The Moth and the Star (Completed 30 Jan '11)

[Zampsa1975]

Yay for great update-y goodness... I hope that Willow soon gets the idea that being in a relationship with Tara is a very good thing, lots of and orgasms, but most importantly love... and I hope that Tara lets go of her feelings Audrey and let her feelings for Willow grow...

[JustSkipIt]

Alcy - Wow, the time on your hands is very well spent indeed these days. First, I really love the title. Is it from something?

Willow felt no hint of nervousness as she approached the blonde from behind. All she felt was the thrill of the chase, and possibly even a sense of entitlement. The blonde was hands down the hottest woman on Imerst’s dance floor, and therefore Willow wanted her.

I feel like this chapter gives us a lot of information about Willow and explains why she's so seemingly ill-suited for Tara. She's definitely a player which makes it hard to believe that she's going to fall head-over-heels in love with someone like Tara but I trust you.

She hardly cared if this ‘Faith’ was the blonde’s girlfriend. It would be her loss for leaving such a beautiful creature alone on the dance floor.

Nice fucking attitude, Willow. Oops, sorry for that. Just kind of slipped out, you know?



Your description of the dance is very sensual and enjoyable. It's like the warm-up for the reader just as it is for the characters. We all know what's coming but you build the tension very well. I seriously thought they'd fuck in the bathroom and I'd love to know what type of bar doesn't have a single person who wouldn't stop two women from butting in line to get to a stall.

“Oh.” Willow appeared momentarily disappointed. “I thought you were going to say you don’t usually invite girls you’ve just met to accompany you to the bathroom.”



Tara’s eyes went wide and she immediately stopped dancing. “I don’t do that either!” she gasped in a horrified voice.

Ok, she might be a total slut and lack morals but Willow's hysterically funny.

“I don’t want to take advantage of you,” Willow whispered. ...



“You’re lying,” Tara whispered as she twisted her neck in search of Willow’s lips. She needed that contact back.



,,, “If I tell you I’m lying will you still come home with me?”



Tara knew Willow’s confidence was bordered on arrogance, and a large part of her contemplated turning her down flat. However, the almost unbearable heat between her thighs meant that this decision was already made for her. She buried her face in Willow’s chest and murmured an almost indecipherable ‘yes’ that she could barely hear over their combined breathing.



Willow laughed lightly. “I was lying…I do want to take advantage of you.”

Oh, such an awesome interchange here. I have to say that without interchanges like this one and the one about inviting strange girls to the bathroom, it would be very hard to find Willow very likable but you do it very well. And of course she's hot and she's Willow so that helps.


Then the awesome sex scene. Actually the awesome fucking scene.

Suddenly Willow heaved her right leg upwards and off the floor. Tara obligingly hooked it behind Willow’s back and her left followed. With both legs encircling the redhead’s waist, she was held up only by her hand beneath her arse and the weight of her body pressing her back against the wall. Her mind was racing, her sense reeling at the new pressures the position offered.

Go, Willow. Hmmm. I'm guessing this is a position you like writing about (I'm not asking anything else). If I remember correctly, there's the sex scene in the woods in ... Rhyme & Reason (was that the name?), the sex scene in the alley with original Willow and Evil Vamp Tara (quite believable given that Tara's a vampire), in VR, and now this one. I'm quite impressed.

As she grunted in anguish and her heart threatened to burst from her chest she could care about nothing except the woman in her arms and bringing her to release. After all, it was what she did best.

Hmmm. I have a hard time deciding what to think of that. I mean on one hand it's a good thing to do well and even best. On the other hand, I'd hate to think that fucking would be at the top of my list of things I did well as I lay on my deathbed. I mean near the top but #1 seems a little... shallow?

As she stared into the foggy blue gaze, she felt a sharp pang of emotion surge through her body. Despite the fact that she had looked into the eyes of countless drunken women in the midst of too many one night stands to count, she couldn’t imagine forgetting the colour of Tara’s eyes. It was almost as though she wanted to hold on to her for as long as possible.

Oh, the tables have so turned! Tee hee. This is going to be fun.

“Oh…my…god,” was the full extent of conversation that Tara could manage in the wake of such a frenzied and gravity defying bout of fucking.

Woo-hoo!

Uh. So no... reciprocal if not gravity defying bouts of fucking? Poor Willow. I mean awesome that she so righteously fucked Tara sensless. I can only hope that Tara will wake to realize the gravity (no pun intended) of the imbalance and set it right.

[sacinema]

This is such a different story from your other ones and yet it also carries all the typical Alcy stuff. Thanks. I really like it.

Willow's character is awesome. She seems to be the regular bad girl. Only interested in sexual intercourse with as many women as possible. But their are those shy attempts at feeling something else. And that's triggered by Tara. Who wouldn't know Tara's the only one who could trigger that. But surely I do want to know where this kind of Willow behaviour does come from. There must be a pretty good reason. I do not think it will be pretty in a literally way. In fact the reason might be ugly.

I'm also glad that Tara isn't the saint she seemed to be. Look what a lack of sex will do to someone if the right person comes along the way. The alcohol didn't hurt also. I do think Tara really needed that. And Faith knew. Wonder where she went. But eventually Tara will gonna be a little bit pissed at her. The morning after might not be her best one ever.

Xander being gay? That concept did struck me a little awkward in the beginning. But nice idea. I'm going to look forward to it. But what's with the Faith being straight? Will there be a little contest between those two about some guy? We will see.

I really am looking forward to the next update. Thanks.

[jay/wt4evr]

I hope Tara won't wake alone :( That'd be really devasting for her. Pretty please?

[ceridwen]

I'm definitely liking this story.

It's not the Willow we are used to reading, but that only makes it more interesting.

I hope it gets updated frecuently. Please?

[Owl]

Yeah, that was pretty much a little bit completely hot. Wow. I can't wait to keep reading this story, seriously I'm having issues of the jittery excitement and patience control kind, and loving it. Thanks for the update.

[Alcy]

Star Catcher: Congrats on your second Dibs!

can Tara stop thinking about that damned Audrey?!

She was a lying, cheating wench, but Tara was with her for seven years, which is kind of a long time. Still, Tara has a lot of wasted time to make up for.
Yes, you should be getting ready for a slightly awkward morning after.

Anlorew: I’m glad you enjoyed Willow in this chapter. I’ve written her as a bit of a womaniser in another story but I’ve pushed the envelope a bit on this one.

But hey, what's a great story without a little angst?

My thoughts exactly!

zampsa1975: Stay tuned to find out what happens in terms of Willow and a relationship with Tara. It might take a while as they both have quite a bit of baggage.

Deb: Yes, the title is from Shelley again. All of the chapter titles will be from Shelley poems.

She's definitely a player which makes it hard to believe that she's going to fall head-over-heels in love with someone like Tara but I trust you.

And so you should! Just kidding, thanks for the vote of confidence. I hope I can do the story justice.

Ok, she might be a total slut and lack morals but Willow's hysterically funny.

Thanks, you know I love mixing in the humour. Hopefully there will be more such irreverent statements from Willow. You know I’m having fun with this! It is a wee bit hard to make Willow likeable given that she is such a player…and I don’t like players. You’re right though, Willow is Willow.

If I remember correctly, there's the sex scene in the woods in ... Rhyme & Reason (was that the name?), the sex scene in the alley with original Willow and Evil Vamp Tara (quite believable given that Tara's a vampire), in VR, and now this one. I'm quite impressed.

Yup, obviously I have a bit of a one track mind…although they’ve done it in a bed on plenty of occasions too…and on desks, in a tent, on stairs…etc etc

I would agree with your assessment of Willow as a little shallow, in fact, I’d say she’s more than a little shallow. Hopefully subsequent chapters will build up a better image of her.

I can only hope that Tara will wake to realize the gravity (no pun intended) of the imbalance and set it right.

Haha, great pun. The imbalance will be set right eventually. Thanks very much, Deb.

sacinema: This story is quite different from my other stories. Firstly, it is my first fic without supernatural elements since Nightingale…and that story was written a good while ago. Plus Moth is so different to that story even. So you’re right, it is a bit of a departure for me but in a good way.
I’m glad you like Willow’s character. She’s tricky, but a lot of fun to write.

There must be a pretty good reason. I do not think it will be pretty in a literally way. In fact the reason might be ugly.

Good reasoning there…
I don’t think Tara is a saint. Although she should come across as Tara-like, she has faults and vices of her own.
I don’t have too much trouble writing Xander as guy. He was never the most manly of men in canon. And yes, Faith is straight…as I said before, it is funny how we Kittens have grown accustomed to Faith being gay. Aside from a wee bit of dirty dancing with Buffy, she was never gay. And I just realised that Faith was straight in Captain Red as well. I had forgotten about that!

jay/wt4evr: Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out what happens when our girls wake up…it’s not hugs and puppies just yet.

ceridwen: I'm glad you’re liking this story. Willow has a few issues that set her apart from the Willow we are used to, but then again so does Tara. I hope it makes for an interesting read. The updates have been flowing reasonably fast so far, I hope to keep up this pace. They are easier to write as they are only half the length of my usual chapters.

Owl: Thanks very much, buddy. Hope you can keep your excitement and patience under control. I’ll help by providing you with another update very soon!

[DaddyCatALSO]

Yes, this isn't a Faith slash board, however it might seem at times :-).

This gay Xander is more believeable than some versions I've seen.

[GrimCityGirl]

I'm loving this, can't wait for an update

[Alcy]

DaddyCatALSO: Sometimes I think this is a Faith slash board too. I will have to write in lots of kinky lesbian sex for her in Van Rosenberg to make up for her straightness in this one!
I'm glad you like gay Xander. I thought it might be a bit strained to write him as gay, but it's really not.

leftindust: Thanks so much, update following!

[Alcy]

[center]~Chapter Four~ And return to wake the sleeper[/center]

Even before her eyes opened, Tara could sense that she was not tucked up safely in her own bed. For starters, she had the unfamiliar and unpleasant feeling that something had taken a dump in her mouth. She prised her eyelids open with some effort, but was immediately forced to squeeze them shut again when a harsh light hurt her eyes. Keeping her eyes tightly shut, she tried to sit up. However a weight across her chest prevented her from doing anything other than lift her head from the pillow. Suddenly developing a mild form of panic, Tara forced herself to calm down to the point where she was able to wait for her eyes to adjust. She opened them to find herself staring up at the overhead canopy of a four-posted bed, complete with gauzy hangings trailing down the posts. Glancing down she found the reason she couldn’t move, a slender arm was thrown across her chest. As Tara gently lifted the hand from where it was cupping her breast she heard a gentle moan of protest from beside her.

“You’re not in Guatemala now,” a soft voice pointed out, rather unhelpfully.

Startled, Tara sat up. However, when she turned to look at the redhead lying next to her, she found her still fast asleep. She had merely been talking in her sleep.

“Oh hell,” Tara whispered as her horrified gazed passed from her own naked body to the equally naked body lying beside her. “Tara Maclay, what have you done?”

After a few deep breaths, Tara was able to calm herself to the point where she was able to study the girl’s face. As horrified as she was, Tara had to admit that she had gone home with an exceptionally stunning young woman. Her red hair lay in an adorably tousled heap on the pillow. One hand was tucked into a fist beneath her chin. Just as a small smile was lifting the corners of Tara’s mouth, she saw the dark bruises on the girl’s neck and the fingernail-shaped indents that marred the otherwise flawless skin on her back.

“Oh hell,” Tara whispered again.

She shifted backwards a little too hastily and, with a slight yelp, tumbled off the side of the bed. Wincing as she landed with a dull thud on her back, Tara peered up onto the bed to see if she had disturbed the sleeping redhead. Apart from a tiny snore, she remained fast asleep. Tara sighed with relief and turned her somewhat foggy attention towards the not so easy task of locating her clothes.

Finding no clothes that looked as though they belonged to her in the bedroom, she stumbled through into the living room. Squinting at the sunlight streaming through the floor to ceiling windows, Tara found herself standing in a spacious apartment. Although she had no eye for such things, she thought it could be the type of swanky inner city pad to appear in a trendy home and living magazine. While white was the predominant colour, it was made vibrant and alive with accessories and art.

She searched around the green leather couches, with an awful fright, she realised that the front door was wide open. Obviously Willow’s neighbours are more trustworthy than stalker Pete, Tara thought as she pushed the door shut quietly. She glanced down and much to her relief found her pants and, a few feet away from them, her top. Thank god…clothes… As Tara gathered up her clothes, just one glance at the wall next to the door was enough to bring back embarrassingly vivid images of the previous night’s sexual antics. After a moment spent wondering just how such a position had been possible, Tara hastily dragged her clothes on. She left the apartment, careful to shut the door behind her as quietly as possible.

Tara shelled out the money for a taxi rather than suffer the ‘walk of shame’ back to her own apartment. The taxi picked her up from Willow’s waterfront address and drove her back to her own modest building nestled in the tree clad hills on the other side of the city centre. She was somewhat pleased to see that the blue skies were slowly being replaced by ominous grey clouds. There was a whiff of moisture in the air. It would be a perfect day for staying at home, and hiding from the world.

Although her apartment building was a relic of the late Seventies, the architect had been obviously trying to revive Thirties Art Deco. The result was a rather hideous concrete monster. The apartments were small and the interiors sadly dated. However, after the jerky lift ride up to the fourth floor, Tara was grateful to find herself home.

Once the door was shut and locked behind her, she was finally able to breathe a true sigh of relief. She wasted no time in heading for the room she needed most desperately, the bathroom. Just the thought of a scalding hot shower was enough to reinvigorate her dulled senses.

She had only just stepped beneath the invigorating stream of water, when the shrill sound of the phone ringing made her wince. Tara stubbornly ignored the call, and she let the machine answer it.

“Tara, pick up if you’re there? Damn, girl! I am five minutes away from calling the police! If you don’t pick up, I am calling your mother! I’m calling your mother in five, four, three…”

“I’m here, Faith!” Tara interrupted her. Her heart was hammering and she was slightly out of breath.

The mad dash from the shower to her phone had been made in a few seconds flat. She had absolutely no desire to see if Faith would go through with that particular threat.

“Tara, what the hell are you doing?” Faith demanded angrily. However, there was a note of relief in her voice.

Tara glanced down at the puddle of water quickly forming on the polished wooden floor beneath her. “Um…currently I’m standing wet and naked in the middle of my living room.”

“What the hell?” Faith spluttered before pausing a moment. “Okay, I don’t even wanna know! Where the hell were you last night? I saw you dancing with that redhead. You were looking like you were having a little too much fun, and then a few minutes later you were gone…” Faith paused before emitting a shocked gasp. “You didn’t!”

Tara grimaced for a moment and then decided to feign innocence. “I didn’t what?”

“Don’t give me that crap, Tara Maclay!” Faith snapped. “You went home with that redhead from the club! You skanky ho! Oh…my…god, you had a one night stand!”

“Please, Faith, I’m tired. I’d really like to have a shower and go to bed.” Tara sighed. She wasn’t in the mood for Faith’s ribbing, however good natured it was.

“Too tired from all the sex!” Faith added with a low whistle. However, when she heard Tara’s exasperated groan she continued in a milder tone. “I’m sorry. You should’ve called me okay? You have no idea how worried I was.”

“Yeah I know, forgive me?”

“Only if you fill me in on all the details when you wake up?” Faith demanded.

“C’mon, Faith. We were both pretty wasted. The sex was probably average…”

“What do you mean probably average? Don’t you know?” her friend gasped again.

“I know okay!” Tara replied. “It was average.” Yeah, if by average I mean mind-blowing! Tara closed her eyes for just a moment and was assaulted by further images of Willow’s body straining against her own. Two equally sweaty bodies writhing. When she pressed a cool hand to one of her cheeks, she found it hot to the touch.

“Tara, when I was trying to get you out of the house I didn’t exactly have this in mind. I wasn’t trying to force you to move on from Audrey so soon,” Faith began slowly.

“Hey, I’m not moving on to anyone, and certainly not that girl from the club!” Tara protested. She probably wouldn’t sleep with me if she were sober anyway. “It was just a bit of fun. Thanks for taking me, okay?”

“No problem. You wanna do it again next weekend?”

“I don’t think so, Faith. I’ve had my quota of fun for the next few months,” Tara replied quickly. “I’ll call you later.”

With some relief, Tara hung up on her well-meaning best friend and returned to her shower. However as soon as she stepped beneath the hot water, she couldn’t help imagining herself back in the arms of the redhead.

Willow…Willow…, Tara thought hard for a moment but she drew a complete blank. With an ashamed heat rising in her cheeks, she realised that she did not know Willow’s last name.

Oh my god. I really am a skanky ho, Tara thought as she banged her head gently against the shower tiles.

~~~~~~

“Willow Rosenberg, what the hell kind of time is this?”

A rather flustered Willow ran onto the work out floor at Bodyworks gym. Her gym clothes looked like she’d pulled them on in a hurry, and she wore an odd pair of socks. To top it all off she wore a dark pair of sunglasses that completely shielded her eyes to the world. Xander on the other hand was a perfect example of a hardened gym rat. His outfit matched and there was already a thin sheen of sweat on his toned body. Only his fluorescent pink sweatband ruined the whole manly package. He glanced at his watch and frowned disapprovingly.

“You’re almost an hour late.” He made a tut-tut noise and shook his head. “I’m beginning to doubt your commitment to your training regime!” Xander turned his back on her and began striding towards the treadmills.

“Hey!” Willow protested, trotting after him. She caught up to him just as he was programming the machine and lifted her t-shirt to revel a set of already perfectly toned abs. “You don’t need commitment when you’ve got abs like mine!”

Xander hardly seemed impressed; he merely seized her by the arm and propelled her onto the treadmill. She complied, but only with a sullen expression on her face that said she was not at all happy about it.

“Loose the glasses, sweetie.” He held out his hand and beckoned.

With an annoyed grunt, Willow removed her shades and slammed them into Xander’s outstretched palm. With her eye protection gone she was forced to squint like crazy in the sunlight. When she was finally able to open them normally Xander let out a hefty cackle at the sight of dark circle beneath her puffy red eyes.

“Woah, girl, you are in serious need of some cosmetic help!” he exclaimed.

“Fuck up, Xander!” Willow growled.

Even as Willow glowered at him, Xander jabbed his finger on the start button and forced her to start walking. The reluctant redhead plodded on the treadmill at a less than enthusiastic pace. Xander lent against the display panel with his eyes wide and pleading. He was clearly after information regarding Willow’s nocturnal activities.

Willow sighed in annoyance. She refused to look at him as she continued to march on the treadmill. “You know full well that when I’ve got this look on my face, you’re not allowed to go there.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Xander’s mouth start to open in preparation to protest and she held up her index finger to silence him. “Just don’t go there, Xander!”

In retaliation, Xander jabbed his finger down several times on the speed increase button until Willow was forced to break into a light jog. The move had its intended effect as she was forced to shut up and concentrate to avoid tripping over her uncooperative feet.

“I know the rules, I made the damn rules!” he said in a huff. “And the rules don’t apply to nights where I don’t get any! So spill and give me my vicarious orgasm!”

With a thin sheen of sweat already coating her face, Willow turned to her friend and gave him a withering look of disapproval. “That’s truly disgusting.”

Xander held up his hands in momentary defeat and they managed to pass the rest of Willow’s warm up in silence. It left Willow huffing and puffing at a rate that was normally reserved for the end of the work out. However she could tell that Xander wasn’t going to let it rest that easily. He had a ‘look’ in his eyes. No sooner had they moved onto their second weight machine, Willow saw the pleading resume in his eyes. She sighed. as though being his friend was a great burden.

Willow stubbornly remained silent until she was lying face down on a roman chair doing back extensions. With Xander’s annoying face gone from view, she found herself revisiting her night with Tara Maclay. From their dance, to the way the blonde’s naked body had felt against her own. Just thinking about it brought a warming sensation to her gut. She was also grateful for the exercise already rendering her cheeks red.

She’d woken up late morning with nothing but an expanse of cold, empty bed next to her. Usually having her date make a discreet exit made things a lot less complicated. It avoided the post-sex awkwardness. She wasn’t forced to part with her cell number, or make false promises to set another date. However, upon waking on this particular morning, Willow had immediately been struck by the unfamiliar realisation that something was missing. Before she had been able to put her finger on it and admit to herself that she had wanted Tara to stay or some other ridiculous notion, she’d realised she was late for her session. In her haste to make it to the gym she’d forgotten about the weird thoughts. Now Xander’s questions and her own busy mind were bringing them to the surface again.

She turned her cheek slightly so she could see Xander from the corner of her eye. With a deep breath she admitted, “There were no orgasms had, at least on my part anyway.”

“What the fuck?” was Xander’s succinct reply.

Willow sighed and faced the floor once more. She heaved the weight upwards and towards her arse once again. “I mean, I fucked her and it was…everything about it was great. The way she felt in my arms, feeling her come with my fingers, and the rest just didn’t seem important.”

“By ‘the rest’ you mean her returning the favour?” Xander prodded in disbelief as he helped her up from the bench.

“I guess so.” Willow shrugged. “Although I was still wired, she was wiped out completely. I took her to bed, and just lay watching her sleep.” Willow settled into the next machine and began her leg extensions. As she did she found she could easily conjure up images of Tara’s face as she slept. All the while she was oblivious to the increasing look of shock developing on Xander’s face as she continued talking. “It was all surreal really. Almost like something was different with her.”

She gave one more shrug as though that was the end of the matter. As she concentrated on working out her quads, Xander was strangely silent. When she finally looked up at him, she saw his eyes were wide with what appeared to be shock or surprise.

“What the fuck is up with you?” she demanded.

“Oh…my…god!” was all he could manage for the moment.

“What?” Willow demanded again.

“You said the magic words! ‘Something different with her.’ Willow Rosenberg, this is a momentous step in your personal growth!”

Willow’s thoughtful expression morphed into a defensive one as she realised what he was hinting at. “I just meant that I’d fuck her again if the occasion arose, and that’s not a big step. I’ve fucked several people more than once. Hey, this town’s only so big right? I’m bound to have to dip my toes in the same pool a couple of times!”

Xander pursed his lips together thoughtfully for a moment before he replied suddenly, “No…no, that’s not it.”

“What do you mean, ‘that’s not it?’” Willow demanded, stopping her reps altogether.

“You don’t want to fuck her again…” Xander paused and decided to choose his words more carefully, “Well, you do because you’re you and you’re a total nympho, but before you get to the fucking you just want to see her again. Now, as we both know with lesbians, this often leads to u-hauls and turkey basters.”

“Xander, you’re babbling nonsensically,” Willow muttered as she resumed her leg extensions.

“I’m not, it all makes perfect sense!” Xander protested gamely.

“Not another word, Harris, any more talk about u-hauls and I’m going to find myself another personal trainer!”

“But don’t you want to talk about what happened?”

“Not particularly, no,” Willow replied. “Look, if you’ll just drop it then everything will go back to normal in a few days and she’ll be a distant memory. Albeit a good distant memory.”

“Unless you see her again,” Xander suggested playing the devil’s advocate. “As you were saying earlier, it’s a small town.”

Willow grunted as she strained to pull the weight up once again. “I’ll cross that hurdle if I ever come to it. Now can we finish up here? I feel fucking awful and, in another couple of minutes, I’m going to hurl.”

Xander sighed as he saw his vicarious thrills get snatched out from beneath his nose. He handed her a fresh towel. “Sure thing. Am I still going to see you at Imerst tonight?”

Willow grinned as she wiped the sweat off her face and neck. “Where the heck else would I be?”

[Star Catcher]

My, I'm very lucky. My third dibs.

Very nice discreet exit. Though, I still think Tara should be walking the Walk of Shame. Hehe, Faith calling her mother. Haven't we all heard that threat one too many times? And it still strikes fear into us. Ah, Willow going to the gym. I was wondering where she got those awesome abs from. Xander didn't get any? *pout* Well, even if he did it couldn't have surpassed last nights' activities. ^^ Ah, the magical words: 'It feels different with her.' Doesn't it always? Imerst again? Phew, those are two very energetic people. Very horny, too. Well, I'm still wondering where Tara and Willow are bound to meet up again. It can't be Imerst again, can it? I wouldn't tag Tara as that kind of girl. I'm also wondering where Willow works, I'm very curious about that. Well, I hope for more update-y goodness soon.

[Zampsa1975]

Yay for great update-y goodness... Good for Willow to sense something special in Tara... I hope they meet again soon and have somekind of conversation instead of just sex...

[DaddyCatALSO]

Well, okay, the Player Gets Blind-sided By Her/His Own Emotions Even If the Other Person's Feelings Are Unspecified is a standard plot device (I finally saw Cruel Intentions night before last so it's in my head) but I really like the way this one is developing. Seems very plausible.

And Tara wouldn't normally be the scr*w-and-leave type but the panic makes it absolutely the most likely thing to happen. So, how to get them back into each other's orbits....

[Anlorew]

The morning after! This was good. Really good.

“You’re not in Guatemala now,” a soft voice pointed out, rather unhelpfully.

Yay! A sign of the Willow we all know and love! Even as a complete womanizer playboy, willow still has her quirkyness (shown by her strange and peculiar dreams...apparently about Guatemala).

“Oh hell,” Tara whispered as her horrified gazed passed from her own naked body to the equally naked body lying beside her. “Tara Maclay, what have you done?”

Sad :( I suppose that would be incredibly disorienting waking up completely naked in a stranger's bed...with the stranger who is also equally naked. I do however find it a bit funny that she doesn't remember what happened at first, due to her inebriated state the night before.

Just as a small smile was lifting the corners of Tara’s mouth, she saw the dark bruises on the girl’s neck and the fingernail-shaped indents that marred the otherwise flawless skin on her back.

Wow. Quite an intense night I see

She shifted backwards a little too hastily and, with a slight yelp, tumbled off the side of the bed. Wincing as she landed with a dull thud on her back, Tara peered up onto the bed to see if she had disturbed the sleeping redhead.

Ok I laughed really hard when I imagined a very naked and startled Tara falling off the bed. Just thought I'd point out that that it is an extremely funny mental image.

“Don’t give me that crap, Tara Maclay!” Faith snapped. “You went home with that redhead from the club! You skanky ho! Oh…my…god, you had a one night stand!”

Wow I love the irony here! Faith preaching to Tara about one night stands?! Yea...that's pretty damn funny!

Willow sighed and faced the floor once more. She heaved the weight upwards and towards her arse once again. “I mean, I fucked her and it was…everything about it was great. The way she felt in my arms, feeling her come with my fingers, and the rest just didn’t seem important.”

“By ‘the rest’ you mean her returning the favour?” Xander prodded in disbelief as he helped her up from the bench.

“I guess so.” Willow shrugged. “Although I was still wired, she was wiped out completely. I took her to bed, and just lay watching her sleep.” Willow settled into the next machine and began her leg extensions. As she did she found she could easily conjure up images of Tara’s face as she slept. All the while she was oblivious to the increasing look of shock developing on Xander’s face as she continued talking. “It was all surreal really. Almost like something was different with her.”

She gave one more shrug as though that was the end of the matter. As she concentrated on working out her quads, Xander was strangely silent. When she finally looked up at him, she saw his eyes were wide with what appeared to be shock or surprise.

“What the fuck is up with you?” she demanded.

“Oh…my…god!” was all he could manage for the moment.

“What?” Willow demanded again.

“You said the magic words! ‘Something different with her.’ Willow Rosenberg, this is a momentous step in your personal growth!”

I agree with Xander. This does seem to be somewhat of a breakthrough with Willow and her...ideals? Goals? I don't know exactly, but it does seem like a big step. I mean, the fact that Willow was simply content making Tara happy instead of thinking about herself, says something. Granted, Willow does have the notion that giving people happys is what she's best at, so one could argue that that's all there was to it, but I think it means something. And also that Willow thought there was something different about her...Maybe this will make Willow notice her a bit more and not immediately discard Tara like the old womanizer Willow might have. This could very well be a momentous step in Willow's personal growth!

Well, I simply loved the new update (as I do with all of your other stories ). This does seem to be a big step for the two of them, but I'm not going to be naive in thinking that they will instantly fall madly in love and drop their bad habits (namely Willow dropping her bad habits) the next time they see each other. For some reason, I sense more angst in the future. Possibly even a Willow/Tara confrontation/fight? Well either way, great update. I look forward to reading more in the future!

[Owl]

“You’re not in Guatemala now,” a soft voice pointed out, rather unhelpfully.

That was choke-on-my-morning-coffee kinda funny. So, Willow quotes Shorty St in her sleep? Very adorable. I totally wasn't expecting Tara to get outta there so easy and now I'm just intrigued and excited to see how you get them back together again.

Oh my god. I really am a skanky ho, Tara thought as she banged her head gently against the shower tiles.

The idea of Tara thinking of herself as a skanky ho and Faith's threat - also very, very funny. The whole Willow and Xander conversation was great, especially Willow getting all defensive and backtracky after noting that something about Tara was different. Nuh, duh, Willow. Of course something about Tara is different, she's Tara. There's so much 'something was different with her' about Tara that she pretty much deserves a whole new descriptor that doesn't even exist yet. Uh, Anyway. Thank you very lots for the update, I'm eagerly awaiting more of this wonderful story at your earliest convenience.

[JustSkipIt]

And so the morning-after arrives. My first instinct was to be kind of pissed at Tara for slipping out like that and not even leaving a note. But then I sort of thought about it and realized that in almost any case, that would be thing to do. I mean, she wouldn't want that awkward moment of waking up with a total player, especially so hung over. And then there would be Willow (or so Tara could imagine) saying, "so... really, great. And now I need to head out to a personal training session. Maybe I can call you a cab? See ya around..." And how embarrassing would it be to leave her number and imagine Willow waking up, seeing it, laughing, and crumpling it up. So she probably took the wise move here even if it means that now they have to meet up again (apparently not at the bar next time).

Now Willow. Awww. How cute that she's finally snagged on a hook. I love that Xander's the one who's like, "you like her, you like her..." ("you skanky ho!"). It makes me wonder a little if she schedules these early training sessions (to which she was late) to get rid of tricks in the morning. I guess it's nice that she even lets them sleep over at all. Or maybe she usually doesn't. I'm also wondering just what she does for a living. She's young. She's incredibly fit and works with a personal trainer. But Tara describes her apartment or condo as a pretty swanky place. So I'm curious there.

Nice to see how they meet up again and what level of embarrassment ensues.

[Belli Bear]

okay, um AWESOME lol, I think one quote pretty much sums up the hilarity of this chapter:

“Fuck up, Xander!” Willow growled

Butch Willow FTW!!!!

[JujuDeRoussie]

Dear Alcy,

I come out of my "too lazy to feedback" period, and I can't not comment on yours.

As I told you previously, I really love it. It is a refreshing change from your usual ass-kicking style (which is really nice, too).

I was really surprised by Willow's first appearance, her confidence and everything. I think I'll learn more as is go, but it seems to me (so far) that Willow's (over) confidence masks her fear of getting hurt in a relationship. No?
Even if it's not, I can't wait to see her deal with whatever feelings her encounter with Tara has stirred.

I feel sorry for Tara. Poor Sweetheart can't even be really mad at her partner for cheating on her, again. She can't even allow to hate her and move on. I know that Audrey's death wouldn't have been easy if she had hadsuch time, but it would have been easier.

I hope you won't make them wait months and months before they can meet up again! (And make us wait, as well ).

Nice to see you back,

Julia.

[love_2003]

I hope Willow and Tara run into each other again. Hopefully this time they can get to know each other better. Maybe go out for coffee or something.
Looking forward to more.

[Alcy]

Star Catcher: Wow, three dibs in a row, that is uncanny!
I would definitely be cowed into submission if someone threatened to call my mother, and I’m almost 30!

Ah, Willow going to the gym. I was wondering where she got those awesome abs from.

Yes, we have to keep up with the realism. I spend enough hours working out to know you don’t just have abs!
Stay tuned to find out how they meet up again, you only have to wait until the next chapter.

Zampsa1975: Thanks very much. Conversations between Willow and Tara will definitely be coming up soon…because talking is good!

DaddyCat: Ah yes, Cruel Intentions…one of my ex’s favourite movies. There definitely won’t be the same level of cruelty and deception in this fic though. I find that level outright ‘meanness’, for lack of a better word, hard to watch or read. This fic is more about ‘fixing’ these two people. But yes, the essential plot device is very much there.

Getting them back into each other’s orbits is definitely the next challenge and you won’t have to wait long for that.

Anlorew:
Yes, Willow has her strange dreams…although in this case, regurgitated from TV. Owl I think was the only Kitten who picked up that the line is take from an infamous Kiwi soap opera called Shortland Street. It’s a hospital drama, one of the Doctors has just arrived back in NZ. He has an unorthodox methodology and one of the nurses says, “You’re not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata.” It’s a lot funnier if you’re Kiwi though

I think Faith wasn’t so much preaching to Tara about her one night stand as being totally shocked that she had one. The Tara she knows would never, ever think of doing such a thing.

This story will be a bit of a rocky build up towards their relationship, as you have correctly guessed. You are right to sense more angst in the future. Although I won’t be pouring it on. I hope to maintain some amount of humour throughout as I love mixing it up a bit. Thanks very much!

Owl: Yep, Willow quotes Shorties in her sleep…completely missed by non-Kiwis of course!
Glad you found the chapter funny. I didn’t want it to be too serious, even given the somewhat seriousness of the whole plot set-up to begin with. There is still plenty of scope for comedy.

Of course something about Tara is different, she's Tara.

You’re exactly right about that one, we know it of course, but Willow doesn’t…just as Tara doesn’t know it’s Willow.

Deb:

My first instinct was to be kind of pissed at Tara for slipping out like that and not even leaving a note.

You can bet (if I ever was in this situation…which I haven’t been!) that I would be out of there like a shot. I really like your interpretation with the awkward conversation. You are very right, it would have been extremely awkward and I thin Tara did the right thing from everyone’s perspective. No Willow and Tara morning-after ‘snuggle-session’ here…not yet anyway.

Good point about scheduling the early morning training session…although I think I intended it to be late morning or even early afternoon…which for someone like Willow would make it early morning anyway!

I'm also wondering just what she does for a living. She's young. She's incredibly fit and works with a personal trainer. But Tara describes her apartment or condo as a pretty swanky place. So I'm curious there.

I’ll leave you hanging on that question for a bit! Thanks very much, Deb!

Belli Bear: Yep, grumpy, take-charge Willow is definitely hot!

JuJu: Dear Julia, welcome out of your "too lazy to feedback" period, and thanks for stopping by to comment on Moth.
It is definitely a change from my previous fics. I keep expecting to write about vampires attacking Willow and Faith, and feeling as though I need to decorate Will’s apartment with weapons and demonic artefacts. But none of that!
Willow’s current state is definitely the product of something in her past, which we will eventually learn more about.
The character of Tara in this fic is difficult to write. She is dealing with some intense emotions of her own and really, this Willow isn’t who she needs right now. Which makes things difficult given this is a Willow/Tara fic!

I hope you won't make them wait months and months before they can meet up again! (And make us wait, as well)

I promise I won’t!

love_2003: Ah yes, the lesbian ‘coffee date’ – which we all know means so much more! They will meet up again soon…and maybe they can do something as normal as have coffee together.

[taranwillow4ever]

Loving it. Can't wait to read more...

[Alcy]

taranwillow4ever: Thanks very much for the feedback. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.


[center]~ Chapter Five - The devotion to something afar ~[/center]

Even on Sunday night, the crowd at Imerst was jumping along to a beat all of its own. Though it was a little less crowded and a little subdued compared to a Friday or Saturday night, the beats were still playing just as loudly. The dance floor was busy with enthusiastic revellers. The bar was doing a steady trade despite the fact that many of those ordering had to go to work the next day.

One person who did not have to work the next day stood on the mezzanine balcony overlooking the dance floor. Willow Rosenberg remained content to stand aloof from the throng and watch the antics of those below her. She looked on with a grin as she watched Xander work his magic on his target for the night. Of course the magic worked, and moments later he made his way to the dance floor with a young man in tow. He glanced up towards the balcony and motioned for her to come down to the dance floor. Willow shook her head and pointed at her half-full cocktail. Xander shrugged and turned his attention back to his rather dodgy dance moves. Willow was pleased at the happy grin on her best friend’s face; pleased at least one of them was having a good time. In all truth, she did not particularly want to be at Imerst that night. As soon as she had walked in the door that evening she felt an unfamiliar feeling of boredom and monotony. It would be the same people who were here the night before, minus the one she wanted to see the most. Even as she had eagerly scanned the crowd for any sign of Tara Maclay, she knew the stunning blonde wouldn’t be there.

She turned away from the dance floor and saw a vision of bronzed, exotic flesh heading towards her with a dazzling white smile. Propping her elbows up on the railing, Willow smirked appreciatively as the tall woman approached. Her eyes lingered over the way her body moved in the skin tight, metallic gold dress she wore. Her hair fell in absolutely perfect curls, bouncing slightly as she walked. She came to a halt directly in front of her and placed a hand on the railing with her forearm nestled against Willow’s waist.

“See anything you like here tonight?” she asked quietly. There was a slight accent in her voice.

“Only very recently,” Willow replied with a brazen smile. The other woman tilted her head back slightly, offering her the perfect view of her long throat. Willow leaned in close and drew in a deep breath, inhaling the fruity perfume the young woman was wearing. “And I like very much.”

She drew back and moved her gaze down from the woman’s throat to her breasts. The perfect mounds were straining against the gold fabric of her dress. With an even bigger smirk, Willow moved in to claim her full lips. However, out of the corner of her eye she caught a flash of long blonde hair. Without warning, she stopped in her tracks and stared at the woman threading her way through the floor below. Willow could only see her back but it looked so much like Tara she was sure it could only be her. With the exotic woman beside her forgotten, Willow leaned over the railing and silently willed the girl to turn around. Her heart was already hammering in her chest with expectation of seeing those blue eyes again.

Just as Willow was about to call out, the girl turned around. She was gorgeous enough, but it wasn’t Tara. Willow sighed with profound disappoint. She felt a pair of smooth arms snake around her waist, moments later she felt a firm body pressed against her back and warm breath on her ear.

“There are too many distractions. Let’s get out of here,” a soft voice whispered.

Willow swivelled in the woman’s arms until she was facing her. She was stunning, there was no doubt about it but Willow found she had completely lost whatever desire so possessed just a moment ago. Damn you, Tara Maclay, she thought to herself as she realised she was going to shortly play the part of the tease who promised the world but never put out. What have you turned me into? As the exotic woman leaned in to kiss her, Willow twisted her head slightly so that her lips landed harmlessly on her cheek. She pulled away and looked at her apologetically.

“You know what, I think you should make your way back to the dance floor and find someone who really wants to be with you tonight,” Willow said even as she couldn’t quite believe she was actually turning down sex…and with a girl who was so stunning she was almost painful to look at.

The girl stared at Willow for a moment as though trying to gauge whether she was serious. Willow just shrugged turned her back on the girl as though that was the end of it. Seconds later she heard her mutter ‘bitch’ in a loud voice. When Willow turned her head again, she was making her way back downstairs. Willow watched her arse and her perfect tits disappear and felt strangely good about it.

While Willow was done with female company for the night, she was however dying for another drink. She ordered two from the upstairs bar, drained one in a few quick gulps and carried the other back down to the dance floor. Moments later she joined Xander and managed somehow to wrestle her way in between him and his latest man candy. Neither seemed to mind having the gorgeous and vibrant girl slip in between them and a moment later all three of them were dancing in one tight sandwich at the centre of the floor. By the time the drink in her hand was finished, Willow had succeeded in alleviating her boredom.

Willow woke up the next morning to find herself on her own couch, without a clue as to what had happened the rest of the night. She was, however, extremely pleased to find she still had her underwear on.

~~~~~~

The week passed in a blur of meetings for Tara. They were mostly with Bridget as they discussed additions and corrections to her latest manuscript. However her relationship with her editor was at a point where they both knew how the other thought, and what the other liked. So the manuscript was dispatched for the next stages of production with little fuss. In about six month’s time, Tara knew that her next book would hit the shelves and she’d be caught up in the whirlwind of publicity tours and book signings. She was grateful for the additional time to herself as she knew there was no way she could have withstood that amount of activity in her current condition. Faith understood her friend all too well, and was determined to help her back on her feet and out into the public eye after her four month seclusion. As a result, the two women found themselves braving Wellington’s infamous wind to trawl Lambton Quay, home to all manner of shops designed to help them part with their money.

Tara and Faith emerged from a short break for a coffee at Starbuck’s, it was only just pushing early afternoon and they were already laden with several shopping bags each. Faith scanned the street; her eyes alight with the prospect of her next bargain.

“Where to next?” Tara asked, feeling the tip of her nose grow cold once again. She awkwardly brought one hand up and rubbed it fiercely to return some feeling.

Faith glanced across the street. “Zambesi!”

Tara was a little dubious. “Okay, I don’t sell quite enough books to be able to shop there Miss big wig attorney!”

Faith grinned over her shoulder. “Ah, but they’re having an end of season sale. Every girl’s favourite place to be.”

“Well, I’d actually rather be curled up on the couch,” Tara began. She stopped herself when she heard the familiar negative tone creeping into her voice.

“Don’t even start!” Faith snapped playfully. “Get your arse into that shop and find yourself a designer bargain!”

With a tortured sigh, Tara followed Faith in her dash across the road to the opulent and somewhat imposing storefront. However, once she found herself in the warmth within, surrounded by gorgeous clothes, she allowed herself to relax. She chose a nearby rack and started shifting through; immediately coming across any number of items that she would gladly buy. The heady rush of excitement was more than enough to get her enthusiastic.

She and Faith swept through the store, each already laden with garments to try on. Faith gave Tara an ‘I told you so’ look as they moved onto the next rack. Tara grinned and found that, despite the weather and her earlier mood, she was exceptionally glad that Faith had decided to ask her out shopping. She continued looking through the rack until she spied a cobalt blue shirt that she could easily imagine herself wearing to a book signing. Eagerly, she pushed aside the clothes on either side to be able to extract it. However, when she parted the rack she caught a glimpse straight through to the store’s entrance. At that very moment, the automatic doors parted and into the store walked a rather windswept woman. Despite the overcast skies she wore a large pair of sunglasses. Just as Tara was wondering who the hell would need to wear sunglasses on a day like this, the woman peeled them off her face and tucked them in her handbag. A sudden flash of recognition overcame her. She yelped and dropped everything in her arms as she cringed behind the rack. Faith spun around at the sudden noise and lifted her eyebrows in mild amusement.

“Ah…Tara?” she asked. “Are you alright?”

“Oh my god,” Tara whispered in terror. “No, I’m not bloody alright…front door…now!”

Ignoring all pretence of discretion, Faith craned her neck over the rack and caught sight of the object of Tara’s terror. She stared blatantly for a good while before she too recognised the woman from Imerst. Her eyes were wide with delight as she turned back to Tara.

Tara was already cringing. She knew that look on Faith’s face, and she didn’t like it one little bit.

“Hey, Tara! It’s your girl!” she said enthusiastically and much too loudly for Tara’s liking. She turned back to the still cowering blonde and jerked her head towards the door insistently. “Well, are you going to go and say hi?”

Tara risked a peek through the clothing rack to see Willow moving straight towards the back of the shop and her hiding place. Silently she willed the redhead to turn around and leave but she seemed to have no such intention. She took her time browsing through the racks, just as Tara had been doing a few moments earlier.

“No! I’m not going to say hi!” Tara replied in a whisper through her clenched teeth. “I’ve got to find a way out of here without her seeing me!”

Frantically she gathered up her fallen purchases, ignoring the clothes that had been on her arm to try on. With the bags clutched in her white knuckled fingers she glanced around the rack to check on Willow’s location and found herself staring directly into a pair of eyes she had last seen through a drunken haze. Tara let out a surprised yelp and toppled backwards, her shopping once again flying from her hands. She landed hard on her arse, hard enough to bring a look of pain to her face and tears to her eyes. When she looked up she found herself staring up at the smouldering image of her one night stand. Her cheeks coloured and she fervently wished for a sudden earthquake that would bring the building tumbling down atop both of them. However, no such act of god occurred and Willow continued to stare down at her, rendering Tara’s cheeks even redder.

“Do you always find such a novel way to make a second impression, Tara Maclay?” Willow finally asked with an annoyingly condescending grin. “Or should I be flattered that you’ve fallen purely because it’s me?”

~~~~~~

Willow hated the wind, almost to the point where she’d considered leaving the city she loved and moving to Auckland. However, the promise of not as much wind wasn’t nearly enough to get her to live in the sprawling northern city and she’d remained in Wellington. However, on overcast days with the wind blowing and the lingering effects of a hangover from the previous evening, Willow would have preferred to remain at home. She was braving the conditions solely because she’d belatedly realised it was Xander’s birthday and her friend would be shattered if she forgot altogether. She’d remembered him looking at a particularly rakish jacket at Zambesi the previous weekend and knew it would make the perfect gift.

Well rugged up Willow made her way into town and straight to Zambesi, not even lingering to window shop. When she entered and removed her sunglasses, she found the store was a little busy for her liking; she’d forgotten they were having a sale. With a purpose, she moved to the men’s section and scanned for the leather and plaid jacket. She searched fruitlessly for several minutes before deciding to ask one of the sales’ assistants. She glanced up and saw them all standing around the changing rooms, with an aggravated huff, Willow climbed the few stairs towards the back of the store. As she moved she couldn’t help but browse through the racks of women’s clothes. After the week she’d had, she definitely had earned a little ‘pick me up’ in the form of a new outfit. Her focus was suddenly interrupted by a pair of startled blue eyes peering at her from behind one of the racks.

Willow’s lips parted in shock. Although her acquaintance with the woman belonging to those eyes had been relatively brief, they had been in her dreams, both asleep and waking, for the past week. Not normally so indecisive, Willow was torn between making a beeline out of the store and reintroducing herself to Tara Maclay. She eventually shoved aside all thoughts of running and moved around the clothing rack. Sure enough, sitting on her arse directly in front of her was the gorgeous blonde who had made a discreet exit from her apartment the previous weekend. Willow could not miss the distinct element of panic in her eyes and wondered why she herself did not feel the same. It was not in her style to reintroduce herself to one night stands. Normally she preferred complete memory erasure, as though she had never ever met the person. However with Tara it was different. She had begun to realise it during her conversation with Xander. Now, staring into those blue eyes, she knew it with an awful certainty.

Willow swallowed discreetly and felt her knuckles clasp the straps of her handbag far tighter than was necessary, Say something for fuck’s sake, Rosenberg or she’ll think you’re a tongue tied retard! she thought desperately, trying to maintain a veneer of confidence despite her silence. Finally she managed a small grin that perfectly hid her nerves.

“Do you always find such a novel way to make a second impression, Tara Maclay? Or should I be flattered that you’ve fallen purely because it’s me?” Yeah, nice one, Will…way to talk yourself up!

Tara could only manage a weak splutter as Willow stepped forward and extended a hand to help her up, “I-I…”

“Well, if you were trying to make a good impression…” Willow began as Tara grasped her hand after a moment’s indecision. With one swift tug she jerked the blonde girl to her feet and found herself face to face with her. The rest of her sentence almost flew straight out of her head and she ended up staring into Tara’s eyes for far longer than was appropriate before realising. With another quick grin, she finished in a quiet voice, “…then you succeeded. I don’t get too many girls throwing themselves at my feet.”

“I slipped,” Tara mumbled before realising that they were still clasping hands. She jerked her hand out of Willow’s grip a little too quickly and stepped back as though seeking to hide behind her friend.

With her earlier concentration directed entirely towards Tara, Willow hadn’t noticed the attractive dark-haired woman hovering protectively at her shoulder. She had a vague memory of watching her dance with Tara at Imerst. Breaking the silence, Willow stepped forward with her hand extended again, although this time it was to shake the friend’s hand.

“Willow Rosenberg,” she grinned playfully. “I saw you shaking your arse at Imerst, you’ve some nice moves!”

“Faith Lehane,” she replied, taking Willow’s hand in her own. “And thanks, although you’d want to save your compliments for Tara. I’m the straight one out of the Faith and Tara duo.”

Willow grinned as she saw Tara’s face go a little redder. She decided to play with the blonde to see what sort of reaction she would get, “I think I might have already complimented Tara.”

Faith placed her arm protectively around Tara’s shoulders. The blonde appeared mortified enough to want to make a bolt for the door. However, with Faith’s hands on her, and Willow blocking the path to the door, there was absolutely no escape.

“Hey, you guys remember Xander right? My friend from the club? The obviously gay one?” Even as both girls shook their heads, Willow waved them aside with a swish of her hand. “Oh well, you will know him. It’s his birthday and we’re throwing a little party for him at my place tomorrow night. It would make me so happy if both of you were to come as my guests!”

Even as Tara looked like it was the last thing on earth she wanted to do, Faith’s face lit up. She looked to Tara and then back to Willow with a very satisfied smile on her face.

I’ve got an ally there I think, Willow thought as she fumbled in her bag for a pen. Once she’d managed to locate one, she reached out and seized Tara’s hand again. “Here’s the address,” she continued as she scribbled her number and street address on the back of Tara’s shaking hand. “Just in case you don’t remember it from the other night.” Willow couldn’t resist following up with a wink.

“I remember.” Tara blushed and drew her hand back to her chest as soon as Willow was done. “Oriental Parade. The white building opposite the pavilion.”

“That’s the one,” Willow said with a nod. “So you’ll come right?”

“I think we’re doing something…” Tara began quickly.

She wasn’t quick enough for Faith who interrupted smoothly, “We’re free. As long as you can promise me some bona fide straight men, we’ll be there!”

“It’s a deal!” Willow replied just as quickly so Tara could not sneak in another word, even though she was opening her mouth as though she were about to say something. “Just bring yourselves.”

With a small wave over her shoulder, Willow ran out of Zambesi before Tara could finally find her voice and announce that she wasn’t coming. As she sprang lightly down the steps, she risked a quick glance over her shoulder. Faith’s arm was still around Tara’s shoulders, a shocked expression was still fixed on Tara’s face. With another wave, Willow moved outside and back into the wind. My god, Xander is going to flip when he finds out who I’ve invited to his party! He’s going to say ‘I told you so’…still, I’m willing to swallow my pride.

With a slight pang of annoyance, Willow realised she completely forgotten to ask a sales assistant about Xander’s jacket. She stopped in her tracks and turned to stare back at the store. However, rather than give Tara an opportunity to back out, she continued on down the street. Even as she began to mentally run through other ideas for Xander’s present, she couldn’t suppress the memory of Tara’s hand in her own. Just a simple touch…

My god, I’m as giddy as a fucking schoolgirl, Willow thought as she steered her way through the crowded streets. Damn you Tara Maclay…you’ve made me so uncool it’s not funny! She was suddenly aware of the ridiculous smile on her face that no doubt made her look as though she was high on something. With some effort, she wiped the smile but she couldn’t get rid of the flutter in her chest. She was already anticipating the evening, and she couldn’t help but anticipate the sex she hoped would follow. Isn’t that a little too presumptuous of you? she asked herself. Willow turned her head slightly and caught a glimpse of herself in a polished storefront. Despite her efforts, the smile still lingered on her face and there was a redness to her cheeks that wasn’t a result of the wind. Face it Will, you’re a fucking fox. She wanted you last weekend, and she’s going to want you again tomorrow night.

With thoughts of Tara returning the favour on her mind, Willow completely forgot about her hangover and the chill wind whipping her hair about her face. With a renewed energy, she set about finding Xander a present. She had to hurry though, because she now needed time to find the perfect new outfit to wear the following evening.

~~~~~~

As soon as Willow Rosenberg walked out of Zambesi’s doors, Tara turned on her friend with a look of abject horror on her face. “Faith!” she moaned in a drawn out gasp. “What the hell did you do that for?” However it was immediately clear to Tara from the extremely self-satisfied expression on her friend’s face that she did not regret what she had done one little bit. She placed her hands firmly on her hips. “You are so dead!”

Faith merely resumed casually sifting through the racks as though she could not see any reason for Tara’s horror. “Tara, you’ll be thanking me Sunday morning when you wake up in her arms again, and this time you won’t have to make a hasty exit!”

“I am not going to end up in that girl’s bed tomorrow night!” Tara huffed angrily. “I don’t want to end up in that girl’s bed!” Although at least if I do, I know her last name this time. Willow Rosenberg…Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay, sounds good together. Dammit, what the fuck am I thinking?

Faith paused in her browsing and looked back to Tara with her eyebrows raised, “Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, sweetie.”

Willow and Tara…that does sound good. Tara interrupted her own wandering thoughts by slapping the flat of her palm against her forehead to bring herself back to reality. Stop it, Tara!

Thankfully Faith had resumed browsing and hadn’t noticed her little ‘moment.’ Beneath the glacial gaze of practically all of the sales assistants in the store, Tara gathered up the fallen garments from the floor and jammed them hastily back onto the rack in front of her. Faith was already moving towards the changing rooms, slamming the door shut in her face before she had a chance to protest further. With another angry huff, Tara could only fold her arms across her chest and sit on one of the available seats as she waited for her friend. In the silence that followed she had plenty of time to sit and ponder the following evening. She knew that if she was nervously enough to start hyper-ventilating now, then she would be a wreck by the time the party did come around. Half of her wished Faith had never suggested that they come into Zambesi, and the other half felt as though she should buy her a lavishly expensive gift to express her most heartfelt thanks. By the time Faith emerged from the changing rooms to show off her first outfit, Tara was sitting with a small smile on her face, completely oblivious to the rest of the world.

It was Faith’s turn to fold her arms across her chest in annoyance as her big reveal was ruined. Her annoyance didn’t last long. She saw the glow to Tara’s cheeks and was genuinely happy for her friend. “Yeah…you are so ending up in her bed.” She couldn’t resist saying it one more time.

Snapped out her reverie, Tara sighed. “I shouldn’t just assume that because we slept together once that she’s going to want to again. I mean, presume much?”

Faith cocked her head to one side. “Hey, I noticed the way she was looking at you.”

“Yeah, as a piece of meat!” Tara squeaked.

“A very attractive, available piece of meat,” Faith continued.

Tara sighed. “Faith, last weekend was fun and all…but I mean, with all that’s happened, I’m still not ready…”

“Girl, who isn’t ready for sex?” Faith fired back. She grew tired of waiting for Tara to deliver an opinion on her clothes and she turned to examine herself in the mirror at the back of her stall. “I mean, that’s all it is, isn’t it?”

“You know me better than that,” Tara replied. “I’ve never been able to divorce sex from the rest of my emotions. When I go in, it’s all or nothing.”

Faith glanced over her shoulder, “I do know you Tara, and that was your problem with Audrey. You should’ve had the sex, and then turned and ran, instead of spending seven years of your life with her.”

“We were happy…” Tara began weakly before trailing off. She couldn’t even make the effort to chastise Faith for speaking so poorly of her dead girlfriend.

“You let that woman walk all over you!” Faith interrupted, adjusting the ties on the shirt she wore. “It’s time to stand up for yourself, reach out and grab what you want. You’re twenty-six and you’re never going get any younger. Shouldn’t you at least give this Willow girl a chance? Maybe it will be more than just sex, maybe she’s the one?”

“I thought Audrey was the one,” Tara mumbled.

“Well, she wasn’t ‘kay, the bitch was cheating on you!” Faith was quick to remind her.

Tara continued, “Do you honestly think from what you’ve seen of Willow Rosenberg that there is the remotest possibility that we would be good together?”

Faith shrugged. “That’s what I meant when I said for you to give her a chance, and the sex was good wasn’t it?”

“Yeah…amazing,” Tara replied weakly, colour rising into her cheeks.

“Well, that’s a good start!” Faith clapped her hands together enthusiastically and Tara couldn’t help but grin in reply.

As Faith started to close the door on her stall Tara stopped her with a shrill whistle, she pointed at the outfit she wore. “The top looks great, very flattering and perfect colour. The pants…not so much, sweetie.”

Her friend grinned warmly, “You know you’ve got great taste, Tara.”

[Zampsa1975]

Yay for great update-y goodness... I kinda hope that Willow and Tara meet on their own terms rather than be forced to meet by their friends...

[Star Catcher]

I missed my dibs. :(

I loved the update. x] I never expected them to meet this way. And for Faith to hook them up, yay! Supporto-sex Faith is awesome. I never expected Willow to feel that way so soon, I'd thought it'd take longer. At least the feeling of actual denial are there. Psht, Willow not wanting Tara in her bed? Is there a remote possibilty? I love gay Xander. (Yes, I know, I'm jumping all over the place.) He's so wonderfully queer. Tara falls way too hard, way too fast. Even when she doesn't want to. I can't wait to see the party and Xander's present!

[sacinema]

The story is getting better with every update – like all your fics does. And I am sorry for no FB on the fourth chapter.

There is something I disagree with. In your FB to JuJu's FB you wrote that this Willow isn't who Tara needs right now. I do think quite the opposite: This Willow is exactly who Tara needs right now. And Faith seems to be with me in that one. But Tara will have a hard time to believe it. And Willow isn't going to make it easy for Tara to believe. Tara needs some fun. She needs to lighten up. She takes live way to serious. And Willow is the best person to have fun with. Tara is also lying to herself about her relationship with Audrey and she probably was for at least the last years being with that cheating person.

Well we know, I'm a total Willow addict. I just do love this girl – even as a player. She's adorable. Most players are hiding their true nature anyway. Isn't it love nearly everybody crave for? Also players. But in the same time they do fear love and commitment to someone else. Because they fear the pain and the heartbreaking real love might bring with. So until they learn to know about their deepest desire they will play others. So they won't get hurt themselves. To them it's seems so much easier hurting someone else. Or just don't do the commitment so you are in no danger of getting hurt.

Hehe, yes on the Kittenboard Faith seems to be a totally gay type lesbian lover. Sure, she's straight in canon or maybe bi. But you really don't need to give us a lot of steamy lesbian Faith sex in VRII to compensate. Not on my behalf anyway. I only need steamy W/T scenes. Hehe.

Well done, sparing us an awkward waking up after sex scene between W/T. Sure leaving without a comment it's something this Tara would do in such a situation. But she es a total coward in front of Willow. I think she is because deep inside she already knows Willow is the one who get's her out of her misery. But she neither trusts her feelings nor does she trust Willow to be honest and faithful to her. So the girls both have to overcome a lot. Go on W/T work on your issues.

Wonderful how Willow – I do think for the first time in a long time – comes home alone from Imerst. But she doesn't get her feelings right. She will have to learn a lot about love, about feelings and about trusting someone else. Just like Tara. They are only coming from different ends of the love row. And thanks for letting Tara admit in front of Faith that the sex with Willow was amazing. To put it in Faith' words “Well, that's a good start!”.

Interesting, Willow doesn't have to work on mondays. I wonder if she ever has to work. Seems to me she's an heiress or something like that. Maybe some Paris Hilton type? Sorry for bringing up such an awful image. I dislike that person very much. We will see. My favorite writer will give an explanation to the work issue like to everything else. I'm sure about that.[hr]

[JustSkipIt]

Alcy - I can't even say how happy I am to see an update here. I've been meaning to post to say that while I'm still incredibly curious about Willow's livelihood, I was also hoping that they would meet in some totally mundane way. I guess this is moderately mundane.

I'm so happy that Willow's player-ness is getting screwed up by her thoughts about Tara. Quite shocking really since she knows absolutely nothing about Tara and has just memories of totally one-sided if fantastic sex to remember. Must be quite a connection.

Seconds later she heard her mutter ‘bitch’ in a loud voice. When Willow turned her head again, she was making her way back downstairs. Willow watched her arse and her perfect tits disappear and felt strangely good about it.

Lol!

As usual I adore Faith.

Faith glanced across the street. “Zambesi!”

Tara was a little dubious. “Okay, I don’t sell quite enough books to be able to shop there Miss big wig attorney!”

Faith grinned over her shoulder. “Ah, but they’re having an end of season sale. Every girl’s favourite place to be.”

Which again makes me wonder about Willow's money because when you switch to her going into the shop she now only isn't set on the sale, she forgot it was even going on. She was just going to shop for Xander.

Ok, I have to admit that I'm so uncomfortable with Tara's being in such a position of ... dorkiness? Something? I don't know what to call it. I already feel like Willow has the upper hand from their first meeting and now Tara falls down and Willow sees her and then is so cocky. I want Tara to have a chance to really put Willow into her place or perhaps bring herself up or something. To me the only chance of equality is that Willow is so taken with Tara in spite of her being sort of a cocky ass.

“Do you always find such a novel way to make a second impression, Tara Maclay?” Willow finally asked with an annoyingly condescending grin. “Or should I be flattered that you’ve fallen purely because it’s me?”

See, cocky.

Although her acquaintance with the woman belonging to those eyes had been relatively brief, they had been in her dreams, both asleep and waking, for the past week.

God, I wish Tara knew that.

She had begun to realise it during her conversation with Xander. Now, staring into those blue eyes, she knew it with an awful certainty.

Boom and good.

“Willow Rosenberg,” she grinned playfully. “I saw you shaking your arse at Imerst, you’ve some nice moves!”

Ok, I like that better. Faith seems like she can totally take anything Willow can dish out.

“Hey, you guys remember Xander right? My friend from the club? The obviously gay one?” Even as both girls shook their heads, Willow waved them aside with a swish of her hand. “Oh well, you will know him. It’s his birthday and we’re throwing a little party for him at my place tomorrow night. It would make me so happy if both of you were to come as my guests!”

Yay for a chance to meet up again and Willow put herself out there so that's a little evenness at least.

She wasn’t quick enough for Faith who interrupted smoothly, “We’re free. As long as you can promise me some bona fide straight men, we’ll be there!”

“It’s a deal!”

Oh, I'm totally picturing Faith and Xander getting into a thow-down over some man-candy. Bring on the entertainment.

My god, I’m as giddy as a fucking schoolgirl, Willow thought as she steered her way through the crowded streets. Damn you Tara Maclay…you’ve made me so uncool it’s not funny!

Woo hoo!

Faith and Tara's conversation is awesome. I'm glad that enough time has passed that Faith can now point out that Audrey was a bitch and a two-timing one at that.

Snapped out her reverie, Tara sighed. “I shouldn’t just assume that because we slept together once that she’s going to want to again. I mean, presume much?”

Faith cocked her head to one side. “Hey, I noticed the way she was looking at you.”

“Yeah, as a piece of meat!” Tara squeaked.

“A very attractive, available piece of meat,” Faith continued.

Nothing important to say here. Just love it.

I totally can't wait for more.

[wimpy0729]

Oh My God!! I don't check the board for awhile and come back to find a new fic by Alcy! What a glorious surprise. You start out with the sad, interesting backstory of Tara/Audrey, and then BOOM -- the hot, steaminess of the W/T hook up. Whew! I had to fan myself a few times just to cool off. Damn, woman, that was some rocking sex. I like the interesting twist you have here as opposed to canon - the gayness of Xander, the total straightness of Faith, and the player-ness of Willow. I also like how you have this Willow starting to crack her hard love-em-and-leave-em shell when it comes to Tara. It all puts a huge smile on my face. Now I can't wait to see what happens at Xander's b-day party. I have a feeling they're both going to be nervous wrecks, even though Willow will try to come off all cool as a cucumber. I'm curious where she got her attitude from...hmm. Now, more soon please cause I'm dying to see what happens next.

Wimpy

[Owl]

Wonderful! There's going to be a party and Tara couldn't back out and Willow is dreaming about Tara's eyes and they're both being presume-y - all just wonderful.

Faith glanced across the street. “Zambesi!”

Tara was a little dubious. “Okay, I don’t sell quite enough books to be able to shop there Miss big wig attorney!”

Pffft, tell me about it. I can only ever stare longingly at Zambesi's window displays, even when they're having a sale. So, Faith convinced Tara to go to Imerst. And then she convinced Tara to go to Zambesi. And then she didn't let Tara back out of the party invite. She sure is one great friend to have around; Tara is gonna owe her big time somewhere in the near future.

I'm so very excited to see what happens at this party. I'm sure there's some saying that goes 'when Willow and Tara presume, they make hot sexy-time at Xander's party'. Or something like that anyway. Thanks for the update.

p.s Willow should move to Auckland. I could *definitely* find her somewhere to stay. Not a problem. Grin.

[Poniac]

Okay - really enjoying this so far. A few obstacles in the way of an 'happy ever after', but there's potential

I love your Tara, just the right tone of nervousness, anxiety and self doubt. Willow is interesting, as a few others have mentioned you've made her appear quite 'shallow' - at least at the start, it would be easy to not like her, but you've make her likeable, and I think she's going to face quite a few challenges ahead.

Faith and Xander are great support characters as well, I can see them getting on well together.

I look forward to the party and any ensuing smutty goodnes..