********
TITLE: Adult Confidential
WRITER: Laragh
CHAPTER RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: Willow, Tara and any other characters from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise belong to Joss Whedon, FOX, ME and a whole host of other entities, none of which are me.
SUMMARY: They’ve graduated, now they’re faced with the big, bad world of adulthood…the second part in the prequel series of
Hacker Confidential and
Family Confidential (and follow-up to
College Confidential)
SPOILERS: Perhaps minor references to the show or stealage of dialogue, but nothing that would spoil the series.
FEEDBACK: Yes please
Chapter 30 ********
Tara tapped the last button to turn her work computer off and spun her chair around to stand.
She donned her jacket and buttoned it up to protect herself from the blustering winds outside. She was one of the only ones left in the office, and was about to join her colleagues in leaving it behind for a few days to enjoy the holidays.
She put her phone in one pocket and her T pass card in the other so she wouldn’t have to expose her hands for longer than necessary on her journey home. Finally, her computer screen went blank and she made her way out of the office for the well-needed break.
Her foot was on the threshold when Alice came rushing around, all in a fluster.
“Tara. Thank god I caught you.”
Tara glanced down and saw Alice was holding one of the ‘on call’ cell phones, which were the direct line for the after-hours service.
She tensed.
She hoped she wasn’t about to be asked what she thought she was about to be asked.
“I’m not rostered on for Christmas.”
Alice looked both apologetic and desperate.
“Someone bailed, they’re snowed in. I’m in a bind.”
Tara’s face flickered with frustration.
“I took Thanksgiving. I was in the hospital the whole time and only got about 20 minutes with Willow the whole weekend.”
Alice put her hands together in a prayer pose.
“It’s 2IC, so you’ll only be called in if there’s overflow. I have to have everyone confirmed before I leave and I’m getting on a flight to Minnesota in an hour. We’re doing Christmas in Duluth with my brother and it’s the last flight out. Please, you’ll be doing me a huge favour.”
Tara sighed and shoved the second phone in her pocket.
“Someone has to do it.”
Alice hugged Tara gratefully.
“Thank you.”
“Have a nice time with your family,” Tara said, managing to just about keep the grumble out of her voice, “Happy Holidays.”
“Are you coming to my New Year’s party?” Alice asked kindly, “I was a convert after your party last year. Never had one before, thought I'd throw my hat in the ring.”
“Guess that depends on if I’ll be working,” Tara replied, a little clipped.
“I promise I won’t schedule you for New Year’s,” Alice said, still apologetic in her tone, “And I can give you an extra vacation day.”
Tara considered it.
“Is that in lieu of overtime pay?”
Alice shook her head.
“No, it’s a non-official ‘I’ll cover your ass if you cover mine’ kind of offer.”
“It would be nice to have an extra day free,” Tara admitted.
Alice squeezed Tara’s shoulder.
“You are a lifesaver,” she said, then embraced Tara again, “Enjoy your Christmas and I’ll see you next week.”
Tara gave a pursed lips smile and headed out before anything else was landed on her.
She kept her head down as she walked out into the blistering cold, flecks of slushy snow hitting her face and getting in her eye.
The streets were pretty in the darkness with twinkling lights and that festive spirit hanging in the air. The cold, however, detracted from all of it and Tara barely looked up between her office and the T station.
The station was more crowded than an airport on Christmas Eve and Tara was stuck standing around for twenty minutes before they made the announcement that a lot of lines were discontinued because of ice.
There was a collective groan, louder than the would-be rumble of the train that wasn’t showing up and people starting pulling out phones to check bus timetables or hail cabs.
Tara walked out and rounded the corner to the bus stop, but once she saw the mass of people gathering around it, she just continued walking past. A cab would cost a fortune in this bumper-to-bumper traffic and they were broke anyway. She’d appreciate the salary bump in the new year with the holiday overtime, even if she was silently cursing Alice’s name under her breath still.
With little other option, she began a careful trek home, watching her feet with every move to ensure she didn’t go flying across the ice.
It was a messy and at times precarious trip, with wheels skidding past her and endless beeping of horns by frustrated drivers. She was close to flipping some of them off as they drove past her with no consideration of stoplights or her right of way.
Finally she turned the corner onto her street and saw the sweet snow-covered steps leading up to the building.
Her boots made heavy prints in the snow as she ascended them and she shook herself off before slipping inside the building.
The heat rushed at her red cheeks and made her get that freeze-burn feeling. She patted them a few times as she made her way up to the second floor and got some feeling back.
Her key went in the door and was delighted to feel the apartment even warmer from whatever Willow was cooking in the oven.
“God, It’s like a Beijing traffic jam out there.”
“There you are!” Willow said from the kitchen, lifting her phone and waving it around, “I’ve been calling!”
Tara took her cell phone out of her pocket and noticed the missed calls.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear it. The winds are howling,” she apologised, “The T is shut down, I had to walk.”
“Jesus,” Willow replied, coming over and shutting the door behind Tara, “Come in, you must be freezing.”
Tara emptied her pockets and started to take her jacket off, but Willow picked up the work phone immediately.
“And what is this?” she asked accusingly, before her face turned angry when she saw the contrite look on Tara’s face, “You did Thanksgiving!”
Tara hung her jacket up, rubbed her hands together for warmth, then took Willow’s hands in hers.
“I’m sorry, honey. There was no choice. But I’m getting another day off instead, so…”
She pressed herself close to Willow and eyed her seductively.
“We can have a long weekend sometime…just the two of us…with no reason to go to sleep…”
Willow’s cheeks flamed to match Tara’s cold ones and plenty of very warming images played through her mind. She leaned in and kissed Tara’s icy lips but had to pull away for fear they’d stick together like a tongue to a frozen pole.
She put the work phone back down on the table and sighed.
“I know it’s not your fault. Just…blah. You’re getting paid, right?”
Tara nodded.
“Holiday pay. Time and a half.”
“Well that’ll set off our new year right,” Willow conceded.
Tara smiled.
“My thoughts exactly.”
Willow brushed her fingers against Tara’s cheek, which sent a shiver down her spine.
“That cheek is like ice. I’m running you a hot bath.”
“For two?” Tara asked invitingly.
Willow grinned and winked.
“If you’re lucky.”
“It can be my Christmas gift,” Tara suggested.
Willow offered her hand to Tara to lead the way.
“Trust me, the gift is all mine.”
They giggled their way into the bathroom and got undressed while the tub filled.
Willow got in first and Tara sat in opposite, hissing slightly as the warm water so radically consumed her frozen skin. She settled her legs, scooted her butt until she was comfortable, then relaxed back.
“Now this is heaven.”
She reached up and took her hair down, letting fall past her shoulders, just above the water line. Willow’s hips squirmed beneath.
“Hey, are you trying to turn me on?”
Tara folded her arms behind her head, alluringly.
“Might be.”
Willow couldn’t help but notice Tara’s chest pop up.
“You’re very good at it.”
Tara just smirked, then leaned her head back and inhaled softly from the warm air, which had a sweetness to it.
“You know there’s a really nice smell around. Did you light a Christmas candle?”
Willow shook her head.
“I’m cooking gingerbread.”
Tara’s eyebrow arched.
“Wow. You are?”
“Don’t sound
so surprised,” Willow replied good-naturedly, then turned shy, “I actually thought maybe we could make a house together. I bought gum drops and mini marshmallows and liquorice and peppermints and all kinds of stuff to decorate.”
Tara smiled softly.
“I’d love to make a gingerbread house with you. That’s such a sweet idea.”
Willow returned the smile.
“At least we’ll get to do one festive thing together,” she lamented with a soft sigh, “And we did get Hanukkah.”
Tara lifted her foot and used her big toe to draw circles on Willow’s chest. She sent a sultry smirk across the tub.
“Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel…”
Willow’s cheeks flushed some more.
“You seem warmed up.”
Tara pushed her back off the bath and started to crawl over to Willow.
She pushed her face up closed to Willow, her eyes falling between Willow’s eyes and her lips.
“Very.”
Willow started to close the gap, but as their lips were on the verge of touching, the timer started going off in the kitchen.
Willow’s nose scrunched.
“Hold that thought?”
Tara lounged back with a sigh.
“You torture me, Willow Rosenberg.”
“But I do it out of love,” Willow replied as she hopped out.
Tara watched Willow’s butt shimmy into a robe, then held her breath and dunked herself under the water to refresh herself. She decided to wash her hair while it was wet and then joined Willow five minutes later in her robe.
Willow was organising the candies and frosting and smiled over when Tara appeared.
“Good timing. I need your steady artist’s hand.”
Tara’s sash was loosely tied and Willow got an eyeful as she sat down.
“Um, I…um…” she stumbled, before blinking repeatedly and sitting down too, while clearing her throat, “I have baked ziti in the oven. Was just waiting for the gingerbread to cook.”
“I love, love, love your baked ziti,” Tara gushed.
Willow smiled. She was turning into a moderately okay cook, she thought.
“All the down time has some benefits.”
Tara scooted her chair closer.
“We should use the white frosting to form the house, so it looks like snow on the house.”
“Yes!” Willow replied eagerly, “And the peppermints for the windows and door and gumdrops for the roof. Then we can line the ground with mini marshmallows to be pillow-y snow and I have some green frosting to have the grass be poking through.”
“You’ve thought this through,” Tara complimented, “And I have no doubt this gingerbread shapes have been formed with perfect geometric equation so as fit together, as your lovely brain dictates.”
Their shoulders rubbed together.
“You’re sweeter than pi,” Willow replied, grinning, “Geddit?”
Tara shook her head with a smile and held up the first two sides of the house for Willow to paste together with the frosting. They laughed as they continued building it, tossing candies into each other’s mouths and dabbing one another’s cheeks and noses with the frosting.
Tara smeared some frosting all over Willow’s lips, then caught her cheeks and pulled her in to kiss it all off.
Willow giggled against Tara’s lips and gave her an Eskimo kiss. Tara licked the excess frosting from her own lips that had transferred.
“I like playing house with you.”
Willow smiled, then went into the kitchen and quickly returned with two gingerbread people, one with blue dabs of frosting for eyes and one with green.
“Hey, look, look,” she said as she brought them over and made them ‘play’ in the gingerbread yard, “I made gingerbread us-es!”
Tara watched them for a moment, then leaned over and bit the green-eyed cookie’s head off.
Willow’s mouth dropped and she gaped at her girlfriend in shock.
“You ate my head!”
“You’re delicious,” Tara said as she swallowed.
“Oh you be careful, I’ll eat you up!” Willow threatened playfully.
Tara’s eyebrow rose challengingly, while her lips quirked sideways.
“Come and get me.”
Tara woke naturally for the first time in a while; uninterrupted by cell phones, alarms or snoring.
She immediately made a grab for her cell, anticipating a torrent of missed calls and a mess to tidy up. She found it fully charged, working functionally and without a single message or alert.
She very carefully put it down lest it suddenly bombard her with a torrent of communications, took in the time flashing on the clock and the fact she got so much interrupted sleep, and cast her eyes towards the sleeping Willow beside her.
She reached up and brushed some hair off Willow’s cheek, then tickled it lightly with her finger. Willow’s eyes flickered open and stared up at the ceiling for a few moments, then her head fell towards Tara. She smiled.
Tara returned it.
“Hey gorgeous.”
“Hey yourself,” Willow greeted back sleepily, her long lashes slowly blinking over her eyelids, “Hey…did we cuddle all night?”
Tara nodded.
“It was very nice.”
“You didn’t get call–” Willow started but Tara silenced her with a finger against her lips.
“Don’t jinx it.”
Willow’s eyes widened and she nodded solemnly. Tara leaned in to press a long smooch against Willow’s cheek while putting an arm around her waist and snuggling in.
“Merry Christmas.”
Willow stroked the arm around her waist.
“And to you. Looks like it’s snowing again.”
They looked out the window together and watched the flakes fall, though it seemed less aggressive than the blizzard like conditions of the few days previous.
Tara inhaled a breath of the warm air, grateful not to be out in that snow again, and sat up to stretch.
“Why don’t I make us some hot chocolate and we can do presents by our little tree.”
Willow watched Tara’s pyjama top ride up and expose her back. She resisted brushing her hand against that bump at the base of her girlfriend’s spine and cast her eyes upwards to Tara, who was looking over her shoulder at her.
“…that sounds lovely.”
Tara just shot Willow an ‘I know what you were doing’ smirk and shuffled off the bed to head out into the kitchen.
Willow rolled onto the other side of the bed and inhaled softly from Tara’s pillow as she luxuriously stretched. When she was ready, she swung her legs over the bed, pulled her comfy robe over her body and padded out of the bedroom in her fluffiest socks.
She heard the spurting sound of an aerosol can and approached Tara in the kitchen eagerly.
“Do I hear whipped cream?”
Tara held the can at Willow’s mouth and squirted some in. While Willow was swallowing it all, Tara shot some onto her nose and kissed it off.
Willow giggled and stuck her tongue out to try and reach an errant bit of white on the end of her nose.
Tara added some cream to their steaming mugs, put the can back in the fridge and offered Willow her hot chocolate. They made their way into the living space by their mini-tree Tara had picked up their first Christmas together and sat on the floor, opposite each other with their legs stretched out.
Willow held her mug in both hands and inhaled the steam.
“SuperTara’sMagicChristmasMadeByDrinkingSwissMiss,” she sang, off-key, then continued humming as she took a warming sip, “This is yummy.”
Tara dragged a present from under the tree and passed it over.
“If it’s ‘yummy’ you’re into…”
Willow held the heavy gift in her hand and looked at it peculiarly. She ripped it open and her eyes grew wide when she saw the five pound gummy bear.
“Oh my god!” she said as she freed it from its packaging and began nibbling on its ear, “Amazing! Thank you!”
She tore the ear clean off and used her foot to nudge the other gift under the tree towards Tara.
“Open yours, open yours.”
Tara picked out the bulky, square gift from under the tree, feeling its softness beneath the wrapping paper.
Willow watched intently as Tara peeled back the wrapping, hoping it would be well-received.
She’d been scouring those discount voucher sites in her quest to get Tara something nice and nabbed a deal to create the personalised gift.
Tara finally freed the contents and revealed a cushion embossed with pictures of them on the front and back. Tara’s smile lit up her whole face.
“It’s a Willow-pillow!”
“You’re in there too,” Willow replied sheepishly.
Tara hugged the cushion to herself, then launched herself at Willow, kissing and hugging her and only narrowly missing making Willow spill her hot chocolate.
“I love it so much. Thank you.”
Willow put her mug down and closed her arms around Tara.
“I’m so glad you like it.”
“I
love it,” Tara clarified precisely.
She leaned in, swooping in for a smooch with her hands splayed on Willow’s thighs.
Willow placed her hands delicately either side of Tara’s face, gently pulling her closer.
Tara pushed her tongue against Willow’s teeth, then retracted it teasingly the moment it entered her girlfriend’s mouth. She felt Willow pull at her cheeks again, but she just sat back, holding her pillow to her chest. She smiled down at it happily, then transferred her smile to Willow.
“I’m going to have a shower.”
“Okay…” Willow replied, trying not to show her disappointment.
Tara stood and left her gift down on the couch, in a prominent display. She took two steps towards the bathroom, then looked back over her shoulder at Willow.
“Are you going to join me?” she asked expectantly.
Willow grinned, jumped up and all but shoved Tara into the bathroom.
“The bathroom is becoming my favourite room in the apartment!”
She turned the water on to give it a moment to heat up whilst they speedily undressed.
Willow pressed her front to Tara’s back as they climbed into the shower, locked together.
Tara tilted her head back under the spray and Willow took advantage, softly nuzzling her nose into her girlfriend’s parting.
“How do you smell so good when you haven’t even washed your hair yet?”
Her hands curved around Tara’s hips, fingers splaying over the prominent bone and lightly teasing the corners of her mound.
Tara placed her palms over Willow’s hands, holding them in that spot. Her hips squirmed slightly, pushing her butt back into Willow, who pressed forwards insistently.
After a few moments, Willow took some shower gel in her hands and did Tara the great service of washing her breasts for her. Tara lathered her own hair with shampoo, then took some soap too and turned to get her hands around Willow’s ass.
It happened quickly and Willow jumped in surprise, but was soon grinning and turned her head in to capture Tara’s lips.
Suds rushed past their faces as the shampoo was stripped from Tara’s hair, finally replaced again with just the clear, warm water.
Tara was getting nice, full handfuls of Willow’s butt and a nice, deep tasting of her tongue. Her knees had just begun to bend in a crouch, when a faint but painfully disruptive and annoying ringing trickled through the shower curtain and into her ears.
Willow knew the ringtone well and stepped away from Tara, though not without a sigh.
“Bathus interruptus yet again.”
Tara was less courteous about it all and rolled her eyes violently.
“I knew it was too good to be true.”
She placed her hands over Willow’s shoulders and squeezed softly.
“I’m sorry, honey.”
“I understand,” Willow said without verbal complaint, though with an unmistakable exhalation of frustration, “Work is work.”
Tara pecked Willow’s lips apologetically and stepped out of the shower.
Willow washed her hair without much enthusiasm and opted not to dawdle or enjoy a long shower now the fun had been taken away.
She turned off the water, stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself and walked into the bedroom.
Tara was standing by the closet, buttoning up a shirt with her cell phone caught between her ear and her shoulder, clearly frustrated.
“We’re at zero. We don’t have anyone that can come out.”
Tara got a pained look on her face as she listened to whoever was on the other end and she physically moved her head against the wall and gently banged her forehead.
She straightened back up, resigned.
“Okay, look. I can come down. Yes, alright. Goodbye.”
Tara hung up the call, shook the phone and dramatically dropped onto the bed to pull her boots on.
“I have to go out to the suburbs, I’m sorry. They’re a carer down and we’ve exhausted all of our fall-backs.”
Willow was acquiescent and just nodded.
“How are you going to get there?”
“I’ll have to go to the office and get the car,” she said, puffing out a breath, “So I’ll have to open up the office, start up my computer, log the car out, find the keys wherever they are in the front desk, close up, find the car and drive out there.”
“At least get a cab to the office. Don’t walk in this cold again,” Willow said with concern, “I’ll call one so you don’t have to roam the streets.”
Tara blew Willow a kiss, who accepted it with a smile, despite being disappointed about their day being cut so short.
Tara gathered her things and donned a jacket before approaching Willow to give her a kiss goodbye.
“I’m so sorry.”
Willow waved a hand.
“Forget about it. I’m still looking forward to that night of no sleep.”
Tara offered a promising, sly wink, embraced Willow quickly and went downstairs to wait for the cab.
Though snowy, the streets were relatively clear and she got to the office without too much delay. There was the odd light shining from a window outside the building, as other companies with workaholic employees spent their holiday labouring away.
She had the key ready for the front doors of the DCFS offices and opened up silently, seemingly the only person on that particular floor. Her computer took an age to start up, so she made and drank a cup of coffee as she waited.
The caffeine stimulated her brain and she suddenly got an idea.
She took her phone out and dialled home.
Willow picked up after two rings and Tara forwent any pleasantries.
“You were background checked before starting at the senior centre, weren’t you?”
Willow sat on the couch, an eyebrow arched.
“Yes…”
“Do you want to come with me?” Tara proposed, “You don’t have to, but if you want to…”
“Of course I want to come, can I?” Willow asked, excited to have a second chance to spend the day with Tara, “I’ll bring them the gingerbread house!”
“That’s so sweet, I’m sure they’ll love it,” Tara replied happily, “Okay, I’ll collect you in fifteen.”
She hung up and found herself less frustrated with her slow computer. She just hummed to herself as she waited. She made quick work of registering Willow on the volunteer’s list with clearance from the relevant agency and approval from a social worker; her.
She found the car keys easily, in a little box on the front desk and locked the office up again. In the elevator, she met a weary-looking man in a shirt and loose tie, carrying a large coffee.
“No rest for the wicked, eh?” he commented tiredly.
“I’ll need to start being bad if I’m going to be punished like I am,” Tara replied jokingly.
The man eyed her with more interest than before.
“I could spare 10 minutes…”
“Sorry,” Tara said, clearing her throat and staring ahead, “I’m in a relationship.”
“Come on, nobody who works on Christmas has a boyfriend,” the man objected.
“Just a very understanding girlfriend,” Tara replied, grateful when the elevator doors opened and she could step out, “Happy holidays.”
The man grumbled and Tara sighed.
“Can’t even joke anymore without the creeps coming out,” she muttered, before finding her way around the large parking lot to the state car.
She sat in, adjusted the seat from the last person in it and locked the doors just to be on the safe side. She pumped up the heating, checked the fuel gage and got a pleasant surprise to see the last person had filled it up.
She turned the radio on and hummed to Christmas tunes as she drove back to their street. She’d planned to call Willow when she arrived, but Willow was already waiting on the steps.
Tara unlocked the car and Willow jumped in, rubbing her hands together.
“Toasty in here. Wish we could afford a car,” she said and joined Tara in the humming, “Jingle-bell, jingle-bell, jingle-bell rock!”
She strapped in and held the gingerbread house very carefully on her lap.
“Watch the pot holes, chauffeur.”
“Yes, m’lady,” Tara answered diligently, carefully pulling off the curb.
“So what should I expect?” Willow asked with a hint of nervousness to her voice.
“Just stick with me and don’t do anything you’re not expressly told to do,” Tara advised easily, “We’ll just be doing things like supervising play outside, getting everyone to sit down to eat. No specialised care or anything like that...”
“I think I can handle that,” Willow replied with a slow nod “You’re not going to get in trouble from bringing me, are you?”
Tara shook her head.
“No, we’ve had last minute chaperone changes and stuff before. It’s just a matter of registering your name and you’re cleared automatically if your name is in the database for background checks. It’s already done and dusted. At least we’ll be able to see each other this way.”
Willow reached over and briefly squeezed Tara’s hand on the wheel.
“I’ll take that over a lonesome day in the apartment any day.”
They shared a smile and Tara turned off for the exit out of the city.
When they got to the group home, the noise could be heard from outside and Willow got an apprehensive look on her face. Tara rubbed her back for a moment, then rang the doorbell.
A male carer answered and the noise increased tenfold and he did seem rattled by it, which was unusual. He seemed relieved to see them, or Tara at least.
“Tara, thanks for helping us out.”
Tara just nodded that it was okay, and gestured towards Willow.
“I brought a volunteer. She’s not a professional, so volunteer status only.”
“She cleared?” the man asked and Tara nodded, “We’ll take all the help we can get.”
He welcomed them in and brought them into the living space where 15 kids were running around, varying in ages from 5 to 16.
Everyone stopped when they saw the gingerbread house, then just launched themselves at it, grabbing at it and shoving whatever they got in their mouths.
Willow was left moments later with a shell of the house and the occasional lonesome mini-marshmallow, falling along the base like tumbleweed.
“Jesus,” she said, then cleared her throat after a look from the carer in the room, “I mean, um…Jeez.”
“Get used to it, sweetheart,” Tara whispered into her ear with a grin, “Here, if you don’t eat fast, you don’t eat.”
“Right,” Willow nodded, blinking a few times, “Got it.”
She hung back while Tara was debriefed and watched how all the children interacted. There was lots of pulling and stealing, but also camaraderie and a gentleness towards the very young kids.
It broke Willow’s heart a little to think this was their home but she knew she had to snap out of that if she was going to get through the day.
Tara came back to her after a minute.
“Like I thought, we’re just needed to supervise so the carers can get on with the specialised care. Can you handle that?”
Willow nodded surely.
“You bet.”
She abandoned the stand for the now-demolished gingerbread house into the trash, while Tara gathered the masses.
“Who wants to go outside and play on the sleds?”
Everyone made a scramble for the door, but Tara was quick to demand order.
“Make a line, no skipping!”
There was a chest outside with the outdoor toys and Willow stood to hand out the sleds while Tara supervised the rides.
“Who’re you?” a suspicious eight year old boy with hair as red as Willow’s asked.
“I’m Willow,” Willow said, offering a warm smile.
“You have a funny name,” he said bluntly.
Willow nodded, not taking offence.
“I know. Who’re you?”
“Brayden,” the boy answered.
“Here you go Brayden,” Willow replied, handing out the sled and jumping the gun by introducing herself first to the next little girl, “Hi, I’m Willow.”
Most of the kids were used to people coming and going, so they paid Willow little attention, until a snowball fight broke out and Willow became chief coordinator of the attack against the grown-ups.
Tara took a few to the back in order to give Willow status amongst the kids and Willow shot her an ‘I’ll make it up to you later’ wink.
Lunch was crazy and chaotic affair with people, adults and children, running about, things getting thrown and general loud chatter.
Willow ate two, dry, biscuits and three sliced carrots as quickly as Tara managed to put them on her plate, shooting her an appreciative look for even getting that much. She was entirely grateful her girlfriend was there to rein everyone in and stop fights before they started, because she was completely overwhelmed.
She knew this wasn’t a regular aspect of Tara’s job, but also that Tara did help out when she could as well. She made a note to offer extra foot rubs anytime Tara told her she came home from a day at the group homes again.
The afternoon ended up quieting down as a lot of kids had hours out or supervised visits with family. There ended up being just one young girl, no older than six, left with apparently no one to go to and no one who came.
She had blonde hair, bright eyes and was cute as a button.
She liked playing princesses and Willow felt so awful to think she had no one in the world that she happily let her tie her hair up in lots of ponytails and make her face up like a clown with the little make up kit she’d gotten as her Christmas gift.
Tara smiled as she approached and knelt down beside Willow.
“They’ve quietened down, don’t need our help anymore.”
Willow looked at the little girl holding her make up like an artist’s palette and back to Tara.
“Can we stay until she goes to bed?”
Tara was touched that Willow wanted to.
“Of course we can.”
Willow smiled gratefully and looked back to the girl.
“Layla, have you met Queen Tara?”
Layla regarded Tara carefully, then put her hands on her hips.
“She’s notta kween!”
“Oh yes she is,” Willow replied theatrically, “She rules the Queendom of Willowdonia and has special authority in the Heartshire Territory. Her name even means queen in an ancient language.”
Layla’s big eyes cast over Tara, then she toddled off and returned with a plastic crown, which she placed on Tara’s head.
“Thank you, princess,” Tara replied regally, “And who do we have here, the crown jester?”
Layla didn’t understand but still giggled. Tara cast an authoritative hand over the scene.
“Dance for us, jester!”
Layla jumped up, laughing and clapping her hands.
“Dwance, dwance!”
Willow shot Tara a sarcastic ‘thank very much’ look and stood up. She did her Snoopy Dance, as it was Christmas after all, and Layla lapped it up.
They played in the Queendom of Willowdonia until little Layla was all tuckered out and only able from a story from her big book of Fairytales. She fell asleep on the couch, sucking her thumb and one of the carers came to bring her up to bed.
She thanked them quietly for the help and disappeared out of the room, carrying the little girl. Willow was glad she went to sleep happy and also glad to be able to get out of there before the manic rush of kids came back.
She pulled the passenger side door of the car closed behind her as she sat in and huffed out an exhausted breath as she pulled her hair free.
“Well. That was…wild.”
Tara was more used to the chaos and didn’t seem as worn out as she drove out of the driveway.
“Our holidays keep getting turned upside down. Last Thanksgiving at the senior centre, this year I was working, now Christmas here. I’m glad we have that extra day coming up.”
Willow bobbed her head along, but her mind was still on the experience of the day.
“It’s…crazy there. Batshit crazy. But those kids…” she stopped and smiled, “Makes me look forward to our own family someday. Makes that desire…really real.”
Tara grinned.
“If you still want kids after dealing with that, then nothing will stop us.”
Willow turned her head to meet Tara’s eye.
“I do,” she said softly, “I want us to be a family. I want…the whole shebang. I want to make that happen.”
Tara returned the look and when they came to a halt at a stoplight a few moments later, they met in the middle for a tender kiss.
The drive home was icier than the morning, and Tara decided to keep the car for the night because it was late and cold and she was sick of spending money on cabs for late-night call outs that would take weeks to be reimbursed.
She made them up a snack of flatbreads cut into Christmas tree shapes, spread with guacamole and topped with diced tomatoes, as their dinner had been very grab-and-go.
Willow laughed when she saw it.
“Cute. They look like they’ll go perfect with A Wonderful Life.”
“Our traditional first holiday movie,” Tara replied softly, remembering, “We haven’t watched it all season.”
Willow smiled.
“Let’s rectify that now.”
They cuddled up on the couch with their snacks, a glass of wine after the long day and began the movie.
When it was over, Tara went to have a bath and take care of some general night time ablutions that she’d been neglecting with her busy schedule. She loved standing in a steamy bathroom, running a comb through her hair and lotioning up every inch of her skin.
She walked back into the bedroom in a towel and saw Willow emptying her pockets into a jar she’d put in the corner with a homemade label saying ‘coins’.
“The bedroom isn’t the best place for a swear jar,” Tara commented with a sideways grin, “We’ll have to empty our wallets every time we have sex.”
Willow smiled over her shoulder.
“Not for swearing, but I’ll take a little profanity-laden Tara any day.”
Tara untucked her towel and sat on the bed, back against the headboard and legs stretched out in front.
“Why don’t you come over here and see what you can get out of my mouth?”
Willow’s eyebrows rose, she turned, and grinned wildly when she saw Tara how she was. She climbed into Tara’s lap and pressed their faces close together.
Tara grabbed Willow’s ass through her pants and squeezed. She pretended to nip at Willow's bottom lip before finally pulling it between her teeth.
She watched Willow's eyes grow aroused and flipped her quick as a flash. Willow landed with a bounce and Tara hovered over her, slowly pressing her body into Willow's. She teased Willow's breath into short gasps, then really made her body known in a grind.
Willow whimpered.
Tara smirked.
“Merry Fucking Christmas.”