With the wind rushing past her, Willow neared Giles' apartment complex. Just seconds away from landing, she swerved to the left and then perfumed a barrel roll before she prepared to land outside his door. Seeing that all the other apartment lights were switched off, Willow then used a glamour to hide her uniform as she lowered herself to the ground. Landing wearing a pair of blue jeans, and long sleeved dark blue blouse with a scarf around her neck, Willow then approached the door while glancing at the light emanating through the window from the living room.
'Giles is still awake,' Willow thought as she knocked on the door. She suspected that Giles and Jenny were, possibly at least, wanting some time alone the latter moved in with Giles. However, Willow felt the information of a mysterious 'she' was enough to come to Giles directly. Willow then stepped back as the door opened to reveal Giles in shirt and trousers; his hair tussled while his face was flushed red against the light orange glow from the living room lights. Willow then glanced over to the side behind Giles and saw Jenny having just finished putting on a robe as she got off the couch and walked towards the door.
'Yep, I interrupted something,' Willow thought to herself as she mentally cringed at the thought of Giles having sex. Willow hid her shudder at what could be happening if she hadn't interfered as Willow's eyes then shifted back to Giles, "sorry, Giles. I know you're busy but… something happened while I was patrolling."
"Willow," Giles whispered as Jenny grabbed the man's arm and then stood next to him. She interrupted Giles and asked Willow if she wanted to come in. Willow glanced at Giles looking at Jenny, who was staring at Willow herself; waiting for an answer. The seconds seemed to passed by into hours as Giles turned his head and discretely shook his head at Willow while Jenny was looking away from him. Willow wanted to chuckle as she shook her head at Jenny.
"I can't," Willow said before she looked back at Giles, "these four guys, more like deformed hobbits with scabs, were taking a guy away, Giles. I saved the guy and killed three of the Hobbits but one of them escaped. They said something about a woman. The Hobbit called her a bright light…"
Giles and Jenny looked at each other before looking back at Willow who continued to speak, "… and that she was going to be very enraged. At least something like that. The Hobbit also mentioned that this woman was here looking for something called the Key."
"The Key?" asked Giles as he leaned on the door frame with his arm around Jenny's shoulder. The both of them had perplexed looks on their faces as they tried to recall anything about hearing a Key. Giles and Jenny then looked at each other, while Jenny saying that she hadn't heard anything about any Key among her tribe.
"Neither have I," Giles added narrowing his eyes in confusion at Willow who looked perplexed as well.
"That's what that Hobbit said its boss is looking for, Giles," Willow said.
"This is something we should discuss further tomorrow," said Giles nodding his head, "I will begin when I arrive at the Sunnydale High library tomorrow morning. I'll ask Anya for assistance. Oh, I'll talk to my contacts in the Council. Maybe they heard about this Key, and this 'light' you mentioned, Willow."
"I'll help during lunch," Jenny added.
"Tara and I can come by the library after our class," Willow said nodding her head, "I'll tell Buffy and Faith tomorrow. I don't wanna disturb them now since there's that whole Slayer horny-hunger thing after a battle going on, and…"
"Willow," groaned Giles as he shook his head while Willow and Jenny chuckled.
"Just so you know, Willow," Jenny whispered leaning forward while holding onto Giles' arm, "Rupert and I were about to…"
"Jenny!" whispered Giles as his face turned beet red while his eyes shifted between Jenny and Willow. Willow then chuckled before throwing up her hands and saying that she wold be leaving them alone.
"Just wanted to give you a heads up, Giles," Willow said. Giles, still red-faced, nodded his head as Willow took a few steps back away from the entrance, "I'll see you tomorrow. And I'll tell Althanea too tomorrow, she's working a late shift at the hospital."
"See you, Willow," Jenny and Giles said before the white haired young woman walked away. They saw Willow get into the shadows at the corner of the complex before taking off into the sky. Giles and Jenny then stepped back into the apartment with him closing the door. Jenny walked back to the couch and then asked Giles if they shouldn't simply start on some research before tomorrow morning.
"We can wait until tomorrow," Giles said as he stared at Jenny. "But for right now?" Giles walked towards his girlfriend, skipped around the edge of the couch while Jenny took a few steps towards him. The both of them now inches apart, Giles reached down and then grabbed one end of the tie that held the robe closed around Jenny's body. "For right now?." Giles said as he gently pulled the tie, and the robe split open down the middle. Jenny smirked at Giles before she slipped it off, and then wrapped her hands around him. Giles stared into Jenny's eyes before leaning forward and saying, "we continue what we were about to do." The both of them then kissed as Willow flew straight towards her home.
She swerved in the air as she took in a few deep breaths while her mind raced about the identity of the mysterious woman and how big of a problem she would be to her, Giles, Buffy, and the others. Willow then thought about the Key. She was curious as to what it was, and why this woman was searching for it. Willow then swerved once more when she arrived over her neighbourhood.
"Home sweet home," Willow whispered, "at least I'm hoping it will be a sweet home coming. If Tara's disgusted at my scars then… then it's going to be a bad memory. A really bad memory."
Willow's Home, 2345 hours.
Tara was lying on her side, her back towards the door that led to the room she shared with Willow from the hallway outside. Tara was facing the window which slowly slid up, a breeze then coming in to lift the lace trimmed curtains away from the wood and glass following a light thud- Willow landing on the section of the roof right outside the window. Willow's gloved hand then grabbed the wooden window sill before she put one leg into the room.
The former redhead then manoeuvred her body into the room.
Standing in the bedroom she shared with the girl she loved, Willow stood closing the window with her back facing Tara. Willow then quietly pulled the curtains shut. Where once the light from the moon outside was shining through a gap between the two curtains, it was now cut off. The room was plunged into darkness as Willow took several deep breaths while her hands gripped the curtains edges, keeping them taut and shut.
While gripping the edges of the curtains, Willow had her eyes closed as she steadied herself for what she was about to do.
A part of Willow was still wondering what Tara would do when she saw the scars. But Willow took in another deep breath and exhaled slowly while pushing that thought to one side. She then slowly turned around and took off her goggles and balaclava while staring at her girlfriend who was gently breathing as she slept.
Tara wasn't involved in the whole situation with Dracula, instead only Willow, Buffy, Faith, Riley, and Graham took on the self-styled Lord of Vampires.
Tara was someone Willow wanted away from that particular battle.
Willow stared at Tara as she slept, her arm over her blanket as three books were piled one on top of another on the side table. Willow had a smile on her lips as she ran her fingers through her own hair and wondered what Tara would do, 'would she be surprised? Shocked? Disgusted?'
Willow, shaking her head, then took off her belt as her eyes got used to the dark and she could see the straps of Tara's tank top peeking out from underneath the pastel blanket that covered her.
The air around her was cool thanks to the air-conditioning keeping the room comfortable; much more comfortable then the warm weather outside. Willow felt the air brush against her cheeks from the overhead vent while she took off her holsters. In the meantime, she continued to watch Tara stir in her sleep.
Willow then took off her boots and socks before she walked slowly towards the bed. She placed one knee on the bed's edge, depressing it as she brought her other knee up and onto the bed. The bed gently creaked as Willow slowly crept on all fours to Tara's side until she was hovering over the blonde, her face on top of Tara's ear. Willow then shifted an arm over Tara until her hand lay flat against the section of the bed behind Tara's upper shoulders.
Taking a deep breath, Willow then slowly brought her head down and kissed Tara's cheek. She left a trail of saliva as she gently brushed her lips along Tara's soft skin from her cheeks to her ear. It was then that Willow whispered one word, "Tara." Tara then moaned as Willow brushed the hair off Tara's ear with her nose and then leaned down and nibbled on her ear lobe.
"Will?" Tara breathed as goosebumps erupted on her arms.
Tara opened her eyes slowly to see an arm and part of Willow's body in her line of sight. Tara closed her eyes once again and opened her mouth to take in a gasp of air when she felt Willow gently blowing into her ear. Tara exhaled and then took in a deep breath as the tip of Willow's tongue traced letters of the alphabet behind her ear. Tara grabbed Willow's arm as the kisses by the latter's soft lips then moved to her neck.
"Willow?" Tara whispered in a shaking voice while she felt a tingling sensation through her body. Her face started to feel warm and a spot right behind her ears was getting warm.
"Did I wake you up?" Willow whispered after she dragged her kisses along Tara's neck to her ears once again. After whispering into Tara's ear, Willow pulled back as Tara moved her body around until she lay on her back.
"No," Tara whispered as she looked up at the green eyes looking back at her. It was a lie, Tara had been sleeping soundly until Willow woke her up... however, Tara wasn't going to complain. The former redhead then, before Tara could say anything else, leaned down and pressed her lips against Tara's own.
Tara closed her eyes as she felt their lips together, releasing a breath when Willow gently bit down on her lower lip.
The blonde witch's mind raced when Willow went back to kissing her with an intensity she hadn't felt before. Tara brought her arm from under the blanket and wrapped them around Willow, pulling her down. The both of them were just separated by the blanket and their clothes as Willow moved her kisses from Tara's lips to her cheeks, her jawlines, her throat, and then the sides of her neck.
Tara was running her hands through the hair at the back of Willow's head as the former arched her back. With pleasure going through her body as she breathed a moan, Tara opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling while taking deep breathes to savour the moment. She closed her eyes again and moaned softly when Willow bit gently on her shoulder.
Tara thought that was going to be all.
At least, that was their agreement until Willow was comfortable. And Tara understood. She knew that Willow was nervous about their relationship. And Tara wanted to give Willow time. Yes, she was disappointed that they hadn't been able to go further, but she had always told Willow that she was going to wait.
"I'm yours, Will," was what Tara told her. "I am yours." That was several weeks ago. And just as those other times, Tara felt Willow stop what she was doing. The both of them were breathing had as they stared at each other when suddenly the lights turned on.
Tara was about to open her mouth to ask a question why the lights were turned on, especially since Willow didn't like them to be on in the first place. But before she could ask anything Willow placed a finger on Tara's lips while they stared into each other's eyes.
The entire room was silent, except for the hum of the air-conditioner pumping cool air into the room while Willow got off the bed, and then grabbed the blanket and pulled it off Tara. The witch, for her part, continued to stare at Willow while sitting up. Tara then turned her body to sit at the edge of the bed while Willow took a few steps back. All the while they stared at each other continuously.
Tara tried to wrap her mind around what was happening. She wondered if she was dreaming while she watched Willow bring a hand up to the zipper at the front of her black matte body suit. Tara saw the trembling hand as it gripped the zipper, and then she quickly got off the bed and rushed to her girlfriend.
"Will," Tara said as she grabbed the trembling hand and another hand placed on the side of Willow's head, "you… are you ready for this? You don't have to…"
"I saw how disappointed you were last night," Willow whispered as they stared at each other. Tara shook her head and mentally kicked herself. She didn't mean to show Willow how she really felt; yes, she was disappointed that they hadn't gone further in their physical relationship and it was a stumbling block.
But it wasn't anything that was relationship ending, Tara was willing to take as long as needed for Willow to open herself. Tara hoped to hide that she was disappointed under a façade of calm, but Tara closed her eyes and shook her head while thinking to herself that she slipped last night.
"I'm not disappointed," Tara finally whispered as she held on to Willow's hand, "I really want you to take your time. I love you. And I don't want you to think that you're obligated, and…"
"I'm not," Willow whispered as her hand still trembled while she gripped her zipper, and she knew that Tara could feel the trembling. But Willow also knew she needed to be confident, at least she needed to try and be confident.
"I…." Willow closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She slowly exhaled and opened her eyes, looking back into Tara's brown orbs, and whispered, "I need to do this. Either now, or later. I need to do this sometime."
Tara then felt Willow move her hand downwards slightly. Tara looked away from Willow's face as the latter closed her eyes and looked away since she didn't want to see the look of disgust on Tara's face. Tara, for her part, looked on in astonishment as the zipper was slowly pulled down.
The uniform split in the middle to reveal pale white skin marked with red lines. Some were vertical and horizontal, while some were straight, and others were jagged. There were stab wounds that were revealed as Willow slipped the top of the uniform off her. It hung down her back while her lower body was still covered.
But Tara now could see the full extent of Willow's scars. The truth was that Tara had seen some of the scars when she first ran into Willow. However, the vast majority of the scars were covered in blood and matter that Tara still didn't want to think about.
Now Tara saw the full extent.
Willow's entire body was covered in red lines. Tara couldn't imagine the pain that Willow must have been through when she remembered Willow telling her about feeling pain every time she was resurrected after death. Tara saw the brand on Willow's chest, and lines of red along the brand. There were other scars from what seemed to be stab wounds to her abdomen, her chest, the length of her arms just until her wrist, her shoulders to the base of her neck.
Under the light, Tara could make out the lines of scars along Willow's neck, the very same scars Willow would hide with turtlenecks or scarves.
"Oh, Willow," Tara whispered as she got off the bed, rushed forward, and hugged her. Tara felt the disgust Willow felt at herself; she felt Willow's fear that she would be thrown to one side and Tara would leave. It was an intense fear that caused a pain in Tara's chest.
As for Willow? She readied herself for the inevitable gasp of disgust.
Instead, Willow opened her eyes with tears already gathered as Tara kissed her cheeks. There were no words as Tara started to kiss down Willow's cheek to the side of her neck. Tara stopped at one of the scars, and then lifted her head to whisper in Willow's ear. "I still love you. Nothing's changed." In the meantime, she brushed a finger along the length of one of the neck scars and smiled at Willow.
The both of them stared at each other as Tara then placed both hands on Willow's cheeks. "I love you. I'm not leaving you, Willow. I'm never leaving you." Willow closed her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Tara wiped the tears away, and then leaned forward, while Willow closed her eyes. Tara kissed one of the scars. She continued on kissing gently along Willow's skin as she peeled off the lower part of her uniform.
The both of them kissed each other with both hands roving over each other's bodies.
It wasn't long before the both of them were back on the bed, Tara having had her clothes peeled off by Willow. As Tara lay on top of Willow, the both of them stared at each other for a few seconds before the blonde witch whispered, "I'm yours, Willow. Always."
Willow had a smile on her face before she whispered, "always."
Tara leaned down and kissed Willow on her lips. It wouldn't be long before the bed creaked as Willow writhed underneath the body of her girlfriend. Sounds from the two young women would continue throughout the night; the both of them enjoying themselves with abandon.
"We have a lot to catch up on," Tara whispered after she was flipped over by Willow sometime later. The former redhead was now on top with a devilish grin on her face. She then leaned down and kissed Tara. It would be four in the morning when the two of them; two exhausted women with the sheets crumbled beneath them while sweat glistened on their bodies, went to sleep.
Their connection to each other stronger than ever before.
Glory's Apartment, twenty minutes later.
The blonde-haired woman known as Glory was looking out her window while one of her minions remained kissing her feet. She looked out the window at the city below and remembered when the underling, the very one kissing her feet, arrived in a panic several minutes ago.
He told her about a figure dressed in black who singlehandedly took out four of her servants. Thus, preventing Glory from getting her food. Glory was annoyed at Dreg, the minion who returned empty handed. She punched him clear across the room in anger before ordering the others to get her something to eat.
And they did.
The homeless man lay mumbling incoherently to her left while Glory stared out the window. She listened to Dreg, after he got up to his feet following her punch, as he spoke about the figure in black. And a smile appeared on her face while she stared past her own reflection, "a superhero here. So interesting. Maybe she knows where my Key is located."
TBC.