School Days

[Stroke of Luck]

argh they still dont know enough about each other Loved the interaction between Ira and Willow hehehe they are a great family and Ira is the only person who thought that Tara was a teacher...geez why isnt Willow like him huh?



more pls



Cu

SoL/Natti

"I wish that you were here or that I were there, or that we were together anywhere!"

[JustSkipIt]

Natti – Yep, meant to frustrate you! Lol about why isn’t Willow more like Ira.





Title – School Days



Part 16 – Sparring



Author – JustSkipit - Debra



Spoilers – Yes.



Rating – Part 16– PG



Disclaimer – Guess what… I don’t own W&T, Buffy or the rest of the BtVS crew. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental and fortunate.



Thoughts in italics





“Man,” Faith said, “that’s a nice bow.”



Tara stopped to look in the window along with her friend. Faith had taken a break from her studying to come with Tara to the Magic Box. “Do you want to g-go look at it?” the blonde offered.



“Sure,” Faith agreed. They had plenty of time to get to the magic shop before it closed. After a few minutes both girls left the sporting goods shop. “Damn,” Faith swore, “we can afford your magic books but not that bow. Seems a shame.”



“I know,” Tara sympathized, “but it was over $200 dollars.”



“Yeah,” Faith agreed. “These books,” she started, “they’ll let you do spells without talking right?”



“That’s the idea,” Tara agreed. She knew that Faith wasn’t hassling her. Both girls had gotten a scare last week when the witch had gotten the wind knocked out of her. They had grown to rely on her spell casting and without her voice she had been virtually defenseless. Now she carried holy water and hoped that the new books would help her learn to cast without reciting the incantation out loud.



“Then that’s our priority,” Faith agreed as she pulled open the door to the shop.



Both girls entered looking around for any of the group they had met dancing on the weekend but seeing only Mr. Giles behind the counter. “Oh, Ms. Maclay,” he called out as he saw them enter, “we have your books.”



“A-anya called me,” she answered as both girls neared the counter. “This is Faith,” she introduced the dark-haired girl, “this is Mr. Giles. He owns the sh-shop.”



“Hey, nice to meet you,” Faith extended her hand, “do people call you G-man?”



“Not if I can help it,” he answered dryly.



“Is Buffy around?” Faith asked immediately.



“Subtle, Faith,” Tara muttered, “very subtle.”



“You know Buffy?” the shopkeeper asked, somewhat confused.



“We met at the Bronze the other day,” she explained as Tara moved to the table to look at the books she had ordered. Just as she was sitting down the bell over the door rang and Buffy came in.



“Hey,” she said as she saw the two girls in the shop, “Tara and Faith. What are you doing here?”



“Yes,” Giles answered drolly, “that should keep business hopping.”



“We need business but I don’t want anything hopping,” Anya announced as she also entered the store.



“She already bought her books,” Buffy smart-mouthed. She walked over to Faith and told the girl, “I’m about to work out. Do you want to watch?”



Faith put her arms slowly on the slayer’s shoulders before whispering in her ear, “Will it get you all hot and sweaty?”



Buffy gulped loudly as she nodded. Looking up from cleaning his glasses Giles muttered, “Bloody hell. First Willow and now you, Buffy?”



“Maybe it’s in the water around here,” Anya mused, “I guess that means I’ll be next and Xander’s penis will be all alone.”



“Oh most Bloody Hell,” Giles muttered before turning and stalking toward the back of the store.



Even as she attempted to concentrate on Buffy’s energy signature, Tara smiled at what Giles and Anya had said. So apparently the redheaded student was gay. Tara knew that she wasn’t imagining the flirtation.



“You coming, Blondie?” Faith asked as she followed Buffy through the doorway. Tara noted that as before Buffy’s mystical energy seemed to vanish the second she crossed the threshold.



By the time the blonde reached the doorway and entered the workout room, Buffy was apparently giving the dark-haired girl a tour, pointing out the workout mats, pommel horse, and other exercise equipment. Looking at the front wall, the one Tara hadn’t been able to see until entering the room, she was surprised to see an array of dangerous looking weapons hanging in a frame.



She walked closer and began looking at the items, noting that Buffy and Faith had both arrived also. Buffy began pointing out a few of the more simple weapons but didn’t explain what any of them were for. “Can I?” Faith asked reaching toward a scythe.



Tara giggled inwardly as she noted the increase in the dark-haired girl’s breathing. If she wasn’t turned on by Buffy, she certainly was by the array of weaponry in the room.



“They’re not toys, Faith,” Giles admonished, “I’d prefer you didn’t touch them.”



“Whatever,” Faith shrugged, turning to walk over toward a pile of mats in the corner. Tara joined her and the two girls waved their hands as if to say, “So get started working out.”



Following Giles’s directions, Buffy began her routine, soon losing track of the two visitors. After a few minutes Faith turned to Tara. “So how was that energy thing this time?” she whispered.



“Same as before,” Tara informed her, “similar to yours but it disappeared when we entered this room.”



Faith nodded as she looked at the symbols on the walls. “What do you think she’s working out for?” she asked her friend.



Tara shrugged: “I wondered that too.” She added, “also, what do you think the weapons are for?”



“Yeah,” Faith agreed, “that’s some nice hardware. Imagine the vampires I could take out with that big one.”



“I think people might notice you carrying a sword around, even in Sunnydale,” Tara offered. As the girls were talking, Buffy had started sparing with Giles who wore padding. She was making feints with both her hands and feet and both visitors were impressed with her movements. Just then she made a quick strike which caught the shopkeeper on the bridge of the nose.



“Bloody bloody hell,” Giles muttered as he bent over holding his face. Tara ran onto the floor to see if she could help him. His nose was not bleeding but it was already swelling.



“C-can I?” she asked before touching his face lightly. “No b-break b-but you should ice it,” she informed him. “I c-can…” she paused before continuing. Since he owned a magic shop he likely approved of magical remedies.



“She’s really good at healing stuff,” Faith offered as she saw a questioning look on the man’s face.



Giles nodded and handed the hand pads to Buffy. “We’ll take a break,” he told her as he let Tara lead him toward the mats.



“I pulled it,” the slayer pleaded.



Faith turned back to Buffy smiling. “Why don’t I take his place for a little while?’ she suggested.



“I don’t want to hurt you,” Buffy argued.



“I think I can move as fast as an old man.”



“Hey!” Giles yelled from the mats.



“Let’s see,” Faith teased. Actually she had been thinking of getting into the workout for a while. She rarely had the opportunity to spar with anyone who could give her a workout. Well, except for vampires and they didn’t usually want to ensure that she got her heart rate above 160 beats per minute for 20-30 minutes a day. But Buffy seemed to have good moves.



The blonde began slowly, feinting with both her arms and legs. She was only occasionally hitting the pads because she didn’t want to hurt Faith and didn’t want to let the girl feel how fast or strong she was.



Faith circled carefully, paying attention not only to Buffy’s movements but to the tensing of her muscles. The girl knew that a good fighter could predict her opponent’s next move most of the time by watching the way she moved. Buffy, however, was not making the same type of moves she had made while sparing with Giles. With him, she had moved much quicker and more powerfully. Now she was just playing and it was starting to piss the dark-haired girl off.



Tara felt a wave of anger from Faith and looked up at the two girls at the center of the room. She looked at Giles, noting the way he was watching the pair and took her hands from his face. “I think that’s b-better?” she confirmed.



“Yes, thank you, Tara,” he answered and started to stand from the mats to take Faith’s place.



Tara extended her hand and grasped his wrist. “Please,” she started, “l-let them…” He looked at her questioningly before shrugging and relaxing. Buffy had always been careful, well except for hitting Giles 10 minutes earlier, and she certainly wasn’t going to hurt the girl if she liked her.



Buffy continued circling the dark-haired girl, enjoying watching her move. Faith was watching Buffy’s movements intently and the blonde slayer wanted to show off just a bit, in spite of her better judgment. Not wanting to hurt her, Buffy threw a quick jab into the glove and then a slow kick with her right leg. She was shocked as the dark-haired girl easily sidestepped the kick but used the pad to push Buffy’s leg to the side. Surprised by the move, the blonde wound up on her butt looking up at a smirking Faith. “You telegraphed that,” the dark-haired girl told her as she extended her hand to pull the other girl to her feet.



“I so didn’t,” Buffy argued, still surprised that Faith had been able to take her down so easily. She scuffed her feet on the floor and called out, “Giles, I think the floor may be too waxy over here.”



“No doubt,” the watcher agreed with more than a hint of sarcasm in his voice.



“Faith could fall and break her butt,” Buffy retorted.



“Doubtful,” Tara muttered to herself as she giggled at Buffy’s consternation.



“Again?” Buffy questioned the dark-haired girl.



Faith merely nodded and raised her hands again. This time Buffy concentrated a little harder. She wasn’t going to fight the other girl all out, that was for sure, but she didn’t want to look like a fool. She started with a kick intended to move Faith to the side, then threw a quick punch into the space the girl had moved into.. She was shocked as her punch merely glanced off the mitt and even more startled as the other mitt smacked her lightly on the side of her head.



Buffy narrowed her eyebrows at the dark-haired girl, wondering where she had gotten her fight training and how she had gotten so fast. She was tempted to go at Faith with slayer speed and strength to make up for her embarrassment but knew that it wasn’t appropriate. “The floor does seem waxy,” Faith smart-mouthed.



Buffy blew out a breath before settling into her fighting stance again. This time she threw two punches quickly, both of which missed the mitts entirely. Then Faith easily stepped back from a front kick. The dark-haired girl smirked as she pulled off the mitts and offered them to Buffy: “Can I try?”



Buffy puffed as she put on the mitts. She knew that she could easily impress the other girl if she were allowed but a look over at Giles made it clear that this was not the time for showing off. Faith assumed a fighting stance as Buffy readied the mitts. Then the dark-haired girl threw two quick punches which both connected. Buffy was surprised as she absorbed the blows; the girl was very strong. She grinned slightly as she decided to test Faith a bit. As Faith’s first kick came up, Buffy easily sidestepped it and batted at the girl’s leg as the darker-haired girl had done to her. She was shocked as rather than falling as Buffy had done, Faith seemed to readjust her weight and regain her balance easily. “Good one,” Faith laughed.



The dark-haired girl was thrilled with the workout session. While Buffy didn’t seem to have either speed or strength to mirror her own, she was a reasonable opponent. The two girls went on for a while, each testing the other’s strengths and weaknesses and neither going all out. By the time they stopped 30 minutes later, both were covered in sweat and breathing hard. Giles threw each a towel as they walked over to join the spectators on the mats.



“How’s your proboscis, G-man?” Faith asked.



“Much better, Faith,” Giles assured her. “Where did you learn your fighting moves?” he asked in what he hoped was a casual manner.



“Around, you know,” the girl answered vaguely as she caught the look in Tara’s eye--a look which said to keep her mouth shut. She glanced up at the clock before telling both Buffy and Giles, “Hey look at the time. I’ve got to study.” She turned to Tara asking, “Ready to go?”



Tara nodded, as she stood from the mats, relieved that Faith hadn’t said too much. Giles and Buffy seemed nice but there was no way to know what their connection to the Hellmouth might be. All four said goodbye with Buffy and Faith making some vague plans to “see each other around.”

Oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment

[BurningWhiteRose]

hehe...Fluffy sparring...



I like how Faith got mad that Buffy held back. Cant wait till they both find out that they are both slayers. Also cant wait for more W/T!



Sincerely,

BWR

[russ]

Nice to see the Slayers are every bit as clueless as the witches. Faith and Tara seem particularly obtuse: they know they're on a hellmouth infested with vampires, look at a wall decorated with magical protective symbols & full of vampire-slaying weapons, and wonder what they are for! And Tara knows Buffy's energy is "similar to" Faith's, yet no one can put two & two together. (Least of all Debra, apparently!)



They're both being all responsible, not going all out, and each thinking the other is good, but not all that good. Only Giles seems to have any suspicion of Faith's ability. Of course, between being embarrassed and knocked about, Giles isn't having a great day. Good ol' Anya gets the best one-liner; poor Xander.



This story has a lot of similarity to a Shakespearean comedy, with all the misunderstandings and forbidden attraction & subterfuge. Which means, of course, we'll have to wait till the last scene for things to be sorted out.



Russ

[wimpy0729]

YAY!! Bendy Buffy's back!!!



Well at least Tara apparently figured out Willow's gay. That's something anyway.



And yes, Anya's line was hilarious!



I would think the slayers would figure some of this out already, but hey, who am I to say? I think they should just take off the gloves and have at it!



Man, I hope you don't tease Rachel like this. If you do, she has my sympathy. (Well, unless she likes it ).



BTW, missed Willow in this. Hope she makes a reappearance soon.



More soon please!

Wimpy

[The Rose24]

I've never been interested in a B/F relationship, so I am ready for more W/T. The next chapter right?

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

[Insanity]

Oh Debra... you're such a tease!!!



Now it's now only Willow and Tara, but Faith und Buffy, too.



Both Slayers,but they don't get ist *lol*



As usually, the update was great.

Here are my favourite lines:

Quote:

---

“Is Buffy around?” Faith asked immediately.



“Subtle, Faith,” Tara muttered, “very subtle.”

---

I like the way Tara and Faith get along and interact. It shows a depth Tara had not with anyone on the show. It reminds me a little of the cramp-scene with Spike *lol*

Quote:

---

“We need business but I don’t want anything hopping,” Anya announced as she also entered the store.

---

YAY! So typical Anya. Hopping = Bunnys = NOT GOOD!!

Quote:

---

“Will it get you all hot and sweaty?”



Buffy gulped loudly as she nodded. Looking up from cleaning his glasses Giles muttered, “Bloody hell. First Willow and now you, Buffy?”

---

Yeah. Hot and sweaty is good. Although I would prefer Tara and Willow to get hot and sweaty while doing 'spells'



Insanity

"Nobody messes with my girl!"Tara, Bargaining

[sam darls]

Great update..so funny . Loved it. Love sam xx

"Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong. And those are the ones that change your life." - Jessie Sammler (Evan Rachel Wood)

[tarawhipped]

Um, I'd like to change my answer...

Screw the suspense---instant gratification now! Please?

Oh well, can't blame a girl for trying. Keep posting often, though?



I really liked the Faith/Giles interaction: the snippy "not if I can help it" over the G-Man nickname. Faith's use of it later proves he can, in fact, do nothing about it. Very funny, and nicely done.

[veiled isis moon]

You can't get enough of the whole teasing thing, can you!! First Willow and Tara, now Buffy and Faith, no one knows what's going on, how can they not know?? Surely after Faith and Buffy's little workout and Tara's indepth knowledge about magics and healing, someone would start to get suspicious and ask questions. Someone smart like Giles, or maybe Anya-she has a talent for seeing things for what they are. Great update though.

[amazonaa]

first its willow and tara not knowing that both of them are teachers, assistent teacher same thing. then faith and buffy dont know that they're both slayers. im getting frustrated. but i love the story.





update soon.







brittney

[shuyaku]

Maybe something is in the water or the air - it is obviously an epidemic. There is no other reasonable explanation for an entire town of people so completely oblivious



I was kinda surprised Giles let Tara and Faith even see the training room. Um... how many other petite, blonde college students have an arsenal in their back rooms? First he's all cryptic in warning Tara to "let the professionals" handle the bumps in the night and then he just shows them the professionals' Batcave (for lack of a better metaphor). Strange - very strange indeed. Of course, that just seems to support my theory of the apparent poisoning of the water or air...



Somebody could really use a Bat-clue at the moment. Ooh, maybe they are



-shuyaku

Oh God, Willow—you’re giving me the gift of Karen Carpenter. Just when I think I grasp the full extent of your love." - Tara

"Why do birds suddenly appear? It’s because, you are queer…" - Willow (Gods Served and Abandoned by AntigoneUnbound)

[littlecrazy80]

Great update!

The Buffy/Faith/Giles/Tara interaction was fun.

But where is the Willow/Tara interaction?



*lil´c*

"I am S-E-X-Y" Amber at the FedCon



SweetAmber ~~~ Amber Board

[Irishgrl3]

Thanks for a great update. Whippeee Tara knows Willow is gay! Now if she could just figure out the student-teacher not a student thingy...



Loved the line where Tara was thinking about Faith's reaction to Buffy and/or weapons;

Quote:

---

If she wasn't turned on by Buffy, she certainly was by the array of weaponry in the room.

---

No trouble visualizing Faith there

[Sleek]

Hi



I just started this fic and i am dying for them to deal with their chemistry already.



Ive been hankering for a light fic, since its been a while since I read any. Thanks for this!



Sleek

[MissKittys Ball O Yarn]

Oh! OH! OH! *Waving hands excitedly in the air above my head* Tara knows Willow is gay!!! (My life is now complete ) Wait!... That's only a teeny tiny eency weensy thing...when they have so much more to be confused about...something tells me this is going to be a long story...(That's a good thing though. ) cause... I love this fic hehehe



so...when's the next update? (Tapping watch impatiently)



oh and.....

Quote:

---

“Hey, nice to meet you,” Faith extended her hand, “do people call you G-man?”

Not if I can help it."

---

Need I say more?



xoxo

Emms

The people I'm furious with are the womens's liberationists. They keep getting up on soapboxes and proclaiming women are brighter than men. That's true, but it should be kept quiet or it ruins the whole racket.----



Anita Loos

[Stroke of Luck]

Argh Debra this is going way too slow...i want more...they have to know finally a bit more about each other...u are killing us here missy but still i love ur story, i just wish u would speed up a bit



Cu

SoL/Natti

"I wish that you were here or that I were there, or that we were together anywhere!"

[Ginner WTluv]

More!! More!! *cheers* Wonderful, as usual Loved the interaction between Buffy and Faith (but common, you knew i was gonna say that ) Can't wait for Willow and Tara to meet again now Tara knows Will's definately gay! *rubs hands together* should be interesting.



~ Jen

Helen - Oh please Nikki, be serious!

Nikki - I want to make love you to all night long... is that serious enough?

** Helen and Nikki in "Bad Girls" **

[Betinha]

Hi there!



Ok, I've finally caught up on this fic and what else can I say but I'm loving it. Loads of fun and the great interaction you're so good at! After "Paths", I was missing it. Plus I love the bite size updates! Perfect for someone like me that can never really get much time to sit and read for a very long while, so yay!



I'll be sure to come back for some more soon.



Take care

Betinha

[Tempest Duer]

Poor Faith! She must be really irritated with Buffy for holding back like that.



How long until Willow and Tara do spells?

It's insulting to the whole gender[sic] of rap.



~Eminem

[Kajun]

I send feedback to you all the time but it rarely seems to make it out of my noggin and onto the board. That doesn't work very well since you can't read my mind... or... eep.. can you?! Like everyone else here, I want Willow and Tara to figure it out and get together.. soonish. Faith must have some pretty powerful masking spells going on to fool Buffy. Or is that because Buffy's spidey senses are tingling too far south of her brain? Anyhoo.. still loving the ride.. more please!

[justin]

That was a great update.



I was going to leave some inteligent feedback but then I read

Quote:

---

“Maybe it’s in the water around here,” Anya mused, “I guess that means I’ll be next and Xander’s penis will be all alone.”

---

and



So now Buffy and Faith are as clueless as Willow and Tara. Maybe it is something in the water.



Looking forward to more

What other people think of me is none of my business - Ellen Degeneres

[Grimlock72]

I like Anya's directness here, heh. Lord knows all the others need some of that .



I was wondering, assuming Giles placed the spell to hide Buffy's power-signature... wouldn't he be able to see/detect Faiths power (before she went into the gym of course) ??



This Faith is much more likable to me than the ones I read in most other stories. It's her whole behaviour I think, not entirely sure. There are only a couple of ways for them to figure out their real strength; (1) one of them gets mad, (2) run-in while chasing vampires.



I kept expecting Willow to walk in at them at some time but noooo, that would be to easy



Grimmy

--
"You hurt Tara," Willow said too calmly. "The last one who tried that was a god. I made her regret it." -- Unexpected Consequences by Lisa of Nine

[JustSkipIt]

BWR – Ha ha. Glad you liked. Yeah, it pissed Faith off even though neither girl knows the other was still holding back.



Russ – Yep, cluelessness all around. Hey! I can put lots of two & two together – just not these twos and twos.



Not the last scene but close… Glad you like it and particularly Anya’s line. Yep, she’s getting the good ones in this story.



Wimpy – Yeah, she wasn’t really doubting it but now she knows for sure that Willow likes girls. Personally, I love the Buffy/Faith fights: I think they are the best there are but these girls are holding back. Yes, Willow in the next part.



The Rose24 – I’m mixed on whether I like Fluffy but I LOVE Faith! W/T in the next chapter. I promise.



Insanity – Ha ha. Yep, Debra the tease. Yeah, the banter between Faith & Tara is wonderful and I’m very proud of it (obviously). Glad you like it. The spells will be coming but they will take a little while.



sammi – Thanks. I’m glad you liked it and found it funny.



tarawhipped – Isn’t there a fic where Willow’s screen name is Tarawhipped (at the end)? I think so… Nice try on the begging. I’m glad you liked the Faith/Giles interaction. Me too.



veiled isis moon – Nope, not enough for me. More Teasing please… But you are right: hard to believe no one is asking more questions.



amazonaa – Glad you’re enjoying and even more glad you are frustrated.



shuyaku – Think of all the strange things that have happened in Sunnydale. Given those, does this epidemic of cluelessness really seem so unbelievable? Not really. Maybe they all got some band coffee?



I never thought that Giles or anyone else was particularly interested in keeping Buffy’s identity a secret so why would he start now? Plus which, Buffy invited Faith, not Giles. Lol about the batcave and batclue.



Romy – Sorry to disappoint with no W/T. Next udpate I promise.



Irishgrl3{/b] – Thanks. Yep, Tara knows that. But Willow’s still off limits since she’s a student of course. I’m glad you got the visual on Faith. Can’t you imagine?



S – Welcome. I’m glad you like this and yes, the intention was certainly light and that’s what it is.



Emms – Yep, one clue found. I wouldn’t say long – probably my second shortest story but it will have quite a few more chapters. I’d guess 25-30 chapters? Glad you loved it. I’ll update in the next few days. Sorry for the extreme vagueness. Everyone liked Giles’ line. How wonderful.



Natti – Patience is a virtue… Ha ha. That’s the fun of the story-the waiting.



Ginner WTluv – Thank you. Wonderful feedback and I can feel your excitement over it all. I pray it’s “interesting” at least.



Betinha – Welcome. Glad to have you. Yes, you hit it exactly and that’s why the bite size updates too: easier to write plus which easier to have the misunderstandings. Glad it works for you.



Tempest Duer – I’m not sure that either girl thought the other was holding back by the end even though both were. But Faith started so mad, yes.

Quote:

---

How long until Willow and Tara do spells?

---

Hmmm. Let me see: I think 4-6 updates from now? So yes, spells will happen but more confusion first.



Kajun – Yeah, I’ve been having trouble with my radio receiver not getting thoughts from readers heads so thanks for using the board this time. I think a few of the above explanations for Buffy’s cluelessness (in addition to her general cluelessness).



justin – Well thanks for the thought of intelligent feedback at least. I’m glad that line was a hit. I love Anya! Everyone is clueless and believe me, that’s not over.



Grimmy –

Quote:

---

I was wondering, assuming Giles placed the spell to hide Buffy's power-signature... wouldn't he be able to see/detect Faiths power (before she went into the gym of course) ??

---

Good question but no because of the spell Tara put on Faith and wound into her Tattoo. That’s why Giles can’t detect her any more than the Watcher’s Council can. Tara’s spell is very effective and no one has ever found Faith as the second slayer.



I’m glad you like Faith better. As I said: I love her. Yeah, they will have to find out at some time and sorry for the no Willow walk in. Thanks for the feedback.

Oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment

[Grimaldi]

loved the update



Anya's comment too funny. it really amazing that everybody is way too clueless about things, you'd at least think that Giles would notice something about Faith's fighting style to wonder if she is a slayer

I'm not stealing, I'm just taking things without paying for them. In what twisted dictionary is that stealing?
Welcome friends, how may I pervert you?

[JustSkipIt]

Grimaldi – Thanks. Yes, you would think they would all get a clue… But they don’t.







Title – School Days



Part 17 – Lunchtime



Author – JustSkipit - Debra



Spoilers – Yes.



Rating – Part 17– PG



Disclaimer – Guess what… I don’t own W&T, Buffy or the rest of the BtVS crew. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental and fortunate.



Thoughts in italics





Willow looked again at the clock. There was still enough time. But there shouldn’t be. She knew she shouldn’t go out and visit Tara at lunch. She should just let the student eat her lunch in peace. And maybe the blonde would have friends with her and Willow would just be interrupting if she went outside anyway.



She looked at the clock again.



It was Wednesday, which meant that the redhead had managed to avoid going out to see Tara at lunch for two days. The last time she’d seen the adorable blonde had been at lunch on Sunday when Tara had met Willow’s parents. Willow’s breath caught in her throat as she thought of the way Tara had looked then, slightly sweaty from her walk or ride to the restaurant and a little shy. The touch of pink in the younger girl’s cheeks seemed to invite Willow’s caress.



Willow had spent a good portion of Sunday afternoon lying in her room and daydreaming about the blonde student. Ostensibly she was studying spells. She felt intrigued about the missing second slayer. It just didn’t make sense that the girl couldn’t be found. If she was alive, then the council should be able to find her and if not, another slayer would rise and they would find that one. Instead, there had been no sign of Kendra’s replacement in over two years and it grated on Willow’s sense of order.



In spite of the redhead’s interest in the missing slayer and finding a spell to reveal her presence, she had actually spent much of her time daydreaming about Tara. It had started typically enough: wondering what the blonde was doing. Had she enjoyed her Chinese take-out? Did she spend the day with her family or did she study? That led to the redhead picturing Tara lying on her bed reading, perhaps swinging on a swing on the front porch as she enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird or some other novel. Willow wondered what other books the girl liked and imagined having a conversation with her about literature, movies, or magic. She could almost feel Tara’s hand in her own as they walked along the water’s edge, sharing all their interests, passions, and dreams.



And of course by the end of the day, her hand was no longer just resting in the blonde’s. In her mind, her thumb began moving back and forth, brushing across the back of Tara’s hand. She imagined Tara stopping to look at a duck or turtle, Willow imagined stepping behind her and wrapping her arms around the blonde’s waist. She could almost feel her own heartbeat as it pounded into the space between her chest and Tara’s back, could hear the blonde’s breath increase as she welcomed the embrace. And then fantasy Tara had turned toward Willow, placing her arms on the redhead’s shoulders. One hand moved to tuck a curl behind Willow’s ear, tracing the tip of that ear. Her tongue poked slowly out to wet her lips before the two girls simultaneously but excruciatingly slowly bent toward each other. Their lips would meet softly and tentatively before both girls pulled away just enough to smile.



Willow had replayed the fantasy over and over, each time altering some small aspect: which girl stood at the water’s edge while the other wrapped her arms around her? Which girl had initiated the kiss? Had the sun set while they continued walking? Had she walked Tara home?



Finally, seeing the sun setting out her own window, Willow had jumped from her bed to take a cold shower. She was scheduled to patrol with Buffy and wanted to be ready. In the shower, she had continued thinking about the blonde but something her father had said grated on her. He thought Tara was a teacher like Willow. What if she was a teacher? Willow thought back through their conversations: Tara was looking for the English wing. Ok, that didn’t prove anything. But she had run into the girl at the UC Sunnydale library. Why would a teacher be at the university library? And what had she said there? That she was preparing for class; that could go either way. She could be a student or a teacher and preparing for class. It seemed hopeful until Willow remembered Tara’s recounting of the steps to become a teacher: finish college and student teaching. Nonetheless…



With the topic of Tara’s teaching status still fresh in her mind on Monday morning, Willow stopped by the school office to check her mailbox. Standing in front of all the cubbyhole boxes, she knew that Tara wasn’t a teacher but couldn’t help scanning the names nonetheless: Larchen, Maclain, Nedrish. No, no Maclay. She was disappointed but not surprised. Of course the lovely blonde wasn’t a teacher. She was a student and Willow needed to keep her hands, and her thoughts off the girl.



The redhead finally focused on the computer screen in front of her. She had been doing anything but keeping her thoughts off Tara for the last 30 minutes. Instead she had been daydreaming about the blonde and each interaction they had had. Finally deciding that attempting to avoid the blonde did no good, Willow got up from her chair. It would be ok to go and say hi to Tara during the time she had left. After all, the blonde had all but invited her to come back at lunchtime and Willow wouldn’t want to be rude, right?



Plus which, the redhead had been fighting all day against her impulse to research the blonde. She wanted nothing more than to look up Tara in the school’s database. What other classes was the blonde taking besides English? How were her grades? When was her birthday? She wanted to know so much information about the girl couldn’t come up with even a vague rationalization for doing so. To look Tara Maclay up in the system would invade the girl’s privacy and be completely inappropriate.



She pulled the door shut behind her and walked quickly out toward the quad. She glanced both ways before realizing that she was acting guilty and then assumed a more casual stride. As predicted, Tara was sitting under the same tree. Her eyes were shut as if she were meditating and Willow noticed that she felt calmer the moment she laid eyes on the beautiful woman.



Not wanting to interrupt, Willow slowed her step and then stopped walking about fifteen feet from the tree. She was trying to decide whether to turn around and go back to her classroom when Tara’s eyes popped open, locking on Willow. When Tara slowly smiled, Willow couldn’t have turned around if she had wanted to.



“Willow,” Tara whispered under her breath as the redhead approached.



“Hi, Tara,” Willow said nervously as she stood a few feet from the student, “you said last week that you always have lunch out here and I kind of took that as an invitation I guess. You know, an invitation to come and join you, but maybe not. But I took it that way so I wasn’t sure but I didn’t want to be rude by not coming out to say hi. Hi.”



Her cheeks burned red as she saw the way Tara was first grinning, then smiling, and finally laughing out loud at her endless babble. For anyone else to laugh at Willow would cause her endless embarrassment and probably make her want to sink into the ground or wish for frogs to rain from the sky on their head. But hearing Tara’s laugh, all Willow could think was that she wanted to hear it again and again.



“Then it’s the treat of my day,” Tara answered flirtatiously. As she did, she couldn’t believe how she sounded: Oh Goddess, I’m flirting with a student. I have to stop this. Even if she is totally adorable and smiling at me and standing there and… ”Do you want to sit down?” the blonde asked.



“If I’m not interrupting you,” Willow answered as she took a seat.



“I was just m-meditating for a few minutes,” Tara explained, “have you ever t-tried it?”



“A little,” Willow admitted, “I kind of have trouble stilling my mind.”



“I have some good exercises…,” Tara answered, “if … I mean if you w-wanted to …” She trailed off completely. What are you doing Tara Maclay? Asking a student on a meditation date? What’s wrong with meditating?



Tara’s internal battle would have been completely obvious to Willow had the redhead not been thinking about the offer to meditate with the blonde. She gulped loudly as she pictured it: candles around the room, the two girls sitting across from each other, their eyes closed as they held hands. She couldn’t possibly say yes. It just wouldn’t be right. “That would be great,” she answered enthusiastically.



“Great,” Tara smiled warmly. “Today I have p-plans. How about t-tomorrow?”



“Tomorrow would be great,” Willow agreed, “just great.”



“Meet here about 4:00?” Tara offered. As Willow nodded the blonde asked, “Where do you want to go?” She thought about the condition of her apartment, the possibility of Faith being there, and the amount of demon fighting and magical supplies strewn about and prayed that Willow wouldn’t suggest Tara’s place.



“My house?” Willow offered with a question. She took note of the students all moving inside and Tara gathering her lunch things together. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she wanted to slap herself. First, it was completely inappropriate to invite the girl to her house and second, she couldn’t possibly try to relax with Buffy and Dawn around. They would probably be wandering in and out, making rude comments, or teasing the two girls. Not to mention, the weapons and magic supplies all over the house. Ok, the magic supplies weren’t a problem because Tara was apparently a witch.



But…



Tara didn’t know that Willow was a witch. More importantly, Tara didn’t’ know that Willow knew that Tara was a witch.



At that point in her thinking, Willow began giggling at her internal babble. “My parents will be at work until late so we can have the house to ourselves,” she offered as she marveled at her quick thinking.



“G-great,” Tara agreed as the two girls walked into the school building. Students were rushing to their next classes and Willow and Tara felt themselves being jostled by the crush. Seeing a student about to rollerblade into Tara, Willow reached out to grab the blonde by the forearm and pull her forward, away from danger.



This time the redhead recognized the electric spark that flooded her body, radiating out from where her palm met Tara’s arm. Of course, she realized, it’s because she’s a witch! The shocked look on the blonde’s face made it clear that Tara still didn’t understand the source of their connection. Willow looked at the quickly clearing halls and decided that she couldn’t possibly explain right now. “I have to get to class,” she said.



“R-right,” Tara stuttered, still shocked by the intensity of their connection as well as by Willow’s actions. She had seen the student coming but couldn’t move fast enough so she wasn’t confused by Willow’s pulling her closer but the intense feeling rushing through her body when they touched was intoxicating and amazing. As Willow turned and headed toward the Math wing, Tara could only wave lamely before returning to the English wing.

Oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment

[Irishgrl3]

Wow and well... Wow.

Great Update! Some W/T interaction with a hint of flirtation I am glad Tara seems to be occupying a great deal of Willow's daydreaming. Been there... Must be tough to resist looking her up on the computer. Very nice with the you don't know that I know;

Quote:

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Tara didn't know that Willow was a witch. More importantly, Tara didn't know that Willow knew Tara was a witch.

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[BurningWhiteRose]

Oh man...that was just....CUTE!



I love watching them flirt.



And at least Willow thinks that Tara might be a teacher....



When will they ever learn?



Continuation please!



Sincerely,

BWR

[kindagay]

STOP THIS MADNESS!

They have to know already...please



if you dont let them find out sooner than soon we all will just go insane. dont treat us like this. please if you care at all for us kittens then you will stop, think and put an end to the teasing.



Hugs

Jeanne & Shawnie

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Tara: “Let me guess – you want me to lie on your lap while you feed me grapes, but my sweet, shy, precious, honey you’ve been too shy to ask – yes?” - GROWW by WannaFriendsBe

[Sheba]

Aargh...wake up and smell the other teacher!!! LOL! That sounded a lot more PG in my head!