Title: Awakening The Flame
Author: xxKhirKhirxx (or Khirsten, whichever you prefer to call me!)
Rating: PG-13 for language right now; possibly a higher rating in the future.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything; Joss W. and Mutant Enemy do.
Summary: When Tara’s sister Buffy’s best friend from college gets into a bad car accident after a breakup with her boyfriend, Tara invites her to stay with them. Love eventually blossoms between the two.
Spoilers: None, this is totally AU
Feedback: If you want to; I’d like that
Angst: A bit, if not now, eventually. Just warning you all
Pairing: Willow/Tara
Author’s Note: Although Faith and Buffy are together and have a child, the main focus is indeed Willow and Tara’s relationship. Yay Willow and Tara!!!!
Chapter Three:
“Hello,” Tara smiled. She immediately recognized the redhead but couldn’t bring herself to get the name past her lips. Willow was going to live with her for who knew how long. “How are you feeling?”
“Like poo,” the redhead sighed as Faith shoved her into her wheelchair. “Watch it, Faith, jeeze!”
“Sorry Red,” Faith smirked. “I was testing your reflexes.”
“Yes, well they work.”
Tara laughed softly and scooped up Kelsey as her parents helped Willow into the house. Buffy had said something about Willow owning a software company now. Her blue eyes danced along the cast encasing Willow’s right arm.
That must be hard for her, Tara mused, thinking of Willow’s legendary love of computers.
“How was Kelsey?” she heard Buffy asked. The little girl grinned and shared a look with her aunt.
“Uh oh, Aunt Tara… Do you think we’re gonna get in trouble?”
“Probably,” the blonde chucked in amusement. “How about you go hide in your room and I’ll get you when it blows over.”
As soon as the little girl ran to her room, Tara heard Buffy gasp. Frustrated footsteps echoed down the hall as Willow called after Tara’s twin. The taller blonde was waiting, leaning against the counter with a smirk on her face.
“Tare… you gave our daughter chocolate,” Buffy stated.
“Yes.”
“You know we don’t give her candy!”
“She’s a kid, Buffy,” Tara sighed, a ghost of a smile still on her face. “She’s going to get it sooner or later.”
“She’s only five!” Buffy sputtered. This time, Tara couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled from within.
“We’re not talking about sex; we’re talking about candy,” she pointed out, leaving her sister to roll her eyes and jump into her arms, giving her a big hug.
“I missed you, Tare,” her sister said seriously. “Will can complain when she wants to.”
“It was only two days,” Tara reminded her, making Buffy roll her eyes.
“Two days was a long time.”
“Oh, so it wasn’t me you missed! It was sex with Faith!”
“T!” Faith called warningly as she heard Willow erupt into giggles.
The older blonde smiled in satisfaction and gave her sister another hug. Tara looked out of the window to the gray sky outside; it would rain soon which always made her happy. Buffy and Faith would call her childish when she went out to play in the rain, sometimes taking Kelsey. She wondered if the overprotective mom team would let her take Kelsey out today…
“Speaking of that,” Faith said in a low voice, sliding her arms around Buffy’s waist. “T, do you mind watching the kids?”
“K-kids?”
Faith jerked her thumb toward Willow and raised an eyebrow. Tara nodded as Buffy shrieked in excitement, racing toward their room. The blonde sighed into the empty house, hearing it echo off the walls, until the sound of a rolling wheelchair started to fill the void.
“Damn wheels,” she heard the redhead grumble while she tried to make it to the kitchen where Tara was sitting. The blonde couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips.
“Aunt Tara, Mommy’s ignoring me,” Kelsey whined, appearing in the chair beside her.
“No, she just hasn’t seen your Mama in a long time. They’re…,” Tara broke off to search for a word appropriate for her niece.
“They’re playing checkers,” she heard Willow’s voice after the sounds of the wheelchair had stopped. Kelsey’s big brown eyes turned to look into Tara’s.
“Why can’t I play checkers too?”
“It’s only a two person game, sweetie,” Tara answered, lifting the small girl into her lap. “Besides, we can sneak candy while they’re busy.”
“Do you have any candy, Willow?” Kelsey asked excitedly. The redhead looked to Tara in confusion. Tara’s eyes sparkled with amusement as Willow pretended to search her person.
“No, sorry, Kels, ask your aunt,” Willow answered wickedly. Tara narrowed her eyes playfully and plopped the girl in Willow’s lap, sending a triumphant smirk her way, before she turned to go through the cabinets to find Faith’s contraband candy.
“Kelsey, don’t pull Willow’s hair; that’s not nice,” the blonde warned with her back still turned to them.
“How do you do that?” Kelsey pouted, letting go of Willow’s curls nevertheless.
“Magic,” she answered before slipping a Hershey bar into her small hands. “And this is magically delicious!”
“I thought that was Lucky Charms,” Willow pointed out. The blonde shook her head, her eyes, dancing, were trained on Willow’s swirling green ones.
“No, those are only magically delicious for redheads with green eyes in casts, stereotypical leprechaun-lovers and all,” Tara teased, ignoring how her heart fluttered at the light blush that now coated Willow’s pale cheeks.
Kelsey ran to the living room to watch cartoons, leaving Tara with a quiet Willow. The blonde put her hand on the software company owner’s arm. Sparks of… something… danced up from her hand. Blue eyes met green. Willow’s eyes fluttered closed as she sighed, Tara watching as the redhead’s long fingers ran themselves through her short curls.
“I’m sorry, it’s just… my ex was very leprechaun-y,” Willow said with a slight smile. “His name was Oz.”
A twinge of disappointment flashed through Tara before she buried it quickly. Bury the sparks and they won’t erupt into flames. The blonde nodded, smiling too.
“One of my exes was… leprechaun-y too,” Tara laughed lightly. “Her name was Tawny.”
“Her?” the redhead asked quietly. Tara’s face grew serious as she studied Willow’s reaction.
“Yeah, I’m gay, Willow,” she said just as softly. “If that’s a problem… I’m sorry…”
Tara went to leave before Willow quickly maneuvered the wheelchair to block her exit. She looked at her sister’s best friend with a slightly raised eyebrow as Willow blushed again. The redhead fidgeted with her hands before looking back up into Tara’s eyes.
“No, not at all, I’m sorry, I just… I wasn’t expecting that you know? I don’t know why I would be assuming anything because I haven’t seen you since we were twelve, and well… I guess I don’t really know you or anything, but I would like to change that maybe? Since I’m going to be living here for a while and all…?”
Tara smiled as Willow finally paused to take a breath, looking up at her expectantly.
“Of course, Willow,” she said softly, stepping around the wheelchair and going to watch cartoons with Kelsey.
“Hey, I wanna watch Spongebob!” Willow called as she finally made it to the living room.
“Okay Willow,” Kelsey said from her place snuggled against Tara’s side. “But only after this episode of Avatar!”