North and South...and West
by Rin
Secrets Revealed
[reviews]
Updates are long overdue...I miss this story...
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Two months later
Tara visited Buffy and Willow every day to the point that the couple set up a room in the house. Tara refused at first, until they voiced they needed a cook. Since she was great at that (she'd managed to fatten up Daniel a bit those last few months), there was no further argument.
It was just an added incentive that the shy girl was carrying 'their' baby. Buffy had written to her mother, telling her exactly what they'd planned. Technical lying had become an art with her. Her mother's reply was a five page long letter, explaining how she wanted to come see her, and congratulate them in person. Luckily, the next few letters managed to persuade the older Summers lady and family to stay where they were...that they were too busy to host company at the moment, since Will's job was starting to pick up. A campaign would be started soon for Sam, and Will was in the forefront.
"What are you thinking about?" Willow found Buffy sitting on the porch, staring out at the beautiful spring sky.
"How happy I am..." Buffy turned to see the redhead stand behind her, and wrap her arms around her. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. "I feel like taking a walk. What do ya think?"
"I think that's a marvelous idea." Willow leaned over to give Buffy a happily accepted kiss, and they took off down the sidewalk into the market. "Anything on your mind? You've been in la-la land lately."
"Nope. Just thinkin' 'bout how happy I am...that's really all." Buffy cuddled closer to Willow, as they continued their walk through the park. "Anything on your mind?"
"Just that it's still so surreal...and I'm happy." Willow kissed Buffy again, in the middle of the park. "And how I can't wait until this week's over..."
"Why is that? Busy at work?" Buffy laid her head on Will's shoulder.
"Well, yeah...but I'm talking about our mutual monthly problem..." Willow smirked that sexy smirk that drove Buffy wild.
"Oh...feeling a little frustrated?" Buffy matched the smirk with her own.
"It drives me crazy when I can't touch you..." Willow stopped them at a bench, and they sat down, still cuddled together.
"Me, too. Soon, though...I promise." Buffy kissed Will's cheek, and loved the heated blush there.
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"Hey, Tara. How ya feelin' today?" Buffy was in the living room when Tara walked in to ask what she wanted for dinner.
"Just fine. A little sick this morning but that's all. Where's Will?" Tara stood in front of Buffy, who patted the seat beside her for the pregnant girl to sit with her. "Thanks."
"You deserve a break. You've been fattenin' us up like Mary did back on the plantation. We haven't eaten this well in awhile. Thank you." Buffy touched Tara's knee, and smiled.
"What would you like for dinner tonight?" Tara still wasn't comfortable around Buffy, especially since she had a major crush on Will still.
"Why don't you let Will and I make dinner tonight?" Buffy missed those nights in the kitchen, when they'd always wear more flour on their faces from their food fights and making out.
"Will cooks? I didn't know that. I've never known a man to cook...especially of his stature." Tara was surprised. It made her that much more envious of Buffy.
"Me, neither...but when Will started work at our farm, the next day after we met, there he was...in the kitchen with Mary, helping make the biscuits for breakfast. It made me realize how much of a crush I had on him." Buffy smiled at the memory.
"I remember what that felt like..." Tara smiled at her own memory.
"Yeah...you mentioned you used to have a crush on him." Buffy had managed to shirk her jealousy over the 'other girls'...
"I wasn't the only one but I did somehow manage to catch his attention, I guess. For a while there, I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world." Tara blushed and ducked her head.
"Really? Will never mentioned it..." Buffy looked to the door, expecting her husband any moment from work. She felt the jealousy start to return.
"Oh, maybe I shouldn't..." Tara's eye widened. She didn't realize it was a big secret.
"No...no. It's okay. You can tell me. I don't mind." Buffy swallowed hard, prepared for the worst.
"It wasn't bad. He just asked me to dance a lot, and I thought he liked me. We almost kissed once...but he backed away at the last minute, like he was scared of something. I never saw him after that. Two months later, I ran into Daniel, and he helped me get over Will. It took awhile but that friendship turned into love, and Daniel and I became married. I think part of me wanted to make Will jealous by dating his bunkmate." Tara swallowed hard, the memories of the heartache seemingly fresh in her memory. Looking over at Buffy's locked jaw, she apologized.
"No...no need to apologize. There's nothing to apologize for..." Buffy stood. "If you'll excuse me, I'll go start dinner."
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Willow walked in the door, expecting to see Buffy waiting for her like she did every day...but today was different. Buffy was nowhere in sight. She checked the bottom floor, and heard sounds coming from the kitchen. Walking in, she smiled at the sight of Buffy kneading dough at the island counter.
"Need any help?" Willow removed her uniform jacket, and laid it on the stool.
"The chicken needs put in the oven..." Buffy just started to knead the dough harder.
"Sure can do..." Willow noticed the tension but decided to wait to comment. After the chicken was in the oven, she started the beans, then turned around, ready to kiss her wife hello. When the redhead put her arms around Buffy, the blonde just shrugged out of her arms.
"I'm messy. Maybe in a minute." Buffy had never denied Willow a kiss before, and the redhead was worried.
"Everything okay? What happened today?" Willow leaned against the counter, so she could see Buffy's face.
"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Buffy kept kneading harder until Will put her hands over hers, and stopped her before she ruined the bread. "Why didn't you say you had a thing with Tara?"
"Huh?" Willow was confused. What thing?
"You used to court Tara. Why didn't you say anything?" Buffy tried to fight the tears.
"I never...huh? I never courted Tara. Where'd you get that idea?" Willow was really confused now, almost about to giggle.
"Tara told me how you always danced with her, and you almost kissed her once." Buffy turned sad eyes to Will.
"Oh. She thought I was courting her?" Willow didn't mean to make it seem that way. "Xander always said that I needed to start paying attention to the girls, or the other guys would start to think I was light on my feet. I got along with Tara the most, so I asked her to dance. One night, I was curious...and yeah, we almost kissed...but I remembered that I couldn't, and stopped."
"Why didn't you ever tell me that?" Buffy allowed Willow to pull her into a tight hug.
"I never even thought about it. When I'm with you, you're the only thing I think about, so it just slipped my mind. That was over seven years ago, though." Willow held Buffy, allowing the blonde to cry. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
"I was so worried. I've never doubted you before...and when Tara told me that earlier...I didn't like the feeling. I was scared at what else you haven't told me." Buffy looked up through her tears.
"Buffy, you know most everything there is to know about me...I don't hide things from you. I forgot about that because it was a part of my life I wasn't proud of...I liked Tara. She was a great friend...and I didn't know I was courting her. I just thought I was covering up my identity and making a friend. I'm sorry, baby. I really am..." Willow wiped Buffy's tears away.
"It's okay. It's mostly me...I know you wouldn't lie to me. I just...I didn't like that feeling of doubt. It scared me." Buffy wrapped her arms fully around Willow again.
"I promise I will never hurt you, if I can help it. You're my present and my future. My past means nothing..." Willow cupped Buffy's cheeks in her hands, and planted a deal-sealing kiss on her soft lips. "I love you, Buffy."
"I love you, too." Buffy just wrapped her floury hands in Willow's red locks, making them powdery, no longer caring, as they recreated their many makeout dinner-making sessions.