Title: Dancing Around Love (4/13)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say R for semi-explicit sex.
Spoilers: Up to Older and Far Away.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: What if Buffy wasn't the only one with an illicit affair?
Author's Note: Okay, so we've got major T/Xness, along with some W/X, W/T, and the A/X demanded by the time setting. I'm not fond of A/X. You have been warned. Also, due to popular demand, I'm throwing in some B/X to go along with all that. ^_^'
* * *
Buffy stalked through the graveyard like a predator on the hunt... which wasn't too far from the truth, though the idea of eating vampire ashes was more than a little stomach-churning.
She scanned her surroundings and saw someone sitting on a bench. The man had dark hair and was hunched over, looking at something in his hand. On either side of him was a suitcase.
Frowning, she waved to get his attention. It was dangerous to be out at night in Sunnydale, "Hey!"
He looked up, and she recognized him as she got closer. "Xander? What are you doing out here?"
Xander didn't answer, his eyes dropping back to his hand, where he fiddled with... a diamond ring.
Her eyes widened, "Is that...?"
He nodded, still not meeting her gaze, "Uh huh. An gave it back to me. Told to start packing and get gone before she changed her mind about killing me."
"She kicked you out?" Buffy asked incredulously. "But you own that apartment!"
He shook his head, "It's in both our names, actually."
"Oh." Buffy had one more question: "So where're you gonna go now?"
He shrugged, "Dunno. Figure'd I'd find a cheap hotel to crash in until I can find some place more permanent."
"Well, why don't you..." Buffy trailed off, realizing that her suggestion might be in bad taste, given recent events.
"Why don't I what?"
"Well..." she hmmed and hawed, "...you could... you and Tara could... find a place together. O-or something."
Xander lifted his head and finally met her gaze. "With... Tara?" he asked dumbly.
*Well, he's not getting mad...* she thought. She decided to take that as a good sign and said, more confidently, "Yeah. With Tara. I mean, I know you two aren't really comfortable with this, because of Anya and Willow, but you both need a place to stay, right? A-and things are kinda crowded back home, nevermind the whole awkwardness issue."
He smiled, "That's not a bad idea, Buff."
She nodded enthusiastically, "Plus, you and Tara, you guys really need to see how this thing between you two works out, without... well, you know."
His smile faded, but he nodded, "Yeah."
Buffy winced. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to bring that up.
He slid the ring into his pocket and rose to his feet. "Thanks, Buff," he said, mustering a faint smile, then leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Picking up the suitcases, he walked off toward the hotel Tara was staying in, calling over his shoulder, "Take care, hero mine."
"I will," she replied absently, her hand rising to brush the spot on her cheek where he'd kissed her. In all the years they'd known each other, he'd never kissed her, not even on the cheek, until tonight. It felt... nice. Very nice. A small smile grew on her face for a moment before she realized the ramifications of just what she was smiling about.
*Oh, no...*
* * *
"Is Xander a good kisser?"
Willow's glass of orange juice slipped from her hand, toppling onto the counter. She grabbed some paper towels and began to wipe it up. "Uh, what? Why do you want to know?" she asked, a slight edge of guilty panic in her voice. That was interesting. Dawn, too, looked at her older sister curiously.
"Just curious," Buffy lied as she moved to help the redhead. She searched for a reason and found one. "I mean, there's gotta be some reason Tara's willing to jump the fence for him."
When Willow flinched, Buffy realized her blunder. "Oh, Willow, I..."
"Hey, i-it's okay. I-I'm dealing. But... yeah, he's a great kisser. There's this thing he does with his tongue..." Willow's eyes glazed over slightly.
Dawn and Buffy each raised an eyebrow.
After a moment, Willow snapped back to reality, blushing furiously, "Uhh, where was I?"
"The thing he does with his tongue," Dawn prompted, eager to live out her fantasy vicariously through Willow's retelling.
The redhead smiled dreamily. "Oh, yeah. It's... I can't describe it, but it's sooo good. He makes me so..." she suddenly cut herself off, turning even redder than before, her face now matching her scarlet hair.
"I, um, I need to go," Willow said, suddenly standing up and bolting from the room, leaving her breakfast half-finished.
* * *
"Hey."
"Hey," Xander called back, not turning around. He stood on the balcony of the apartment he and Tara had just moved into.
"So. We moved in together."
"Yeah. Big step."
She walked up and wrapped her arms around him. There was a chill breeze in the air, and he was cold, though he seemed not to notice.
Finally, he broke the silence, "I did it again."
"D-did what?" she asked.
"I hurt her."
"Anya?" Tara hazarded.
He shook his head, "Willow. No matter what I do, I hurt her. Did you see the look in her eyes when we told her we were moving in together?"
"Don't," Tara protested. "Don't think of it like that. Don't beat yourself up over this. Xander, what we have..."
"...is lust, plain and simple," he snarled.
"No!" she shot back vehemently. More quietly, she said, "If it was, I would never be attracted to you."
"Tara..."
"Why don't you come back to bed, Xander?" she asked. She ran a tongue along his neck and began nibbling on his ear and added seductively, "I'm sure I can get your mind off things."
He shivered, but not from the cold, and teased, "You are a wicked, _wicked_ witch. Evil seductress of poor innocent men _and_ women."
"You bet your ass I am," she grinned, sliding one hand down his side and caressing said ass.
He turned in her arms, "_My_ ass? How about yours?"
"Ooh, that'll be new."
* * *
Tara lay back in the bed, tired, sweaty, and slightly regretful. She turned her head and looked at Xander, resting peacefully beside her, snoring slightly. He didn't usually fall asleep right after sex, but tonight, they'd kept at it much longer. She wondered if she really had been able to make him forget. She hoped so.
She sat up gingerly. Her rear was still a little sore from... she blushed at the memory. It had hurt, but the pleasure had eclipsed the pain by several orders of magnitude. It was a pity that the pain remained long after the pleasure had faded.
Rising awkwardly, she walked over the kitchen, not bothering to put anything on. The tile was cold to her bare feet, but she ignored it, grabbing a plastic cup and filling it with water.
Tara headed back and leaned against the bedroom wall, cold against her bare back. She sipped the water and watched Xander sleeping. She knew she couldn't stay. As much as she loved Xander and Willow, she knew she was just getting in the way.
They loved each other, and she was just keeping them apart. She knew that, as soon as she figured out how to keep Anya from getting between them, she'd have to leave as well.
She smiled as she watched Xander shifted restlessly. He tended to do that when he was alone, she'd noticed. He also tended to mumble in his sleep. It was cute.
His arm flung out over where she had been lying a moment ago, and he frowned. He reached out searchingly, found her pillow, and pulled it into a hug, smiling again.
"...love you, Tara..." he mumbled into the pillow.
The cup slid from her suddenly nerveless fingers, spilling its contents onto the carpeted floor. Her plans for leaving and allowing Willow and Xander the happiness she knew they deserved all vanished from her mind, shoved out by this new revelation. *God and Goddess,* she thought giddily. *He loves me. Xander loves me.*
Things had just gotten a lot more complicated, but strangely, she didn't mind.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
So there you have it. Part four. Expect some delays before the next part, since I don't have as much plotted from here on out as I did up to this point.
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say R for semi-explicit sex.
Spoilers: Up to Older and Far Away.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: What if Buffy wasn't the only one with an illicit affair?
Author's Note: Okay, so we've got major T/Xness, along with some W/X, W/T, and the A/X demanded by the time setting. I'm not fond of A/X. You have been warned. Also, due to popular demand, I'm throwing in some B/X to go along with all that. ^_^'
* * *
Buffy stalked through the graveyard like a predator on the hunt... which wasn't too far from the truth, though the idea of eating vampire ashes was more than a little stomach-churning.
She scanned her surroundings and saw someone sitting on a bench. The man had dark hair and was hunched over, looking at something in his hand. On either side of him was a suitcase.
Frowning, she waved to get his attention. It was dangerous to be out at night in Sunnydale, "Hey!"
He looked up, and she recognized him as she got closer. "Xander? What are you doing out here?"
Xander didn't answer, his eyes dropping back to his hand, where he fiddled with... a diamond ring.
Her eyes widened, "Is that...?"
He nodded, still not meeting her gaze, "Uh huh. An gave it back to me. Told to start packing and get gone before she changed her mind about killing me."
"She kicked you out?" Buffy asked incredulously. "But you own that apartment!"
He shook his head, "It's in both our names, actually."
"Oh." Buffy had one more question: "So where're you gonna go now?"
He shrugged, "Dunno. Figure'd I'd find a cheap hotel to crash in until I can find some place more permanent."
"Well, why don't you..." Buffy trailed off, realizing that her suggestion might be in bad taste, given recent events.
"Why don't I what?"
"Well..." she hmmed and hawed, "...you could... you and Tara could... find a place together. O-or something."
Xander lifted his head and finally met her gaze. "With... Tara?" he asked dumbly.
*Well, he's not getting mad...* she thought. She decided to take that as a good sign and said, more confidently, "Yeah. With Tara. I mean, I know you two aren't really comfortable with this, because of Anya and Willow, but you both need a place to stay, right? A-and things are kinda crowded back home, nevermind the whole awkwardness issue."
He smiled, "That's not a bad idea, Buff."
She nodded enthusiastically, "Plus, you and Tara, you guys really need to see how this thing between you two works out, without... well, you know."
His smile faded, but he nodded, "Yeah."
Buffy winced. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to bring that up.
He slid the ring into his pocket and rose to his feet. "Thanks, Buff," he said, mustering a faint smile, then leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. Picking up the suitcases, he walked off toward the hotel Tara was staying in, calling over his shoulder, "Take care, hero mine."
"I will," she replied absently, her hand rising to brush the spot on her cheek where he'd kissed her. In all the years they'd known each other, he'd never kissed her, not even on the cheek, until tonight. It felt... nice. Very nice. A small smile grew on her face for a moment before she realized the ramifications of just what she was smiling about.
*Oh, no...*
* * *
"Is Xander a good kisser?"
Willow's glass of orange juice slipped from her hand, toppling onto the counter. She grabbed some paper towels and began to wipe it up. "Uh, what? Why do you want to know?" she asked, a slight edge of guilty panic in her voice. That was interesting. Dawn, too, looked at her older sister curiously.
"Just curious," Buffy lied as she moved to help the redhead. She searched for a reason and found one. "I mean, there's gotta be some reason Tara's willing to jump the fence for him."
When Willow flinched, Buffy realized her blunder. "Oh, Willow, I..."
"Hey, i-it's okay. I-I'm dealing. But... yeah, he's a great kisser. There's this thing he does with his tongue..." Willow's eyes glazed over slightly.
Dawn and Buffy each raised an eyebrow.
After a moment, Willow snapped back to reality, blushing furiously, "Uhh, where was I?"
"The thing he does with his tongue," Dawn prompted, eager to live out her fantasy vicariously through Willow's retelling.
The redhead smiled dreamily. "Oh, yeah. It's... I can't describe it, but it's sooo good. He makes me so..." she suddenly cut herself off, turning even redder than before, her face now matching her scarlet hair.
"I, um, I need to go," Willow said, suddenly standing up and bolting from the room, leaving her breakfast half-finished.
* * *
"Hey."
"Hey," Xander called back, not turning around. He stood on the balcony of the apartment he and Tara had just moved into.
"So. We moved in together."
"Yeah. Big step."
She walked up and wrapped her arms around him. There was a chill breeze in the air, and he was cold, though he seemed not to notice.
Finally, he broke the silence, "I did it again."
"D-did what?" she asked.
"I hurt her."
"Anya?" Tara hazarded.
He shook his head, "Willow. No matter what I do, I hurt her. Did you see the look in her eyes when we told her we were moving in together?"
"Don't," Tara protested. "Don't think of it like that. Don't beat yourself up over this. Xander, what we have..."
"...is lust, plain and simple," he snarled.
"No!" she shot back vehemently. More quietly, she said, "If it was, I would never be attracted to you."
"Tara..."
"Why don't you come back to bed, Xander?" she asked. She ran a tongue along his neck and began nibbling on his ear and added seductively, "I'm sure I can get your mind off things."
He shivered, but not from the cold, and teased, "You are a wicked, _wicked_ witch. Evil seductress of poor innocent men _and_ women."
"You bet your ass I am," she grinned, sliding one hand down his side and caressing said ass.
He turned in her arms, "_My_ ass? How about yours?"
"Ooh, that'll be new."
* * *
Tara lay back in the bed, tired, sweaty, and slightly regretful. She turned her head and looked at Xander, resting peacefully beside her, snoring slightly. He didn't usually fall asleep right after sex, but tonight, they'd kept at it much longer. She wondered if she really had been able to make him forget. She hoped so.
She sat up gingerly. Her rear was still a little sore from... she blushed at the memory. It had hurt, but the pleasure had eclipsed the pain by several orders of magnitude. It was a pity that the pain remained long after the pleasure had faded.
Rising awkwardly, she walked over the kitchen, not bothering to put anything on. The tile was cold to her bare feet, but she ignored it, grabbing a plastic cup and filling it with water.
Tara headed back and leaned against the bedroom wall, cold against her bare back. She sipped the water and watched Xander sleeping. She knew she couldn't stay. As much as she loved Xander and Willow, she knew she was just getting in the way.
They loved each other, and she was just keeping them apart. She knew that, as soon as she figured out how to keep Anya from getting between them, she'd have to leave as well.
She smiled as she watched Xander shifted restlessly. He tended to do that when he was alone, she'd noticed. He also tended to mumble in his sleep. It was cute.
His arm flung out over where she had been lying a moment ago, and he frowned. He reached out searchingly, found her pillow, and pulled it into a hug, smiling again.
"...love you, Tara..." he mumbled into the pillow.
The cup slid from her suddenly nerveless fingers, spilling its contents onto the carpeted floor. Her plans for leaving and allowing Willow and Xander the happiness she knew they deserved all vanished from her mind, shoved out by this new revelation. *God and Goddess,* she thought giddily. *He loves me. Xander loves me.*
Things had just gotten a lot more complicated, but strangely, she didn't mind.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
So there you have it. Part four. Expect some delays before the next part, since I don't have as much plotted from here on out as I did up to this point.