and I think we've done enough studying and we're alone. So maybe we could-" Willow trailed off to put yet more kisses to Tara's neck, who paused for just a second because she really was enjoying this sort of attention, but at some point shutting this down and suggesting they take this home would be a better idea. Pulling away from her girlfriend at last, the blonde took her hand properly and held a steady, serious gaze as she tried to speak some sense into the redhead.
"Sweetie, maybe it would be best if we um, went home first, before, we do that." Then feeling the disappointment about to radiate from Willow, she decided there needed to be a little encouragement. Leaning in, she let her voice lower slightly into a hoarse whisper and spoke the words. "Because I really would like to undress you and take you on this table I think the librarian might mind a little bit, so why don't we go home and I can use make you scream, but only with my tongue." Willow almost broke down at the level of sexiness Tara managed to pile into those words. But she did let out a small groan in Tara's ear, briskly deciding they needed to get out of here the minute anything happened and she couldn't be turned off if she tried.
But before they could pack up and leave, a figure walked around the side of the shelves opposite the witches. Tara almost did a double take, then blinking a few times, she dismissed it as her imagination. Willow noticed the extra blinking, "What is it baby?" she said a little concerned. But then it could just be tiredness. Tara looked back at her girlfriend, but kept backing up books.
"Huh? Oh I just thought I saw-" Tara cut herself off when she heard it, the softness of a voice. She hadn't heard it for years, in truth she couldn't quite believe that she was hearing it. The silvery glow of an aura she hadn't seen reflected inside her since- well since she'd died. Tara just stared, this wasn't possible, Willow was still holding her hand but she could no longer feel anything. It was like every nerve in her body was responding with every emotion ever felt and it was too much to handle. So much love in her heart and yet the pain and heartbreak of knowing this was probably a figment of her imagination and would shortly disappear leaving as much heartache as it always had done. That small seventeen year old girl returned shyly to her and she sat down, half dragging Willow with her as she gazed upwards at the woman.
"Tara," her mother said, in soft spoken tongue as so as not to frighten her. "Look at you, you're a woman, a grown woman. You let your hair grow out, and you-" It was everything a proud parent would say when they see their child has changed in front of them. Tara was so shocked, and her eyes started to tear up and Willow was looking a little concerned. She could too see the ghost in front of her, and knew who this must be from the reactions but she wanted to make sure Tara was ok before speaking to her. She knew how much the blonde had loved her mother and her death had changed her life so drastically that this was important no matter how it happened.
Now the reason Tara's mother had stopped talking to gaze proudly upon them, was because she was watching Willow cup Tara's cheek and kiss her cheek making sure she had tissues for the tears. Which also made this scene look rather like a happy funeral, which is a weird image but if you can imagine it. It was when Tara calmed down and sadly smiled that her mother continued speaking, her too sitting down opposite them but not offering a hand to hold. But she could see the way Willow was with her daughter and she knew she had to say something.
"I told you, didn't I? That you're love, you're love would be special and wind in ways you couldn't possibly know. I said so." She said excitedly as she gazed upon her daughter with this redheaded girl, who looked rather caring but a little perplexed. She hadn't quite expected Tara's mother to be this confident, or bubbly even. Something she was herself, bubbly and bright and often couldn't stop herself from talking. It illuminated more things about Tara if anything, things she would have to remember to ask later.
Tara looked at Willow and smiled, thinking it was about time she either said something and introduced her mother to the love of her life. "Mom, this is Willow, the beautiful, the wonderful, love of my life, Willow. Will, this is mom, maybe it's about time you knew more about her." Willow looked over nervously at Mrs. Maclay who was smiling lovingly at the both of them.
"Nice to meet you dear." She replied, giving Willow some of the warmth now spreading through the room. Willow also noticed that Tara never stuttered when speaking with her mom, there was a strong bond between them and it seemed to bring out that confident side of Tara that she'd only seen very rarely. It was that she'd wondered, she'd met Tara's dad, and her brother and they seemed awful and cruel, but her mother seemed so different, there was really a connection between them. Willow could feel the magic, she'd been trained to feel for the magic present in the air, and here she could really feel the strength of the power held between these Maclay women, stronger than the dark magic hidden deep within her.
"Hi-hi Mrs. M-Maclay." Now it was Willow's turn to stutter, as she looked back at Tara and mouthed an apology. She wasn't usually this nervous and tried to babble, but this was such a big deal, and she'd most likely never get this opportunity ever again. She had to make a good impression, for Tara. Tara herself, just gave her hand a light squeeze, knowing this was probably very nerve racking.
"Oh please, call me Athena. Or mom if you want to. That's what Tara calls me and-" She cut off when her mind seemed to scourer through memories. "I won't ask about Donny and your father, if I wanted to know I'd go haunt them myself, there's much more pressing things to be talking about and I came to see my daughter." Athena babbled on, which Willow still thought was ironic. When she'd met Tara, the shy stuttered girl sitting on the floor, she'd known there was so much more to her but now it was all abundantly clear, she reminded Tara of her mother, with all her little confidence spells - figurative spells I might add - and her waffling.
"It really is very nice to meet you Mrs- Athena," Willow corrected herself, turning to and addressing Tara, their hands still mingling. "Baby did you want some time, alone I mean?" Tara smiled at the cuteness that was her love, she nodded and allowed Willow to detach herself a little before turning to leave.
"Only a few minutes sweetie, we wanna talk about you." Tara called after the redhead as she disappeared behind some shelves. Slightly admiring her ass as she walked away, which couldn't be helped, and after all she was allowed a stare in public every now and again, as per what Willow would allow before crushing embarrassment.
"Oi, eyes up here." Athena said to her daughter, making her blush slightly at being caught staring so obviously. Tara however, felt like teasing and did make a 'I'm allowed to mother' kind of quirk with her eyebrows. Athena laughed, knowing exactly how Tara felt, she too had been in love once, and the nuance of being young and in love was kind of addictive. "You've got a good one there, and a tree name. Stuck to your roots then." Tara laughed the awfulness of the joke, she knew there would be one in there, she remembered how much her mother liked to laugh.
No doubt later, she'd be curled up in Willow's arms crying about how much she missed the woman who'd raised her, but for now, whilst she was here she was going to enjoy the moment, live in the now. Because for all they knew, she could be dead tomorrow.