I like the bruja and the Aztecs. And, of course, anytime I run up against my old buddies, the Templars, it's a good day.

(sniff)

I helped a little, too. In the earlier days. I was just going through our chat logs and wondering if you'd done anything with that.

Dude, you help with everything. I'm dusting out my bunnies if you want to get on AIM.

Thanks, Con.

Getting. I was only off because the machine crashed overnight.

I like the bruja

t beaming That was my contribution.

t edit I contributed the *word*, not the character.

I love it.

As of yet untitled.

There was a soft knock at her door, and Tara looked up from her book. She called out, "Come in," swiping an errant piece of hair from her eyes.

"Hey," Willow said with a soft smile that was quickly returned.

"Hi," Tara replied. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Willow fussed with the hem of her shirt, drawing out a thread and looping it around her fingers.

Tara came up to her, pulling her close into a hug. "Is something wrong? You seem...nervous. And I thought that was my job," she said with a small grin.

Willow smiled weakly back and cleared her throat. "Tara--Tara, I want to kiss you."

Tara's eyes widened. "O-Okay. Um."

Willow moved away and plopped into an available chair, frown creasing her face. "No, look. I mean--I like what we've been doing, you know? I like going slow. Slow is good, slow is comfortable and how we should go. But, like. I look at you sometimes, and it's as if the world is going all fuzzy, and I reach out to touch you, and you pull me into a hug and we just hold each other for awhile, which is great, but I want to press my lips to yours so hard that I can feel it *everywhere,* you know? Not small little pecks, even though I like those too. I want to feel my toes curl, like I know they would if I just--kissed you. Like I want to."

Willow had fixed her eyes at a point on the wall next to one of the bookcases, and she didn't move her sight from that spot. Tara knelt in front of her took her hands. "I like slow, too, Will. But sometimes--" she traced her fingertips along the back of Willow's left hand "--sometimes it feels like the world is tilting when you touch me, and my head is swimming so that I go blind, and I know if I don't hold onto you I'll disappear."

She stopped talking for a heart-stopping moment, and both their breaths caught as Tara moved her head in closer, bringing her lips so close to Willow's that their lips brushed when she spoke. "If you kiss me like that, I'll know I'm real."

They came together in a chaste kiss, lips pressed against each other hard and tight. Willow's tongue darted out, and after a moment Tara's mouth opened to accept it. They danced, though their bodies stood still. Tara's tongue pulled Willow's inside her mouth, just holding it there, sucking lightly. Willow's eyelashes fluttered, and when Tara pulled back just a little, she followed. Their lips didn't break contact, but Willow opened her eyes to meet Tara's. Willow's hand slid up the side of Tara's body, a light caress that sent shivers every place her fingers glanced, finally resting in a solid grip on the back of her neck. Willow pulled Tara down until they were tangled in the chair, close everywhere. They were both breathing hard, panting in time, but neither allowed their lips to lose contact.

Willow snaked her arms around Tara, holding her close and mumbling into her mouth, "God, I've wanted this forever."

Tara made slow laps at the roof of Willow's mouth before murmuring, "I've wanted this longer."

Willow nipped carefully at Tara's lower lip, making her mouth look swollen and red, well-used. She smiled into their kiss, tracing her tongue along the outside line of Tara's lips, Tara's breath mingling with her own.

They moved together, shuffling to the bed, Willow pushing Tara onto her back and dancing her fingers over the bare line of skin exposed when Tara's shirt rucked up. Willow pressed her mouth to Tara's, thrusting her tongue in and out in an erratic pattern accentuated by the lazy swish of her body against Tara's.

Tara's breath came hard, and her arms came up to cross behind Willow's head, holding it in place. Her mouth opened, and she sucked on Willow's upper lip, her tongue brushing against Willow's teeth. Willow pushed down harder, locking herself to Tara.

After a minute they wrenched themselves apart, gasping for breath and holding onto each other tightly, possessively, protectively.

"Okay," Willow said between mouthfuls of air, "that was...good."

Tara smiled prettily up at her. "Yes. It is," she said, drawing Willow back to her.

Hey SA, that's pretty hot. I like it. One question, though:

"God, I've wanted this forever."

Would Willow say something like that?

I think so. She tends to hold off, and hold off, and hold off, until she finally goes for what she wants.

I could hear Willow saying it, but then she'd qualify it with 'well, not that I knew it, knew it, because, Oz and Xander, and girls, never really thought of them... and I'm babbling, aren't I? I'm large with the incoherence...'

And then Tara would just kiss her to shut her up.