Author: blameburner
Feedback: Sure… Always a plus
Summary: AU, baby! This takes place on Halloween, S5. Changes leading up to this story (and other non-changed bits of information):
-BIGGEST CHANGE: Willow and Tara did not meet at the Wicca group, and have not yet met.
-Oz left Willow after the whole she-wolf incident. He came back in NMR, and he and Willow got back together... but not for long. While Oz had been away, Willow had started to realize she was gay. Willow decided to give Oz another chance when he came back, but she soon realized the true calling of her heart and broke up with him. Thus, Willow's been "out" for about six months now. The Scoobies all know, and for the most part, things are fine - they've accepted her being gay. Except Willow still feels a bit uncertain and afraid as to whether they've really accepted it or not.
-The Scoobs have picked up on Willow's fear, and are going to do something to show her how much they really love her, and just how supportive they really are.
-Buffy met Tara in one of her classes.
-Joyce is still alive and well - she's perfectly healthy.
-Tara is still gay, and she's pretty comfortable with dating, etc. She's a bit less shy than the pre-Willow Tara we knew from the show.
-Anya and Xander are still together.
-Spike is still chipped and helping the Scoobs.
-Dawn is still the key and being pseudo-protected by Spike, so he and Dawn are still close. Also, Willow is teaching Dawn magic.
Disclaimer: Not my characters, but oh how I wish they were! Joss, blah blah, ME, blah blah.
Rating: NC-17. It's all about the smut... oh, and some humor.
Pairings: W/T, of course.
Angst: Nope. None, nada, zip.
Part 2/2
The party had been in full swing for about an hour, with people dancing, talking, and just generally having a great time. Willow especially was having a great time, her heart bursting with love for her family and what they had done for her.
"Is it ready?" Buffy whispered to Dawn.
"Yep, all ready. As soon as she gets here, I'll go upstairs and... do it."
"You're a great accomplice, you know that?" Buffy said affectionately.
"I know," Dawn answered proudly. "So does this mean I get to start being a Scooby now?"
"Not on your life," Buffy answered, but seeing the disappointed look on Dawn's face, she relented a little. "Mom would kill me. But, I think I can talk her into letting you be a probationary Scooby."
"Really?" Dawn squealed in delight.
"Yep," Buffy said, "provided that you do your homework, keep up your grades-"
"Oh I will! I will!" Dawn practically yelled, bouncing up and down.
Buffy smiled, then turned back to watch Willow as the redhead talked over by the television to a guy and girl from Willow's drama class, who were both dressed up like Ellen. Male Ellen and Female Ellen were in fact a couple, which worked out well for them since they apparently had the same taste in gay icons, Buffy supposed.
Willow looked happy, and for that Buffy was glad. Still... Buffy knew Willow could be happier, if only...
"Tara!" Buffy practically shouted as the blonde walked through the front door. The Slayer ran over to the blonde, who it just so happened was a witch like Willow. "You made it!"
Dawn took her cue and ran up the stairs to her bedroom.
"Of course, sweetie," Tara said kindly, hugging Buffy hello. She and Buffy had met in their Art History class after Buffy had missed a few days and Tara had offered to loan Buffy her class notes. The two had often stayed after class talking, and Tara had been helping Buffy study for the class. Ever since Willow had moved into her own dorm room at the beginning of the school year, Buffy felt kind of bad about invading Willow's room for homework help. She knew she was being silly, but still... she hadn't wanted to intrude on Willow's new life. So when it came to Art History, Tara was her homework buddy.
Right away, Buffy had had a good feeling about Tara. Then one night after studying, Buffy had insisted on walking Tara back to her dorm room. It turned out to be a good thing, because on the way they were jumped by three vamps. Buffy took care of two of them, but before she could get the third it had grabbed Tara from behind. As it was about to bite down, Tara had said a quick incantation, stomped on the vamp's foot, and rolled away - just as it burst into flames.
So that night Tara revealed she was a witch, and Buffy revealed she was the Slayer. And that night, on the way back to her own dorm, Buffy realized... that Tara would be perfect for Willow. She had practically slapped herself upside the head for not having seen it before. Buffy had known Tara was gay - it was really no secret, though it wasn't like Tara ran around shouting it from the hilltops - but until that night, it had never occurred to Buffy to introduce Tara to Willow.
It was that night, too, that Buffy realized that no matter how okay she thought she had been with Willow being gay, there was still a small part of her that was a little freaked... that wanted Willow to still be the same old Willow. That was probably a big part of the reason Buffy had sort of been avoiding asking Willow for help with school or going to Willow's room, Buffy thought - because Buffy was a little bit freaked that Willow would be... different. And thinking that thought made Buffy realize how stupid she had been, because Willow was still the same old Willow. Willow being gay didn't change that in the slightest.
And so Buffy resolved that night to make it up to Willow, to start being her best friend in every sense of the words - and that included introducing Willow to Tara.
"I'm so glad you came," Buffy said, relieved.
"Well... thanks?" Tara said a little uncertainly. Buffy seemed a little too excited that she had shown up. But... whatever. She was happy to be there, though...
"Great costume," Buffy said, noting the man's suit jacket, tie, and 40's style hat with the front bill turned up. "Um... what are you?"
Tara laughed, then said, "Buster Keaton. I'm so sorry about that. I was all set to come as Elton John, but I spilled coffee on my costume about an hour ago - which is why I'm late. I had to throw something together fast."
"Oh, that's cool," Buffy said, having no idea who Buster Keaton was. "So is Buster Keaton any relation to Michael Keaton?"
Tara laughed again. She looked around, and then she noticed something. Someone, actually.
She stood there, dumbfounded, as she caught sight of the most gorgeous woman she had ever seen. Buffy followed her line of sight, then smiled.
"Ah-ha," Buffy said smugly. "I knew it."
"Knew what?" Tara asked rather absently, unable to take her eyes of the woman in leather. It wasn't the leather, though, that stole her breath - though the outfit certainly wasn't hurting matters. It was... that smile.
Well, it was a lot of things, really. The fiery red hair framing porcelain skin; the small frame that curved in all the right places; the way she seemed so at ease while she was talking, and yet Tara noticed she was nervously plucking at the leather encasing her right thigh - a small, almost unnoticeable move that was completely adorable; the way he whole body shook when she let out the most melodic laugh Tara had ever heard. But most of all, it was her smile, the way it lit up her entire face and crinkled the corners of her eyes.
"Nothing," Buffy said, though it was far from nothing. Just then Dawn came back down the stairs, nodding at Buffy with a twinkle in her eye. It's done, Buffy thought happily.
She normally wouldn't condone this kind of thing - especially after Xander's little love spell fiasco in high school, but... desperate times called for desperate measures. And Buffy knew Willow and Tara - but especially Willow - well enough to know that if she waited around for nature to take its course, well... when did the next millennium start again? Besides, it wasn't actually a love spell... it was more like a love nudge - a spell designed to overcome shyness when it came to dating.
Almost as if on cue, Willow turned her head towards the front door, and found Buffy and... someone, watching her. Buffy was smiling, though Willow hardly noticed. She was too busy staring into the bluest eyes she had ever seen - unblinking eyes that were as clear and blue as the summer sky and trained directly on her.
Tara's mouth went dry when the woman across the room turned to look at her, and Tara found herself gazing into two perfect emeralds.
Buffy decided it was time to make some introductions. She really wanted to do a Happy Dance right there in the middle of the living room, but she decided that would be smug and inappropriate. She'd do it later. With Dawn.
"That's my friend, Willow. I told you about Willow, remember?" Buffy said nonchalantly.
"That's Willow?" Tara asked. She'd long wanted to meet the famous Willow Rosenberg, after all that Buffy had said about her best friend. But this... this was beyond anything Tara had hoped for.
"Uh-huh," Buffy said, tugging on the sleeve of Tara's jacket. "Come on."
Tara followed along dumbly, and the two made their way over to Willow. The two Ellens left heading for the punch bowl, maybe because they sensed the powerful forces that were at work. Or it could have been the daggers Buffy shot at them with her eyes as she and Tara approached Willow.
"Hey, Wil," Buffy said cheerily. The only indication that Willow was even aware of her presence was the "hey" she got in return. The rest of Willow's mind, body, and soul was directly focused on Tara. "Willow Rosenberg, this is my friend, Tara MaClay. Tara, this is my friend, Willow."
"Hi," Tara said quietly.
"Hi," Willow responded in kind.
Then... silence. A good solid minute of silence. And staring. Still with the staring.
Okay, time for one last Slayer-sized push until the spell kicks in, Buffy decided.
"Wil, Tare... I'll give you a topic. You two are both witches. Discuss," Buffy commanded and then walked away.
After a moment, Willow blinked. Then Tara did as well. They both finally noticed Buffy had left.
"Oh, uh, sorry," Willow said, breaking out of her Tara-inspired stupor. "I'm, uh, being rude... you know, with the staring..."
"Oh, me too," Tara said. "Sorry. I mean, I, uh... I just... I'm... um..." she stumbled. Then she took a deep breath and blurted out, "Do you know how gorgeous you are?"
Oh. My. God. Did I really just say that? Tara thought, mortified. She normally wasn't so forward. Not that she was overly shy when it came to flirting or meeting girls, but... still.
Willow blushed but didn't look away. Instead, she smiled, instantly putting Tara at ease. Tara gave a little lop-sided grin that had Willow's tummy doing backflips.
"Thank you," Willow said graciously, accepting the compliment. Then she looked intently at Tara, and something shifted. Tara could feel it, a thickening in the air, a heat against her flesh. And Willow's eyes... those sparkling emeralds darkened and deepened, pulling Tara in. "But you know," Willow said, her voice dropping into a sexy purr, "you've got me beat, hands down. You are simply... stunning."
Willow couldn't believe her own ears. Was she the one saying such a thing? Being all big with the flirting? Practically telling Tara she wanted to sleep with her? She knew it was crazy, as she had only just met Tara, and yet... oh yeah, she wanted to sleep with her, though actually "sleeping" would have no part in what she had in mind.
She had never felt such lust before, such desire. She wanted Tara carnally, primitively. Raw, hungry need coursed through Willow's veins, pooling into the pit of her stomach and... lower. I'm just a big 'ole slut-puppy, Willow thought. Must be the outfit.
This was so unlike her, unlike both of them. Willow didn't know how she knew, but she did. She didn't know Tara at all, and yet she felt like, somehow, that Tara wouldn't mind. That Tara would welcome Willow's passion. That Tara wanted Willow just as badly as Willow wanted Tara.
Little did Willow know just how right she was. Tara was thinking the exact same things Willow was.
Tara had never been one to be ruled by passion, but right now... she wanted to let it rule her. To let it ravage her. To let it take her. To let Willow take her. To take Willow.
"Do you wanna go-" Willow started.
"Upstairs?" Tara finished.
Willow nodded.
"Oh, yes," Tara said huskily. Willow groaned and took Tara's hand, and the two women charged up the stairs, ignoring the questioning glances they got from the Scoobies.
"Did anyone, uh... feel that?" Xander asked weakly, shivering a little.
Buffy didn't answer, instead just smiling knowingly. Dawn started fanning herself. It was Anya who finally answered Xander's question.
"If by 'that' you mean the wave of erotic heat flowing off Willow and the girl she just ran upstairs with, then yes, I felt it," Anya said matter-of-factly. "They're going to have sex now."
"Anya!" Buffy yelped while Dawn started giggling. "They are not."
"No, they're not gonna... Willow wouldn't... would she?" Xander asked, shocked. "And who is that blonde girl, anyway?"
"Come on, let's get some punch," Buffy said, "and I'll explain everything."
***************************
Willow and Tara burst through the bathroom door. Tara walked to the opposite end of the bathroom while Willow closed the door behind her with a soft click. She leaned back against the door, inhaling and exhaling slowly, trying to calm herself down. She had never, ever felt like this before, like her blood had been replaced by a mixture of adrenaline and pure lust. It was intoxicating.
Tara stood across the bathroom, motionless. Staring. Waiting. Her brain had shut down, and all the logical little reasons why she shouldn't be doing this were trapped inside without a voice. All she could do was feel, and oh my, what she felt... Hunger. Need. Want. All burning her alive.
They both moved at once, practically lunging into each others arms and meeting in the middle of the bathroom. Their mouths crushed together, opening, nipping, sucking, devouring. Willow's hands came up and ran through Tara's hair, pushing her hat off in the process.
Tara pushed Willow back and up against the door, pinning her there. She ran her hands over the smooth leather hugging Willow's curves, up and down and up again over Willow's thighs and hips.
While Tara's hands were learning Willow's body, Willow was conquering Tara's mouth. She ran her tongue over Tara's lips and gasped when Tara sucked it into her mouth, encouraging Willow to explore deeper. Willow wrested control of the kiss back from Tara, diving between Tara's lips with her tongue.
Willow's hips started moving of their own volition, matching the rhythm her tongue was setting. Tara picked up on Willow's signals, moving her thigh between the redhead's so Willow had something to grind against. Of course, that gave her something to grind against as well, and she moaned her approval.
Tara squeezed Willow's ass, pulling her heat even tighter against Tara's thigh. She broke her lips from Willow's and moved to nibble and suck on the redhead's ear and neck. As she did, she felt Willow's hands leave her head, and was momentarily disappointed - until she felt her shirt being tugged from her slacks.
Willow quickly undid the lowest three buttons and then apparently grew impatient with the task, because all of the sudden Willow's hands were on Tara's breasts underneath her still partially buttoned shirt. In seconds, Willow had pulled the satin bra down, released Tara's soft flesh into Willow's palms.
"Goddess, Willow," Tara groaned, breaking her lips away from Willow's neck momentarily before fastening them even more firmly against the soft skin. She knew she would leave a mark, but she didn't care, and she was pretty sure Willow wasn't going to care, either.
Willow rocked on Tara's thigh, moving her own mouth in a mirror image of Tara's, and pinched and rolled Tara's nipples with her fingers. She wanted this to go on forever, wanted to see Tara fully naked and spread out underneath her, but at the moment... at the moment she desperately needed release. And she sensed Tara did as well.
"Tara..." Willow growled. "I wanna be inside you."
Tara's knees nearly gave out at the primal need in Willow's voice.
"Yes," Tara hissed, moving her hands to the button of Willow's leather pants.
Willow left one hand squeezing Tara's breast while the other hand undid Tara's button and zipper. Tara undid Willow's pants as well, moving one hand back to cup Willow's ass. And then... they were both inside.
They each cried out as the other woman entered. They were both so wet, so ready. Willow set a fast pace that Tara matched with ease, pumping in and out furiously. If they had been possessed by Aphrodite herself at that moment, they wouldn't have been surprised. The things that were coming out of their mouths... grunts and moans, followed by hot words...
"Yes, like that... faster... oh Goddess, harder... so good..."
"Mmmmmm, make me come... make me come hard..."
"That's it... just like that... I'm gonna..."
It didn't matter who said what. All that mattered was that when they came at the same time, they screamed each other's names. As wave after wave of their mutual orgasms flowed, the collapsed into each other, resting against the door.
They were both panting hard, unable to believe what had just happened, still buried inside each other. Finally, reluctantly, they parted, easing out of each other. Tara stepped back and leaned back against the sink. Her eyes moved off of Willow and on to the floor.
Willow watched Tara, waiting for some sign of regret or recrimination. But when Tara looked up... Willow found none. Tara smiled.
"I don't normally do this, you know," Tara said, grinning. "I mean, you probably think-"
"No, I don't," Willow said, shaking her head. "I don't know how I know, but I know. You know?"
Tara laughed, and the sound re-lit the fire in Willow's belly, the one fueled by desire and passion. She couldn't believe she wanted Tara again so soon, but...
Willow reached out and ran her fingers up Tara's tie, caressing the fabric like she wanted to caress Tara's skin. Willow looked at Tara then, a sexy little smile playing at the corners of her mouth even as her eyes burned with desire. Willow tugged on the tie, and Tara grinned, her own eyes burning back into Willow.
And they began again.
***************************
Sometime later, Tara and Willow headed downstairs hand in hand, grinning and giggling in that way that new lovers do. There was no awkwardness, no hesitation, only... certainty. Certainty that this was the beginning of something very special. They didn't know how they knew, but they did know.
"Well, well, well," Xander said, grinning from ear to ear. "Look who decided to return to her own party."
Willow and Tara stood at the bottom of the stairs, being eyeballed by Xander, Anya, Buffy, and Dawn. Thankfully, the rest of the party guests didn't seem to be paying attention.
"Oh my Goddess," Tara groaned, burying her head into Willow's shoulder and tightening her grip on Willow's hand. "I haven't even met most of your friends and I've already embarrassed myself."
Willow giggled and threw her other arm around Tara's back, rubbing it soothingly. "No you haven't," she said sweetly. "They have no idea-"
"So did you enjoy the sex?" Anya asked.
"Oh boy," Willow mumbled, feeling herself blushing. Then some unseen force - probably the same one that had given her the courage to take Tara upstairs and take her - once again possessed Willow. She looked Anya squarely in the eye and said, "Yes, as a matter of fact I did. Several times. It was the most unbelievable sex I've ever had in my entire life, thank you very much."
"Good for you," Anya said without missing a beat. The others, however, were left sputtering for air.
"Holy hormones, Batman," Xander said, sitting down before his legs gave out.
Dawn couldn't seem to stop giggling. And Buffy... Buffy just stared open-mouthed at her best friend.
"You... she... you two... did the... with the... in the... and... wow."
"I think you broke Buffy," Dawn said, still giggling. Buffy nodded.
Willow puffed up her chest and beamed proudly at her friends. She certainly had come out of her shell this night.
Tara seemed to sense her lover's mood and took strength from that, lifting her head off Willow's shoulder to look directly at the group of friends. My lover, Tara thought. I like the sound of that.
Willow turned to Tara and smiled. Then she brought Tara's hand up to her lips and kissed the back of the blonde's hand. Tara lifted her other hand to Willow's cheek and guided Willow's lips to her own for a soft kiss.
Yes, this was definitely just the beginning, they both thought.
***************************
The party was still going strong about an hour later. Tara and Willow were snuggled together on the couch. Each of them were carrying on different conversations - Tara was talking with Anya and Liberace while Willow chatted with Dawn and Madonna - and yet they were as one. Dawn and Buffy sat on the floor across the room, happily watching Willow and Tara.
"It's like they've been together for years," Dawn remarked.
"I know," Buffy agreed.
The doorbell rang, and Buffy hopped up to get it.
"Hello, pet," Spike said once Buffy had opened the door.
"Spike?" Buffy said in shock. It wasn't that she was shocked to see him - she knew Dawn had invited him. But... "What are you wearing?!?"
Spike stood there in a full length, red sequined evening dress, complete with matching heels. He was also wearing a sash across his chest that read "Miss America," and was carrying a bouquet of long stem roses. The sparkling tiara on his head really brought the outfit together.
The last thing Buffy had expected from Spike was for the vampire to actually attempt to go along with the party's theme. "Spike, I'm... surprised."
"Yeah, well, what can I say?" Spike said, shrugging off Buffy's semi-praise. "I always did look good in red."
Will wonders never cease, Buffy thought. If I didn't know better...
Buffy just smirked and led Spike into the party.
**************************
Sometime later, after most of the guests - including Spike - had left, after Joyce and Giles had left for a midnight showing of "Rocky Horror Picture Show," after most of the mess had been cleaned up, Dawn said her goodnights and headed off to bed.
Xander and Anya took that as their cue to leave, and Willow and Tara - still holding hands - decided to head out as well.
After her friends were gone, Buffy moved around picking up a few more cups, then decided that the rest could be done in the morning. All in all, the party had been a great success. Halloween had been blessedly devoid of demon activity, and the party had gone off without a hitch. The Scoobies all felt like they had made their love and acceptance for Willow clear, and Willow had seemed happier than Buffy had seen her in ages.
Buffy smiled to herself. She'd been right about Willow and Tara. They made an adorable couple, and it was obvious that they were now a couple. Buffy still couldn't believe they'd actually... and in her bathroom, too! Not that she was upset. She was just... surprised. She didn't realize the spell Dawn had done was quite so powerful. But other than that, her plan had worked perfectly.
"Uh, Buffy?" Dawn called hesitantly from upstairs. "You better come up here."
Buffy ran up the stairs, her Slayer-sense on high alert at the tone of Dawn's voice.
"What's wrong?" Buffy said, bounding into the room.
Dawn just pointed at the floor - more specifically, at a bowl full of red powder on the floor.
"What is that?" Buffy asked, no longer worried - just confused.
"That," Dawn said, still pointing at the bowl, "is the mixture I used for the spell on Willow and Tara."
"O-kay," Buffy said, still not getting it.
"Buffy, that shouldn't be there," Dawn said, but Buffy was still confused. Dawn sighed, then tried to explain.
"The spell was supposed to work by me mixing the components together in the bowl, saying an incantation, and lighting the powder on fire," Dawn said. "Once the powder was all gone, the spell would have been cast."
"So you mean..." Buffy trailed off, unable to believe what her mind was telling her.
"I mean," Dawn said for her sister, "that the spell was never cast. I came downstairs right after I lit the powder on fire. The fire must have gone out. I didn't know until just now that the powder was still there. So what happened between Willow and Tara tonight... that was all them. You and I had nothing to do with it."
Buffy stood there, dumbfounded. Then she started grinning.
Oh, wow. This should be interesting.
THE END
"Maybe I'll change my look, or cut class. You don't know! And I'm eating this banana, lunch-time be damned!" - Willow, Dopplegangland
at: 10/29/02 9:29:28 pm
Sleek 
glad that the spell didn't work and it was all them. the image of Xander and Spike in dresses was disturbing (and will probably be in my head all day) 
& 
Halloween Luvin' = 
