Getting Ahead of Myself
by sailor80
Twenty-eight
[reviews]
"No answer at Xander's," Willow reported.
"Guess it's just us, then," Buffy answered. She looked at Faith and Tara. "What do you want to do? We've got a closet full of board games."
"B-o-r-e-d games, you mean," Faith interjected. "Besides, we all know Red will beat us."
Joyce watched them. She smiled at the easy interaction between the Slayers and shifted Dawn to her other shoulder.
"Fine. You come up with something," Buffy answered.
"TV," Faith responded immediately, and leaned forward to claim the remote from the coffee table.
Buffy sighed. Willow leaned over and whispered, "There's a big, empty back yard with a comfy lounge."
Buffy looked up at her, smiling. "Smart girls are so sexy." She stood up and took Willow's hand, and led them from the living room. The others watched them go. Faith, who had heard Willow, shrugged, and handed the remote to Tara. Channel surfing was no fun without Buffy there to be annoyed by it. Tara flipped through the channels until she found a National Geographic special on volcanoes.
In the back yard, Buffy bypassed the lounge in favor of the picnic bench. She pulled Willow onto her lap. "Hi."
"Hi," Willow giggled.
"This was a great idea."
"Glad to hear it."
Buffy kissed Willow instead of answering. She loved some of the perks of being a Slayer: awareness of every subtle change in Willow's body as she became aroused was one of them. Willow began to move, until she straddled Buffy, without breaking their kiss. The harder she pressed against Buffy, the more firmly Buffy held her there.
At 9:30, Faith went into the kitchen to get Dawn's final bottle of the night. While it heated, she looked out the back door to check on Buffy and Willow, and grinned at what she saw. They were still kissing, but Faith saw that their shirts were pushed up.
Faith took the bottle to the living room, but found only Tara, who directed her to the nursery. Joyce was changing Dawn's diaper, and Faith lounged in the doorway and watched. When Joyce finished, she sat in the rocker and took the bottle from Faith, who returned downstairs. She flopped on the couch beside Tara and tried to pay attention to whatever it was the witch was watching now.
While she waited for a commercial, she picked up Tara's hand and began to trace invisible designs across her palm. Tara watched her program, but Faith saw her half smile and knew she had the witch's attention. Finally, she pushed the mute button and turned to Faith. "Having fun?"
"Not yet." Faith smiled before leaning in to kiss Tara.
The television show was forgotten by the time the commercials ended. When they came up for air, Tara smiled and said, "Someone's feeling better."
"Uh huh. Except for right here." Faith took Tara's hand and brought it to her lips. "Kiss it and make it better?"
Tara laughed before doing just that. When they parted this time, Tara asked, "Better?"
"A little," Faith murmured.
"What would make it a lot better?" Tara asked, half teasing.
Faith stood up suddenly. "I'll be downstairs."
Tara, confused, watched her go. She got up in a hurry, switching off the TV as she rose from the couch. She turned off two lamps as she passed, them, leaving one on, before going downstairs.
She found Faith sitting on the bed, the room dark except for a nightlight, but didn't turn on the main light. "Did I do something wrong?" Tara asked from the doorway. Faith didn't answer, so she moved closer, within reach, and repeated her question.
Faith looked up at her, and Tara clearly saw the gold flashes in her eyes as Faith shook her head.
Tara sat beside her on the bed and put hand on Faith's back. "Why did you just leave?"
"I, just," Faith stalled while she tried to find words. "You aren't ready," she said finally.
"Ready for what?"
"Everything. Anything. To be mine."
"I don't think you're the one to decide that."
"I felt it, the other night, while you were s'posed to be sleepin'," Faith said.
"I don't understand."
"When I got hurt. You totally flipped out."
"I did," Tara agreed. "I got over it."
"It's going to happen again. And maybe a few more times after that before my luck runs out."
"That's not going to happen any time soon," Tara said firmly.
"But if it's gonna frighten you every time, this ain't gonna work."
"I'm concerned every time you walk out the door that you might not come back. It doesn't mean that I don't want you to or that I don't want to be with you."
"Wantin' somethin' ain't enough to get it."
"I know that. Faith, please look at me," Tara asked. When she didn't, Tara slid from the bed to her knees and looked up at Faith. She waited for Faith to meet her eyes. "I love you. I'm not going to leave you. If they send you from Sunnydale, I will be there the day after school is over."
Faith looked into Tara's eyes. She didn't say anything.
Tara stood up. She knew that Faith needed more than words, and she began to remove her clothing. When she finished, she stood beside the bed and demanded, "Look at me."
Faith did, taking her time as her eyes moved upward from Tara's feet. "You don't have to do this," she said softly.
"I want to." Tara picked up Faith's hand. She kissed her palm before moving Faith's hand to her breast. "I love you."
Faith stood up. She pulled her hand back so she could remove her shirt. A few seconds later, they stood naked in front of each other. Faith reached down without looking and threw the quilt aside. Tara took half a step forward and put her hands on Faith's hips. Faith put her hands on Tara's shoulders, and they looked at each other without saying anything.
Tara broke the silence. "I love you, Faith," she said quietly, and moved as close as she could get to Faith. Her hands slid around and up Faith's back while she kissed her.
Faith's hands moved instinctively, one into Tara's hair, the other down her back. Her lingering doubts disappeared into the pure physical pleasure of Tara's body against her own. She had wanted this since waking up in Willow's guest room to a cool cloth, Tara's warm hands and curious gaze. Faith knew there would be no going back after this, making love for the first time in her life instead of having sex.
Tara pressed her body more firmly against Faith's and let her hands follow the flow of muscles beneath her skin. She ignored for the time being the scars that her fingers found while exploring. Tara slid one hand between them and teased their nipples together. Faith broke their kiss and pushed them onto the bed.
She laid on top of Tara and studied her face in the dim light. Tara smiled at the explosions of gold in Faith's irises each time she blinked, and knew Faith had found whatever she was looking for when she said, "Mine."
"Yours," Tara agreed, and leaned up to kiss her again.
Buffy stood up. Willow was wrapped around her, and all Buffy wanted was for them to be naked together. She remembered the lounge before she tripped over it, and straddled it before lowering them.
"Thought we were going in," Willow murmured.
"Later." Buffy sucked in a mouthful of Willow's neck, neither of them caring that she would bruise.
Willow's shirt frustrated Buffy, and she tore it open, swallowing Willow's protest in another kiss. Willow tugged on Buffy's shirt, and she pulled back. Buffy pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it on the grass. Her bra and then Willow's followed it.
Buffy raised the lounge arms and laid it all the way back before returning to one of her favorite pastimes. She moved enough for them to lay side by side, kissing and touching each other leisurely.
Buffy found her hand at Willow's zipper and pulled back for a moment. "You ready for this?"
"Um hmm. But you first."
"Anything for you." Buffy hurriedly kicked off her shoes before pushing her pants and underwear down. Then she returned her attention to Willow. She kissed her again, and again while lowering the zipper and pushing her skirt and underwear out of the way.
"Mmm, skyclad," Willow said, and threw her leg over Buffy.
There was no rushing as they enjoyed each other, and it wasn't long before they lost contact with the lounge, as lips and fingers moved in familiar patterns.
Buffy woke just before sunrise, and smiled hugely when she realized where they were. She woke Willow reluctantly, and she lowered them to the lounge with her face hidden in Buffy's neck. "I can't believe we did that," Willow said.
"I can't believe we didn't wake the neighborhood," Buffy answered. She pulled Willow tightly against her. "Put your legs around my waist."
"Buffy!"
"Just do it, Will."
"All right," Willow agreed. She held onto Buffy while the Slayer stood up. "What are you doing?"
"We're going in," Buffy answered as she began to walk toward the back door. It wasn't a difficult trip physically, except for Willow's proximity and the regular movement of her body against Buffy's.
Once upstairs, Buffy laid them on their bed. "Spell," she said quietly, and began to kiss each freckle on Willow's shoulder.
Willow struggled to remember the words. Buffy's hands and mouth were extraordinarily distracting, but she managed to get out the brief phrases. Once she saw the blue glow swarm across their room, she returned her attention to Buffy.
While Faith slept, Tara examined the scars on her back. Most were long and thin, at angles slightly off perpendicular to her spine. A few were odd, ragged shapes, and there were two that were round. All of them were old. She touched one tentatively.
"Don't," Faith said. She turned her face toward Tara.
Tara moved her hand to Faith's cheek. "Hi."
Faith smiled. "Hi." She turned onto her side and propped her head up. "Why are you up?"
Tara smiled in return. She slid down beside Faith. "You're so beautiful."
"You, too. C'mere." Tara moved closer. Faith pulled her against her body while rolling onto her back. "You feel so good," Faith said. She kissed Tara and insinuated her thigh between Tara's. She rolled again, so Tara was beneath her.
Tara loved how Faith's body felt against hers. She wrapped her arms around Faith and pulled her down. Once she was close enough, Tara kissed her. Faith, concerned that she might be too heavy, tried to roll them onto their sides, but Tara resisted. After a few seconds, Faith gave in and relaxed completely against Tara.
"Mmmm, better," Tara said.
"Not too heavy?"
"Perfect." Tara slid her hands down Faith's back and pulled Faith's hips against her own.
"I'm so glad we're grounded," Faith murmured before kissing Tara. She let down her guards, and was stunned into momentary stillness by the emotions moving between them. Once she was certain everything was fine, she kissed Tara again, and let herself fall into the moment.
Tara felt the change between them. She smiled into their kiss as she began to receive from Faith exactly what she felt toward Tara — passion, and joy, and love — and the last bit of doubt Tara had burned away.