The Morning After
(Before I write the story, I would just like to say welcome to the first post of Willow_Tara_fic. I am your mod foxfire_hippie
This story is a round-robin
Tara sat across from Dawn at the Magic Shop. Tara needed someone to talk to and Dawn seemed to be the only one aside from Giles without love problems. Tara had wanted to call Buffy but she knew Buffy didn't want to talk about love, especially after seeing the person she had tried so hard not to love being intimate with someone else. Willow had taken Buffy out for a day of ice cream, chocolate, and more ice cream. Anya had skipped town, and Xander was unable to be reached anywhere. No one really wanted to talk to Spike, no one knew what to say. So after Tara had kissed Willow goodbye, Tara woke up Dawn, fixed her funny-shaped pancakes and asked if she would hang out with her. Dawn who adored Tara got the biggest grin on her face and said she'd love to spend time with Tara and that she missed her. Tara told her she needed someone to talk to and Dawn was flattered that Tara would even consider her adult enough to be one in whom she confided.
"I-I know it was weak and that we probably should have kept our distance longer, but that afternoon in the coffee shop, I couldn't stand to be without her any longer. I know it seems like the cup of coffee is all it took to break my strength in helping Willow cease her addiction, but it...it wasn't that. It was the talking and the..the sound of her laugh and the way" Tara paused as tears attempted to make their way from her eyes down her cheek, she held them back, swallowed, and continued, "the way my heart beat and stopped beating and skipped a beat all at the same time when she smiled at me and the she loooked at me, the way her eyes set my soul in fire...in a good way....without the magic and then last night..when we were..." Tara eyed Dawn and ended with "well nevermind."
"You know Tara, I am 16, I do know about this stuff."
"I know you do, but there are just some things you don't need to hear."
"You got that right," Dawn joked as she gently hit Tara on the shoulder and winked at her. Tara's face turned an unknown shade of red as she asked with underlying fear, "you heard us?"
"You know, Tara, there are just some things you don't need to know"
Tara shot Dawn a knowing glance and was met with "mmm...oh...mmm...Willow...." and her shade of red deepened as she half-smiled and shyly looked at the floor. Dawn was lauging hysterically when Tara tapped her on the shoulder, "come on"
She followed Tara to the door and they walked to get a milkshake. It was the same place they had gone the day before they found out Willow had been doing magic with Amy. The two of them had wanted to go again so that they could give the day a good memory. Dawn ordered chocolate just like she had before and Tara ordered a small vanilla, which was massively large despite being a small. Dawn's large milkshake looked like it could have been a product of the hellmouth's demon it was so big. Tara, though she remembered the hefty shake from a few weeks ago, continued to stare at Dawn's milkshake in awe.
"Remind me to take you out for healthy food tonight, okay?"
Dawn blankly stared at Tara who had recently decided to become a vegetarian.
"Do I have to eat that nasty mushy stuff you eat?"
"Tofu? Dawn, it's not nasty or mushy if they cook it right."
Dawn laughed "Then you need to learn how to cook it."
Tara giggled and agreed that her tofu making capabilities were less than perfect.
"No, you don't have to eat the nasty mushy stuff, but I want something yummy, and I want you to eat something healthy, so just healthy yummy stuff."
"Are you paying?"
"Dawn, of course I'm paying."
"Well alright then, I'll remind you to take me out for yummy healthy food tonight as long as I don't have to eat the nasty mushy stuff and as long as you're paying."
Dawn continued to sip her shake with glee and Tara did the same.
Tara looked at her watch, "Oh my, it's already 4:30. I'm kind of tired, you want to go back?" Dawn's eyes were heavy and she was full from the milkshake, so she nodded slightly, and Tara linked her arm with Dawn's and they walked home. When the door opened, they found Buffy sleeping on the couch, 3 pints of ice cream, all half eaten, all chocolate and cookie dough. The tv was softly playing in the background so Dawn went to turn it off, Buffy's eyes opened a little bit and Tara rushed over to put the blanket over her. Buffy rubbed her eyes and thanked her. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"
"Um, no, I just...I was just seeing who's here. Oh, Dawn, Janice called, she wants you to call her."
"Oh, she probably wants me to come over, should I stay here?"
"No, no, it's fine, I talked to her mom it sounds good"
Dawn rushed off to call Janice and then came to a complete halt,
"oh wait, Tara, dinner..I'll call her and tell her I can't...I know we never really finished the conversation this morning, we can do that ton--"
"oh, sweetie, don't worry about it. Go hang out with your friend, I'll stay here and keep an eye on Buffy. We'll do it tomorrow or something."
Dawn grinned and threw her arms around Tara, each moment she remembered how much she had missed her. Tara smiled and kissed Dawn's forehead as a reassurance that she would always be there for her. Dawn ran off to the phone.
"Um, Buffy, I hate to bother you, but is Willow here?"
"Oh, um, no, she had to run some errands, nothing magic related, just something, she wouldn't say."
Tara nodded and walked upstairs to the room where she had just spent the most amazing night with Willow. She lied down on the unmade bed, pulled the covers over her and fell asleep to the smell of Willow's hair.
This story is a round-robin
Tara sat across from Dawn at the Magic Shop. Tara needed someone to talk to and Dawn seemed to be the only one aside from Giles without love problems. Tara had wanted to call Buffy but she knew Buffy didn't want to talk about love, especially after seeing the person she had tried so hard not to love being intimate with someone else. Willow had taken Buffy out for a day of ice cream, chocolate, and more ice cream. Anya had skipped town, and Xander was unable to be reached anywhere. No one really wanted to talk to Spike, no one knew what to say. So after Tara had kissed Willow goodbye, Tara woke up Dawn, fixed her funny-shaped pancakes and asked if she would hang out with her. Dawn who adored Tara got the biggest grin on her face and said she'd love to spend time with Tara and that she missed her. Tara told her she needed someone to talk to and Dawn was flattered that Tara would even consider her adult enough to be one in whom she confided.
"I-I know it was weak and that we probably should have kept our distance longer, but that afternoon in the coffee shop, I couldn't stand to be without her any longer. I know it seems like the cup of coffee is all it took to break my strength in helping Willow cease her addiction, but it...it wasn't that. It was the talking and the..the sound of her laugh and the way" Tara paused as tears attempted to make their way from her eyes down her cheek, she held them back, swallowed, and continued, "the way my heart beat and stopped beating and skipped a beat all at the same time when she smiled at me and the she loooked at me, the way her eyes set my soul in fire...in a good way....without the magic and then last night..when we were..." Tara eyed Dawn and ended with "well nevermind."
"You know Tara, I am 16, I do know about this stuff."
"I know you do, but there are just some things you don't need to hear."
"You got that right," Dawn joked as she gently hit Tara on the shoulder and winked at her. Tara's face turned an unknown shade of red as she asked with underlying fear, "you heard us?"
"You know, Tara, there are just some things you don't need to know"
Tara shot Dawn a knowing glance and was met with "mmm...oh...mmm...Willow...." and her shade of red deepened as she half-smiled and shyly looked at the floor. Dawn was lauging hysterically when Tara tapped her on the shoulder, "come on"
She followed Tara to the door and they walked to get a milkshake. It was the same place they had gone the day before they found out Willow had been doing magic with Amy. The two of them had wanted to go again so that they could give the day a good memory. Dawn ordered chocolate just like she had before and Tara ordered a small vanilla, which was massively large despite being a small. Dawn's large milkshake looked like it could have been a product of the hellmouth's demon it was so big. Tara, though she remembered the hefty shake from a few weeks ago, continued to stare at Dawn's milkshake in awe.
"Remind me to take you out for healthy food tonight, okay?"
Dawn blankly stared at Tara who had recently decided to become a vegetarian.
"Do I have to eat that nasty mushy stuff you eat?"
"Tofu? Dawn, it's not nasty or mushy if they cook it right."
Dawn laughed "Then you need to learn how to cook it."
Tara giggled and agreed that her tofu making capabilities were less than perfect.
"No, you don't have to eat the nasty mushy stuff, but I want something yummy, and I want you to eat something healthy, so just healthy yummy stuff."
"Are you paying?"
"Dawn, of course I'm paying."
"Well alright then, I'll remind you to take me out for yummy healthy food tonight as long as I don't have to eat the nasty mushy stuff and as long as you're paying."
Dawn continued to sip her shake with glee and Tara did the same.
Tara looked at her watch, "Oh my, it's already 4:30. I'm kind of tired, you want to go back?" Dawn's eyes were heavy and she was full from the milkshake, so she nodded slightly, and Tara linked her arm with Dawn's and they walked home. When the door opened, they found Buffy sleeping on the couch, 3 pints of ice cream, all half eaten, all chocolate and cookie dough. The tv was softly playing in the background so Dawn went to turn it off, Buffy's eyes opened a little bit and Tara rushed over to put the blanket over her. Buffy rubbed her eyes and thanked her. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"
"Um, no, I just...I was just seeing who's here. Oh, Dawn, Janice called, she wants you to call her."
"Oh, she probably wants me to come over, should I stay here?"
"No, no, it's fine, I talked to her mom it sounds good"
Dawn rushed off to call Janice and then came to a complete halt,
"oh wait, Tara, dinner..I'll call her and tell her I can't...I know we never really finished the conversation this morning, we can do that ton--"
"oh, sweetie, don't worry about it. Go hang out with your friend, I'll stay here and keep an eye on Buffy. We'll do it tomorrow or something."
Dawn grinned and threw her arms around Tara, each moment she remembered how much she had missed her. Tara smiled and kissed Dawn's forehead as a reassurance that she would always be there for her. Dawn ran off to the phone.
"Um, Buffy, I hate to bother you, but is Willow here?"
"Oh, um, no, she had to run some errands, nothing magic related, just something, she wouldn't say."
Tara nodded and walked upstairs to the room where she had just spent the most amazing night with Willow. She lied down on the unmade bed, pulled the covers over her and fell asleep to the smell of Willow's hair.