Author: Onyxsundrops
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters, they belong to Joss and M.E.

There is always a need for protection and completion, but something lays dormant within you. A choice. Will you take a chance or question the unexpected?

Willow smiled down at her sleeping partner and brushed her lips around the outline of Tara's jawbone. Settling into her exploration of the blonde's skin, she groaned softly when a faint beeping noise tickled her ear. The redhead tried to ignore the sound, but couldn't and turned over her shoulder to see a green light flashing on her laptop. Grumpily, Willow unattached herself from around Tara and blinked at the 'low battery' sign flashing across the dim screen.

Staring, dumbly, as if her mind couldn't function properly while away from the slumbering figure underneath the blanket, it took Willow a minute or two to plug her laptop in. She chanced a tempting look back at the bed, but the allure of her email pulled her away. After deleting the spam mail that her software hadn't caught, the redhead's attention lingered on a specific email title. Final confirmation. She grinned as she read the screen and her mood brightened instantly when she sent her reply of thanks to the sender.

In her sleep, Tara turned fully onto her back, breathing softly as her hand slid underneath her lover's pillow. Still glowing, Willow quickly kissed her partner and quietly left the room in search of breakfast.

A note from Buffy, attached to the counter, said that she and Faith would open the restaurant to give them extra 'snuggle time', so Willow didn't worry too much about being late. However, when her eyes lowered to the 'I need a favor,' written at the bottom and a smiley face with its tongue circling the word 'favor', the redhead frowned. Her brain went over every possible favor the blonde could want and her frown grew at each one.

After twenty minutes of scrounging through the kitchen, Willow settled on toast, juice and a smile. Since the tenants were hardly home during the past week, the refrigerator was quite bare and wheat toast and apple juice was the only edible items, which didn't require culinary skills. Balancing the plate and glass as she perfected her smile, Willow returned only to find that Tara was still asleep. Or was she?

Blue eyes snapped shut when Willow entered the room, although not before catching the redhead's surprise. Evening her breathing to make it appear as if she were asleep, Tara waited for her girlfriend to set the food on the table, and gently rolled halfway onto her side. When Willow's back was to her, she quickly brushed the hair away from her neck, leaving the expanse of skin for her lover to view. But Willow did more than view, especially when Tara felt soft, slightly wet, lips kiss her throat.

Willow felt a moan rumble against her mouth and smiled into her partner's neck. From the small tremble in the blonde's frame and the groan that followed, she knew that Tara wasn't asleep. Her theory was proved with another kiss and the blonde, subtly, tilting her head back onto the pillow.

"Are you awake?" Willow asked, quietly. When Tara didn't respond, a sneaky grin teased Willow's lips and she pulled away. "I guess I'll go take my shower then," she whistled as she began collecting her things.

Tara intended to continue her game and remained silent.

"It's kind of chilly in here," the redhead thought aloud.

Spurred by Willow's voice, the blonde shivered as her nipples tightened under the blanket. Regardless of the fact that her body had a mind of its own, Tara stuck to her plan and kept her eyes shut.

"Ever notice how things just... harden, when there's a breeze," Willow went on speaking to herself as she grabbed a towel from her closet. With her back turned, she grinned and thought that she could actually hear Tara's toes curl.

"Oh well, I guess a nice, hot shower will take care of that," she finished in a singsong voice, moving toward the door.

"Don't you dare leave this room." A sensuous voice stopped her within the doorway.

"Oh, you're awake." Willow glanced over her shoulder, eyebrows rising in mock surprise.

"I'm more than that," Tara snorted, wearing nothing but shorts and a lazy smile as she threw back the covers. Since plan A was officially a bust, the blonde decided to try a different method as she directed a smiling Willow into the bathroom, leaving behind the forgotten toast and juice.

The couple arrived at work slightly later than usual and although Willow had rushed her partner through the door, Anya was hot on their trail before she could lock it.

"Hello everybody," she called, brightly. "I didn't have the chance to come by yesterday, so I thought I'd stop in today."

"Lucky us," Willow grumbled as she stored her belongings under the counter.

Anya ignored the comment as her gaze settled on Faith and the apron the brunette was wearing. "They got you too, huh?" She shook her head and clicked her tongue in disappointment. "So where do you hide the string bean pods, anyway?" The blonde looked toward the kitchen before glancing at Willow. "I know they're back there somewhere."

"Would you like to see them?" Faith asked with a sinister grin, mentally sizing the annoying girl and knowing that the closet would fit her.

"Honey, please don't frighten away our only customer," Buffy said, leaning against the door. "And yes, you are paying this time." The cook added as she looked back to Anya.

"That's right, I am your only customer," Anya nodded, jutting her chin out and ignoring the rest of Buffy's statement. "So be nice or there'll be no tip for you," she wiggled her finger at the new employee.

"You're just a regular ball of sunshine, aren't you?" Faith shook her head as she began taking chairs down from atop the tables.

"Well," Anya beamed, "I go by many names."

"I'll bet," Willow grumbled again.

"What can we get you, Anya?" Tara quickly cut in, breaking her silence for the first time. When Anya held her tongue, took a seat and began frowning over the menu, Tara knew what was to come and settled in the seat across from her.

"What are you plotting now?" Willow asked once business had calmed down a bit. She leaned against the back kitchen counter, keeping an eye out front as Buffy smiled at her.

"Nothing," the cook tried to look as innocent as possible.

"Right," the redhead smirked, "so what's the favor? I don't have to sell anything, do I?" She raised a curious eyebrow.

"No," Buffy chuckled at a distant memory. "But I was wondering... well, you see...," she saw the 'I can't wait to hear this' expression on Willow's face. "Do you, by any chance, have any special plans for the weekend?"

Willow frowned, expecting to hear something beginning with 'well, I have this idea', which in the past, had been followed by a call to her parents.

"Something that, uh, requires, oh I don't know...," Buffy went on, lowering her voice, "me having the house to myself?" She plastered a cheesy grin to her face, hoping to persuade her best friend.

"The entire weekend?" Willow grinned and mischievously poked the blonde's shoulder. "And why, may I ask, would you need the house for the entire weekend?" She asked, holding back her laughter when she saw the cook's expression.

"No reason." Buffy knew that her friend could read her face like an open book and fought the urge to turn away. But she did turn and her gaze landed on the small window and the brunette hunched over the table, seemingly fighting sleep.

Willow followed the movement. "Well, Tara and I had planned to have a smorgasbord, you know, with different flavored ice creams and old romance films..."

"Uh huh." Buffy's eyes remained on the window. Faith's nodding head slipped from her hand and the suddenly alert brunette looked around to see if anyone had noticed.

"...and then we were going to paint our toenails and have a tea party on the front lawn." The redhead watched for her friend's expression, "Which reminds me, I accidently turned your favorite sweater orange, but it's nothing bleach won't get out."

"Right." Buffy's eyes glazed over as she watched Faith stretch. Her head titled to the side to catch the curve as her girlfriend's breast strained against her T-shirt.

"So, are you and Faith doing the deed yet?"

"Yeah." The cook blinked, "Wait, what? No, we... no. Did you answer my question?" Completely lost, Buffy turned toward her friend who smiled knowingly.

"You won't hear from us the whole weekend," Willow promised. "Well, except if the house burns down. But then, the phone might catch fire too, so you won't actually 'hear' from us."

"I get it," Buffy smiled thankfully, "so you're just going to hangout at Tara's place?"

"I've made plans, yes," Willow bit back her secret grin. Her plans didn't exactly involve Tara's place, well not unless they got caught up like that morning, but it would only be for a few hours.

"I know that look," the blonde smirked, "that's your 'I'm being sneaky' look. Spill." She hopped onto the counter, careful of the stove.

"It is, isn't it." Willow giggled, smugly. "But I won't spill just yet, I don't wanna curse anything." The redhead mentally went over her plans, "Although, when we get back, I'll give you the child friendly version of my sneakiness but only if you spill too. How's that?"

"Sounds good." Buffy nodded, her own plan formulating in her mind when Willow left.