TareBearRS: Well now the wait's over
Chapter 13: Pre-Rapids“I cannot believe that just happened!” Willow said incredulously for what must have been the 25th time since they had left the lemonade stand. “That did so NOT just happen!” she looked at Buffy. “Did it?”
Buffy, who had finally gotten her laughter under control, just lost control once more. Between her giggles she somehow managed to get the words out, “Oh yes! It really, really did!”
Willow buried her hands in her head, “Oh my God!” she moaned.
Xander patted her on the back, “Don’t worry Will!” he smirked, “It happens to the best of us.” The sarcasm in his voice didn’t go unnoticed by Willow.
“Oh yes,” Anya commented dryly, “I’m sure the nice lemonade girl sees hot lesbian witches eating each others tonsils out all the live-long-day!”
Willow looked mortified. She looked over at Tara and saw her shoulder’s shaking and her hand over her mouth. Was she…laughing? She stared at her girlfriend, “You think this is
funny?” she asked in amazement.
Tara just nodded, eyes squinting as she continued to try to get her giggles under control. She was unsuccessful. Tara’s unexpected laugher became contagious to the rest of the Scoobies, save Willow who was still completely horrified.
Buffy sat down on a nearby bench to keep herself from falling down. She put her hands on her knees but as she was doing so her hand bumped a lump in her shorts. Her eyes lit up as an idea came to her. She jumped up. “I’ll be right back.” She told the group, before speeding back the way they had just come before anyone could ask where she was going. She chuckled inwardly.
Willow’s gonna kill me.***
Once Buffy got back about 10 minutes later Willow had somewhat recovered from her not-so-minor case of hysteria.
“Where’d you hurry off to?” Dawn asked her once they’d gotten up and continued on their trek to the Roman Rapids. Buffy and Dawn had taken the lead, leaving the 4 others to trail them about 6 feet behind leaving them to talk privately.
“Nowhere.” Buffy said, a smirk tugging at her lips. Dawn shook her head. Her sister sucked at lying.
“Whatcha talkin ‘bout?” Xander bounded up from behind them, leaving Anya with the 2 witches behind them.
“Nuthin.” Buffy said quickly.
Dawn rolled her eyes and spoke what she though just moments before, “Buffy, you sucked at lying when you were little, and now that your older you’re even worse.”
Buffy giggled and pulled Xander’s camera out of her pocket and handed it back to Xander. “If you think Wills was embarrassed before, wait till the pictures get developed.”
Xander and Dawn grinned, “What’d you do?”
Buffy’s face blew into a full-fledged grin. “Just took a picture.”
“Of what?” Dawn asked excitedly.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Buffy answered teasingly.
“Oh come on!” Xander whined.
“Let’s just say that Willow hasn’t seen the last of the lemonade lady.”
“You didn’t!” Dawn grinned.
Buffy nodded. “I did.”
Xander clapped his hands together, “Oh this is too good!”
“I can’t wait to see the expressions on their faces!” Dawn said, jumping up and down.
“Me either!” Buffy replied.
Behind them they heard a shriek and turned around to see what the commotion was about. They saw Willow and Tara, both with humiliated looks on their faces, gaping at Anya who turned to look at the other 3 with large innocent eyes. “What?”
Willow’s mouth opened but then just snapped shut, as if the ability to form words had escaped her knowledge for the time being. “What happened?” questioned Xander, who inwardly cringed.
Tara shook her head and blinked a few times before quickly answering, “Nothing!”
Buffy and Dawn looked at Anya who looked back at them, “What?” she asked again.
“What’d you say?” Buffy asked.
Anya huffed. “I just asked if they’d eve-”
“Nothing!” Tara cut in. “She didn’t ask anything! Did you Anya?” she gave the ex-demon a look that made the ex-demon shut her mouth with a snap.
Anya shook her head and said nothing else.
Buffy decided not to push as they continued on in silence. She was sure she didn’t want to know anyway.
***
After about 10 more minutes of walking, in which Anya has successfully accomplished the task of keeping her mouth shut, they were at the entrance of Roman Rapids.
Xander sized up the line, “Doesn’t look too bad.”
Dawn shrugged.
Willow pushed herself up onto the bar and put her feet on the lower bar opposite of her, balancing herself so she wouldn’t have to overcome a repeat of the Battering Ram and Anya’s little incident. She grinned wickedly; of course, she wouldn’t mind if Tara caught her…
Lost in thought about her and Tara, she didn’t notice when the line moved up.
“Willow.” Dawn called.
No answer.
“Willow?”
Still no acknowledgment.
Dawn gave up trying to get Willow’s attention by calling her name so she took it to the next level. Leaning over, she stuck out her finger and quickly jabbed it into Willow’s side, causing the redhead to shriek and jump off the bar.
Looking wildly around, she spotted Dawn shaking a finger at her, sporting a triumphant look.
“You poked me!”
“You deserved it.” Dawn countered.
“Did not!”
“Did too!”
“Did not!”
Tara stepped in between them effectively shutting them up. She looked at Dawn and then at Willow. “Stop it you two.”
“Sorry.” Willow muttered, hanging her head.
Tara smiled and playfully patted Willow on the head. Behind her, Dawn made eye contact with Willow and mouthed, “Did too!”
Willow’s eyes widened, “I did not!”
Dawn sniggered. “Willow!” Tara scolded.
“But she –” her protest was cut short by a Tara-finger placed over her mouth.
“Am I going to have to put you over my knee?” she asked playfully.
Willow grinned, “Yes please!”
“Gross! Get a room!”
Their playful banter was interrupted as 3 teenage punks caught onto their conversation and one voiced his much unwanted opinion. Willow was furious but before she could do or say anything Buffy got there first.
“Hey!” Buffy shouted, getting in his face, “Back off!” she was at least 7 inches shorter than him but that didn’t phase her one bit.
The punk looked back at his friends and laughed, “Oh yeah Blondie,” he said, getting nose to nose with her, “Whatcha gonna do about it?”
Tara saw Buffy clench her fists but pulled Buffy away before she could permanently damage the punk. “Let it go,” she told her, “they’re not worth it.” She glanced back to the punks who were all laughing and narrowed her eyes.
“Oh come on, I wasn’t going to hurt em!” Buffy whined, before adding in a much lower tone, “much.”
Willow continued glaring at them, never once taking her eyes off the one punk who had had the nerve to speak up.
The punk who’d spoken happened to have a drink in his hand, which just so happened to be full.
Oh! Willow thought.
How convenient!Before she did anything however, the drink suddenly flew out of the punk’s hand and landed all over his crotch.
Willow stared at him dumbfounded. “Shit!” she heard him shriek before putting his hands over his lower region and running to the bathroom, followed by his friends, who both just so happened to have some soda on them too.
“Willow!” Buffy said, shocked.
Willow’s eyes widened and she shook her head, “I didn’t do it!” she said truthfully holding up her hands in innocence.
Buffy slowly turned her head towards Tara. The blonde had a smirk upon her face and she gave the Slayer a little half wave to acknowledge Buffy’s unspoken assumption.
Anya looked between the backs of the retreating punks and Tara before beaming, “Go Tara!”
“Well they deserved it.” Tara commented with a smirk.
Willow grinned, “They did, didn’t they!”
“Damn straight!” Tara said confidently. “Well, then again not so much.” She added as a second thought, shooting a wink in Willow’s direction.
“Next!”
Just then they had all realized that they were next up in line.
“How many?” the teenaged employee asked in a bored tone that made it very clear he didn’t want to be there.
“6,” came the answer.
He led them over to a completely deserted raft and waited until they were all buckled in before sending them off without so much as a “enjoy your ride”.
Then they were off.
TBC...
It's better to be pissed off than to be pissed on. - My mantra on a bad day.
And never let it be said that I left a Tara craving unsatisfied. - Willow in Wilderness