Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, etc.
Feedback: Yes, if you’d like.
Rating: R
Spoilers: Season 4
Genre: Romance/Drama
Summary: Tara, unable to stop thinking about Willow after the night of “The Gentlemen,” calls in hopes of making a new friend and she finds more.
Thoughts in italics
Chapter 1
“M-mm-may I speak to Willow,” shakily the girls’ voice said on the phone.
“Sure,” Buffy said with an odd perkiness for so early in the morning, “hold on.”
Tara felt a flash of heat flow over her body. She could not believe she was actually calling Willow. She was about to speak with the redhead who has filled her daydreams for the past three days, and to be perfectly honest her night dreams as well. What if she doesn’t like me? What if she doesn’t want any new friends? What am I going to say? Everything she rehearsed escaped her when she heard Willows’ voice.
“Hello.” Willow greeted her caller.
Tara could almost see the smile on Willows’ face. She took a deep breathe and began, “Hey, um, W-w-willow, it’s Tara, from the other night, we, um, we did the spell in the laundry room. Do you remember me?” Tara trailed off at the end, hoping that Willow would remember one of the most significant nights in her life thus far.
“How could I forget?” Willow blurted, “It’s only the first time that my magic has ever really worked without leaving a big green sticky mess on my carpet that not even fresh carpet sprinkle can make smell good, let’s hope the resident assistant doesn’t see that.”
“Huh?” Tara questioned. “Oh.” She babbles too, how cute?!
“Never mind,” Willow sighed slightly embarrassed that the blonde had to listen to her ramble about her failures as a want-a-be Wicca.
Silence fell on the line.
Tara whizzed back to reality after a few seconds, and made the plunge, “Um, I was thinking m-maybe we could get together sometime, and look at a few spells, compare notes, I m-mean you seemed like the only one in the Wicca group that was interested.”
Willow grinned from ear to ear. She remembered the blondes’ stutter, but more so the deep blue eyes, supple lips, and soft hands. Tara had been the center of her imagination more than once the past few days also. She’s been trying to figure out why and she knew she absolutely wanted to compare notes. “I have a two hour break after my first class” Willow said cheerfully. “Do you want to grab a cup a’ Joe?”
Tara, without hesitation, replied “Yes, can you m-meet me in the Student Union lounge?” She could hear Buffy in the background hurrying Willow. “You’re gonna be late, little Miss Punctuality.”
“Sounds goody good to me. I gotta run, knowledge awaits me, and my brain is running a little late,” fell off Willows’ lips before she had a chance to process what her eager brain had fed her filter less mouth. I’ve really got to stop doing that, she thought to herself, suddenly realizing one of the reasons why she hasn’t been asked on a date in the past few months. “I’ll see you then, bye.”
Tara timidly said “bye Willow.” Just hearing her self say the name Willow outloud left a smile on her face. She gathered her books and headed for the door expelling, “This will be the longest class of my life.”
Willow scurried around, ignoring Buffys’ taunting, finishing her outfit with a pink shirt and then hitting the hallway with a little pep in her step; not before throwing a comment at Buffy over her shoulder mentioning something about staying at Riley’s all night and an early morning quickie.
*
Tara walked to the Student Union building and stood behind one of the columns out front with her head down using her hair as a shield. She would raise her eyes, step from behind the column, and scan the courtyard every so often searching for the redhead, but avoiding eye contact with passersby. Will she show or just forget? Maybe she was just being nice on the phone? She probably had other plans already. That’s okay. Her mind was insecure.
“Hey. Tara!” Willow called from behind. The blonde jumped. Willow giggled but then felt badly for scaring the sheepish girl, “Oh, sorry, I got out of class a little early. I’ve been vegging on the couch inside.”
“Oh, o-okay.” Tara mumbled looking at the witch through the blonde locks that fell in her face. She smiled with satisfaction.
She followed Willow inside and they sat down. They spent the next two hours talking about Wicca, spells, and the encounter with the big bad they had several nights before. The shy, sensual blonde intrigued Willow. Tara was interested in Willows’ craft. However, she was not interested in spells alone. She knew what she was feeling was a crush. She had felt them before for women, just not this powerful. She didn’t know if Willow felt the same way, but she was definitely willing to find out.
Not wanting their time to end, Tara plotted another meeting this time in private. “Would you like to come over and practice a few spells tomorrow night?” she asked.
“That would be great.” Willows eyebrows raised, she was visibly excited. Then her forehead quickly furrowed, “But I’ve got a thingy with the gang tomorrow night, if you give me your phone number we can get together another time.”
“Soon?” the blonde questioned, not expecting herself to be so forceful.
“Sooner than soon, as soon as soon can be, just not tomorrow soon,” Willow rattled off.
Tara giggled, amused by the kindness that emitted from the redhead. She would wait patiently by the phone.
*
The blonde sat with her legs crossed on the floor. She had a tattered leather bound spell book opened on her lap. Her room was dark colored but there was light from the twinkling strands draped along her ceiling and walls, and the candles scattered throughout. New age memorabilia adorned the shelves and Wicca books were poked everywhere. The decorator wanted her guests to feel comfort. Her task was certainly accomplished; the warmth of the room was immediate.
Tara rubbed her temples and sighed “if I could just get the ingredients right.”
Maybe she wasn’t as in tune with the elements as she’d like to be? Some spells had been easy for as long as she could remember. Her mother always assured her that her craft would evolve and the hard spells would become easy too. To her disdain her craft had not evolved fully and her mother was no longer there to drop those reassuring words of confidence. It was the only thing that she shared with her mother, the thing they loved to do together. It was the thing that kept her mother alive and with her.
She sipped the coffee that sat at her side, leaned her head back against the bed and closed her eyes. The face of the redhead filled her mind. Will she call? Was she really interested in the spells? Could she be interested in me? She doesn’t seem like the type, but who can tell by looks anymore? Hell, look at me, I’m not a raving butch. Questions riddled her head.
She sensed the curiosity in Willows’ emerald green eyes. It was just so hard to tell if it was about the spells or about her. She couldn’t stop thinking about her, she wanted to get her alone, to get to know her, learn everything she could about the redhead. “Just call me,” she said under her breath.
A knock at the door startled her. She jerked straight up almost spilling her coffee. She glanced at the clock and it read 9:56 PM. Mary from across the hall must smell the coffee. She opened the door expecting to see her neighbor but to her delight the adorable redhead stood there instead with her hands clasped in front of her.
“Hi!” Willow said as she rocked onto her tiptoes and shrugged her shoulders, clearly nervous, she spoke again, “I was just in the neighborhood and thought I would drop by, I looked up your room number in the directory. My thingy ended soon and I thought you might still be awake, I hope you don’t mind, do you mind? I can come back some other time if you don’t want company...” Willow was cut off.
“I want” the blonde declared, she smiled bashfully and dropped her head but not her eyes, “c-c-company, please come in.” Tara opened the door fully and waved her arm for Willow to enter. She was ecstatic inside.
Willow stepped forward, eyeing the room from corner to corner, “ooh, I have a candelabrum just like that one, or had, Spike broke it when he tried to bite me…”
“What?” Tara asked quizzically as she swung around.
“Uh, I said, Spike, he-he borrowed it for bike week.” Willow reeled off as a cover up. Tara nodded as if she bought it. Whew!
“So, it looks like you’re concocting a spell, you wascally witch you” her Elmer Fudd connotation was greeted with a raised eyebrow. ‘Jeez I’m such a nerd’ Willow thought.
Tara stared at her with heavy lids, not in the “you’re so weird” way like Willow usual received, but in a way she had never felt from another woman. It dawned on her that these feelings for Tara may be more than about witchery?! She had struggled for the past few days with her thoughts of the blondes’ curvaceous body and soft skin. Is this sexual tension? This is very confusing but kinda exciting.
Tara spoke “yeah, um, I can’t get the ingredients right or m-maybe I’m not doing the chant correctly. Do you wanna take a look?” She was pleased the witch was here, now she had her all to herself.
The blonde witch sat on the floor crossing her legs in front of her and the redhead followed sitting opposite of her. Tara began to explain the spell and its components. Willow tried to listen but got lost in thought. Why is this attractive blonde lacking confidence? Why is she so self-conscious? She is clearly a beautiful person. What happened to her? Making it better was her first instinct. She imagined holding the girl against her, pulling her head onto her shoulder and stroking her hair.
“…add the Sage and then chant these lines twice.” Tara continued her study of the spell looking to Willow for help.
“Yeah right, Sage, go on.” Willow said absently. She was enjoying gazing at the witch, analyzing her, and soaking up every bit she could. She had never looked at a woman in this way before but this girl was magical, literally and figuratively. Her eyes followed the lips of the blonde, seeing her moist tongue forming words Willow felt a twinge in her lower abdomen. Whoa. This girl is absolutely turning me on! Holy cow! That’s only happed with Oz. She blinked and shook her head.
“W-what? Is that what I’ve been doing wrong all along?” Tara piped up. “Oh, I see I’m s-supposed to sprinkle and chant, not sprinkle then chant. Thank you so much Willow, I knew you’d be good at this.” Graciously she nodded, lifting her deep blue eyes to meet with the redheads.
Willow smiled a quirky smile “your welcome, I think... So what does this puppy do, exactly?” she added.
“Well” Tara paused then grinned “this p-puppy, will ward off certain demons, like the ones from the other night.”
“Ooookaaay” Willow dragged out the word. “When and where were you planning on trying it out” now a bit worried.
“Now, here, don’t want those suckers to come back, scary.” Tara shuddered.
Willow immediately wanted to shelter the blonde witch. “No chance of that, Buffy took care of them,” she said with affirmation.
“B-Buffy, took care of them, w-what do you mean?” Tara was puzzled.
“Long story” the redhead came back, wanting to end this conversation.
“I have all night.” The blonde witch was flirting.
Willow was caught off guard; she stumbled on her words “Uh, um, we can talk about that later, let’s try out this spell.”
Tara nodded with a simple “okay.” She was content; she knew she could use the subject to barter for another ‘date.’
The blonde prepared the ingredients while Willow perused the collection of Wicca books sewn throughout the room. Eyeing crystals and herbs it dawned on Willow just how much the blonde was ahead of her with her practice. She wanted to learn from Tara, she wanted to take in all the information the more experienced witch had to offer. And for some reason, she felt more than hunger for knowledge, as she watched the witch. Willow finally sat down again and they began the ritual.
Throughout the night the girls traded witchcraft stories (mostly Tara’s), studied spells, and burnt down candles. Willow liked her new friend, an arbitrary figure, and a fresh ear to fill with her adventures. What a treasure to keep from the Scoobies!
Tara was thankful to have a friend that shared her enthusiasm for witchcraft and maybe more?
*
Tara woke up lying on her back with a spell book across her chest. She looked over at the redhead lying on her shoulder and concluded that they had fallen asleep while reading the ancient text. She was elated. This is great! She does want to be my friend. A smile crept across her lips and her eyes lids followed suit. She could smell the redheads’ hair, um Freesia, so sweet. Her right side melded with Willow, it was a perfect fit. She felt the mystical forces flowing in this bed and hoped Willow would soon feel them too.
Now was her chance to observe the redheaded witch. She started at her lips, thin and red; she knew her own voluptuous ones would cover them completely. She moved to her eyes, lashes long and curvy, and softly her lids lie shut hiding the most stunning emerald green orbs. She traced her brow to her hairline and down to her earlobe, ah, perfect for nibbling. Her pale neck was sleek and swan like, she almost leaned into lay a kiss. She refrained. A yawn built, but Tara suppressed it for fear of disturbing the sleeping beauty. She was savoring every bit of the moment. She closed her eyes again breathing in rhythm with Willow.
A door slammed down the hall ending Tara’s bliss. Damn.
Willow stirred prying her eyes open she saw an unfamiliar ceiling above her, snatching her head to the side she saw Tara’s blue eyes smiling at her. “Oh, I’m sorry” Willow said uneasily.
“It’s o-okay, you must have been comfortable.” Tara assured her.
“What time is it?” The redheaded witch asked while sitting up, a hint of fear in her voice, “I have class at 8 o’clock.” She was never late. “There,” Tara pointed to the desk “it’s 6:12. Enough time for a cup of coffee?” She asked anxiously trying to keep Willow there just a while longer.
“Actually, I promised Buffy we’d have breakfast together this morning. If she shows…who knows? These days Riley seems to monopolize all her spare time” she remarked as she put on her shoes and gathered her things.
Tara sensed some resentment and maybe a little jealousy. Her right side began to grow cold because Willows’ nimble warm body had moved, a tinge of sadness ensued. “No p-problem. Would you like to come over tonight and do some more spells?” She couldn’t believe she was being so bold, but she wanted nothing more than to have this redhead to herself.
“Sure, um, probably, I need to check in with Giles about a few things, I’ll give you a call this afternoon, k?” Willow stated reluctantly yet giving Tara a confident smile. Tara dropped her head and sent Willow a heartwarming look. Willow melted, “I’ll be back, tonight, not in the ‘Terminator guns and metal’ kind of back, but in the ‘Wicca charms and crystals’ kind of back.” Relief grew in blue eyes of the blonde. Willow moved towards the door needing to be alone and think about what had transpired in the past eight hours.
“I-I had fun, last night, th-th-thanks for coming by,” Tara’s stutter was in full swing, she walked behind the redhead to close the door, “I’ll see you tonight.”
Willow spun around halfway in the hall and doorway to face the blonde. She looked into Tara’s eyes and felt the urge to, to, to, kiss her. This is way too much! The next few seconds felt like days, she could swear mold was beginning to grow on her shoes. She wasn’t sure what to do. Then she lifted her hand formed a fist and punched Tara in the upper arm, “see ya later alligator” she shrugged and said. Tara grabbed her ‘wound’ and with a slight grimace uttered “bye.” The redhead turned and walked away, rolling her eyes in disbelief at her poor social skills.
~TBC~
"We have art to save ourselves from the truth."
- Friedrich Nietzsche
at:
at: 12/7/04 9:33 pm
. Love sam xx 
You've got me hooked. Please continue.
.
well I loved it totally believable story on how they got together can't wait to see more soon hopefully 
. Love sam xx 
Just wanted to say that I really like this story so far! Can't wait to read more... 
You're so sweet. Thank you.
that was hot !
