Me back…S-O-R-T of. I had a brief lunch break from school so this is my lunch…not very edible huh? 
Sorry this one is another short one. But it’s better then nothing right? But you won’t have to wait that long for the next one I hope... Enjoy! Title: Never A Night Like This
Author: Taras Shadow
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Joss Whedon, ME, UPN…except for Tori, Hadley, Jessica Paris, and Orlando-they belong to me
Feedback: Yes please, everything is welcome
Pairings: W/T, X/A, B/
D/Tori
Rating:
PG 13+ Summary: Willow is one of the hottest models in the world. When she comes home for her holiday, she meets a nice family that is new to Sunnydale. Can she find love, and continue her much loved career? This is an AU fic. There will be a little angst between some characters, but nothing big for I want to keep the angst issue light. Thoughts are in < > Flashbacks are in **
~Part 21a~~*~*~*~*~*~
Dawn woke up Tuesday morning, completely wiped out still from the weekends events. She was used of it partially. Willow would always invite her to promotion parties and such. She could still remember telling Willow her like for her. Looking back on it now, she laughed knowing that Willow completely understood what the young teen was going through.
And today, she had someone just as great as Willow. Someone who made her feel so much at home and safe. A person who could reach into her soul and tell her things were perfectly fine and would always be okay.
“Dawn. You’re going to be late for school.” Joyce poked her head through her youngest daughter’s room. Joyce arrived the night before, and had told Buffy and Dawn that she had seen them on live television. “If you don’t get up now, I might not let you go to another Willow event.” She smiled.
Dawn groaned and sat up rubbing her eyes. “These morning’s are evil.”
“Well it probably would’ve been less evil if that sister of yours never dragged you to L.A. and made you miss school yesterday…which by the way I have to talk to her still when she gets up.”
“You mean she’s not up yet? You woke me up first?” Dawn pouted.
“You’re sister is older, I still can’t figure out how you two never were late from class when I was away.” Joyce smirked. “I might have to call the school and see if Buffy’s been covering for you.”
Dawn immediately disliked that idea. “No, you don’t have to do that. Buffy has been fine with getting up and…”
“Dawn! Your rides here!” Buffy yelled from downstairs.
“I thought she was sleeping still?” Dawn asked her mother.
Joyce shrugged, “So did I. Who’s your ride?”
“Dawn!” Buffy yelled again.
By the voices downstairs, she could tell that someone was in the house. Dawn threw the covers off of her and ran down the stairs. “Tori.” She smiled.
Tori smiled, “Um, Dawnie, do you plan on going to school in your P.J.’s?”
Dawn looked down at her flannel pants and loose old sweatshirt and shrugged. “I thought I might start a new trend…”
“Right. New trend?” Buffy laughed and walked towards the kitchen.
Joyce came down the stairs and vaguely familiar face, a young woman with brown hair, and hazel eyes. “Hi.”
Tori looked up at the older woman and gave a shy smile. < Meeting the parent…yikes. > “Hi.”
“Oh mom, this is um, my best friend Tori Maclay, she just moved from Lillian Oregon with her sister Tara, and niece Hadley.” Dawn introduced the two as casual as she could.
“Best friend? That would explain where I recognized you from, the fashion awards, and with the hand holding.” Joyce warmly smiled.
Tori blushed and looked away from the mother, trying to hide her smile that lingered within.
“So, I’m going to go and pick out something to wear…you wanna help me?” Dawn looked at Tori and grinned.
Tori smiled and followed the young Summers up towards her room, “You just got out of bed?”
“Well not exactly, I was thinking for..I don’t know how long…then my mom came in and ‘woke’ me up, then you came…soo here I am…” Dawn opened her closet.
“The closet again? Dawn…I thought you would’ve learned your lesson in L.A.” Tori smiled and pulled Dawn close and kissed her softly. “Good morning.” She whispered.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“So Willow dragged the gang to L.A. for the weekend?” Joyce sat beside Buffy after pouring herself a cup of coffee.
“Yeah, it was so fun. I watched Shrek like…thousands of times, I know that fairy tale like the back of my had.” Buffy said putting her hair back into a ponytail then viewing the back of her hand. “Hey, I didn’t see that freckle…”
Joyce smiled at her daughter. “How was it? I mean, I read in the reviews and saw the news and stuff, how’s Willow’s new girlfriend?”
“Tara? She’s perfectly fine. She read the reviews about Jessica and Willow, and Willow and herself, and she’s ok. Willow assures her that they will stop ‘attacking’ when someone else drops a bomb in Hollywood.” Buffy spoke clearly.
“That’s good. So about this Tori girl…is she a trouble maker?”
“Tori? Trouble maker? No. Tori’s very very good. And Dawn loves her…I mean, she loves hanging out with her, because that’s what best friends do, they hang…” Buffy got up and poured herself a cup of coffee.
“Any problems other wise?” Joyce asked a bit concerned.
“No. Not really…I ran into Faith though…” Buffy sat down and blew on her coffee.
“Oh sweetie, you want to talk about it?”
“No…I already did with Hadley…you have to meet the Maclays…they are like the cutest family ever!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tara rolled over on her double sized bed and found herself snuggled up to a rather warm soft body. With one eye opened, she let her gaze fall on an exposed freckled back, and fiery red hair splayed across one arm. Willow’s face was facing Tara’s, and her lips were slightly open. The blonde smiled and tucked red hair behind freckled ears. She loved Willow’s freckled body; she could stay there for a lifetime and count those freckles, and kiss each and every freckle.
Willow shifted when she felt soft fingers and warm breath brush across her skin. “Mmmm…” She opened her green eyes and smiled. “You are so beautiful.”
Tara grinned and snuggled closer and nuzzled her her ear. “You make me beautiful.” She whispered softly.
Willow pulled back and gently pushed Tara flat on her back, crawled on top and looked down at the bright blue eyes in front of her. “Yay me.” She dipped her head down where lips met lips ghostly.
“Good morning.” Tara smiled and caressed the pale flesh above her.
“Morning.” Willow grinned.
“What time is it?” Tara yawned and tried to look over at her alarm clock but couldn't move her body so that her head could see, and she didn’t want to move at all anyways.
Willow tilted her head and strained her neck a bit. “Uh…eight…um baby, shouldn’t you be heading to work?”
Tara rose from the bed causing Willow to be detangled unwillingly. “Eight? Oh my…I really hope Tori took Hadley to school…”
Willow scowled but then smiled when she saw Tara running around looking for her clothes, panicking. “Did I ever tell you, you look incredibly sexy when you get all flustered and panicky.”
“Glad my stress amuses you.” Tara smirked. “This is all your fault you know.”
“Me? What did I do?” Willow yelped straight into defence mode.
“You made me stay up all night, and I must’ve slept through the alarm.” Tara said pulling over her white work blouse.
“Ha! That is so not true.” Willow sat back frowning. “If I remember it correctly, you begged me not to go to my own home last night, and you said that if I stayed…you’d…you know, do unimaginable things to my body.” She blushed slightly.
“Yeah, I gave you a nice sensual massage…until you flipped me on my back and changed things into your own plans.” Tara lifted her eyebrows almost accusingly.
Willow got off the bed and pulled on her own clothes. “How was to know that your massage included you all naked…you can’t do that to a girl, and not expect her to retaliate.”
“Mama?” Hadley poked her head through the door.
“Had…why aren’t you at school?” Tara asked putting her apron on.
“No ride. Aunt Tori left a long time ago…and I was still sleeping.” Hadley walked into the bedroom and stood beside her mama, still wearing her small flannel P.J’s.
Tara bit her lip trying to figure this out. She had to be at work to open up the restaurant in fifteen minutes, and Hadley had to be at school at the same time. By the time she finishes with Hadley, getting her ready and giving her a quick breakfast, one of them was bound to be late. “OK…Had, go throw on a fresh pair of clothes, I’ll meet you downstairs where a bowl of cereal will be waiting for you, then we’re going to have to fly out of here…ok?”
Hadley nodded her head and ran to her room.
“I’m sorry.” Willow quietly said.
Tara looked at her girlfriend and couldn’t help but giggle. “Why are you sorry?”
“It’s my fault that you two will be late.”
“No sweetie, I was only kidding. I don’t mind being late…just the regular early morning costumers are going to have to wait an extra ten minutes to get there order.” Tara hugged Willow and kissed her cheek.
“Well…let me help you then. It’s the least I could do.” Willow stepped back a bit and smiled. “You go to work, and I’ll drop Hadley off. That way both of you can make it on time.”
“You don’t mind?” Tara asked.
“No silly. Besides, Hadley and I like to have that little ride together alone, from here to the school. This time, she said she’ll let me walk her into class.” Willow clapped her hands all giddy, people could mistake her for the five year old.
“That’s why I love my girls…school is always a plus with them.” Tara kissed her tenderly. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome…now go!” Willow swatted her girlfriends behind trying to get a move on it.
Tara walked into her daughter’s room and kissed her on the forehead. “Willow’s going to take you to school.”
“Cool!” Hadley jumped off of her bed looked at herself in the mirror. “Mama? Do you think this makes me look fat?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*
THANK YOU all for the great replies and feedback.
~Holly~
Show me where to touch youTara-It Ain’t Fickle
Edited by: Taras Shadow 
at: 11/5/02 11:15:32 am
(even put off writing my own to read it
Does that mean that Faith will be making another appearence? Will she go back to Sunnydale to tell Buffy how she feels? Will the get together? So many questions....
this fic sooooo much!!
trouble in Paradise… 
Nah, didn’t think so… 