Chapter Fifty-Eight
Hoping for a future
Willow & Tara
A/N Again Mature content warning, because this episode is kinda filthy to be frank. Not even my fault. So close to end omg, its crazy. And it's not like i totally have 25 million other plans is it? Just kidding, this is not the end. There will be story after story after this. You'll all be sick to death of it. I got choked up just writing the last bit, you have been warned.
Sunnydale, the world without shrimp 2003
He spoke with no tongue and yet they understand all of his words. The spell worked thrice ways and told the Scooby core some more information. The tale went as follows...
Kennedy was the bait and hook, Giles took a recon group out to the alley beside the Bronze, her job to walk around and attract the attention of the nearest Bringer, a blind race of slaves bound to the servitude of evil, enslavement to the First. Their eyes are cast out of their skulls and thick black scars etched over the top. The girls had succeeded, Kennedy landing the final blow to unconscious executed through his back. As they dragged him back to the house. On first inspection by the group as they chained him in the basement, was that he was dumb, his tongue ripped out by someone, or something. It was hook, line and sinker - only that the fish had a missing tail.
Dawn having been doing extra research as her 'junior watcher' status became more prevalent. She mentioned an ancient Turkish text she'd been studying, that spoke of a way to communicate with the mute Bringer in the basement. Willow and Tara immediately started gathering ingredients for the spell that would render their Bringer able to speak and therefore able to communicate information to them. If they threatened him enough that is. They whispered words of calm Turkish, a large and oldish book sitting between them as their hands clasped and they spoke the truth to the Bringer.
There was nothing at first, only a dull silence, but quickly followed by strange words uttered from Andrew's mouth. He was sitting harsh in a chair at the back of the room, half trying to escape it. His words weren't his own, the truth of the Bringer speaking through him as it's mind whispered the words of the First, the evil. "We work as one to serve the First, we work to prepare for the inevitable battle." It kept saying 'we' it was the 'we' that was most off putting, they knew there were countless more, they were not an 'I' not a singular movement with free choice. A 'we' a destiny determined prophecy way of life.
Then Kennedy was holding a knife to the Bringer's throat, the blade pushing into his flesh, it might not be able to see the knife but it could feel the blood pressure rising on the surface of scarred skin. "We exterminate girls and destroy the legacy of the Slayer. We obey the commands of our leader Caleb. We are everywhere, and we will laugh at you as you die." 'We' again here it was, plain as day, coming out of Andrew's mouth, his face drained of emotion and empty. Until Giles slit the creature's throat and had done with it. Tara was the only one to gasp in surprise, seeing a death like that so close doubled her a little bit.
Giles figured there was no information left to get out of the Bringer and so disposed of him, wading through the house to tell Faith what had transpired. Shortly after Xander took Anya home, there was another emptiness through the house. The loss of Buffy's strong presence made them reap, so Willow and Tara said their goodnights and went to bed. Willow couldn't see what use staying up would do them, and Kennedy had agreed to sleep with the rest of the potentials because she wanted their closeness, their company so as not to feel so alone.
As they changed half-heartedly into pyjamas. Tara was just pulling her shirt off when Willow sidled over to her, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and sighing contentedly as they hands collided. Her chest was bare, her nipples pointed and pressing dimples into Tara's back. Tara smiled as she felt those warm, familiar hands on her body; the contact was long welcome after the week they'd had. Whatever Willow was suggesting in her actions, the idea was gaining more wealth in her mind by the second, a heat building inside of her as the smell of their nakedness drifted inside her brain. The ache for want driving her limbs as she spun around cupped lucid palms around her cheeks, capturing the redhead in a slow but passionate kiss. Their lips gliding as her hands drifted lower and lower down the other woman's body.
Finally Tara's hands rested on Willow's butt just below her spine, cupping her gently she brought them closer, their torsos at a meet cute. Their tongues met languidly as legs shuffled awkwardly over to the bed, stumbling and falling above the blonde, Willow quickly recovered, a move that put her straddling Tara's waist as her hands came to a rest over her larger chest, her breasts pushed out of her skin like mountains. She blushed as she felt Willow's eyes on her, always shy to the last pinnacle. She let Willow run her hands up and down for a while, not nearing a conclusion but just relishing in the feel of each other as their eyes met indignantly. The tips of Willow's fingers ran a straight line from Tara's lips down over her nipple to her core, a wetness pooling within she slipped her hand between them and stroked the soft folds lightly. Another goalless moment, an action to suspend the liquid arousal tease her blonde girlfriend.
After a few minutes of relenting teasing, Tara moved, sliding above Willow she took a single second to shroud their heads in thick blonde hair and bruise Willow's puckered lips with kisses. She moved her assault to the girl's throat, her voice box trembling as she moaned, the energy - the magic of her body electrified as she expected what was to come. Her release. Biting down on her lip she let Tara slip her tongue over one of her nipples, just for a moment to let her rake her teeth over the nub and move lower. Grazing over her naval she kissed lower over the tops of her thighs and down between them, gripping onto Willow's hand to the tension would be passed between them.
Lowering her head further Tara sank between the redhead's lips, dipping her tongue into the heat and sipping out the wet as she circled the bare flesh. The tip of her tongue writhing over her clit in a side-to-side motion until the gripping on her hand grew ever tighter and Willow's legs began to buckle tighten around Tara's ears. The sound of her climax rippling through the room as her cries sounded far louder outside her head than in. Tara giggled a little at the fact she could bring Willow to suck extraordinary lengths. Amazing her at how the human body could produce such sounds, such wave and rhythm within her that she shuddered beneath quiet touches. Slinking like a big cat Tara moved slowly up the exhaustion of Willow's body and let her lips gently caress the tender skin of her neck.
"Baby, that was wonderful. How... How do you... Do that to me?" She said between heated pants as her lungs came back to life. The magic between them held many powers, they used to float on occasion during their ministrations but with careful training and help from the coven - that didn't come without its embarrassment - they managed to be able to control it, keep themselves on the bed and within each other's reach. It was one of their controls, their hands linking, it controlled the telekinesis and kept them steady. On occasion they would agree to lose the control and touch each other in the pure ecstasy of floating but not always. Magic was dangerous if not controlled, if not used in the right way, they both knew the costs of not abiding by the rules.
"Great skill and a lot of practice." Tara replied cheekily, allowing Willow the action of circling her own clit as they lay side by side, it was a tease that turned and suddenly she was making loud groans into Willow's shoulder. It was the pressure, the tension in her muscles that caused the dull ache, the movement and stimulation making her jut out often, gripping Willow's arm as she climaxed into a gentle sigh. This made Willow laugh - that her body could go through something so intense and yet all Tara would do is sigh, it made a perfectly adorable, perfectly funny anti-climax in the best possible way.
"What are you laughing at?" The blonde replied, using her elbows to guide herself further up the bed, letting Willow's head slip onto her thigh - a position they often took because it was relaxing, a comfort blanket to both of them. Willow was still giggling, whatever it was had long since disappeared and now she was just giggling for the sake of happiness. Tara laughed a little too, it was natural reaction to the sound. It seemed ridiculous to be laughing when they were so close to death by the day and that's why it turned sour. Tears welled in Willow's eyes the happiness died inside her. Whatever pleasure had happened seconds before was gone, overrun by the emotion of the oncoming apocalypse. Which she felt she should've been prepared for, but this was different, there was so much at stake.
"Tara?" The redhead let out slowly, taking her time to catch each breath and as Tara grasped their hands together. "Do you think we'll survive this?" It was an honest a question as she could muster, the true trouble of her mind. Tara took a few seconds to think what Willow needed from her right now. Was it the absolute truth? Because she had honestly no idea if they would make it through this, but sometimes you need the lie. Sometimes the truth is all you ever hear and a fabrication - fantasy is what is needed to get them through the event with hope. This event might just end the world, so pretty big, and if Willow really wanted to know the answer she would've asked Buffy. No she needed the fantasy from Tara, the hope of what they could have, nothing definite, just ideas.
"We have to Wil, we have to because I can't be lost in the world without you." This part was completely true actually, Tara knew if it ever came to losing Willow she'd never be able to be free of the pain. They were connected through magic as well as love, two of the most powerful components of life, and when combined formed an unbreakable bond. Willow actually felt a smile forming as she heard the words, it was what she needed to hear. Tara always knew what she needed, which road to take, without her even saying anything, empathy lead to intuition and Tara's magic was earthy, emotions were her niche. "Because I can't wake up and you not be there, because every morning when we wake up together is another miracle. And when somehow we are allowed, we'll get married, and the ring on your finger will be a reminder that we made it through - that we survived and you don't ever have to worry about losing me. Maybe we have two kids, or just one, I don't know yet, and you're always there by my side because have to live this life together Wil. I believe in us." And in explaining their future, she found her own soppy tears falling into Willow's soft auburn hair, copper stranded in the summer when the sun caught her. Little drops of sunshine. She said it all with a conviction and found she didn't have to lie once, she knew somehow after saying it that it had to happen, that there was no way that life she imagined would get stripped from them. It was all Willow deserved.
Willow was aghast with emotions, some fear, some lingering happiness, a bit well of teary sadness but mostly just love for the human wrapped around her. In the heat of their sex their love was never lost, Willow always knew it - what she was feeling, it was eternal. She sniffled a little and let Tara slide back down to her level, the candles slowly burning down to their wicks. Their noses caressed as tears mingled and sloppy kisses were brushed to each other's lips. "I love you, always." Willow whispered, but when Tara didn't reply, she opened her eyes softly to see the blonde sleeping happily in her arms, a smile twisted into her lips and the rise and fall of her chest so light it was baby breathing. "That's ok baby, you sleep on." Kissing her cheek gently Willow snuggled into the other girl's shoulder and fell asleep.