"Hello?"
"Hey Tara, it's Buffy."
Tara swapped her cell phone to her other ear and spun her chair away from her computer to give her friend her full attention.
"Hey Buffy, how's it going?"
"I'm all kinds of good thanks, you?"
"I'm good too."
"Great. So you know how we've got that dance class this evening?"
"How could I forget?" Tara asked with a smile, "Thank you so much again for getting the classes. I've been looking forward to starting them all week.
"Me too," Buffy said and Tara could hear the smile in her voice, "So I was thinking, if the class starts at 7pm, do you want to grab a bite beforehand? You know, make it a proper girl's night. I was talking to Angel; he said he can pick Willow up so we can use your car, if that's okay?"
Tara nodded her head, even though Buffy couldn't see, at the plan, liking the arrangement.
"That sounds great, Buffy. I'll just give Willow a call and she if she's okay with that."
"Already done, amigo. Her and Angel are gonna go for some beers and we're meeting them at the bar afterwards. Willow even drove home at lunch and brought me a bag with your dance clothes."
"Wow, you've got this organising thing down. Okay the, the car is parked over at your carpark," Tara replied, meaning the car was at the FBI offices, "So I'll meet you outside the building at like 5.45pm?"
"Excellent. Okay, Tara, see you then!"
"Bye Buffy."
Tara hung up the phone, a big smile on her face as she thought about the evening ahead. She couldn't remember Buffy mentioning the exact type of dance classes they were going to, but she didn't really care, she just enjoyed the process of moving to a beat.
"What're you so smiley about?" Michelle asked from her desk across from her.
"Just a fun evening planned," Tara replied, before focusing her thoughts back on work, "Did we get anywhere on the Logan Hughes case? The kid we're trying to get into boarding school?"
The rest of the day passed as it normally would for the blonde, in a flurry of paperwork and visits to some of the kids she looked after until the clock told her it was 5:30pm and she shut down her computer before leaving the office with a quick goodbye to Michelle. She walked the quick 10-minute walk to the FBI building, where she saw Willow and Buffy already standing outside, chatting.
"Hey baby," Willow greeted with a kiss when Tara stepped up to them.
"Hey Tara," Buffy greeted as well, "Ready to shake your booty?"
"Just about," Tara grinned and smiled at the redhead when she handed her a small backpack.
"Your clothes," Willow explained unnecessarily, "I hope I got the right things, Buffy told me what you needed."
"I checked, it's all good," Buffy smiled, before giving a small wave as a black Mercedes drove up on the street alongside them, "There's Angel."
Angel rolled down his window and the three girls walked up to him, Buffy leaning down for a quick kiss.
"Hey honey. Work go okay?"
"Much better I can drive again," Angel said, waving his now-cast free arm about, then looking at Willow, "You ready? I found this new bar downtown. Good wings."
Willow nodded and gave Tara a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Have fun at your class!" she said to the other girls as she walked around and got in the passenger seat.
"We'll see you after," Angel nodded as Willow strapped up, "You know the place, right, Buffy?"
"Yep. Rico's," Buffy smiled, "We'll be there about 8.30pm."
Angel and Willow speed off and the girls walked into the building and got the elevator up to the carpark and walked over to the car. Willow and Tara had adopted a system once they'd gotten the car of Willow driving them to work each morning, dropping Tara off and then going to work herself, and then Tara walked over to the FBI building in the evenings to met her wife and drive home, since she liked getting the short walk after work to unwind from her day.
"Do you know where we're going?" Buffy asked as Tara unlocked the car and they both sat in.
"The center's downtown, near St. Paul's, right?" Tara asked, adjusting the mirror slightly, "Where did you want to eat?"
Buffy shrugged.
"I figured we could just find somewhere nearby."
Tara voiced her agreements as they began driving and pulled out of the large carpark and onto the streets of Buffalo. They chatted amiably as they drove the relatively short distant to the district where the dance class was being held and found a small vegetarian restaurant around the corner from the center.
They both ordered salads, not wanting to eat anything too heavy and relaxed until about fifteen minutes before the class was due to start and made their way to the center and into the dressing room.
There was a few people already there, getting changed into various types of clothing for the different classes available. Tara set her bag on one of the benches and opened her bag, surprised when she pulled out a pair of figure-hugging shorts that only reached mid-thigh and a thin-strapped tank top, clothes she generally only wore if they happened to be experiencing a heatwave.
She turned to Buffy with a raised eyebrow.
"This is what you told Willow I need?" she asked, having expecting some loose trousers and a t-shirt, or something like that.
"They give the best range of motion," Buffy said with a shrug, pulling on similar attire, "Besides, you've got great legs, show them off!"
Tara rolled her eyes and shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips before changing into the shorts and top.
"Hey, I just thought," Tara said after a moment, "Am I gonna miss a class when me and Will go to Paris next month?"
"Ah yes, you're finally going on your honeymoon," Buff smiled, "You're going the week of the 20th, right?"
"Yea."
"The class happens every two weeks so..." Buffy closed her eyes and starting whispering numbers, before opening them again, "That falls on one of the off weeks."
"Great," Tara smiled to herself, "I wouldn't want to miss a class if I didn't have to."
They continued changing for the next few minutes until both were finished.
"You ready?" Buffy, putting her hair in a ponytail.
"Sure," Tara nodded, copying her friends action and tying her hair up.
"Okay, good."
Buffy seemed on edge, which surprised Tara, since she knew the other blonde had a long history of martial arts and dance training already but didn't comment on it, figuring it was probably just some tension she needed to relieve, until Buffy led them into a room, the contents of which confused Tara.
"Um, Buffy..." she said, her voice lowered, "I think we're in the wrong room."
Buffy looked around before turning to her friend, shaking her head, nonchalant.
"Nope, this is right."
Tara's face went from perplexed to contemplative until her eyes finally widened in horror as she realised what was going on and she grabbed Buffy's arm, pulling her to the side.
"Ow," Buffy said as she yanked her arm away, "You've got strong arms. That'll help in here."
Tara ignored the comment and stared at her friend.
"Pole-dancing classes?"
"Yea," Buffy nodded, not seeing the issue, "What?"
"It's...it's..."
Buffy sighed and put a hand on Tara's shoulder.
"Look, Tara, it's a great form of exercise, it builds confidence and its fun! Or at least I've been told it's fun. What're you freaking out about?"
"I..." Tara trailed off as she tried to voice her concerns, "It just seems..."
"Tara, look around," Buffy said, understanding the issue, "All types of women here. All shapes, all sizes. There's nothing 'bawdy call-girl' about it. Okay?"
Tara looked around the room and saw the other students, different ages and like Buffy said, all different sizes, all of them looking equally nervous and excited.
"Just try this one class," Buffy continued, "If you hate it, you don't have to come back."
Tara thought for a moment, still unsure, before nodding, deciding she at least owed Buffy trying one class.
"Okay," she said, offering a weak smile, before a though occured to her, "Does Willow know...?"
"I didn't tell her," Buffy replied with a grin, "I didn't tell Angel either...and I'm not planning to. I thought it would be better to..."
"Surprise them when we're finished the classes?" Tara asked, grinning at the idea and the prospects it opened up.
Buffy punched an arm in the air triumphantly.
"See, I knew you'd be into it!"
Tara couldn't help but laugh, her uneasiness disappearing by the minute. Just then someone starting speaking behind them and they turned to see a lithe brunette standing by one of the three poles set up in the room.
"Good evening, ladies, my name is Debbie and welcome to your beginner's pole-dancing class! I know you're all probably nervous, and a little embarrassed, but don't worry, I'm here to help and guide you through everything and if you have any concerns or queries, please don't hesitate to ask me. Now we're gonna get started with some warm-up exercises, and if you decide to practice any of the moves you learn here tonight at home, make sure to do your warm-ups. You'll be using a lot of muscles that you probably haven't used before. Is everyone ready?"
There was a chorus of nods and agreements as Tara and Buffy fell into line with the ten other women who were taking the class and smiled at each other as Debbie started playing some upbeat dance music and guided them though the warm-ups. Everyone had started to break a mild sweat by the time the warm-up had finished and Debbie turned off the music, holding onto one of the poles.
"Is everyone feeling warm? Yes? Good. That means we're ready to start learning some pole-dance moves. I bet you all didn't think you'd be getting on one of these things so soon, huh? The first thing we're gonna learn is just how to hold the simple lock position. It really is quite an easy move, but don't worry if you don't get it right away. All you do is..." Debbie pushed herself up on the pole and moved her legs so she was locked in place on the pole, "And it really is that simple. Now who wants to try first?"
Debbie jumped down off the pole and there was a shuffling of feet as everyone avoided being the first, until Buffy put a hand against Tara's lower back and pushed her out in front of the group. Debbie took this as a sign of volunteering and smiled, pulling Tara up to the pole.
"Wonderful. What's your name?"
"Um, Tara," Tara replied, glaring at Buffy, who just pointed at her arm and grinned, indicating it was payback for when Tara had grabbed her.
Debbie took Tara's hand and put it on the pole.
"Great, Tara, do you want to try the move?"
Tara looked terrified.
"Um..."
"I'll help," Debbie smiled, putting a hand on Tara's back, "Just wrap your legs around the pole..."
Tara tentatively positioned her feet either side the end of the pole.
"Good. Now you're gonna push yourself up the pole. You'll be using your upper body, so push with all the strength you have until your feet are off the floor. Then quickly straighten your left leg out in front of you, and wrap your right leg over it, bending at the knee. You got that?"
"I think so," Tara replied, making sure she had the instructions straight in her head, "Yea, I got it."
Debbie stepped back.
"Okay. Whenever you're ready."
Tara took a deep breath before pushing herself up, the steel bar feeling cold against her thighs, before manoeuvring her legs into the correct position, getting a pleased smile when she managed to stay in place. Debbie clapped her hands together.
"Excellent, Tara. Now just for practice, grip the pole somewhere higher and try to pull yourself up."
Tara managed to do that without too much difficulty and Debbie clapped.
"That was perfect," Debbie said, turning to the group, "Now that's the basic lock position, and once you've mastered that, you can move onto other positions, but for now, we're all gonna learn that. You can slide down now, Tara."
Tara carefully moved down the pole and couldn't help the triumphant grin on her face as she made her way back to Buffy, who patted her on the back.
"You're a natural," Buffy whispered, grinning, "And damn flexible too. Willow's a lucky girl."
Tara blushed but felt proud of herself, smiling all the way through being split up into three groups of four so they all could practice the lock position. They all went a little further on each attempt until most of the group were able to hold themselves on the pole with one hand while they leant back and stretched out the other.
Debbie proceeded to teach everyone some floor moves that could be combined with the pole moves to make a simple routine before starting a cool-down regime, then dismissing the class.
"That was so much fun," Tara said as they made their way back into the dressing room.
"Well now, aren't you glad you didn't just run out," Buffy grinned, "I knew you'd like it."
"Thanks for making me see I was being a ridiculous prude," Tara replied, bumping her shoulder playfully against her friend's.
Buffy grinned.
"My pleasure."
The friends smiled at each other as they started changing back into their regular clothing, before leaving the center with a wave to the other girls from the group and finding their way back to the car and getting in.
"The bar's not far," Buffy said as she closed the car door, "Take Clinton."
Tara turned the key in the ignition and started driving, taking Buffy's directions until they pulled up outside the bar that Willow and Angel were and they walked inside, seeing their significant others sitting across from one another in a booth, laughing at something.
"What's so funny?" Buffy asked as they walked up to the booth and slipped in beside their respective partners.
"Hey," Willow greeted animatedly, before turning to Angel, "Looks like the game is over now. Scowly has someone new to be mad at."
Both Angel and Willow started laughing and the other two just looked at each other, confused.
"Share the joke," Buffy said, punching Angel lightly on the arm.
"See that bartender over there?" Angel asked, using the arm he had wrapped around Buffy's shoulder to discreetly point at a woman behind the bar, "The brunette?"
Both Buffy and Tara nodded 'yes', so Willow continued the story.
"She came over to take our order when she came in and she was super flirty with Angel, but like ignoring me completely. So then we started holding hands over the table and she's been scowling at me ever since. Talk about service without a smile."
Tara laughed at the story and Buffy released a chuckle as well, but narrowed her eyes over at the bartender. The woman seemed to sense she was being looked at and raised her gaze. Buffy locked eyes with her and smirked, before turning and planting a firm kiss on Angel's lips. The bartender's eyes widened before she scurried off to the other side of the bar.
"Way to stake your claim, Buff," Willow said with a laugh before turning to Tara, "I think I need to stake mine, too."
"Oh really?" Tara grinned before their lips met gently for a moment.
"How was your class?" Willow asked when they pulled back.
Tara fought the urge to snigger, opting instead to just glance briefly at Buffy and nod her head.
"Interesting. Definitely interesting."
"Well, good," Willow smiled, "Do you guys want drinks?"
"Hey, why aren't you guys drunk?" Buffy asked, raising an eyebrow, "You've been here for almost three hours."
"Oh we just had the one beer when we came in," Willow answered, "Angel's driving and I wasn't sure whether Tara would want some drinks and I'd be driving us home, so we just stuck to the one."
"I don't want any," Tara shook her head, "I'll just get a coke."
"Yea, me too," Buffy agreed, "I need a clear head for work tomorrow."
Willow got up and got a round of cokes for everyone, coming back to the booth just as the sound of someone singing came from the side.
"What's going on there?" Buffy asked.
"It's open mic night," Angel answered.
Buffy's eyes lit up and she turned to Angel, looking at him excitedly.
"Honey, you should so get up there!"
Angel's eyes widened in horror and he started to shake his head vigorously, but Buffy was having none of it.
"Yes, you have to! Your guitar's in the trunk of the car, remember? From when you went to get the string fixed or whatever. Go get it and get up there!"
"Buffy, I really don't-"
"I'll sing with you," Tara said suddenly, surprising the others at the table. She wouldn't normally volunteer for something like that, but she was feeling empowered from the pole-dance class, "If you want."
Angel saw he was going to be on the losing end of the argument, but the prospect of doing a number with Tara as oppose to on his own was definitely a better option so he shrugged with a small smile.
"Well, alright then. I'll go get the guitar."
Angel left to go out to his car and Willow turned to her wife, excitedly biting her lip.
"I love it when you sing. You sound so sexy."
"I love Angel playing guitar," Buffy said, mostly to herself as she looked off dreamily, "Watching his fingers strum those strings..."
Willow giggled at her friend's demeanour just as Angel returned, a guitar bag swung over his left shoulder. He looked over, and seeing that the stage was currently empty, nodded at Tara, then over at the stage.
Tara smiled and nodded back, standing up and walking over to the small stage where a couple of stools and microphones already sat in waiting, a piano off to the side for anyone who wanted to use it.
"What songs do you know?" Tara asked in a low voice, as she took a seat on one of the stools.
They talked over song choices for a few moments before settling on a choice and Angel sat on the other stool, pulling the microphone towards him.
"Um, hello," he said into it, nodding as he got the attention of most of the decently-filled bar, "We'd like to dedicate this one to our ladies."
He looked over at Tara and mouthed a countdown to her before he started strumming the opening beats of Bryan Adam's 'Heaven'. Tara started singing the lyrics when the time came and Angel joined in to sing the chorus with her, both of them staring at their respective significant others.
Baby you're all that I want,
When you're lying here in my arms,
I'm finding it hard to believe ,
We're in heaven.
And love is all that I need,
And I found it there in your heart,
It isn't too hard to see,
We're in heaven.
Both couple's eyes stayed locked on each other throughout the whole song until Tara and Angel finished, soft guitar chords ending the song. Most of the patrons applauded as the two smiled and took a small bow, before making their way back to the booth.
"That was so hot."
Both Buffy and Willow said the sentence at the same time before Tara and Angel got pulled into a steamy kiss, lasting several seconds before both couples separated, after which Angel and Tara couldn't help but grin cheekily at each other, both thinking the same thing.
I'm totally getting lucky tonight.