---

---

Willow looked sadly at Tara’s lingering empty schedule on her laptop screen.


So many offers in blue; so many marked in red she’d had to reject for being too far out of town or incompatible with their new schedule.


She hadn’t told Tara about it all yet as she was hoping it wouldn’t come to trailing the local Bar Mitzvah scene but it was becoming a needs-must situation very quickly.


She dropped her laptop screen, not wanting to think about it anymore.


Sitting off to her side at the table, Sally was furiously scribbling in a notepad.


“What are you working on so intensely?” she asked, glancing Sally up and down, “I'm guessing it's not a summer book report?”


“My D&D character,” Sally answered, to Willow’s surprise, “She comes from the Kingdom of Salaporis and she can swim into the deep, deep ocean and bring back fish to feed her whole village.”


Willow smiled softly.


“That sounds really cool, kiddo.”


Sally looked up and grinned maniacally.


“She can also kill people with her eyes.”


Willow gulped.


“Well that’s, um…handy,” she said, forcing a smile on her face this time, “You’ll um, need to look into spells for eye beams and such. Remember though, we don’t just kill at random.”


Tara chose to walk in the door during the final sentence and stared at them both as she popped the key out of the door.


“D&D,” Willow explained in a rush as she stood up and came around to greet her girl.


Tara looked relieved as she closed the door. Willow took Tara’s purse from her and kissed her cheek.


“How was work? Hope it was better than yesterday with the rowdy group.”


She hated that Tara was hosting at Deli's again when Willow was the one to convince her to stop in the first place. She knew it must have been difficult to go and ask for her old job back but they needed a steady income coming in for their fostering case and for the judge to see.


“It was fine,” Tara replied with a tired smile that didn’t reach her eyes.


Willow put Tara’s purse down on the table and closed her arms around her.


Tara gently sank into Willow’s embrace and rubbed the back of her fuzzy sweater.


Willow bumped Tara’s nose with hers and pressed their lips together, soft but lingering.


“Can you two be gross somewhere else?” Sally intoned without looking up.


Tara sighed but Willow just smiled and tugged on Tara’s hand.


“Yes we can,” she grinned, indicating to Tara with a nod of her head, “I want to show you something.”


Tara glanced at Sally for a moment but followed Willow when she saw her deeply ensconced in her notebook.


It was the only thing she’d seen her sister get so observed in that wasn’t a screen.


As she looked back toward Willow, she realized she was being brought toward their closed bedroom door.


Willow’s hand closed over the handle and she pushed the door in.


Tara blinked several times in surprise as she followed Willow inside.


All the furniture had been rearranged.


“Don’t kill me for redecorating without your approval,” Willow clasped her hands in a prayer pose, “Close the door for a sec?”


Without looking back, Tara reached back to push the door closed. She stared at the most prominently rearranged piece of furniture: the bed. It sat with the headboard against the opposite wall to where it had been, under a window instead of in its direct light.


She folded her arms gently over her chest; wondering why Willow would make this drastic change without talking to her. It was nice to wake up to the sun warm on their faces. Tara knew Willow knew she liked that.


“I know,” Willow read the look and held her hands up, “But I was thinking of what you said last night about worrying Sally will, uh, you know…hear us? So I thought I’d move the bed over here and…”


She went to the headboard and softly banged it, which made no sound.


“Add added some little rubber pads to muffle anything.”


Willow suddenly rushed past Tara in a blur, stopping with her back up against the closed door, where she put a finger up to point out a newly installed bolt lock.


“Plus, for some extra security,” she looked somewhere between hopeful and terrified, “Do you hate me? Did I mess up?”


Tara’s eyes roamed around the room, taking in the relatively minor but very thoughtful changes.


She settled her eyes back on Willow, glassy with love.


“It’s never looked more perfect.”


Willow visibly exhaled in relief.


“Really? I just…I want you to know you’re safe in here. Safe with me. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make this work. And I hope you don't think I'm being all, you know, pressure-y. That wasn't what it was ab—”


She was quietened by Tara's lips.


“I know,” Tara said quietly.


She placed her hands on Willow's hips and tugged them together gently.


“I love you so much,” she whispered, choked up.


“I love you too, baby,” Willow replied, kissing Tara’s ear.


Tara did the same on Willow’s neck before resting her chin over Willow’s shoulder. She smiled and reached out to push the little bolt open and closed. She felt a little anticipatory shiver go through her as she imagined Willow flicking that lock closed like she had moments before and sauntering over to her in the bed.


“Who got this done so quickly?”


Willow pulled back, looking mock-affronted.


“Me!”


Tara arched an eyebrow.


“Where did you get a drill?”


“Every lesbian needs a power tool,” Willow puffed her chest out but it dropped back down quickly, “Made Cris come over with one. Baby, I don’t know what you did to him but he’s terrified of you. Didn’t even blink at the fact we had a kid living with us now.”


“Willow, I already told him,” Tara laughed that Willow would think anything otherwise, “Everything had to be legit for social services.”


“Right,” Willow nodded once, quickly, “But he still brought a drill over quick smart.”


Tara poked Willow’s hips and slid her fingers over them, splayed out. She wiggled her hips and had her hands move Willow’s hips in a similar, slow way.


“Must be your wily ways.”


Willow blushed at the way their lower stomachs brushed against each other.


“Well, Cris was no help. He almost put a hole through Miss Kitty!” she exclaimed and from the bed, Miss Kitty echoed a loud ‘miaow’ of agreement, “Had to put my best butch skills to use.”


Tara arched her eyebrow saucily and Willow blushed again. She looked down and up again at Tara.


“I’m so glad you don’t mind the changes.”


“I only mind that I didn’t get to see you put this in,” Tara smiled crookedly as she pushed the lock open again, but her smile faltered, “I’m sorry I haven’t been…you know…”


Willow’s shoulders tightened for a moment.


“Please don’t say words beginning with ‘p’ and ‘o’,” she said softly, meeting Tara’s gaze, “Don’t degrade us.”


Tara’s eyes crinkled with regret and Willow kissed the corner of each.


“I got you. Always.”


“I know,” Tara replied in an echoing voice, “And I, you. Forever. For anything.”


“I know,” Willow said in the same tone and smiled.


They met for a soft, sweet kiss and joined hands to walk back out into the living area.


Sally was lying on the floor with an old paper towel tube up to one eye with the other closed.


“Sally, why are you on the floor?” Tara asked with a frown.


“Working out the angles of my eye lasers,” Sally answered nonchalantly.


Willow’s eyes lit up and she immediately joined Sally on the floor.


“D&D geometry! Hey, Tara, I bet you could make up a new homework song for that!”


Tara just smiled and sat on the couch to watch Sally resist Willow’s encumbering chatter about math.


Sometimes this was all so, so hard, but then some moments showed her how right a decision they’d made.


And she knew that it had been them that made it — that Willow didn’t just support it, she was in it.


This.


Whatever it entailed.


Togetherness forever.

---

Tara checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror as she closed the tie of her robe over her waist.


She fluffed the hair around her ears, curling some behind one as she smoothed out the silk robe she’d bought in Japan. It was so short that she'd never wear it in front of anyone but Willow, but Willow was the exact audience she had in mind for tonight.


With one last, quick 360-degree look, she turned and walked across the hall to the bedroom. She backed up against the door to close it and flicked the new lock closed.


“So, um, thanks for taking Sally to therapy today.”


“No worries,” Willow replied from bed without looking up from her iPad, “Dr. Carter said she only scowled half the time today. I don’t know about you, but I call that progress.”


Tara hovered for a moment, waiting for Willow to look up, but she didn’t. Tara reached up and pushed the light switch down so only the soft light from the nightstand lamp lit the room.


Willow glanced up automatically at the change in lighting and Tara quickly pulled the tie on her robe and let it fall to pool around her feet, revealing a sheer, see-through chemise with white, lace panties underneath.


Willow’s iPad fell out of her hand and only autopilot made her put it safely on the nightstand, without tearing her eyes away from Tara once.


“That’s new,” she squeaked out, just about managing to lift her gaze to Tara’s eyes, “Is this what your ‘very important errand’ consisted of when you asked me to take the kiddo to her appointment?”


Tara’s lips sloped up on one side.


“Guilty.”


Willow’s eyes roamed to where Tara’s nipples pushed against the translucent material, just about revealing themselves under it.


“I was thinking ‘naughty’.”


Tara came over to the bed and knee-walked over to sit in Willow’s lap.


“I can be naughty.”


Willows hands cupped the back of Tara’s thighs.


“And I can help you be naughty.”


Tara smiled as she leaned down to meet Willow’s lips from a tilted chin. Willow moaned softly and Tara sighed into the kiss; feeling safe and content that no one could infiltrate their bubble but them.


Willow’s hands rubbed Tara’s thighs and up to her lace-covered rear. She hooked her fingertips underneath the waistband of the underwear and enjoyed feeling the textured lace and soft skin all at once.


“I feel under-dressed,” she murmured to Tara as she enjoyed the thin chemise pushing Tara’s breasts into her chest.


“Funny,” Tara grinned back, “I was just thinking you were over-dressed.”


She reached down and pulled Willow’s tank top over her head. Willow lifted her arms to help. When they dropped again, she let her hands settle over Tara’s barely covered breasts.


“Do you like how it feels?” Tara asked breathlessly.


Willow looked up with keen, wide eyes and nodded. She continued to palm Tara’s breasts as she turned her head in to kiss Tara’s neck. Tara tilted her neck so her skin strained and every nip of Willow’s teeth would be all the more delectable.


“Do you like how it feels?” Willow shot back with a quiet giggle; as if Tara’s soft moans weren’t giving it away.


Tara’s hand came up and slid through the back of Willow’s head; splaying out in her hair to grip and hold her in place. She spread her legs and angled herself downward so she could rub the front of her wet panties on Willow’s leg.


“What do you think?”


Willow’s kisses grew sloppier as her lips headed for Tara’s mouth.


“I’m afraid my thoughts have been rendered incompatible with coherence.”


She grabbed Tara by the hips and fell back so her head hit the pillows, pulling Tara down with her. Tara laid her body down on Willow, who quickly felt the scratching of her pajama bottoms as if they were made of fire ants.


Tara sensed and indeed, knew well, the ants-in-your-pants wiggle and was quick to help Willow rid herself of them. Willow immediately pulled Tara as close as possible, moaning at the feel of the soft chemise against her hot, bare skin.


Her lips parted and Tara took it as an offering and request that she quickly complied with. The kiss was immediately fiery with their whole bodies thrusting up and into it.


As much as Willow loved Tara’s lingerie, the tangle of their bare legs and the occasional brush of stomachs when the fabric rose was driving her crazy. It was so soft and delicate that she took care to pull it over Tara’s head instead of what she wanted to do: tear it off.


Tara, apparently on the same wavelength, got rid of her own panties and all Willow could do was let out a staggered whimper when Tara sat back in a straddle and spread her legs.


Willow traced a finger around the apex of Tara’s thighs and drew it up through Tara until it glistened. She lifted it to her face and popped it into her mouth, making an audible sound.


Tara’s chest heaved and a flush rose on it.


“Willow, I need you to—”


Her head suddenly fell back as Willow anticipated what Tara was going to say and plunged that finger inside. Tara’s hips bounced up and down rhythmically as she tried to take in as much as she could. Willow slid her finger out and back in with two and those bounces turned to quick, aimless jerks.


“Oh god,” Tara moaned, spreading her legs farther, making her cheeks clench.


Willow splayed her second hand on Tara’s inner thigh; touching where her arousal was spilling out. Her fingers moved in concentric circles like she was drawing on the condensation on a window. She felt each twitch as it came from inside Tara and quivered down her muscles with a fresh burst of warm liquid.


Feeling her own insides tighten, Willow quickly curled her fingers and scooped until it ran past her knuckles. Tara let out a long cry and thrust her hips down toward Willow’s hips; leaning her body forward until one hand clutched the sheet above Willow’s shoulder and the other greedily palmed Willow’s breast.


Willow spread her legs so Tara could settle on top of her more easily and immediately felt the warm grind of their pubic bones against each other. As Tara’s lips sought hers, Willow’s other hand slipped around to cup Tara’s rear and pull her in for the tightest of delicious friction.


“Oh, Willow,” Tara groaned into Willow’s neck when she couldn’t even keep up the kiss any longer from the myriad of moans leaving her mouth.


“Yeah baby, you like that?” Willow bit the corner of her lip as she watched Tara’s face and every little movement she was invoking.


“Oh yes,” Tara panted, her jaw quivering as her hips moved impossibly faster, “Oh, Willow…Oh!”


Her hand clutched the sheet so hard that her knuckles turned white. Her body started to slide against Willow’s and she began to move onto her back.


“Can you be on top?” she asked breathlessly.


“Definitely,” Willow agreed and used her currently superior strength to roll Tara the rest of the way over.


Slipping out for only a moment, Willow pulled Tara’s legs over her hips and entered her again; feeling Tara’s stomach muscles tense as she did so.


She placed her palm flat there and rubbed it in circles as her fingers curled inside. Tara’s head was thrown back on the pillow as she bit her lip to stop any sound that might permeate the walls.


Willow felt Tara get molten inside and watched as Tara’s teeth released her bottom lip as her face contorted with pleasure.


Willow’s eyes quickly shifted between Tara’s face and where her hand was buried, just slowly moving in and out to draw every bit out. She looked back and forth, unsure which was more alluring.


It became moot when the natural contractions inside Tara were replaced with Tara purposefully squeezing her and Willow had to shut her eyes tight just to contain the gut-rolling sensations it evoked.


When she opened her eyes again she saw Tara was doing the watching this time and smirked sideways when she squeezed again and Willow physically jolted in response.


She hooked her finger and motioned Willow down, who felt like she floated down as if by magic but really she just lunged with a bounce on the mattress. Tara turned herself on her side; pausing like that for a moment as her legs found themselves again. She kissed the hollow of Willow’s throat while rolling a single finger over Willow’s rock-hard nipple.


Catching Willow’s gaze, she lifted that finger to her mouth and licked it from the first knuckle up before resuming the back-and-forth motion on Willow's chest.


Willow’s legs visibly squeezed together and Tara reached down to pat Willow’s thighs, making them open again.


Tara’s eyes glistened as brightly as the arousal spilling out of Willow. Her legs made themselves readily known and she rolled on top of Willow. Holding Willow’s breathless stare for one very long moment, her lips began to descend Willow’s body.


She could smell Willow’s desire before she even reached Willow’s belly button. She let her teeth nip right below and kissed where downy hair started.


She heard Willow swear under her breath and it sent a shiver of desire through her spine. She placed her hand on Willow’s knee and guided it up before letting those same fingers brush over Willow’s lips to open her.


Willow was scooting back very gently on the bed, just trying to get any sort of friction going, and Tara watched in a kind of hypnotic trance for several seconds before sensation overload became too much and her tongue dipped in.


A moan wracked through Willow’s whole body but managed to only come out loud enough that Tara could hear. She desperately wanted to reach down and hold Tara’s head to her and rub frantically. It would only take about ten seconds, she was sure of it, but she couldn’t bear that it would be over.


She blushed as she felt Tara’s tongue lap her up and realized how wet she was. She put her hand that had been in Tara in front of her face and while it had dried in, the scent lingered. Her hips pushed up and Tara responded in kind, offering more tongue around Willow’s clit.


Willow’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and unbeknownst to her, Tara watched.


She watched as Willow’s breasts strained through an arched back and looked at how Willow’s swallow visibly protruded in her throat. She took in the sight of Willow’s face showing every twitch of enjoyment. All the while feeling the errant slide of Willow’s thighs as she struggled to control them and the warm liquid that gushed as quickly as it was swallowed. The tender reveal of Willow’s clit as it throbbed for her and her touch. How all of Willow's body yearned for her.


This position was the best in the world and Tara never took a single second for granted.


She wrapped her lips around Willow’s clit and rolled her tongue over it before gently sucking. She built this up until Willow was bucking right into her mouth and that previously-reticent hand was twined so hard in her hair that Tara had very little range of motion.


She didn’t need it though as her mouth was doing all Willow needed to come completely undone. She kept her tongue tight to Willow until she felt her girlfriend’s pulse on it and then moved her mouth down to wriggle into Willow’s opening.


Willow moaned again and added her second hand to Tara’s head; shamelessly rubbing herself now as sweat dripped down her brow.


“Oh baby,” Willow panted with satiated relief, “Oh my god…”


She lifted her hands to rub her face but Tara waited until Willow’s body had gone completely limp before lifting her head. She used one finger to trace the area around her mouth and as she moved up on the bed, she teased that finger into Willow’s mouth.


Willow sucked on it without even opening her eyes and didn’t stop until Tara replaced the finger with her lips.


Willow moaned softly into Tara’s mouth until they parted and she let out a long, satisfied sigh.


“That was so good,” she whispered as Tara curled around her side.


“We weren’t loud,” Tara commented back as she rested her head above Willow’s breast.


“See?” Willow said, still slightly breathless, “It was kinda sexy. All quiet-like. Nothing else in the world but listening to you getting f—”


Tara put a finger against Willow’s lips and leaned up to kiss her ear.


“There’s nothing you can say that wouldn’t sound sexy whispered.”


Willow raised an eyebrow and leaned in conspiringly.


“Bubbles,” she whispered in a dramatic, evocative manner.


Tara pursed her lips to stop from laughing.


“Hogwash,” Willow spoke again, the grin tugging on her lips, “Squeegee.”


“Bumpkin,” Tara countered, smirking.


“Bumfuzzle!” Willow said and had to clap a hand over her mouth as laughter threatened to take over.


“Ssh, ssh,” Tara guided with a grin as she brought the blanket up over them to help muffle their dying cackles, “You win.”


Willow turned to Tara and smiled at her adoringly.


“I did.”


She reached up and cupped Tara’s cheek.


“I win every single day,” she whispered, “I love you.”


“I love you, too,” Tara whispered back and they met for a soft, chaste but tender kiss.


They settled back into the position they were in before with Tara’s head snuggled into the crook of Willow’s neck.


“‘Night, baby,” Willow said through a yawn.


Tara pressed her nose under Willow’s ear and closed her eyes.


“Goodnight, love. Thank you.”


“For the orgasm?” Willow asked in a sleepy voice.


Tara tightened her arm around Willow’s waist.


“For being you.”

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

dibs!

i just caught up, finally... i don't have a lot to say, except WOW! i hope you're doing ok and i hope the lovely willow/taras are helping and not hurting. thank you for an amazing story as always, excited to keep reading. take care of yourself!

_________________

teeth —



Yay!



Thank you so much <3 They're definitely doing their job!!

Thanks so much for commenting!

---

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

---

---

Willow rubbed her nose on her pillow as sleep left her and she was roused into morning.


Sometime during the night, they’d moved about so Tara was spooning her and Willow smiled contentedly at the warmth curved around her back.


Tara’s skin was soft and enveloping and between them, encased by the light blanket, she could still smell their sweat and combined essence from the night before.


She loved waking up like this; with the memories still lingering in the air and pressed between their bodies. There had been many mornings where she’d laid like this for hours; sometimes with Tara waking up, sometimes not. She just loved basking in their togetherness.


Of course, now there was a reason to get up and Willow could hear that reason opening and closing the kitchen cabinets, probably spilling some cereal everywhere.


Willow closed her eyes and took ten last glorious seconds before wriggling out of Tara’s embrace with as little movement as possible to avoid waking her. She settled the blanket back around her girlfriend and gave her a light kiss on the forehead before finding her abandoned PJs from the night before and pulling them on again.


She flicked the lock on the back of the door and smiled at her handiwork before closing it again with a soft click.


“Morning kiddo,” Willow greeted brightly as she saw Sally sitting on the couch watching cartoons and eating just a cup of applesauce.


Sally side-eyed Willow.


“Why are you in such a good mood?”


Willow blushed and walked over to the kitchen to hide it.


“It’s a beautiful morning,” she said and flicked the switch on the coffee pot, “You want breakfast? I’ll cook when Tara gets up but I can do some cereal or toast or something.”


“When’s Tara getting up?” Sally asked inquisitively.


“I’m not sure, she had a late night at the club,” Willow mildly lied to give Tara a rare opportunity of an actual sleep-in and not just the desperate catch-up of lost sleep she'd been doing in clutches lately.


Sally looked up eagerly.


“Can I go to the club sometime?”


“Sure,” Willow grinned over as she reached in to get a mug, “In ten years.”


Sally scowled and crossed her arms over her chest as she laid back into the couch cushions.


Willow made herself a mocha, and Sally a hot chocolate while she was at it, and did up some of her famous PB&J on toast which mildly alleviated Sally’s scowl.


Willow actually quite enjoyed the excuse to get to watch cartoons in the mornings. Screen time was a sore spot in getting Sally to settle into healthy habits but Willow knew from her own adolescence that some time in the mornings to watch some easy animation could be a very chilled-out way to start the day.


Some people had tea, others watched cartoons. Granted, most of those others were children but Willow figured she balanced it out with her coffee.


Her half-coffee, half-hot-chocolate.


She sat down beside Sally and felt a little pang between her legs.


She smirked.


Nothing childish about last night.


She put one leg over the other and sipped on her mocha, enjoying her smugness.


They cycled through a few cartoons and argued about their favorite Gem in Steven Universe before a knock came on the door. The mailman, Willow figured, hopefully with the new high-tech headphones she’d ordered for Tara so she could do some mixing at home instead of going to the rented studio every time.


Willow stood and ruffled Sally’s hair, who slapped her off with a scrunched-up face.


“Quit it!”


“Never,” Willow cackled manically and grinned over her shoulder at Sally as she approached the door.


“It’s my body!” Sally called back and as much as she tried to hide it, there was a smile in her voice.


Willow giggled as she opened the door to see a middle-aged woman with reddish-brown hair and glasses. She was holding some files in her hand.


At Willow’s confused look, the woman removed her glasses and looked over Willow into the apartment.


“Oh good morning, you must be Sally.”


Sally shot the woman a scowl and Willow put herself in front of the door again.


“Can I help you?”


The woman tried to stand taller.


“I'm Doris Kroger, from Social Services,” she said, showing Willow her ID badge, “We had an appointment.”


Something clicked in Willow’s brain.


“Oh, for Wednesday.”


Ms. Kroger nodded.


“This is Wednesday.”


Willow's eyes suddenly widened.


“Right! Well…” she turned and bore her eyes desperately into Sally, “Sally, you better…”


Sally looked back confused so Willow mouthed ‘get dressed’ as obtusely as she could while making little flicking motions toward the bedroom with her hands that wouldn’t give her away.


Sally rolled her eyes and stomped off to the bedroom.


Ms. Kroger pushed herself inside the door.


“Little bit on the tardy side, isn't she?”


“School hasn’t started yet,” Willow rattled off as she closed the door.


“The day has,” Ms. Kroger replied pointedly.


Willow gulped and tried to tie her robe tighter.


“Yeah, well, uh, it's been one of those mornings, you know,” she ran her hand back between her hair and tensed her jaw when Ms. Kroger wandered over to the living area, “Hey, come on in.”


Willow picked up the remote, turned off the TV, and fixed the cushions on the couch.


“Sorry about the mess, you know, doing a little house cleaning.”


Ms. Kroger turned back to Willow.


“Is Ms…” she consulted one of her papers, “Maclay present?”


“Oh, yes, of course,” Willow nodded quickly, “She’s, um, up bright and early! Getting a kick on the day! Let me just go get her from our, uh, home office.”


She almost tripped over herself in her desperation to get out of there and into the bedroom. She strode over to Tara in seconds and started violently shaking her.


“Baby, baby, baby! Wake up, wake up!”


Tara awoke with a gasp and wild eyes.


“What? What is it? What’s wrong?”


“The social worker is here!” Willow replied in a panic.


Tara blinked rapidly.


“That’s Wednesday.”


“It is Wednesday!” Willow replied, grimacing, “We got confused because Sally normally has therapy on Monday but it was delayed until yesterday because Dr. Carter was at a conference!”


Tara suddenly shot up in bed.


“Shit!”


“Get dressed!” Willow stage-whispered as she flew over to the closet to find clothes for herself.


She pulled on her respectful black slacks and a flannel that kind of matched the one Ms. Kroger was wearing under her old fuddy-duddy sweater. She ran a brush through her hair and ran back out to the living room, pulling the door closed behind her when she heard Tara swearing from stubbing her toe.


She spotted Ms. Kroger by the end table, picking up a mesh baggie of herbs with an arched eyebrow.


Willow felt like the room was spinning.


“You know, I know what that looks like, but I, I swear, it's not…what it looks like,” she started waving her hands in front of her, “It’s magic weed!”


Her eyes widened as she realized how that came out and she grabbed the little pouch.


“My mother in law and, and her boyfriend are Wiccans. She said it promotes… harmony… in the… household,” she trailed off and gulped as she wished the earth would open up and swallow her up, “It's not mine.”


She dropped the baggie on the coffee table and Ms. Kroger shook her head dramatically.


“I think I've seen enough.”


She turned to leave. Willow hurried after her.


“No, a-actually, I really don't think that you have. It's just… i-it's been kind of, kind of a, a bad time. Late nights and…”


Ms. Kroger turned to face Willow, face red.


“It's been a bad time now for a while, hasn't it, Ms. Rosenberg? Sally’s grades have fallen sharply in the last year, due in large part to her frequent absences and lateness.”


Willow’s mouth opened and closed; how could that be held against them, they didn’t even know Sally existed back then.


“But there-there are good reasons. Reasons we’re trying to fix. She hasn’t even started school yet, we need a chance to—”


“Oh, I'm sure there are,” Ms. Kroger replied haughtily, “But my interest is in Sally's welfare. And the stability of her home life, something I'm just not convinced that an… unemployed young woman like yourself or your…partner can provide.”


“I can. I, I do!” Willow replied desperately, “I’m not unemployed, Tara and I—”


Ms Kroger turned away.


“Well, we'll just have to see about that then, won't we?”


She went to the door but then stopped and turned back.


“Oh, and I'm, uh, going to recommend immediate probation in my report.”


Willow physically shrank back.


“What does that mean?”


Ms. Kroger looked as smug as Willow had not too long ago, but the satisfaction in her eyes wasn’t borne from anger and not affection.


“It means that I'll be monitoring you very closely, Ms. Rosenberg, and Ms. Maclay too. And if I don't see that things are improving, well, I'll be forced to recommend that you be stripped of your sister's guardianship.”


Willow felt like she’d been sucker punched.


“You can't do that. We just got her. We need a chance, the judge said we had 90 days!”


Ms. Kroger opened the door.


“I do what is in Sally's best interest… as should you. Have a nice day.”


Just as the door slammed closed, Tara came out of one bedroom while Sally came out of the other.


Tara looked all around before her eyes landed on Willow.


“Where is she?”


“She left,” Willow replied dumbly.


Tara’s eyes widened.


“What, why?”


Willow threw her hands up.


“It was like she was looking for any excuse to badmouth us!” she exclaimed, almost hysteric, “I don’t know if she doesn’t like how young we are or that we’re a couple…”


Tara frowned.


“You think she could be homophobic?”


“What does that mean?” Sally asked and in a not great turn of events, it was the first time either of them noticed she was there.


“It’s when someone doesn’t like people who are gay,” Tara explained gently.


Sally took a minute to process that before her fists balled by her sides angrily.


“Only I’m allowed to hate it when you kiss!”


Tara came over and stood between Willow and Sally, putting a hand on each of their shoulders.


“We don’t know that’s the case,” she reasoned softly, though her eyes were more fraught and Willow could tell, “But I do think we should go down to the social services office and clear this up. Apologize that we lost track of the days and try to schedule another visit.”


Willow nodded in agreement.


“Yeah. Uh, Sally, go get your shoes on please.”


Sally clomped away still annoyed and Willow pulled Tara off to one side.


“I didn’t want to say it in front of Sally, but she threatened to take Sally away from us. Said we were on probation.”


Tara frowned.


“But the judge said—”


“I know,” Willow cut Tara off with a pointed eyebrow arch, “That’s why I think she disapproved of us before she ever walked in the door.”


Tara swallowed softly.


“Okay. Well, we can’t let that happen.”


“No way,” Willow agreed and rested her forehead on Tara’s.


Tara held Willow’s face and leaned in to kiss her. After a minute, a smaller voice piped up.


“Okay, you can keep kissing. I’m giving you this one because that lady was a homophone.”


Both Willow and Tara jumped in surprise; again having not heard her sneak up.


“That’s when two things make the same sound,” Willow replied breathlessly.


Sally’s face scrunched.


“Gross, I don’t want to know what kind of sounds you make!”


Tara waved her hands in front of them.


“Let’s just go.”


She rallied the other two out to the car and Willow pulled up the map to the DCFS office they were dealing with.


About halfway there Willow wondered if they should have called first but they were already on their way.


The West L.A. office was not far from where they lived; with traffic, it probably would have been quicker to walk but eventually, they parked up.


“This place looks boring,” Sally said in a monotone as she looked out the window.


“Were you expecting a PlayPlace?” Willow asked sarcastically.


“You two, best behavior,” Tara said firmly as she checked her appearance in the rearview mirror.


Willow felt a pang of guilt that she was the one who had messed it all up this morning.


Tara knowingly reached out and placed a hand on Willow’s knee. Willow looked up and smiled softly.


“You better do the talking.”


Tara nodded softly.


“Sure.”


She kissed Willow’s cheek and squeezed her knee.


“Let’s go.”


As they approached the main entrance, Tara too had the thought that maybe they should have called. But if this social worker was as out to get them as Willow implied, they really had to nip this in the bud. There was too much at stake.


Then again, they probably wouldn’t appreciate one of their own being questioned.


Her hand shook as she reached for the door.


Willow covered it and pushed it open with her, offering a small smile.


Tara smiled back gratefully as they walked inside.


Willow pointed Sally over to sit in a waiting area while Tara approached the reception desk.


“Hi. Um, we don’t have an appointment but we think there may have been a misunderstanding with our home visit this morning. Could we speak with someone?”


The receptionist gave them a long and disdainful look.


“We’re not crazy, I swear,” Willow said in a panic, earning a sharp nudge from Tara.


The receptionist offered a fake smile.


“I’m guessing you don’t have an appointment.”


Sally’s eyes narrowed as she watched the interaction. Tara had literally just said they didn't have an appointment. These people were clearly stupid.


She didn’t like this one bit. She’d heard Willow say they might try to take her away and as much as she didn’t trust anybody and still gave Willow and Tara a lot of shit, it was a hell of a lot better than foster care. Those people never peppered their frustration with whatever it was Willow and Tara did. She didn't go for mushy words like love but she could see they loved each other and in very quiet moments she thought they might feel something like it for her too.


There were even times she allowed herself to think she had a real home.


Not that she would ever admit it, even to herself sometimes, but she knew she had no interest in packing all of her things up into a trash bag again.


Quietly she slipped out of her seat and under her small height to sneak past Willow, Tara, and the receptionist who was still arguing with them about not having an appointment. Sally went into the offices in the back and almost immediately spotted Ms. Kroger; recognizing the woman and the nameplate on the desk.


Using the cubicle walls to conceal herself, she approached. She found herself just small enough to slip behind a gap underneath the table where she could still reach the desk but was hidden behind an old-fashioned computer tower.


“Hello Ms. Kroger,” she whispered so quietly that she couldn’t even hear herself.


She watched as Ms. Kroger shuffled some paperwork and reached to take a sip of her coffee. Ms. Kroger picked up a pen and noted something but when she reached for her mug again, it was gone. She stared in confusion.


“What—where’s my…”


When she looked across her desk, the mug was returned.


Ms. Kroger laughed nervously and a co-worker from the opposite side glanced over unsurely.


“Losing my mind,” Ms. Kroger said jokingly.


She took another sip, longer this time, and went back to her papers. When she went for the next drink of her beverage, the mug was gone again. She huffed out a breath of annoyance.


“Okay, who’s the—”


She turned and found her mug sitting on top of her old computer monitor. She frowned and reached for it but it started to move back and forth on the monitor, propelled precariously by Sally’s pinky finger underneath, who couldn’t believe she was still getting away with this.


“Kill, kill, kill,” she said in a gruff voice, low enough to make sure it would only go over the cubicle wall.


Ms. Kroger started to look panicked.


“What?”


From the opposite side, the same co-worker looked over in confusion.


“I didn’t say anything.”


Ms. Kroger looked shocked.


“Not you! The mug, it’s—”


When she looked back at the monitor, it was gone. A quick glance to the side showed it to be back in its original spot. She swallowed deeply.


“But…I heard something.”


She poked the mug unsurely.


Crouched back at the side, Sally dropped her voice again.


“Kill, Doris. Kill everybody.”


Ms. Kroger stood up sharply.


“You know you want to…” Sally taunted, grinning.


Ms. Kroger stared at the mug.


“Shut up, shut up, just shut up!”


She paused as she realized she was shouting. Most of the office was staring at her.


Ms. Kroger looked both shocked, scared, and confused and quickly walked toward the break room for a new mug.


Sally waited a moment, then scurried out from her hiding spot between two cubicle walls and rolled into Ms. Kroger’s cubicle. Crouching on the floor so no one would see if they looked over, she moved the mouse around until she found a file with her name on it, already pulled up from earlier.


“Yahtzee!”


She’d heard Willow say it the other day and thought it sounded fun.


She started to move her hands furiously across the keyboard, then copied and pasted the same sentence over and over again.


‘All work and no play make Doris a dull girl'


Her Dad sucked but letting her watch The Shining at eight years old wasn’t the worst transgression, in hindsight. At least at this moment.


“Uh, Doris!”


Sally’s eyes widened and she did a forward roll to get out of the cubicle quickly. Feeling like Peggy Carter, she backed up against the wall and hurried on out of there right back to the seating area but Willow caught her sneaking back and pulled her aside.


“Hey, you can’t run off like that! Here of all places!” she whispered.


“Chill!” Sally replied, motioning with her hands, “I was helping!”


Willow frowned.


“What did you do?”


“I’m little,” Sally grinned and by god, if she didn’t look like Tara, “Sometimes that makes me invisible.”


Willow continued to frown but let Sally sit back down when suddenly a man came out of the offices, pale and stuttering.


“We would, ah, like to apologize for any unusual interaction you had with our social worker this morning. We’ll put a new person on the case and we’ll be redoing your interview as soon as possible. With due notice and reminders.”


The receptionist looked annoyed to be overruled but Tara was pleasantly surprised.


“Of course,” she nodded, “We’ll be available whenever you say.”


“Your patience is noted and appreciated,” the man replied, clearing his throat, “We’ll be in touch to get this all finalized for you posthaste.”


Tara nodded confidently and looked to Willow, who forced a smile back.


“That’s great. We’ll look out for that scheduling arrangement.”


The man seemed eager to get rid of them and none of them wanted to linger so they quickly went back out to the car.


“See?” Tara smiled as she fixed her seatbelt over her body.


Willow tried not to seem sketchy as she glanced in the backseat at Sally, but of course, Tara caught it. She turned her head and looked between them accusingly.


“What did you two do?”


“It wasn’t me!” Willow threw her hands up.


“What?” Tara replied loudly and flung her head back to look at Sally.


Sally looked scared for once in her life but Willow was quick to garner Tara’s attention back on her.


“Baby, remember that ‘Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell’ policy we agreed on in Nepal? I think we should implement it here too.”


Tara slowly settled back in the seat and put her hands on the wheel.


“Okay then,” she breathed out, “In that case…who wants waffles?”


“Me!” Sally replied quickly.


“Me,” Willow added with a soft smile, “Maybe with a side of sassy eggs.”


Tara smiled crookedly and turned the keys in the ignition.


“Maybe a little watermelon sugar,” she said with a saucily arched eyebrow, “Tastes like strawberries.”


Willow blushed and Sally shouted from the back, clueless.


“I want Nutella!”


“You got it, kiddo,” Willow smiled and brushed her fingers against Tara’s on the wheel.


She just had a feeling.


Everything's gonna be alright.

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

Dibs!

Big canon easteregg with sneaky sally standing in for invisible Buffy in driving the social worker crazy. Although it was a funny scene in the canon episode I did feel kind of bad for Doris who probably lost her job after that episode because objectively she had reasons to believe that Dawn wasn't well cared for.
The way you write her she really seems to be a bad social worker who is prejudiced against young (foster) parents and probably homophobic so I cheered for Sally here.


Yay that Sally starts to feel at home with Tara and Willow and is willing to fight for this home!

My favourite parts of the chapter were these:



So funny, Tara acting like a mum chastising her two difficult kids here!


Wise choice, mom!


Vixen!


Awww, I trust in you Laragh to make it so!

Sally is hilarious fair play, love the inclusion of the social worker scene from the show, glad it was resolved fairly quickly.

_________________
- I am a poster girl with no poster, I am 32 flavours and then some -

Will's redemption —







You're right in that she did get a hard going-over in canon but she definitely deserved it here!



Baby steps!



I do love Mom-Tara



You know me well!

Thanks for your feedback!

GrimCityGirl —



Thank you, yes I don't want these guys to go through too many hurdles but when I see an opportunity...

Thanks for your comment!

---

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

Sorry this is short, I was busy this week with #AmberBensonAppreciationDay!

---

---

Tara walked through the door after a long shift at Deli’s.


She’d had to contend with entitled customers, annoying kids, and people who had no idea they were in an LGBT bar and acted accordingly shocked when encountering anything a little bit gay.


The only upside was that it was the early shift and so she was still home in time to eat dinner with Willow and Sally. It meant less tips, but more family time and she had come to really adore their time together.


Most of the time, anyway.


“There’s my girls,” she said with a weary smile.


Willow and Sally were in the middle of building a house of cards on the table. Willow looked up with a smile.


“We’re learning about physics.”


“Why do you keep trying to make this about science?” Sally asked with a scowl.


“I could make it about politics,” Willow replied and Sally rolled her eyes.


Willow came over to hug Tara.


“I missed you.”


“Gag,” Sally rolled her eyes again.


Tara pressed her lips to Willow’s cheek.


“How was today?”


“Mmhm,” Willow made a non-commital noise, which Tara guessed to mean ‘difficult but nothing is broken’.


They’d become quite good at communicative yet non-descript sounds.


Tara frowned; far too much pressure was being put on Willow to suddenly handle a child with difficult needs and no structure. School started soon, but she didn’t know if that would make things better or worse.


Willow seemed to notice the consternation and just cupped Tara’s cheek in support.


Willow couldn’t count the ways Tara had been there for her in their past. She was happy to give it back now.


Tara couldn’t help but feel nothing in their past could compare to this.


“Hey,” Willow brought Tara off to the side, “I can see your mind going. Is this what you feel like when I get antsy? What’s up?”


Tara felt herself clam up.


“I just…” she suddenly found her cheeks tense and flushed, “I never want to lose you.”


“Why would you ever?” Willow asked softly, “Hey—”


Before she could continue, there was a whooshing sound as the house of cards suddenly collapsed. They both turned their heads in time to see Sally’s face go red and her fists balled at her side.


“I wasn’t finished!”


Tara approached calmly. They’d had to do online parenting classes and had advice from the therapist on how to de-escalate but the hairs still went up on the back of her neck when she was confronted with this little girl’s untapped anger.


“Honey, I know this is frustrating. It’s okay, it will pass soon. And we can rebuild it.”


“We can even reinforce it with a wider base—” Willow tried to reason but that just set Sally off more and she flung her arms out so the cards flew all over the floor.


In the midst of this, Tara’s phone began to buzz in her pocket. She wasn’t even considering taking it until she saw the name flash up on the screen as she took it out to silence it.


“It’s the social work office. I have to answer it.”


“Go,” Willow encouraged, stepping closer to Sally, “Go, I got this.”


Tara hesitated as Sally’s fists pounded the table in anger but the persistent ring made her turn her back and go into the bedroom.


“Hello?” she said, trying her hardest to keep her voice steady, “Yes, speaking.”


She listened for a moment.


“Oh.”


She listened for a few more seconds, nodding even though the other person couldn’t see her.


“Okay. Thank you. Bye.”


Her hand dropped with her phone by her side, shaking. She exhaled but it did nothing to help the shake as she walked back out into the living room. What caused her to drop her phone in shock was seeing Willow and Sally sitting on the couch with Sally appearing to be pummeling Willow in the stomach.


“Sally!”


Willow quickly shifted her body, revealing what she was holding in front of her.


“It’s okay, it’s okay,” she reassured, “It’s just a cushion.”


Tara’s hand flew to her heart and then her mouth as she caught her breath.


Sally took the cushion from Willow and squeezed it to her chest. She looked remorseful and embarrassed with red cheeks and downcast eyes. Willow knew better than to touch her so just slid off the couch and walked over to Tara, picking up her phone on the way.


“What did they say?” she asked quietly.


Tara held her phone between her palms and smiled softly at Willow.


“Our application was approved.”


“We’re approved?!” Willow asked, a little too loudly.


On the couch, Sally looked up.


“What does that mean?”


Tara swallowed softly.


“We’re officially fostering you. It’s called kinship care. Since we’re blood relatives, they could approve us faster.”


“You’re stuck with us, kiddo,” Willow added with a smile.


Sally remained stony-faced for a moment before surprising them both by jumping up and crashing into them in a hug.


“I’m not living without you?” she mumbled into their mid-sections.


Tara stroked her hair gently.


“No way.”


“Definitely not,” Willow added and threw her arms up, “Woohoo!”


Sally looked up with a quizzical eyebrow.


“Why are you so excited?”


“Because we want you here with us!” Willow replied giddily, holding her hand out for a high-five.


Sally cautiously gave it.


“This calls for music,” Tara announced, needing to feel that pull of the beat to release all of the tension that had erupted.


“And punch!” Willow said, spinning on her heels toward the kitchen, “The liquid kind this time!”


She went to get cups and filled them up with some punch from the bottle in the fridge while Tara procured some fine ’80s pop rock.


As Willow gathered the cups and held them in a triangular formation, she turned around and started to laugh uproariously.


Sisters are doin' it for themselves


“What are you laughing at?” Tara questioned as she shook her shoulders in a shimmy.


Beside her, Sally waved her arms back and forward in front of her. This just made Willow cackle more.


“You two dance exactly the same!”


“Yeah, super cool!” Sally replied smugly and they both broke out some finger-pointing.


Willow just smiled adoringly and passed off a cup to each of them and joined in with some classic Brave Little Toaster moves of her own.


They danced until there was no more punch to quench their tango-induced thirst and Willow and Tara decided pizza was on the menu for dinner because neither felt like cooking.


No more was said of Sally’s earlier meltdown and she even went out of her way to help set the table. Tara showed her how to fold napkins into various shapes while they waited for the pizza to be delivered and then had a napkin swan ‘chase’ Tara around the room.


“Hey, does that remind you of Australia?” Willow teased with a giggle, “Getting chased by the bush turkey?”


“What’s a bush turkey?” Sally asked, stopping in place.


Willow pulled out her phone and brought up a picture. She showed Sally, who literally fell to the floor and rolled around laughing.


“One of THOSE things chased you?!”


“Oh ha-ha,” Tara put her hands on her hips, then dropped them and walked to Willow, putting her arms around her girlfriend’s neck, “Luckily I had my knight in shining GPS here to save me.”


Willow smiled and pressed her lips against Tara’s. Sally rolled over and stuck a finger in her mouth, motioning gagging.


“You two will make out over anything. Even turkeys.”


“Wait ‘til you see how we celebrate Thanksgiving,” Willow grinned and raised her eyebrows playfully at Tara who blushed but smiled too, knowing Sally wouldn’t understand the innuendo.


There was a knock on the door so Willow went to get the pizza while the other two sat at the table ready to eat. Sally didn’t even question or try to eat on the couch.


After dinner, they repurposed the cards to play Go Fish, and Sally took great joy in repeatedly telling Willow to go fish.


“I’m not even cheating!” Sally grinned toothily.


Willow and Tara exchanged a soft smile.


At bedtime, Tara was grateful to let her head hit the pillow. There was still a lot on her plate, but one major worry had been taken off her shoulders today. Being official foster parents meant they had more autonomy to make decisions; to bring Sally outside of the city; to establish an actual routine.


School would start soon and that would be a big part of that routine. Likely a challenge too, Tara had no doubt, given Sally’s previous school records but at least they would have access to the supports they needed now being officially ‘in the system’.


What a turn her life had changed from just a few months previous.


And what a curveball she’d thrown Willow.


Just as her heart started to quicken at the thought, Willow pulled back the covers on her side of the bed and slid under. She shuffled over to Tara and pressed a lazy kiss on her cheek, making Tara’s heart quicken in new ways.


“What was this nonsense earlier about losing me?” Willow asked softly as she pressed her nose into the crook of Tara’s neck.


Tara reached up and let her fingers run through Willow’s hair. She loved this; Willow’s lips on her shoulder blade and close enough to get her sweet strawberry mocha scent. Such gentle affection; so evocatively received.


Tara turned and kissed the top of Willow’s head.


“I guess I’m scared,” she admitted softly, “I’m scared when we all start school again it’s going to be too much. That you’ll end up sacrificing grades or—”


Willow lifted her head, making Tara’s hand fall off.


“Tara,” she interrupted, reaching up to tuck some hair behind Tara’s ear, “You know what you would say to me if the roles were reversed?”


Tara swallowed softly. Willow took the opening.


“1) You’re worrying about something that hasn’t happened,” she listed with her fingers, “2) If things are getting tough, then we regroup and see how to change our approach and…”


A third finger shot up.


“3) I will never leave as long as you will have me.”


Tara felt her heart sink to her stomach.


“What if it was what was best for you?”


Willow just shook her head.


“Being without you could never be what’s best for me. Don’t you know how hard I tried to convince myself of that? And guess what, I couldn’t. Because it’s not possible. Because there is no me without you.”


Tara’s eyes filled with tears and Willow reached down to join their hands.


“Tara, you didn’t take this on alone. You haven’t saddled me with something. I agreed willingly.”


“But she’s my…” Tara trailed off, voice choked.


“She’s our family,” Willow replied with a simple smile, “And no, this is not the setup we thought we’d have but guess what? We do. And sometimes it’ll be really, really hard but she’s a good kid. She’s your sister, there’s no doubt.”


Tara swallowed repeatedly to get some moisture in her mouth.


“Because of our killer dance moves?”


“Entirely,” Willow grinned and leaned over to press their lips together.


Tara felt peace pour into her from the kiss. She reached up and cupped both of Willow’s cheeks, pulling her that very important half-inch closer.


Willow dropped some smaller kisses on Tara’s lips and the corner of her mouth before nuzzling her nose.


“I wanna have a chat soon about the DJ Tarot schedule.”


Tara’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Willow kissed Tara’s cheek and curled back into her side.


“It’s snuggle time so not tonight but now we’re not worried about the application being approved it’s time to let you have your full potential again. You do not need to be working bar shifts when you have the talent you have. We are getting you back behind the decks.”


Tara’s brow furrowed this time. Willow just smiled.


“Just trust me.”


“Always,” Tara answered without hesitation.


She placed her hand over Willow’s collarbone and then leaned down to kiss her right beside its placement; on Willow’s throat.


“I love you so much, Willow.”


A light flush rose under Tara’s lips.


Willow gently took Tara’s hand and moved it down closer to the round neck of the tank top she was wearing.


“Do you love me here?”


Tara dropped her mouth and kissed above Willow’s breast.


Willow felt her nipples tighten. She made Tara’s hand slide down over them, just making them pucker all the more. She lingered there for a moment before pushing Tara's hand down above her belly button.


“And here?”


Tara’s hand pushed Willow’s shirt up and she kissed the soft expanse of skin on Willow’s midriff. Willow’s breath caught and she pushed Tara’s hand down until there was no room left to push.


“What about—”


Tara’s head disappeared under the blanket.


Willow sighed contentedly as her eyes fluttered closed.

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

DIBS. I forgot my password for awhile, so I have been lurking. So happy to see that you are posting again. I hope all is well with you. Loving this story. Thanks for writing.

_________________
Atlantic Antics Meeting Expectations
Learning to Laugh What I Discovered at Band Camp

Maybe they could get a punching ball installed for Sally to give her a vent for her agressions.



Awwww to Sally's relief and Willow's joy about Sally staying with them. Hopefully Sally will soon allow herself to believe and feel that she is indeed wanted by Tara and Willow.


Awww again for Sally being a Mini-Tara when dancing.


And one big final AWWWWW! Willow really has come a long way from the scared, closeted gay girl in "Inevitable"!

taranwillow4ever —







If that ever happens again, find me elsewhere on the socials etc and I can fix it for you!



Thank you! Trying to make the best out of every day!

Thanks for commenting!

Will's redemption —



That's a great idea!



These things are never easy but she'll get there!



I like the idea that they share good and 'bad' traits!



Never underestimate how much travel and the love of a good woman can broaden your horizons!

Thanks for your feedback!

---

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

---

---

“Willow, breakfast!”


Tara set a stack of pancakes in the middle of the table and Sally immediately stuck her fork into one and brought it to her plate, drowning it in syrup.


Willow appeared from the bedroom a few moments later and smiled at the scene.


“Ooh, pancakes can go in bellies,” she swung her shoulders excitedly, “Why’d you let me sleep in?”


“Because you deserve it,” Tara smiled and Willow popped a sweet, languid kiss to her cheek.


“Good morning.”


“Good morning,” Tara replied sweetly.


“GoOd moRniNg,” Sally mocked and snickered as her lips glistened with sticky syrup.


Willow glanced at Tara, whose eyes flashed with sadness. She recognized the look; Tara had often given it to her growing up when Willow had expressed something in the latest of her parental neglect saga. She knew her girlfriend’s heart was aching for a little girl so cynical beyond her years that a simple expression of affection seemed trite.


Willow took Tara’s hand under the table and gave it a squeeze and Tara looked at her. Willow again recognized the look, this time from the mirror.


Feeling seen.


Tara just gave a sad smile and reached up, brushing some of Willow’s hair to the side before turning her attention back to the table to serve Willow some pancakes.


“I was thinking today we could take you to get some new furniture for your room,” she said to Sally, her voice clearer than her eyes had been moments before, “There’s a flea market I really love where I bet we could find some gems.”


“Oh, the flea market!” Willow replied excitedly, “Tara’s been promising to take me to the flea market for months.”


“It’s been so busy,” Tara replied apologetically and Willow just smiled and reached over to catch a bit of errant syrup from the corner of Tara’s mouth.


“Isn’t that just other people’s trash?” Sally intoned in a bored voice.


“One person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” Tara smiled knowingly, “I got those glasses you’re drinking out of there.”


Sally almost spit out her orange juice.


“Ew, these are other people’s glasses?”


“We washed them,” Willow replied deadpan, trying to sound mocking as she smiled for Tara, “Well I for one am very excited to go.”


“Yeah, who doesn’t love a trip to the dump,” Sally muttered as she pushed her chair back and walked toward the kitchen.


Tara sighed and Willow bumped Tara’s knee.


“She took her plate to the sink. That’s one win,” she whispered with a smile.


Tara set her silverware on her plate and reached over to cup Willow’s cheek. She leaned in and pressed her lips to Willow.


“I love you more than anything,” she whispered and bumped her nose on Willow’s.


Willow blushed and smiled down at our plate.


“Hey, since it’s our last weekend before school starts, I think we should go all out. The flea market is in Silverlake, right?” she asked and Tara nodded, “Let’s go to Echo Park Lake afterward and do the paddle boats and get some lunch.”


Tara’s upper body physically relaxed.


“That sounds lovely.”


Sally returned and leaned on the back of her chair.


“Or we could go to an arcade and I could whack the mole all the way to Australia.”


She motioned playing the game.


“If you tunneled to the other side of the world from here, you’d be in the middle of the Indian Ocean,” Willow replied knowledgeably, “Just east of Madagascar.”


Sally stopped her whacking and rolled her eyes.


“Madagascar is a movie, dumbass. I’m surprised you don’t remember since you musta played the clown donkey.”


Before Willow could swallow her gulp, Tara brought her hands down on the table.


“Hey,” she said sternly, catching Sally’s eye firmly, “Do not speak to Willow like that. It is not acceptable.”


A silence descended over the table as Tara had never raised her voice to Sally before. She hadn’t really raised her voice now either, but it was so stern that it felt like it.


“Madagascar is a country near Africa. It’s where the animals arrived when they got lost. In the movie,” Willow spoke quietly into the silence before adding on with a low note of haughtiness, “And it was a clown zebra.”


There was a pause of several long breaths before Sally moved for the first time.


“I didn’t know it was a real place,” she said, looking firmly to the floor, “Sounds made up.”


She reached over to grip her opposite arm awkwardly as she glanced up.


“Sorry.”


Willow’s eyebrow rose slightly.


“It’s okay. Thanks for apologizing,” she nodded quickly and stood to break the tension in the air, “Um, maybe we should all go get dressed? The early bird gets the vintage 19th-century cabinets.”


Tara exhaled a last breath and fixed a smile on her face.


“Wouldn’t that be fun, finding something we could upcycle together?”


Willow cocked an eyebrow.


“Especially if you wear a toolbelt.”


“Gross,” Sally said, but had the good grace to mumble it as she marched off into her bedroom.


Tara stood with Willow and wordlessly leaned in for a hug.


Willow rubbed Tara’s back and kissed her cheek.


“It’ll get better. It already is.”


Tara nodded into Willow’s neck. She kissed her there and lifted her head to look at Willow.


“If I get the toolbelt will you get one of those power tools again?” she asked with a crooked smile.


“You want me to drill you?” Willow whispered and Tara hid her blushing face in Willow’s shoulder.


Willow could feel the beaming smile even through her pjs.


“I love you.”


“I love you,” Tara echoed and they hugged again.


Breaking off after a moment, Willow offered to clean up while Tara took the first shower.


While she was drying the last dish, Sally came out dressed for the day and while she had chosen appropriate clothing for the warm day, Willow noticed the back of the soles of her sneakers were flapping.


“Are your shoes broken?” she asked with a frown.


Sally scoffed and rooted her feet to the floor.


“No.”


Willow frowned but tried not to let it show. She was sure she remembered Tara and Sally coming home with a Converse bag a few days ago.


“Didn’t Tara just get you some new ones?” she asked casually, “They might be comfortable to walk around the market in.”


Sally shrugged.


“I’m saving those.”


“For what?” Willow couldn’t hide her confusion this time.


Sally shoved her hands in her pockets uncomfortably.


“For when I need them.”


A lightbulb went off over Willow’s head. She slid the plate in her hands into the cabinet and walked over to the couch Sally was sitting on. She leaned back and tried to adopt an easy tone. She might be very new to a parenting role, but being a self-conscious pre-teen was something she was well-versed in.


“You know, if you wear them and they get worn or damaged or something, that’s okay. We’ll get you new ones whenever you need them. You don’t have to worry about that.”


Sally's brow folded down.


“How’d you guys get so rich?”


“We’re not,” Willow answered, then paused, realizing as she had when she was a kid that that phrase was very relative, “But I guess we do a lot better than other people our age.”


She sat down.


“Tara’s job, the DJing? It pays well because she’s just so amazing you know? And she is, uh, was, uh is,” she began to gush in reply, “Going through a real booking frenzy right now. And it pays me to be her manager, which is both nuts and extremely fortunate. I also had money left by my grandparents to pay for college. So we’re pretty lucky. And you don’t have to worry. We’ll take care of you.”


Sally’s nose scrunched and she looked at Willow with genuine bafflement.


“Why?”


“Because we want to,” Willow answered simply, leaving off anything too much more sentimental for fear of alienating Sally away from the conversation.


“Because some judge told you,” Sally muttered and Willow saw how her shoulders tightened and eyes fell downward.


“That’s not true,” Willow replied quickly, then took a moment to gather her thoughts as she turned her body toward Sally, “My parents…they weren’t around much growing up. So I hung out with Tara’s family. They became my family.”


She had to bite back any comment about Donny.


“And now you’re a part of that too.”


Sally’s eyes slowly lifted, making a fleeting glance in Willow’s direction as the crease in her brow settled from tension into something softer, more trusting.


“I’m ready.”


Tara appeared from the bedroom and Willow just smiled as she stood, discreetly tapping Sally’s knee.


“‘Kay. I’ll go get dressed and we can head out.”


She kissed Tara’s cheek as she passed to the bathroom. Sally jumped up to run into her room.


“Where are you going so quick?” Tara called out after her, “Do I stink?”


Sally returned with two freshly tied shoelaces. She scrunched her nose again.


“I don’t know what you smell like. I'm not sniffing you.”


“Heaven,” Willow said with a wink.


Tara raised an alluring eyebrow.


“Jews don't believe in heaven.”


“Heaven lives here with me,” Willow countered with the same arch in her brow.


“Jews don't believe in heaven?” Sally asked in surprise.


“Well…it's complicated,” Willow admitted, “You can talk to my Dad about it one day, he'll give you the full low-down. Um, getting dressed now.”


She disappeared into the bedroom.


“You just smell like…I dunno, you,” Sally shrugged as she continued their conversation, then added helpfully, “Sometimes when you come back from work you smell like mozzarella sticks.”


“Great,” Tara replied flatly, “Even pancake batter would be better than that.”


“That’s good because you have some in your hair,” Sally replied with a straight face, then burst out laughing when Tara quickly ran into the bathroom to look in the mirror.


Tara dropped her hands by her sides and let out a soft breath.


“Okay, you got me,” she called out, smiling to herself.


She walked out with her hands on her hips. Sally came up and unexpectedly gave her a giant hug.


Rarely but occasionally there were flashes of the innocence Sally should have at her age and seemed to have been sorely torn from her – and Tara didn’t quite know what to do with them. So she just closed the hug and didn’t try to linger when Sally broke off.


“Cool new kicks!” Willow’s voice came as she arrived in the room, fully dressed.


Sally rolled her eyes which Willow took with a smile as she linked her fingers with Tara’s.


“Are we ready?”


The flea-and-farmers’ market was a straight drive down Santa Monica Boulevard but with weekend morning traffic it was still the best part of an hour before they got there and circled to find a parking space.


“This many people want to buy other people’s junk?” Sally questioned as they finally pulled into a spot.


“Wait until you taste the strawberries in the produce section,” Willow replied as her eyes glazed over, “The first time Tara brought them home she had me eating out of her…”


She glanced at Tara, quickly turning red. She cleared her throat.


“Um, palm. Yes. Good strawberries.”


“I do love the taste of strawberry on my tongue,” Tara replied with a discreet smirk before stepping out of the car and allowing a bit of cool air to hit Willow’s cheeks.


In the backseat, Sally pushed on the window of her seat indignantly.


“I don’t need a stupid child lock.”


Willow got out and let Sally out too.


“It’s not personal, we just can’t find the manual to change it,” she said cheerily, omitting the fact that while that was true, there were endless guides online to do so.


Sally marched on and Tara fell in step with Willow behind her.


“Nice save.”


“Cool as a cucumber, that’s me,” Willow offered a little smile; knowing Tara knew better than anyone how un-cucumber-esque she could be.


Tara bumped Willow’s hip in an acknowledgement of the unspoken thought and they entered through the fencing to the market.


During the week the area was a parking lot for the various office buildings surrounding it, but now there were multiple stalls set up into sections for food, crafts, flowers, and furniture.


“Where do we hit up first?” Willow asked and inhaled deeply as aromas filled the air.


“I’m craving some pastry,” Tara said, her nose twitching similarly.


“And never let it be said that I left a Tara craving unsatisfied,” Willow grinned and raised one eyebrow in Tara’s direction, “Donuts on me!”


Sally looked like she wanted to say something sarcastic but was also wise enough not to jeopardize her donut.


They each picked out a donut from the cart and while Willow and Sally scarfed theirs down in seconds, Tara held hers in her napkin and nibbled at it slowly. Willow saw her drifting toward a setup with lots of old vinyl and called out that she would bring Sally around while Tara browsed.


It was about an hour for them both to do alternate circles of the market and by the time Tara rounded back to the front with some new records to mix and some fresh fruit in her reusable bag, Sally looked positively bored waiting for Willow to finish taking selfies in a new fluffy pink jacket she was wearing.


“Looks like Willow found a purchase,” Tara smiled as she approached and ran her fingers on the soft fluff of Willow’s sleeve, “What about you, Sal? Find anything?”


For a moment, Sally blushed, though she hid it well; adept at hiding her true emotions with larger ones.


“I got this weird giraffe…devil…thing,” she said and thrust a plastic toy in Tara’s face, “It poops candy!”


“Vintage Pez,” Willow chuckled, then quickly frowned, “Don’t eat the candy. We'll get you fresh ones.”


She grabbed the little foil token before any food poisoning could occur.


“Was hoping for more in the way of furniture,” Tara said with a sigh.


“There's some cool beanbags,” Sally replied, “But I don't want one that other people's stinky butts have been on.”


“Tara, I think we have to accept it,” Willow nodded solemnly, “She’s more of an IKEA girl.”


Sally nodded.


“And you can do all the building. You’re just a couple of dykes right?”


If Tara had been playing those vinyls, the needle would have scratched.


It was hard to feel like the air was sucked away when you were standing in the middle of the outdoors, but it still did. The tension and mood of their little spot amongst the hustle and bustle changed so drastically that even Sally suddenly felt like she was sinking into the ground.


“What’d I say?” she asked in a meek voice; a tone unbecoming of her.


Willow snapped to it first and glanced at Tara, who looked like she’d just been slapped. Willow knew, despite everything before and since, that her girlfriend’s visceral reaction to that word was in no small part because of her.


Her eyes fell to Sally, who for the first time wasn’t trying to hide the fact that she was upset.


“Let’s get a hot chocolate and talk,” she tried to break through the rising bubble surrounding them, “Or just with Tara?”


“No,” Tara replied promptly and firmly, “We’re a team now, all of us. Together. So we will discuss this, together.”


A hand went to both Willow and Sally’s backs to turn them around and walk out of the market.


The lake was just down the street from the market so Willow figured out pretty quickly where they were headed. Luckily, since Tara was stonily quiet even when they got to the boat rental place and paid to get them a swan boat.


They sat three in the front with Willow and Tara on either side controlling the padels and Sally in the middle, looking green, though not from seasickness, or lakesickness, as the case may be.


Around them, couples and families were pedaling by, enjoying the hot weather and incredible scenery.


It really was gorgeous; a blue lake with stunning green surrounds, a bird’s eye view of downtown LA, and even a geyser water fountain that shot three cascading blasts of water into the air.


But it was still very much a bubble in the trio’s surrounds.


“Can’t you just yell at me or something?” Sally requested with a scoff as the tension obviously got too much.


“Why do you want us to yell?” Willow frowned and found her own heart start to palpitate just at the sound of her own voice, so caught up she was in the pressure that had encased them.


“It's better than this!” Sally replied and her tone was so broken it pulled Tara back.


Tara inhaled softly but for a very long moment and when she exhaled and turned to face them, her eyes weren’t clouded any longer and her shoulders had released what they were holding onto before.


“We’re not mad at you,” she said softly, looking directly into Sally’s eyes, “But that word…dyke…it’s not a nice word. At least not when it’s meant in a mean way. Trust me, I know.”


Willow winced but quickly swallowed it. Her guilt was resolved and it was definitely not the time to allow herself to baste in insecurity.


Sally went from uncomfortable to perplexed.


“My…dad said it all the time. Doesn’t it mean when two chicks hate men like you guys?”


“We don’t hate men,” Willow interjected quickly with wide eyes.


Sally’s tongue fell out of her mouth with disgust.


“You date guys too?”


Willow began frantically waving her hands back and forth.


“No, no, no!”


Tara reached across and took Willow’s left hand in her right, leaving them clasped in front of Sally.


“Willow and I are gay. A gay woman is a woman who wants to be with other women and well, it's, it's not really so much about hating the men.”


Willow nodded, unable to help a little smirk.


“We're more centered around the…girl-on-girl action.”


Tara shot Willow a look, who quickly reined in her facial muscles.


Sally looked between them, clearly confused.


“The word dyke can be used by nasty people to be an insult,” Tara replied to the unspoken uncertainty.


“That’s not what I meant,” Sally said in a rushed gasp and her sincerity in not wanting to genuinely hurt them, or Tara at least, hit Willow in the heart.


Tara dropped a kiss on top of Sally’s head, who didn’t rebuff the affection.


“It’s not fair that you had people that taught you that the word you used is an okay word to use. That it’s okay to hurt people by saying it.”


Sally looked down at the floor of the boat.


“I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”


“We know,” Willow reassured softly.


“We do,” Tara agreed quickly, “Remember I told you to try and use words only if they're kind, necessary, and true? I realized that wasn't fair. At least not all the time. You should be able to say whatever you want to us — Willow and I. And you can. I promise we’ll never be mad if you use words to ask and do not mean it to hurt. I'm not mad now. But I need you to understand when we explain things as well. Like that words like ‘dyke’ and ‘fag’ and sometimes ‘queer’…people who hate people like me and Willow use them to be hurtful. They mean it to be insulting. Kind of like a nickname, you’re not sure if it’s okay to call someone it unless they tell you it’s okay. Have you heard people say ‘that’s so gay’ before?”


Sally nodded.


“What did you think of it?” Tara asked.


Sally shrugged.


“That it meant lame.”


Tara nodded slowly.


“And do you know what gay means? Did you understand my explanation?”


“Yeah,” Sally rolled her eyes a little, “Boys with boys or girls with girls. Like you and Willow. Because… you like each other, not because you don’t like guys? Oh, and you love rainbows!”


“Do you think Willow and I are lame?” Tara questioned.


Willow grimaced.


“I don’t think we want to know the answer to that question.”


“Do you think the fact that Willow and I love each other is lame?” Tara amended with an arched eyebrow.


Sally glanced between them and looked like she was arguing between the devil and the angel on her shoulders.


“Only when you’re sucking face,” she settled on eventually.


She shifted on the seat and looked between them again.


“You’re not lame,” she said, biting on her lip, “I should-a thought about my words more.”


Tara hugged Sally from the side.


“It’s okay that you didn’t know. But now that you do, you have to learn and think about it in the future. Can you do that?”


Sally nodded and returned the hug. Tara smiled over Sally’s shoulder at Willow and opened her arm for Willow to join the hug.


Sally tolerated it for a whole five seconds before breaking free.


“Who’s up for some lunch?” Willow suggested cheerily, feeling a buzz from having gotten through such a rough moment so well.


Sally perked up.


“Can we go back to the market? There was something there I liked.”


“Sure,” Tara smiled and nodded and they began to paddle back to the dock.


A while later they stood at a market stall while the seller went off to make change.


“This is what you wanted?” Tara confirmed.


“I thought it was going to be something mega-chocolatey,” Willow admitted.


“This is what I want. For my wall,” Sally smiled and looked between them with slight uncertainty, “Is that okay?”


Willow grinned.


“You bet, kiddo.”


And so with a little creative swerving, they returned to the car and rode off with a neon rainbow light strapped to the roof safely.


The Dairy Queen they had for lunch was indeed, very chocolatey.

---

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

You are writing the tension and caution so well, bless Sally. So glad you’ve continued this story.

_________________
- I am a poster girl with no poster, I am 32 flavours and then some -

GrimCityGirl —



Thank you so much! It's so interesting a dynamic, I've written foster child before but never in a Dawn-like situation where they're young and still in college! I'm so glad to have the show to fall back on but it's a see-saw of realism and just helping everyone do their best!

Thanks so much for your words!!

---

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

---

---

“Hey, Sal?”


Tara sat down next to her sister at the table, where she was busy drawing in a notepad.


“What are you making?”


“Drawing my new D&D character,” Sally replied cheerily, “She’s a Cleric whose parents abandoned her so she's had to teach herself magic and fighting. And she wears a necklace of mummified elf fingers!”


“W-Wow,” Tara feigned enthusiasm, not least of which because the therapist had told her that Sally’s interest in Dungeons and Dragons actually seemed to be providing her with a healthy outlet to express herself.


She just wished she understood it more.


Thank god Willow was in this with her.


Remembering Willow, Tara recalled why she’d come over.


“Hey, I want to have a little chat with you.”


Sally suddenly dropped her colored pencil, eyes wide.


“I didn’t do it!”


Tara turned her head but decided to let it go.


“No…no, you’re not in trouble,” she said cautiously, narrowing her eyes slightly but continuing without incident, “Well, the thing is my mom is coming down to LA to visit this weekend and I wondered if you’d like to hang out with her?”


“Your…mom?” Sally replied slowly, “So, am I…related to her?”


“Oh well…” Tara paused, stuck for thought for a moment, “Well I’m your sister and she’s my mom, so she’s…well, no, you’re not related by blood but she’s family. And so are you.”


Sally seemed to accept that and went back to shading the mummified elf fingers.


“Sure, I guess. Is she a mean mom?”


Tara shook her head.


“No, she’s the best. Plus it’s her mac and cheese recipe I make for you and I bet she’d make it even better.”


“And she didn’t get it from a box neither?” Sally asked with an arched eyebrow.


Tara shook her head.


“All from—”


“Scratch!” Sally laughed and started scratching her stomach and head like a monkey.


Tara laughed and tickled her fingers over Sally’s hand.


“A little monkey, you’ve got that right. Let’s not tell Willow, okay?”


Sally smiled.


Tara smiled back.


She wished it was always this easy.


For every carefree moment like this, there were the screaming matches when they tried to turn the TV off, the refusal to go to therapy, or the casual insults. Sometimes intended, sometimes not. Then there was the manipulation to try and muddy the line.


Tara knew these were all behaviors borne of a chaotic and abusive upbringing; Sally rarely spoke of their father but when she did Tara knew she was lucky to have escaped his clutches. She knew this but it didn’t make it any easier, especially now they were tipping out of the summer and school was going to start back up very, very soon.


Willow had it all planned out, schedule-wise, of course, and for the umpteenth time, Tara didn’t know how she would cope without her.


Not that they spent any real time together anymore, except to collapse into bed and maybe fool around for a bit before crashing.


Occasionally there were precious seconds in the morning after awakening but usually one was up before the other.


Tara hadn’t even been able to sit down to talk with Willow about this new plan to pivot back into DJing full-time. She knew for sure if she didn’t soon, whatever fanbase she’d built up would be sure to dissipate. She was ready to accept that; her rise on the scene had been part fluke, part Nate’s promotion so she didn’t really feel like she was losing something she’d worked hard to earn. But if she could continue to do it and continue to work with Willow in the process, well…she sure missed those heady nights.


She hoped for one soon, if not inspired by the adrenaline rush of DJing then maybe because of their anniversary which fell the Saturday before they all started classes…


This Saturday.


When venting with her mother, Kimberly had offered to come up with Jeff to meet some of their Wiccan friends and babysit for the evening so she and Willow could go out.


Tara couldn’t wait — and couldn’t wait to surprise Willow either.

---

Tara folded the last shirt from the laundry basket as she heard the message tone on her phone beep.


She checked the messages and smiled before making her way back into the living room, briefly stopping by the closet to run her hand over a little black dress tucked in at the back.


At the table, Willow jumped up excitedly from her laptop.


“Tara, can we grab a few minutes? I just got some exciting emails about hiring DJ Tarot and I really wanna nail it all down with you.”


Tara’s heart skipped a beat. They’d been trying to carve this conversation out for days.


“Oh Willow,” she said, frowning, “Right this second?”


Willow nodded eagerly.


“Yeah, are you busy?”


There was a knock on the door and Willow looked over.


“Are we…expecting someone?”


Tara grinned and went to open the door, throwing her arms around her mom when she did so.


“Ms. M!” Willow said brightly and hurried over to offer another hug, “Is Mr. B with you?”


Kimberly shook her head.


“He’s gone to see an old druid friend,” she said as she held both Willow and Tara by their outer arms, “How are my girls?”


“We’re good,” Tara smiled at her mother, who gave her a knowing look.


“Come in,” Willow offered, stepping aside.


Tara closed the door behind them while Willow gestured to the living area, where Sally hadn’t even looked up from the TV.


“We have some separation anxiety with the television right now.”


Willow gnawed on her lip, surprised to find she was nervous about Kimberly’s assessment of her ‘parenting’. Tara just sighed; a sigh Willow had noticed really sneaking in lately.


She hoped to alleviate it a bit later.


Or at least she had, before the unexpected bonus-mom arrival.


Kimberly and Tara exchanged a look and Willow was beginning to feel distinctly left out.


“Well, I happen to have a brand-new off-the-shelf game called,” Kimberly said in an announcer's voice as she reached into her big straw purse, “Whirling Witchcraft!”


She produced a purple box depicting witches around a cauldron.


“Jeff says it comes highly recommended.”


“Seems a bit stereotypical,” Willow commented glibly, “Witches aren’t all hairy moles and rotted teeth y’know?”


She knew she was being petulant but oddly, this actually seemed to attract Sally’s attention and she looked up and acknowledged them all for the first time.


“Witchcraft?”


Tara took the opportunity to discreetly turn off the TV while Kimberly distracted her.


“Hi Sally, it’s nice to meet you again. I’m Kimberly, Tara’s mom.”


“I saw you once,” Sally replied stoically, “When I first met my sister. And then we got hot chocolate once, right?”


No one missed the emphasis on the ‘my’. It was no secret that while Sally tended to push people away, she clung to Tara like white on rice. The therapist had spoken to them about an attachment disorder but the advice presently was not to push too much.


Sally cocked her head to one side.


“So you…used to be married to my Dad right?”


Kimberly cleared her throat.


“Well…not…”


“Kinda,” Willow offered unsurely.


“Not ‘kinda’,” Kimberly was quick to retort but her face grew pained as she looked back at Sally to give an explanation, “Sort of.”


“‘Sort of’?” Willow asked mockingly, then paled when Kimberly shot her a look, “Sorry Ms. M.”


Sally looked over at Willow.


“Why do you call her Ms. M?”


“Well, that’s her name,” Willow supplied, grateful for an easy question, “Ms. Maclay. Like Tara Maclay.”


Sally turned her mischievous inquisitiveness to Tara.


“How come we don’t have the same name if we’re sisters?”


“Questions coming in hot and fast tonight,” Willow clapped her hands together quickly, “Who wants to play the board game? I’m up for some witchy shenanigans.”


“Sally, would you like to help me set up the cauldrons?” Kimberly asked as she placed the game box on the table and took the lid off.


Sally hesitated, then shrugged and came over to help.


“Why don’t I get some lemonade and game snacks?” Tara suggested as she turned on her heels to walk over to the fridge.


Willow followed and lowered her voice.


“Why didn’t you tell me your mom was coming to visit?”


Tara brought the pitcher out from the fridge and winked at Willow.


“I have a plan.”


Willow raised an eyebrow and added a sappy grin when Tara kissed her cheek as she passed by.


“Popcorn!” she announced, spinning around in a 180-degree turn, “Popcorn is essential for whipping your butts at, ah…how do we play this game?”


“Well, everyone is a different character and every character has a workbench,” Kimberly explained with a smile as she laid out the various brightly-colored cardboard inserts, “Depending on your character, you have different special powers to morph those ingredients into something else! Everyone gets ingredients and then we use these recipe cards to cook up something! When you’ve bubbled up all you want, you have to pass them over to another player and take over their cauldron! The first person to have just five ingredients left wins!”


“Ooh,” Willow replied, intrigued as she put the packet of popcorn in the microwave, “So you want your cauldron to be full at the same time the other is empty for maximum points!”


“Willow’s got it,” Kimberly smiled, “She always was the best rule-follower in the family.”


Willow blushed lightly at being called ‘family’.


They sat around the table and Kimberly started handing out the character cards.


“Willow, you’re the Frog Whisperer.”


Willow gasped.


“NO!”


Kimberly nodded knowingly and Sally looked at Willow strangely.


“She has frog fear,” Tara explained and quickly handed Willow her card, “Here honey, you can be the Spellbook Scholar.”


Willow took it gratefully. Sally held up two cards.


“Am I The Daredevil or The Whirlwind?”


“I’d say a spunky mix of the two,” Willow grinned and Sally kicked her under the table, “OW!”


“Sally!” Tara chastised, and let out a short breath, “We use our words, not our hands. Or our feet.”


“Oh my, how I’ve flashed back to your childhood,” Kimberly forced a smile, “Though Donny was usually the perpetrator.”


“Who’s Donny?” Sally asked as she inspected the character she’d chosen.


The table went silent.


Sally looked up slowly.


“Did I say a bad word I don’t know is a bad word again?”


“No, no,” Tara reassured, reaching out to put her hand over Sally’s, “Donny is…my brother.”


Sally’s forehead creased as she worked it out.


“So…my brother too?”


“Yes,” Kimberly cleared her throat, “Yes, he is.”


Willow let out a low grumble of disapproval. Sally didn’t seem too perturbed.


“Yeah, they told me I had a brother.”


It was silent again until Willow spoke.


“So, uh, how ‘bout we start this toil and trouble?”


Kimberly doled out four cards each and the game began.


It took a few goes for everyone to fall into the rules, and a few frustrations when Sally initially lost a small pot to Willow, but a few games in and she began to pull on her D&D planning to add some oomph to her character.


It was going so well that when Tara ordered a pizza, Sally gobbled hers up without even realizing none of the others had eaten until she’d finished.


“Surrender!” she jabbed a jovial finger at Kimberly before finally noticing, “Why isn’t anyone eating? Was I s’possed to wait for the mac and cheese?”


She seemed embarrassed.


“Oh well, it’s just,” Tara tried to sound casual, “Willow and I were going to head out for dinner tonight.”


“We were?” Willow asked with a smile.


“Yes,” Tara smiled back, “It’s our anniversary.”


Sally glanced slowly between Willow and Tara and then at Kimberly, feeling like she’d been played.


“So you brought your stinkin’ mom to babysit me? I don’t need a babysitter!”


Tara pushed her chair back and came around to Sally’s side, leaning down to her level.


“Honey, we just want you to have some company while we go out.”


Sally’s face started to go red.


“Just leave me alone! Everyone always does!”


“We wouldn’t do that,” Willow said from across the table, “Sal—”


“No! Don’t call me that!” Sally raged and both Willow and Tara knew they’d just flown off the precipice of reason.


Sally only knew how to mask hard emotions with bigger ones.


Sally flung her arms across the table, sending the pieces scattered everywhere. Kimberly jumped up in fright and Willow quickly moved around the table to help constrain Sally so she wouldn’t hurt herself by breaking a glass or something.


They bundled her into her bedroom and after about 10 minutes, Willow slipped out and closed the door softly behind her.


Kimberly, having spent a few minutes in a PTSD-like shock, was cleaning up the pieces from the game.


“I’ll do that,” Willow quickly offered, getting on her knees on the floor to help.


Kimberly looked up, visibly pale.


“Is she okay?”


Willow nodded.


“Yeah. Tara’s just holding her. She tries to push us away but some part of her lets her give in eventually. I guess she went a long time without having a safe space.”


Kimberly could only nod. She realized she had some unresolved trauma herself as a little growl she’d heard come from Sally’s mouth was identical to one she hadn’t heard in a very, very long time and thankfully never would again.


She was mindlessly sweeping cards together when she realized Willow was speaking.


“I’m sorry, Willow?”


“I said I’ll replace the game for Mr. B,” Willow repeated, “Are you okay, Ms. M? Don’t worry about Sally. Her therapist says it’s normal and she’s told us what to do when she goes into that rage mode. You might not believe it but it’s actually way better than it was even a few weeks ago.”


Kimberly blinked slowly.


“You girls. I had two kids by your age and I still don’t think I’d figured my life and the world out like you have.”


Willow’s cheeks turned a light pink.


“We’ve been through a lot.”


Kimberly just nodded again.


“Don’t worry about the game. It was a promo box he got for the store. Anyway, I think I’ve caught all the pieces.”


Willow helped Kimberly pack the game back up and was about to offer her a drink when Tara came back into the living room.


“She’s asleep,” she explained with a weary wave of her hand as her hands folded across her chest, “You can head out, Mom. I think tonight is a bust.”


Kimberly nodded gently. She suddenly felt very like getting some air.


“I’m sorry this didn’t work out.”


“We’ll get there,” Tara shrugged one shoulder but offered a soft and genuine smile, “Go meet up with Jeff. Enjoy the night.”


“Don’t dance naked under any trees,” Willow joked, then swallowed, “Or do. No judgment.”


Tara slightly bumped Willow’s shoulder affectionately as she came across to hug her mother.


Kimberly lingered before pulling back and holding her daughter by the shoulders.


“Tara…” she trailed off wistfully before kissing Tara’s forehead, “Learn from my mistakes.”


She picked up her purse and wiggled her fingers.


“Happy anniversary, girls.”


“Thank you,” Tara replied softly and Willow echoed it.


The door clicked closed and Tara’s gaze met Willow’s. They both pretty much floated over to the couch where they fell into it and each other with Willow’s head in Tara’s lap while Tara played with her hair.


They were quiet for a few minutes.


Peacefully, blissfully quiet.


Suddenly Willow’s eyes sprung open and she sat up.


“Would you go pick up some take-out? I’m starving.”


Tara’s arm flopped into her lap.


“Can we get them to deliver?”


Willow nibbled on her lip and turned her puppy dog eyes on Tara.


“It’s always cold when it gets here.”


Tara withheld one of those sighs upon seeing the look on Willow’s face.


“Yeah, okay. You want Thai?”


The Thai place was down the street and would have their food ready in the few minutes it would take for Tara to walk there.


“You know what I would love?” Willow’s eyes burst brightly, “Some soondubu. You know from that place on West Olympic?”


Tara tried not to show the exhaustion in her bones.


“You want me to go to Koreatown?”


Willow nodded eagerly and Tara was wont to resist her keen little face.


“Okay, baby. I’ll get some bibimbap and bulgogi too. Do you want chicken or beef?”


“Chicken,” Willow replied happily, “Oh, and make sure they put the kimchi in this time.”


Tara just nodded, kissed Willow’s cheek, and stood up to get her keys.


“Oh, and I’ll take some omija tea if they have any,” Willow called as Tara walked out the door.


“Okay,” Tara replied, trying not to sound tetchy.


She couldn’t expect Willow to just know she didn’t feel like this journey. It was just that…Willow usually did and could read her like a book. The out-of-sync feeling didn’t help the general discombobulation she was feeling having taken on a pre-teen girl she’d never known existed and yet now felt such depth and protection over.


Not to mention the responsibility.


She quickly turned on some of the new music Nate had sent her when she got in the car to try and use the journey to switch off her brain.


It wasn’t long before she was imagining mixing two of the songs and tapping the beats out on the steering wheel.


When she arrived, she saw a text from Willow saying she had ordered for them, which she appreciated as the restaurant seemed busy. It took just a few minutes to collect their order and have it back on the car floor, with Willow’s tea secured in the cup holder.


She sent a quick message to Nate to let him know she enjoyed the tracks and asked which ones were live that she could use in a show.


The food smelled really good and she realized she was starving — they’d had a late breakfast and Tara had been too anxious with her little plan to snack much on the popcorn. She knew now she absolutely should have filled Willow in. Things like ‘anniversary surprises’ were not part of their lives right now. They’d barely been even able to say the words to each other.


She was hoping Willow had already grabbed a couple of plates and some silverware so they could slob on the couch, but Willow apparently had different ideas.


As soon as Tara opened the door, she was met by a barrage of shimmering candlelight.


Willow must have rooted out every single tealight and votive they had as it seemed like every surface was covered.


In the middle of the room, Willow was sitting on a laid-out blanket with chopsticks, spoons, plates, and glasses. A few red balloons floated around the floor, away from the candles and Willow was laying on her side with a single red rose between her teeth.


Tara used her back to close the door with a soft ‘click’ and then walked the few paces to sink to her knees by Willow.


“Sweetie…”


Willow took the stem of the rose out of her mouth and twirled it under Tara’s chin.


“Hopefully this will quell the feelings of you wanting to absolutely murder me for sending you to Koreatown.”


Tara could only smile.


As if she ever doubted Willow was always right there with her.


“Where did you get all of this stuff together at this time of the evening?”


“I was working on a little plan of my own,” she said with a saucily arched eyebrow, “You, me, Elysian Park. Hike a picnic up to Angel’s Point. Figured I could bribe, I mean, uh, distract Sally with my Switch and maybe sneak a smooch at sunset. I was going to suggest we go this afternoon before your mom arrived.”


Tara suddenly lifted her knees and stood up straight. She held up one finger to indicate one minute and hurried off to the bedroom.


Willow pouted a little but tried to drop the attitude as she waited, filling the time by taking out the containers of food and sipping a little on her tea.


Tara kept to her promise of only being one minute (maybe two) and returned with her previous clothing shed in favor of a slinky little black number that she wore off-the-shoulder and above-the-knee.


Willow floated to an upstanding position, practically slack-jawed.


“You look incredible,” she said in awe, before looking down at herself disdainfully, “I am…woefully underdressed.”


She had purple jeans and a fuzzy green sweater on and Tara had never found her more alluring.


“No, you look perfect,” she said, taking Willow’s hands to pull them together, “You look like Willow.”


She rested her forehead on her girlfriend’s.


“My Willow.”


“Yours,” Willow confirmed with an audible swallow, “Always.”


She brought her hand up to touch Tara’s cheek and let it fall over the body of the dress, surreptitiously brushing her fingers over Tara’s exposed breast.


“And when did you get this pretty little thing?”


Tara reached down to the hem of her dress and did a little sway from side to side.


“This is what I was going to wear tonight when I wined you and dined you.”


“Were you going to finish that phrase?” Willow grinned and popped a kiss on Tara’s lips when she got a wry look in return.


She closed her hands around the back of Tara’s neck and the sway became mutual.


“I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”


“It did,” Tara replied softly, putting her hands on Willow’s hips, “This is perfect.”


They kissed again, just a soft press of lips, letting the stresses of the day drain away.


Someone’s stomach grumbled, they couldn’t even tell whose and they both quickly sat down on the cushions Willow had put down for them.


There were a few minutes of silence as they ate hungrily but eventually slowed enough to talk.


“So fill me in on you and your mom’s sneaky plan?” Willow asked as she picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks.


Tara sighed.


“Well, you pretty much saw it except I had the crazy idea that Sally would just be cool with my mom because…she’s my mom.”


“Fair assumption,” Willow replied kindly, “I don’t think it was your mom she opposed…just the idea of ‘someone else’ being in charge of her. Maybe with some mom-trauma overtones. I’ve, uh, been pre-reading my psych 101 textbooks. Plus, y’know, grew up under Sheila.”


Tara’s brow creased sympathetically.


“Willow, how…” she paused to focus a moment, “How do you handle all of this so well? You never complain, you always seem so calm when something goes down.”


“It’s only my own existential angst that I have trouble with,” Willow joked before softly swallowing and looking Tara in the eye, “I just…think about how tough her life has been. And I niggle in on that humanity and focus on that and think what I can do to make it better.”


She met Tara’s gaze.


“I learned from you.”


Tears sprung into Tara’s eyes; feeling guilt for her negative feelings.


“That doesn’t make it any easier.”


“No,” Willow shook her head, “But I know what some Maclay love can do to an emotionally troubled kid…so I know it’ll work out. And you know, maybe I can even be part of it. Give back some of all I was given.”


“Willow, you do so much,” Tara replied, getting choked, “I-I don’t want it to end up being too much.”


Willow scooted closer to Tara and started to rub her thigh.


“What if it’s too much for you, baby?”


Tara lifted her eyes to Willow vulnerably.


“It feels it sometimes. But I can’t just forget that I have a sister.”


“Either can I,” Willow replied honestly, then paused for a moment to gather her words, “Tara if I…knocked you up or something…”


Tara’s brow creased and it was so adorable Willow couldn’t help but let out a little laugh.


“Okay, I know, I know, but just say our witchy powers from earlier came to life and that happened. I feel about that how I feel about this. Why would I leave? Because I’m young? I’m not exactly born from the House of Wild. Because it’s work? We were already juggling jobs and school, what’s another ball in the mix? Because it’s emotionally difficult? Hell, compared to the crap I put you and me through, it feels good to have some skills to help someone else. And the biggest reason of all I wouldn’t leave — because I love you too damn much. You are a reason Tara, the most important one, and even if I was just staying ‘because of you’ it would be enough. You are enough to make me fight. You are worth everything. So if we only get two minutes a day, I will take those two minutes and make sure you know I love you. I'll make the most of the minutes and love with no regrets.”


One tear fell from Tara’s eye, which Willow wiped from her cheek. She ducked her head and then swung it back up to kiss Willow’s lips.


It was another long, languid kiss that pulsed through the quiet until Tara’s eyes had cleared.


Tara picked up a piece of julienned carrot from the bibimbap and offered it to Willow.


“Are you looking forward to starting classes?”


Tara’s voice was calmer and Willow could see some weight gone from her beautiful, exposed shoulders.


“Uh huh, yeah. Fred invited me to join a D&D campaign on campus. I was gonna ask if Sally wanted to come along if the dates work out.”


Tara frowned.


“I don’t know if she’s ready to do something like that so…publically. What if something went wrong?” she asked, not needing to add ‘like tonight’, “Besides, it would be nice for you to have something. Outside of all of…this.”


“Outside of my family?” Willow asked softly with an arched eyebrow.


At that moment, Tara felt them closer as ‘one flesh’ than they had ever been in the bedroom (or Fijian beach).


“Happy anniversary,” was all she could say, but each syllable dripped with her love.


Willow's voice echoed as she kissed the corner of Tara’s mouth.


“Happy anniversary, love.”

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

Not really surprised that Sally reacted badly to the babysitting ambush. She needs time to adjust to other people. I do hope she gets more trusting and calm as time goes on, poor thing.

_________________
- I am a poster girl with no poster, I am 32 flavours and then some -

GrimCityGirl —



It's a huge learning curve for everybody. But they'll get there!

Thanks for commenting!

---

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

It's short, I'm sorry, it's been a rough week. It's also just smut so you won't miss anything if you skip it.

---

---

“This is what I was going to wear tonight when I wined you and dined you.”


“Were you going to finish that phrase?” Willow grinned and popped a kiss on Tara’s lips when she got a wry look in return.



At that moment, Tara felt them closer as ‘one flesh’ than they had ever been in the bedroom (or Fijian beach).


“Happy anniversary,” was all she could say, but each syllable dripped with her love.


Willow's voice echoed as she kissed the corner of Tara’s mouth.


“Happy anniversary, love.”



Though the emotional union was exquisite, Tara’s body started to scream with desire for that ‘one flesh’ to be multi-dimensional.


Willow was, of course, on the same page.


“Why don’t we go make some more music?” she murmured as her hand started to ride higher on Tara’s thigh.


“I could play a tun-a on your butt,” Tara suggested with a wry grin, making Willow laugh, “That reminds me, we really need to have that talk you’ve been wanting to have about work.”


Willow pressed her fingers to the front of Tara’s panties.


“Tomorrow…”


“Yes,” Tara gasped, whether in answer to the question or the touch, only the angels knew, “Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tonight…”


She took a handful of Willow’s sweater and closed the already small gap.


“I want all of you tonight.”


This time their kiss was passionate and heady; all hands and tongues trying to pull each other closer.


“Bedroom,” Tara whispered insistently between kisses.


“Yes,” Willow agreed, before suckling on Tara’s bottom lip, “As gorgeous as that dress is, I’d rather see it off. Go take care of that for me while I nab the candles?”


Tara agreed with a nod and slowly pulled away from the kiss before scurrying off to the bedroom. Willow practically somersaulted over the blanket to pick up the take-out containers, just leaving them on the dining table to deal with in the morning. She huffed and puffed more than the Big Bad Wolf to extinguish the candles as quickly as possible.


She stopped at Sally’s door and braced herself but opened it just enough to peek in. Music was playing at a very low level; a compromise when they wouldn’t let her have the TV in her room. A lot of people would see Sally as a brat for that, but Willow and Tar had learned it was because, for a long time, Sally didn’t have a bedroom of her own. She just slept on the couch, leaving her with a dependency to fall asleep with noise. Music was no big deal, but Willow was already looking into white noise machines too.


Sally seemed to be sleeping quite peacefully, which was a relief. Usually after an outburst, she either crashed out cold or had nightmares and ended up on the couch. Tonight seemed to be an ‘out cold’ kind of night.


Willow closed the door again without disturbance.


She hurried to their bedroom door and stopped just short, smoothing her hair out with her hands. She loosened up her clothing with a little shimmy shake before making her appearance in the doorway.


She immediately lost her breath all at once.


From the bed, which she was lying alluringly across, Tara smirked.


“This was going to be your last surprise.”


Willow backed up against the door, closing it; imitating how Tara had earlier when seeing the 'picnic' set up. The rose from before was sticking out of Tara’s ample cleavage, which was being hugged by a red, lace, strapless corset.


Without even looking, Willow’s hand lifted to flick the lock closed.


“What do you think?” Tara asked as if she didn’t already know.


“I think that’s one lucky rose,” Willow replied, trying not to fidget as her stomach rolled with arousal.


Tara curled her finger and indicated for Willow to come closer. Willow obliged quickly, her knees reaching the mattress in two seconds flat. Before she could get on, Tara pointed at her up and down and Willow understood the request to disrobe. Willow dropped her jeans and sweater in record time so she was just in her panties, having gone braless, and resumed getting on the bed.


Tara let herself fall back onto the sheet so her head buried in the pillow while Willow crawled over her, kissing the crease of Tara’s thigh where the line of the corset was. Willow’s hand went to Tara’s other thigh where it traced the same spot and brushed Tara’s downy hairs hiding underneath.


If she looked down, Tara knew there would be a wet patch in the front of her satin panties. Her neck arched and it slowly moved down her back and to her hips just as Willow’s hands and mouth moved in the opposite direction up to her breasts.


The rose was tossed aside so Willow's mouth could take its place but Tara plucked it up and brought the soft petals to Willow’s rear, tickling her with it.


Willow giggled into Tara’s cleavage and wiggled her butt. Tara brushed the rose petals over the golden ink etched into her girlfriend’s skin.


“You’re so hot.”


Willow was wearing penguin underwear but when Tara said those words, she felt them resonate deep within her. Penguin panties be damned, she felt so sexy under Tara’s gaze. It took just a split second for her mouth to be on Tara’s; solidifying that connection as the best physical manifestation of home that she knew.


Her palms laid out flat above Tara’s shoulders and she pressed her hips down so they connected at the waist. Willow felt the soft satin and rough lace of Tara’s stomach on her bare stomach and it made her want to grind.


She found Tara’s thigh and rubbed the front of her underwear there. She moaned into Tara’s mouth as she felt Tara’s hands cup her rear and pull them closer together. The friction caused the material of Willow’s panties to push to the side and she got a glorious glide of skin-on-skin friction.


Her hips rolled a little faster in response and Tara’s nails dug into her bottom. They were short, of course, but with just enough tip to drive her wild and leave little indents to brand her skin. Her body ached for that full feeling only they could give.


Tara’s fingers pressed into Willow’s crease and tugged at the fabric of her underwear until they were sliding down Willow’s legs. Her skin had gotten so hot that it felt like sandpaper going down, with a salve only Tara’s mouth could soothe. She nipped at Tara’s lips and pressed herself on Tara’s thigh again, completely bare this time, making her scent rise between their writhing bodies.


Willow watched Tara’s eyes roll back into her head as her nostrils flared in response and another warm gush fell from her. Willow rolled her hips with insistence this time and Tara locked eyes with her girlfriend, pulling Willow against her in a quick rutting fashion.


Willow’s eyes began to flutter closed and she was very happy to ride Tara’s thigh all the way out — but Tara had other ideas. Right when Willow least expected it, Tara rolled them over so she was on top.


Willow reacted with a loud yelp.


“OW!”


Tara fell back on her butt, hands up in the air in front of her.


“What, what is it?”


Willow fished something out from under her butt and produced a squashed rose.


“Thorn!” she said, dropping it to the bed and rubbing the part of her posterior that had been poked.


Tara picked up the stem of the rose and put it safely on the nightstand so as not to interrupt anything that was to come.


“Oh, baby,” she said sympathetically as she climbed over Willow, “Let me make you feel better.”


She ducked down and kissed the side of Willow’s bottom where a little red mark marred her creamy skin. She continued to kiss up the curve of Willow’s waist and onto her chest where she swirled her tongue slowly around Willow’s nipple.


Willow felt her skin tighten like a rope growing taut from her nipple to between her legs. She wanted desperately to tug it but she knew only Tara could do that and that she was at Tara’s mercy.


And oh-how-willing she was to be in that position.


She bent her arms back so her hands rested under her head, thrusting her chest up into Tara in the process. Tara took the offering as intended and suckled Willow’s skin until her series of moans just became one long, continuous one.


“Tara,” Willow groaned as she squirmed, her knees bending and flattening as her body filled with sweet, sweet tension, “Please.”


Tara palmed Willow’s breast and pinched her wet nipple while rolling her tongue on the other.


“Please what?”


“Please—fuck!”


One finger entered her so unexpectedly that she almost fell off the bed. She knew she was wet but Tara drawing out her insides made her feel how absolutely soaked she was. She lifted her hips to feel Tara deeper and panted through the lightning bolts of pleasure raining down her body.


Tara popped off Willow’s breasts, leaving her nipples so hard they could cut diamonds, and kneeled between her girlfriend’s legs. Using her knees, she spread Willow’s thighs until she could see exactly where her middle finger was disappearing.


“You’re so hot,” she repeated breathlessly, squeezing her legs together to relieve a new ache.


“I’m on fire,” Willow panted, twisting on the spot when Tara’s legs prevented her from clamping her own shut.


“Yes you are,” Tara moaned, slipping a second finger inside Willow so she was engulfed.


Willow’s head arched back into the pillows as her inner muscles pulled Tara further inside. Tara did a couple of quick thrusts to make her fingers nice and wet before slowly dragging the tips along Willow’s walls.


“Oh Tara,” Willow moaned, reaching out for anything and landing on Tara’s thigh, rubbing there.


Willow’s hand so close to her sent a shot of electricity through Tara, making her feel like a weight dropped out of her stomach. She dragged her fingers out again and Willow’s arousal spilled out with it, causing the scent to fill the small space up to her nose. Tara couldn’t help but lift her hand to her mouth and let her tongue flick against her fingers.


Willow’s thighs shook with tension as she spread herself wide open.


Tara took the offering as intended.


She lowered her mouth onto Willow’s flesh and gladly accepted the glisten that coated her lips and face. Her tongue did a few long licks before focusing in on Willow’s clit as she tried to soothe its playful twitch.


“Yes,” Willow panted, shamelessly rubbing herself all over her girlfriend, “God, Tara, yes!”


Just as she felt that swell starting in her abdomen, she also felt Tara’s fingers slip inside her seamlessly and it up the ante like rocket fuel. Her hips grinded so hard into the sheet that the corner popped off on one side and the bed shook from the vibrations of the groans she was trying to hide in the pillow.


Her limbs wanted to kick and punch as she tried to reach that release pulling in every corner but somehow she managed to stay on the bed until one well-timed suck sent her over the edge to relief — at that point, she was sure she levitated for a second.


Coming down felt like a hailstorm made of clouds all over her body as Tara tenderly worked her mouth at a much slower pace to allow her to catch her breath.


When the clouds finally cleared, Willow opened and closed her fists at Tara’s shoulders, who left a little kiss between Willow’s legs before lifting herself up. Willow immediately grabbed her by the cheeks and pulled her into a kiss. Their stomachs brushed and Willow could literally feel the fire burning between Tara’s legs.


Tara started to leave the evidence right under her belly button and as much as Willow enjoyed it, they both twitched for more.


Willow pulled Tara’s head away from hers and looked into her eyes for a deep moment. She watched those blue flames dance and let out a little guttural sound of desire.


“C’mere.”


She scooted up so her back was flush against the headboard and grabbed Tara’s hips, pulling Tara into her lap.


A quivering moan fell from Tara’s mouth and she thrust her cleavage into Willow’s face.


Willow nuzzled while grabbing Tara’s butt through her satin panties. After a good squeeze, her hands came to the front and began pulling free the ribbons keeping Tara’s corset tight to her body.


Tara’s bosom broke free first before the corset fell back and was promptly kicked away. Willow’s hands ran over Tara’s breasts, letting those hard nipples thread through her fingers before continuing down her waist to get that last pesky piece of fabric gone.


Tara’s knees shook as Willow hooked her panties around them and off and she pressed herself flush against Willow’s front as soon as she could. She rested her forehead on Willow’s forehead and spread her legs.


Willow was utterly captivated by the close press of their bodies and the yearning look in Tara’s eyes. She danced her fingers up Tara’s thigh before cupping her between her legs.


Tara gasped.


Willow let two fingers slide through Tara’s lips but the magnetic and physical pull coming from her opening was just too much. In seconds she filled Tara and felt the connection deep in her soul.


Tara lifted up and set the pace quickly; fast and intense and so consuming that it was all they could do to try and keep lips on each other.


“Willow,” Tara croaked, so faint that just her breath was louder.


“I love you,” Willow echoed in the same tone and lightly took Tara’s bottom lip in her mouth.


Tara’s open palms flew to the wall above Willow’s head as her hips began an even more feverous series of thrusts to quell that fire bubbling inside.


As an indicator of how entranced Willow was, she didn’t break eye contact with Tara once, even with the new positioning and speed offering an endless push of breasts toward her face.


Willow saw Tara come undone the split second before Tara’s body even realized it was happening. It was the most wonderfully tense moment, accompanied by a delightful shudder as it wracked through her girlfriend’s body. She snaked her second arm around Tara’s waist to keep her in place so she could ride out those little shocks as long and as slow as she wanted.


Tara buried her head in Willow’s neck and allowed herself to be held. She rolled her hips gently and whispered professions of love in Willow’s ear.


Willow almost felt like crying but no tears came, just an all-encompassing feeling of love.


Eventually, they ended up lying down again, but with no break in position; just Tara curled into and half-on-top of Willow, legs entwined, only the thick air of sex for a blanket.


They were very still for a long time until Willow started running her fingers up and down Tara’s arm.


“It’s crazy…”


Tara’s fingers found Willow’s; tapping tips over Willow’s stomach.


“Hmm?”


Willow exhaled slowly.


“Three years ago…the scariest and best night of my life,” she said wistfully before a grin tugged on her lips, “At least until Auckland.”


Tara chuckled and she lifted her gaze to Willow.


“We’ve gone through so much,” she said, reaching up to brush some sweaty hair from Willow’s brow, “Still going through it.”


Willow nodded without hesitation.


“Yeah. That’s life,” she said, catching Tara’s arm to kiss her wrist, “And I won’t be able to fix everything…or even have an answer to everything. But I promise to love you through it all. Because it’s our life. Together.”


Tara rose up and took Willow’s face in her hands tenderly.


“I love you so much, Willow.”


“I love you more than I ever knew possible,” Willow replied softly and their foreheads pressed together again.


Because of proximity, it wasn’t just their foreheads that brushed each other and Tara couldn’t help but notice Willow’s nipples tightening at the contact.


Willow looked sheepish but Tara’s eyes lit up with a new flame.


“Now what was the phrase you wanted me to complete earlier…?”

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

Quality not quantity Laragh and that was definitely quality. Never apologise for ‘just smut’ lovely chapter as always. Hope your week gets better!

_________________
- I am a poster girl with no poster, I am 32 flavours and then some -

I'm still catching up but wanted to say it is so great to see you writing again!!

_________________
You ARE Magic ~ Tara

Hi Laragh, sorry for my lack of feedback to the last 3 chapters - I was on vacation for 2 weeks.

I'm glad that Willow and Tara made the best of the evening and night of their anniversary - and thankful that Sally slept soundly through it.

Sally's reaction to Kimberly surprised me:



I'm confused that Sally seems to have forgotten that she met Kimberly again at the court appointment and spent some time alone with her afterwards, even complimenting her "You're nice - that's why Tara is nice." if I recall correctly.


I think it's cute that Willow still gets nervous in her interaction with Kimberly sometimes even if she is kind of her second (better) mom since early childhood.


I was wondering which mistakes Kimberly means here - my guess is that she failed to recognize that Donny needed therapy as a kid / young teenager and get it for him.



Another AWWW-worthy declaration of Willow! As is this:




Now I'm looking forward to hear about Willow's plan how to restart Tara's DJ-career.

This is a booboo of me spending too long without updating! Thanks for reminding me, I'm going to fix it! The hot chocolate incident was the first time they talked but the second time Sally would have seen her.

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

GrimCityGirl —



Thank you so much, these words meant a lot! My week did get better!

You're the best!

Thanks for commenting!

shirrey —



So good to have you on board, B!

Thanks for commenting!!

Will's redemption —



I hope you had an absolutely amazing time!



It's what they're good at - making the best of things!



I think she still wants to impress her, probably even more so knowing she's with her daughter!



Ding ding!



I do love a good declaration!



Well, we know she does...after all she's the best hypewoman around!

Thanks so much for your feedback!

---

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

---

---

Tara stirred to the sound of repeated honking; the Los Angeles equivalent of morning birdsong.


Across her chest, Willow’s cheek lay against her skin while a leg bent neatly over Tara’s lap, providing a comfortable and satisfying barely-there pressure of thigh between Tara’s legs. Willow’s arm was thrown over Tara’s midsection and her body curled as close as was humanly possible.


Tara loved clingy-Willow and even on a hot late-summer morning like today, she relished each brush of skin. She felt Willow naturally shift on top of her, making that elevated barely-there to definitely-there. Tara’s subsequent shifting made Willow’s eyes flicker open. She nuzzled around Tara’s collarbone with sleepy befuddlement before her lips naturally pressed into Tara’s neck and she released a soft, happy moan.


“Mmm, good morning.”


Tara bent her knee to open her legs so she could think better.


“Good morning,” she greeted, lifting her hand to cup Willow’s cheek as she strained her neck down to kiss her girlfriend.


Willow stretched out her body as they kissed and ended it with a happy sigh as her lips trailed down Tara’s jaw. She paused to inhale from Tara’s neck for a moment and sighed again.


“I don’t hear TV. That’s either very good or very bad.”


Tara frowned. She could easily have been persuaded to stay in this very spot all day but she also knew Willow was right. Before she could respond, their doorbell rang. Willow’s eyes went wide.


“Please tell me you ordered breakfast.”


Tara grimaced and threw the blanket off. She grabbed her robe and threw it on while Willow hurried over to the dresser to get pajamas.


The living room was empty but there was a used cereal bowl on the table with the other dishes from last night. Sally’s bedroom door was ajar but all was quiet.


There was another, quieter little knock and Tara crossed the last few steps and opened the door, holding her robe closed. On the other side, Kimberly and Jeff stood with takeout boxes and earnest smiles.


“Hello again! We brought breakfast,” Kimberly said cheerily and Jeff shook the boxes in his hands indicatively, “Are we too early?”


Tara blinked several times, then shook her head and stood aside, trying to discreetly tie her robe properly.


“Please, come in.”


As the front door closed, Sally’s door opened. Making no eye contact, she padded over in her jammies and scrunched up her nose.


“What’s all this stinky stuff? I had to go back to my room to escape!”


Tara blushed.


“Um, that’s leftover kimchee,” she explained as she hurried to bring the dishes to the sink and hoped no one passed comment on the various extinguished candles, “Sorry, we, um, didn’t quite manage to clean up last night.”


Sally plugged her nose and grimaced.


“It’s attacking my nose.”


“Take a whiff of this,” Jeff offered, opening the box with waffles in front of Sally.


Sally’s whole face lit up.


“Now THAT wants to jump in my mouth.”


“You did order breakfast,” Willow’s voice appeared, followed by her body. She had quickly dressed in the top t-shirt and pants from the piles in her dresser, putting her in a Scooby Doo tee and tartan leggings.


“Good morning, Willow,” Kimberly smiled, unfazed by the outfit.


It wasn't the oddest she'd seen on the girl.


“Hi,” Willow raised her hand in a wave before pivoting it, “Hey Mr. B.”


“Good morning, Willow,” Jeff smiled similarly, “Not ordered but shows up anyway.”


“Sounds like my period,” Willow tried to joke but immediately internally and externally cringed as she remembered their company, “Um, have you met Sally?”


She immediately stood behind Sally to use her as a human shield.


“Sally, this is Tara’s mom’s uh…boyfriend…person.”


Sally slowly tilted her head up to look at Willow.


“You’re so weird.”


“I prefer quirky,” Willow supplied with a quick nod.


Jeff stuck his hand out to diffuse the awkwardness.


“I’m Jeff.”


Sally cautiously shook his hand, peering at it for a moment before realizing she was meant to shake.


“I had an Uncle Jeff once. He died.”


Jeff cleared his throat. Kimberly smiled even more awkwardly. She didn’t offer her hand but did wave again.


“And I realized I never gave you my name other than ‘Tara’s mom’. I’m Kimberly.”


“Uh hi,” Sally replied, looking at Jeff, then Kimberly, “And hi.”


She looked like a big rock fell into her stomach for a moment, uneasily twisting on the spot before taking off like a rocket. She returned so quickly that nobody had a chance to ask what was happening. She was carrying the card game box from the night before, everything tidied away neatly. She left it on the table and gave an uncharacteristically shy push toward Kimberly.


“Sorry for messing up your game and stuff. I fixed it.”


There was a somewhat tense moment filled with surprise and uncertainty, coming in different waves from all four adults in the room until Kimberly finally just gave a very easy smile.


“I understand. We could try playing again if you’d like.”


“Be careful. I’m a Trickster,” Jeff added with a smirk and both Willow and Tara shared a look of stunned belief as Sally actually giggled.


“Let’s eat breakfast first,” Kimberly clapped her hands together, “Why don’t I get some plates for these waffles? Tara? Come help?”


Tara nodded quickly and walked with her mother over to the kitchen area. She opened the cabinet with the dishes and handed down some plates.


“Thanks for bringing breakfast. And um, coming back over. I was a little worried after last night that you…”


Kimberly raised a softly questioning eyebrow.


“What?”


Tara's jaw clenched and one shoulder shrugged. Kimberly had to blink because she actually looked so like Sally for the barest of moments.


“I don’t know. Say we weren’t cut out for this or something.”


Kimberly took the plates.


“Most people your age wouldn’t be,” she conceded, then her eyes crinkled with affection and warmth, “You’re not most people.”


Tara’s whole face physically blossomed and suddenly stood to her full stature. For the first time since all of this began, she actually believed she could do this.


They could this.


She shared a smile with her mother, almost giddy. Kimberly looked on proudly.


“I hope your anniversary wasn’t a complete bust?” she asked with a slight grimace.


Tara dropped her tone an octave.


“Mom, are you asking if got laid last night?”


Kimberly blushed and looked away for a moment before setting her gaze back on her daughter.


“I'm asking no such thing. Now how can I help?”


Tara nodded to the plates in Kimberly’s hands.


“You can bring those to the table.”


“Not with breakfast,” Kimberly replied with a pointed look, “Do you need money?”


Tara swallowed softly and shook her head shyly.


“No, we’re okay. I think so, anyway. Willow and I have a long overdue chat about all of that.”


“Support, then,” Kimberly nodded definitively, “Back-up. We’ll keep in touch until she’s comfortable enough to be around me so you have a stand-in if you need it. Maybe we’ll try somewhere outside of the apartment next time. What does she like to do?”


Tara’s heart beat strongly in her chest; feeling the strength of a support system forming around her.


“She likes spooky stuff and she’s enjoying role-play games where she can make her own character. Her therapist says it’s a good way for her to express herself.”


Kimberly nodded slowly.


“Perhaps she’d like to learn about Wicca.”


“Maybe,” Tara replied confidently, “She’d enjoy the folklore.”


She grabbed some silverware and brought it over to the table with her mother. Willow set five places and they all sat down to eat. After some chitchat about what Kimberly and Jeff had been up to in LA, Tara took in Sally’s calm manner among them and decided to throw out some breadcrumbs.


“Um, Sally, did you know my mom and Jeff are Wiccans?”


Sally used her fork to let syrup flow between holes in her waffles and didn’t look up.


“What’s that?”


“Well, some people believe in God,” Jeff explained easily, “We believe in the Horned God and the Triple Goddess.”


Sally suddenly looked up, intrigued.


“There’s a horny god?”


“There’s a Goddess called Tara,” Willow cut in quickly with an awkward laugh, “That’s who Tara was named after.”


Jeff grinned across the table at Kimberly.


“I didn’t know that,” he said with a light laugh and a wink, “All the way back then, huh? I thought I was your ‘bad influence’.”


Kimberly blushed.


“Well, I told you my mother dabbled.”


“Would have loved to meet her,” Jeff mused softly.


“Me too,” Tara added with a shared sad smile with her mom.


“Is she dead?” Sally asked without tact but Kimberly took it in her stride.


“Yes, she died a long time ago, before Tara was even born. I miss her.”


Sally showed a rare expression of empathy, albeit through the medium of blowing air out of her mouth.


“That blows.”


Kimberly reached across and touched Sally’s hand. Sally seemed surprised but didn’t rebuff it.


“Thank you. It’s not easy to lose your mom.”


“It’s not so bad when you never knew ‘em,” Sally replied with a shrug as she tore off some waffle and threw it in the air to catch in her mouth, “Plus when all the other kids are making Mother’s Day cards, you get to draw whatever you want, at least until the teacher makes you go see the guidance counselor.”


A small silence descended on the table and there were some fleeting looks between the adults until Tara put a hand on Sally’s shoulder.


“It’s okay,” she said softly, causing Sally to look up at her, “If you miss your mom. Even if you never knew her.”


Sally blinked several times then looked away and let her fork clang onto her plate.


“Tara’s been teaching me, um, ora, um…”


“Origami,” Willow supplied gently.


“Yeah, that,” Sally nodded definitively, “You wanna see me make a boat? I can even make it float and swim around a bowl!”


Kimberly met Tara’s eye and Tara knew she saw the same things in the girl that Tara did.


Such innocence mixed with trauma but ultimately just a little kid who hadn’t known enough love.


“Sure, we’d love to,” Kimberly replied definitively.


Sally pushed back on her chair and ran into her bedroom. There was a collective breath of relief. Willow put her hand on Tara’s knee and squeezed.


Before any of them could say anything, Sally returned with nothing in her hands but cautiously touched the card game.


“I used up all my paper but you still want to play this game?”


“Let’s have a family game,” Kimberly suggested brightly.


“Actually Willow and I really need to sit down to discuss some work things,” Tara said, raising an eyebrow slightly, “Think you three would be okay on your own?”


Sally started to frown and Willow quickly indicated over her shoulder with her thumb toward the couch.


“We’d just be over here.”


Sally spent a long moment considering it then shrugged.


“Okay,” she decided finally and gave all of her attention to Kimberly and Jeff, “I made up my own character card this morning. She’s a sea witch!”


She shyly presented a drawing and her playable attributes.


“Can I play her?”


Behind her, Willow and Tara beamed, matching the look on Kimberly’s face.


“It’s good she doesn’t live on the beach,” Jeff quipped quickly, “Then she’d be a sand-witch!”


Sally groaned but was smiling and clinging to her special new character sheet.


Willow and Tara stepped away and Tara brushed her fingers on Willow’s arm.


“Let me go throw some clothes on.”


“My least favorite thing for you to say,” Willow whispered but threw a grin at her girlfriend as she went toward the bedroom.


She watched the three at the table start their game and marveled at how different Sally was from the day before. There was a definite shift in the energy and Willow could only surmise that Sally had figured out she could trust a Maclay woman endlessly.


She set her laptop up while she waited for Tara to change and thumbed through a few emails. Tara returned a few minutes later with a notebook and a pen tucked behind her ear.


“You’re so cute,” Willow whispered as Tara sat beside her. She kissed said ear and was surprised to see Sally was so engrossed in her game with Kimberly and Jeff that she didn’t even shout over ‘gross’.


Tara folded her legs under her and dropped her hand to Willow’s shoulder, where her hair was starting to grow past. She curled the ends between her fingers.


“So tell me this great, big plan, Ms. Manager.”


“Don’t hype it up too much,” Willow replied nervously, “It’s really just a spreadsheet. Or two.”


“I thought you were my hype-woman,” Tara teased with a crooked smile.


Willow smiled softly.


“Always.”


She covered Tara’s hand, squeezed it, and brought her laptop closer between them.


“Okay. So I inputted all of our school schedules first and the good news is, I only need to go down to Claremont one day a week to cover my lab assignments. The rest of the classes I can do online and my new psych classes are over at UCLA. So that means every day except Thursday I can do school drop-off and pick-up, which works out because it looks like you just have your GE requirement class that morning — what did you pick this year?”


“Took a leaf out of your book,” Tara smiled easily, “‘Psychology of Emotion and Motivation’.”


“Nice!” Willow grinned, her voice rising with excitement, “Ooh, we can bounce off each other!”


There were some soft throat clearings from the table and Willow blushed.


“Uh…academically speaking, of course.”


Tara winked, only furthering the color on Willow’s cheeks.


“Yes,” Willow nodded, hoping the movement would give her some of her trademark pale back, “So, uh, school schedules should be all worked out as long as your psych class starts after 9:30 or so accounting for traffic or you're willing to do the lecture online.”


“They let you pick on the day if you want to attend in-person or online, as long as you register your attendance,” Tara explained, “So I can just do whatever works best each week.”


“Excellent,” Willow replied, typing something in, “That gives us even better flexibility during the week if I have an in-person exam or something. Work stuff is a little trickier BUT I think I’ve worked out how to maximize your earnings DJing so that you don't have to work hostess shifts as well. It's pretty simple, really. We go back to your old schedule of one-to-two shows on the weekends for three weekends a month and then once a month you do an ‘event show’.”


“An ‘event show’?” Tara asked, frowning, “Are they not all events?”


“You are definitely an ‘event’,” Willow grinned, “But I’ve been doing some enterprising snooping and dropping the occasional feeler and there are lots of clubs around the west coast that like to book an artist for a whole weekend or local festivals — and they pay for the privilege of your name on the poster as an ‘exclusive’.


Tara raised an eyebrow.


“I’ve never even done one of those. Or been asked.”


“Au contraire, mon amour,” Willow said, her fingers moving deftly across her keyboard to open a new spreadsheet, “Those feelers? They’ve been biting. See, the reason it hasn’t come up before now is because we never ventured outside of L.A. You’re seen more of a local artist here and these multi-night club takeovers tend to be from out-of-town acts who don’t get as much ‘scene’.”


“Outside of L.A.?” Tara asked, her second eyebrow joining the first, “How far are we talking?”


Willow flicked through a few images of club logos.


“San Diego, Seattle, Vegas…”


“Vegas!?” Tara whispered in shock, “There’s a club in Vegas that wants to book me?”


“A place called Discopussy, no less,” Willow replied with a tugging on her lips, “Actually, I’ve had more than one inquiry. Enough to know I can cement this for you. Look, I’ve done a mock-up schedule and booked you solid for six months! When I actually make the bookings I'll leave a little time for us all to settle into school schedules and stuff but once we get you back playing LA, you could be flying up and down the coast by Halloween.”


“I never even thought of playing outside LA,” Tara admitted, biting her lip, “Do you really think it's worth it?”


Willow nodded keenly


“These clubs are offering like $5k for the weekend plus they cover all expenses. Festivals, a little less but still good money and it looks incredible on your resume.”


Tara’s eyes widened.


“Wow.”


“Uh huh!” Willow replied enthusiastically, “And it means you’ll actually have evenings and a lot of the weekends with us, apart from that one weekend a month. I know it would be tough and intense for you but I’d take care of all the home stuff for the whole week after and bring you to the airport and arrange everything on the other side so you don’t have to lug equipment on your own. And maybe even it would be possible to come with you sometimes…I mean, we could even drive to San Diego.”


Tara couldn’t help but smile at Willow’s infectious and completely undoubting fate in her.


“You believe I could do anything.”


“Oh, I see you,” Willow returned the smile, softly, “I see you, baby.”


She took Tara’s hand and squeezed tightly.


“What do you think? Do you think it could work?


Tara looked over her shoulder and watched as Sally laughed gleefully, engrossed in the game with Kimberly and Jeff. She smiled softly.


“I think maybe it just might.”

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

Dibs! (Only a few hours before the next update, but still)

I was pleasantly surprised that Sally gets along so well with Jeff. I thought she might be especially wary against (to her) strange men after the abuse she suffered from her father.





YAY! Kimberly's offer of support from her and Jeff will be helpful for Willow's plan to turn Tara into THE DJ on the east coast.


AWWWW!


Yeah, bring it on!

Will's redemption —



I was literally pressing post on the new chapter when it informed me there was a new post!



I like to think Jeff is just that charasmatic. No, but seriously, I envision him as a less sexist/toxic Xander - a big goof whose childlikeness appeals to children. He makes Dad jokes and is very unthreatening. He's the perfect starter-man to introduce Sally to, though I agree they should have considered it beforehand and talked to Sally first - they're all doing this for the first time!



It will certainly help! Though I do like the idea of Sally getting to travel with them too, for certain shows that wouldn't make her miss school etc



Oh I will!

Thanks so much for your feedback

---

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

---

---

Tara fixed the lid over the second lunchbox in front of her with a smile.


She carried them to the table just as Willow came from the bedroom with her satchel over her body.


“Hey, you. I made both of my girls’ lunch. Chicken salad for you, sweetie,” Tara said as she handed over the lunchbox.


“Thank you,” Willow smiled and took it, kissing Tara’s cheek as she did so, “Is Sally ready? We need to go soon.”


Tara nodded.


“I’ll get her.”


As she went into Sally’s room, Willow quickly slipped a $5 bill into Sally’s lunchbox.


In the bedroom, Sally was tying and re-tying her shoelaces. Tara sank down onto the bed beside her.


“Bunnies not cooperating today?”


Sally aggressively pulled the loops on her laces.


“I don’t see why I have to go to stupid school anyway.”


“Well, I could go with education is important and a privilege,” Tara replied evenly, “But why won’t we work up to that and just start with ‘because it’s illegal not to’.”


Sally crossed her arms over her chest petulantly. Tara put a hand on Sally’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.


“I know starting a new school is scary.”


“I’m not scared,” Sally scoffed.


“Difficult,” Tara amended without losing her stride, “Really, I do. I was a shy kid and didn’t have many friends other than Willow in grade school and well…Willow was busy a lot. It wasn’t until I went to a new high school that I made new friends, but that first day — I bit my nails down to nothing.”


Sally hid her nails in her palms.


“But remember, we found your homeroom during orientation?” Tara continued reassuringly, “And everyone else will be new too. The teachers will expect people to get lost the first few days. And if it makes you feel any better, I bet Willow will get lost wandering around her campus today too. It’s different from the one she was at last year.”


Sally looked up with an actual smile on her face.


“That is funny.”


Tara bumped her shoulder.


“You weren’t supposed to find it funny, you were supposed to not feel alone.”


Sally caught Tara’s gaze for a moment and stood up, letting her shoulders drop.


“Where’s my stupid bookbag?”


“With your stupid lunchbox,” Willow called in a sing-song voice from the table.


Sally was about to roll her eyes but a single eyebrow arch from Tara made her stop. She trudged into the living room and put her backpack around her shoulders.


Willow tried to settle the bag by patting the top but quickly got shrugged off.


“Are we ready?” Tara asked as she picked up her keys.


“I guess,” Sally mumbled.


Tara exchanged a brief worried look with Willow and opened the door.


“Bye Miss Kitty Fantastico.”


Miss Kitty briefly looked up from her perch on her cat tree where she was catching some morning rays just to yawn and go back to sleep.


“How do I get to become a cat?” Sally asked forlornly as the door closed behind them.


“Talk to Jeff,” Willow suggested breezily, “He might know some Pagan tricks to get you there.”


“I-I don’t think his religion has ‘tricks’,” Tara frowned, “But he might have some books you could read on reincarnation if you’re interested.”


Sally looked down at the ground for a few moments as people bustled past them on the sidewalk heading to work and school.


“Why do you guys always do that?”


Willow let her hand clasp Tara’s and squeezed their palms together.


“Look amazing and super cool together?”


Instead of a usual sharp barb in rebuttal, Sally just looked at them with confusion on her face.


“Take everything I say seriously.”


Tara and Willow exchanged another look but in the briefest of seconds managed to convey a message of ‘be cool’ to each other.


“We’re interested in what you have to say,” Tara answered honestly.


“And you’ve shown to have superior opinions on your choice of cartoons and D&D character building, so I reckon you’re worth a listen,” Willow quipped.


And though she’d deny it under threat of torture, Sally smiled softly and gained a little pep in her step.


Outside the school, there was a line of giant SUVs or two-seater convertibles (with nothing practical nor mid-range in between) waiting to do drop-off. Kids jumped out with a mix of excitement and contempt and most congregated in groups under the palm trees. There was a certain diversity that seemed to just lack in Sunnydale but even Hollywood kids needed braces.


Willow spotted a few younger kids who, like Sally, hadn’t seemed to establish any friend group yet; her eye adept to such persons as she had been in their position the times that Jesse and Xander would unceremoniously declare that girls had cooties and she couldn’t hang out with them.


“LEAF Academy,” she read from the banner hanging over the roof, alongside an American flag and a pride flag, which Willow noted with a certain sense of relief, “Learning, excellence and —”


“Fecal-people?” Sally suggested, popping the ‘p’.


“Furtherence,” Willow enunciated though shot Sally a sly grin, “But nice vocab.”


“Stop it, both of you,” Tara said firmly, “No comparing classmates to poop.”


Sally opened her mouth and Tara put her finger up.


“Or the teachers.”


“Tara’s right, insulting teachers is like insulting…koala bears,” Willow shook her head fiercely at the thought, then grinned goofily, “I held a koala bear once.”


Sally groaned.


“I’ve only known you for a couple of months and you’ve told me that, like, nine times!”


Willow kept grinning.


“It was super cute. All hang-y on and fuzzy.”


Sally cocked her head at the other two; a somewhat deliberate attempt to delay the inevitable.


“What are ‘dias’ by the way?”


Willow and Tara exchanged a bewildered look.


“Huh?” Willow voiced the mutual thought.


Sally rolled back and forth on the heels of her vans.


“I watched a show on koalas after you told me for the eighth time that you held a koala bear and it said a lot of them have clammy ‘dias’ but I don’t know what ‘dias’ are or why they get so hot. Is it because they’re all in Australia? Would they be dry and crusty in the North Pole?”


There was a long moment as the air whooshed past their ears and then caught in their throats with a piercing pop.


“So Willow will pick you up,” Tara rushed the words out as she paled.


Conversely, Willow started to go red.


“Three o’clock on the dotty doodle,” she laughed awkwardly.


“Lame,” Sally blew through her lips, “I don’t need a pick-up. It’s like three blocks.”


“Well, still a new city and all,” Willow supplied as she cast a furtive look at Tara, recognizing her girlfriend still had bats going around her belly, “Don’t want you to get lost.”


“Whatever,” Sally rolled her eyes just as the bell rang out, “Guess that’s my cue.”


Tara put her hands on Sally’s shoulders and gave them a little squeeze. Sally glanced around but didn’t shove her off.


“You remember where your locker is? And homeroom?”


“I remember,” Sally intoned in a bored tone, “Geez, I’m not six. Bye!”


She turned on her heels and trudged toward the entrance with all of the grace of a sluggish koala.


“Have a great first day, sweetie,” Tara called after her.


“Make good choices!” Willow added, a little too loudly.


Tara looked at her girlfriend and furrowed her brow.


“Will.”


Willow dropped her face into her hands.


“I know. God that was what my mom said to me on my first day of middle school. I hated it then too.”


Tara rubbed Willow’s back and just watched as Sally disappeared inside and down a hallway.


“There she goes.”


Willow looked up and followed Tara’s gaze. She put her arm around Tara’s waist.


“She’ll be fine?” she tried to state, though it came out like a question.


Tara just nodded and leaned into Willow.


“We better get back. We need to get to class.”


“Yes,” Willow agreed and let her hand fall into Tara’s again as they turned around, “Hey, so we need to organize a photoshoot.”


“Oh, are you taking a photography class?” Tara asked with a raised eyebrow.


“No,” Willow shook her head, “Um, these out-of-town clubs, they want promotional posters. So we need some glamor shots. No major rush but we should get on it.”


Tara’s eyes flitted from side to side.


“Glamor…shots.”


“Yeah, it’s when—” Willow launched into an explanation but Tara quickly held her hand up.


“I-I know what they are,” she clarified and swallowed softly, “I’ve just never considered myself…glamorous.”


Willow’s face lit up as they turned onto their street.


“Oh well, that’s where you’re wrong. You’re all of the glamorous,” she gushed happily, “And, and you used to design posters for Insect Reflection all the time so I figured you could riff on your business card thing with the tarot card and design some cool posters? A-And you’ll have total control over which photos we use so nothing that makes you uncomfortable.”


Tara smiled at the plural pronoun. She liked that DJ Tarot was an 'us' thing. She wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't.


She squeezed Willow’s hand.


“Yeah, and it would be good practice with the software I’m learning plus cheaper than hiring someone. Okay, I’m in.”


“Great!” Willow grinned, then spun, took both of Tara’s hands, and pressed a quick peck against her lips, “Oh, and also you’re scheduled to go on a radio show this weekend. Okay, bye, love you!”


She bolted before Tara could reply; running into the lot behind their apartment to jump on her scooter and drive away. Tara’s mouth was still open as Willow whizzed by with an awkward wave and pained grin, quickly hidden as the visor on her helmet came down.


Tara finally came around and brought her hand to her temple.


“Oh god, Willow. What have you done?”

---

Willow glanced at her phone screen again, unsure if she should be worried or relieved that she hadn’t heard from Tara after speeding off this morning.


The truth was the initial rush of popularity Nate had foisted upon DJ Tara was waning, or at least would if Willow didn’t do some things to keep them relevant. She had social media posts queued up for months but it needed a little oomph of traditional media to appease scouts and booking agents.


She knew she probably should have talked to Tara first though.


Her phone suddenly rang and Willow almost dropped it as she scrambled to pick it up and put it to her ear.


“Tara I’m sor—”


She stopped when an unfamiliar voice spoke back to her.


“Um, no, this isn’t Tara. I’m Willow,” she said slowly, “I’m Tara’s…partner.”


She frowned, running that word around her mouth, unsure if she liked it, but had to quickly snap back into the conversation.


“I’m sorry, did you say you’re calling from the school? Is something wrong? Is Sally okay?”


Willow listened; her eyes shutting tight.


“I’ll be right there.”


She stood, grabbed her keys, and ran out the door.


She thought about just jogging over quickly but didn’t want to arrive at the school sweaty or embarrassingly out of breath and she didn’t want to delay getting into her scooter gear so she decided to take the car instead. Willow hoped they might be able to carpool on days they were both on their respective campuses but Tara was spending the morning at an urban design gallery downtown for her advertising design class and the parking was going to be a nightmare so she had gotten the bus that morning.


To Willow’s benefit, right now.


Willow was grateful the street was free of the little-and-large display that had featured on drop-off and she was able to grab a parking spot right outside the school.


She walked up the path that led to the school building with a knotted feeling in her stomach. She went down a couple of wrong hallways before finding the principal’s office. Sally was sitting outside hunched over and kicking her legs, sullen. Willow quickly gave her name to the secretary, causing Sally to look up.


“Where’s Tara?” she asked, eyes traveling to the side, searching.


“At class,” Willow answered, sinking into the seat beside Sally, “They must have my number down as first contact.”


Sally just dropped her head again. Willow shifted in her seat, wiping her palms on her pants.


“I’ve never been outside the principal’s office before. Except that time Snyder made me tutor Percy.”


Sally looked up with a furrowed brow.


“Who the hell is Percy?”


“You don’t want to know,” Willow shook her head with a shudder before dropping her voice, “So, um, what—”


“You can go in,” the secretary suddenly interrupted.


Willow nodded quickly.


“Thanks,” she stood up and nudged Sally’s shoulder, who grudgingly stomped into the principal’s office and flung herself into a chair opposite the desk.


Willow sat more gingerly in the chair beside it. The principal closed her hands in front of her and leaned forward with a stern look in her eye. Her name plate read Ms. Powers and her whole demeanor said she was trying to live up to it.


“Ms,” she started, glancing at her computer screen for the briefest of seconds, “Pearson—”


“Oh, um,” Willow raised a hand, “It’s Rosenberg. Willow. You can just call me Willow.”


The principal made another furtive glance at the screen, which made her hand go to her mouse where she made a few clicks. A knowing look crossed her face and it made Willow uneasy; like the woman was only stopping from rolling her eyes because of professionalism.


“Yes, I…recall your situation now. Regardless, the incident today will not be excused. We have a zero-tolerance policy toward violence and—”


“Whoa, whoa, violence?” Willow’s eyes widened in alarm as she looked to Sally, “Are you okay honey?”


Sally slowly looked at Willow, unsure.


“She was not the victim,” Ms. Powers said pointedly.


Sally looked down again and Willow frowned.


“There was an altercation at lunch where impolite words were exchanged but Sally proceeded to physically push another student who fell into our vegetable garden and demolished our bok choy patch that our Asian American Girl Club was going to highlight in our upcoming evening of celebration of ethnic cuisine.”


Willow raised an eyebrow but before she could reply, the principal’s phone rang. After answering and nodding twice, she pushed back her chair.


“Excuse me one moment.”


She stepped by them and left the room; the door closing softly behind her. Willow turned to Sally.


“What the heck happened, Sal?”


Sally crossed her arms across her chest, hardened.


“What does it matter? It’s always my fault anyway.”


“Well, I’m asking,” Willow replied simply, “I want to hear you tell me what happened.”


Sally swallowed deeply, as deeply as Willow had ever seen. She sniffed loudly before launching into a tirade.


“I was eating my lunch on the grass and this kid in my class came up and asked if I was all alone. I told him to beat it and then he just kept calling me names and laughing. And he said he saw me being dropped off this morning and that we were too poor for a car and then—”


She stopped to take a breath and clenched her teeth.


“He used that bad word about you and Tara. That word I didn’t know was bad and hurt your feelings when I said it.”


She looked pained; true remorse on her face. Honestly, before this Willow was unsure which name Sally was talking about because she’d been called plenty of variants of 'dork' in her time, but that look of self-disgust told her. Willow had seen the same one in the mirror ever since the day she'd said it to Tara.


“So I said ‘Don’t say that word!’ and he said ‘Are you gonna make me?’…so I did. I didn’t push him, his foot just…fell over my leg.”


She clenched her face.


“But this teacher saw and wouldn’t even listen when I tried to explain what happened. And then they just made me sit out there and wait.”


Before Willow could reply, Ms. Powers breezed back through the door.


“Apologies for that; a principal’s job never ends,” she said with an oddly smug grin as she took her seat again, “Now, we need to discuss Sally’s violent outburst today.”


Sally scoffed and Willow quickly held a hand up.


“I’m sorry, but what we’ll be discussing today is why Sally is being subjected to homophobic abuse when trying to eat her lunch?”


Ms Powers instantly paled.


“I-I’m sorry? No one has said anything about homoph—”


“Uh, maybe because you didn’t ask her?” Willow asked, her own heart pounding in her chest at her lack of deference for an authority figure.


Ms Powers looked stung.


“Well, regardless we cannot tolerate physical misconduct, and on the very first day of school, no less. Given the circumstances I can allow for a half-day suspension and an apology letter—”


“I’ll stop you right there,” Willow said, almost red in the face as she stood up, “You can’t suspend her because I’m taking her out!”


She put her hand on Sally’s shoulder.


“Come on, Sally.”


Sally jumped up in surprise and allowed Willow to put her hand on her back as she led them out.


“You have a pride flag out there, you should start respecting it! We didn’t get to wave it by backing down from bullies!” Willow snapped over her shoulder as she marched them out.


As they turned out of the office and headed toward the exit, a lanky boy with a short, messy blond mohawk, Sonic t-shirt, pure white sneakers, and a black backpack brandishing a gold D&G logo was leaning against the wall with his foot kicked up behind him.


He was concentrating on a fidget spinner in his right hand but glanced up briefly as they passed.


“Shrimp,” he whispered under his breath.


Sally saw red and spun around, fists clenched.


“I’m not a wimp!”


The boy snarled and Willow quickly put herself between them. Realization dawned and she looked at Sally.


“Is that the kid?”


Sally nodded once, stiffly. Willow turned to face him fully.


“Hey, you might want to realize what city you’re in, there are more gay parents at this school than straight ones.”


The boy did a double-take.


“W-what are you talking about?”


Sally hissed.


“You know what you said. No one says that about my sister, not even me!” she said, immediately frowning, “Again.”


The boy furrowed his brow and looked at Willow and Sally like they were idiots.


“I called you a tyke. You’re a little pipsqueak,” he said, pushing himself off the wall to square up before his eyes flitted to Willow, suddenly remembering she was there, “I mean, um, you’re just kinda short for your age. Didn’t your mom ever tell you to eat your vegetables?”


“My mom died,” Sally sneered and the boy had the good grace to look contrite.


“Aaron!” another male voice shouted from the end of the hallway, causing Aaron to stumble back and drop his fidget spinner, “I’ve told you to put that thing away during school hours.”


“Dads!” Aaron said in a panic, “I didn’t do anything, I swear!”


Willow’s eyes widened as she took in the scene of the two men walking toward Aaron and quickly grabbed Sally’s sleeve.


“Let’s get out of here, kiddo.”


She picked up the pace and got them out of the car before any other confrontation could happen. Sally was silent in the car but wordlessly complied when Willow told her to belt up. Willow made cautious glances to the passenger seat as she drove off from the curb, unsure whether some new height insecurity had just been unleashed on Sally’s delicate tween mind.


Instead, Sally slowly looked at Willow.


“No one ever did that before,” she said, unusually quiet.


“What?” Willow asked, trying to engage while keeping her eyes on the road.


The look Sally gave Willow was a mix of bewilderment and awe.


“Defended me and said it wasn’t my fault when I got in trouble.”


Willow deflated, though the only sign of it was a slightly loosened grip on the steering wheel.


“I’m sorry no one ever stood up for you before,” she said sincerely, taking the opportunity of a red light to look back at Sally, “You thought someone was offending your sister with a nasty word. It’s understandable that it got you upset. But school…school is important. Not just for the learning but for us, to keep you, y’know? We have to show the judge and the social workers we can take care of you. You've gotta get up and try.”


“I know,” Sally replied in a tone that told she truly did understand that now, perhaps for the first time, “What are we going to do now?”


Willow blew her breath slowly. They’d already driven past home.


“You want to get some ice cream?”

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow

Ohhh very awkward haha, difficult situation - hopefully they can figure it out. Poor Sally.

_________________
- I am a poster girl with no poster, I am 32 flavours and then some -

Oh boy - I was shocked about this update, I didn't expect Sally's first day of school to go so horribly wrong!


Yep. What a pity Willow didn't hear that part and didn't think about this fact a few hours later.


I can understand that Sally went berserk when she assumed that the other kid called Tara a "dyke", but the last part that he just "fell" over ler leg was obviously a lie.


Until this point I actually admired how Willow defended Sally, but she seriously overdid it in the next second:


What the hell?! To take your foster child out of the ONLY school she was accepted to on the FIRST day of the school year as a knee jerk reaction without talking about this with the other foster parent is totally irresposible!


Actually Willow this should have been your cue to nicely ask the two dads of the little jerk to come with you to the principal's office to clear this misunderstanding, apologize to the principal and have the kids abologize to each other (him for insulting her, her for shoving or kicking him)!


Yeah Willow, you're right. You should have thought about that BEFORE taking Sally out of the ONLY school she was accepted to on the FIRST day of the school year as a knee jerk reaction (etc...).


Honestly I have no idea how Willow will clean up the mess she made here!

GrimCityGirl —



They can! I can do anything I want

Thanks for commenting!

Will's redemption —



I had to make it a little interesting



She definitely let that temper come out!



It was a technicality




I agree knee-jerk reaction = bad, but overall, considering it can be resolved, this was a really important moment for the Sally/Willow relationship on both sides: Willow to realise how much she'd come to care for the girl and for Sally to know someone has her back in a way no one ever has before. It's a story. I can fix school issues. The characters relationships are the most important.

Thanks so much for your feedback!

---

_________________
Amber Benson killed me once.

Check out my finished fics

Love, The Series … Two For Joy/21+/Joy To The World … Dancing With Dimensions

Inevitable/Infinitely …Confidential Eternal … A Twisted Date … Dachsund Through The Snow