FIC: Player (15/?)
Title: Player (15/?)
Author: Fab_fan
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Rating: R
Couples: For sure, Buffy/Tara and Buffy/Other. Xander/Anya.
Summary: UCLA's star point guard is at the top of her game. She's on a winning streak and she's not lacking in companionship. Girls are falling left and right for the player. But, what happens when she meets a girl unlike any other girl she's ever met. What happens when she meets a wiccan by the name of Tara McClay?
Author's Note: Hey Everyone! This is just my small plead for feedback. It makes me happy. I need it...it's my own personal form of oxygen. It's also nice to know if people are even reading and enjoying this fic.
Part 15
“You mean she really was a robot built for…” said Xander, waving his hands around to help indicate his point.
“A sexbot…can I have one?” added in Anya as she watched her friends enter the Magic Box and sit around the table in the center of the store.
The old woman who had been purchasing a candle gave her a disgusted look, quickly grabbed her purchase, and walked briskly out the door.
“Have a good day! Thanks for shopping at the Magic Box!” shouted the ex-demon after her, a bright smile on her face as she put the money into the drawer.
Tara stifled her smile, amused at the girl’s actions.
“Yes well, be that as it may,” began Giles as he gave Anya a scolding look, “she was a danger. I trust that she was uh, disposed of properly.”
Willow nodded, “Yep. We uh, did the same thing we did when there was that Ted guy.”
Giles nodded his approval. Of course, he didn’t see the tips of Willow’s ears turning red. He also didn’t know that most of Ted, the robot wife killer, was in her parent’s basement, and that she just might happen to tinker around with the wires and electronics from time to time.
“Her boytoy’s long gone. The sleaze had a girlfriend.” joined in Faith as she leaned back in her chair, perching her feet up on the table.
“Feet, please.” tiredly intoned Giles, causing Faith to reluctantly drop her feet back to the ground.
“Yeah, he was cheating, the little jerk.” said Willow.
“Still, if you were to cheat, I think the best way would to be with a robot. They do whatever you say, and can go forever. You don’t have to worry about them falling asleep.”
“An!” shouted Xander, his face turning red at his girlfriend's statement. She just shrugged, turning her attention back to the money.
“She does have a point, Xan.” agreed the slayer with a laugh.
Willow rolled her eyes. Not wanting to hear anymore about what Anya would do with a sexbot, because that would surely lead to stories about what she and Xander did in his bedroom/parent's basement, the redhead turned her attention to her fellow spellcaster, “So Tara, are you going to the Wicca meeting tonight?”
Tara nodded her head.
“I was thinking of going too. I’ll see you there.” Tara nodded her head again as the redhead stood up. “I’ve got to get to class. I’ll see you guys later.”
“I should get going too, I’m interviewing down at the corner ice cream shop. They need a part time guy.” said Xander as he too stood up.
As they walked out Tara quietly stood up. “I-I have class, too. I'll see you guys tomorrow.”
Anya waved and Faith shouted a "See ya!" as she walked out.
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She began walking down the sidewalk, which was mostly empty even though it was the afternoon. Lost in her thoughts about the robot and the subsequent discussion, she didn’t notice as her feet led her from the shop lined streets to Weatherly Park.
Why would someone cheat? Warren, the robot maker, had a loving girlfriend. He was doing well in school. Why would he do something like that?
She would never do something like that. What if someone cheated on her?
“Hey.” a sad voice announced, forcing her out of her deep thoughts.
Tara blinked her eyes, the image of Buffy Summers coming into focus.
“Hey Buffy.” she greeted happily, her previous thoughts pushed aside. She hadn’t seen the girl for awhile, and the sight of the smaller blonde brought a smile to her face.
Said blonde allowed a small smile to appear on her face, hazel eyes still full of sorrow.
“How are you?” questioned Tara after a moment of silence.
“I’m fine.” answered Buffy. She shoved her hands into her pants pockets, looking a tad uncomfortable with the situation.
“Oh, well t-that’s good.” commented Tara, slightly confused and concerned at the short answer and the tone of voice it was said in. “What are you doing here? O-out for a walk?”
Buffy shrugged, “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Tara nodded, “My friend Xander did that once. He ended up in front of the pizza parlor at two in the morning. I guess they opened back up just for him, and he got a pizza.”
“That was nice of them.” absently commented the player.
“Well, he d-did order an extra large with everything on it.”
Buffy raised an eyebrow at that, “That’s a lot of pizza.”
Tara laughed, “He had the biggest stomachache the next day. He complained about it for a month.”
Neither of them noticed as they began walking together.
“Your friend sounds like an okay guy.”
“He is.”
There was a brief moment of silence, but this time it was comfortable.
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten an extra large pizza.” said Buffy.
“Me either.” said Tara as she looked over at the blonde.
Buffy nodded her head, a smile unknowingly starting to form, “I’ve never been to Australia.”
Tara, confused, replied, “I haven’t either.”
Buffy looked over at her and winked, “Well, I’ve never eaten a whole gallon of ice cream in one night.”
Tara looked at her for a second before catching on, “I’ve never been to Mexico.”
A full smile was now gracing her partner’s face, “I’ve never been snowboarding.”
“I’ve never been to New York City.”
“I’ve never played the guitar.”
“I’ve never met a movie star.”
“I’ve never met someone as beautiful as you.” said Buffy, keeping her gaze directed in front of her.
Tara blushed, “Be s-serious.”
Buffy just shrugged, not refuting her statement.
“I’ve never been on a subway.” Tara said, beginning the game back up.
The two approached a picnic table and sat down.
“I’ve never practiced basketball for less than an hour a day since I was ten.”
Tara, surprised, “T-that’s a lot of commitment.”
There was that almost famous shrug, “It was hard early on. I swear I had ADD until I was out of high school. And my parents didn’t really approve of my choice in activities. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t bad people. My dad just…didn’t really care and mom wanted her daughter to be the head cheerleader, not the basketball captain. I even went out for cheerleading my freshman year instead of basketball. I can now count to ten because of it, and I can spell out Hemery High in my sleep.”
“Your parents must be really proud of you now though.” said Tara, unconsciously placing her hand on top of Buffy’s, which was resting on the table in between them.
“Yeah, of course they are.” agreed Buffy, hiding her grimace. She was lying. Her dad had been to a few games, taking prospective clients to see his 'prized' daughter play, but her mom hadn’t been to one.
And then it hit her. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. She had just told Tara, someone she hadn’t know for that long, something that only a select few people knew. Hell, she hadn’t told Sam that story until their second year of dating.
The blonde blinked her eyes, “Well, now that we’ve heard my sob story of the day…I do believe it’s your turn in the game.”
Tara breathed out a silent sigh of relief; glad that she wouldn't have to share a 'sob story.' She really didn’t want to get into her family’s history.
She sat there for a minute thinking. “I’ve never had to dance a waltz.”
This was very true. She’d never been to anything even remotely resembling a formal affair.
Her brows furrowed as Buffy hopped up from the table. “Well then, let’s strike one of those 'I’ve never' from the list shall we?”
“W-What?”
Buffy held out a hand to the taller girl. Tara hestitantly took it, letting the girl pull her to her feet.
“Alright, so your left hand goes here, and your right here.” instructed Buffy as she placed Tara’s left hand by her right shoulder and
rested her right hand in her left.
“This is the classic pose or closed position. So, next time you do this, this is how you’ll stand.” added Buffy.
Tara shook her head, long hair quickly covering her face. “We can’t dance h-here.”
“Why not?”
“T-there’s no music.” said Tara, her eyes downcast. She really didn’t want to dance in the middle of the park…or did she? She looked up at the blonde’s smile and relaxed a little.
“Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as you might think it is.” kindly said Buffy, but she still waited for Tara’s approval to continue the lesson.
Tara offered her a soft smile, which Buffy took as the go ahead. “Now, we’re just going to do the basic steps. First, my left foot is going to go forward, and your right is going to go back.”
They performed the step.
Buffy continued to name of the steps until they were slowing moving in the box step pattern.
“Very good. This took me a week to figure out.” commented Buffy before she started counting off the steps again.
Tara, concentrating so she wouldn’t step on the smaller girl’s toes, only nodded. Her gaze flew to Buffy’s though, when she heard the girl start to hum.
“It’s called the Morning Song. I learned how to waltz to it. Now we have music.” the short girl winked.
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Tara couldn’t help but laugh as she danced around the park, the player spinning her around in a flourish every once in a while.
“Now you can brag to Xander that you’ve waltzed.” said Buffy as she stepped back, Tara following her lead. The basketball star was secretly surprised at how well the other woman was dancing. She matched Buffy step for step, never missing a beat. It was almost like they had done this before...had been doing this far longer than just this one afternoon.
“He’ll be s-so proud.” joked Tara, causing a grin to cover the lead's face, bright white teeth shining.
“I-I’ve been working on my shot, a little.” continued Tara as Buffy effortlessly performed a turn, whisking Tara along.
“I would love to see how it’s coming along. You’ve got a natural talent for the game.” said Buffy.
Tara smiled at the compliment.
“How about tomorrow? Are you free?” said the player as she stopped dancing. They stood there in the pose, hand clasped gently together, arms around giddy bodies.
Tara nodded before asking, “W-why are you still here? N-not that I don’t want you to be…but the tournament ended awhile ago.”
Buffy looked over the wicca’s shoulder before turning her gaze back to the bright blue orbs before her, “I guess there’s just something I like here. I want to spend as much time as possible with it.”
Their eyes locked, the gaze held. It could have been seconds, minutes, or even hours, Tara didn’t know how long they stood there looking at each other. But, she cleared her throat and looked down, breaking the eye contact.
“It’s getting dark, w-we s-should head back.” The witch dropped her arm from the petite yet strong shoulder and pulled her hand back to her side.
She didn’t hear but felt Buffy’s sigh and began to walk back towards the dorms, her thoughts in a whirlwind.
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She didn’t.
She couldn’t have.
There’s no possible way on earth that could happen.
She’s dreaming. It’s all one big messed up dream. Like that book, Christmas Carol or whatever, she had eaten some bad …lettuce. With some bad water.
There’s no way that standing right before her was Tara…in a fiery red blouse…and jeans.
Tight jeans.
“Hey Buffy.” greeted the wicca, bringing the smaller blonde out of her musings.
Buffy shook her head, clearing her thoughts, “Hello Tara. You look lovely today.”
Tara blushed a little and smiled, “I-I know it’s not r-really for basketball,”
Buffy quickly cut her off, “No-No, it’s fine. It’s just…going to be a little uncomfortable…with the running and jumping.”
Tara offered her a smile, both at Buffy and the fact that she had run and jumped in the same outfit before, it was just during patrol.
Buffy couldn’t help but smile back, unable to control that simple action when Tara was around.
Turning around to walk onto the court, the player mentally chided herself, 'Get it together Summers. You’re acting like a fucking fifteen year old. If she wants to wear street clothes than that’s fine. Stop smiling and start acting like yourself.'
She began bouncing the ball she had been carrying in her hands, taking her cell phone and wallet out of her shorts pocket and setting them off to the side of the court.
“So, let’s see how your shooting’s faired since last time we met.” she bounced the ball to Tara, who awkwardly caught it with both hands.
The taller woman moved the ball in her hands, doing what she had been taught last time.
“Good. Find the marks and put your fingers in the right spots.”
Tara, after situating her hands on the ball, took a deep breath and threw the ball towards the basket, missing by a few inches and hitting the backboard.
“That’s alright,” said Buffy as she caught the rebound and handed the ball back to Tara, “Just relax. Shooting’s all about rhythm. Take your time. Eye the basket.”
As she was talking she moved to stand behind Tara, grasping her arms gently and lining her up for the shot. The smooth steady voice calmed Tara’s nerves that had sprung up after her missed shot, and she took a deep calming breath.
Locking her eyes on the basket, she shot the ball, and watched as it hit off the backboard and fell through the net.
Seeing that she made the shot, a large smile crossed her face, and Buffy’s congratulations made it even bigger.
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They continued to practice the shot for a half an hour, Tara concentrating and Buffy, straight-faced, offering pointers and tips every once in awhile.
“Not too bad. Not good, but not too bad.” commented Buffy with a wink as she rebounded Tara’s made shot.
“Why d-don’t you play.” asked Tara, her breathing a little ragged because of the exercise.
The player shrugged, “I don’t need to.”
“I t-thought you said you practiced an hour a day.”
Buffy cocked her head to the side, a small smirk crossing her face, “Are you challenging me, Ms. McClay?”
Tara, noticing the twinkle in the blonde’s eye, smiled, “Yes. Yes I am.”
Buffy nodded her head, walking up to the taller girl, “Alright. Let’s play a game of horse. Have you ever played horse before?”
Tara shook her head.
“That’s fine. What happens is, that one person shoots the ball. If they make it, then the other person has to shoot the ball from the same spot. If said person misses the shot, they get a letter. If the first person shooting misses, than it's the other person's ball, and they can shoot it from wherever they want, with the first person having to shoot from where they make it. The game is over when someone spells horse.” explained Buffy as she handed the ball to Tara.
“I’ll let you have first shot. See what I’m up against.” she winked at the girl before moving to stand behind her.
Tara lined herself up at the free throw and shot the ball, making it.
Buffy, jogged over to get the rebound and lined herself up for the shot. She dribbled the ball a couple of times and spun it in her hands before shooting it.
She watched as the ball…hit the back of the rim and bounced off to the side.
“Son of a bitch.” she whispered to herself, a smirking Tara at her side.
“So, you have an H.”
Buffy looked over at her, “Oh think we’re funny do we? This means war.”
Tara laughed as the blonde practically stomped over to the ball. She picked it up and passed it to Tara, who lined up for the same shot. She shot it and made it. Buffy grabbed the ball and shot it, making it.
“You’re not getting me that easily. Not on the same shot.”
Tara moved closer to the basket, but missed the shot, watching as it hit the front of the rim.
“Alright McClay, let’s see what you got.” teasingly taunted Buffy as she dribbled over to the three point line. She easily made the shot, the ball smoothly going through the net.
“High School regional three point champ.” she informed the taller girl with a grin.
Tara moved to take the same shot. She lined up with the basket, placed her fingers on the marks, and tossed the ball.
She watched as her shot hit the backboard, hard, and fell in.
Tara looked over at Buffy, who was muttering 'beginners luck' as she scooped up the rebound.
The player missed her next shot, and Tara got the ball back.
As she lined up, Buffy moved behind her. When she went to release the ball, the smaller girl shouted, “Don’t miss!”
This distraction caused the wicca to throw the ball up wildly. The shot missed.
She turned to glare at Buffy, who looked the picture of innocence. “Did you hear that? I wonder who said it.” The star looked around with wide eyes for added effect.
Tara shook her head as the other girl retrieved the ball, a slight hop in her step.
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After a few more minutes of play, Buffy was at three letters and Tara was at two.
It was Tara’s turn to shoot, and she positioned herself. As she lifted her arm to throw the ball, a blonde head popped up in front of her.
“Buffy, what are you doing?”
The littler woman shrugged, “Standing.”
Tara shook her head at the girl’s antics and went to release the ball. As she shot the ball, Buffy just happened to yawn, and she just happened to raise her arms.
The ball hit her arms and deflected off to the side, bouncing harmless on the concrete.
“Oh no…it looks like you missed.” observed Buffy as she tilted her head to watch the retreating ball.
“Stop cheating.” said Tara, placing her hands on her hips.
“Who’s cheating? I’m not cheating.” replied Buffy with a charming grin as she got the ball.
Tara shook her head, walking over to the bottle of water that Buffy had purchased for her earlier as the blonde went to shoot. Of course, she didn’t notice that the reason Buffy was cheating was because she was at a sever disadvantage herself.
The player, noticing the girl moving, couldn’t help but look at the tight jean clad ass swaying before her. There was no way she could not look. And how could she not look at that top. Her favorite color was red. And red on that body...not a chance. A quick glance caused the player to see Tara opening the bottle of water and tilting her head back. Long gorgoeus hair fell across a smooth red encased back, throat muscles subtley constricting, moving softly as the water poured into her mouth. Lips greedily wrapped themselves around the plastic opening, sucking out the refeshing liquid...
This of course, caused Buffy to miss her own shot.
“Damn it.” she muttered, shaking her head in frustration.
“You curse a lot.” pointed out Tara as she returned to the court, bottle of water in hand.
“I had to learn something at Sunday school.” replied the player as she took the offered bottle and took a big gulp, relishing in its cooling effect.
She tossed the now empty bottle off to the side and the game continued.
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After awhile, Buffy was one letter away from elimination. Tara one letter behind her.
It was Tara’s ball.
Buffy could see it in her eyes. She was going to make the shot.
Buffy knew it. Tara knew it.
So what’s a girl to do? ‘Cause Buffy sure as hell wasn’t going to lose to a newbie. She was Magic Summers damn it!
As Tara raised her arms, Buffy rushed her from behind, making a split second decision.
She wrapped her arms the wicca, trapping her in and effectively inhibiting her from performing the shot.
“Buffy, what are you doing?” Tara was startled by the feel of strong arms holding her.
“Shh, I’m saving myself from possible humiliation.”
Tara laughed at that, “Let me go, Buffy.”
“No.”
“It’s okay to lose. Besides, you still have a chance.”
“I’m not letting go McClay. Your tricks won’t work on me. Your pretty english major words have no effect.”
Tara, laughing, slowly turned herself around in the girl’s arms. “Buffy, let me go. I promise I won’t tell your friends that you lost a game of horse to me, even though you cheated.”
“I didn’t cheat.”
“Oh really?” asked an amused Tara.
Buffy’s reply surprised her.
She wasn’t expecting it. She wasn’t expecting something like that in a hundred years. Hell, Buffy wasn’t expecting it either. She couldn’t tell you what possessed her to do it.
But after Tara said "oh really", Buffy pushed herself up on her toes…and kissed her.