The smell of coffee brewing woke Willow up the next morning, the realization that she wasn't in a bed making her come to consciousness quicker. "Where are we?" she grumbled without opening her eyes.
Tara laughed quietly. "We're on the couch at Buffy's house," she answered, kissing Willow's cheek gently. "You fell asleep during the movie."
"Where's everybody else?" Willow asked, snuggling into Tara's shoulder and letting her eyes slide closed.
Tara combed her fingers through Willow's hair lovingly. "They're upstairs, sleeping probably. It's still kind of early." She pressed a kiss to her girlfriend's forehead. "Go back to sleep, baby."
"Coffee," Willow mumbled. "Smells good."
"It'll smell good in a few hours too," Tara promised softly. "I'll make you a fresh pot later, okay?"
"M'kay," Willow agreed sleepily as she curled herself closer, one leg sliding over Tara's.
The next time Willow woke up Tara appeared to be sleeping, her eyes closed, but a smile gave her away and Willow tilted in to kiss her gently.
"Good morning," Tara whispered, her eyes opening slowly. "You ready for that coffee?"
Willow bit her lip, laughing quietly. "What time is it? Is everybody else up already?"
Tara shook her head. "I'm not sure what time it is, but I've only heard Joyce leave for work. Everybody else is still upstairs."
Willow took another kiss, smiling. "How did you sleep?"
"Good," Tara said. "How about you?" she asked, smiling crookedly. "You didn't even wake up when we stretched you out on the couch."
"We?" Willow asked, arching an eyebrow.
"You fell asleep on top of me," Tara said. "Riley helped me move you."
"Sorry," Willow said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to…"
Tara shook her head, hushing her quickly. "No, Willow, believe me, you're welcome to fall asleep on me anytime you want."
Willow blushed, smiling shyly. "Vixen," she murmured quietly.
"I'll go get you some coffee," Tara said. "And some medicine," she added firmly, arching an eyebrow when Willow started to protest.
"Thank you," she said instead, sitting up carefully, her muscles sore. "I guess that means the spell wore off," she mused to herself, rubbing at one arm.
Tara was back a few minutes later, a fresh cup of coffee and Willow's pills in her hands. The redhead took them without complaint, one hand rubbing absently at her knee.
It didn't take long for the others to join them, the Scoobies looking ragged and tired. Buffy stared as she realized that Giles had spent the night, putting up one hand to stop his explanation. "I don't want to know," she said. His mouth was still open to speak and she covered her ears petulantly. "I can't hear you," she said loudly, walking into the kitchen.
"I didn't," Giles protested to the others. "I was…Joyce loaned me the air mattress," he stated.
Xander was staring at him, jaw hanging open. "You and Buffy's mom?" he demanded. "When…what…how?"
"Xander! Eww!" Willow protested. "Giles, don't answer that," she requested, limping away as quickly as she could with one hand over her ear, the other using her cane.
Tara and Riley exchanged confused looks while Anya merely grinned widely. "Well done, Giles," the former demon said cheerfully. "Mrs. Summers is a very good looking older woman and it is commendable that you can still achieve…" Her mouth was covered rapidly by Xander, the young man blushing brightly.
"Thank you!" Buffy yelled from the kitchen. "The next person to talk about my mom is getting a beating," she promised loudly.
Anya's next words were muffled by Xander's hand and Tara laughed. Giles sighed heavily, cleaning his glasses compulsively. Buffy returned from the kitchen with a tray of coffee mugs and she handed one to Giles after a pause, the Watcher looking as if he wasn't sure if she was going to hand it to him or throw it in his face.
Buffy smiled sweetly at him as she handed it over and he let out a breath of relief. "Thank you," he murmured, taking a sip after looking into the mug for a few moments, almost as if he was waiting for something to float up from the bottom of the cup.
Tara glanced at the others, smiling. "Is anyone hungry? I could make pancakes," she offered. She got smiles and nods in returned and she went into the kitchen, smiling at Willow as the redhead rooted through the fridge.
"You're cooking?" Willow asked in surprise as Tara searched for and found the measuring cups, starting to get the ingredients together. "That's hot," she declared, quickly making herself comfortable at the kitchen island.
"You're just going to watch me make pancakes?" Tara asked, amused. "That's not going to be boring for you?"
Willow shook her head, both eyebrows lifting in surprise. "No way!" she said happily. "Believe me, I couldn't be bored watching you do anything," she said earnestly, resting her chin on one hand and taking a sip of her coffee.
Tara rolled her eyes, but continued her preparations, giving Willow a smile over her shoulder. It didn't take her long to have a stack of pancakes ready, along with bacon and toast, and she carried them into the dining room for the others. The smell drew them in without her having to call them, and Willow carried in a carton of juice with her, taking the closest chair to the door.
"I couldn't carry all the cups," she said sheepishly, and Buffy ruffled her friend's hair as she went to retrieve the glasses herself.
"No problem, Will. I've got them," the Slayer said.
They ate hungrily, none of them realizing how hungry they had been until the food was in front of them. They spent the remainder of the day lazing around the house, trying to push away thoughts of their looming finals, the more mundane horror settling back in now that the horrific monster had been dealt with. Riley had to leave to attend a hearing, and Giles drove Xander and Anya home and the rest of them back to campus before dark.
Buffy had a free night because of the vampire and demon bloodbath that had taken place in the Initiative complex making patrol rather pointless, but with Riley gone Willow and Tara had insisted that the Slayer spend her free time with them. They settled in Willow and Buffy's room to study, Tara taking a seat on the floor and leaning against the side of Willow's bed.
Willow herself was lying with her head at the foot of the bed, her legs both bent at the knees and her feet swinging absently. She glanced over with a smile as Buffy yawned, the Slayer snapping her book closed.
"I give up," Buffy declared. "No more studying tonight." She pushed her book over the edge of her bed with a satisfied smile, stretching out on her bed.
Willow laughed as she leaned over to read over Tara's shoulder. "How are you doing down there?" she asked, fingers combing through long blonde hair slowly.
Tara leaned into the touch, tilting her head back to look up at Willow. "I'm good. I only have one actual test, the rest of my finals are presenting papers."
Buffy shook her head as she crossed her arms behind her head. "I don't see how you have any time to write all of those," she commented, yawning. "I'd never be able to do it."
"Well, you're the Slayer, and you have a boyfriend, and your mom to take care of," Tara reasoned, smiling. "I've just got her," she said, gesturing to Willow behind her.
"She can be time consuming, what with the babbling," Buffy teased as Willow hugged Tara around her shoulders, the redhead sticking her tongue out at her friend.
Tara laughed, turning her head to press a kiss to Willow's cheek. "Worth it," she said quietly, meeting Willow's lips for a brief kiss. "If you're tired, Buffy, I can go back to my room, let you two get some sleep."
She moved to stand up, but Willow didn't relinquish her grip around Tara's neck. "Do you have to?" Willow asked, pouting.
Tara glanced sideways at where Buffy was politely ignoring them, nodding slowly. "You're both sleepy. You should go to bed." Willow kept pouting at her and Tara checked that Buffy was still ignoring them before she leaned over to suck on her girlfriend's bottom lip, her hands pulling Willow's face closer. They both opened for each other, kiss growing passionate quickly and Tara let the lip go reluctantly, her eyes closed as she leaned her forehead against Willow's. "That's why I need to go," she whispered.
Willow nodded, sighing unhappily. "I know," she said. "Can Buffy walk you home though?"
Tara smiled, glancing back at Buffy again. "All the vampires and demons are dead, sweetie. For tonight at least. I'll be fine. I'll call you the second I get in the door, okay?"
Willow nodded, seeing Buffy curl onto her side tiredly, her eyes closed. "Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "Be careful."
Tara nodded, smiling crookedly as she gathered her books and left quietly. Willow contemplated studying some more, but the words looked blurry through her tired eyes and she gave it up quickly, closing her book with a sigh. She looked over as Buffy cleared her throat, rolling onto her side to meet her friend's eyes.
"You know I don't care if Tara stays here," Buffy said quietly.
Willow took a deep breath. "Buffy…I know you…just, thanks for being supportive," she said. "You've been really cool about this."
Buffy smiled. "No problem, Will. You're my best friend, and Tara's great. She really loves you."
"I really love her too," Willow said, smiling happily.
Buffy laughed quietly. "I figured that out when Oz left."
"Oz," Willow sighed. "He found a cure, you know?" she said softly. "He did it for me, and I knew it, and I sent him away."
"You fell in love," Buffy said. "You couldn't just wait around for Oz to come back."
Willow nodded, pillowing her head against her arms. "Yeah, I'm just lucky she brought me that cake," she said, grinning.
Buffy laughed. "I'm sure you guys would have found each other," she said reassuringly. "It just might have taken a little longer."
The phone ringing kept Willow from answering, and she turned as quickly as she could on her bed to answer the phone. "Hey, baby," she answered the phone.
Tara laughed on the other end. "What if it had been Giles?" she asked.
"It's almost midnight, Tara. Who else would it have been?" Willow asked, leaning back into her pillows with the phone to one ear.
"Okay, I guess you have a point," Tara conceded. "Are you in bed?" she asked softly.
Willow blushed, covering her eyes with one hand. "Tara," she whispered, surprised. "What…?"
"Not like that, Willow!" Tara corrected her, blushing herself. "I meant that you're sleepy and you should go to bed soon and not let me keep you up," she said, laughing into the phone.
"Yeah," Willow said, yawning uncontrollably. "I'll sleep soon. You too, okay?"
"Okay," Tara agreed, smiling to her empty room. "I'll miss waking up with you in the morning," she confessed quietly, her voice low.
"Me too," Willow sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
"Yes, sweetie. Would it be alright if I came over after I do my presentation for American Studies?" Tara asked.
"Yes," Willow agreed immediately. "Anytime you want to come over. I don't have any tests tomorrow so I'll just be here studying. A Tara-shaped distraction would be perfect."
Tara laughed quietly. "Count on it then. Sleep good, Willow," she said as she heard the redhead yawn on the other end of the line.
"Good night, Tara. I love you."
"I love you too, Will. I'll see you tomorrow," Tara said, hanging up.
Willow hung the phone up, the room quiet. "Buffy? You still awake over there?" she asked, not turning to look, just staring up at the ceiling.
"Yeah Will, I'm here," Buffy said. "What's up?"
Willow let out a deep breath. "Just, thanks for being cool about everything, with me and Tara, I mean. I don't know how I could have dealt with this on my own."
"You would have figured it out, Willow. You're not a genius for no reason," she said, laughing. "I'm really glad you told me though."
"Me too," Willow agreed.
Buffy hesitated, yawning into the pause. "Have you and Tara talked about the summer?" she asked. "She seems to get jumpy anytime someone mentions going home, and she's never left Sunnydale anytime we've had a break so I didn't know if she was staying here, or what."
"She has her reasons not to go home, but I don't know what she's planning on doing for the summer," Willow said. "We've been busy lately. I guess I didn't think to ask her."
Buffy laughed, curling into her pillow. "If your parents are as absentee this summer as they are every other summer, I bet she could stay with you and they'd never notice," she suggested.
"Yeah," Willow agreed hesitantly.
"You don't think she'd go for it?" Buffy asked, surprised. "With all the hiding out we've been doing the last few months, you two have practically been living together anyway."
Willow rubbed at her weak knee, a habit she'd developed since getting the cast off. "I know, it's just…making it official, even just for a few months…that's big."
"Yeah, it is, Will," Buffy agreed. "But listen, I was talking to my mom yesterday, and she said it's okay if Tara wants to stay with us this summer."
Willow sat up in surprise, looking across the room at her friend. "Buffy, really?"
Buffy nodded, smiling. "Yeah. It's completely up to Tara, but just let her know she's got a place at my house if you guys aren't ready to make the leap."
Willow took several quick, shaky, hopping steps, crossing the short distance between their beds, Buffy catching her as she started to fall, both of them laughing. "Thanks, Buffy," Willow gasped. "You're the best."
Buffy laughed as she hugged her best friend. "No problem, Willow," she said, helping Willow sit up, both of them yawning. "Now, we should get some sleep," she suggested. "I don't want anyone's girlfriend mad at me for keeping you up any longer."
"I wouldn't tell," Willow yawned, her eyes drooping heavily.
Buffy laughed, supporting Willow back to her own bed. "I think she'll be able to tell," she commented, guiding Willow under the covers before she clicked off the lights and slipped into her own bed.
Tara knocked softly on Willow's door, hearing her girlfriend call for her to come in. Willow was lying on her bed again, studying. She looked up when Tara came in, smiling distractedly.
"Hey," Tara greeted her quietly.
"How was your presentation?" Willow asked, patting the bed beside her as she moved to give Tara space to join her.
Tara smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "It was fine. I didn't even stutter," she said, something like pride in her voice.
Willow grinned, laughing. "That's my girl!" she cheered, hugging Tara excitedly. "Good job, baby. I'm proud of you."
"Thank you, Willow," Tara said, laughing as Willow's eager hug pulled them down, out of balance. They rolled as Tara's fingers tickled Willow's sides teasingly. Willow squirmed, knocking her book off the bed. Tara stopped tickling her as Willow panted for air, leaning over to pick up Willow's book while the redhead caught her breath.
Willow brushed her fingers over the pages, glancing at Tara shyly. "Tara, can I talk to you?"
Tara could feel the change in the atmosphere and she nodded. "Of course. What's wrong?"
Willow shook her head quickly. "Oh, no! Nothing's wrong, I promise, I just…I wanted to ask you, but I didn't want to pry…"
Tara stopped her with a soft kiss, feeling Willow relax slowly as they kissed. The redhead's hands slipped over the back of Tara's neck, pulling her closer. "You can ask me anything, sweetheart," Tara whispered against Willow's lips. "What is it?"
Willow leaned in for another short kiss, her eyes sliding closed. She pulled back slowly, one hand resting on Tara's cheek as she took a deep breath. "Do you want to…well, what I mean is…do you, what are your…"
Tara hushed her again, smiling encouragingly. "Just ask, Willow. Whatever it is can't be too bad, right?" she asked, starting to feel nervous herself.
Willow nodded. "No, you're right, it's not bad, I'm just nervous. Sorry," she said with an apologetic smile. "I don't know if you know this, but you're dating a spaz."
Tara laughed, brushing Willow's hair back gently with her hand. "I only date spazzy women," she said, shaking her head. "Now, what did you want to ask me?"
Willow smiled more naturally. "I just wanted to ask you about this summer, I mean, your plans for this summer," she said. "I assumed you wouldn't be going home, but I didn't know if you had a place to stay already, or if you maybe would want to stay with…me," she said, her eyes bouncing around the room, anywhere but at Tara.
Tara sucked in a surprised breath, blinking. "Willow, really?"
Willow nodded sheepishly, still looking around her room. "Um, yeah, I mean, if you want to, or need to, or anything. And if you don't want to stay with me, Buffy said her mom doesn't mind if you want to stay there, but I'd love it if you'd stay with me. We've got plenty of rooms, so you wouldn't have to stay with me, but you could just stay in the house…"
"Willow," Tara interrupted her gently, one hand guiding her girlfriend's face up to meet her eyes. "What about your parents?" she asked hesitantly. "They don't know…"
Willow shook her head, biting her lip. "No, they don't, but it's not because I'm ashamed, because I'm not. I love you more than anything, and I'm going to tell them, I just haven't seen them."
Tara's eyes widened. "You haven't seen them?" she asked, surprised. She knew that she'd never met Willow's parents, never heard her on the phone with them, and had never seen Willow go to her own house, but she'd been assuming that Willow just hadn't mentioned seeing them or talking to them. "Not once?"
Willow shook her head again, sighing. "No," she said, almost embarrassed. "They get the reports from my doctor, but I only saw them once at the hospital, a few days after the accident." She shrugged. "They travel a lot," she said sheepishly.
"So they won't be around this summer?" Tara asked. Her fingers moved slowly through Willow's hair, feeling her heart break for her girlfriend. "I'm so sorry, Willow."
Willow blinked in surprise. "Oh, no Tara, it's really not a big deal. I'm so used to it. I just don't want you to think I'm trying to avoid telling them. I just had wanted to tell them in person, but I'll call them right now if you want me to. I'll call my dad's secretary right now and tell her that you're my girl, and I'm sure that he'll get the message within an hour."
Tara quirked an eyebrow at her. "An hour?"
Willow nodded, sighing. "She's not a very good secretary," she said. "I bet he'd call me back if I told him that way though," she teased weakly.
"Willow," Tara said softly. "Honey, I'm sorry. You don't have to tell anybody you don't want to."
"I want to tell everybody I see, Tara," Willow interrupted her earnestly. "I just haven't seen my parents, but I'll go door to door and tell everyone that I love you." She rolled to her feet, taking a moment to get her balance, putting weight on her right leg gradually. "I'll go right now," she said, taking one tentative step.
Tara sat up quickly, wrapping her arms around Willow's waist from behind and pulling her to lean against herself. "Sweetie, it's okay," Tara assured her immediately. "I know you love me, and I know you'll tell them when you're ready. I'm not expecting anything from you, baby. And you're sweet to offer me a place to stay."
"But?" Willow questioned, leaning back into Tara, the blonde on her knees on the bed.
Tara sighed, pressing a kiss behind her ear. "But I'm not sure your parents would be okay with it," she said reluctantly.
"But other than that, you'd live with me?" Willow asked in surprise.
Tara laughed quietly against her neck. "Haven't we been halfway living together already?" she teased softly. She rested her chin on Willow's shoulder. "You don't think it's too fast?" she asked more seriously.
Willow was quiet for a moment, thinking it over seriously. "No," she said. "Not if you're okay with it. I don't want you to feel any pressure. I'm not going to be offended or hurt if you want to stay at Buffy's house. Or if you don't want to stay with either one of us…"
"Willow," Tara sighed. "Sweetie, I'd love to stay with you, if it's really okay with you."
Willow turned her head enough to see Tara's eyes, smiling happily. "It's really, really okay with me," she whispered. "Thank you."
"Thank you," Tara corrected her. "I don't really like the motel that much," she confessed.
"The motel? You can't stay at that place!" Willow protested. "It's horrible! Faith used to live there!" She turned quickly to look Tara in the face. "Have you stayed there before?" she asked, surprised.
Tara shrugged, nodding. "Yeah, last summer. I don't really didn't have anywhere else to stay."
"Well you do now," Willow stated emphatically. "That place is gross."
Tara laughed, curling her arms around Willow's neck. "It's not that bad, Will." She smiled crookedly. "I'm sure your house will be much nicer though," she said reassuringly.
Willow grinned, leaning in slowly. "I guarantee it is. My parents both have very nice taste, even if they're never around to enjoy it." She kissed her gently, fingers moving through soft blonde hair. She could feel Tara's hand in her hair, guiding her closer. She stumbled as she tried to step closer, forgetting their proximity to the edge of her bed, and they tumbled to the side, breaking their kiss to laugh giddily.
"I'm sorry, Willow," Tara gasped. "Are you okay?" Her hand found Willow's knee, stroking gently through her thin pajama pants.
Willow nodded, still giggling. "I'm fine, baby. And I promise you that I'll tell my parents about us as soon as they come home. I have no idea when that might be, but as soon as I see them, I'll tell them."
"It's fine, Willow," Tara said. "I know you love me." She pressed a kiss to her girlfriend's forehead. "That's all I need to know."
"I'm glad, but I need them to know," Willow said quietly. "They are my parents. They should know how happy I am with you."
Tara nodded, meeting Willow's eyes. "I could stay somewhere else, if you want to tell them before…"
Willow shook her head against a pillow. "I want you with me." She blushed. "Unless you'd rather stay with Buffy. She only lives a few minutes away from my house, so I could come over, and I promise I won't be upset if you want to stay there instead, because I know it is kind of fast for us to live together, but I love you and I love spending time with you and I'd love to spend the summer with you and take you to the beach and to the Bronze, but we can do all of that without you living with me of course, but we'd be able to stay in and watch movies together, snuggle on the couch, and…"
She was cut off by Tara's lips, the blonde kissing her passionately. Willow quickly forgot everything she was saying, caught up entirely in returning her lover's affection. Tara's kisses moved to her neck as Willow tried to catch her breath.
"What was I saying?" the redhead panted, holding Tara's head to her. "God, you're good at that," she groaned as Tara sucked her earlobe into her mouth. Tara laughed without stopping her kissing, but rolled rapidly to Willow's side as they both heard the doorknob start to turn.
It was obvious what they'd been doing, but Buffy didn't comment, just winked and shrugged apologetically as Willow glanced over at her with a sigh.
"Hey, guys," Buffy said. "Sorry about that."
Tara and Willow both sat up, the redhead waving her friend's apology away. "No problem. We were just talking. Tara's going to stay with me over the summer."
Buffy grinned. "That's great," she said happily. "We should be neighbors next year," she suggested, putting her books down on her desk with a satisfied sigh. "One test down, four to go."
"Wait a second," Willow said, frowning. "What do you mean neighbors?"
Buffy gave her a look, glancing between the witches. "You know, neighboring rooms. You and Tara, and me," she said slowly, pointing to the pair and then to herself. "We should get rooms that are next to each other, or across the hall, or something."
"Me and Tara?" Willow asked dumbly. "What about me and you? You don't want to be my roommate anymore?" she asked, hurt.
Buffy shook her head rapidly. "No, Willow, of course I do! You're my best friend and I love living with you. I just figured that you and Tara…living together over the summer, you probably wouldn't want to stop when the school year starts again."
Willow and Tara exchanged glances, Tara smiling encouragingly, her expression giving Willow no clue what her girlfriend was thinking. "We, we haven't really talked about it," Tara offered, smiling nervously at Buffy. "I don't want to take your roommate away."
"I know Tara, and I'm not trying to get in between the two of you," Buffy assured her. "Will, I just want you to be happy."
"I am happy, the way it is," Willow said, glancing between her girlfriend and her best friend. "Buffy…"
The Slayer stopped her quickly, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to start anything, Willow. We just need to think about it."
"Yeah, I get it," Willow said, sighing heavily.
Tara glanced between them, frowning. "Willow, honey, you don't have to worry. I'm not going to be hurt if you want to live with Buffy."
"I want to live with both of you," Willow complained. "It's no fair."
Buffy laughed, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. "That's why I suggested being neighbors. Then you guys don't have to worry about being interrupted during your…private time, but we can still be close by."
Both witches blushed brightly, Tara covering her face with both hands. "Hush, Buffy," Willow ordered, pulling Tara's hand down and pressing a kiss to the back of it. "We'll figure it out," she said. "Or, I guess I'll figure it out since it's my decision."
Both of the others gave her supportive smiles, neither one wanting to put any pressure on the redhead. Tara gave her a quick kiss, rubbing her back gently. "How was your exam, Buffy?" she asked, changing the subject.
"It was fine," the Slayer said, shrugging. "How about you two? You had a presentation this morning, right Tara?"
Willow grinned as Tara answered. "It was fine," she said, smiling shyly.
"She did great," Willow bragged. "I mean, I wasn't there, but I'm sure she did great. No stuttering or anything," she said proudly.
Buffy laughed as Tara blushed. "Well, good job, Tara. Will, how was your studying?"
"Good," Willow said, glancing sideways at Tara. "It was time for a break though."
The Slayer laughed, grinning. "I know what you mean," she agreed.
"When does Riley get back anyway?" Tara asked, still blushing brightly.
"Later today," Buffy said happily. "He said he'd call when he was back in town."
"So we won't see much of you tonight," Willow teased, smirking at her friend.
The Slayer sighed heavily. "We still have exams," she lamented.
"Like that's going to stop you," Willow said, rolling her eyes.
"Because it was stopping you," Buffy replied quickly, arching an eyebrow at her friend.
"Okay," Willow protested quickly. "I think we can talk about something else now," she decided, her blush matching Tara's.
Buffy laughed, nodding. "That's fair," she agreed, leaning over to grab a book out of her bag and quickly flipping it open.
They each resumed studying, Tara and Willow stretched out beside each other on Willow's narrow bed. Riley called early in the evening, right before sundown, and Buffy agreed to meet him for a short patrol while Willow and Tara chose to stay in. The blonde had finished all of her presentation preparations, so once she reached the point where she couldn't study anymore for the one final exam she did have, she spent her time scrounging up something for them to eat from the meager supplies in the dorm room.
Willow looked up in surprise as a plate interrupted her stare at her textbook, her eyes following Tara's arm up to her face. "How on earth did you find the stuff to make a pizza?" Willow asked, impressed as she sat up and took the plate.
Tara shrugged. "It's not hard," she said. "I've worked with less," she commented, smiling. "You guys have a toaster oven so that made it easier, and the crust is actually tortillas, but it'll taste pretty much the same as a thin crust pizza."
"I suck at cooking," Willow said, laughing. "So I'm very impressed."
Tara laughed, sitting down beside Willow on the bed. "Well, I'm glad it's so easy to impress you," she teased. "What do you eat during the summer when you're home alone?" she asked, curious.
Willow shrugged, taking a bite of her dinner. "Ramen noodles, or take out if I remember to eat in time to get out and back before the sun goes down," she said easily.
Tara gaped at her, surprised. "Yeah, that's not going to happen this summer," she declared firmly.
Willow looked at her, belatedly realizing that Tara was concerned about her. "Hey, I mean, I'm fine. It's not like I starve or anything. Sometimes I just get distracted, reading, or on the computer, or something." She smiled, leaning in for a kiss but faltering when Tara dodged her.
"No kisses until you eat your dinner," the blonde said teasingly. "You need to take better care of yourself," she chided gently, smiling.
Willow pouted, taking another bite of her slice of pizza. "Fine," she agreed petulantly, smiling after a second as Tara gave her a quick kiss. "That's better," she said, smirking.
"Eat your dinner, you goof," Tara said, laughing and pushing lightly at her girlfriend's head. Willow grinned, finishing her first slice pointedly, pushing a big bite into her mouth with one finger. "If you choke, you won't get any dessert," Tara said, smirking at her.
Willow blinked, her mouth full. "I know we don't have anything in here that even you could turn into a dessert," she said after she choked down her bite.
Tara was still smirking at her. "Are you sure about that?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow at her teasingly.
Willow took a shaky breath, glancing around the room in sudden nervousness. "No," she said slowly, drawing out the word.
Tara held her smirk for a long moment before she broke down into giggles, shaking her head. "Well, you were right, I didn't find anything to make for dessert," she confessed, biting her lip. "Forgive me?"
Willow laughed, pushing lightly at Tara's arm. "You little vixen!" she cried, laughing happily. "You so owe me!"
"What do you have in mind?" Tara asked, leaning over for a kiss. "Buffy's gone for tonight," she reminded her softly, lips brushing against each other as she spoke. Willow pressed forward, kissing her deeply for a few short moments before Tara pushed her back with a gentle hand on her chest. "Dinner first," she prompted quietly. "We've got all night, and I'm not going anywhere."
Willow shook her head silently, smiling as she stole a short kiss. "Definitely not going anywhere," she whispered emphatically, winking as she pulled back so that she was sitting upright. She ate diligently, leaning back as she finished with a satisfied sighed. "You're amazing," she said, rubbing her stomach. "Can I keep you?" she asked, smiling at her as Tara turned to look down at her.
Tara laughed, one hand resting lightly over Willow's on her belly. "I'm yours as long as you want me," she agreed, laughing. "Did you eat too much?" she asked tenderly, her fingers trailing over her girlfriend's shirt gently.
"Someone made me," she answered, winking up at her. "How'd you make something so good out of random stuff you found in here?" Willow questioned, giggling as Tara's fingers slipped under her shirt, tickling softly.
Tara laughed with her, shaking her head. "It was easy, but I'm glad you liked it."
"I'm going to get so fat if you cook like that all summer," Willow groaned happily.
Tara laughed harder, swatting her hand lightly against Willow's flat stomach. "I doubt that very much, love. You're at the gym every other day for hours. I'd have to cook some very bad food for you to beat that," she said, smiling down at her.
Willow blinked up at her, her expression softening. "You called me love," she said quietly, sitting up onto her elbows.
Tara nodded simply, smiling. "Because I love you," she said. "Is it okay that I call you that?" she checked, already leaning over to meet her lover's lips.
Willow's kiss told her exactly what she thought of the term of affection, the redhead turning them to press Tara into the bed. Their position was awkward, both of their legs hanging off the side of the bed. They broke apart to laugh as Willow's knees slipped repeatedly off the edge of the mattress. Willow's lips were immediately on Tara's neck, her hands sliding them gradually back on the bed while Tara let herself be moved, laughing.
"I guess this means you don't mind if I call you that," she commented, arching into her as Willow nipped at her neck, soothing the bite gently. "I'll keep that in mind," Tara gasped, Willow's hands sliding under her back to hold their bodies together.
"Tara, love, less talking, more kissing," Willow requested breathily.
Tara kissed her, laughing happily before kissing her again, giving up speaking in favor of fulfilling Willow's request.
Next Time: The girls have parental issues…